Category: Uncategorized

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Have you ever worked with an SEO provider and been disappointed?

We have a proven track record of successfully assisting clients who have experienced poor service from their previous suppliers, which is a situation we often encounter. Unlike their previous provider, our approach to administering Google Ads goes beyond simply setting things up and leaving it at that. We understand the importance of daily maintenance to ensure an effective Google Ads campaign that minimizes the cost per click and maximizes the number of genuine conversions. This approach is an integral part of our sem[c] strategy for SEO.

Speaking of conversions, it is essential to differentiate between merely reaching the landing page of an ad and a true conversion. While the previous provider mistakenly considered page views as conversions, we recognize that a genuine conversion signifies a meaningful step towards a purchasing decision, such as filling out a form or making a call. To compound their error, this provider insisted on setting up Google Ads to generate more conversions without accurately identifying true conversions. Consequently, Google’s algorithms were simply targeting more people similar to those who visited the landing pages due to irrelevant searches, leading to further unfavorable search results.

By partnering with us, you can expect a comprehensive approach to Google Ads management that includes continuous maintenance, accurate conversion tracking, and a focus on driving genuine results for your business.

Establishing the definition of a conversion is an important part of the sem[c] Onboarding procedure which is the starting point of the sem[c] SEO Process illustrated below:

SEO is serious business and we do it the way it should be done.

Call us, email us or reach out on social media to find out more about how sem[c] can make SEO work for you.

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Reasons Why Localized SEO is Important for Your Business

localized SEO by Search Engine Marketing Chicago

As a business owner, localized SEO can be extremely important for your online presence and visibility.

First, localized SEO allows you to target customers in your specific geographic area. This means that when people search for businesses like yours in their local area, your business will be more likely to appear in search results. This can help you attract more customers who are actually in your area and looking for your products or services. One of the most common search phrases for people using Google or other search engines is “best <your product or service> near me.”

Additionally, optimizing your local listing can help improve your online visibility and credibility. When your business appears in local search results, it can establish your business as a reputable and trustworthy source in your local area. This can lead to increased sales and customer loyalty.

Localized SEO also allows you to optimize your online listings and directories, such as Google My Business, which can help you show up in the Google Maps section of search results. This can make it easy for customers to find your business address, phone number, and hours of operation.

Furthermore, optimizing your local business listing organically is a cost-effective way to promote your business. It is often less expensive than traditional forms of advertising, especially pay-per-click, and can be more targeted to your specific audience’s location.

Overall, localized SEO can help increase your visibility and credibility in your local area, improve your online listings and directories, and target customers who are looking for businesses like yours in their local area. It can be a cost-effective way to promote your business, and will be beneficial to your bottom line.

Contact us to begin localizing your local business listings.

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Content optimization for search engines

Content optimization for SEO
Content Optimization for SEO

Content optimization for search engines is the process of creating and organizing content in a way that makes it more visible and easier to find in search engine results pages (SERPs). By optimizing your content for search engines, you can improve the visibility and ranking of your website, attract more qualified traffic, and increase the chances of converting visitors into customers.

There are several ways to optimize your content for search engines. Here are some tips:

  1. Use relevant, targeted keywords: Choose keywords that are relevant to your business and the content of your website, and use them throughout your content in a natural and unobtrusive way.
  2. Write for humans, not just for search engines: While it’s important to include keywords in your content, it’s even more important to write for your audience. Make sure your content is informative, engaging, and easy to read.
  3. Use headings and subheadings: Headings and subheadings help to structure your content and make it easier to read. They also give you an opportunity to include keywords and help search engines understand the main topics and themes of your content.
  4. Use lists and bullet points: Lists and bullet points make your content more scannable and easier to read. They also give you an opportunity to include keywords and highlight important points.
  5. Use images and videos: Images and videos can help to break up long blocks of text and make your content more visually appealing. They also give you an opportunity to include keywords in the file names and alt text.
  6. Use internal and external links: Internal links, which link to other pages on your own website, can help to improve the navigation and structure of your site. External links, which link to other websites, can help to improve the credibility and authority of your content.

By following these tips and best practices, you can optimize your content for search engines and improve the visibility and ranking of your website. Even better, you can contact sem[c] and have it done right for you.

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Ambient Advertising

Ambient Advertising

Paid social media advertising is significantly and fundamentally different from paid text search advertising. The difference stems from the intentions of the audience. In Search the audience is looking for something specific whereas in Social Media the audience really isn’t. This means that if you want to use Social Media to advertise your business, the strategies you’ve developed for Search won’t work—you need to target paid Social Media advertising in a completely different way.

Emily in Paris

A recent article cited the Netflix show “Emily in Paris” as an example of ambient TV.

“Emily in Paris” begins and ends in an avalanche of desiccated digital-marketing language that seems to have subsumed Emily’s soul. She cares about nothing more than “social,” impressions, R.O.I.

Isn’t part of the seductiveness of social media that advertising also becomes ambient? You see content in your social media feed. There is very little distinction between organic and paid content. Everything is part of the never-ending digital information stream on all of your screens from smartwatches to 100 inch 8K TV sets.

This is not the case with search results. Google labels ads in their search returns. People still say that they never click on ads but research has shown that even with the labels many don’t know what an ad looks like. The act of making a search implies a sort of consent to what you get in the result.  On the other hand, everyone using social media is within the reach of “influencers” without any kind of consent, implied or otherwise. Influencers have replaced the endorsers from an earlier age of marketing.

