What to Know about SEO

–Caitlin Sherman, Junior Copywriter
I’m filling in for Dave this week while he’s traveling to all corners of the Commonwealth.
While writing this edition of the Weekly Report, I searched at least a dozen different topics on Google. And with each search, I found thousands of pages worth of relevant blogs and websites, fighting to stand out and get my cursor’s coveted “click.” In the end, only a handful of articles were lucky enough to get the click thanks to their quippy headlines and page placement.
When writing blog or website content, there’s one thing you need to keep in mind — search engine optimization (SEO). SEO is the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services relating to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines. I thought I’d share some of the findings with you:
On average, Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day. It’s THE place people go when they want to know…anything. With what seems like endless search results, it’s important to craft your content carefully to ensure it’s seen by the right people. SEO is a cost-effective way to reach your audience and can ensure that your marketing strategies match the new buying behavior. It’s a fact that 60% of people research a brand online before making a purchase, and SEO helps to build trust and transparency for your brand. #TheMoreYouKnow
If you’re looking to optimize your blog or web content, here are five helpful tips to improve your SEO ranking:
- Publishing relevant, quality content. You can boost your ranking by using a specific keyword phrase for each authoritative content page on your website.
- Update your content regularly. This is one of the best indicators of whether your site is relevant or not, so make edits when needed. What you don’t want to do is set it and forget it, remember?
- Focus on your title and description metadata. Title metadata is responsible for your site’s headline within search engine results and is the most important metadata on your page. Description metadata should give people a concise and appealing description of what the specific page on your site is about.
- Create accessible content. Use descriptive links by linking keywords to add value to readers who require the use of screen readers. Alt tags, or alternative text descriptions, allow search engines to locate your page, which is crucial on its own, but especially so for those who use screen readers or text-only browsers.
- Develop an SEO strategy. We can help.
MONDAY:
DANCING QUEEN YEAR
On Monday, our team celebrated the official 17th anniversary of Madison+Main. That’s right. According to ABBA, we’re still “young and sweet.” Well, some of us. Last week, we celebrated by taking our annual trip to the State Fair of Virginia — a tradition we started in 2008. Today, we celebrated by putting our heads down and putting in the work for our clients — a tradition we started in 2005. Some things never change.
Over the weekend, Communications Director Kent Brockwell pulled double duty at DRIVE SMART Virginia’s 3rd Annual Victim Family Retreat at the Hilton Richmond Downtown. Besides serving as spokesperson for our client Pocahontas Parkway, which was a major sponsor for the weekend event, he also offered attendees a big list of handy marketing tips to build awareness for their respective driver safety advocacy foundations and organizations.


TUESDAY:
AWARD-WINNING WORK
Recently, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) announced the winners of the Destination Zero National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards. These awards recognize successful programs conducted by police departments that aim to reduce risk factors for line-of-duty deaths. Our client Chesterfield County Police Department was honored with one of the five main awards for Comprehensive Safety with additional acknowledgment for their efforts in the General Officer Safety and Officer Traffic Safety categories. Congratulations on the recognition!
Last weekend, our client Green Top’s Outdoor Expo was a huge success. So much so, that the Richmond Times-Dispatch named them a “national attraction.” They had 225 vendors and 26,000 anticipated attendees this year. They’ve come a long way from what was once a 100-vendor community event with around 15,000 attendees. Congratulations on such a great turnout! #BoldBrandsWin
WEDNESDAY:
LEADING BY EXAMPLE
Connections are key when taking your career to the next level. That’s why our President and Chief Operating Officer Molly Whitfield signed up for the SWELL by Rebelle 12-Month Peer Mentorship Program. A small group of leaders is curated just for the participant every month whom they can meet with for a 90-minute session. Their trusted leadership coaches facilitate these group conversations to create a personalized support system. Explore their program and apply if you’re looking to grow both personally and professionally!

THURSDAY:
SPOOKTACULAR STENCILS
Get into the Halloween spirit with stencils inspired by spirits! We recently conjured up bourbon-inspired pumpkin carving stencils for our friends at A. Smith Bowman Distillery. Go from “pumpkin” to “pump-king of the porch decorations” when you take a stab at carving one of these simply spooktacular designs. Pick your favorite stencil from their recent blog and get to carving your creations!

FRIDAY:
HAPPY ANNIVER-THDAY!
Tomorrow, Account Supervisor Allison Nida and Senior Copywriter Derek Fair celebrate their 4th anniversary at Madison+Main while Communications Director Kent Brockwell blows out his candles on yet another birthday cake. Rest assured, the whole team is toasting the trio in advance for their conveniently connected celebrations.



A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE EVENTS
Whiskey and Wood Artisan Festival
A. Smith Bowman Distillery
1 Bowman Dr.
Fredericksburg, VA 22408
October 14-15
A. Smith Bowman Distillery is hosting the 2022 Whiskey and Wood Artisan Festival next month! The Fredericksburg Area Workers Guild will be showing off their creations — wood, glass, furniture, home decor, and more will be available for purchase. Keep an eye out for more details!
Ghost Walk
Visitor and Education Center
30 Ingalls Rd.
Fort Monroe, VA 23651
October 21-23 | 6-9 p.m.
Join Fort Monroe Authority for their Ghost Walk! They’ll be hosting walking tours to explore some of the unexplainable phenomena surrounding historic Fort Monroe. Get your ticket today!
“Ensure you’re writing content the way that you’d explain it to someone over the phone.“ — Carolyn Lyden (SEO Expert)