Rockville Chamber of Commerce

We make relationships happen.

Archives for July 2021

SEO Overhaul for Business Websites

SEO – search engine optimization – is one of the essential tools to boost organic website traffic. If you haven’t reviewed your SEO strategy in a while, now is the perfect time to evaluate your best practices and look into an SEO overhaul for a fresh start.

SEO checklist

GKA, a local creative ad agency, offers the following checklist to help you determine whether your site is properly optimized. It will also offer places to start if it’s not:

  • Each page contains a mix of main keywords and semantically related keywords that occur naturally in the copy.
  • These keywords are present in your page titles, URLs, alt tags, metadata, and more.
  • You have plenty of long-form content to display your expertise.
  • You use compelling title tags and meta descriptions to grab users’ attention on Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs) and receive more clicks.
  • User experience is something to prioritize, and your pages load fast.
  • Your website has a logical structure so users can easily navigate and find the content they need.

Create Sustainable Growth

Successful websites adopt SEO best practices that allow for sustainable growth in terms of organic traffic. Specifically, this includes developing content hand in hand with your strategy, from creating quality and authoritative articles to using keyword research to identify new topics to discuss.

You should also have a plan for building good links to continuously boost your rankings and get more organic traffic. Keeping up with new trends and search methods is also important. Recent examples include voice search, featured snippets and searches for video content.

A strong SEO campaign should focus on attracting qualified traffic by looking at the search intent behind the keywords you target and using data to track conversion rates.

Lastly, you should be aware that Google and other search engines roll out algorithm updates that might call for new best practices, like the recent Google Page Experience update.

Audit Your Website

Ultimately, an SEO overhaul can identify missing or outdated SEO practices and help get better results with new strategies. Let’s work together. Contact us to learn more about getting better results with your SEO efforts!

About the Author

Sarah Crisafulli is vice president of brand strategy for GKA, a creative agency based in Gaithersburg, MD. Contact her at 301-657-8855, ext. 1203.

Spread the RCC Love!

The Rockville Chamber Welcomes Amazing Lash Studio

Amazing Lash Studio, a new member of the Rockville Chamber of Commerce was welcomed on July 23, 2021 with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

If you haven’t had the chance to visit Amazing Lash Studio plan a visit soon. You’ll find them at 5554 Norbeck Rd. They provide lash services to include extensions and lash lifts. Any questions about the studio or their services, visit their website.

Enjoy a spa-like experience at Amazing Lash Studio!

First, your stylist will use their patented application process to attach light-weight eyelash extensions to each of your individual lashes; giving you a natural-looking lash line. Customize your look for your length, fullness and personal style. Additionally, your stylist will use safe, professional grade adhesive and the utmost care to craft your unique look as you relax on a comfy massage bed in a private room. As a result, you’ll find that their beautiful studio goes beyond the everyday salon routine to provide an amazing experience that transforms you instantly!

At Amazing Lash Studio, their expert stylists will help you select the style best suited for your desired look. They even taking into consideration your lifestyle to ensure your best lash look. In addition to their specially designed lightweight synthetic eyelash extensions offers a little extra va-va-voom. Their Volume lashes are for those who want an even fuller lash line or a special occasion look.

Amazing Lash Studio memberships are available, too! If you love your lashes a membership may be for you. For instance, if you want to receive discounts on additional services; earn cash towards upgrades and have your discounts honored at more than 200 locations nationwide, consider a membership.

To schedule a ribbon cutting ceremony for your business contact the Chamber. Or, to find upcoming events at the Rockville Chamber, please visit our calendar of events.

Spread the RCC Love!

Ema Rossi Pizzeria Neapolitan Joins Rockville Chamber

July 1, 2021 — Picture of Kelly of Ema Rossi Neapolitan Pizzeria at the ribbon cutting holding Rockville Chamber plaque.

Ema Rossi is a family-owned pizzeria named after owner and chef Manuel Ruiz’s mother Emanuela, who instilled in him a love of cooking from an early age, particularly of Italian recipes passed down to her from her parents who emigrated from Umbria.  The owner brings his Italian roots and love of good food and great hospitality to everything we create.

