Quick Update on DanyShop

As you know we are based out of Arkansas and recently we have decided to open up a satellite office in St.Louis. With the mothership being located in Arkansas we needed some additional help in managing the day to day IT operations at the new office.  After researching several companies and interviewing them, we have made our decision to go with RESULTS Technology. We found them to be the best in the business in the area when it comes to IT Support and Computer Support in St. Louis.   24 hour support and local, native speakers on the other end of the phone.

Give them a call and tell them DanyShop sent you

Technology-logo.jpg", "image": "https://d2oc0ihd6a5bt.cloudfront.net/wp-

content/uploads/sites/1658/2016/01/results_technology_chesterfield.jpg", "description": "RESULTS Technology is a full service IT Firm, providing IT Consulting, IT

Services, IT Support and Computer Support for the greater St. Louis metro area. ", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "17295 Chesterfield Airport Rd #200 ", "addressLocality": "Chesterfield", "addressRegion": "MO ", "postalCode": "63005", "addressCountry": "United States" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "38.668948", "longitude": "-90.598388" }, "contactPoint": { "@type": "ContactPoint", "contactType": "Phone ", "telephone": "(314)222-2600 " } } ]]>

 

SEO Findings

Google has recently been testing out a different type of 3 pack or snack pack in San Francisco and rumor has it they are doing something similar in San Diego in the very near future.   Here is what we have noticed:  See this link to see the result live for yourself.
1) Mobile vs Desktop Index:This seems to be inline with Google building out both a mobile as well as a desktop index.  Google knows that mobile search is on a serious uptrend right now.  More and more people are using their phones for search, particularly for service based industries like plumbers , locksmiths and HVAC companies.

2) Spam Elimination: Google is making a serious effort to eliminate the spammy listings that seem to be really prevalent in these particular niches. Locksmiths seemed to be the worst offenders when it came to reputational things and just plain spammy websites.

3) Live Bids:They are now offering the end user (the person searching) the ability to request a bid live in the browser.  We suspect this has a multitude of reasons behind it.  The first, is Google is rewarding customers who are spending Ad Words dollars.  This is how Google makes a good portion of their income, so this makes sense from a financial standpoint.  We haven’t been able to find any definitive answers on what exactly “Google guaranteed” means or how to obtain that certification. Venturing a guess, we suspect it has to do with a properly set up Google My Business in conduction with an active Ad Words account.  It very well could be that the merchants will have to become verified through the traditional Google Trusted Store route.
At this point….who knows?

We have worked with a plumbing company in the past and to tell you the truth, we don’t have much confidence in this working from the service level provider side of things.  Most plumbing companies, HVAC and locksmiths are either answering their own phones while they are live out in the field…doing work or they have an answering system.  Typically these are 3rd party services that just handle the inbound call and dispatch.  Outwardly facing, if this is a true “live” bidding system, its going to require additional manpower to respond to these inquiries.  If its not a live situation, its going to require the business owner to upload a pretty involved list of services and a what they would charge for it.

We know from working with the plumbing company, that this is not something that is going to be easily achieved.  For example, if the customer needs an estimate on a bathtub install there are a ton of variables that the plumber has to take into consideration.   How old is the house? Is there an existing unit in place that will need to be removed?  Is the bathroom on the 1st floor or is it in the basement or upstairs?

Additionally, it says  “Get Quotes Within Hours”.   Anyone else see the issue with this ?  I would venture a guess that most calls to plumbers and nearly all calls to Emergency Locksmiths are exactly that EMERGENCY.  I for one, do not want to wait for hours to have a plumber get back to me while bad sh*t is happening at my home or office.

This is a pretty significant departure from the look and feel of the original map layout with points denoting where a business was located.  We like this approach better because you can scan and visually tell how close a business is in relation to your location.   For example, if you live in the Mission District in San Fransisco, are you really going to contact a plumber with an address in Oakland?  That’s quite a long trip for the plumber to make all the way across the bay while your apartment is steadily flooding from that busted pipe in your bathroom.

Google is continually fiddling with things and split testing, so who know if this will stick or not. Personally we are not a fan of it the way it currently sits.

4) Angies List, Thumbtack etc:  I don’t know that Angies List or Thumbtack were  necessarily direct  competitors of Google, but this is a direct hit to both sites from our perspective.  No longer will you have to go to Angie’s List website and search for a contractor and then wait for a response.  Google has now bundled the reviews, the bid submission process and a way to contact them in a one-stop-shop approach. Per usual with Google, its a good idea but REALLY needs a usability specialist to give it a once over.