A fashion blogger tagging her “favorite” basicswear brand on Instagram or a popular gamer name-dropping his “go-to” headset model mid-stream doesn’t carry the same heavy-handed transactional connotation as, say, Steve Carrell hawking Pepsi. (Or at least it isn’t supposed to.) True influencerdom presupposes a particular type of relationship between content creator and viewer, at scale, one that hinges on the willingness of the viewer to be influenced. Users consider influencers more akin to a close friend than an advertiser or paid endorser, as the stream of content they produce—and the more casual way in which it is shared with the public—imbues influencers with an air of authenticity that is rarely seen in semicommercial spaces.

Authentic or not the power of influencers derives from the pervasiveness of social media. More traditional news media even report on what’s trending on Twitter. Repetition may not make something true but it can make that thing seem possible or even likely. That makes paid social media advertising an effective weapon in the marketing arsenal.

Most businesses can benefit from paid online advertising. To find the right mix for you visit https://searchenginemarketingchicago.com

 ““Emily in Paris” and the Rise of Ambient TV | The New Yorker.” 16 Nov. 2020, https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/emily-in-paris-and-the-rise-of-ambient-tv. Accessed 25 Nov. 2020.

 “What is an Influencer? – Social Media Influencers Defined ….” 15 Oct. 2020, https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-an-influencer/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2020.

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Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 4, 2017

Search Engine Marketing Chicago, Inc. (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates https://searchenginemarketingchicago.com  (the “Site”). This page informs you of our policies regarding the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information we receive from users of the Site. We use your Personal Information only for providing and improving the Site. By using the Site, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

Information Collection And Use

While using our Site, we may ask you to provide us with certain personally identifiable information that can be used to contact or identify you. Personally identifiable information may include, but is not limited to your name (“Personal Information”).

Log Data

Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Site (“Log Data”). This Log Data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (“IP”) address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages and other statistics. In addition, we may use third party services such as Google Analytics that collect, monitor and analyze this information.

Communications

We may use your Personal Information to contact you with newsletters, marketing or promotional materials and other information that will inform you about work performed by us.

Cookies

Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a web site and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Like many sites, we use “cookies” to collect information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may not be able to use some portions of our Site.

Security

The security of your Personal Information is important to us, but remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

Changes To This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy is effective as of April 4, 2017 and will remain in effect except with respect to any changes in its provisions in the future, which will be in effect immediately after being posted on this page. We reserve the right to update or change our Privacy Policy at any time and you should check this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of the Service after we post any modifications to the Privacy Policy on this page will constitute your acknowledgment of the modifications and your consent to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy. If we make any material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will notify you either through the email address you have provided us, or by placing a prominent notice on our website.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us.

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New site launched!

Search Engine Marketing Chicago, Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of its new site design at https://searchenginemarketingchicago.com/.  The new design was created in WordPress and is based on the Bizway Theme!

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White Pages v Yellow Pages

Do you remember the difference between the white pages and the yellow pages?

Ignore for a moment that this question is rapidly becoming anachronistic and the items referenced will soon be forgotten. It’s the difference between the two that still has a lot of relevance today.

You used the white pages directory when you knew the name of a person or company and wanted to get their telephone number or address.

You used the yellow page directory when you knew the type of product or service that you wanted but you either didn’t know or weren’t sure of the name that you were looking for.

Today, you use a search engine for both of these purposes. However, what we have found is that many businesses think it sufficient to fulfill only the “white pages function”. This is apparent when a business’ website talks in the first person about “what we do/are/sell/etc.” This type of website ignores its visitors who are looking for a product or service that they need or want.

If the website doesn’t clearly say it the terms the visitor understands that visitor will leave even if they could have found what they wanted. This is similar to the frustrating experience that anyone using the yellow page directory found when they looked up what they wanted only to have the directory tell them that what they were looking for was listed elsewhere.

Every business has the opportunity to optimize their website to being both a “white pages” listing and a “yellow pages” listing. It’s not obvious and it takes the right kind of work to do it correctly.

It’s what we do.

Got questions? Call, click or Google… you’ll reach us.
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Google Maps

I was doing some research for a project recently and saw Google taking a different approach to Places, it’s term for results from maps.google.com in its general search returns.
Search Engine Marketing Chicago screen shot
The search is for “Chicago criminal defence attorney” (sic). Google ignores the misspelling without notice which is a bit different than previously when it noted the change. The real difference for me is how prominent the Places listings are as circled in red above. Photos have been added to these listings to enhance their visual appeal as well.

 

This more emphatically elevates the Places listings above the Organic listings which begin further down the page. In addition, the map on the right side of the results scrolls down with you if you move down the page which keeps that part of Places in front of you at all times.

 

It must be noted that this format does not appear for all types of businesses so  your mileage will, as always, vary.

 

At sem[c], we’ve been using Google Maps as an important component of our comprehensive marketing for years. So, no matter if it’s Google Places, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or any other part of online business marketing visit our website, call or email us.

 

For more information feel free to contact me,

 

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Why SEM?

Why not SEM?

It seems to me that while everyone has heard about Google and most people choose Google when they search for something, few people have discovered how great a tool it can be for getting new business by making the fullest possible use of your website.

You can improve the business results from your website by using the proved search engine marketing techniques that we’ve developed at sem[c]. In very competitive businesses you get more visitors when your name appears at the top of the list of search results at Google. We saw this happen recently with a big increase in clicks the first day that my personal injury attorney client appeared at the top of the page.

I have increased the traffic to a spa’s website by ten times very quickly and at a very reasonable cost without even waiting for Google to index the site.

No one can guarantee that people that visit your website will make you money. I do believe that people who will make you money will look at your website.

One great thing about the Web is that you can get great information about who is visiting a website, where they came from, what they were searching for and what they looked at. Let me know if you’d like to look at some real metrics.