How Does It Work?

This technology leverages artificial intelligence, specifically computer vision algorithms, to understand and interpret the content of images, enabling it to recognize objects, scenes, patterns, and other visual attributes.

Visual search engines use AI techniques like image recognition, object detection, and similarity analysis to understand the content of images and provide relevant search results.

Who Is Using Visual Search?

Various industries and platforms use visual search technology to enhance user experiences, improve search functionality, and drive engagement. Some notable examples include:

1. eCommerce Platforms

Many online retailers have integrated visual search into their websites and apps. Users can take pictures of products they like or upload images from the web, and the platform will provide similar or matching items for purchase. For instance, Amazon and eBay have incorporated visual search to help users find products easily.

2. Social Media Platforms

Social media networks like Instagram have implemented visual search features. Users can click a photo within the platform and search for related images or products. Instagram’s visual search feature allows users to discover more about what they see in photos.

3. Art and Design Applications

Art and design platforms use visual search to help users identify artworks, find similar designs, and explore creative ideas. Apps like Art Recognizer and Behance use visual search to connect users with relevant artistic content.

4. Fashion and Retail Brands

Many fashion brands and retailers have integrated visual search to help users find clothing and accessories similar to items they like. Users can snap pictures of fashion items and find purchasing options. ASOS and Macy’s are examples of brands implementing visual search in their apps.

5. Travel and Tourism

Visual search can help travelers identify landmarks, attractions, and destinations. Users can take pictures of places they’re curious about; the app will provide information about those locations. Google Maps and other travel apps utilize visual search features.

6. Home Decor and Interior Design

Visual search is used to identify furniture, decor, and design inspiration. Users can take pictures of furniture pieces they like and find similar items for their homes. Wayfair and Houzz are known for implementing visual search in their apps.

7. Product and Barcode Scanners

Some apps allow users to scan barcodes or product labels to get more product information, such as reviews, prices, and availability. This is particularly useful for comparison shopping and researching products.

8. Educational Tools

Visual search can be used in educational settings to help students learn about various objects, plants, animals, and more by taking pictures and receiving information.

Key Components and Features

Visual search engines harness the power of AI and computer vision to enable users to explore the digital realm using images as queries. At the heart of this innovative technology lie several vital components and features that empower visual search engines to decipher the content of images and provide users with relevant and contextual results.

Image Recognition

Image recognition is a fundamental component of visual search engines. It involves using AI algorithms to analyze and understand the content of images. This process enables the system to identify objects, scenes, patterns, and other visual elements in the pictures. Advanced deep learning techniques, such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs), are often employed to achieve accurate image recognition.

Object Detection

Object detection goes beyond simple image recognition by identifying objects in an image and locating their positions with bounding boxes. Visual search engines can pinpoint specific things within an image, enabling more precise and context-aware search results. Object detection is crucial for applications like eCommerce, where users may want to identify and purchase specific products within images.

Similar Image Retrieval

Similar image retrieval is a feature that allows users to find visually similar or related images based on a provided query image. This is particularly useful when users want to find pictures that share visual characteristics or attributes with a reference image. Visual search engines use techniques like feature extraction and image embeddings to compare photographs and retrieve visually relevant results.

Advantages over Text-based Search

Visual search offers distinct advantages over traditional text-based search methods. Users can overcome language barriers by utilizing images as queries and express their intent more intuitively. Visual search enhances the accuracy of results, especially when describing complex or visually distinctive objects. Additionally, it enables efficient exploration of content within images, promoting seamless discovery and enhancing user engagement.

How AI Powers Visual Search Engines

1. Machine Learning and Deep Learning

Deep learning, a subset of machine learning, employs intricate neural network architectures to enable machines to learn and understand graphic patterns. This advanced technology facilitates the accurate interpretation of images, allowing search engines to recognize and process complex visual information.

2. Neural Networks in Image Recognition

By mimicking the human brain’s visual processing, these networks analyze images layer by layer, extracting increasingly abstract features. This hierarchical approach allows neural networks to identify objects, shapes, and textures, forming the foundation of precise image recognition.

3. Training Data and Model Development

The efficacy of visual search engines hinges on extensive training datasets. These meticulously curated and labeled datasets expose AI models to diverse visual content. Through iterative training, models learn to associate graphic patterns with relevant information, refining their ability to recognize and classify objects, scenes, and attributes within images.

4. Transfer Learning for Visual Search

Transfer learning, a technique that leverages pre-trained models, is instrumental in expediting the development of visual search engines. By starting with models trained on vast datasets for general optical recognition tasks, developers can fine-tune these models for specific search contexts. This approach accelerates the deployment of accurate and efficient visual search systems.

Case Studies

Delving into specific instances where visual search engines have made a profound impact, the following case studies illuminate the transformative potential of these systems and offer a glimpse into how they are reshaping our interactions with information and imagery.

Google Lens: Transforming Visual Search

Google Lens is a pioneering example of how visual search has been revolutionized. With its integration into various Google products, this AI-powered tool enables users to explore their surroundings by simply pointing their device’s camera at objects, text, or landmarks. Beyond recognition, Google Lens translates, provides context, and offers interactive actions, seamlessly merging the digital and physical realms.

Pinterest Lens: Bridging Inspiration and Reality

Pinterest Lens reimagines image-driven discovery. Allowing users to capture or upload images transforms aspirations into actionable insights. Users can find related pins, products, and ideas, bridging the gap between inspiration and realization. This integration of visual search technology enhances the Pinterest experience, making the platform an even more powerful tool for creative exploration.

CamFind: Recognizing Objects on the Go

CamFind empowers users with real-time visual search capabilities. Users can identify objects, landmarks, and even barcodes with a simple snap. This technology-driven application enhances everyday experiences, from shopping to travel, by offering instant information and creating a seamless connection between the physical world and digital resources.

Conclusion: The Synergy of AI and Visual Content

In the grand tapestry of technological innovation, visual search engines are a testament to human curiosity and the relentless pursuit of knowledge. As we step forward into a future where images hold the keys to unlocking information, let us embrace the synergy of AI and visual content, reshaping how we discover, learn, and explore.

The post Visual Search Engines – How AI Is Helping You appeared first on SiteProNews.

In this article, we will look more closely at these five tactics and their associated benefits and techniques so that you can effectively use them to achieve organic search domination. We will also discuss the importance of building high-quality backlinks and the benefits of organic search domination. By the end, you will better understand the strategies and tactics you can use to create high-quality backlinks and achieve organic search domination.

5 New Tactics To Building High-quality Backlinks

1. Incorporate Strategic Guest Posting

Search engine optimization (SEO) is an ever-evolving field; one of the most critical elements is building high-quality backlinks. Organic search domination is achievable when a website can produce and acquire backlinks from authoritative sites. Strategic guest posting is one of the most effective ways to achieve that.

Guest posting involves contributing content to external websites to create backlinks to your website. This tactic can be highly effective if done correctly, as it allows you to increase brand visibility and reach a wider audience. It also helps to build relationships with other website owners and industry thought leaders.

When finding relevant guest posting opportunities, it’s essential to do your research. Start by looking for websites in the same industry as you and look for any open calls for guest posts. You can also use search engine optimization tools to help you find websites and blogs that accept guest posts.

When crafting compelling guest posts, the most important factor is quality. Make sure to create content that is both engaging and useful to the readers. Be sure to include relevant keywords to help the post rank higher in search engine results. Additionally, ensure the post is optimized for readability, as this will help you achieve organic guest posts backlinks to stand out from the competition.

Finally, make sure to always include a link back to your website in the content. This will help to drive more traffic to your website and build authority. It’s also a good idea to include a call to action in the post, such as inviting readers to subscribe to your newsletter or follow you on social media. By creating a successful guest post, you’ll be well on your way to achieving organic search domination.

2. Creating Content that Is Worthy of Backlinks

When it comes to achieving organic search domination, creating content that is worthy of backlinks is one of the most important tactics. Content marketing is essential in SEO as it is critical to building quality backlinks. Content that is highly valuable to the user and easy to navigate will likely acquire more links.

The content should be well-researched and factual and provide valuable information for users. It should also be written in a way that is easy to understand and interesting enough to engage readers. It should also be engaging and contain images, videos, and other relevant media. Additionally, the content should be optimized for search engines using relevant keywords, as this will increase its visibility.

Publishing well-written content regularly can also be beneficial in building backlinks. Relevant sources may link to the content if they find it valuable and useful. Additionally, link-building should be incorporated into the content. If the content includes other relevant sources, it can help build links.

Using content marketing for link building can be especially effective with other link-building tactics. Off-site content marketing, such as guest posts and digital PR, can help promote the content and attract more backlinks. Additionally, link reclamation can be used to reclaim broken or lost links to the content, as this can help increase its visibility.

Creating content worthy of backlinks is essential for achieving organic search domination. When done correctly, content marketing can help build high-quality backlinks to the content, which can significantly improve organic search results.

3. Utilize Digital PR

When achieving organic search dominance, digital PR is an effective tactic to acquire high-quality backlinks. Digital PR involves the use of traditional PR practices for the development of digital brand awareness. It’s a form of public relations used to reach an online audience to raise brand awareness, drive website traffic, and build backlinks.

To successfully implement digital PR, you must understand the target audience and the most effective platforms for reaching them. This includes researching the potential media outlets, influencers, and bloggers you plan to target and understanding the type of content each audience prefers. You should also identify what topics and areas of interest your company can provide to these outlets.

