May 8, 2023

How to Select The Best Hawaii Advertising Agency for Your Business

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog by accident while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our homepage, creative portfolio or client video testimonials.

How Do I Select the Best Hawaii Advertising Agency?

Updated: May 8, 2023

Team Vision Marketing is a full-service advertising and marketing agency that has been serving Hawaii clients for over 25 years. We thought it might be helpful to provide Hawaii businesses with an insider’s perspective on the key things you should look for when searching for a new Hawaii advertising agency. Here are our 9 key recommendations.

1. First, decide which specific marketing services you need.

Find an ad agency that specializes in those specific marketing services. If you only need a logo, there may be one graphic design agency that really shines in logo design and you might want to go with them. If you’re in need of a full-service advertising agency to handle all of your advertising and marketing needs, then search Google for Hawaii Full-Service Advertising Agencies and start there. Every agency has their core strengths from branding and web design to social media management, graphic design and digital marketing, and you’ll want to find the one that best meets your specific needs.

2. Get client referrals.

Direct Referrals: When you’re looking for a new agency, try to get referrals from their existing clients, and ideally from someone you know within their client’s company directly. Cold calling an agency’s client might yield similar results to a typical employee reference (most HR managers are going to give you the safe answer and not ruin the employee’s chances of getting the job). You’ll want to talk to someone in the client’s organization that you know and who will give you the straight story on how well their advertising agency performs for them.

Video Testimonials: Good agencies with a solid track record will normally offer client video testimonials on their web site. Video testimonials are much better than simple text testimonials because you don’t really know who is behind the text only testimonials, who actually wrote them, and how sincere they really are. Video testimonials take time out of the client’s day and it really puts their reputation on the line. In our experience, if clients are willing to make the effort to do a video testimonial for an advertising agency, they sincerely have a strong relationship with that agency and believe in their referral.

3. Make sure the advertising agency handles accounts similar to yours.

Let’s face it, if you run a Hawaii luxury hotel brand, it will be really helpful if you hire an agency that has previous experience in managing the full-service marketing for a Hawaii luxury hotel. This is not to say a good agency can’t learn a new industry or business, but guess who is going to be the one to have to teach them… and pay for their learning curve? If you are looking for a new advertising and marketing agency and need them to get up to speed and running quickly, it makes the most sense to hire an agency that has handled an account similar to yours.

4. Whatever services an ad agency is selling to you, make sure they are executing them well for their own business.

We call it putting your money where your mouth is. If an agency claims to be great at web design, check out their own web site and make sure it is top-notch. If they claim to be great at social media, check out their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social accounts to make sure they are active, innovative, and check on their user engagement levels. If an agency claims to be great at search engine optimization, make sure to search for some key industry phrases (i.e. Hawaii advertising agencies, Hawaii Marketing Agencies, Hawaii Branding firms, Hawaii social media agencies, etc.) on Google Search and see where they show up in the results. A good advertising and marketing agency will utilize all the key marketing tools and services they are selling to you (after all, an agency is a business and needs to market itself) and they make sure their marketing programs are high quality– since it is a representation of what they can do for you. Sometimes agencies will use the excuse that they are “too busy with client work to maintain their own marketing,” but this is another good indication that the agency may not have enough resources to handle your business needs.

5. Make sure there is a personality and cultural fit between the advertising agency and your company.

In our over 20 years of doing business in Hawaii, we can tell you that each client has a very unique personality. Without mentioning names :), some clients are extremely easy to work with, some are difficult, some are very complimentary, some are micro-managers, and then there are others that trust in your expertise and let you run with everything. These same characteristics mentioned above apply to agencies as well. Here are our recommendations on how to address the agency culture issue.

Meet the key team members. You will want to meet your main contacts for each of the major departments: Account Service Executive, Creative Director, Media Manager, Social Media Manager, Web Manager, Production Manager. In addition to the formal pitch meeting, set up a casual get to know you lunch. Ask questions to each team member and let their personalities unfold. When agencies and clients work together intensely on major ongoing projects, flexibility, multi-tasking, the ability to handle stress and problem-solving skills will all come into play. Make sure your prospective agency team members possess most of these traits.