Our mission is to deliver an exceptional culinary experience without pretension. We insist upon the use of quality ingredients, sourcing the most authentic, natural, and locally-sourced meats, cheeses, and produce. For our pizza, we use only four ingredients: non-GMO double-zero flour, pure mineral water, sea salt, and live yeast. Our Neapolitan-style pizzas are baked to perfection, with a slight char, in an authentic “Acunto Mario” wood-fired brick oven imported directly from Naples, Italy. We also offer antipasti, fresh salads, homemade pastas, and Italian gelato. Our restaurant is reminiscent of a small, local trattoria in the heart of Italy. Everything is made from scratch. Our simple yet unique wine list offers wines from various regions in Italy and we offer beers from local Maryland breweries.

Food is our passion and we can’t wait to share it with you!

Spread the RCC Love!

Don’t Let Investments Go On Vacation!

Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided somewhat, people are feeling more free to travel. But while it’s nice for you to take a vacation, you won’t want your investments to do the same. How can you keep them working on your behalf?

First, invest consistently. If you only dabble in investing, occasionally putting some money into one investment or another, it will be difficult to build a portfolio that’s consistently working in your best interest.

Also, you need to own enough of the types of investments that can provide the growth you need to reach your long-term goals. And make sure you’re getting the most out of these investments. For example, your 401(k) and IRA are designed for your retirement – so try to avoid tapping into them early.

Finally, review your investment portfolio at least once a year to make sure it’s still performing the way you intend. If it’s not helping you make the progress you need to achieve your objectives, you may want to make some changes.

If you’re traveling this summer, relax, take in the sights and enjoy yourself – but keep those investments working hard.  

About the Author

Laura Nash is a financial advisor with Edward Jones, based in Rockville, MD. Reach out to her at 301-881-3034.

Spread the RCC Love!

The Essentials Small-Business Marketing Checklist on a Shoestring Budget

The idea of marketing your business can seem daunting, but increasing your brand presence doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg. Whether you’re launching a new business or planning a move, we’ve compiled an essential marketing checklist to set your business up for success. If you need help along the way, GKA, our creative agency with a presence in the DC region and Tampa, is here to help.

Branding

  • Begin with a strong focus on branding and establishing your brand identity. Establishing brand guidelines (logos, fonts, colors, design elements, etc.) is crucial for consistency. Dedicate time to establishing your brand to ensure that your content is consistent and that people can recognize your brand easily.

Website

  • Buy your domain name and launch your website. Your site will be a great source of information for people who are curious about your brand and a great way to tell your brand story. 
  • Incorporate SEO into your marketing efforts right from the start by doing some keyword research and looking for opportunities to build links.

Social Media

  • Claim your listing on Google My Business and other directories such as Yelp and TripAdvisor if you have a brick-and-mortar location or office. This ensures the information about your location is consistent and easily navigable for your customers.
  • Create social media pages on the platforms your audience uses, and claim profiles on other platforms you don’t plan on using to prevent any confusion. Tell your audience about your mission and share behind-the-scenes content as you get ready to sell your products.

Email Marketing

  • Build your email list by encouraging customers to sign up and receive exclusive updates or future deals.

Traditional Media

  • Don’t overlook offline channels to increase awareness. You can target customers in specific locations with a mix of podcasts/radio, broadcast TV, over-the-top streaming, direct mail and print ads.

Subhead: Public Relations & Events

  • Establish partnerships with journalists, influencers, bloggers, industry publications, city officials, and your local Chamber to increase your exposure.
  • Develop a press kit that is downloadable on your website with fast facts and contact information for journalists to get in touch.
  • Explore different types of promotional events to get people excited about your products or services. For instance, live video use jumped 22% in 2021 compared to 2020, and it’s a great way to connect with your audience while creating a sense of anticipation.

