With the spread of the coronavirus in Texas, many small and medium businesses have been forced to temporarily shut their doors to prevent the virus spreading. Losing as little as a few days, and in some cases potentially weeks, of business can be frightening for business owners and their staff alike. 

Luckily, while we all wait for this pandemic to pass, there are some steps business owners can take to continue promoting their brand to potential customers currently stuck at home. With proper digital marketing, you can keep your business in the minds of current customers at the same time as you reach out to new ones. To help you get started, our Austin SEO team has compiled some basic digital marketing tips below.

Utilize Your Website

Digital marketing encompasses a wide range of marketing strategies that reach customers online. These can include investing in PPC campaigns and geo-targeted ads, improving your SEO, maintaining an active social media presence, and more. All of these strategies have one thing in common: a good website improves them all.

What You Can Do

The downtime your business may be experiencing is a good chance for you to take a close look at your existing website. Ask yourself a few questions while you’re looking, such as:

• Does my website function well? (Do the pages load correctly? Are the links still active?)
• Does my website accurately represent my brand? (Is your logo up-to-date? Is your slogan accurate?)
• Does my website have a current SSL certificate? (Learn more about SSL Certificates)
• Does my website help customers access my goods or services quickly and easily?
• Does my website look professional on differently sized devices?

If the answer to one or more of these questions is no, it might be time to consider a website redesign. If you are able to redesign your website yourself, now is a good time to do so. If the updates needed require a professional touch, contact a local web design company for help (for examples of modern website design, see tekRESCUE’s portfolio).

Create PPC and Geo-Targeted Ad Campaigns

If your website is already performing how you need it to, you can take a look at creating online advertising campaigns. Two types of online advertising methods stand out in 2020: PPC campaigns, and geo-targeted ads.

What are PPC Campaigns?

PPC stands for “Pay Per Click.” PPC campaigns are a type of online marketing in which advertisers pay a specific fee only when their ads are clicked.

You’ve probably seen examples of this type of advertising at the top of search engine results. Below is an example of two PPC ads at the top of a Google search engine results page (SERP).

The benefit of PPC campaigns is that they can quickly boost traffic to your website. If you choose appropriate search terms for your ad to appear under, the fee you pay per click should end up being a trivial amount compared to the amount of sales you receive from the resulting traffic. Still not sure if PPC advertising is right for your company? Check out how Google Ads Works.

What Are Geo-Targeted Ads?

Geo-targeted ads are PPC ads that target users in a specific location. These locations can be very broad, such as users in San Marcos, TX, or they can be very specific, such as users on a certain block. Some geo-targeting services even allow campaigns to target users during a specific time-frame.

Geo-targeted ads are beneficial because they allow you to target your customer demographic very precisely. However, using them effectively does require some research to determine your target demographic and how receptive they are to PPC advertising. Interested in setting up geo-targeted ads for your business?

Improve SEO For Your Business

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and is a type of organic marketing, as opposed to paid methods like PPC campaigns. The goal of SEO, like PPC campaigns, is to increase traffic to a website and therefore increase sales or your products or services.

However, instead of paying for each click to your website through a PPC ad, SEO leads potential customers to your website by improving rankings in search engines and cleanly representing your brand online to your target audience (Still not sure what the difference is? Read this article on SEO vs PPC Marketing).

Best SEO practices in 2020 revolve around a few core concepts:

On-Page SEO

These strategies apply to elements on your website and include:

• Content Creation – Search engines strive to simulate human users in order to return the most relevant content in response to search queries online. One of the most important parts of having your website recognized as an authority in your business niche is having high quality content available.
• Content Optimization – Optimizing your content is how you alert search engines that your content is relevant to a query. This requires determining a set of relevant keywords (New to keyword research? Find out How to Find and Target Keywords) and placing them in strategic locations on your website while avoiding keyword stuffing errors.
• Technical Optimization – Your website is more than just content, and the technical aspects of it can also affect your ranking. For example, websites with faster load times rank better than those that load more slowly. Also, websites that are mobile responsive rank higher than those that aren’t (What is a Mobile Responsive Website?).

