The Pit Stop. #4

Much like the Jedi, the Mack and the Whopper, this is the return of the Pit Stop.

The last time we posted one of these it was 2015, Instagram had just launched an ad platform and buy buttons were appearing across social media sites. Today, the industry is a different beast.

While the digital world has changed, the Pit Stop has not. It’s still a destination for our experts to answer frequently asked questions, share opinions and reveal digital truths in 100 words or less.

From SEO to Project Managers, we’ve all put our heads together to give you a quick read that you’ll leave behind having learnt something new. Today, our questions include:

• What's the difference between indexing and crawling?
• Do we need to bid on brand terms?
• How often should I be posting to social media?
• Why does it cost so much when we could do it cheaper ourselves?
• Why does my blog have such a high bounce rate?

 Anyway, that’s enough of my waffling. It’s time to see what the experts have to say.

What’s the difference between indexing and crawling?

Nathan Roberts, Head of SEO.

When search engines look through the content on your website, they are crawling. As they crawl your site, they begin to index the content that will appear in the search engine results page.

However, an important thing to remember is that not all content is indexed. Search engines pick and choose what content they index as they go through the crawling process.

Do we need to bid on brand terms?

Lawrence Jones – Head of PPC

I can give you three reasons to bid on your brand terms:

Keep competitors at bay – The CPC for your brand terms are cheaper for you than competitors, meaning you can stay at #1 and stop your competition from stealing traffic.

Do your brand justice – You have the chance to tailor your ads and convey the right message. Extensions can also show current offers and provide calls-to-action.

Two SERP spots for the price of one – You can increase your results page real estate by having both your paid ad and organic listing sitting in the top spots for branded searches.

How often should I be posting to social media?

Stephanie Tabah – Marketing Manager

Unfortunately, there’s no magic number and the most straightforward answer is ‘be consistent’. No matter when you’re posting, your social feed should always prioritise quality over quantity.

If you have enough time and quality content, then you can post every day. However, if you’re struggling, start with two per week and build from there.

Your followers don’t always want to be sold to, so don’t make every post about pushing products. Invest in some relevant, interesting and engaging content and your followers will invest in you.

Why does it cost so much when we could do it cheaper ourselves?

Emily Sharples – Project manager

Most clients could probably build an acceptable website, but a little bit of coding knowledge doesn’t create quality, experience does. Our designers and developers have honed their skills over the years to consistently produce work that lives up to our high standards.

This tweet perfectly summarises what I mean:

If I do a job in 30 minutes it’s because I spent 10 years learning how to do that in 30 minutes. You owe me for the years, not the minutes.

— DavyDoes (@davygreenberg) February 15, 2019

There’s always someone willing to do it cheaper, but they’re not us. You’re not just paying for the website, you’re paying for designers, developers, copywriters and SEO specialists to create a unique solution to your problem.

Besides, if anybody could design and build a premium website, everybody would.

Why does my blog have such a high bounce rate?

Jonathon Aalders – Copywriter

Your blog is an important tool, it helps you share company news, report on the state of the industry and showcase your expertise.

However, the chances are most people who read your blog posts are looking for specific information. They found you via their search engine, answered the question they had and then bounced.

While they may not have converted straight away, your brand is now firmly in their head. So, when the time comes, and they need a service like yours, they’ll remember you. All it cost was a few hundred words.

If you have something on your mind or want to read a specialist’s perspective on the work they do, why not help to shape future editions of The Pit Stop? Tweet us your questions, reactions or requests @VennDigital.

See you next time.