Relocation Marketing For Small Businesses

With our recent expansion to Tampa, we understand what it takes to relocate your business. Moving to a new location means you’ll have to notify the IRS, your state’s business division, and your customers. You can use this checklist to keep your customers in the loop:

  • Announce your move in advance and share updates regularly with your audience. It’s an opportunity to talk about how your business is growing and make loyal customers a part of this journey.
  • Introduce yourself to your market through social media, your website and other communication channels. Then, reward your new customers for their purchases.
  • Update your NAP (name, address, phone) on your website, social media profiles, and email signature.
  • Create and verify a new listing on Google My Business, and send a request to have your reviews transferred. Fill out this new profile with your hours and add images of your new location.
  • Use a local citation tool such as Yext to find all mentions of your business online and claim your different directory listings to update them.
  • Consider geo-location campaigns, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Yelp Ads and other geo-location services to increase awareness by geo-targeting potential customers who are seeking similar products and services.

For most small businesses, developing a marketing strategy can come with a lot of overhead. However, successful marketing doesn’t always hinge on how much you spend on it. GKA can help you during your move or assist you as you launch your business with a start-up package that includes everything you need to establish a strong digital presence. Let’s work together. Contact us to learn more about a marketing checklist that’s unique to your needs.

About the Author

Sarah Crisafulli is vice president of brand strategy for GKA, a local ad agency based in Gaithersburg, MD.

Spread the RCC Love!

Push your business forward with Google My Business

How would you feel if you visited a local business (A) to buy something and found out it was closed for no apparent reason? As a customer, you might consider it an unpleasant surprise and quickly find an alternative business (B) to get what you want, right? Chances are that in the near future you are likely to set B as your favorite business and take A off your list because it didn’t meet your expectations. 

Sometimes local business owners don’t find it necessary to provide information about their business and unfortunately, they miss potential clients or even existing ones. To prevent this from happening, Google has created an excellent tool called Google My Business (GMB), a robust platform where businesses can manage their digital marketing efforts all from one screen.

In today’s information age, it is more important than ever for businesses to have a strong online presence. Although it can be achieved in many ways, the easiest is with the help of GMB — a free, easy-to-use tool that manages your business’ or organization’s digital footprint across Google search results pages as well as map listings.

Not only does this ensure you are found in relevant searches such as “restaurants near me,” but also allows customers to leave reviews about their experience at your establishment that could lead them & others who might be reading those reviews back again!

This tool is very useful for local businesses, as it allows owners to manage their business information, interact with customers and expand their presence. One of the most relevant features for today’s business is that customers can share your company’s profile with other people, further increasing potential clients.

GMB is very simple to use thanks to its user-friendly interface. All you need is to access Google My Business web page, create a business profile and add your business information such as business name, category, location, working hours, phone number and website. 

Market research indicates the best way to ensure your business stands out is by showing potential clients the reasons why your company is different from the rest. This helps to attract new customers and keep existing ones happy!

To take maximum advantage of this powerful tool, we consider the following steps necessary:

  • Add a short description

You need to write some lines to tell people about the products or services your business offers. This is your opportunity to attract potential customer’s attention. Try your best to make this short description catchy but not “salesy.” It will reflect your business brand values and personality.

  • Add pictures to call the attention of potential clients 

We recommend choosing genuine images, not downloaded images. Original images will fit your business perfectly and will be trustworthy for visitors. Deliver a relatable experience. Think of what your current customers love the most of your business and showcase it properly!

  • Answer every client’s review

Customer reviews are important. Responding to customer’s feedback is a way of showing that you care about customer satisfaction. It also helps you to identify business areas that can be improved.

  • Promote your content, events, offers and products through advertising

Google has launched Google Post for businesses. It allows you to share interesting content about your business such as blog posts, events, special offers and all you consider necessary to promote your company.

  • Add a short video

It is by far the best way to catch your target audience’s eyes because it shows the reality as if they were there. Start recording your company’s events or even just how your team works. It makes a huge difference!

  • Complete the Question-Answer section

Respond to your clients’ doubts so they don’t hesitate in coming on by. You should do this not only for the sake of professionalism, but also because your answers help strengthen relationships with previous clients or even potential future clients who might have similar queries.

About the Author

Fernando Polti submitted the article on behalf of Global Wizards, which specializes in marketing and web development. Check out his company at https://wizards.us

Spread the RCC Love!