Ask their clients about the agency’s personality. It will be hard to gauge an advertising agency’s personality in one or two meetings, so the best thing you can do is get client referrals. Call and ask their existing client’s things like: Are they easy to work with? Are they flexible? Are they reasonable with their billing and do they charge rush charges? Do you trust them? Are they fair? Can they react quickly when it’s needed?

6. Review an agency’s portfolio of work.

An established full-service advertising agency will have an extensive portfolio of advertising, graphic design, web design , social media, digital marketing and search engine optimization portfolio examples. They will also have examples of each of these core services for different clients in different industries which will give you a good feel for their quality and consistency across a range of clients. Most agencies will offer these portfolios on their web site, but others may require you to go into their office to view them. This alone could be another sign of whether or not the ad agency is a good fit for you. If your company is a technology forward company, you might not be a good fit for an agency who doesn’t practice that same type of thinking in the day to day operation of their business.

7. Make sure your ad agency understands the Hawaii market.

A growing trend we’ve seen over the past ten to fifteen years is Hawaii clients using mainland-based advertising, web design and social media firms. In some cases, this works out just fine. In other cases, we have received many client complaints about the “lack of understanding of our culture, our market, our language nuances (i.e. use of okina and kahako).” If your business is a Hawaii business that caters to locals and visitors, we recommend you hire a local Hawaii advertising agency. The reason, you likely want your business to be branded as local and authentic, and not the typical “palm trees and hula skirts” representation often developed by non-local agencies. In addition to just understanding the overall Hawaii market, an experienced advertising agency that has worked with clients on the different islands of Oahu, Maui, The Big Island of Hawaii, Kauai and Lanai, will understand that there are also different cultural nuances for each island. This becomes very important when executing campaigns in local island markets.

8. Don’t hire an agency solely based on their past, look toward their future.

Yes, ideally you want to choose an advertising agency that has longevity and a proven track record in the Hawaii market, but you don’t want to choose an agency that has outlived its success and one that is resting on its laurels. Find out how well the agency understands and utilizes technology. Have they consistently demonstrated a leadership position in the marketplace for adapting to, and implementing, the latest technologies in web design, social media, digital displays, etc.? Technology is advancing more rapidly than ever before, so you want to hire an agency that has proven it has the ability to guide you through future changes.

9. Don’t choose by price alone.

Look, we’ve seen it all and can only offer you advice based on our experiences. Don’t always go after the lowest bid. Many times, less reputable agencies will lowball the initial bid to get the business and then try to increase fees later on. Other agencies may truly offer a low price, but are you getting the same level of service you would have received from the agency charging a little more? Going for the low-cost agency could result in downgrading the quality of talent on your business (the B Team) and provide you with a lower quality product. Instead, pay the agency fairly and increase savings by improving operational efficiencies. You are hiring an agency for the quality of its creative products and services, so don’t undermine that by tightening the reigns too tight on compensation.

We hope you found these tips helpful on “how to select the best Hawaii advertising agency for your company.” If you are in the process of looking for a new Hawaii advertising agency, we kindly ask that you consider Team Vision Marketing as an option. We’re more than happy to be tested on the nine initial criteria we provided above. And in the meantime, you can check out our client video testimonials and our extensive web site portfolio.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

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Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

October 3, 2019

What to Expect After A Google Broad Core Algorithm Update

If you’ve landed on our Hawaii Marketing Tips blog while searching for Team Vision Marketing, please visit our home page, creative portfolio or client video testimonials. If you’re interested in learning more about Search Engine Optimization and SEO, please continue reading.

Ever wonder how Google’s algorithm works, and how it ranks the millions of web site content updates that are published every day? Sadly, we’ll never get to know exactly what factors go into their ranking system, but we do know that the Google team is constantly making to maintain their search engine algorithm. Although these updates usually go unnoticed, several times a year the algorithm goes under a big update called, the “Broad Core Algorithm Update.” With these big updates, you may notice some changes in your search engine optimization (SEO) rankings.

If you’re just hearing about the core update now, don’t worry. In this blog post, we provide a brief explanation on how these updates might affect your web site and what your brand should do after the update to upkeep the success of your online presence.