Once you understand the target audience, you can develop an effective digital PR strategy. This should include the creation of a comprehensive press release, which will be distributed through different channels to raise brand awareness and drive website traffic. Additionally, you should create a plan for how to reach out to influencers and bloggers in your industry. You can do this by building relationships, providing helpful content and insights, and offering them opportunities to collaborate.

Once you have established relationships with influential people in your industry, you can begin to reach out to them to ask for backlinks. This could involve creating custom content for them to link to or providing exclusive data or access to something unique. Additionally, you can offer to be featured in their blog or website, which can benefit you and the influencer.

4. Prioritize Link Reclamation

Regarding achieving organic search domination, link reclamation should be a top priority. Link reclamation is identifying and claiming backlinks that have been established but have since been overlooked or neglected. In other words, it involves finding broken or ‘orphaned’ links directed towards your website and repairing them.

When done correctly, link reclamation can be highly effective in improving your organic search rankings. It can help boost the quality of your backlink profile and increase the number of links pointing back to your website. That means more visibility, more traffic, and better organic search rankings.

There are a few different ways to go about link reclamation. The most common approach is to review your backlink profile and identify any broken links manually. This involves analyzing your link profile (or the link profile of your competitors) to find links that aren’t functioning as intended. It’s also important to watch for irrelevant links or seasonally inactive links.

Once you’ve identified any broken or inactive links, it’s time to contact web admins to ask them to update the links. If possible, offer them suggestions for better, more relevant links or even provide them with new content you’ve created to replace the old links.

In addition to manually reviewing your backlink profile, you can use link reclamation tools to automate the process and find broken links that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. These tools are more effective than manual link reviews at locating hard-to-find broken links and can help you identify dozens of backlinks that need to be fixed.

Reclaiming broken links is essential to your link-building strategy if you want to achieve organic search domination. It’s an easy and cost-effective way to boost your backlink profile and improve your organic search rankings. With a few simple steps, you can improve your backlink profile and increase your chances of achieving organic search domination.

5. Repurpose & Distribute Content

In today’s digital age, content is king, and savvy businesses know they must leverage content to achieve organic search domination. Repurposing and distributing content is an effective way to build high-quality backlinks, increase visibility, and increase your search engine ranking.

When creating content, it’s essential to focus on creating quality content. Quality content is likely to be shared and create more backlinks. Once the content has been produced, the next step is to repurpose and distribute the content.

Repurposing content is a great way to leverage existing content and maximize its potential to generate backlinks. Content can be repurposed in various formats, such as videos, infographics, slideshows, podcasts, and webinars.

Distributing content is essential to get the word out and ensure that as many people see it as possible. Distributing content can be done in several ways, including publishing it on social media channels, submitting it to relevant blogs and directories, emailing influencers and bloggers, and using paid ads.

In addition to distributing content to get the word out, ensuring your content is easy to share and find is also essential. Creating a great headline, optimizing the content for SEO, and creating share buttons can help increase the likelihood that your content will be found and shared.

Finally, it is vital to measure the success of your content. Keeping track of metrics such as clicks, page views, and social media shares can help you understand what content is working and needs improvements.

By repurposing and distributing content, businesses can create high-quality backlinks, increase visibility, and increase their search engine ranking. Leveraging quality content and utilizing effective distribution and promotion tactics are essential for achieving organic search domination.

Conclusion

Organic search domination is vital for achieving success in digital marketing, and building high-quality backlinks is a crucial part of that. Backlinks are essential for SEO because they link a website to other sites and, through this, create more visibility for the site. This increases the likelihood of the website ranking higher on search engine results pages (SERPs). Higher SERP rankings are essential for boosting organic search traffic and expanding the website’s reach to new potential customers.

Overall, using these 5 tactics, you can build high-quality backlinks to achieve organic search domination. Not only will this help to improve your search engine ranking, but it will also help to build relationships, increase your web presence, and generate more traffic to your website.

The post Achieving Organic Search Domination: 5 New Tactics to Building High-quality Backlinks appeared first on SiteProNews.

But it’s really not enough simply to try and grow organic traffic volume. You can grow your organic traffic by a million in a month and end up in the same position as the previous month if the quality of traffic is poor. You want more organic traffic but you want quality not just quantity. So why is quality important ? Well, when we say quality traffic what we really mean is relevant traffic. Relevant traffic is more predisposed to your product or service, they are more likely to enquire and or buy and their conversion rate will therefore be much higher that poor quality traffic.

Poor quality traffic leads to high bounce rates and low conversion rates. High quality traffic leads to low bounce rates, and high conversion rates. This is why you want high quality relevant traffic arriving on your site.

But how do you go about driving high quality relevant organic traffic ?

1. Identify Relevant Keywords

If you want to attract the high quality of traffic you have to appear for relevant keywords. Relevant doesn’t always mean highest volume. The right SEO consultant will optimise your site for the keywords that are most relevant to your brand, product or service. Focusing on relevance means creating experiences that work for those specific keywords and not trying to cover every keyword in your vertical.

2. Make Your Metadata Work to Drive Relevance

Once you’ve identified the relevant keywords it’s time to make sure your metadata is optimised for those keywords. Your meta title url and page description are very important because they help inform Google about what the destination is. The better connected the content is to the metadata and the keyword, the more relevant the traffic will be because all elements work together.

3. Match Content to Intent

To attract relevant traffic you have to have content that matches the intent of the search. Whether it is transactional, navigational or informational, think about the keywords you are targeting and match the content to the intent behind the keyword search.

4. Quality Link Building

Link building is important to drive authority and authority drives organic volume. So to dive up authority and organic traffic you need to build links – but you need to build links with relevant sites. Poor authority sites with no relevance to your category are to be avoided. Build links with high authority sites that have a direct connection to your brand, product or service. As well as building links with relevant external partners you should also link between the pages on your site. Internal linking on the site enables Google to see that you are an authority on certain connected topic areas which will increase your visibility and relevant traffic

5. Content Marketing

Content marketing is a very broad area. But it is incredibly important when you are thinking of ways to drive relevant organic traffic. Content marketing is content (not ads) that can be distributed anywhere. So that includes your own site (blogs, whitepapers) social media (Facebook, Reddit,Tik Tok) and PR. All of these channels can be used to drive your content into relevant corners of the web and generate relevant traffic back to your site. When thinking about what content to produce, look back at your keyword strategy and link the content strategy to your keyword list. Build content that provides new and original content around those keywords then use the most appropriate platform to distribute and promote that content.

Driving relevant traffic is not one strategy but many interconnected disciplines. To drive relevant organic traffic you have to make them all work together. Your keyword research is critical because it defines all the areas you want to target. You need to ensure that every page has the right meta data so that Google understands what you want to rank for. You need to connect the destination content to the keyword intent to ensure that the journey is seamless which will improve your authority in Google’s eyes and deliver more relevant traffic as a result. Your link building needs to be targeted not spray and pray, and your content marketing needs to be regular, high quality and well distributed. All of this takes time, energy and resources. But if you are able to get this integrated engine working you will reap the benefits of high quality, relevant organic traffic.

The post How to Attract Relevant Organic Traffic – Quality vs. Quantity appeared first on SiteProNews.

One of the most common questions asked by SEO experts and business owners who want to rank better in search engines like Google is what do you have to do to have backlinks count as one of the ranking factors? If you are asking yourself this question, then let me explain first what backlinks are and why they are considered one of the ranking factors in SEO in the first place. Then I will tell you some effective ways to outweigh backlinks in SEO.

Google Algorithm Updates

Many people believe that Google has updated its algorithm and it doesn’t weigh backlinks heavily anymore. However, that isn’t the case, there are many ways you can outreach and link build your way to some high-quality, organic backlink growth. Plus, it never hurts to take a page out of everyone’s book who is good at link building (or guest posting) and do it for yourself. Link outreach might be something you have never done before but with some research and patience, anyone can succeed.

Linking Root Domains

In an ideal world, you could trust that backlinks alone would always be enough to help your site rank. That being said, we live in the age of link building, and there are too many people trying to game the system. The best way you can have high-quality backlinks is by utilizing outreach and working on quality link building with guest posts and other forms of content marketing. This way you can have links coming from your domains which will weigh more than any outreach or guest post.

Number of Links from Different Domains

Google uses backlinks from other websites to assess how valuable your website is. They track how many links point back to your page and make an estimate of how many quality backlinks you have based on the popularity of the site that is linked to you. While you can’t manually track this, there are ways for you to get more backlinks, which Google will then take into account when ranking your site higher. One thing that is essential for achieving better rankings is building up link equity. Link equity refers to the number of quality links pointing at a site as well as factors like reputation, popularity, and relevance. Essentially it’s just a numerical estimate of how popular or important someone thinks your website might be so they link it in hopes that others will come by and see it too.

Strength of Links from Different Domains

Ideally, you want backlinks from higher domain trust networks. For example, the New York Times or Harvard University will not be of the same value as a blog post on Tumblr. Generally speaking, if you want links from authoritative domains, it is best to create high-quality content that attracts them organically. Links are also weighted by how recently they were published; there is more value for a new link on your site than an old one.

Link Volume Data

Recently, there have been some studies done on the importance of backlinks. This led us to ask: just how important are they? If you have 2 backlinks and I have 10, will your site rank higher than mine? Will I get more traffic?

