Sourced from wpbeginner

Let’s face it: getting your website noticed is incredibly important for its success. And in our experience, most websites get the bulk of their traffic from search engines.

More traffic means more customers, more sales, and more profit. So, you might be looking for a quality SEO tool to improve your search rankings and attract more visitors.

With so many SEO tools available, both free and paid, it’s natural to wonder whether paying for a premium plugin is worth the money.

In this article, we’ll share our firsthand experience using both free and premium WordPress SEO plugins. We’ll explore the extra features premium tools offer and the impact they can have on your website’s traffic and success.

Choosing the Right SEO Tool for Your WordPress Website

WordPress users have a lot of options when it comes to plugins that help optimize websites for search engines. But with so many tools that promise to boost your rankings, it’s hard to know where to start.

Here at WPBeginner, we get tons of questions from readers asking which SEO plugin is the best for making it to the top spots in search results.

In response, we created a detailed showcase of the best SEO plugins and tools. These tools can help you increase your website traffic by 20-30% within just a few months.

This list covers a wide range of use cases and includes leading plugins like All in One SEO (AIOSEO) and Yoast SEO, as well as standalone tools like Semrush and Ahrefs.

But here’s the catch. Many of these plugins offer both free and premium versions, leaving you with another decision to make.

While free versions provide a solid foundation for basic SEO, the premium upgrades promise to unlock advanced features designed to give your site an edge in search engine rankings.

So, are those premium features worth the investment? Do they really make a difference in your search rankings?

Let’s dive in and explore the unique capabilities of premium WordPress SEO tools and see how they can help your website make it into the top search results pages.

What Are the Benefits of Premium WordPress SEO Plugins?

At WPBeginner, we’ve been using premium SEO plugins for many years. Here are some of our favorite features and benefits:

1. Comprehensive SEO Audits

While free plugins provide basic on-page analysis, premium versions often offer more in-depth insights and recommendations.

They run comprehensive SEO audits on your website. This way, you get a clear idea of your site’s overall health from an SEO perspective. They scan all of your web pages and then highlight potential issues, recommending how to fix them.

We regularly use AIOSEO to analyze our content for readability, keyword usage, and overall optimization. It gives us access to an actionable SEO report inside our WordPress admin area that gives us a clear roadmap for improvement.

This is really helpful because search engine optimization is a complex procedure that takes time. Having a clear checklist of everything that needs to be improved simplifies the process so you can easily fix one issue at a time.

2. Advanced Sitemaps

Search engines need to find and index every page on your website before they can be displayed in search results.

Google recommends using sitemaps to help with this process. Sitemaps help search engines crawl up to 40% more pages, resulting in more of your content appearing in search results.

There are different types of sitemaps, such as XML sitemaps that help search engines discover and index your content and RSS sitemaps that notify them of updated content.

Enabling both of these will give you the biggest SEO benefits. With a premium WordPress SEO plugin, this is as easy as switching on a setting for each type of sitemap.

3. Powerful Redirects and 404 Monitoring

Broken links point to web pages that do not exist, leading to frustration and 404 error messages for your users. They are also bad for SEO and result in a 12% higher bounce rate.

Premium SEO plugins help you avoid broken links by automatically creating redirects when you rename a post or page or change its URL.

They also automatically track and log 404 errors so you can quickly redirect these URLs to existing posts as part of your regular WordPress maintenance.

This will make sure your visitors find the information they are looking for and avoid frustrating surprises when clicking links on your site.

4. Advanced Schema Markup

Schema markup is structured data that is added to your web pages behind the scenes. It helps search engines better understand your content and display it more prominently in search results.

For example, using recipe schema can make food blogs more visible in search results. It can increase your click-through rates by 30%, bringing valuable traffic to your website.

But manually adding this structured data to your posts is very technical and time-consuming.

It’s much easier using a premium SEO plugin because it can add schema markup automatically. These tools also let you add more specific markup to individual posts with the click of a mouse, including FAQs, recipes, events, products, and more.