Good idea.

Poor execution so far.

 

Until Next time Let us know what you are seeing and your thoughts.

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WordPress: The Good and the Bad

What We Like
If you have been following us for any length of time,  you know that we are big fans of the WordPress platform for website development. We like it because it has a wealth of handy plugins that make our lives easier…especially when it comes to the SEO portion of website development. Using WordPress allows us to spin up sites pretty quickly and not have to worry about custom coding things like mobile compatibility, security protocol etc.

What We Don’t Like
As we mentioned above WordPress is really handy and has a ton of upside, but let’s be honest here; it has some glaring issues.  One particularly frustrating element when using an off the shelf template is that it comes with a pretty significant amount of bloat.  If you have ever run your site through something like Pingdom or GTMetrix or even Google’s own website testing tool, I’m going to guess that right out of the box your template didn’t do so well on the performance tests.

So Where’s The Bloat Coming From ?
In our experience, most of the bloat comes from JavaScript and CSS files.  When the developers code the templates that they sell, they end up having to code for every possible scenario under the sun.  It works out well for them because its a  hit it and quit it type situation.  The good developers will offer some level of basic support, but if you really want to tweak your WordPress site and get it smoking fast you’re going to have to get your hands dirty and dig into the JavaScript and CSS.

What Can I Do?
We’ll cover some things you can do to tidy up your JavaScript in another post, but for now let’s focus on what you can do with your CSS.  There are some speed plugins like WP Rocket and WP Optimize that will do some CSS compression for you.  For a good list of plugins, check these out.

Depending on your skill set and comfort level, these plugins may be as deep as you want to wade into the CSS pool.  Here at DanyShop we like to swim in the deep end of the pool and really tweak our websites to get them as fast as we can.   Unfortunately this involves a great deal of manual work.

UNTIL NOW
While trolling around on the internet, we found a site called Unused CSS.   We just started using this site, but so far we love it.  There is a free version available that will crawl one level of your site and show you all of the CSS in your site that is not necessary.  The Unused CSS causes extra load time and puts unnecessary load on your website.   We highly recommend upgrading your account to a paid version. This way you can crawl your entire site and make sure you get a global view  of what CSS you can safely get rid of.   For example, you may have some CSS that is not used on your homepage but is heavily utilized on the internal pages of your site.  The paid version is well worth it  for this global view alone.

Ok, let’s get into it.  Start by visiting Unused CSS and sign up for an account.  Put in the URL of your site and let it  do its thing.  After its done running it will give you a dashboard view of your website.   We love the graphic breakdown that shows you how much smaller your CSS file can be if you go in and eliminate all the  unneeded CSS.
*** CAVEAT:  Always make a back up of your site and CSS before implementing on your live site just in case!
Below the dialog box, you’ll notice there are even more options to customize the depth you want to explore your website.  The first display box where it shows you crossed out sections of your CSS is worth the price of admission alone.  To go through and try and explore all the pages in your site and then manually configure and test what effect it might have on your site is quite frankly a nightmare.  This tool does it all in one click.

 

 

After you have run through your site, you can download your CSS and replace it on your website and your good to go.  If your website has multiple css files associated with it, Unused CSS has the ability to go in and look at each of the separate CSS files. (See pic below)

 

We are currently working on a Hearing Aids Kansas City website for a new client and we’re curious to see how things turn out after we have cleaned up the CSS on the template we’re using.   We suspect there will be a SIGNIFICANT improvement in performance and speed.  Stay tuned to this space and we’ll keep you updated on how it does.   Big thank you to the folks at UnUsed CSS   for such a great tool.

Hope this helps you with your WordPress and CSS development

Until next time!

 

 

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The blog sites that you publish on Tumblr are most of the time indexed in search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. This is not always the case though and you may need to do something like add a video or build some backlinks to it to get it to index.  There are a lot of people on the internet that have the belief that you cant do much with a  Tumblr blog site  Hopefully our short list here will give you some tips and tricks to improve your Tumblr presence.

1. Craft an engaging keyword and include it in the title. Make sure you have a custom-made URL for each of the posts and include the finest keyword in the title.

2. Choose cool and engaging images: While including images or images, Tumblr will pop out a description window. The description needs to be keyword abundant and relevant to what your blog/topic is about

3. Supply descriptions for both the material being linked  and likewise the material in the external link when you connect your blog site text to external material. In this manner, you will have the ability to place more keywords than otherwise.

4. Add a meta tag :Browse your style’s HTML for a meta tag description. If it is not there, include it, and you need to examine this every time you upgrade your blog site.