Domain Age and Trust Flow

You have likely heard that backlinks are still one of the top-ranking factors. For example, Domain Age and Trust Flow are both ranked as moderately important ranking factors. These measures will help you improve your site’s trustworthiness. This is one of the main reasons that backlink building should still be included in your SEO campaign. However, you don’t want to forget about other techniques like targeting long-tail keywords or writing blog posts on topics related to your niche– they’ll also help get your website discovered by people searching for specific things online.

Page Authority

A major component of Page Authority is linked domain authority (LDA), which essentially quantifies the power that a page wields on linking websites. Linked domain authority is a measure of how powerful an individual page is, or how much weight it has on other websites. The higher the DA, the more important the content is and should be treated with higher respect by other sites and by Google. 

The final element of Page Authority considered for ranking purposes is link quantity and quality. Each time another site links to your content, their DA rating is divided among any sites linking out; this number will decrease as more links are made from it, providing a baseline for how much weight that particular backlink brings with it.

7 Surefire Ways to Get High-Quality Backlinks

As search engine algorithms continue to evolve, content marketers are tasked with staying one step ahead of the game to remain competitive and relevant in their niche market. Many of the long-standing traditional methods used to obtain backlinks are no longer guaranteed to boost your rankings, and savvy content marketers are on the lookout for new ways to get high-quality backlinks that will help their sites rank well in search engines. Here are seven effective strategies you can use to get high-quality backlinks in 2020 and beyond.

1. Focus on Quality

It’s become all too easy for sites that don’t deserve the high rankings they hold, to climb the Google ladder and gain authority. If you’re just starting, you may have seen articles about something called SEO guest posting but never thought it would be an option for your business.

Backlinks are an important part of any search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. They are links from other websites that Google considers to be votes of confidence that your site is high-quality and user-friendly.

2. Focus on Long-tail Keywords

It’s now more important than ever before to get high-quality backlinks. The way you go about doing this might be a little different now that Google has put so much weight on user experience and relevance. One of the most effective ways is to create content that provides longtail keywords with information that they can’t find elsewhere, then contact them directly with your piece as an offering. You can also offer other people’s content if it offers any value or ties in with your topic of expertise.

3. Increase Your Chances by Using Influencers

Utilizing influencers is one of the easiest ways to get high-quality backlinks. An influencer can provide a new angle for your blog post and make it much more interesting or applicable to their audience. However, it’s important not just for you but also for them as well. If you want people on social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter to share your link then offer them a shootout in return.

4. Guest Blogging has Gotten Harder

Guest blogging was the easiest way for a business to grow backlinks when search engines were first created. Until now, most businesses use guest blogging as a way to generate links that allow their content or site more visibility on the web. However, Google has been cracking down hard on this strategy over the past couple of years and penalizing sites that have abused this strategy. That’s why if you’re looking for ways to start earning backlinks, it’s better that you focus on quality rather than quantity.

5. Link Building Doesn’t Stop 

This decade is just getting started and this means that 2022 isn’t going to be the same as 2018, either. With a new year comes new technologies, trends, and opportunities for internet marketers who are ready for change.

For external backlinks, various sources will help to gain some link juice and relevancy.

• Forum Profile Links
• Guest Posts
• Wiki Links

6. Track Your Results

• Use Medium – Create an account and publish quality content relevant to your target audience.
• Ask Influencers for a Link – Connect with influencers by sending them a quick message or Tweet, you could ask them for a link. Influencers are more likely to engage with you if you send a note of introduction and share some of your work first. 
• Guest Post on Other Sites – Reach out and submit articles as guest posts on other sites that are related or have an overlapping audience. 

7. Google Authorship is Dead, but Social Media Posts Can Do Well

Marketers all know that links are key to a good SEO strategy. To do well on Google, links need to be credible and from reputable sites. But there’s also an old technique of adding links with keyword phrases just for the sake of getting some words on the page and hoping for a backlink—and it can work in the short term. The reality is, however, that search engines are cracking down on these types of posts.

The post How to Rank Well in Search Engines Using Backlinks appeared first on SiteProNews.

A search engine is a web-based software used to perform an internet search. The most popular and widely used search engine is Google. Google Search accounts for more than 90% of the total searches done each day. Although the platform offers excellent search results, some people might want to use alternate search engines. A significant reason for that is the number of privacy issues that Google Search faces nowadays. Let us look at the top ten alternative search engines that you can consider using in 2022:

1. Bing

Bing is the official search engine from Microsoft. It offers a well-designed search page layout, along with appealing graphics. As a result, it is the most widely used search engine after Google. Bing lets you view videos just by hovering around them without closing the search box. It provides an excellent user experience for those looking for photos and videos by presenting large, beautiful picture displays and video previews. When inputting a search request, Bing provides eight auto-complete alternatives, allowing users to get a larger picture of the matter in search.

Bing has a rewards program that will enable you to collect credits for every search you conduct, which you can then trade for gift cards or use to purchase applications and movies from the Microsoft Store. In terms of capabilities, it offers currency exchange calculation, language change, and flight monitoring, allowing you to use it as a one-stop search engine.

2. Duck Duck Go

If you value your online security, DuckDuckGo is your ideal Google replacement. It has swiftly become popular due to the consumer privacy it provides. The website never follows you or your internet actions. Therefore, no advertisements accompany you. It also has a clean UI and displays search results from Yahoo and other search engines in addition to Google. To keep your actions hidden, install the DuckDuckGo browser plugin. It has all of the typical characteristics of a search engine such as Google, but it has one distinctive property, titled “bangs”, which is worth noticing.

3. Yahoo

Users choose Yahoo as an alternate search engine since it is more convenient. Besides, it provides a well-rounded user experience by providing services such as Answers, Yahoo Finance, News, Tech Tips, a sports board, and internet shopping.

Yahoo Plus provides an ad-free email mailbox, personalisation, safety options, and premium services. As an added advantage, Yahoo also gives its users exposure to specialist data, analysis, and a wealth of knowledge on various issues. It can provide features beyond a standard search engine, which is why it is still the browser of preference for many internet users. 

4. Ask

Ask is essentially a question-answering service geared toward e-commerce. It is an online search engine centered on the question/answer premise and is among the top ten search engines in the world. It is also the reason it is so user-friendly, particularly for older adults, as older audiences prefer asking questions on search engines. It displays commonly asked questions linked to your search phrase based on your prior history and requested queries. It is incredibly entertaining, and because it provides results in inquiries and responses, it is a terrific search engine.

5. Ecosia

Although Ecosia has been around since 2009, it is no wonder that few people are familiar with this free web browser. For many consumers, it may be an ideal substitute for Google. One reason is that its user interface is tidy and comparable to Google’s. The web browser can readily manage your search requests, but its unique selling point is that the money it generates is used to plant trees worldwide. Ecosia, like DuckDuckGo, does not track your online activities or sell your information to third parties.

6. Qwant

Qwant is a privacy-focused search engine located in France. The website states that it will never collect your personal information for ad targeting purposes. The user layout is appealing, with an organized homepage displaying hot themes and news headlines. Any search word will be presented in three categories: web, news, and social. This well-categorized search result responds to your question more efficiently. This website features a section dedicated to music enthusiasts where you may use AI to find new songs and lyrics.

7. Searx

Searx is a freeware, self-hosted metasearch engine that does not profile or monitor you or employ cookies to give search results. You will be relieved to learn that it is safe and protected and displays results from over 70 search engines. It is simple to integrate with any search engine and provides complete internet privacy. The most strategic advantage is that, besides anonymity and security, it gives an unprocessed, unbiased, and comprehensive picture of the internet through a single interface. Searx cannot be accessed via Google Chrome since it has been prohibited on this browser. However, it may be accessed through any other browser.

8. Startpage

Startpage does not track or record your search term when you type it. It doesn’t even keep track of your IP address. Before forwarding your request to Google, it separates all of your information from your inquiry, ensuring that no one can sneak in and discover who you are and what you are looking for on the internet.

Startpage is among the most lauded private search engines. It also includes tools such as Startpage Proxy and Ixquick Proxy, which help to shield personal information or the location from which you are viewing a website.

9. ExactSeek

ExactSeek.com is an Internet search engine and directory that receives and indexes over 30,000 new website submissions every month. ExactSeek has indexed over 500 million websites and added the best of them to its database. ExactSeek offers news and blog searches in addition to the standard web search results. 

ExactSeek offers three types of listings: free standard listings, paid featured listings, and listings to incorporate a quick search engine. Free standard listings appear only in ExactSeek search results. ExactSeek’s Paid Top Lists and Fast Search Engine Inclusion Lists appear in the results of a worldwide network of search sites that provide website owners with affordable and effective paid search advertising.

10. Baidu

Baidu now holds a 1.91% market share. However, it is China’s most used search engine. Baidu’s search engine encompasses 70% of China’s online marketplace, making it among the world’s most extensive AI and internet corporations. Its layout and algorithm are quite comparable to Google’s, as it simultaneously monetizes itself through adverts and includes rich snippets in results pages. Baidu, as the Chinese Google, is severely restricted.