5. Internal Linking Suggestions

We always recommend that you add links to your own content throughout your website. This way, you help users find posts that are related to the topic they are reading about. These are called internal links and they are good for SEO, increasing page views by up to 40%.

The problem is that as you create more content, it becomes hard to find all the related blog posts you can link to. Searching for them manually becomes frustrating and takes a lot of time.

Premium SEO plugins help by automatically listing internal linking opportunities. With a click of your mouse, you can easily add these links to relevant posts along with an automatically generated phrase and anchor text, improving your SEO and saving you time.

6. Social Media Optimization

We also use a premium WordPress SEO plugin for social media optimization because it allows us to control how our WPBeginner content appears when shared on platforms like Facebook and Twitter (X).

Instead of these platforms pulling random information and images from our posts, we can specify the title, description, and image that is used. This means that our posts are more likely to resonate with our social media followers, bringing more traffic to our site.

7. Local SEO Optimization

If your business has physical locations, then premium SEO plugins can help optimize your site for local search results, including automatically generating location-specific schema markup that makes it easier for customers in your area to find you.

Potential customers will see your business on Google Maps and search results when looking for your type of business in their local area.

They will be able to see your address, phone number, and opening hours right from the search results page. Plus, they can even get turn-by-turn directions as they drive to your store.

8. WooCommerce SEO

If you have an online store, you can also benefit from the specialized WooCommerce SEO features offered by premium plugins. These help you optimize your product pages so they are more visible in product searches.

Users will also be able to see customer reviews and star ratings, showing that other customers have had a positive experience with your products. This can help drive more traffic to your store.

9. Priority Support

When you’re running an online business website, having access to expert support can be invaluable. Premium versions usually offer priority support to help you resolve issues quickly.

This ensures that if you come across any problems or issues when using the plugin, then you can receive prompt help from experts and get back to the job of running your business.

For more details, you can see our guide on how to ask for WordPress support and get it.

What Is the Best Value Premium SEO Plugin?

If you’re serious about driving more organic traffic to your website, then subscribing to a premium SEO plugin like we have is a smart move.

Your next task is to decide which plugin or service to use. Your first question will probably be which plugin offers the best value for money.

All in One SEO vs. Yoast SEO Premium

AIOSEO and Yoast SEO are the leading WordPress SEO plugins and offer extensive features.

However, there are important differences in their pricing and features.

When we compare the two plugins’ most affordable plans, AIOSEO is more affordable while offering comparable features:

• AIOSEO’s Basic plan starts at $49.60 per year
• Yoast SEO Premium starts at $99 per year

At first glance, the prices of their most powerful SEO plans look similar:

• AIOSEO’s Elite plan costs $299.60 per year
• Bundle pricing for Yoast SEO Premium, Yoast WooCommerce SEO, Yoast Local SEO, Yoast News SEO, and Yoast Video SEO costs $229 per year.

However, the difference is that AIOSEO’s plan covers 100 websites, while Yoast’s price is for a single site. Plus, AIOSEO offers a more comprehensive feature set.

When it comes to value for money, AIOSEO stands out. It offers a compelling package that covers multiple websites at a competitive price point.

You can learn more in our detailed comparison of Yoast SEO vs. All in One SEO.

You might also like to read about our journey switching from Yoast to All in One SEO to improve our SEO workflow and access the SEO features we need.

All in One SEO vs. Premium Standalone SEO Tools

If you don’t have the budget for standalone SEO tools like Semrush or Ahrefs, AIOSEO Premium offers a lot of impressive features for a great price.

To give you an idea, even when looking at the most affordable options, Semrush‘s most basic plan starts at $119.95 per month, and Ahrefs‘ lite plan starts at $99 per month.

While these tools are incredibly powerful, their starting prices come to more than $1,000 per year, which may not be justifiable for smaller websites or bloggers.

