Spark Live presented by Spark Marketer

Do you ever use alt text?

No, we're not talking about the "alt" key on your keyboard (for you PC users).

We're talking about a way to help make your website more accessible and better understood by both people and search engines.

We discussed:

• What exactly is alt text (alternative text)
• How you know what your alt text is
• Why alt text is important
• How to know if you have good alt text

After listening to this Spark Live, you'll understand how important alt text is to your website and what benefits it offers users.

• "What's going on with Google Business Profile? I've lost reviews and people tell me they do the review but I don't see them."
• "Every time I turn around there is a new social thing I need to be on. The newest one is BeReal. Really?"
• "Why is SEO so expensive when it's referred to as organic and organic is free?"
• "I get emails that tell me I'm not showing up online or could be showing up better. When I look, I'm there so is there anything to these emails?"
• and more!

Don't miss this episode!

When you search SEO (Search Engine Optimization) you'll find a bunch of articles that will tell you exactly how to do it. They are filled with simplistic instructions and hacks that might work for a few days or weeks but they won't work for long.

Why is the top organic spot important? After all, the ads and map listing is above organic listings these days and you have to scroll down the page to find it.

Answer: The top organic spot still accounts for over 50% of clicks on the average page. That's a lot of clicks to lose and there are multiple companies competing for that same spot. This is why SEO services cost what it costs. (5k monthly fees are the norm in 2021)

The hacks no longer work because of the competition. When everyone is applying the same hack, then the hack loses its luster and they aren't good enough to make a difference anymore.

Jaso Khoo said this: "Really, if anyone can find and apply hacks and shortcuts in seconds, without experience, everyone can. The quickest way to blend into the crowd is to do the same thing as the crowd, and you have virtually no chance of standing out."

SEO revolves around these 3 things:

• Links (Link Building & referring domains)

• Content (Content development & content marketing)

• Technical (Technical SEO)

If you are doing SEO yourself for your business then concentrate on the things you are really good at. If you're great at websites, then the technical SEO might be what you need to do more of. Great writer? Then do more content marketing and creation. If you are a local social butterfly and love making connections then contacting people for links might be your best contribution to SEO. The hard fact is that most people are not strong in all 3 so do what you are strong in.

If you work with an agency, hopefully they have specialists in these categories that can either do, facilitate, or manage your SEO.

The reality of SEO is it is a frustratingly complex topic that takes consistency of work over time to make a real and lasting impact and that can't be done with short-cuts and hacks.

We've looked at quite a few websites over the years and one thing is certain:

Not all websites are created equal.

This week on Spark Live, we're going to talk about 4 of the biggest mistakes we see web designers make when it comes to marketing websites for chimney and other home service companies.

Here are a few hints. We'll cover:

1. Logo usage
2. Fonts
3. Walls of text
4. CTA's
5. 🦯👂Accessibility

After watching this week's Spark Live, you won't look at other websites the same again!

We covered:

• Why Chuck is so open to testing new marketing strategies
• How Chuck allocates his budget for testing
• A time when something Chuck thought was going to be great but then failed
• Some things Chuck tested that were winners in his market
• The number 1 mistake Chuck sees companies make when testing marketing strategies
• And more!

After listening to this episode, you'll gain valuable insight from someone who's been there and done that when it comes to testing strategies to grow his business.

Chuck is the President of Winston's Chimney Service in Fairfax, VA. He is also currently the president of the Mid-Atlantic Chimney Association and the President Emeritus of The Chimney Safety Institute of America, (CSIA). Chuck holds contractor's licenses in MD, DC, and VA and is a F.I.R.E. Certified Inspector.

This week we're back taking your questions in a Live Q&A!Some common questions we'll cover:

"Does 'Local Search' mean 'SEO'?"

"What exactly is a landing page?"

"Is there a way to call back a customer you miss on the phone before they go to the next business?"

️ "I heard Google doesn't care about bad reviews. Is that right?"

"What are LSA's (Local Services Ads)?"

"What's the #1 mistake you see made on websites?"

How do you feel when you read a bad review someone left for your business?

We're guessing incensed or at least irritated, right?

It hurts when you read something negative about something as close to you as your business.

Especially when they are only telling their side of the story.

But believe it or not, there are ways to use a bad review from a customer to turn things in your favor.

Join us tomorrow as we cover ways to take advantage of a bad review.

We'll cover:

How reviews can show how you respond to negativity

How reviews can highlight areas of your business that actually need improving

How engaging with customers proactively can mitigate issues

Bonus: How a strong brand can elicit empathy from outlier negative comments

Privacy and data go hand in hand. As privacy laws change, there's renewed focus on first-party data vs third-party data. Transparency and trust are crucial as more people become aware of how their data is being used by businesses.

The definitions of first-party data and third-party data

The challenges when it comes to collecting first-party data

How you use first-party data

What zero party data is and how it's different

How personalization plays into first-party data

And more!

No one likes spam.

Email spam, hacked site spam, link spam, spammy looking sites, the list goes on.

But if you like the canned spam food, to each their own

Since 2018, Google's AI-based spam-prevention system, SpamBrain, has been working to identify and remove hacked spam across the web.

Join us as we talk more about this system and what it means for you.

We'll cover:

What SpamBrain does

What percentage of searches are spam-free thanks to SpamBrain

How SpamBrain deals with online harassment

What you need to know about spam and SpamBrain

And more!

After watching this Live, you'll know more about how spam is being combated with Google's AI-based system, SpamBrain.

This week Taylor is on the road so Carter will be solo taking your questions for a LIVE Q & A session!

All my new customers come directly from my GBP and Facebook page. It's been that way for a while now. Do I really need a website anymore?"

"I was told tracking numbers are bad for your SEO. Is that true?"

"Is Yelp the Devil's Spawn? Am I selling my soul if I work with them?"

"How do I optimize my images? Is it really necessary?"

"I know what search optimization is. But what is conversion optimization?"

Whatever your questions are, Carter's here to answer them!

Don't leave Carter hanging out all alone!