What is a “Broad Core Algorithm” Search Engine Update?

The broad core algorithm update is one big update that improves Google’s overall algorithm. With these updates, the algorithm changes the weight and importance of its ranking factors, then it reassesses everything on the internet, based on these improvements.

Broad core updates are not as major as the Penguin, Panda, Pigeon, or Fred updates, which were implemented to address specific faults or issues in Google’s algorithm. Instead, these updates are made to help Google provide the most relevant and best information to their audience.

What will happen to my web site’s SEO rankings?

Unfortunately, Google has a reputation for giving vague explanations on what issues the updates will address, so we don’t know exactly what will happen when the changes roll out. The rare times that Google has explained how an algorithm has changed, they were trying to promote a specific behavior, such as mobile responsiveness or the adoption of HTTPS as a required part of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) best practices.

However, you can expect to see notable changes to your web site ranking and web traffic. The improved algorithm will edit the web sites ranked on SERP, prioritizing the most relevant and up to date content. Luckily, Google announced the planned core updates in advance, which allowed companies to make last-minute improvements to their sites Search Engine Optimization strategies in order to lower the chances of any negative changes resulting from the algorithm update.

My web site SEO rank dropped! What should I do?

Remain calm. A shift in your SERP rank after a core update does not mean that Google is penalizing your site, nor does it mean that your web site is low quality. Keep in mind that this broad core update is reassessing your content against all the other content that has published since the last update, making newer and more relevant web pages more discoverable for everyone. Google used a wonderful analogy to describe how the core algorithm update operates:

“…Imagine you made a list of the top 100 movies in 2015. A few years later in 2019, you refresh the list. It’s going to naturally change. Some new and wonderful movies that never existed before will now be candidates for inclusion. You might also reassess some films and realize they deserved a higher place on the list than they had before.”

If your website is bringing in less traffic or is currently ranking lower on the Google search engine results, Team Vision Marketing suggests you do the following:

According to Google executives, a drop in ranking probably lies in its relevancy factor. We recommend that you regularly post new blogs or publish new content on your web site.
Look through your content. Make sure you are publishing well-written content that provides quality information and accurate data.
Go through your web site to see if there are any technical issues, like slow loading pages or bad links, that you need to fix. You should be using Google Webmaster tools to regularly evaluate your site.
Update and enhance your SEO strategies to make it easier for Google’s algorithm to crawl your website’s content.

Will my web sites SEO ranking recover?

Your ranking and web traffic may or may not improve in the next update. It’s not guaranteed that all your improvements will help your site recover to its former search engine ranking. Improving your web site’s rank on Google is not a one and done type of job. It requires regular maintenance to keep up with the competition. You may want to check out our recent Hawaii SEO Tips blog post, designed to help local Hawaii businesses improve their Search Engine Optimization strategies.

My web site rank went up! Will it stay like this forever?

That will depend on you. SEO best practices are constantly changing over time. Team Vision urges all brands, including the ones who are currently ranked at the top of the SERP, to regularly make improvements to their web site and their SEO. Regular web site maintenance is the key to sustaining your web site’s successful online presence.

To conclude, Google’s broad core algorithm update ensures that it’s providing the best information for everyone. The core update may or may not affect your online presence, but all brands should actively publish new content and practice webmaster approved SEO tactics. If you are a local Hawaii business that needs assistance with your advertising, web development and/or strengthening your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts, reach out to Team Vision, a Hawaii full-service Hawaii advertising and digital marketing firm. We have designed and built web sites, and provided SEO management services for Hawaii clients on O’ahu, Maui, Kauai, Lana’i, and the Big Island of Hawai’i.

Contact Us:

Phone: (808) 536-0416

Email: info@www.teamvision.com

Web: www.www.teamvision.com

Hear from Harry Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

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Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

December 28, 2018

11 Must Have Web Site Features For Hawaii Business Web Sites

11 Must Have Web Design Features for Hawaii Businesses

With the introduction of more and more “do it yourself” web design tools like Squarespace, Wix, WordPress, and others, you may think it’s easy to create and maintain your own web site but there’s a lot more to it than you might think. Trust us, Team Vision Marketing has been designing and programming web sites over the years for Hawaii clients, including Ke Kailani, Ainamalu, Islander Ukulele, Castle & Cooke Hawaii, Koa Ridge, Wailele Ridge and many more.