By contrast, you can subscribe to AIOSEO’s highest-tier Elite plan for far less money. It includes advanced features like local SEO, advanced WooCommerce support, and video SEO and costs less than $300 per year.

Besides that, AIOSEO focuses specifically on WordPress, making it easier to use and more tailored to your website’s needs. This makes it a cost-effective solution for agencies or businesses managing multiple WordPress sites.

Plus, if you run a small business or are just getting started, AIOSEO Premium’s features might be more than enough for your needs.

That said, if you’re looking for more SEO features at a lower cost, you can pair the plugin with an affordable tool like SEOBoost to get powerful content optimization options. This will give you AI-powered analyses, content audits, content briefs, and much more.

Or, if you need just a little extra help with keyword research, LowFruits is a great choice. It helps you generate keywords and analyze the SERPs to improve your rankings.

Premium WordPress SEO Plugins FAQ

Here are some questions we are asked most often about premium SEO plugins for WordPress:

What are premium SEO plugins?

Premium SEO plugins are paid versions of WordPress SEO tools that offer advanced features, enhanced optimization capabilities, and often superior support compared to their free alternatives.

How do premium SEO plugins differ from free SEO plugins?

Premium SEO plugins typically offer more advanced features like schema markup generators, content optimization tools, local SEO features, and dedicated support. Free plugins usually provide basic SEO functionality but may lack advanced features or regular updates.

Are premium SEO plugins necessary for good search engine rankings?

While not absolutely necessary, premium SEO plugins can significantly enhance your WordPress site’s optimization efforts, potentially leading to better search engine rankings. They often provide tools and features that can give you an edge in competitive markets.

Will a premium SEO plugin automatically improve my search rankings?

No SEO plugin can guarantee improved rankings. However, premium plugins provide advanced tools and guidance to help you optimize your site more effectively, which can contribute to better search performance.

How much do premium SEO plugins typically cost?

Prices vary, but most premium SEO plugins cost between $50 and $300 per year, depending on the features offered and the number of sites you can use them on.

Do I need to renew my premium SEO plugin license annually?

In most cases, yes. Annual renewals ensure you continue to receive updates, support, and access to new features. However, some plugins offer lifetime licenses.

Can I get a refund if I’m not satisfied with a premium SEO plugin?

Many premium plugin developers offer money-back guarantees for a certain period. Always check the refund policy before purchasing.

Currently, AIOSEO offers a 14-day money-back guarantee, and Yoast SEO has a 30-day guarantee.

We hope this tutorial helped you learn that, for many websites, premium plugins are definitely worth investing in. You may also want to see our guide on how to automate WordPress SEO or our expert pick of the best FAQ WordPress plugins.

By Editorial Staff | Reviewed by Syed Balkhi |

Sourced from wpbeginner

If you liked this article, then please subscribe to wpbeginner YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.

By Barry Schwartz

To be honest, the Google Search ranking volatility has not cooled at all since the pre-launch of the Google August 2024 core update. But something happened yesterday which caused a bit more of a swing of things in the rankings at Google Search. It is like we have had a constant Google Search ranking update for the past month or so – and no, this is not the longest volatility period from Google yet (although we may hit it).

As a reminder, the Google August 2024 core update started on August 15th and officially completed on September 3rd. But it was still super volatile the day after it completed and also weeks after it completed and it has not cooled.

We saw big signals on and around September 6th, September 10th or so and maybe around September 14th. And now I am September 18th.

Google Tracking Tools

Here are what the tools are showing – just look at how the volatility really has not calmed in most of these tools. Some of the tools are calmer but still show spikes around these dates. I wonder what is going on at Google, and I suspect Google wonders as well. 🙂

SERPmetrics:

Semrush:

Advanced Web Rankings:

SimilarWeb:

Algoroo:

SERPstat:

Accuranker:

Mangools:

Wincher:

Mozcast:

Data For SEO:

Cognitive SEO:

 

SEO Chatter

I cannot just go by these tools because most of them have just been showing volatility for the past month or so. The chatter within the SEO industry is a good tool for me to see bigger swings on specific days. So I think we had another big swing yesterday, September 18th.

