My Blog My Blog

What Is Small Business SEO?

Local SEO
May 25, 2022/by
What Is Small Business SEO? Despite being a small business, it’s still possible to develop an SEO strategy that helps you stay competitive in your market. Read on to learn everything you need to know about small business SEO, why it’s important, and how to develop a strategy for your business, no budget required. It’s important not to confuse small business SEO with local SEO, as local helps businesses appear in location-based searches vs. general results. However, some small businesses may hope to leverage local traffic, so, if this is you, your small business strategy will include local steps. We’ll discuss this further below. Is SEO good for small businesses? SEO is critical for small businesses as it helps you generate organic traffic without spending money on advertisements in SERPs or other channels. When your site shows up in search rankings, you become competitive and drive more traffic, which, in turn, helps you generate engagement, make sales, and build a customer base. Not optimizing your site can mean that your competitors are the only ones showing up in results, and your target audience might not even know you exist. Let’s go over how to do SEO for a small business. Let’s go over how to do SEO for a small business. SEO Strategy for Small Business Small business SEO doesn’t require a large team to get things up and running, nor does it require a significant budget. Many...
Read Full Story

13 Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Job Search
May 25, 2022/by
13 Common Interview Questions and How to Answer Them You made it (almost)! After networking and sending countless resumes, you’ve finally landed a job interview. Of course, you want to be prepared, so you did what most candidates are recommended to do — you looked up “most common interview questions.” The key to a successful interview is preparation, so it’s important to look up interview questions so that you can go to the interview with your answers already in mind. This will boost your confidence and increase your chances of a second interview, as well as help you get the job. To help you along, I’ve put together a list of common interview questions and some tips to craft winning answers. Want to jump to a specific question? I’ve got them linked for you below: "Tell me about yourself." "Why do you want to work for this company?" "Why are you the best person for this position?" "What are your strengths and weaknesses?" "What’s a professional achievement you are most proud of?" "How do you handle stress and pressure?" "Tell me about a time you had conflict with a coworker or colleague, and how did you overcome it?" "Tell me about a time you failed at work and how did you handle it?" "Why are you leaving your current job? / Why have you left your most recent position?" "How do you stay organized?" "Where do you see yourself in five years?" "What are your salary expectations?" "Do...
Read Full Story

50 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your 2022 Strategy [New Data]

Video Marketing
May 23, 2022/by
50 Video Marketing Statistics to Inform Your 2022 Strategy As marketers find more innovative ways to attract audiences, video has become a meaningful part of the strategic conversation. Video marketing is no longer an "up-and-coming" content strategy. It's here, and it's an increasingly powerful way to communicate your brand story, explain your value proposition, and build relationships with your customers and prospects. The HubSpot Blog surveyed 550 marketers to learn about the latest video trends. The most recent data shows that video content isn't just effective — the demand for it is growing at an impressively rapid pace. Here are the key video marketing statistics you should keep in mind to inform your strategy. General Video Marketing Stats 36% of marketers say the primary goal of their company’s video marketing efforts is to increase brand awareness and reach new audiences. 37% of companies exclusively create video content in-house, 14% rely on an agency, and 49% share a mix of both in-house and agency-created video content. 69% of marketers say their company owns the production equipment used to create video content. The most popular video editing software is Adobe Premiere Pro, which is used by 61% of marketers. 44% of marketers use an iPhone as their primary camera for video content. 88% of companies surveyed have a team dedicated to creating video content, and 45% of companies with dedicated video support have...
Read Full Story

Everything You Need To Know About Google Web Stories

SEO
May 23, 2022/by
Everything You Need To Know About Google Web Stories Google is not a social media channel per se, but one of its features, Google Web Stories, is similar to the stories format that you’d see on popular sites like Instagram. It poses a unique opportunity for creators, so read on to learn all about Google Web Stories, what they can do for your business, and how to create them and make an impact. Table of Contents: What are Google Web Stories? Google Web Stories Examples How to Make Google Web Stories Best Practices for Creating Google Web Stories Google Web Stories SEO Checklist What are Google Web Stories? Google Web Stories are interactive, video-first pieces of content that creators can use to share information with audiences through tappable pages featuring audio, images, and text. The Web Story format was formerly known as AMP Stories. Google says that styles that work the best with the format are first-person narratives, evergreen or updating stories, live stories, educational and experiential stories, and quizzes and polls. Web Stories appear in standard Google Search results and as carousels in Google Discover, and you can also add them to a newsletter and link to them from your social media accounts. The image below shows a Web Story in Google Discover on the left and Google Search on the right. Web Stories are also individual pages on your website, so they can be indexed and surfaced in relevant...
Read Full Story

30 Leadership Behaviors You Need to be an Excellent Leader

Leadership
May 23, 2022/by
30 Leadership Behaviors You Need to be an Excellent Leader Leadership isn’t just about control — it’s also about actions and behaviors. As a leader, do your current leadership behaviors align with both your and your team's goals? And does your behavior boost your team’s morale or bring the mood down — resulting in high turnover and less efficiency? To help you answer those questions, we've put together a breakdown of the kind of conduct that leaders should exhibit. Leaders who don't possess these behaviors may struggle with completing objectives, maintaining a healthy work environment, or managing their team members. With that in mind, let's take a look at 30 examples of leadership behaviors that will benefit both you and your team. Effective Leadership Behaviors Examples 1. Compassion Compassion means having sympathy and concern for others, especially when they are experiencing misfortune. Leading with compassion builds trust and promotes collaboration. Your employees will feel more comfortable confiding in you about issues that may be disrupting their workflow. 2. Adaptability An excellent leader is always prepared to shift priorities and processes to adapt to changing market conditions. New viral social media sites are popping up every day. State-of-the-art technologies are always in development and changing the ways consumers interact with products and services. Adaptable leadership means working to keep up with these changes and ensuring that your business model is always up-to-date and evolving. 3. Coaching mindset Having a coaching mindset means wanting to help your employees improve their...
Read Full Story