Google holds most of the search engine market. However, this article demonstrates that there are numerous undiscovered prospects for alternate search engines that better meet your demands. You may now pick where you want to run a search for finding optimal results and community involvement or for conducting social monitoring and obtaining format-specific results. If you want to learn more about the basics of Search Engines, how to market your product using Search Engine Marketing, how to optimize your content and make it SEO friendly, and more about Digital Marketing, check out Board Infinity’s Digital Marketing Course. Learn all about Digital Marketing with personalized guidance from top industry experts and become fluent in SEO, SEM, SMM, and more!

The post 10 Alternative Search Engines to Use in 2022 appeared first on SiteProNews.

Google is the world leader in terms of Internet search and digital advertising revenue. Every day, more than 3 billion Google searches are conducted worldwide and over 100 billion web pages are indexed by the search engine giant. What makes Google so popular? Its algorithm that guarantees better results for any keyword entered by users has had a major role to play in the success of Google. In addition, internet users today are increasingly using mobile devices for search and Google is keeping up with that trend too.

Google’s continuous research on how to provide relevant web pages from different sites lets you see more clearly what you’re looking for. On this note, let’s look at the latest SERP feature trends:

Priority to Voice-optimized Content

The latest SERP feature trends show that content on mobile devices will be more voice-activated and conversational. Google’s voice search is growing 3 times faster than the text version and accounts for 20% of all mobile queries. Mobile web pages with 2 to 4 sentences in the description area perform better than those with a longer description or several short descriptions.

More Knowledge Graph Cards

Cards are the latest SERP feature trends in Google, which display detailed information about specific topics in separate sections within search results. This allows searchers to find answers quickly without having to click on another web page, thereby increasing user satisfaction for Google users. You can also improve your strategy by using Schema.org structured data to spread your content across multiple Google knowledge graph cards.

Integration of Local Search With Images

Google’s latest SERP feature trends show a strong push towards integrating local business information into SERPs, especially for mobile users. If you have a physical store or an office in a certain location, make sure that this information is visible to Google.

Bookmarking Service for Mobile Devices

Google’s latest SERP feature trends indicate that users are increasingly turning to their mobiles to find bookmarked content. If your content has been shared thousands of times on the web, you can consider it as a high-quality bookmark and monetize it with Adsense ads or other affiliate ads.

High-quality Featured Snippets

The latest SERP feature trends show that Google is increasingly using featured snippets to display high-quality content with extensive information in separate boxes at the top of SERP. It’s a great opportunity for you to grab traffic from users who like to get all their answers right on one page and don’t go through other sites.

The Rich Cards

Google’s latest SERP feature trends show that the search engine giant is increasingly using rich cards to display information and media together in one featured snippet or box on SERP. The results include headlines, images, and buttons with snippets of relevant content and hyperlinks for users searching for related topics. This is a great opportunity for you to direct users to your own website.

The Use of Location Modifiers

The latest SERP feature trends show that Google is increasingly using location modifiers to display local-specific results based on user search queries. This is an important tool in the SEO strategy because it helps companies improve their online presence by displaying relevant information for their target location.

Highlighting Special Offers

If you have a list of weekly or monthly deals and discounts, Google’s latest SERP feature trends indicate that highlighting these offers in the description area affects the user experience and helps increase conversions for your business. It also makes it easier to rank higher than other e-commerce sites offering similar products.

Tips for Better SEO Strategy

Fret not if you are new to SEO as we’ve got you covered with the best tips to improve your SEO strategy to gain a competitive edge:

• Analyze data trends over the past few years to understand how search engine algorithms have evolved.
• Create a regular SEO calendar with updates on your site’s security, content writing, and link-building activities.
• Use engagement signals like click-through rate, time spent on a page, bounce rate, etc. to monitor the quality of traffic coming through search engine optimization.
• Focus on the latest SERP feature trends such as featured snippets, knowledge graph cards, location modifiers, and rich cards to get ahead of competitors.
• Use Schema.org structured data to make your content easily discoverable by Google’s bots.
• Be active on social media networks like Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Facebook because these channels can help you brand your business online.

Wrapping Up!

With the latest SERP feature trends, it is time to take your SEO strategies up a notch. Now that you know what Google is looking for, make sure you include these changes in your strategy for better search engine rankings and improved conversions.

Google’s latest SERP feature trends show a strong push towards integrating local business information into SERPs, which means companies should be actively monitoring their online presence across local business listings, review sites, social media channels, blogs, etc. By following these SEO strategies, you can come up with a stronger SEO strategy that will help improve your search engine rankings.

The post SERP Feature Trends and Tips For a Better SEO Strategy appeared first on SiteProNews.

You see the site engineer using a measuring tape to find out the length of a wall. A little later, he tells his colleague to note down 30 feet.

Using your senses, you quickly understand that ‘feet’ here refers to the unit of measurement and not the human body part.

But, search engines are not capable of this.

They don’t have sensory organs to help them differentiate between the feet used to measure and the feet used to stand.

So, LSI keywords come into the picture.

What Are LSI Keywords?

LSI stands for Latent Semantic Indexing.

It was developed in the late 1980s to extract precise information from large data sets. However, over the years, it has improved tremendously.

Almost ALL search engines use it to understand the content on web pages and rank them better. (Even if they say there’s no such thing as LSI keywords!)

LSI keywords are simply terms or phrases related to the main keyword on a web page.

They are semantically (contextually) related to each other in one or more of the following ways:

• Synonymy (Similar): Pipe and tube, rich and wealthy, rise and ascend, etc.
• Antonymy (Opposite): Cold and hot, summer and winter, top and bottom, etc.
• Hyponymy (Subordinate): Tree and plant, man and child, puppy and dog, etc.
• Meronymy (Part): Cheese and pizza, ship and fleet, flower and bouquet, etc.
• Troponymy (Manner): March and walk, whisper and speak, nibble and eat, etc.
• Entailment (Consequence): Drive and ride, assassinated and dead, competition and winner, etc.
• Derivations (Forms): Magnetic and magnetism, gynecology and gynecologist, simple and simply, etc.

Thus, relationships exist between the keywords, and search engines use them to understand a web page’s content better.

How Do LSI Keywords Impact SEO?

LSI keywords bring out the context and define the main topic of the page.

Let’s say you have created a web page about a bat and written a good 1500 words about it.

But, a bat can either be a small animal that flies and hunts at night or wooden playing equipment used to hit the ball.

How would the search engine gauge it?

They will look for different LSI keywords in your content.

• Words like cricket, match, player, batsman, bowler, pitch, field, ground, score, etc., will help them know that it’s about the playing equipment (bat).
• Words like wings, flying, nocturnal, darkness, echo, food, habitat, mammal, etc., will tell them that it’s about the animal (bat).

Once they understand the main topic of your web page, they will rank it for relevant search results.

LSI keywords impact SEO by helping your page rank for:

• Relevant Search Queries: If it is about a cricket bat, it should not appear in searches for the animal bat.
• Related Search Queries: If it is about a cricket bat, it can also appear in searches for cricket equipment.

Thus, they increase your ranking potential and enhance your site’s SEO.

How to Find LSI Keywords for Your Content?

When you have expertise and knowledge about a topic, you will unknowingly include semantically related keywords in your content.

But, to be on the safer side, you must perform exhaustive LSI keyword research before you start writing.

There are 3 ways in which you can find related words and phrases for your content:

1. Autocomplete Feature

While typing a search query, you must have noticed that the search engines try to guess it.

It looks something like this on Google and is known as the Autocomplete Feature:

You’ll also find it on other search engines like Bing, Yahoo, and Duck Duck Go.

They all highlight the words they are adding to your search query for a quick selection.

But, if you take a moment to analyze them, you can get many LSI keyword ideas.

For example, your main topic is chatbots.

When you type chatbots in the search box on Google, you get a lot of autocomplete suggestions.

Looking at them, you can find LSI keywords like ‘artificial intelligence‘ and ‘user interface‘.

Next, if you use autocomplete feature of other search engines, you can get even more suggestions.

2. Searches Related To

All search engines display searches related to your query at the end of the search results.

When you look at them, you find multiple phrases containing your search query and additional words before or after it.

For easy differentiation, the other words are in bold.

Look at these searches related to ‘credit card application’ on Google:

You’ll notice several highlighted words in these search queries.

When you look at them closely, they give you hints about potentially related terms to use in your content – the LSI keywords.

In this case, ‘apply online’, ‘online application process’, and ‘charges’, are some LSI keyword ideas.

And this is from Google alone.

You can examine related searches on other search engines as well to get more ideas.

Bing:

Yahoo:

Duck Duck Go:

Each search engine gives you different suggestions, and so you’ll have plenty to pick and choose from.

3. Keyword Research Tool

If you don’t want to spend time with the search engines, you can use a free keyword research tool to discover LSI keywords.

It will give you thousands of keyword suggestions and also list common search terms and phrases.

So, you can use the tool as your own free LSI keyword generator!

Here’s how it works:

Scan through the keyword suggestions to identify semantically related terms.

In this case, you can use the following words as LSI keywords:

• foods
• snacks
• pills
• menu
• meal plan
• recipes

With that, finding LSI keywords for your content becomes a cakewalk.

What’s the Selection Criteria for LSI Keywords?

The selection of LSI keywords demands using your instinct and common sense.

You don’t need to use all the LSI keywords you find in a single piece of content.

Only the ones that make sense and go well with your topic must be used.

Simply pick keywords with maximum relevance to your content.

If you are writing a listicle on ‘women handbags’, your LSI keywords list will include:

• brands
• online
• shop
• buy
• ladies
• purse
• sale
• price
• designer

If you are giving information, words like shop and buy will confuse the readers. So, you shouldn’t pick or use such words in your content.