Here is what I am hearing from WebmasterWorld and here in the past 24-hours or so.

HUGE drop today…

Same here.. HUGE drop today! 🙁

I’m really sorry to write this because I wish it were the case for all of you. Google suddenly seems to have taken a liking to my news site. I already mentioned that I had a very good weekend, but it goes even further than that. Since then, I’ve had roughly the same high number of readers that Google sends me every day (357% more than during the week), mainly via Discover. Sistrix also shows me that the value of visibility continues to rise (quadrupling since Friday). I would like to understand where this is coming from all of a sudden, but since I haven’t changed anything on the site, I don’t see any reason.

Slight recovery past 2 days. Keyword counts per Ahrefs also reversed and appear to be going up again. Too early to tell if its a real trend.

Same for me, the period from after labour day until now has been extremely high traffic. But it is slowly tapering off. I am seeing loses in top 3 and top 10 terms again and also my USA traffic is reverting to the old lower level day by day. Customer inquiries are also slowing down again. Non-USA traffic is still sky high though 

A drop seems like it might have started yesterday at around noon…my traffic dropped like a stone and stayed down rest of the day. Today USA traffic is -40% at 11am, which has broken the pattern of being up every day since Sept. 3rd or so.

Oh … 75% of my Googleday gone and already at 167% v the month so far !

I, too, have a nice increase in traffic today, but that is not reflected in my revenue…yet.

Yes, today’s data. Yesterday was less notable. However, after 4pm, everything went back to normal. It seemed like a filter was turned on, then off…

Does anyone notice drop in impressions today, any upcoming update?

By Barry Schwartz

Sourced from Search Engine Roundtable

By Thaddeus Collins

Ever wonder why your website isn’t showing up on Google? You’ve got the content, the design’s slick, but still—crickets. You’re missing the key ingredient: a solid keyword strategy.

Let’s cut to the chase. Keyword strategy is the backbone of any successful SEO plan. Without it, you’re shooting in the dark, hoping to hit something.

We’re not about hoping here.

We’re about doing.

And to do it right, you’ve got to understand what a keyword strategy is and how it can make or break your online presence.

Let’s be real—SEO can feel like a minefield. Because without the right keywords, your content gets lost.

Imagine investing time and energy into content that never reaches your target audience. Frustrating, right?

That’s where a solid keyword strategy steps in.

It’s your roadmap, your blueprint to ensure your content not only reaches the right people but also ranks on those golden spots in the search engine results pages (SERPs).

Keyword targeting isn’t just about stuffing random words into your content. It’s about understanding what your audience is searching for and delivering exactly that.

What Is a Keyword Strategy, Anyway?

Think of a keyword strategy like the GPS for your website. It guides every piece of content, helping search engines like Google connect the dots. But it’s not just about stuffing keywords into your content and calling it a day.

We’re talking about understanding search intent, using tools like the Google Keyword Planner or Ahrefs to find high-impact keywords, and making sure those keywords align with what your audience is actually searching for.

Understanding Search Intent

Here’s the deal:

Search intent is everything. Because you need to know what people are really after when they type something into Google. Are they looking for information? Ready to buy something? Or just browsing?

Dr. Marie Haynes, SEO Consultant has been quoted as stating. “Many of the things we have traditionally done in the name of SEO are far less important now. Instead of keyword research, we should be focusing on intent research.”

Understanding this is crucial for nailing your keyword strategy.

There are three main types of search intent:

• Navigational: When someone is trying to find a specific website. For example, typing “Facebook login” into the search bar.
• Informational: When they’re looking to learn more about a topic, like “how to create a keyword strategy.”
• Transactional: When they’re ready to make a purchase, like searching for “buy SEO tools online.”

