Is Your Website Secure?

  When you run a business, your website is an extension of your identity. Maintaining a strong digital presence is crucial for commercial operations looking to get ahead in today’s competitive marketplace. However, just as your brick-and-mortar location needs to be secured against potential threats, so does your website. Cyber crimes are an unfortunate reality of digital spaces, and when your website is compromised, it can jeopardize your and your clients’ data. Asking the question, “Is your website secure?” is a complicated query. Knowing the answer can make the difference between thriving, impressive commercial growth and a potentially harmful breach. In this blog, we’ll discuss the complex terrain of cybersecurity and explore some tips for bolstering your own website’s security. What Is Website Security? Before exploring some tips for improving your website’s security, it’s important to clarify what it is and why it matters. As a concept, website security refers […]

Josh Wilson

Author: Josh Wilson

About Josh Wilson

About Josh Wilson: Josh is a content writer who strives to create SEO-optimized copy that excites readers. With experience as a freelancer and editor and a background in creative writing, he specializes in long-form and custom content. Josh is always looking to push the limits of language and provide clients with personalized content that helps drive traffic and customers to their business. With a Master’s in Information Studies, Josh is also an archivist and research specialist passionate about satisfying diverse information-seeking needs. As part of LinkNow’s Content team, he leverages his academic background and research expertise to support clients and write powerful copy. In his spare time, Josh is an avid reader, home cook, and Leeds United supporter.

LinkNow Tech Support Frequently Asked Questions

LinkNow Tech Support Frequently Asked Questions

We get it—the fast-paced life of running a small business doesn’t always leave time for staying up-to-date on the technical side of web design, domain hosting, and email servers. That said, many business owners still strive to stay informed about all aspects of their business. Here at LinkNow, we’ve worked with thousands of small business owners over the years, helping them build solid online footprints while also offering professional education, insight, and advice along the way. In this blog post, we’ll be examining some of our most commonly received tech support questions and breaking things down in easily digestible language, so keep reading if this sounds valuable to you! What Is a Domain? A website’s domain is the unique address users type in to find it on the internet. Domains consist of two main parts: the name and the extension. Domain names are the personalized web addresses users type into […]

Tyson Breen

Author: Tyson Breen

About Tyson Breen

Tyson is a content writer and SEO specialist with over half a decade of industry experience. He is an expert on digital marketing and is passionate about providing his clients with powerful content that boosts traffic and engagement. When away from his desk, Tyson enjoys home cooking, comic books, and live music.

10 Questions to Ask an Agency Before Buying SEO

10 Questions to Ask an Agency Before Buying SEO

  As the world continues to evolve into a global digital enterprise, businesses need to adapt to the changes to maintain a strong online presence, which is crucial for their growth and success. How does a business get ahead of the online competition? Through a robust, intentionally designed SEO plan. Search engine optimization (SEO) has become an indispensable tool for improving website visibility, driving organic traffic, and ultimately boosting revenue. However, with countless SEO agencies competing for your attention, it can be challenging to separate the good from the bad. Before handing over your digital marketing efforts to an agency, you want to ask the right questions to ensure you’re making an informed decision. If you’re a small business, here are ten critical questions that will help you evaluate an SEO agency’s expertise, transparency, and ability to deliver tangible results. What Is SEO? SEO is akin to strategically positioning your […]

Maria Kalomiris

Author: Maria Kalomiris

About Maria Kalomiris

Maria is a professional copywriter specializing in SEO, with a diverse portfolio spanning multiple industries. Holding a diploma in Public Relations with a specialized focus on Crisis Management Writing, she brings a unique and valuable skillset to her craft. Particularly passionate about writing updated and informative content in the health and fitness niche, Maria is also a dedicated freelancer who continuously invests in her professional development through ongoing education. When she's not crafting compelling content, you'll find her working out in her home gym, exploring horse-themed social media pages, or exploring the backroads looking for hidden gems.