5. Sitemap :If you do not have a sitemap for your Tumblr, prepare one and send it to Google Web designer Tools. Your Tumblr is one out of the million others with comparable material. You need to do something to make it stand out and look like a “real” site.

6.Keywords:Place a keyword that  explains your blog site in your domain. It will be more helpful if you might keep it brief by removing unneeded words and utilizing just those particular words that will assist comprehend exactly what your blog site is all about.

7. Get Social With It: Under the Posts area, you will have the ability to include social bookmarking tools. Due to the fact that it will assist your posts take a trip outside Tumblr and capture on with other social networks, it is vital to include these tools to your Tumblr

8. Pay Attention to the Header: The header in the primary page will be the very first trait that will be seen, so, keep it in size H1 and as the visitors click on it and browse to the blog site material, you will have more essential traits that you will desire them to observe. The other crucial traits like the subheadings can be set in H1 in the blog site page.

9.Post Titles: Let it be the title rather than something that does not assist place keywords if you desire to supply a link that will take visitors to the very first page of the blog site. Connect the title to the primary page if you desire to supply one.

10. Keywords in Your Permalinks: If you can utilize keywords in the permalink URL, it will be more valuable. To allow this, look under the Advanced Settings and allow the Usage Detailed URLs.

11. FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE:  This is very important. If you have the default Tumblr background and avatar, you need to take the time to fill these out and customize your profile. No one wants to follow an account that looks like its being run by a bot or being used for spam purposes.  Treat it like a real website. Take the time to craft it
Following these suggestions will assist you in enhancing your Tumblr. Make sure that you have actually turned on the selection  that lets search engines index your Tumblr. Good luck Tumblrs.

Here are some great examples of people doing it the right way on Tumblr.

1. http://lovefoodandbooks.tumblr.com/
   Not much content on this one right now, but they are on the right track. They have a custom Tumblr theme installed and have spent some time making this site look good.
2. https://www.tumblr.com/blog/theoutsiderinpajamas
   She has a real profile.  She has good content and its a variety of different types of content.

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Ranking Outside Your City

 

First let’s look at the importance of local rankings:

• All of the search engines are now using some form of geo-location to determine the results they display to the user
• Users tend to use a geographic modifier when they are searching for a service. Most of the time they want to physically go to that location or need a service performed in that area.
  For example, if you decided that you wanted to try out for the NFL.  The first thing you are going to need to do is find an NFL Combine Training Facility. We are HUGE Kansas City Chiefs fans, so just for fun lets use KC as our example location.  If you just do a raw search for “NFL Combine Training” you get a search page that looks like this.

  Lot’s of big name, national brands and some online course offerings. Not anything I’m diving over my desk to grab the phone and call. One is a news listing and isn’t really relevant to what we were search for.  Nice job Google.  j/k

  Now, if we perform the same search for “NFL Combine Training Kansas City” you’ll see results like this:
  

  Let’s take a closer look at one result in particular.  The Athletic Strength Institute result that is the 4th listing down.  Notice that they have the words “kansas-city” as part of their URL slug.  This means they are more than likely located in Kansas City or they serve the KC area. Click here to visit the full listing and check it out for yourself.   There are really only 2 viable options here.  One is the ASI listing and the other is the Athletes Performance Listing.  I’m not clicking on a site that has a page called 7.html.

• Finally, customers are starting to place more of their trust in local businesses with real people running them.  People would rather be able to pick up the phone and talk to the owner than try and wade through the customer service jungle of a big name site like Wal Mart or Amazon.
  
  Seriously, do you want to wade through all this and wait 3-5 business days to get an email back that may not solve the problem or call Chris, the owner and have him fix it the 1st time?

  

ON TO THE MULTIPLE LOCATIONS QUANDARY

Occasionally we have clients that ask us if we can help rank them outside of their initial or “home” location. It’s not something we run across very often, but it is something that is doable.
Here is our some tips when it comes to ranking a company in other areas.

1. On Page SEO The search engines aren’t going to rank you very well in your own area if your on page SEO is not in tip top shape, let alone rank you in an additional area.
2. Google Map Configuration:  This is a bit of a “grey” area *wink wink*  but if you have a GMB account, you can go into your maps and change the settings to a service area rather than serving your customers at your location
3. Additional Physical Location:  If you have one, you need to set up a brand new GMB account for each branch of your company.  For example, if you had Larry’s Chicken Shack as the main location and then another location that was further south, you would need to have a separate, stand alone set up for Larry’s Chicken Shack South
4. An already ranking site:  1st you are going to have to rank your main site and have it well positioned before you dive into trying to rank the 2nd or 3rd locations.  Remember, just like everything in SEO, a good foundation and base is paramount to your success.
5. Mobile Friendly:  In 2016 your site absolutely, positively has to pass Googles Mobile Friendly Test of you have no shot at ranking in multiple locations.
6. Schema and Structured Data:  We aren’t going to divulge much here, so you’ll have to do your own homework here, but there is a wealth of information available on schema.org and Google Structured Data Tools. on how to set up your listings and structure them so Google knows what you are trying to do and can understand it.