Off-Page SEO

These strategies apply to areas where your brand appears outside of your website and include:

• Presence on the Web – Having links to your website appear across the internet is as important as having quality content, since your goal is for users to find that content. Signaling search engines with keywords is an important step toward that goal. The next step is signaling by creating backlinks to your website. This tells search engines that your content is helpful enough that it is being linked to across the web. 
• Syndicating Content – Sharing your content is another great way to send users back to your website. There are many ways to share content. Some can be done quickly, such as sharing on your social media. Others take a little more time but are just as, or more, important, such as offering to write content as a guest for a popular blog in your business niche.

What Can I Do?

All of the different aspects of SEO can seem daunting, and deciding where to begin can be difficult. Here are some suggestions to help you get started.

Where to Begin On-Page SEO: As a business owner, you can start evaluating your on-page SEO by taking a good look at the content on your website. Is it high quality content that can answer questions users might have about your business products and services? Does it represent your brand accurately?

Where to Begin Off-Page SEO: A good starting point for evaluating your off-page SEO is searching for your business online. Does your business have a listing with the major search engines, such as Google and Bing? Is your business information correct where it appears in directories and on social media?

If the answer to any of these questions is no, now is a great time to take the necessary steps to fix issues that are hurting your SEO, and therefore your ranking, which will cost you customers. Still not sure where to start?

Improve Your Social Media Presence

Our final tip for promoting your business from home is to take a look at your presence on social media. As mentioned briefly above, having an active social media account can help boost your brand’s presence online in several ways.

Promoting – One of the most important reasons to maintain a social media presence is to promote your brand and products or services. Putting your business on social media gives potential customers additional opportunities to find you. Linking to your website and your content on social media also furthers this goal. The more users go to your content for answers, the more authority it gives your website, and the more opportunities it gives users to find solutions to their needs in your products or services.

Connecting – Of nearly equal importance is the chance social media gives you to connect with your target audience. There are countless examples of this appearing across social media platforms as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Restaurants that have been closed by city ordinances have reached out to their customers on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms to post updates on how they are evolving to meet their customers’ needs.

In addition, many businesses have started sharing resources that can help their audience get by during the period of social distancing. This not only puts your brand in front of potential customers, but it also lets them know that your business cares about their experience. This is a chance to meet your customers’ needs not only through your products and services, but through your concern for their well-being during uncertain times.

Take This Time to Promote from Home

The current pandemic has left many individuals feeling uncertain. Whether you’re having to work from home for the first time, or trying to find a way to support your employees while your business is unable to operate normally, remember that we’re all in this together. Use the information provided above to promote your business to customers online during social distancing, and to let your community know how your services can help them.

Find Help from Your Local SEO Company Near Austin

If you need additional support promoting your business, contact the Austin SEO team at tekRESCUE to learn how we can help. Located in San Marcos, TX just south of Austin, our search engine optimization and digital marketing team can help you promote your business locally and spread your brand awareness even in these difficult times. We’re here to help!

Google has become the world’s largest network of information that we have ever seen. It’s no surprise that, in today’s modern world, google has also become the cornerstone of most successful businesses. If you are a business owner, your relationship with google and all of its online patrons can be the lifeblood to your success, so understanding the different types of marketing available to you is crucial.

SEO Marketing

SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is using your website and its contents to organically increase your google rating. Your google rating is established by how high up on the results page that your website appears when someone searches for your related goods or service. SEO is affected by several different aspects of your website, and by paying close attention to these details and being strategic, you will likely see an increase in online traffic. 

One of the biggest factors that affect your SEO is your usage of keywords on your website. Everything that you include on your site should be relevant and strategically described in order to connect online searches to your goods and services. Posting regularly consistent and related blogs on your site that are chalk full of keywords can greatly affect your SEO. On top of the actual content, SEO is now also moving to a more mobile friendly rating meaning that if your website is not smartphone friendly, then this will affect your rating greatly. You have to keep in mind that google has earned its place in society by staying ahead of the culture and forming trends, so for your business to be successful, you will need to have a similar mentality. 