Google SERP Features for Local Businesses in 2024

Modern Google Features for Local Businesses

  If you’re a longtime Google user, you’ve probably noticed that the search engine results page (SERP) has changed quite a bit over the years. Google is constantly adding, tweaking, and expanding a set of features designed to provide a better user experience. What does this mean for local businesses on Google? Well, there are many ways to capitalize on these modern Google features and gain increased visibility, better keyword targeting, and an educated audience ready to engage with your business. So, without further ado, let’s break down some of the best Google SERP features for your business in 2024! Local Pack Google’s Local Pack is the bread and butter of local businesses. The Local Pack appears when a user does a search with local intent, containing phrases like “near me” or “in my area.” In response, Google will display a map of the surrounding area with listings for three […]

Tyson Breen

Author: Tyson Breen

About Tyson Breen

Tyson is a content writer and SEO specialist with over half a decade of industry experience. He is an expert on digital marketing and is passionate about providing his clients with powerful content that boosts traffic and engagement. When away from his desk, Tyson enjoys home cooking, comic books, and live music.

Optimizing for All: The Intersection of Digital Accessibility and SEO

Contents Optimizing for All: The Intersection of Digital Accessibility and SEO What is Web Accessibility? Why Does Digital Accessibility Matter Anyway? How Accessibility Features Connect to SEO Clear, Understandable Content Ranks Digital Accessibility Improves Overall User Experience (UX) Voice Search Optimization Image Captioning and Alt-Text is a Win-Win Enhanced Digital Accessibility Can Drive Traffic to Your Site How LinkNow Embraces Accessibility LinkNow’s ADA Compliance Addon Optimizing for All: The Intersection of Digital Accessibility and SEO If you’re a business with a digital presence, reaching the highest number of users with your content is a top priority. Whether you’re a local contractor, a landscaper, or an attorney, driving traffic to your website requires optimizing your searchability through a range of complex processes. Improving your ranking on Google is one thing, but retaining users on your website and creating engaging content is another. An often under-appreciated approach to search engine optimization (SEO) […]

Josh Wilson

Author: Josh Wilson

About Josh Wilson

About Josh Wilson: Josh is a content writer who strives to create SEO-optimized copy that excites readers. With experience as a freelancer and editor and a background in creative writing, he specializes in long-form and custom content. Josh is always looking to push the limits of language and provide clients with personalized content that helps drive traffic and customers to their business. With a Master’s in Information Studies, Josh is also an archivist and research specialist passionate about satisfying diverse information-seeking needs. As part of LinkNow’s Content team, he leverages his academic background and research expertise to support clients and write powerful copy. In his spare time, Josh is an avid reader, home cook, and Leeds United supporter.

The Mobile-First Future: How LinkNow’s Designs Are Leading the SEO Charge

  Google has made it very clear that mobile browsing is the future of its search platform. Recently, the search giant completed its years-long effort to migrate to mobile-first indexing for all websites, which means having an adaptable, responsive design is more important than ever. Here at LinkNow, we’ve seen this writing on the wall for quite some time now, which is why we have long since transitioned our websites to reflect the market trends and larger industry focus on mobile browsing. In this blog post, we will be examining why all our websites are adapted for mobile phones, as well as the reasoning behind our constant adjustment in the SEO industry. The Rising Need for Mobile-Friendly Search Before we can look at LinkNow’s solution to mobile SEO, we first need to understand the problem that our company—and all other website developers—was facing. All the way back in 2016, Google […]

Tyson Breen

Author: Tyson Breen

About Tyson Breen

Tyson is a content writer and SEO specialist with over half a decade of industry experience. He is an expert on digital marketing and is passionate about providing his clients with powerful content that boosts traffic and engagement. When away from his desk, Tyson enjoys home cooking, comic books, and live music.

From CTAs to Photo Galleries: Everything You Need on Your Small Business Website

  It’s nearly impossible for a small business to thrive without a website or online presence these days. However, the prospect of creating a website can feel overwhelming for many business owners. Here at LinkNow, we specialize in helping small business owners establish an online presence quickly and affordably. Today, we want to share some valuable insights on building a successful website for a small business. If you’re a small business owner or operator seeking to establish an online presence and gain traction, consider incorporating the following key features into your website. At Least 10 Service and Landing Pages for a Multi-Channel Presence Picture your website like a large building, akin to a stadium or a bustling train station frequented by numerous visitors. Think about how many entrances such buildings typically boast, often situated on different sides of the building and leading out to various intersections or roads. Now, extend […]

