Mopro Blog

There’s no better time than the new year to freshen up your site’s content. If you’re sick of the same old, you can bet your visitors will be too. It’s time to brush the dust off your website. Start the year strong and make sure you’re ready to convert in 2019 with these tips.

Start with a QC.

Step one is looking at your website with fresh eyes. Chances are you haven’t read every word or checked all your pages in a while, so start there. Be on the lookout for content that sounds stale, broken links, old images, etc. And make sure all your business info is up-to-date: contact information, hours, logos, etc. Bonus points for checking this on your social media too.

Upload some new photos and/or videos.

It’s important to keep your photos and videos fresh, so do an audit on your visuals. Do you have new product videos? How about shots of your team or location? Don’t wait for these to become tired or outdated before swapping them out.

Visit your About section.

It’s tough to write about yourself, which means writing your About section probably wasn’t a breeze. Read through and see if you can breathe some new life into it. Maybe you opened a new location or started a new chapter last year. Either way, a fresh perspective could boost your creativity.

Ponder your CTAs.

Take another look at your CTAs and consider making a few tweaks. Do they still sound compelling and click-worthy? Or do you have some new ideas to make them more actionable? If you’re wondering what makes a CTA that converts, we have some wisdom to share here.

Get an SSL certificate (if you haven’t already).

Google is cracking down on website security. Its latest step is marking all non-https sites as “not secure”. If you don’t have an SSL certificate yet, get one. It gets you into the https club and makes sure any information passed between your site and your visitors is totally secure. If you’re a Mopro client, email proteam@mopro.com so we can add this for you.

Rethink your keywords.

Perhaps the most important tune-up is checking in on how you’re targeting searchers. What are people searching to find you online? Are you thinking about local search? Come up with some new keyword variations and do some research to see which keywords are most popular with users.

Don’t forget your blog.

Head over to your blog. When’s the last time you posted something? If your answer has you saying “Yikes!” it’s time to start planning ahead for the year to come. Set a posting goal (starting small is OK) and then create a content calendar to keep you on track.

Good news Mopro clients: A.I. Editor in your Digital Command Center makes website updates easy. Visit our Help Center to learn how to make edits fast.

Managing your reputation is a requirement if you want to make a good impression. People trust online reviews now more than ever. The numbers don’t lie: 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a business. Reputation management isn’t something you should ever put in cruise control, so here are some tips on how to make your strategy tops in 2019.

1. Take control of the conversation.

If you don’t shape your own image, someone else will do it for you. Take the initiative and ask your customers to review you online. If you’re a Mopro client, use Testimonial Collector in your Digital Command Center to send customizable surveys to your people via text. Share your glowing reviews on your site and social media, and boom. You’re driving the convo now.

2. Be more proactive, less reactive.

A lot of people think reputation management is just about fielding negative reviews. And yes, that’s part of the gig, but not all of it. Respond to both negative AND positive reviews, jump in on convos, build relationships. Create an engaging and positive presence so when a bad review comes along (and it will), it can’t drag you down.

3. Don’t let comments slip through the cracks.

When creating a shiny reputation, spot-checking just doesn’t cut it. You need eyes everywhere. When you miss a comment or review, you miss an opportunity. The good news is that Reputation Manager in the Mopro DCC makes this easy. It keeps track of every conversation happening about you online. That’s what they call “peace of mind”.

4. Prove your value.

A key part of building your online presence is proving your value by creating fresh content. Blog posts, infographics, videos, lists … All this helpful, organic content keeps your value top of mind, and you at the top of search results. That way if someone searches for you, they see your great content and not any bad press.

5. Build your fan base.

The best things to have online are some cheerleaders to sing your praises. It all starts with building relationships — engage with your customers and make new friends. Reward your social media followers with an exclusive offer. Build a community who will be in your corner.

Want to learn more about Mopro’s reputation management tools? Check out our YouTube channel for tutorials and tricks.

