Is It Time to Update Your Site's Content

When was the last time you changed your site's content? Even if it was just a page or two's worth? If you cannot answer this question, or without a long pause to think, then it is likely time to produce fresh content for your site.

Search engines and humans alike prefer to see fresh content vs. the same, stagnant content on your site. A site that sits with the same content on it for a year or more is a site that will struggle to truly succeed at search engine optimization.

Refresh the existing content now and then and make sure to generate new content a couple times a month, such as a blog, news, updates, etc. This is why an internal blog is great for SEO, search engines like to see that fresh content. Also, you can use this opportunity for images and more substance for search engine crawlers to index and grab when someone does an internet search related to your business.

Do you need this done, have questions, or require internet marketing services? Then contact Integraphix, a Chicago SEO company.

Notice Anything Different About Google's Logo on MLK Jr. Day?

If you have gone on Google today, then you should have noticed something special going on with its logo, it is a special edition logo in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Today, you will find the latest, and one of the coolest, Google Doodles for the holiday. It is Martin Luther King Jr. arm-in-arm with some fellow civil rights activists with an American flag and silhouettes in the background.

The idea that Google creates special page designs for holidays is nothing new; we even see them create special logos for birthdays, movements, etc. It is smart digital marketing from the search engine giant.

The doodle, or logo, was designed by Ekua Holmes, who has a unique style for her art. Her art features news clippings, photos, intriguing colors that all contribute to making powerful messages in her art.

Does your brand need to have impressive presence online? Then try online marketing. If you want to be found on Google search results, then consider search engine marketing such as search engine optimization.

Contact Integraphix to find out how we can help your business get seen on the internet.

Twitter to Launch Autoplay Video Feature, a Win for Social Media Advertising

Social media giant will be giving us a late Christmas gift this year, however, the wait was worth it: autoplay video! This is a great day for social media marketing as well as search engine optimization since both are often tied together.

The last year, Twitter has been working out how it would construct its built-in video system, if it decided to implement it. This new feature would give Twitter users and digital marketers a way to create great footage within the app. If you attended the CES 2015, then you likely saw this being shown. 

In a previous blog (seen here), we talked about this being in Twitter's plans and the possibility that the videos would play when users scrolled over them. This is the setup that Facebook has and it has shown to be a lucrative and efficient way for some good ROI that both consumers and brands love.

Video has proven that it is great for social sharing and is being embraced by many companies, including search giants Yahoo & Google, as well as social media giants Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

Twitter is not newbie to the video scene, they own Vine and have implemented other cool formats like GIF support in recent years. Twitter's new video feature will operate differently than what we see elsewhere. 

How will it be different?

• 6 seconds to impress- Viewers will get a 6 second preview of the video, enticing them to click and watch the full thing. However, this is not limited to the first 6 seconds of the video, so digital marketing agencies must choose their 6 seconds wisely. 
• No sound at the start- The autoplay will not have sound until the viewer clicks to watch the rest of the video (we see this with Facebook's autoplay feature). Of course, this means that advertisers will not pay until consumers click. 
• There will be a good length of time- Videos will be given the option to run up to 10 minutes. Of course, any one of our Chicago SEO specialists will tell you that the average user only watches for about 30 seconds. 

Does your business want to have a better presence on social media? Then contact Integraphix-- a Chicago SEO firm with extensive, proven success with social media. We can help you build videos that will delight the Twittersphere. 

How to Fit Press Releases into Your SEO Strategy in 2015

Press releases have been a staple in the world of promoting a business for many years. When the Google Panda and Google Penguin updates happened in 2011 and 2012, they wanted t

o deliver better quality content and connections with that had frequent content updates; press releases were a perfect way to embrace that new feature of Google's search algorithms.

Press releases are still beneficial for search engine optimization in 2015, despite the constant evolution of the press release. One change to note is that releases do not carry the big authoritative weight that they once did, you can thank the businesses that used them solely for self-promotion for that. In order for them to be part of your 2015 plan for digital marketing, you have to understand the whole scope of things.

The benefits of press releases

• The natural link building- It can be a hard task to get the quality inbound links you need for good SEO. They can take a lot of time and can lead you to being banned from search engines if you are not careful! A press release is a quicker way to accomplish this; however, you have to be able to write quality content. Submitting press releases can help connect you with hundreds of news sources, which can lead to many links. 
• High-quality sources- These are authoritative sources, good ones. A lot of the sites your release will be published on should be high-quality. You will not be getting backlinks from random blogs or discussion forums. 
• Great keyword and brand recognition- As long as your press releases are written in-house, you will have the ability to connect your business with keywords that are helpful and effective. If you are a hotdog establishment, then you can publish press releases that feature your brand name and hotdog related keywords. 
• Referral traffic. Organic traffic is wonderful but referral traffic is delightful as well. As long as your traffic is quality, you're doing well. Yes, quantity is big too. 
• Reputation management. This is crucial if you want to defend your business from attacks, especially false ones. 

Is your company looking for more exposure online? Contact Integraphix about SEO services for your website or blog. We have flexible packages to match your budget.