Jane Willsie

Author: Jane Willsie

About Jane Willsie

Since 2014, when she landed her first editorial role at her undergraduate student newspaper, Jane has continually grown into the passionate, meticulous writer and editor she is today. Entering the marketing field almost a decade ago as an entry-level social media consultant and content writer, Jane has become a strategic data-driven SEO and content marketing specialist able to turn her hand to everything from the perfectly crafted landing page to attention-grabbing email copy. She completed her Master’s degree in English at UBC in 2017—receiving a prestigious SSHRC grant to research feminist South Korean literature’s reception in the English-speaking literary world—and continues to grow her knowledge base every day, consuming research on SEO, content management, social media strategy, and more. Beyond her work, Jane is an avid reader, amateur sewer, and adventurous traveler.

How to Dominate Google in 2022

A grey skyscraper rises in the background. In the foreground, caption says: Digital marketing made easy.

If you’ve been looking to do more than merely show up in Google’s search results, then you need to read this article. In this blog post, we’re going to show you how to dominate Google. We’ll start from the ground-up so you understand Google’s front-page results, how they work, and how you can appear at the top. Ready to make Google work for you? Let’s get started. Google’s Front-Page Results: A Breakdown The first thing you need to understand is how the search results appear on the page. In general, they are broken down into three different sections:  The local search pack  The organic search results  Google Ads (aka, pay-per-click ads, and formerly known as AdWords) Here, a visual reference might prove useful so that you have an idea of what these categories look like. Let’s try typing general contractor boston into Google to see how the search results are […]

John Wickham

Author: John Wickham

About John Wickham

John Wickham is Senior Content Writer and Strategist at LinkNow Media. An SEO expert, he writes to empower small-business owners by giving them the information they need to market themselves. His love of the written word is matched only by his love of ancient history, as well as the semi-colon.

Google Passage Ranking: What It Is and What It Means for SEO in 2022

Background shows Google homepage. In foreground, caption says: What is passage ranking?

Publishing long-form content has never been more important to ranking well on Google. And the reason? Google passage ranking: a relatively new (since 2021) feature affecting how Google ranks and indexes web pages. Today, let’s look at what Google passage ranking is, how it works, how you can harness it to improve your content’s online rankings. Let’s dive in. What is Passage Ranking? Passage ranking (also called passage indexing) is new feature that helps Google understand and contextualize the content of a webpage. It also helps generate better search results for users. Instead of ranking a whole webpage for a particular keyword, Google now ranks passages from that page according to how relevant they are to said keyword. Passage ranking evaluates certain sections to provide more specific, higher-quality search results for users. Consider this example. Let’s say there’s a 5000-word-long page about search engine optimization (SEO). Of the 5000 words, […]

John Wickham

Author: John Wickham

About John Wickham

John Wickham is Senior Content Writer and Strategist at LinkNow Media. An SEO expert, he writes to empower small-business owners by giving them the information they need to market themselves. His love of the written word is matched only by his love of ancient history, as well as the semi-colon.

SEO vs SEM: What’s the Difference?

A set of hands hold up two sticky notes. One says SEO, the other SEM. Caption says: What's the difference?

SEO vs SEM: What’s the Difference? And Which Is Best for Your Online Marketing Strategy? Not sure what the difference is between SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SEM (Search Engine Marketing)? This post is for you. Today, we’ll be looking at the differences between SEO and SEM, their pros and cons, and how you can use both to power your online marketing strategy. Let’s dive in. The Difference Between SEO and SEM Google results can be divided into two main categories: organic results paid results While SEO focuses on optimizing a website to get traffic from organic search results, SEM focuses on getting traffic and visibility from organic results and paid search results. Understanding Search Engine Optimization (SEO) The Goal SEO is a slower process in which the website domain owner works to improve their website visibility and ranking with various strategies. SEO can be divided into three categories: On-Page […]

John Wickham

Author: John Wickham

About John Wickham

John Wickham is Senior Content Writer and Strategist at LinkNow Media. An SEO expert, he writes to empower small-business owners by giving them the information they need to market themselves. His love of the written word is matched only by his love of ancient history, as well as the semi-colon.