PPC Marketing

Pay Per Click Marketing is quite different from SEO in many ways. If you are not sure what this is, you may have noticed PPC advertisements without realizing it. These are the links for businesses at the very top and very bottom of the google page before the regular search results appear. Underneath the headline is the actual website address with the word “ad” next to it. This is a pay per click advertisement. You pay for these ads only after someone clicks on them in their own search. These can also come in the form of google advertisements that appear on someone’s page after they have visited your website but didn’t purchase anything. This can help chase those clients that are still on the fence about their purchase by reminding them about you and your product. 

The Difference

One of the biggest differences between SEO and PPC is the time it takes to take effect. While SEO is a completely free process that does create organic results, it does take time and dedication to reach that high google ranking. PPC ads can thrust your site to the top of the page over night, but it will come at a cost. And keep in mind, your website still needs to be mobile friendly, user friendly, with related content and consistent good reviews!

More Insight from Your Digital Marketing and Austin Web Design Team

If you’re interested in more insight into the different types of digital marketing in Austin, we would recommend starting with our business branding guide. You may also be interested to learn how Google Ads work. And as always, don’t hesitate to contact your Austin web design team at tekRESCUE for a personalized consultation!

Managed Service Providers are Optimization and Stability Champions

There are myriad reasons to use a managed service provider “MSP” in your business but the most important reasons center around optimization and stability over the long term. With an MSP, you can avoid costly down time and make sure your business is running smoothly to ultimately make productivity gains. Driving efficiency and standardization in your business is the key benefit of using an MSP. A system failure that causes a work stoppage for any period of time can cost your business immensely. MSP operators have thoroughly tested their systems with the latest and greatest technology to make your operation runs seamlessly without you having to worry about maintaining stability. That does not mean MSP’s are infallible however. As issues inevitably do come up your MSP will work quickly to resolve them in a fashion that minimizes downtime. Their proactive approach behind the scenes will help on a day to day basis, but when there are problems, you will see them swing into action at a moments notice no matter what time of day.

Cost Efficiency Catalysts

There is a perception in the industry that MSP’s are cost prohibitive. There are some exorbitant providers that are only looking for short-term profits but the majority of MSP’s will allow you to structure a long term contract that will make your operation running smoothly at a rate that is affordable on a monthly basis. This cost then needs to be weighed against your existing budget to see if there are actually synergies that allow other costs to be taken out of the business. As your business grows it becomes much more difficult to manage the pace of innovation and change if you don’t have subject matter experts in house without an MSP. With an MSP you have the luxury of being able to change and mold your use of it to fit your evolving needs as a business.

Security Specialists

Another very important reason to leverage a MSP is the increased security that they bring to your business in a plethora of ways that are both preventive and proactive. Cyber attacks have increased precipitously in recent years and businesses of all sizes are big targets because of the large number of system related vulnerabilities that can be taken advantage of if you don’t have experts working on your behalf to protect you from intelligent but nefarious outside hackers. This is MSP’s have dedicated professionals in technology and security that know the latest threats and how to go about thwarting potential attacks or and least defending your business from unwelcome hackers. They also use the most sophisticated security software to safeguard your data.

Lastly, one of the best things that an MSP can bring you is a good night’s sleep because you can rest assured that you have someone watching over your business and making sure that it stays safe in a dangerous world. MSP’s are partners with you for the long-term that will bring you peace of mind.

Need Managed IT Services Near Austin TX?

Consider the experts at tekRESCUE. As a San Marcos TX managed IT service provider, our team is just down the road from Austin TX. This means we can have a technician on-site at your business in a matter of minutes to set up or troubleshoot equipment. And with our team’s experience working as an Austin SEO company, we’re very familiar and confident working in the ATX market. Contact us today if you’re interested in using tekRESCUE to manage your IT infrastructure.