Align your keywords with these intents, and you’ll attract the right audience, at the right time, with the right content.

Let’s break down an example of search intent:

Imagine you’re in a café, overhearing someone say, “I need to rank higher on Google.”

That’s what they want, right?

But what are they really asking for?

They’re asking for tips, tricks, tools—something to help them rank higher.

That’s search intent.

And if you’re not aligning your keyword strategy with this intent, you’re missing out.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Identify the intent behind each keyword: Is it navigational, informational, or transactional?
• Choose the right keywords: Choose keywords that match what your audience is looking for.
• Avoid fluff: With so much information on the Internet, your audience doesn’t want to have to search for the information they need, so go straight to the point.

Keyword Research Techniques

Let’s get into the nitty-gritty.

The foundation of any successful keyword strategy is solid keyword research. You can’t just guess what people are searching for. You need data.

And there are some killer tools out there to help:

• Google Keyword Planner: This is your bread and butter. It’s free, and it’s straight from the horse’s mouth—Google Keyword Planner.
• Ahrefs: If you’re serious about SEO, Ahrefs is a must-have. It digs deep, giving you a treasure trove of keywords.
• SEMrush: Another heavy hitter, SEMrush not only helps with keywords but also shows you what your competitors are ranking for.

But how do you actually use these tools?

Simple.

Start with a broad topic—let’s say, ” content marketing.” Plug it into these tools, and they’ll spit out hundreds of related keywords. Some will be high-volume, others low-volume, and some will have high competition, while others won’t.

Your job is to find the sweet spot.

Competitive Keyword Analysis

Let’s get real for a second—if you’re not keeping an eye on your competitors, you’re missing out.

They’re ranking above you for a reason. Understanding why can help you build a better keyword strategy. This is where competitive keyword analysis comes into play.

Think of it as sneaking a peek at their playbook.

• What keywords are they ranking for?
• Which ones are driving the most traffic?
• And more importantly, where are the gaps?

They’ve already done a lot of the hard work for you. Use that to your advantage.

How?

Competitive keyword analysis

1. Identify Your Top Competitors: With tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush, you can see exactly what keywords your competitors are ranking for. This gives you a blueprint of what’s working in your industry. And, also a means to see who’s ranking for the same keywords you want to target.
2. Find Opportunities: These are the keywords that have high search intent but low competition. They’re the sweet spot for your keyword strategy. But don’t just copy them—learn from them. It’s about learning from them and then doing it better.
3. Analyse Their Keyword Strategy: Look for gaps in their strategy. Maybe they’re missing out on some killer long-tail keywords or not fully optimizing their content. Look at the keywords they’re ranking for. Pay attention to the ones driving the most traffic.

This isn’t about copying your competitors.

Targeting Long-Tail Keywords

Ever tried ranking for “SEO”?

Good luck with that.

It’s like trying to win the lottery.

Instead, let’s focus on long-tail keywords—those specific phrases that might not get tons of searches but have way less competition.

For example:

“How to create an effective keyword strategy” beats just “keyword strategy.”

“Best tools for keyword research and analysis” beats just “keyword research.”

These long-tail keywords are gold.

Look for long-tail keywords—those are the more specific, lower-competition phrases that people are searching for. They’re often gold mines for attracting targeted traffic.

Another example:

Instead of just targeting “keyword strategy,” you might go for something like “how to create a keyword strategy for small businesses.” It’s more specific, and there’s less competition

They’re specific, less competitive, and they attract visitors who know exactly what they’re looking for.

Optimizing Content with Keywords

Okay, you’ve got your keywords.

Now what?

Time to sprinkle them throughout your content—but strategically.

Here’s how:

• Title: Your main keyword should be right up there in the title. It’s the first thing people (and search engines) see.
• Headings: Break up your content with headings and subheadings that include your keywords. This not only helps with SEO but also makes your content easier to read.
• Introduction: Drop your main keyword in the first few lines. It sets the tone and lets everyone know what your content is about.
• Body: Naturally incorporate your keywords into the body of your content. But don’t overdo it—keep it natural and readable.
• Conclusion: Wrap things up with your keyword. It’s a neat way to tie everything together.