If you’re about to engage in the process of either designing your own web site or hiring someone to create a web site for you, here are eleven must-have basic web site design features your business web site needs.

If you need help with your business’s web design, let us know! We would love to help!

1. A Well Structured Menu

An organized menu is a KEY element for achieving a higher Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking because search engines want to present the best web sites on their search results page, which considers such factors as ease of navigation and content organization. A well-structured navigation will also prevent high bounce rates. New visitors should be able to instinctively know how to navigate through your web site and not waste their time digging through your menus to find the content they want.

Team Vision recommends listing what type of content or web pages you need to have on your site. Then, group the web pages into relevant categories or subcategories.

Pro Tip: Map out your web site design with all of its web pages in a flow chart and then refine that flowchart to create the most simple and organized navigation menus you can.

2. Visually Engaging, Responsive Web Site Design

There’s no excuse for a business web site to have a bad web design. If you make the effort to look your very best for face-to-face interactions with potential consumers or clients, then you should make the effort to make your site visually engaging. See TeamVision.com as an example of a well-designed, mobile-friendly business web site.

It takes less than 15 seconds for potential consumers or clients to analyze the look of your site and determine if they want to continue browsing through it. A clean layout, high-quality imagery, and well-written content make your site appear more trustworthy and give you a higher SEO ranking, which can result in increased web site conversions.

If you have the budget for it, there are many web site design companies that can help you create an aesthetically pleasing, responsive web design that’s fully customized to your needs. If your budget dictates that you need to go the less expensive route, DIY web site tools, like WordPress, also possess some decent web design templates, but your customization may be limited without an experienced web development team assisting you.

3. Call-To-Actions (CTA)

Call to actions are instructions designed to provoke an immediate response from your web audience, such as “Call XXX-XXXX Today!” or “Buy Now!” buttons. CTAs are important for conversions, so make them conspicuous and readily available throughout the site. Ideal CTA locations are on applicable sections of web pages, and within the site’s header and footer.

4. Visual Components: Images, Videos, and Infographics

Strong visual elements are a must for any web site design. Photos, graphics, and videos are much easier to comprehend than text, they increase brand awareness, and can help increase conversions.

• 46% of users take action after viewing a video ad (Geniusmonkey.com)

• Videos on landing pages can increase conversion by 80% (Forbes.com)

According to the 2018 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, three of the top six content types being prioritized by B2B marketers are visual content, such as videos, infographics, and illustrations/photos

Although photos and graphics still provide creative visual interest, videos are the fastest growing form of visual content. Videos are more engaging, helpful for testimonials, demos, and storytelling. Infographics are also growing in popularity for tutorials and sharing analytics.

5. Well Written Copy with Keywords

Copy is vital for gaining more traffic, increasing conversions, and keeping your web visitors on the site longer. For SEO purposes, your web site’s text content factors in heavily. So, your copy should be relevant, concise, and rich with keywords that relate to your business, products, and services. Bad grammar, misspellings, and poor organization will get your web site flagged by search engines as a low-quality site, negatively affecting your SEO ranking and your web traffic.

Your copy should also clearly communicate all the information your audience needs to know in a concise fashion. If your web visitors can’t find the information they’re looking for, then they will quickly leave your site and go to one of your competitors. But be mindful of not sounding too sales orientated. If the tone is too promotional, then it might deter your audience from wanting to read more.

6. Enhanced Tracking and Tracking Pixels

These little snippets of code are important for measuring the effectiveness of your online marketing programs. When someone visits and takes action on your web site through Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads, the pixel’s report the action and automatically adds the web user’s information into a remarketing or lookalike audience list. Pixels also optimize conversions so Facebook and Google ads can determine how to best deliver your ads to audiences that are more likely to take action.

7. Quick Load Times

Load time speed plays a primary role in building traffic and retaining visitors on your site. Long load times can result in high bounce rates, which will negatively impact your conversions and SEO strategy. SEO algorithms heavily weigh on your web site’s bounce rates when ranking your site on search engine results pages (SERP).

