Amazon has launched new HIPAA-compliant skills aimed at improving voice services in healthcare fields. All of these skills will now transmit health-related information via voice within the confines established by HIPAA.

While HIPAA-compliant voice features have been on the horizon for some time now, this marks a significant step towards progress in the $3.5 trillion healthcare industry. While healthcare has lagged behind other consumer-facing industries when it comes to technology, this new software coming out of Amazon appears to be the light at the end of the tunnel.

Google recently released a new update to their search engine called the March 2019 Core Update. Google makes hundreds of small changes to their algorithm every year, but most of them go unannounced. Core updates refine Google’s algorithms to make search results better.

Google did not officially announce the update or make a public statement until industry professionals started to notice some changes and approached the company for clarification. This type of privacy is common for Google, especially since the guidelines surrounding how it ranks websites are complex. Industry professionals are still waiting to see how the changes associated with the March 2019 Core Update, which was rolled out on March 12th, may impact websites' overall rankings and traffic. 

Almost two-thirds of smartphone users are more inclined to make a purchase from businesses that customize location information. Businesses that optimize their local search presences are primed to convert searchers into sales.  

To improve the odds of appearing in local searches, businesses should take full advantage of their Google My Business (GMB) page. When searching locally, Google will display GMB pages before more traditional website links. For example, search for "Chinese restaurant" on your smartphone. Google will display the GMB pages of restaurants that fit that description in the Maps results at the top of your screen. As a business owner, you can leverage your GMB profile to improve your local search visibility and increase potential customers.

Can your potential customers easily find you online? According to Forbes, 74 percent of internet users are performing local searches and 61 percent of those searches result in a purchase. Regardless of what business sector you are in, search engine marketing (SEM) plays a key role in getting new customers. In fact, 85 percent of retailers say that SEM is the "most effective customer acquisition tactic." While search engine optimization (SEO) is all about organically growing your web traffic, SEM involves paying to list your business in relevant search results. If your SEM strategy isn't effective, you're losing customers and money. You can reverse that trend by finding the right SEM partner to help you reap the benefits of SEM. Here are five questions to help you choose one that's right for your business. 

Over time, SEO best practices have evolved; however, the importance of inbound linking has remained relatively consistent. If anything, the primary change has been the search engine approach to scoring each link, which combats link-stuffing and suspicious link-building tricks.

If you're a marketing professional trying to optimize your business for search, you likely understand the practice of link-building. Additionally, you probably recognize the importance of avoiding questionable tactics that do more harm than good. But there are other, less-common strategies that leverage emerging marketing trends and attempt to create linking advantages through partnerships and business relationships. Here are three such practices to strengthen your approach to SEO.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can make content more user-friendly and empower marketers to work efficiently. However, discussions about AI and content marketing often center on the potential for machines to eventually replace writers. While the technology is already used to generate sports and financial news updates, creating bots smart enough to write with nuance, creativity, original research and critical thinking is far off.

Still, AI's major role in search has significant implications for content marketers.

Search engines are one of the most important ways your audience will find your business. That means search engine optimization (SEO) can't be ignored: small business owners need to understand the rules and best practices for creating valuable online content.

If you take time to figure out what to know about SEO before you invest time and energy into creating online content, you'll save yourself time, money and headaches down the road. Here are six best practices to get started shaping your company's SEO.

Don't Go Overboard With External Links

There's no hard-and-fast rule for the number of external links to include in your content, but if you're adding links just to try and improve your rank, there's a chance you might sabotage your own efforts. Google's best advice regarding external links is to include them when a citation or other service to the reader is needed. These links should be anchored to relevant keyword text.

Major tech companies including Apple, Google, Amazon and Microsoft all offer their own personal assistants through a number of in-home and mobile devices. Like it or not, the personal voice assistant has become a significant player in driving online traffic and engagement, especially when it comes to search.

This trend is forcing marketers to understand the new challenges and opportunities that come with voice-driven search. While voice queries represent a fundamental shift in how brands target online search traffic, it isn't a doomsday scenario for your current SEO strategy. All it takes is some flexibility and a willingness to adapt to new circumstances. Here are some tips to get ahead of the curve.

You understand the importance of creating your own content, and you've been told that your content needs to feature keywords aimed at reaching your audience. But with several different factors to consider, choosing those organic search keywords can be overwhelming.

If you're not sure whether your marketing campaigns need optimizing for voice search, just ask Siri, Alexa or Cortana. They assist us with our hands-free browsing and shopping on a daily basis, thanks to voice recognition and interpretation. If you want your product or service to be found, optimize for voice search.

Why Is Voice Search Important?

It's easier for us to ask our smart devices a question than try to type into a tiny search box. Since it's predicted that 50% of all searches will come from voice and images by 2020, it's worth knowing how to make business information found when a user speaks.

At 2017's Search Marketing Expo (SMX) West Conference, digital marketing expert Benu Aggarwal revealed that 82 percent of mobile users search for local businesses, and 18 percent of local searches lead to a sale within 24 hours. This means SMBs should take voice search seriously to compete in the expanding online marketplace.