   Ok, we’ll give you one freebie     http://schema-creator.org/

Ok, that’s pretty much it. Let us know in the comments if you have any tips or tricks you’d like to share.

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Now that we’re into the full swing of Summer, while you’re probably taking care of many things in your business, don’t forget to devote some time to making sure your website is Google, Yahoo and Bing complaint. It might be time for a summer tune-up. There have been some changes and updates in what Google is looking for over the last few months. Once again, mobile is being viewed as being more and more important, and it’s key that all pages on your website are mobile friendly. If you’re not sure how your site stacks up, give us a call – we can provide a no-cost, no-obligation audit of your website and let you know what needs to be worked on – as well as what’s working well on your site.

In addition to being mobile friendly, Google is paying more and more attention to “page load speed”, which is how quickly your front page loads onto a device when someone comes to it. And if you think about it, it only makes sense that your main page should load quickly. It indicates that you’re ensuring that your site visitors and potential customers are having a good experience.

And speaking of customers – do you have all of the relevant social accounts that one might expect to find on your site? If you haven’t set up a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or perhaps a Pintrest account, don’t wait – get those enabled and filled with high-quality, relevant content! More and more, the “Big 3” search engines – Google, Yahoo and Bing – want to see that your website is making sure that your customers can connect with you.

As always, we’re here to help. If you have any search engine optimization questions, or want to know how your site ranks, we can provide a detailed audit, along with recommendations. If you already have a developer or webmaster that you’re working with, great. If not – we have a dedicated team on staff that can make sure your site is 100% optimized, which means that your customers can find you online.

 

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Believe it or not, this statement is precise. Schema has actually been the task of major online search engine given that 2011. Google, Bing, Yahoo and Yandex have actually thought it over – and they’re making use of Schema markup even today. Let’s go through its benefits – SEO and otherwise – and how you can use it for your site, in this post.

The competition for the highly prized virtual property of the first page of online search engine outcomes will likely only increase in the next few years. Any strategies that assist a business more clearly proclaim what it needs to provide potential visitors will just assist that site attract more traffic. Professional organizations and companies have absolutely nothing to lose by executing the schemas into their site content.

In the following page, you will see the HTML of your page with the appropriate microdata placed in the areas that you chosen. I have actually had this page bookmarked for the past two weeks waiting to get back to it; however now I’re read it, I believe you have actually just doubled my workload for the NEXT two weeks, lol. My objective in this short article is to reveal you exactly the best ways to get going making use of schema markup for your website. Now, let’s talk about ways to use schema markup. Your goal is to rank much better, look better, and do much better in the SERPs and in front of users.

This may appear pedantic, but utilizing schema markup” and” interchangeably can generate more confusion. When, for example, you state the type hierarchy supplies most of the markup types that are available” that’s not true: the type hierarchy of provides all the types and homes readily available for vocabulary. I just read a short article from Online search engine Land that a schema markup can in fact enhance my conversions by up to 30 % because of the rich snippets that it offer to my search listings. That genuinely highlights the vital of having schema markups.

Exceptional, Two days ago I went to Structured Data Testing Tool, but not able to produce this. Now I can do it sure. The content on your site gets indexed and returned in search results page. Certainly. But with schema markup, a few of that material gets indexed and returned in a different way. As I pointed out previously, there is a myriad of markup types. To get the complete list, check out The Type Hierarchy This master list offers the majority of the markup types that are available. Instead of examining a released websites, I’m going to evaluate the code that the tool created for me, and which I downloaded.

An easy option is to download the automatically-generated HTML file, and copy/paste it into your CMS or source code. So, I’ve executed this on my business’s blog site (/ blog), however I do not precisely see the point– blog site short articles in search results don’t appear any in a different way than before. The markup is all proper, and I’ve verified using Google’s Structured Data Markup Assistant. I just Googled the article of kissmetrics and there are no rich-snippets or a score function for your posts. One of the reasons we started our company was to constantly fulfill interesting and brand-new people and assist make their ideas come to life.

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