Updated: Oct 28, 2022
Many of you out there will be using an Instagram feed on your websites, but did you know that on March the 31st 2020, Instagram will be changing its existing API from (Basic) to (Graph).
This means many of you who have migrated to the new API will need to reconnect your Instagram accounts so that the new API can work, if you do not reconnect before March 31, your current Instagram feed may not appear on your website.
What is an API and why do I need it?
API stands for "Application Program Interface" and it allows apps to talk to and function with Instagram, for example many of our clients request to have an Instagram feed on their website to showcase photos of works they have undertaken. The Instagram API allows for the feed to
communicate with the live account and to feed the information through to their website.
If you want to find out more about the API update and how it may affect you and your business, you can find out more on the Instagram developer page here.
If you are planning on integrating your Instagram account to your website, why not reach out to a member of the SEO Flatrate team, you can do this by calling our head office on 01202 911141 or by emailing the Support team here.
Updated: Jan 31, 2023
“A recent survey pointed out that, 43% of UK adults agreed that a branded email address looks more professional than a generic one and a further 33% were more likely to buy from a business with an email address that is personalised to align with your own domain name.”
If you are planning on running a startup business or if you already run a small to medium sized business of any kind, then this article should be of interest to you. Of course, one of the first things that you will be wanting to do when setting up your own business is to create your own website and email accounts to approach potential customers with. So why should you use professional email instead of a generic free email account? For starters, a professional business email account comes with several perks that free email accounts simply cannot compete with, we will be looking into these perks for you below. Here are just a few of the key benefits of operating a professional business email account.
Communication:
The first thing that you need to remember is that most of your potential clients will be far more impressed with an email that includes your domain name within it, a professional header and footer section as well as the ability to include a versatile HTML branding signature facility should you so wish to do so. It is also important that your prospective leads and potential customers get the feeling that they are dealing with a professional organisation and that your business comes across as a professional organisation from the offset. Professional email accounts come with some real advantages, but these can differ depending more on the email provider rather than the account capabilities themselves. Some providers may be able to supply you with additional storage space at a drop of a hat and enable you to host videos within the email body etc, therefore, suppliers that own and run their own servers will be in a better position to manage and support you in your growth period.
Trust:
Customers, especially new customers will trust a lot more than they do free email accounts, so they are far more likely to read your emails instead of deleting them altogether or mistaking them for spam. This is mainly because professional email accounts are often associated with your domain name and so it makes a good first impression and establishes more trust. Customers are more likely to read an email received from a business account and are therefore, more than likely to react and reply to you.
Cost effective:
The common belief is that professional business email is expensive, but that could not be further from the truth. If you are currently losing business due to the use of a free email account then by choosing to adopt a professional email account you will be saving money and gaining new customers as a result. For example, taking this to the next level you could even set up various professional email accounts specifically for marketing reasons or to leave the impression of a larger and more professional company from the offset. Maybe info@, enquiries@ etc, this way you can reach out to your audience directly, listing out the key benefits of your products and services and in the process, communicate more professionally from day one. As a result of presenting your business more professionally your inbound traffic is likely to increase, bringing with it a growth in sales which is why it always pays to opt for a professional from day one over a free email account.
If you require further information on how to setup or obtain a professional email account for your business, you will need to speak to a professional hosting provider like Dorset’s award-winning SEO Flatrate, who will be able to assist you with any questions you may have and help you to setup your mail accounts. You will be able to reach SEO Flatrate on +44 (0)1202 911141.
Updated: Oct 28, 2022
There are four main pillars that underpin any online marketing strategy, these four pillars are:
Trusted location info, a diverse and quality link building strategy, a website which is locally focused and supplies relevant and unique content and finally reliable and trustworthy reviews. If you are looking to provide trusted information about your business location details, then you should be considering making use of local citations.
However, when using citations ensure that you concentrate specifically on accuracy across the high ranking and trusted citation sites, then your Google listing will be affected if your details including your business name, phone number, mail address and office location are not identical across all of them. Every business needs citation, because they offer a trusted and credible source of information about those businesses listed upon them and tend to rank well in the search engines.
Factors that influence local search results based on a Moz survey:
If a business combines citation signals with Google My Business (GMB) then it could make up to 32% of the finder ranking factors or local pack pie chart according to a Moz survey. These citations also have a huge impact on factors associated with localised organic ranking, filling around 15% of the complete pie chart.
It is widely considered that citations and Google my business (GMB) results if used consistently and published correctly using the correct name, phone number and address details can have a significant impact on a business’s local rankings and as a result could positively influence the rankings associated with local organic searches too.
Further benefits of citations:
Apart from increasing the local pack rankings as well as localised organic results, a citation can also help to achieve the following for any businesses that uses them:
1. Expands your footprint across the web:
With proper use of citation you can increase the number of your local customers as well as your online clients. This includes third-party sites such as Bing, Apple Maps, Foursquare, Yelp, MapQuest etc. and even niche sites.
2. Expands footprint on the organic results pages of Google:
Listings and websites containing citations are mostly ranked closer to the top search results of Google organically for brand searches as well as keyword searches. This is because search engines trust such websites as well as their published content to be of high relevance, ensuring you have a proper citation on such websites as well as on your Google my business account will help to get your business noticed.
3. Backlinks, both “do-follow” and “no-follow”: Most of the citation websites provide backlinks as part of their service offering. Most of these links are of type no-follow, but sometimes these links might contain do-follow links too, especially the paid listings.
4. Third party reviews:
Most websites that are used for citation purposes are also review websites. These websites provide valuable feedback on niche sites and also third-party generic websites. Such review sites have a considerable impact on local rankings for websites that use them as well as impacting the general search term rankings too.
5. Vertical and town specific directories:
Apart from data aggregators, the use of GMB and top tier citation websites is considered to play an important role in establishing an online presence for any website owner
The benefits of citation are so substantial, that they are considered to be one of the first and most important stages in building any online presence for a local business, get it right and the benefits are plentiful, however if you should get it wrong your website could be penalised for simple errors including duplication & content discrepancies.
Getting it right the first time is crucial, so no matter if you are a startup or a well-established online business, if you have little or no experience with online marketing we would always recommend seeking the advice of an award winning SEO company just like SEO Flatrate who specialise in helping small to medium sized businesses across the UK to raise their profile on the web.
