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Google Expands Its Local Services Ads Into Canada

In Small Business by Ryan Freeman

The lead generation program, designed to support small businesses serving their local communities, has now expanded beyond its U.S. boundaries. This is great news for some Canadian providers of local services who can now extend their reach to a wider audience within their area. The Expansion Of Local Services Google Local Services was originally launched in 2015 with the title “Home Services”. Originally only available in the San Francisco area, to date it is now available across 17 U.S. cities. It is also now available across 13 different home service verticals and in over 90 different markets nationwide. The success …

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Surviving the Google Medic Update – Remembering to E.A.T

In SEO by Ryan Freeman

If you’ve had your eye on SEO for a while you’ll probably be aware of the Google Quality Rater Guidelines, which favour content that shows Expertise, Authorativeness and Trust – known in the industry as the anacronym E.A.T. The recent Medic update emphasizes the E.A.T qualities even further, so working to these quality ideals is going to be one of the best ways to ensure your brand minimizes any loss of rankings due to Medic.

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In Summary – The August Medic update and what it means for your SEO

In SEO by Ryan Freeman

Too big to ignore, Google’s latest algorithm update on 1st August is causing ripples in the marketing world, with some brands already experiencing negative effects. However, it seems only a selection of brands are likely to suffer these “ill” effects as the update appears to be focused on advice and health-related sites that are dishing out content that may influence more vulnerable readers to make important life decisions. As such, the algorithm has been nicknamed the “Medic” update because it’s seemingly targeting “Dr. Google” type sites or those that are trying to persuade shoppers there’s something terribly wrong with them so they feel compelled to buy a particular remedy (such as a financial advisory service, magic potion, magazine subscription…).

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Cost-Effective SEO for Small Businesses

In News by Ryan Freeman

It’s no secret that every business needs to consider SEO and online marketing. But as a business owner, we also need to balance the realities of cash flow and operations. For many years, the tension between what is needed and what can be afforded has lead small businesses to avoid investing in their online growth. I started Strider with the goal of helping small business flourish. I love the passion you have for your work, the love for your customers, the absolute thrill of doing what you love in order to help someone else. That’s why we’ve always held ourselves …

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Yelp Marketing – What About Those Reviews?

In Small Business by Ryan Freeman

There’s no quick and easy way to manipulate the Yelp system – and that’s a great thing! If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. But, with a little patience and a little effort you can start dominating your share of Yelp’s millions of local shoppers.

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Mobilegeddon Continues – Why Mobile Optimization is Even More Essential

In SEO by Ryan Freeman

Mobilegeddon, as it came to be known, was a major Google SEO algorithm change that occurred in April 2015. Essentially, what it meant for SEO was preference was given to sites or content that was mobile-friendly. Initially, it applied only to searches on mobile devices and smartphones.

The announcement sent the world of SEO into a whirl. Although it did not affect normal searches on a PC, given the large and growing number of mobile searches, it was still a significant change. More than half of all Google searches are conducted on a mobile device, and this number is growing steadily.