There are a number of ways to improve your web site’s load time, however, most of these techniques will require some coding. There are WordPress plugins that can help but hiring someone to program these techniques might serve as a better investment for your web site.

• Visual content is the usual culprit for long load times. Try compressing and resizing your images and videos before uploading them to your website. Think about it, bigger files take more time to load.

• Use browser caching. This technique allows data to be temporarily stored on a visitor’s computer, resulting in faster load time for repeat visitors.

• Slim down your code. This includes deleting unnecessary HTML, Java script, CSS, and white space between code lines.

• HubSpot suggests adding your site’s external Javascript files to the bottom of the page before closing the body tag.

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

We cannot stress this enough! It’s 2019, your web pages should already be optimized for search engines. SEO is no longer treated as a bonus in your online marketing, it’s an absolute must! This is how your web site will become more visible on search engine results pages, which will generate increased web traffic and potentially higher conversions.

9. SSL Certificate, Terms Of Use, And Disclaimers

Security is an increasingly important component of web site design, not just for the audience, but also for web site owners. Adding some security measures is easier than you think.

Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) Certificate
Buying and installing an SSL certificate is essential for your web site. This standard security technology establishes an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser, ensuring that all the data passed between a server and a browser is kept private. Without it, Google will label your web site as “NOT SECURE”, which will negatively affect your search engine ranking and send red flags to your audience. This certificate also gives your audience some peace of mind.

Terms of Use
This legal document lays out the rules that users must agree to in order to use the site and use content from the site. It prevents abuses, protects your intellectual property and registered trademarks, and limits your liability if your content has been used incorrectly or inflicts damage. The Terms of Use also states your right to terminate accounts and establishes age restrictions.

Disclaimers
A Disclaimer is a legal notice that protects the company by limiting the legal liability for the outcome of your web audience using your web site. Without disclaimers, you can potentially face lawsuits.

10. XML Sitemap

Building an XML sitemap into your web site helps Google “crawl” through your web pages to determine your site’s indexing on search result pages. With some coding, you can customize which web pages you think are high quality that Google should pay more attention to and which pages Google should ignore. See Team Vision’s XML Site Map as an example.

Learn how to build an XML sitemap and view Google’s sitemap guidelines.

11. Integration With Google Analytics

Google Analytics is an essential tool for every web site. It provides insight on who your web audience is and which online marketing strategies are working best for your site. It can track how your audience found your site, which device they accessed it from, track their full interaction with your web pages, and much more.

Bonus:

Testimonials & Reviews

Testimonials are effective buying influencers. If you have consumers that have enjoyed your product or service, share that with your prospective customers. If you have the capability, video testimonials are more effective than text testimonials. View examples of quality video testimonials here.

•HubSpot Research also found that 60% of consumers believed customer reviews were either trustworthy or very trustworthy

• According to Nielsen research, “92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer, and 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know”.

Portfolios

If you’re selling a service, like advertising and marketing, you should show off your recent and past work. Give your prospective customers an idea of what they can expect from your business. Of course, include some text to give your prospective customers some context.

As an example, check out Team Vision’s extensive advertising and marketing portfolio.

Link Your Social Media Channels to Your Web Site

If you promote your web site on social media, then you should also promote your social media on your web site. Linking your social media to your site can help increase your followers and engagements. Let your audience easily discover a more personal point of view of your company.

Incorporating these 11 key basic web features can help you achieve a higher Search Engine Optimization (SEO) ranking , improve your web site traffic, and increase your online conversions. Are you scrolling through your web site and noticing that you are missing some of these important features? Team Vision can help you with all your web design and Search Engine Optimization needs. We’ve designed and developed many successful Hawaii web sites and SEO marketing programs for Hawaii businesses on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, The Big Island of Hawaii and Lanai.