Google uses its search algorithm to rank websites in search results. It’s complex, it’s kept pretty under wraps (Google doesn’t explicitly tell us how it works), and we’re not exaggerating when we say it’s constantly changing — try 500 to 600 times a year. Most of these updates go unnoticed, but every once in a while, Google throws a curveball. Here are the top three changes we saw in 2018 and what we’re expecting to see in the coming year.

1. Introducing mobile-first indexing.

In March, Google announced its slow rollout of mobile-first indexing. Before, Google’s bots primarily crawled desktop versions of sites. But since most users search from mobile devices, Google has started to make the switch by using mobile versions to index content. Mobile-first indexing comes with no ranking advantage and is separate from the mobile-optimization ranking signal, but it reminds us their focus on mobile stills stands.

If you have the same content on your desktop and mobile site, there’s nothing for you to do. If your site gives users different content on desktop vs mobile, read up on these best practices from Google.

2. Adding mobile page speed as a search ranking.

Another update came in July when Google started using mobile speed as a search ranking signal for all users. Page speed has been part of Google’s algorithm for a while, but before this change, they only measured sites on desktop. Google has stated that this update will only affect a small number of super-slow sites. But still, having a fast website is an easy win with Google because it improves user experience on your site.

How fast is your site? Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights to measure your load speed on both mobile and desktop.

3. Marking non-https sites as “not secure”.

Perhaps the biggest change this year was in July when Google started marking any website without an SSL certificate as “not secure”. Secure sites mean any information a user gives you stays totally private. It’s a ranking signal and it inspires trust with visitors. This update fits with Google’s “https everywhere” mission. If you don’t want your site’s first impression with visitors to be “not secure”, you have to get on board too. Learn more about SSL certificates here.

If you’re a Mopro client and you don’t have an SSL yet, we can easily add this to your subscription — just email proteam@mopro.com to get started.

So what should we expect in 2019?

Based on the information Google gave us this year, we can expect these to be big players next year too: Mobile, UX, and Security. If your site gives a less than great experience on mobile or if you’re still not part of the https club, don’t wait any longer to pick up on these trends.

If you’re looking for a website solution that’s built with SEO in mind, Mopro can help. Email hello@mopro.com to learn how we build websites that win with search engines.

Google announced on October 8, 2018 that it’s officially pulling the plug on its social media platform, Google+. Google’s social media baby was born in 2011. Call it wrong place, wrong time, but user activity since has been slow going. 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds. But that’s not the top reason why Google is phasing out the platform. They’ve cited a data breach discovered in March 2018 as the main reason. The breach was relatively small, up to 500,000 accounts were affected and they weren’t able to accurately identify the affected users, but it was enough to make Google weigh the pros and cons, and it looks like + came up negative.

What’s next?

Google+ won’t officially shut down until August 2019. During this transition phase, they will provide users with more information, including ways they can download and migrate data. In the meantime, Google has plans to turn the platform into an enterprise tool — a place for coworkers to organize and communicate. They’ve promised details are on the way.

How do I know if I’m on Google+?

If you’re not sure if you have a Google+ account, sign in to your Google account and then go to the Google homepage. Click your profile picture in the top right corner. If you see a “Google+ Profile” link, that means you have an account.

How can I delete my Google+ account?

There’s no rush for you to go delete your account, but you may feel more comfy getting it over with. Keep in mind that deleting your Google+ account won't affect your overall Google or Gmail account. If you want to do it now, make sure you have any information you need, since you’ll no longer have access. If you plan on migrating data from your profile, wait — Google will provide instructions for this in the coming months. If you’re ready to delete your profile now, click that “Google+ Profile” link to visit your Google+ profile and select “Settings” from the menu on the left.

Scroll down to the bottom of the following page and select “Delete Your Google+ Profile”.

Select the checkbox to confirm you’d like to delete your profile, then select “Delete”. You’ll then be taken to a confirmation page.

Need help focusing your social media efforts? Mopro has tools that make managing your social media easy. Email hello@mopro.com for more info.