On the contrary, if you expect users to buy handbags, shop and buy will be the most important words.

So, the selection criteria will change based on the intent and context of your write-up.

Use your instinct and common sense while making a choice and prevent any possible blunders.

With that, LSI keywords should be simple and easy to use.

Increase Your Content’s Ranking Potential with LSI Keywords

Search engines have one goal: to provide relevant and valuable results to their users.

They can understand your page’s content ten times better with the help of LSI keywords.

Thus, you can achieve higher search rankings and decreased bounce rates by spreading semantically related keywords throughout your content.

Dropping out LSI keywords or randomly sprinkling them whenever and wherever in the content can cost you big time.

To see their power, use them wisely.

The post What are LSI Keywords and how do They Impact SEO? appeared first on SiteProNews.

What is Google Analytics?

Google has provided its users with a vast array of tools to help them maintain their pages. One of them is Google Analytics – you can use it to monitor your website activity and check stats regarding session duration, source of traffic, bounce rate, etc. This tool is free – to some extent. Small businesses can use this tool free of charge. However, the more professional features come with a fee. To start using Google Analytics, make sure you enable it in your Google Admin console. 

How to diagnose traffic drops – take a deep breath and start

There are several steps you can take to get to the bottom of your problem. It’s essential to be realistic and objective and start this process slowly and in detail. Let’s see what things you can do to diagnose traffic drops. 

Drops can happen; just be sure to diagnose them fast and react accordingly. 

PPC traffic or Google organic traffic?

First, don’t jump to the conclusion that you have a problem with organic traffic. That is often not the case – sometimes, drops come from paid traffic. That’s why you should start this diagnostic process by checking– organic traffic or PPC traffic.  Also, don’t forget other traffic sources – direct visits, email, social, etc. Checking them all out may lead to the solution to your problem.

Locate the problematic pages 

If there are one or more pages that have experienced a drop in traffic, the first thing you should do is to find out which one it is. You can easily do that by using Google Analytics. 

Check out the ‘All Traffic’ section and click ‘Channels’. Under the ‘Organic’ section, select the period you want to check and compare it to the previous period. You should be able to see your landing pages and the way they have performed in the last week or month. Commonly, the drop is related to the most popular pages on your website. They should be at the top of the list. However, if the drop has affected all your website pages, it’s a sign of a bigger problem. Perhaps you received a Google Penalty, or you were unaware of a recent update. 

Make sure it’s not a seasonal thing 

Sometimes, some businesses are less popular at certain times of the year. For example, companies that sell Christmas lights or decorations will not get the same amount of traffic during summer. You can determine this based on your previous experience and industry knowledge, but also by using Google Analytics. Just be sure to compare the traffic of the exact weeks/months in two or more years. It will show you if you’re dealing with a seasonal drop or there’s another problem to look for. 

The way your website performs may be affected by trends and seasons. 

Check the users responsible for the drop

Another way to diagnose traffic drops is to take a look at users responsible for the traffic drop. There are two types of people visiting your website – new users and returning users. Let’s look at both: 

New users 

 If fewer new users are coming to the website, the problem is in the way they find it in search results. This is the time to check:

• your keywords –  these are an essential factor in ranking your pages on Google. Sometimes, it is necessary to pick a fresh set of keywords as the market and people visiting the pages change;
• updates – very often, Google comes up with an update that can affect your rankings because the old optimization methods don’t comply with the new update;
• penalties – if a penalty is applied to your website by Google, it will affect the way Google ranks your pages. 

Returning users 

If you notice returning users are not returning anymore, you need to take a closer look at your website user experience.  The most common problems are broken pages and slow loading speed. These may disappoint returning users, forcing them to leave the website and find an alternative destination. Be sure to check all of the factors that help improve the user experience and do your best to bring it to perfection.

Don’t disappoint old and new users – make your website flawless. 

Combine GA with Search Console for complete results 

When you need to diagnose traffic drops and take a closer look at your website, Google Analytics is a great option. However, you should complete this investigation by using some other great tools – one of them being Search Console. Only then can you be sure you have examined all the aspects of your problem to find a fast solution. Google Analytics will help you explore the user-oriented aspects of the traffic. On the other hand, Search Console is more focused on search-engine related issues. It can tell you more about your website’s visibility, SERP presence, keyword problems, etc. Combining two or more tools will give you an in-depth report on your website’s performance and lead you to the most effective solutions to get back on track and welcome many new visitors.

The post Using Google Analytics to diagnose Traffic Drops appeared first on SiteProNews.

Google algorithms are complex programs that determine how content, websites, and results show up when a user types a search query. Some minor updates go unnoticed whereas others have a major impact on online marketers and SEO content.

Every year there have been major Google algorithm changes that have caused some major impact. Here is a brief history of some major algorithm changes and their impact on businesses and the general online community.

History of Major Google Algorithm Changes and Effects on Online Users

1. Google Panda: It was launched in February 2011 to remove websites with duplicate or plagiarized content.
2. Google Penguin: Algorithm Penguin appeared in the year 2012. The update sifted sites that had backlinks to spam and irrelevant sites.
3. Google Hummingbird: The Google Hummingbird algorithm was released in August 2001 to remove irrelevant content.
4. Google Pigeon: This update appeared in 2014. The Pigeon algorithm updated top searches to appear according to the location of the user and address.
5. The Mobilegeddon: This Google mobile-friendly algorithm update was launched in April 2015. Mobilegeddon was implemented to favor mobile-friendly sites.
6. Google Possum: Google Possum improved on the Pigeon update.
7. Google Fred: In March 2017, the Google Fred update was posted. Google Fred seeks to remove low-quality websites that did not provide adequate information or content.
8. Medic Core Update: This is the latest major update that Google launched on August 1, 2018. This update affected health and wellness sites. It also focuses on the quality of information.

Ways Google Algorithm Changes Affect Businesses

• Loss of traffic to websites which translates to reduced sales.
• Loss of relevance on Google search
• Extra expense to produce relevant content
• Some algorithms, such as Google Possum, led to loss of content on search due to shared and common addresses.

Measures a Business Can Take to Survive a Google Algorithm Change

1. Write Original Content

Write original content that is free of any kind of plagiarism. Make sure your content is objective, expert and original.

Avoid keyword stuffing that reduces the quality of your content. Poor quality work will not stand the test of time and Google algorithm changes.

2. Clean Spam from Your Website

Google updates often sift through spam and irrelevant sites. If you have backlinks on your content and they lead to spam sites, your good content might be pulled down by the algorithms.

Get rid of spam on your website. Build links that contain relevant keywords. Use naked links or generic text to anchor your text.

3. Write Relevant Content

Write content that is relevant to Google users. Your content should be written naturally and free of unnecessary keywords. Google seeks to improve user experience, thus any irrelevant content will be removed or affect your rankings negatively.

4. Use Local SEO

Use local SEO to optimize searches related to your physical location and address. This ensures that you will remain among the top searches on Google and Google Maps.

5. Develop Mobile Friendly Websites

If your content is poorly formatted and cannot be accessed on mobile, your site will not survive an algorithm update. Mobilegeddon will pull down your content.

6. Focus on Quality and Quantity

Your content development should focus on readability and usability. Quality is key to appearing at the top of the SERPs and remaining relevant on Google. Focus on producing high quality, SEO-optimized content. Remove unnecessary words from your content.

Google updates push down content that does not promote good readership. Write content that provides quality and adequate information.

7. Diversify Platforms

Do not put your content on Google only. Put your content on other online platforms such as social media. Diversification of platforms will ensure that you will have traffic to your sites at all times.

8. Read the Webmaster Guidelines

When Google posts an update read, through the Webmaster Guidelines carefully. Do not change content on your site until you understand the requirements of the new update.

Major algorithm changes can cause instability in business. However, if you are posting quality content, Google updates will not cause a major change in the ranking of your sites. Focus on always producing relevant content, add credible links and avoid stuffing.

The post What’s Wrong with Google–The Effect of Frequent Algorithm Changes appeared first on SiteProNews.

How Big is Voice Search?

Voice search is much bigger than you think and the stats below back my statement:

• About one-third of Americans use voice search, and with a projected increase of 9.7%, this number will reach 122 million users in 2021.
• Perficient says that 55% of users use voice search to ask questions. 
• According to Google, 55% of teens and 41% of adults use voice search daily.
• 36% of people (adults) talk to their phones while watching TV. 
• 23% of people use voice search in the kitchen while cooking.
• According to QuoraCreative, 20% of grocery orders are voice-based and it is expected that voice-based shopping will grow to $40B in 2022.

These figures show how important it is to optimize for voice search in the SEO industry or as an e-commerce business. As an online marketer, you cannot ignore voice search popularity.

Why Do People Use Voice search?

The best thing that people like about voice search is that it is easy to use, simple and you get the answer in audio format. It is multi-tasking. You can focus on other things when searching for something with your digital assistant or smartphone. This Google report shows some interesting facts about when and where people use voice search.

These statistics show that voice search popularity is due to its ease. It is difficult for people to search by text during exercise. They enjoy asking digital assistants for help when cooking something. They don’t want to touch their devices during this time.