Reach out to us at (808) 536-0416 or use our website inquiry form at www.www.teamvision.com/contact.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

Recent Blog Posts

Let us be your Full-Service Advertising Agency

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

Sources:

http://time.com/12933/what-you-think-you-know-about-the-web-is-wrong/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlbJKOWEPEM

https://www.godaddy.com/garage/does-your-website-really-need-terms-of-use/

https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2012/trust-in-advertising–paid-owned-and-earned.html

https://blog.hubspot.com/service/get-customer-reviews

https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/80471

https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-reduce-your-websites-page-speed

https://contentmarketinginstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2018-b2b-research-final.pdf

https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/20-web-design-stats-you-need-to-know-first-infographic/524656/

December 7, 2018

Hey Google, Why Should We Optimize Our Web Site For Voice Search?

Voice searching technology is changing the way we browse and shop on the internet. We can look up almost anything on the web just by saying, “Hey Google…” or “Hey Siri…” We can even turn on the lights, send texts, play music, and plan our day with a quick verbal request.
Google_voice_search_trend

Image Source: KPCB/Mary Meeker’s Annual 2016 Internet Report

As voice searching continues to gain popularity among all age groups, businesses must rethink their Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies and how they write their web page content.

In 2017, one in six Americans owned a voice-activated smart-speaker
According to Forbes, OC&C Strategies Consultants found that voice search accounted for $1.8 billion on Amazon’s 2017 sales. They predict that sales will increase to $40 billion by 2022.
44% of people regularly use voice-activated technology order groceries, household items, etc. at least once a week.
20% of inquiries on the Google app are by voice searches.
22% of voice searches are for local information and 30% are for general information, according to Mary Meeker’s Annual 2016 Internet Report.
Garner reports that by 2020, voice-activated searches will account for 30% of web browsing.
Emarketer predicts that in 2019, 39.3% of Millennials, 17.2% Gen X, and 10.1% of Baby Boomers will use their voice-enabled digital assistant on their devices.

So, how can we incorporate voice searching in our SEO strategy?

1. Add Schema Markup To Your Site

Search engine algorithms are based on multiple factors that relate to your web site’s content. This is why in addition to producing quality content, it’s essential to incorporate keywords and metadata into your site.

A schema markup is essentially like metadata, which is a set of code that helps search engines organize and classify your website’s content and enables search enhancements. You can use schema markups to optimize information that voice search users will be looking for, like contact information, operational times, directions, and so on.

It may seem daunting for those who are not familiar with coding, but this is an important tactic to use. If you need assistance on any of your web-based needs, give Team Vision Marketing a call. We have extensive experience designing web sites and developing innovative digital and SEO programs for our clients. Check out our web design and marketing work in our portfolio.

2. Use Long Tail Keywords and Keep Your Content Conversational

It requires less effort to say a complete sentence than typing out one, which is why voice searches tend to be longer and more conversational than traditional search engine phrases. Thus, brands should be writing content in a natural speaking voice that includes long tail keywords, which are search phrases that are three to five words long. It might also be worthwhile to test bids on long tail keywords. For example, Team Vision would bid on keywords like “Top Hawaii Marketing Agency” or “Hawaii Advertising Agency”.

Tip: Use Google Search Console to see what voice searches you’re currently showing up on and brainstorm more voice searches your web site can relate to.

3. Anticipate For Specific and Stronger Intent

Along with general inquiries, voice search users can have stronger purchasing intent. So, it might be ideal to test full question keywords or answer questions, like “Where is the closest cafe?”.

The type of question can indicate the degree of desire. As explained on Moz.com, questions that begin with “Who” or “What” reveal interest, while questions that begin with “When” or “Where” shows more intent on an action.

How_voice_search_will_Change_Digital_Marketing_For_The_Better

Image Source: “How Voice Search Will Chance Digital Marketing – For the Better”

This also means that voice searches can have more specific inquiries, such as “Hey Google, search for mid-century furniture near me.” This is good news for brands that target a more niche audience or sell a specific product.

Take our client, Castle & Cooke Homes Hawaii’s, newest residential real estate neighborhood, as an example. Their target audience for this community is people already living in or wanting to move to Waipahu, Hawaii. Thus, long tail keyword phrases like “Waipahu Real Estate” will be more valuable than just “Real Estate.”