Remember, keyword strategy is all about balance.

You want to include your keywords enough to signal to search engines that your content is relevant, but not so much that it feels forced or unnatural.

Here’s how to do it right:

• Use your primary keyword: in the title, first sentence, and somewhere in the last sentence.
• Include secondary keywords naturally throughout your content.
• Create keyword-rich sub headers to help with on-page SEO.
• Don’t forget the meta descriptions—they’re the unsung heroes of SEO.

And remember—keep it natural. If it feels forced, it probably is. Keep the flow, make it readable, and ensure the keywords serve the content, not the other way around.

Relevant FAQs on Keyword Strategy

Q: How many keywords should I target for each page?

A: Aim for one primary keyword and a couple of secondary keywords. Focus on making them fit naturally into the content.

Q: What’s the difference between short-tail and long-tail keywords?

A: Short-tail keywords are broad and competitive (like “SEO”), while long-tail keywords are more specific and easier to rank for (like “how to create an effective keyword strategy”).

Q: How often should I update my keyword strategy?

A: Regularly. At least every few months. SEO is dynamic, and staying updated ensures your content remains relevant and competitive.

Q: Should I use the same keyword strategy for every page?

A: No. Each page should have its own keyword strategy based on the content, audience, and search intent.

Q: How do I know if my keyword strategy is working?

A: Track your rankings, organic traffic, and conversions. If you’re seeing improvements, your strategy is on point.

Conclusion

So, there you have it.

We’ve gone through what makes a killer keyword strategy, from understanding search intent to optimizing content and keeping tabs on your competitors. Your website’s success hinges on getting this right.

And remember, keyword strategy isn’t just about getting traffic. It’s about getting the right traffic—people who want what you’re offering

Start implementing these strategies today, and you’ll see the difference. Your strategy will not just drive traffic, but drive the right traffic, making all the difference.

By Thaddeus Collins

Thaddeus Collins is a seasoned digital marketer at Inker Street Digital with over a decade of experience in the ever-evolving world of online marketing. Specializing in strategies that drive growth and engagement, Thaddeus has helped numerous businesses scale their online presence through innovative approaches in SEO, and social media marketing.

Sourced from Inker Street

Inker Street Digital provides online guides for entrepreneurs interested in promoting their businesses. For more information about our services visit or social post on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

By Lighting Rock Research

Feature Image Credit: da-kuk

By Lighting Rock Research

I am a growth-oriented investor, conducting fundamental research. Long-term focus, independent thinking. I prefer companies with deep moats and high recurring sales growth. Disclosure: Hunter Wolf and I are working in the same investment team. I am writing here independently.

Sourced from Seeking Alpha

BY STEVE STRAUSS

These are not your father’s newsletters.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

BY STEVE STRAUSS

Sourced from Inc.

By Peyton Bigora

Retailers have moved away from collecting identifiable information from consumers, but need to be aware of requirements for the personal data they do collect, an Albertsons privacy official said.

NEW YORK — Privacy laws should be as much of a concern to grocers as ad partnerships as retailers expand their in-store and online retail media efforts, an Albertsons official said at an industry event last week.

The industry has been moving away from collecting personally identifiable information (PII) like first and last names, email addresses and phone numbers and toward personal data, which is broader than PII and incorporates “pseudonymized identifiers” like a mobile ID, platform ID or a cookie ID, Privacy Counsel for Albertsons Andrew Tobel said during a panel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Connected Commerce Summit last week.

As a result, privacy law has pivoted to regulating the personal data retailers do collect, Tobel said Wednesday during the session, which focused on how retailers can best navigate privacy laws and understand where they currently stand.

These days, privacy laws are more focused on the parameters of personal data, Tobel said.