How to Give Your Two Weeks’ Notice [+ 3 Examples]

Job Search
May 20, 2022/by
How to Give Your Two Weeks' Notice Giving your two weeks notice is never easy, particularly if you have a good relationship with your boss and colleagues, or you feel they've invested time and energy into your professional development. If you’re wondering how to give two weeks notice without hurting your relationship with your employer, you’re in luck. There are particular actions you can take to ensure you leave a good final impression with your current employer. Leaving your current company respectfully and thoughtfully can ensure better long-term connections and references — and, even if you're switching industries, you never know who could help you down the road. Plus, it's the courteous thing to do. Here, we'll explore the best way to give your two weeks' notice to maintain a positive relationship with your old employer, while ensuring a seamless transition into your next role. What is a two weeks notice? A two weeks notice is when you let your current employer know that you will be resigning from the company in two weeks. It’s a standard method of resignation that can help you leave the company on good terms. It’s important to remember, however, that if your employment contract or union agreement clearly states how much notice you need to give before resigning, abide by that agreement. If not, two weeks notice is generally accepted as the norm. In the case of the latter, if your employee asks you to stay longer than the two weeks, you...
Read Full Story

The Meaning of Employee Relations

Human Resources
May 20, 2022/by
The Meaning of Employee Relations Workplace culture and strong internal relationships are undeniably critical for your company's long-term success. Focusing your efforts on employee relations, and cultivating good relationships between employers and employees can help your Human Resources department mitigate conflict, build trust between team members, and decrease turnover rates. If the term ‘employee relations’ makes you furrow your brows in confusion, we’re here to help. We’ll explain what employee relations is and why it’s important below. Jump to: What Employee Relations Is Employee Relations Examples Employee Relations Best Practices What is employee relations? Employee relations is a branch of human resources that deals with policies regarding your employees' relationships with their employers, and each other. Essentially, employee relations is any effort or programming a company implements to ensure their employees are treated fairly, feel safe, and are happy in their work environment. Additionally, employee relations cannot be successful unless employees feel there is a level of transparency from management. Employee Relations Examples Employee relations programming will vary from one company to the next, however, the issues they tackle are very similar. That said, there are a few common categories most fall under: 1. Unsafe Work Environment Employers are tasked with providing a safe work environment for employees. If an employee is injured on the job or has an accident, the employer may be liable. Having safety protocols in place and communicating them to the team is a must. 2. Employee Performance It’s not a fun...
Read Full Story

10 Positive Feedback Examples Your Employees Need to Hear

Human Resources
May 20, 2022/by
10 Positive Feedback Examples Your Employees Need to Hear Years ago, I worked at an office where the only time I ever heard from my manager was if I fell short of expectations. Without positive feedback, I felt like all of my wins went unnoticed and that they didn’t matter nearly as much as my losses. This caused me to lose motivation and my productivity began to suffer. It also pushed me to leave the company and seek better opportunities elsewhere. While it’s important to let employees know where there are areas that need improvement, it’s equally important to give positive feedback so they know where they shine. Giving positive feedback boosts morale, instills confidence, and motivates employees to do their best. It also helps you retain great people who will move your business forward. A survey by the Society of Human Resource Management found that 80% of HR leaders work at organizations that have an employee recognition program. Of those leaders, 89% reported their recognition program helped improve the overall employee experience. 86% said it improved employee relationships and 84% said it improved employee engagement. There are many ways to give positive feedback, but first you must understand what it is. What is positive feedback? Positive feedback is the act of recognizing and praising someone for their accomplishments, strengths, and talents. Positive feedback tells an employee what they’re doing right and what they should continue to do. “If you focus on what someone shouldn't do without also...
Read Full Story

Celebrating HubSpot’s Third Annual World Certification Week

HubSpot Academy
May 19, 2022/by
Celebrating HubSpot's Third Annual World Certification Week Last week, HubSpot wrapped up the third annual World Certification Week – a global virtual event where learners and peers from all around the world connected and grew by dedicating time to their professional development. This community of people learned about a variety of industry topics, connected with fellow learners and thought leaders, and earned thousands of HubSpot certifications. HubSpot certifications are awarded year-round, but for one week, we donated $5 to education-focused organizations for every certification completed. The first World Certification Day kicked off in 2020 when a team member bought a "certification day" web domain and we awarded over 2,300 certifications. This event has continued to grow each year, with over 7,800 certifications awarded in 2021 and 11,159 certifications in 2022. We are lucky to bring people together to share in the sense of community, give back, and grow better. Thanks to you, we were able to donate $10,000 in 2020, $35,000 in 2021, and $50,000 in 2022. In addition to learning and supporting a good cause, participants from around the world were dedicated to making World Certification Week fun. From learning together in groups and taking certifications live to friendly competitions and certification-inspired videos, participants got creative and made the World Certification Week their own. World Certification Week Impact We want to thank the 7,815 of you who took part in World Certification Week and completed 11,159 certifications. By participating, you advanced your career and gained valuable knowledge...
Read Full Story