ServerPilot – Why We Use It!

If you are using DigitalOcean for your server, then you will also want to check out ServerPilot. ServerPilot is a free third-party service that helps you remotely set up and manage your DigitalOcean servers. It will also keep all of your servers secure by regularly applying updates as well as patches.

This is a great service, because unlike other shared hosting plans, DigitalOcean does not manage your actual server. You do that yourself, unless you use ServerPilot. This is great for those who do not know how to build and manage their own servers.

ServerPilot – Let It Configure Everything For You

Once you create your ServerPilot account, you will first need to connect a server to it. After doing this, you will start with a fresh Ubuntu server. Make sure you have not already installed Apache, PHP, MySQL, or Nginx or you will not be able to connect your server to ServerPilot.

Your next step is to complete a secure form, and then the ServerPilot agent will be installed onto your server. This agent will then keep a secure connection open with ServerPilot and will do the actual management of your server, sending you the stats and logs. It is truly like having your own assistant to help you run and monitor your servers!

The reason why you do not want to have the previously mentioned programs installed is because the ServerPilot agent will install and configure all of this for you with the next step. Using ServerPilot to create a new app for each website you wish to host on your server, you will never need to do any configuration for it. The ServerPilot agent handles it all. You are also able to use the built-in WordPress installer to upload your site's files to the server.

What Does ServerPilot Do?

There are several things that ServerPilot does that will make it much easier for you to manage your websites on the server:

Software Installation – ServerPilot will install all of the software that your server needs so you do not have to try and figure it out yourself.

Firewall Configuration – ServerPilot will secure your server with an iptables firewall.

Simple Control Panel – The control panel that ServerPilot uses makes it easy to host multiple sites on your server as well as manage databases, deploy SSL, change PHP versions, and many other tasks as well.

Automatic Updates – Once you have installed ServerPilot, you will not need to worry about keeping it updated. It will keep all of your server packages updated for you.

AutoSSL – Using AutoSSL, ServerPilot enables free SSL certificates for your app's domain.

Professional PHP and WordPress Hosting – ServerPilot’s free plan will provide everything you need for reliable and secure hosting of your server. If you choose a paid plan, it will offer additional features that will be helpful to you as your business grows.

Stats and Monitoring – ServerPilot will provide you with stats as well as monitoring of your servers and apps.

ServerPilot is an added bonus to DigitalOcean, as it makes the process of building a website and setting up a server easy for even those who have no idea how to do it. It also makes it easier on the person that does know what they’re doing, as it frees up time that can be put back into developing the business in other ways.

No matter the website or server, no matter the knowledge of the person building it, ServerPilot is a great addition to DigitalOcean and acts like the server manager your business can not yet afford.

Go check out everything ServerPilot has to offer, and see if it can help you where you need it!

If you want more information on DigitalOcean, check out Virtual Market Advantage’s blog here! (LINK WHEN PUBLISHED)

Long Tail Keywords

Improve Search Results with Long Tail Keywords

Long Tail Keywords - you have probably heard this term before. still, chances are you are probably asking yourself, “What are long tail keywords?” They are keywords or key phrases that are more specific (and sometimes longer) than the more commonly searched-for keywords. For example, “SEO” is a very general search that will net you all sorts of results, but “SEO company Kansas City” is very specific, and will direct you towards VMA (and our competitors)! Long tail keywords usually get less traffic, but will have a higher conversion value, since they are more specific to a particular topic.

If you really want your business to profit off of long tail keywords, you first need to have a very clear vision for your company, your product, and your website. If you can do this, then you can go ahead and start using a keyword strategy by focusing on long tail keywords. Here’s how to begin:

Know Your Product and Your Business

While you are working to set up great marketing online for your business, you really need to focus on and understand just what you are selling and to whom you are selling it. Having a clear focus for your business will make marketing it easier and get you the customer traffic you want.

If you want to target the customer that knows exactly what they are looking for (and you can offer it), using long tail keywords is a great idea. But first, you need to know exactly how to use them and make the most out of it.

Customer Buying Patterns

A seasoned online businessperson knows the value in long tail keywords and uses them to his or her advantage. You need to get to those buyers who are being specific in what they want. There is typically a six-step pattern that someone uses when they go to buy something, and it looks a little like this:

1. The customer becomes aware of the product.
2. They seek information about the product as they prepare to possibly purchase it.
3. They will evaluate the alternatives to the product.
4. They will make the purchase decision.
5. They will pull out their payment method and complete the transaction.
6. The customer will evaluate the product after buying and decide whether to keep or return it.

Looking at this buying pattern, it is safe to say that as a business, you will want to really gain this customer’s attention around step 4. Sure, it’s great to gain their attention earlier by using short, broad keywords, but you can also focus on long tail keywords to really get their attention when they’re making the actual purchase decision. As they are ready to buy a product, the customer will start using very specific search phrases as they seek out their target purchase.

The Benefit of Using Multi-Phrases

Using a very specific multi-phrase is usually easier to rank and rank well with than using keywords that simply use a generic single- or double-word phrase. Making sure you get a good specific long tail keyword can be tricky, because you will always most likely be going up against big-name companies no matter what you are selling. Alternately, you could go too specific and end up using a keyword that is simply too unique and unused. Just remember these two things as you are sitting and thinking about your business and how you want to get it out there:

1. Long tail keywords are much easier to rank for, since they are specific.
2. People who search by using these long tail keywords are more likely to become a buyer.

By using long tail keywords, it is likely that you will need to create more pages within your website, as you are trying to gain a very specific audience and buyer. That is okay, because it turns out that Google likes a website that has many pages! This takes a special balance, as you build your website and those pages without adding too much junk.

Be careful to not completely neglect more common keywords, or you may not gain enough traffic. It is a balance for your business that needs to be researched and see which long tail keywords have the highest traffic and go from there. It is best to have a few pages that send you large amounts of general traffic and then also have a large number of pages with each one sending you a small amount of highly targeted traffic.

Research is Key

With SEO, it is always best to get in some good old-fashioned research as you look into using long tail keywords. This will help you determine which keywords will bring you enough traffic to sustain your business as well as help you rank higher based on the sites you are competing against.

Once you have these keywords researched and ready to use, make sure that the long tail keywords are well used within all the content on your website and the pages. Content is a crucial part of making the long tail keywords work well for you.

Using long tail keywords that work for your business should do three things for you over time:

1. You should have better rankings.
2. You should see higher sales conversions.
3. More of your pages will be indexed in Google.

Long tail keywords may not always work, and that is okay. It is not something you want to overuse anyway. You want these longer keywords or phrases to help push your business up, not bring it down. Sprinkle them in where you need them and figure out where to use them using trial and error.

Resources for Long Tail Keywords

Here are a few websites that are useful for finding long tail keywords for specific topics:

• Long Tail Pro
• SearchVolume.io
• Keyword Tool
• Answer the Public
• AgencyAnalytics
• You can also simply use search engine results by looking at what Google or other sites try to auto fill when searching for your product or topic.

If you want more SEO advice from Virtual Market Advantage, check out our other blogs, such this one that goes over how to best write Facebook Ads for your business!