“Even if the law doesn’t treat a specific data attribute as sensitive, you need to consider what your consumer expects,” he said.

Privacy laws today require retailers to have explicit terms around personal data and pseudonymized identifiers in their contracts with service providers, processors or third party companies outlining what those entities can do, Tobel said.

“Personal data” is an expansive term that also includes “sensitive personal data,” which can include people’s location, ethnicity and nationality — information that is vital to retailers and CPGs as an “effective driver” for ad campaigns and ensuring that ads reach the right audiences, according to Tobel.

Tobel broke down the origin of personal data into three concepts — direct, supplied and derived.

Direct data is personal information gathered right from the consumer and, according to Tobel, is the most impactful when it comes to creating creative and inspirational ways to engage customers.

Supplied data, on the other hand, refers to data that is purchased as part of identity graphing or audience segmentation capabilities, Tobel said, and, under privacy laws, falls into the category or “purpose specification.” Retailers purchase this kind of data for a specific purpose, and it can be used to create relevant ads or push notifications to consumers. However, this area can be a slippery slope as consumers may not be aware their data would be used in a different way than how they supplied it, Tobel said.

Meanwhile, derived data refers to inferences or predictions retailers and CPG partners make about customer behaviour, whether an individual shopper or a group, Tobel said. Like supplied data, the rules that apply to derived data are subject to change under privacy laws’ consent requirements, and this needs to be taken into account when retailers work with their data science teams and partner with vendors.

Data clean rooms — secure and controlled spaces where multiple companies can compile data for joint analysis — can be an effective way to move forward with personalization-focused retail media efforts, as they are a “great privacy-conscious way to work with … consumers’ data,” Tobel said. However, one misconception about these data clean rooms Tobel pointed out was they are not “privacy safe” or a “silver bullet” that can work around privacy laws.

The law requires data to be available to ad and CPG partners, according to Tobel. Retailers also must make available tools used within data clean rooms to process personal data collected by retailers, Tobel said.

Feature Image Credit: Peyton Bigora/Grocery Dive

By Peyton Bigora

Sourced from Grocery Dive

By Jerri Ledford

With the holiday season right around the corner, communicating with customers is more important than ever

Small and medium businesses need to up their game to keep customers coming back.

The holiday shopping season is often the time when businesses make the most sales, and according to a new report, there are things that SMBs (small and medium businesses) could do to make it more successful.

A study released by Constant Contact revealed that about half of all SMBs get more than a quarter of their annual sales during the holiday season, and 58 percent of them say holiday customers are “extremely important” to the success of their business. Unfortunately, many SMBs are dropping the ball when it comes to turning those holiday customers into repeat customers.

One surprising statistic from the report is that 27 percent of consumers say they never hear from an SMB again after they visit or buy from the business the first time, and despite 81 percent of customers saying they’re more open to receiving mail and texts from an SMB after visiting them or making a purchase during the holiday season, less than half of those customers ever do.

In part, the problem is time. About 31 percent of SMBs are concerned about retaining their current customers, but more than half (56 percent) of SMBs say they have an hour or less each day to spend on marketing.

This is a huge missed opportunity for SMBs. According to a post on LinkedIn by digital marketeer Amber Roosen, even just sending consistent emails to new customers can help establish trust and loyalty for SMB customers. According to a Constant Contact blog post from June 2024, 34 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase from a marketing email, and it takes three new customers to compensate for the loss of one existing customer.

Fortunately, there are tons of tools available now to help you reduce the amount of time you spend staying in contact with your customers. So, with the holiday season right around the corner, the question then becomes, what have you done to build a relationship with your customers in preparation for the biggest spending spree of the year? And what do you plan to do to keep those customers coming back next year?

Feature Image Credit: Lock Stock / Getty Images

By Jerri Ledford

Sourced from lifewire

By ELIZABETH DANZIGER

It’s all about your subject line.