While the age of the internet has brought on so many benefits and conveniences to everyday life,  it hasn’t been without downfalls as well. With almost everything being digitized, a new realm of danger has also been created in the form of “cyber crimes.” Cyber crime has become a very real threat that individuals, businesses, and agencies alike must defend themselves against. The FBI considers cyber security a high priority, as there has been a collective loss of several billion dollars due to cyber crimes and the repairs needed as a result. To celebrate cyber security month, we put together this outline of types of threats and ways to avoid them! Practicing good cyber security is just as important as locking your doors at night, as both protect the people and things you care most about from outside threats. 

Types of Threats

Unfortunately, there is not just one type of threat when it comes to cyber crimes, and while individuals over the age of 50 are more likely to be the victims of these crimes, there is not one specific targeted people group. Everyone should practice thorough cyber security!

Identity Theft – Because of the high volume of personal information being digitized, it’s easy for a low level hacker to gain pertinent information about you and use it illegally. In the past, someone would need to steal your physical credit card in order to hijack your finances, but now, with online access, this can be done remotely for a cyber criminal. 

Predators – Not only is our private information like banking and criminal records online, we also put day to day information on the internet, sometimes without even thinking about it. Social media, while it can keep us connected and increase networking capabilities, can be a breeding ground for online predators. Almost half of the world’s population uses some form of social media, and over 70% of Americans use social media daily, including children. Some social media sites, like Facebook, allow you to list your age, school, and activities right next to a profile picture of your choice. This, along with our own habit of tagging our locations, often sharing patterns in our daily routines, gives online predators a road map into our personal lives. 

Phishing and Ransom – Email has always been one way for hackers to infect your computers making your information vulnerable, and this process has become more and more sophisticated in recent years. Now, these emails look strikingly close to legitimate emails you would want to open from associates, your bank, or even the government. Typically, these emails include a link for you to click, and BAM – you have just been the victim of a phishing scam. 

One of the worst types of phishing scams involves ransomware. This is a type of malware that causes individuals or even entire agencies to lose all access to their database until they pay a ransom to the cyber criminal who orchestrated the attack. Hospitals, police departments, schools, and banks all have very valuable information online that needs to be accessed, so this gives hackers leverage to try and get large sums of money in exchange. For example – most hospitals use digital pads to keep track of patient medical information instead of paper clip boards, so if a phishing scam held that database for ransom, patients lives would be at stake, motivating hospitals to pay money in hopes of getting a decryption key to get up and running again. Any individual or business can be a target for this type of malware, and any unexpected email received should be approached with caution. 

Cyber Security Tips

With all of the potential threats to our personal information online, it is important to practice good cyber security on all platforms. Here are a few tips you can follow to strengthen your cyber security and protect yourself against online predators, hackers, and identity thieves. 

Update Your Software – Your personal devices like your laptop, smart phone, and tablet will regularly have system and software updates available. While sometimes these updates include obvious aesthetic changes to the layout, often times these are small updates that have to do with securing the system. You always want the most recent software update on your devices to ensure your information is secure. 

Use Software Protection – Investing in an anti virus or software protection is huge in fending off cyber crimes. Not to mention, some malware is just damaging to your device all together, so actively using software protection can also prolong the life of your equipment. 

Be Wary of Public WiFi – Using an unsecured WiFi network to access information online can leave you vulnerable to remote hackers. If you must use public WiFi (hotels, airports, coffee shops, etc), avoid logging into sensitive material like banking accounts. Also, if you find yourself needing to use public WiFi often, consider investing into a VPN (virtual private network) which allows you to share and access data on public networks as if it were a private one.  

Up Your Password Game – The average person has over 25 different online accounts that require a username and password. Between work accounts, online banking, social media, insurance records and more, people often find themselves recycling the same few passwords for all of the above. Having unique, personalized passwords for your accounts is a huge factor in your online security. This year alone, over 7 million people utilized “123456789” as a password, and over 3 million simply used the word “password.” Be smart with your passwords, and use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols that you can remember to protect yourself and your information online!