What is the Difference between Voice Search Optimization and Text Search Optimization

To make things clear, voice search is not like text search. For text search, you can get valuable data like keyword monthly searches, keyword monthly searches for different countries, and the difficulty to rank for the keyword. This data makes it easier for you to decide what keyword you should target for higher rankings.

On the other hand, voice search has no keyword data. Google does not provide us with the volume of voice searches. And this makes it difficult to decide which keywords are best to target. 

Let’s look more closely to better understand the differences. If you are searching for the same keyword in text and voice search, Google will show the exact same results for both. For example, if I type “best affiliate marketing websites” in Google search and then search for the same keyword by voice, the result will be the same for both queries. So where do the search results differ?

The answer is, people do not search by voice in the same way. They use different ways to find things with voice search. Voice search totally changes:

• When people search
• How people search
• What they search for

A user would not use voice to search for “content marketing” but would more likely ask ‘ what is content marketing?” or “what are the best affiliate marketing websites?”. Voice search often tends to be long-form questions.

How to Optimize Content for Voice Search?

You don’t need to be an SEO expert or hire someone to do voice search optimization. There are very few things to optimize for voice search. The good news is there a lot of things that you need to do for basic search engine optimization. Voice search optimization is all about a few small but smart steps that you should take.

Answer the questions in Your Content

Most Voice search queries are about asking questions such as getting information about a historic place, checking a menu in a restaurant, or finding a service with a “near me” search. So the first step is to find the questions in your niche for which you can create content.

1. Know the Question in Your Niche

To answer the question, the first step is to know the questions that your target audience has. You can use Google as a tool to find these questions by typing your main keyword in the search bar. In the second step, just add what, why, and how before the main keyword and you will see all the questions that people ask on Google. For example, if you are in the weight loss niche, you can find questions like this:

Now you have a better idea of what your customers ask about losing weight. You can answer these questions in your content to rank high on voice search results. Answer the public is another free tool that shows all the questions that people ask on search engines. I call it “the question search engine”.

Mostly, optimizing for voice search means optimizing for questions. The more perfectly you optimize for questions, the better your voice search rankings. There are a few things to consider when writing answers. 

2. Keep Your Answers Short

A study by Brian Dean found that the average Google home answer is 29 words long. Conclusion? Google prefers short and sweet answers. So keep your answers short to improve your chances of ranking high.

3. Write Grammatically Correct Answers

Use proper English, simple words, and grammatically correct answers. While Google does not claim “Grammatical Correctness” to be a ranking factor, it is important for user experience which is key for your site’s bounce rate.

4. Use Natural Language

Voice search questions are conversational and longer. To get Google’s attention, avoid using complicated words and technical language. Be straightforward and to the point. Conversational answers are more likely to get higher rankings on voice search results. 

Should You Use Long Tail Keywords

Well, we’ve discussed that most voice searches consist of long questions. A study found that less than 2% of all voice search results contain a keyword in the title. So long keywords may not help you. It is better to target longer questions that people actually ask on the internet.

Where to Answer Voice Search Questions?

Google and other search engines do not care which page answers the relevant question. Instead, the answer is shown directly on the results page. So, you should have a well-optimized and well-structured FAQ page on your site. 

Your FAQ page should have all the answers related to your business. Sometimes an answer needs to be explained in detail. In this case, writing another blog post performs well with complete data and answers.

Optimize for Feature Snippets

In this study of voice search results, it was found that more than 40% of voice search results came from a featured snippet. A featured snippet is a little box that shows up at the top of some search results and trumps all the other results. Sometimes users do not need to click on the link because all the information is there.

To improve your odds of landing in the featured snippet and showing up as a voice search result, use structured data in your content. Structured data is about using headings, bullet lists, numbers lists, table lists, and schema markups. Schema markup indicates to Google that there is data in your piece and helps Google crawl through all the information and place it in featured snippets.  This improves your chances of ranking in a voice search result. 

On-Site Optimization for Voice Search 

In addition to content optimization, there is on-site optimization that can help you to rank better on Google and Bing for voice search results.

Site Speed

Google loves speed. Fast loading pages are great for user experience and SEO as well. Go to Google page speed insights and check your website’s speed. Follow Google’s instructions to fix any speed issues. You need to attend to the following site speed factors:

• Compress and optimize Images
• Use a theme optimized for speed
• Use a cache plugin and CDN
• If you are on WordPress, always keep it updated

Get Google My Business Profile

If you are a local business, then you probably need to be found on those “near me” searches. If you serve a specific local area, then you are in luck because if someone searches for a service you provide near to your business location, Google will automatically show you. 

As you can see, “near me” searches have been trending on Google. It becomes even more interesting when you see that top “near me” searches are:

• Food near me
• Restaurant near me
• Stores near me 

For example, you have a restaurant and someone (near your restaurant) asks Google 

“restaurant near me”. Google will show you as the first result because you are close to the user. To get full advantage, make sure that the information you give on your Google my business profile is reflected on your website as well. Include the address of all cities where you provide services.

Optimize Your GMB Profile for Voice Search

There are several factors to consider in optimizing your Google My Business profile:

• Keep your information up-to-date. If you changed your business address, add the new address to your Google My Business profile.
• Add your active phone numbers
• If you provide services in multiple locations, do not forget to add them to the GMB profile as well. This helps  Google to provide accurate information to visitors
• Get reviews on GMB

Bonus Tip

Siri iPhone is a digital assistant that does not show Google my business listings. Frustrating? Apple uses third party sites like Yelp and Foursquare and that is why you should create Yelp and Foursquare profiles. 

Backlinks are Key

Backlinks are the backbone of your site and help your site rank higher on Google. The higher the number of high-quality relevant backlinks you have for your website, the easier it will be for you to rank for your target keyword. A study of Google search results found that the top voice search results are from pages that rank in the top five. And, these sites have a high Domain Authority with tons of backlinks. Conclusion?

Domain Authority is important for both organic text search and voice search. Create great content to get backlinks from high-quality sites.

Final Thoughts

Although 50% of searches are voice-based, there are more things to be discovered about voice search. You may rank at the top of the first page without optimizing specifically for voice search if you have high domain authority. So, you don’t need to know a lot to optimize for voice search. Add the ”answer the question” formula to your optimizing strategies and increase your chances of ranking for voice search. 

The post Voice Search Optimization – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on SiteProNews.

• 50% of all searches across the internet in 2020 will be voice-based
• 40% of adults use mobile voice search at least once daily
• 55% of youngsters are utilizing voice search consistently
• By 2022, voice-based shopping will leap to $40 billion.

Source: Quoracreative

These statistics are proof enough for you to incorporate voice-enabled experience to your application and website. But the question remains, are you reaching your audience via voice search?

Businesses have been slow to pick up on the voice trend that got an overnight push from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Like you, thousands of businesses have optimized their content for voice search and incorporated voice-enabled search. 

Voice search has fewer results thus ranking on the top pages through traditional optimization strategy might not prove that beneficial. Instead, you can try these few things to reach your audience through voice search.

Here’s how to optimize your content for voice search:

1. Long-Tail Keywords and Spoken Content

The way we have a conversation differs from the way we write it. Here we are talking about how we search using a voice command so think of keywords that people would generally use when talking about your brand. Also, how would the search differ for the local and global market and in generic terms. For example, if you want to book a flight from Dubai, what keywords would you use?

• Flights from Dubai
• International flights from Dubai
• Show me best flight deals from Dubai

2. Snippets on Google’s Answer Box

If you are looking for the best answers to popular questions, you’ll find them in Google’s Answer Box. It is these answers only that are picked by Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri to answer voice queries. Amazon Alexa and Microsoft Cortana pick their answer snippets from Bing. One way to land in these prime search positions can be by posting questions and answers in your content. Start building content around long-tail question keywords and focus on making it as relevant and specific as possible.

3. Put up your Brand Profile on Local Listings

Create a detailed profile of your brand and post it across all relevant local listing sites. This will give you a better chance of showing up for voice search for local queries. Make sure to update your listing on sites where AI voice assistants pick their data from.

4. Keep Natural Language Pattern in Mind when Writing Content

Natural Language Processing is fast catching up and even search engines are accelerating their understanding of it. The content you write should not only target strategic keywords but also be written in a way we speak. It will help the content to rank in voice search.

5. Site Speed is vital for Voice Search

Site speed is another vital factor for ranking high on voice search. Improve your site load time. The easiest way to do this is by compressing image files to a smaller size and cleaning up JavaScript codes.

6. Hearing Content

When Google finds a solution that matches the question asked, it often uses its Text-to-Speech technology to read a featured snippet or the introduction of a piece of writing to the user.

Most voice associates have modern TTS instruments, but a few words and expressions can sound odd. 

So, when testing multiple voice searches, concentrate on how they read what your team wrote. This simple action can assist you in tweaking and improving the content.

7. Use Schema

Using schema (structured data markup) helps search engines find out what’s on a given page, and allows machine learning algorithms to access your data easily.

That implies increasing Google’s Knowledge Graph and figuring out how to upgrade utilizing the forthcoming Speak able markup from Schema.org, which shows areas of a page that are especially suitable for text-to-discourse transformation.

Conclusion

Today’s customers place convenience over everything else and voice is at the top of the list.

Also, the uncertain times of this pandemic have made contactless the new normal and as voice technology again is at the top of contactless, you’d do well to optimize your content for a higher reach and effective engagement via voice search.

The post How to Reach Your Audience via Voice Search appeared first on SiteProNews.