Feature Image Credit: Getty Images

By ELIZABETH DANZIGER

FOUNDER, WORKTALK COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTING @WRITAMINLADY

Sourced from Inc.

By Russell Cargill

 

By Russell Cargill

Sourced from beehiiv Blog

By Kyt Dotson

Inbound marketing and customer relationship management platform HubSpot Inc. introduced Breeze, the company’s artificial intelligence.

It underlies the entire customer solution for go-to-market teams designed with a copilot, automated AI agents and a unified view of customer management.

Dylan Sellberg, director of product at HubSpot, told SiliconANGLE in an interview that although AI has promised to provide transformative value to customers and business at large, it hasn’t gotten there quite yet. Part of the problem appeared to be because AI was difficult to use and it required a vast pool of data to work with. That’s why HubSpot introduced Breeze, an easy-to-use AI companion and system integrated throughout the entire platform that takes advantage of the data, resources and context that the company’s customers work with every day without requiring any technical expertise.

“Breeze Copilot is a product that helps you use HubSpot more efficiently,” said Sellberg. “It’s your assistant. It’s interwoven throughout the entire product. Copilot will exist on every page and every app as a panel that you can talk with, but also as an embedded element.”

Copilot can be summoned by marketing, sales and services teams as a chat-based AI to offer personalized insights and recommendations about leads, customers and engagements. It is aware of the full context of what’s happening on the screen – including, for example, if there’s a list page with 50 contacts on it. Many marketers or service reps might have this common behaviour of opening 10 or 20 tabs and jumping between them. The AI can still read through all of them, summarize and compare all the information in them with just one prompt.

Copilot is also embedded directly into pages as a context menu so users don’t need to think about what to ask. They can just invoke it directly and receive a summary immediately about what they’re looking at without any extra typing, which makes it easier to use.

Breeze Intelligence helps provide a more complete view of customers by bringing in data from over 200 million company and buyer profiles. In beta now, this AI-powered solution assists service workers with building up contract records, discerning buyer intent and shortening otherwise long contact forms to avoid them being abandoned by users.

“Data is typically hard to get about your customers,” said Sellberg. “It can be scattered across the internet, different puzzle pieces, and when businesses can’t put that together, they’re not getting the full picture. Of course, businesses can get the data, but it’s hard work.”

With the data enrichment capability, Intelligence gets the hard work out of the way with one click by adding missing portions of customer profiles directly from HubSpot’s records including firmographic, demographic and technographic attributes that are continually refreshed.

Using the buyer intent capacity, marketers can set their target market, identify buyer intent signals and use that to add likely high-intent companies to their HubSpot customer relationship profiles. The AI helps marketers make these identifications using signals such as page views and other intent metrics.

Breeze Agents automate tasks like experts

All available in beta, Breeze includes four automated agents that will automate tasks to give marketing, sales and service teams AI experts capable of completing work rapidly with just a prompt and a few clicks.

The Breeze Content Agent provides marketers with high-quality content such as landing pages for the web, blogs and full case studies written from start to finish using a customer’s brand voice based on information from HubSpot’s context. It also has podcasting capability where it can write a full script, or even generate a fully AI generated voiced podcast using seven different voices.

The Social Media Agent allows users to create posts that fit into the company’s brand across different networks that use the company’s details, audience and industry. It can generate fitting posts, and prepare and schedule them for the proper times to garner the biggest impact.

The Prospecting Agent can help marketers engage leads by researching and preparing personalized outreach messages to contacts and helping craft the right messages.

The Customer Agent will take over customer-facing support based on an enterprise business service and product line. It can be trained in a few clicks based on a company’s knowledge base, website and blog content so that it can start helping very quickly. Of course, it can’t answer every single question, so when it runs into something too complex for it to handle, it can hand off to a human service worker with all the context of the original question asked by the customer and how it handled the initial contact.

Feature Image Credit: HubSpot

By Kyt Dotson

Sourced from siliconANGLE