Don’t Over Share – We aren’t just concerned with your cyber security but your personal security as well! While it might be fun to brag to your friends and family about your upcoming vacation,  by posting a status update on facebook stating you are leaving town for the week, you could be letting a predator know your house is going to be empty. This is especially true if you don’t have a strong vetting process for your friends list or if your profile is set to public. It’s fun to share with your friends and family online, but by making your personal plans or routines aren’t available to the internet world, you might be making yourself vulnerable to less desirable spectators in the cyber world!

Be Smart – There are certain practices you learn to be common sense in the real world like looking both ways before crossing the street, not walking down dark alleyways alone, and avoiding gas station sushi. There are basic common sense practices in the cyber world as well like never sharing any passwords, keeping your social security, banking, and log in info private, not clicking on links in your email from senders you don’t know, and always using software protection on your devices. By following some of these golden rules in cyber security, you can avoid being added to the ever growing list of cyber crime victims.  

Why Trust tekRESCUE’s San Marcos Web Design and IT Experts?

As an all-in-one technology consulting company offering managed IT, website design, and SEO in San Marcos TX, tekRESCUE has experience approaching the topic of cyber security from multiple angles. From setting up the IT infrastructure of local businesses to taking on website design in Austin TX just up the road, our team has hands-on experience not only in network and data security but also in navigating the web space safely. And with experience as an Austin SEO company as well as practicing SEO in San Marcos TX, we have experience in large markets as well as small. Contact us if you have any concerns about cyber security, and we’ll be glad to help!

Google has become one of the largest sources of information the world has ever seen. It is important to understand how Google collects all of that information and delivers it to internet users around the world. The following passages will provide information on how the process works. The first passage will summarize what Google’s Knowledge Graph is. Following up the next summary will explain what Google’s Knowledge Graph Card is. Finally the last passage will cover how internet users can get their information indexed into Google’s Knowledge Graph correctly. After reading this information internet users can understand how Google collects all of its information for billions to have access to.

What is Google’s Knowledge Graph?

Google’s Knowledge Graph is how Google users have access to orderly information on a specific person, place, or thing. Moreover it is an engine that collects and gathers information to present it in a card or box on the right side of the screen on a search engine results page (SERP). It organizes information on a specific person, place, or thing and presents it to users so they can get a good grasp of what the subject is or what it has to offer. Many millions of people pay and put a lot of hours into getting their businesses or information into the Google Knowledge Graph so it can be viewed by potential customers or clients. Many will notice a lot of doctor’s offices, lawyers, and companies utilize Google’s Knowledge Graph. Through the use of Google’s Knowledge Graph, many can understand information in a more orderly fashion.

What is Google’s Knowledge Graph Card?

Google’s Knowledge Graph Card has helped people understand subjects more rapidly than ever before. It is the card on the right side of the screen on a Google SERP. It will usually have pictures, videos, and snippets of all the information gathered on a specific subject. For example, if a movie was searched for on Google, the card would probably show the movie with its poster along with movie reviews and even showtimes depending on if it is in theaters or has a showtime coming up on cable television. As it has been presented, Google’s Knowledge Graph Cards provide all the important information individuals search for on a specific subject.

Get Information Indexed Into Google’s Knowledge Graph

It is very understandable that many people would want to learn how to get information into Google’s Knowledge Graph Card to help searchers understand the subject they are trying to index more clearly. One major factor when trying to index information in Google’s Knowledge Graph is having great content that utilizes search engine optimization, also known as SEO. To get information from a particular website into the graph individuals will need to have plenty of great written content starting with around 20 pages that each has 600 to 800 words containing specific keywords listed a certain number of times that revolves around the subject that is trying to be indexed. Individuals can also use other websites to assist in getting their content indexed properly, such as YouTube and Facebook that point back to the main website of the subject. The more great orderly content on a particular subject the more likely that information will be indexed properly into Google’s Knowledge Graph and have its on card.

More Info from Your Austin SEO Company

Looking for more information about getting your business indexed in Google’s Knowledge Graph? Contact tekRESCUE, your SEO compoany near Austin Texas.