4. Claim Your Business On Google

Although your business should already have done this, it has become even more essential to claim your business on Google, now that more local or “near me” inquiries are made on voice searches – as seen in the graph below.

“Near Me” Voice Search Usage

Near_Me_Voice_Searches_Growth

Image Source: Google Trends “Near Me” Report

Claiming the business gives you the ability to list what category it falls under, give some details about your products/services, and input the correct contact information. This will help your customers find your business easier during searches, provide accurate information, and it can help increase your ranking on the search engine results page (SERP).

5. Make Your Web Site Mobile Friendly

It’s imperative and highly recommended that your web site is converted to be responsive on all devices. Due to the fact that a majority of Google searches, including voice searches, are made on mobile, Google factors a web page’s mobile format into its search engine ranking algorithm.

It also provides your audience with a seamless and more enjoyable web experience. When a site is mobile friendly, the web site automatically formats the content to fit within the width of the screen, making it more aesthetically pleasing, easier to work with, and it keeps your bounce rates lower.

6. Optimize Your FAQS Page

Since questions are more likely to be voice search phrases, optimizing your FAQ page would be worth your while. FAQs pages are another opportunity for businesses to add in more searchable long tail keywords, which can make your web site more attractive for voice search results.

Team Vision recommends researching what common questions your audience might ask in a voice search that relates to your business and title your FAQs exactly like that. For example, a possible voice search question and FAQ for Team Vision could be: “What is a full-service marketing agency?”.

Tip: As previously mentioned, keep in mind that voice searches are more conversational, so adopt a casual tone for the FAQ title and content.

7. Update Web Content for Google Quick Answers

In 2014, Google created Quick Answers, a more convenient method of pulling up content relevant to certain inquiries, like “how to…” or “what is…” searches, from specific web sites. This Quick Answers box is featured above the first organic result of the SERP and includes the link to the page. See an example below.

Web pages featured in the Quick Answers box are determined by the web page’s SEO, quality, data structure, and relevance to the search inquiry.

How does this relate to voice search? Voice searches tend to be direct questions. Google will favor citing high-quality pages that are also optimized with long tail keywords.

Voice-activated technology will continue to change the way we surf and shop online. It’s a self-learning AI technology that will inevitably become more and more sophisticated, so businesses need to constantly update and adapt their digital marketing and SEO strategies.

Don’t stress about it! Team Vision can help you with all your online marketing and SEO needs. Over the years, we have developed hundreds of successful SEO and online marketing programs and created many responsive web site designs for clients across Hawai’i. Just give us a call at (808) 536-0416, or use our website inquiry form at www.www.teamvision.com/contact.

How Do I Select the Best Hawaii Advertising Agency?

Updated: May 8, 2023

1. First, decide which specific marketing services you need.

2. Get client referrals.

3. Make sure the advertising agency handles accounts similar to yours.

4. Whatever services an ad agency is selling to you, make sure they are executing them well for their own business.

5. Make sure there is a personality and cultural fit between the advertising agency and your company.

6. Review an agency’s portfolio of work.

7. Make sure your ad agency understands the Hawaii market.

8. Don’t hire an agency solely based on their past, look toward their future.

9. Don’t choose by price alone.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

What is a “Broad Core Algorithm” Search Engine Update?

What will happen to my web site’s SEO rankings?

My web site SEO rank dropped! What should I do?

Will my web sites SEO ranking recover?

My web site rank went up! Will it stay like this forever?

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Hear from Harry Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his experience working with Team Vision Marketing.

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

11 Must Have Web Design Features for Hawaii Businesses

If you’re about to engage in the process of either designing your own web site or hiring someone to create a web site for you, here are eleven must-have basic web site design features your business web site needs.

If you need help with your business’s web design, let us know! We would love to help!

1. A Well Structured Menu

Team Vision recommends listing what type of content or web pages you need to have on your site. Then, group the web pages into relevant categories or subcategories.

Pro Tip: Map out your web site design with all of its web pages in a flow chart and then refine that flowchart to create the most simple and organized navigation menus you can.

2. Visually Engaging, Responsive Web Site Design

3. Call-To-Actions (CTA)

4. Visual Components: Images, Videos, and Infographics

Strong visual elements are a must for any web site design. Photos, graphics, and videos are much easier to comprehend than text, they increase brand awareness, and can help increase conversions.