Google Search trends gives us great data and insights about what we are going through and thinking about collectively at any given point in time. COVID-19 has affected our behavior in many ways and that can be seen and measured by our activity online. If you’re a digital marketer or a business owner these insights, could reveal to you opportunities you have not considered.

While many countries have been in lock-down, we’ve been working from home where possible. We’ve been limited in our activities and under various stressors and therefore our priorities have changed.

It’s self-evident that most of the business world has moved online wherever possible. Maybe the tech is making us less human, but it’s all we’ve got right now. Instead of meeting, we’ll use Microsoft Teams, Google Meet or Zoom. They’ve become the new normal. The data can be very interesting if you are looking for more in-depth insights.

For the purpose of this article, we’ll be looking at the USA search data. While we can measure the data, it always needs to be interpreted to understand its meaning. 

Virtual Meetings

This was one of the search terms we saw peak early on in the pandemic and it makes sense. As businesses moved to a work from home model the obvious issue that needed to be addressed was communication. Many of us didn’t have much experience with virtual meetings, but it’s quickly become the norm. 

Virtual Dating

Some of us joked, “the trash goes out more than we do”. It’s funny because it’s so true for many singles. In isolation, it makes sense that loneliness is on the rise. 

We crave and need human connection and without it we searched Google for the next best thing, dating in cyberspace. As lockdowns have eased somewhat, so too did the search for “Virtual Dating”.

Virtual Church

Churchgoers also needed to adjust their Sunday routines looking for an online alternative. What’s interesting here is the trend is almost identical to that of the “Virtual Dating”. This may suggest the social interaction at church and the feeling of a human connection are key ingredients to why many choose to be a part of a local church.

Home-schooling

It’s encouraging to see many parents researching options for teaching their kids from home. While many of us probably never contemplated the idea of home-schooling, COVID-19 has forced us to think about alternatives for children’s education.

Hobbies and pastimes

Many of us have been searching for things to do. Maybe we’ve been living busy lives, filled with work, socializing and other activities. Maybe COVID-19 gave us some time to contemplate our lives and explore new hobbies and pastimes. “Puzzles”, “Monopoly” and “Pub Quiz” were also trending so maybe we’ve been looking for safe family fun in the new normal.

Home workouts

When we are stressed or bored at home many of us tend to overeat so it makes sense, we were looking for a home workout to put us back in shape. It’s good to see many of us were motivated by our health and wellbeing. We’ve also been stuck at home with limited options for outside activities so home workouts are a logical choice. Home workouts trended early in the pandemic but have dropped off more recently. Hopefully we all got the workout plans that we needed and are sticking with them (unfortunately that’s unlikely).

Home baking

There’s been a huge range of searches conducted for home baking with
“Sourdough recipe” being very popular. 

Maybe we’ve had the time to bake where our busy lives didn’t allow for it previously. Maybe we see it as a hobby or pastime. Baking can also give us a little sense of achievement and reward, things that we can all do with at times.

Puppies & Kittens

Some of us aren’t filling the need for connection with virtual dating or church, we are looking for pets. The term “puppies” was highly searched in April and ‘kittens’ followed a similar trend. It shows that early on we may have been looking for companionship and we either fulfilled that need or decided against it and moved on.

Get away with Murder

Has being locked up at home with your partner put a bit of strain on your relationship? I’m asking for a friend… Hopefully it’s just the result of budding authors getting to work on the crime novel they always wanted to write.

Picnics

We’re desperate to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Picnics are a great way to get out and maintain social distancing. The data shows many of us have been thinking about having picnics and the trend seems to be growing recently.

Black Lives Matter

The pandemic isn’t the only motivating factor we’ve experienced in 2020. “Black Lives Matter” trended heavily soon after the death of George Floyd. We are evaluating our lives and our values and it appears that we are growing to be more compassionate for our fellow-humans on one hand while being enraged by their actions on the other hand. The same is true of the election.

Have Hope

The good news is, it’s not all doom and gloom. We were searching for hope, particularly back in May. Hopefully this means people found the hope they were searching for. Who couldn’t do with a little more hope right now?

The post What the Latest Google Search Trends Can Teach Us about Ourselves appeared first on SiteProNews.

You can find these six apps by searching the keywords ‘personal security apps’ in the app store.

Bond Personal Security: Free and Paid Versions

The Bond app offers a preventative personal security service. According to Bond personal security for iPhone, you will be able to connect to a command center via chat, video, or call. A trained personal security agent is available 24/7. The free features include location services, alarm without security agent, and 911 dialer. For location services, see where friends and loved ones are anytime. You’ll receive notifications when loved ones arrive and leave their destination. The siren feature without a security agent is offered as well. In an emergency, hold down the siren button for 3 seconds to activate an alarm and flashing lights. Although the app is not a replacement for law enforcement in an emergency, you’re able to push the 911 button to be connected to the police. You can also buy premium services.

Ronin

According to Ronin, the app is a free preventative safety app. The app can send an emergency signal to a command center. The app will locate a smartphone and send an emergency signal to the command center when the feature is activated. The user will be informed about progress as the operator processes the signal. Moreover, your emergency contacts will be notified when a user requests help via email, text, or phone call. The user can specify the type of help they need. A user can request help with fire, police, or a medical emergency. They can send messages to an operator and tell the operator if it’s safe to receive a phone call. 

An updated location is sent to the operator when a user moves more than 80 feet. However, continued use of GPS can decrease battery life. Moreover, a user can be monitored while walking to their car, etc. The user pushes a button and continues to hold until they feel they have safely arrived at their destination. If they release the button and do not stop an alarm, a signal is sent to the command center. The app also offers a safety timer. The safety timer lets your contacts know when you do not arrive at your destination in a specified time frame. At the beginning of the timer, the command center is notified to keep watch. The command center will take action if the user does not stop the timer with a code. The signal will already be sent if the phone is lost.

We Help

We Help! Is another personal security app. We Help! is free to users. The app allows you to notify the authorities without calling 911. You can send an alert by pushing a button. Helper users nearby will be notified as well as your loved ones. Get immediate help anytime and anywhere in the world. We Help! Offers a geolocation system providing helpers with your exact location in an emergency, even when you’re moving around. There are several communications like voice notes, photos, and videos to share information about your emergency. You’ll want to add your emergency contacts to be alerted with a text with your location when you need help. Additionally, there is a smartwatch feature to send alerts without your phone.

Never Alone

Never Alone is another free app for personal and preventative safety. Never Alone offers geolocation and active support for its users. The security system allows geo-location and specific and personalized plans of action for each report. The app provides added security in your professional and personal life. However, continual GPS use in the background can decrease battery life.

Seflence

Seflence is a paid personal auto-renewing subscription security app for $2.99 for one month and $29.49 for 12 months. Selflence records a video and shares your real-time location in an emergency. According to Selflence, the app provides alerts when friends and loved ones arrive or leave with geolocation technology. The app allows you to see crime hot spots near your location as well as police stations. Send automated messages to your emergency contacts. Also, there’s an option to capture a photo of your phone’s thief. You can turn off the auto-renew feature by going to iTunes account settings.

So Secure

So Secure is a safety and security app that costs $2.99 a month. Monitored SOS allows you to contact ADT if you’re feeling unsafe or have an emergency. According to So Secure, you can set up emergency contacts known as guardians. Track me provides two security features: activity tracking and live monitoring agent. Activity tracking allows you to set a time for an activity and invite ADT to track you via GPS. When you’ve completed your activity stop the timer. If the timer expires and app employees can’t confirm you’re safe, they notify the authorities, Your emergency contacts track you as well. Track me provides a live monitoring agent in situations where you feel safe. The monitoring agent can communicate with you via text or call. You may want to note, the app is on auto-renew. To end the subscription go to iTunes account settings.

The post These 6 Apps Increase Your Personal Security in the Pandemic or Anytime appeared first on SiteProNews.

How many of us have an actionable blueprint to make the most of Voice Search? I do not know of many.

Voice Search is growing at an exponential rate & it is only going to get bigger. As many Brands and Businesses are joining the bandwagon to make the most of Voice Search, it is time to finally realize that you cannot ignore Voice Search anymore.

What is Voice Search

Voice Search is basically when a user instead of typing, verbally asks for a search on their smartphones or any other connected device. In return, the query is answered by a virtual assistant or a search engine.

More & more people are using this feature on a daily basis. Surprisingly, more teens (55%) than adults (41%) use voice search on a daily basis.

In fact, Voice Search has arrived in a truly remarkable fashion already. Around 65% of smart speaker owners (Google Home/Amazon Echo) cannot imagine going back to basic speakers.

Why Voice Search

To answer the question of Why Voice Search, we will go into detail to see how Voice Search has changed the scenario when compared with Traditional Search. You cannot just bank on Traditional SEO practices and expect to show up on Voice Search results. The potential is huge and largely untapped. Below are the reasons why Voice Search demands your attention and how it has changed the landscape for all –

1. Longer Queries – Voice searches are much longer than traditional queries. This has changed the entire game. How?

When you used to search for how to make pizza earlier, you used to enter pizza recipes and then visit the top links it throws out. Now, you can just say to your search assistant “Hey Google, How to make a pizza at home?”. See how the intent is so clear and the search phrase significantly longer.

You have to be brave enough to incorporate long keyword phrases to satisfy the “new user intent”.

2. Question Phrases – This is a byproduct of the first point. Since the search has become more “conversational” it is safe to say that you need to include a lot more search phrases in your keywords in order to optimize for voice search. If your content is satisfying the “why”, “what”, “when” and “how” for your users, you can easily rank for Voice Searches. In fact, the top three keywords in voice search are “how”, “what” and “best”.

3. More Intent – This is the reason why voice searches tend to favor “natural language” more. Traditional search by a user around “Laptop” will give us no clue where the user wants to buy one or get one repaired or wants to resell. The conversational search changes everything here and gives us clear intent of the user based on which marketers can act.

4. Local Hero – In the last two years, “Near Me ___” searches have risen by 150% due to the advent of voice search and the convenience it brings to the user. Also, keep in mind that mobile based searches are three times more local based than traditional text search. This is a game changer for local businesses as more and more people are going to find them through voice search on their mobile devices. The need to optimize for local searches is now greater than ever before.

How to Optimize for Voice Search

There are many different factors that are considered in Voice Search as compared to the Traditional search. It is paramount we understand and optimize for getting the maximum results from this powerful feature. Below are some of the great tweaks you can follow to achieve the same –

1. FAQ Pages – These can be the game changer for your content when it comes to Voice Search. Question keywords are growing rapidly and answer results from Google are around 30 words which makes FAQ pages perfect for Voice Search.

Voice search results return back 1.7 times more from a FAQ page as compared to desktop results.

2. Update Google My Business Page – Google refers to Google My Business Listings quite frequently when it comes to throwing out results for addresses, phone numbers, business hours & so much more. Having this up to date for Google to fetch when needed gives you a solid chance of showing up in voice results over your competitors who have avoided this aspect. Optimizing your content for “Near me ___” searches along with your updated Google My Business page is like a super combo.

3. Ace Featured Snippets – As per a Backlinko study, around 40% of voice search results are fetched from the Featured Snippets. Frankly, it is no surprise as well. If the voice assistant is going to give out one voice result to the user, it better be from the Featured Snippets. Makes complete sense, right!

4. Master long Tail Keywords – When we search on voice search platforms, the keywords we “say” are usually longer than the keywords we “write” in traditional search. Imagine how a user will ask a search engine his question? You can always refer Answer The Public which is an awesome tool for finding out long tail keywords.

Be encouraged to include long keywords as they perform better for Voice search.

5. Include “Filler Words” – Make sure you add a lot of “Filler Words” in and around your long tail keywords for best Voice Search results. Why? Well, as per Purna Virji, it will significantly increase your chances of showing up on voice results if your keyword is optimized with words like “me”and “a” and “for”.

6. Site Speed – Yes your site speed matters. It matters for your google search traditional results. It matters even more so for voice search results. Voice Search results are up to three times faster than an average website.

The Future is Speaking

Every marketer, entrepreneur or Business owner needs to give Voice Search its fair share of time, thought and a definite action plan. The time is not to ponder about Voice Search playing a pivotal role in the Future, it is well and truly here my friends. The Future is Now and it is Speaking profoundly.

As Voice Search evolves to be more accurate and intelligent, the onus is on us on how we keep up with its pace or are lost behind in the race.

Let me know what actionable steps you are going to take after reading this post. If you are ready to finally publish FAQ pages for your content or you will be more brave and open with long keywords, just comment below to let us know.

The post Optimizing for Voice Search appeared first on SiteProNews.

Every business, whether it is small or big, always wants a fully functioning website. It is the search engine that acts as a window to display your goods and services to the world and give your company a unique identity. But, what’s the point of having a website when you can’t reach your future clients?

Nothing, right?

This is where SEO gets into the picture.

With the help of SEO tactics (Search engine optimization), you can easily boost your website’s presence on the search engine and attract more leads. In simple words, SEO is one of the best methods to increase your website traffic from search engines like Google.

If you are a beginner in the digital marketing world, here are some reliable sources that will help you learn more about search engines and how they work.

The Best Sources to Learn About Search Engines

1. The Beginner’s Guide to SEO by Moz.com

This amazing guide by Moz.com is basically designed to explain all the major aspects of search engine optimization. This is one of the best sources that can help you learn a lot of things like finding the terms and keywords that can generate better traffic to your business website, building links, making your site SEO friendly, and giving it a unique value. This guide is divided into the following 8 chapters:

Chapter 1: SEO 101

Chapter 2: How Search Engines Work: Crawling, Indexing, and Ranking

Chapter 3: Keyword Research

Chapter 4: On-Page SEO

Chapter 5: Technical SEO

Chapter 6: Link Building & Establishing Authority

Chapter 7: Measuring & Tracking SEO Success

Chapter 8: SEO Glossary

You can go through this guide and learn more about the tactics of mastering search engines and SEO. After that, you can boost your website presence on the search engines and get better business results.

2. SEO Made Simple (A Complete Guide by Neil Patel)

If you find reading from the web a boring task, then this source is for you. “SEO Made Simple by Neil Patel,” is an amazing and interesting SEO guide. It covers videos, images, and screenshots that will help you get more familiar with search engine strategies and SEO basics. Here are a few things you can learn:

• Overview of SEO
• Difference between white hat & black hat
• Difference between on-page SEO & off-page SEO
• On-Page SEO
• Off-Page SEO

3. Web Savvy Marketing

Web Savvy marketing is a platform where you can learn to grow your web presence. Discover different marketing tools that can be helpful in brand building, driving traffic, and producing a tangible stream of revenue and ROI. The website delivers quality insights about simply utilizing search engine algorithms properly.

If you are a beginner and want to get more ideas about the fundamental concepts of SEO and how to implement them, the Web Savvy marketing website is an ideal platform for you. Not only will it help you gain better knowledge but also increase your website presence as well.

4. Search Engine Journal

A renowned website that can help you stay up-to-date with amazing articles written by well known SEO experts, social analytic tools, and paid search. There are many articles published daily on this website that can help you gain information about search engines, SEO tactics, and topics like:

• Digital Experience
• International Search
• Link Building
• Analytics
• Local Search
• Mobile Search
• Web Development

Knowing about all this can help you boost your business presence on search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.

5. Google Webmaster Central Blog

This is an official Google blog that is really beneficial if you want to gather data about updates, indexing, crawling, and ranking. By referring to this source, you can learn about the new features that Google is going to roll out. It is a resource that you can’t overlook. Since Google is the biggest and the most popular search engine worldwide, what could be better than visiting its official website blog and knowing more about the search engine and SEO.

For more information, you can refer to Google’s search engine optimization starter guide that provides a step-by-step process to get a higher ranking on Google.

6. SEO Starter Guide by Google

Our sixth useful resource is a 32-page beginner’s guide in PDF format that covers the basics about search engines and SEO. Even though the guide is technical, it is worth reading. You will get to know more about:

• SEO Basics
• Improving Site Structure
• Optimizing Content
• Dealing with Crawlers
• SEO for Mobile Phones
• Promotions and Analysis

For a beginner running a start-up, this guide is useful in ranking a website in the search engine results and increasing traffic. The best thing is that this guide is from Google which is undoubtedly the best search engine. Stay updated about SEO strategies and how to maintain your website presence by referring to this guide.

7. QuickSprout

One of the most famous digital marketing entrepreneurs, Neil Patel, runs this website. 

It is a well-known forum aiming to educate and inform people who are new to SEO and not aware of the search engine algorithms. This website offers seminars and webinars to share information with thousands of people. Consider it one of the best sources for increasing your website’s online presence and becoming a better businessman. The seminar includes seven chapters where you will get to know about:

• Introduction to SEO
• Site speed and results
• New searching algorithm
• Advanced data analysis
• Keyword research
• Content building links
• Vertical searching

8. Yoast SEO Blog

This is a useful resource that will help you with technical SEO, WordPress SEO, and SEO content. Most travel bloggers and business people choose WordPress for their websites. The main focus of the Yoast blog is to enhance user knowledge on increasing their website search engine rankings as well as earnings. You can also learn more about things like why you should use synonyms and related keywords, what a landing page is and how it works, ways to improve your core web vitals, indexing, and much more.

9. Google’s Digital Marketing Course

This is different from the resources above. It is a kind of self-studying training pack that you need to complete at your convenience. When you take this digital marketing course, you learn about the tactics that you need to apply to become successful in the era of digital marketing. Refer to this course if you want to be successful and build a better online presence.

10. Ahrefs Blog

Finally, we come to the last but the most reliable resource, i.e., Ahrefs. It is a kind of data marketing website that focuses on the bigger picture. If you want to dive deep into SEO tactics and strategies, you can refer to the Ahrefs blog. You will learn how to create a viable link network that can help move your content up and down the SERPs. This website has a lot of informative articles for beginners, including topics like:

• How to increase website authority?
• Link building for beginners – Guide to get backlinks in 2020
• What are the keywords?
• How to make use of keywords in SEO?
• Content marketing types to grow your business

The list doesn’t end here. There is a lot more information at Ahrefs. 

Wrapping Up…

Search Engine Optimization is a crucial component of 21st-century marketing. Agree or not?

It is all about building a website presence on the search engines and gaining search traffic. The above resources will help you turn your average startup into a brand. This is only possible when you have a strong knowledge of search engine strategies and SEO concepts. For that, the reliable resources noted above can be of great help. Good luck!

The post 10 Reliable Sources to Learn About Search Engines appeared first on SiteProNews.