• 46% of users take action after viewing a video ad (Geniusmonkey.com)

• Videos on landing pages can increase conversion by 80% (Forbes.com)

According to the 2018 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends report by Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, three of the top six content types being prioritized by B2B marketers are visual content, such as videos, infographics, and illustrations/photos

Although photos and graphics still provide creative visual interest, videos are the fastest growing form of visual content. Videos are more engaging, helpful for testimonials, demos, and storytelling. Infographics are also growing in popularity for tutorials and sharing analytics.

5. Well Written Copy with Keywords

6. Enhanced Tracking and Tracking Pixels

7. Quick Load Times

There are a number of ways to improve your web site’s load time, however, most of these techniques will require some coding. There are WordPress plugins that can help but hiring someone to program these techniques might serve as a better investment for your web site.

• Visual content is the usual culprit for long load times. Try compressing and resizing your images and videos before uploading them to your website. Think about it, bigger files take more time to load.

• Use browser caching. This technique allows data to be temporarily stored on a visitor’s computer, resulting in faster load time for repeat visitors.

• Slim down your code. This includes deleting unnecessary HTML, Java script, CSS, and white space between code lines.

• HubSpot suggests adding your site’s external Javascript files to the bottom of the page before closing the body tag.

8. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Read more about key SEO strategies and how to optimize our web site for voice search in our previous blog posts.

9. SSL Certificate, Terms Of Use, And Disclaimers

Security is an increasingly important component of web site design, not just for the audience, but also for web site owners. Adding some security measures is easier than you think.

Disclaimers A Disclaimer is a legal notice that protects the company by limiting the legal liability for the outcome of your web audience using your web site. Without disclaimers, you can potentially face lawsuits.

10. XML Sitemap

Learn how to build an XML sitemap and view Google’s sitemap guidelines.

11. Integration With Google Analytics

Bonus:

Testimonials & Reviews

Testimonials are effective buying influencers. If you have consumers that have enjoyed your product or service, share that with your prospective customers. If you have the capability, video testimonials are more effective than text testimonials. View examples of quality video testimonials here.

•HubSpot Research also found that 60% of consumers believed customer reviews were either trustworthy or very trustworthy

• According to Nielsen research, “92% of people will trust a recommendation from a peer, and 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don’t even know”.

Portfolios

If you’re selling a service, like advertising and marketing, you should show off your recent and past work. Give your prospective customers an idea of what they can expect from your business. Of course, include some text to give your prospective customers some context.

As an example, check out Team Vision’s extensive advertising and marketing portfolio.

Link Your Social Media Channels to Your Web Site

If you promote your web site on social media, then you should also promote your social media on your web site. Linking your social media to your site can help increase your followers and engagements. Let your audience easily discover a more personal point of view of your company.

Reach out to us at (808) 536-0416 or use our website inquiry form at www.www.teamvision.com/contact.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

Hey Google, Why Should We Optimize Our Web Site For Voice Search?

1. Add Schema Markup To Your Site

3. Anticipate For Specific and Stronger Intent

4. Claim Your Business On Google

“Near Me” Voice Search Usage

5. Make Your Web Site Mobile Friendly

6. Optimize Your FAQS Page

7. Update Web Content for Google Quick Answers

Web pages featured in the Quick Answers box are determined by the web page’s SEO, quality, data structure, and relevance to the search inquiry.

How does this relate to voice search? Voice searches tend to be direct questions. Google will favor citing high-quality pages that are also optimized with long tail keywords.

Voice-activated technology will continue to change the way we surf and shop online. It’s a self-learning AI technology that will inevitably become more and more sophisticated, so businesses need to constantly update and adapt their digital marketing and SEO strategies.

Hear from Harry A. Saunders, President of Castle & Cooke Hawaii, on his 20 years of experience working with Team Vision.

Call Us Today at (808) 536-0416.

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Disclaimers
A Disclaimer is a legal notice that protects the company by limiting the legal liability for the outcome of your web audience using your web site. Without disclaimers, you can potentially face lawsuits.