What You Should Know About the Latest Website Design Trends

latest website design trends

Are you aware of the latest website design trends?

If you own a website, or even several websites, it’s a good idea you know and understand the design changes that have been happening over the last couple of years.

We’re talking about how a change in technology, and change in how people use your website, are directly affecting shifts in design.

Website design as it was a few years ago, has changed to meet a whole new type of user, mostly the mobile device user. In fact, mobile devices have changed the way many big company websites are designed, such as Apple and Microsoft, who made it far easier for their customers to navigate and find what they are looking for.

Many design changes seem to have been driven by mobile devices. In other words, these changes had to take place for mobile users to be able to navigate websites on small screens. If you want to see what we mean, find an old online website that isn’t designed for mobile use, and try to navigate it. If it has lots of menu items, and even menu dropdowns, you will find it unfriendly as you try to see those tiny buttons and find what you are looking for.
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Search Engine Optimization: What’s Your ROI?

search engine optimization

How’s your SEO working for you?

Are you getting a return on investment  on your search engine optimization campaigns? You’re not alone if you’re not sure how to answer that question. Indeed, according to HubSpot, 40% of marketers say proving the ROI of their marketing activities is their biggest marketing challenge.

But measuring the ROI of your SEO efforts is possible, and we’re here to help you do just that.

Here are 3 things that need to be in place in order to calculate ROI:

1. The right attribution model. Attribution models are the basis for allocating credit to each marketing channel. There is no right or wrong attribution model. Each one is different and comes with its own strengths. We’ll help you find the model that’s the best fit for your business.
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15 Strategies For Boosting Your Website’s Conversion Rate

strategies to boost conversion rate

Need some strategies to boost your conversion rate?

Is a low website conversion rate getting in the way of your business’s success?

Here are 15 of our tips to optimize your conversion rate:

1. Find your value proposition. What is it that makes you different from your competitors? Why are you the best choice? Whatever it is, make it central.

2. Have a clear headline. Your headline is the first thing your customers will see on your landing page. Make sure it’s easy to understand and gets your point across.

3. Feature your phone number prominently. Make it easy to find and use a big font to let them know you are accessible.

4. Add a video. A 2-3 min video that explains benefits and features or shows your product in action will capture the attention of your site visitors.

5. Get rid of those cheesy stock photos. Stock photos may be high quality, but they look fake, damaging your credibility.
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Better Business Bureau Accreditation Builds Consumer Confidence

better business bureau can do for you

What the Better Business Bureau can do for you.

The Better Business Bureau is a non-profit accrediting organization that gives its stamp of approval when a business meets high standards of quality, responsibility, and trustworthiness.

So why is this BBB logo so important? Recent studies have shown that 8 out of 10 consumers recognize the BBB seal, and when they see it displayed on a website or business, it instills confidence and trust.

And those consumers are likely to purchase based on this. Reviews are important online, but 90% of consumers don’t bother hunting for a lot of reviews and will read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion.

Most of those consumers are going to go right to the Better Business Bureau first. And sometimes that one review is enough to make their decision. But what if your business is not accredited? This could actually hurt your business as becoming accredited shows that you’re a company that is accountable and can be trusted.

And a company that is trusted, makes more profit.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

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10 Highly Effective Ways To Promote Your Business Using Social Media

promote on social media

Effective ways to promote your business on social media.

Are you putting social media to work for your benefit?

Follow these 10 strategies to reach social media success!

1. Choose the Right Platforms

Every business is different. Make sure you consider both your customers and your business. Find out what social media sites your audience uses most, and think about which sites are the best fit for your products, too.

2. Create Unique Content for Each Platform

Your customers use different social media sites for various reasons and purposes. Make sure you’re crafting content that reflects the strengths of each platform.

3. Create a Social Media Calendar

Get organized by creating social media calendars to help you post consistently and effectively.

4. Optimize Post Times & Frequency

For that calendar, make sure you incorporate the best times to post on each site and the optimal frequency of posts.

5. Encourage Engagement

Make sure your social media is social! Interactive posts will encourage your customers to engage with you.

6. Target Your Social Media Outreach Expertly

Go for quality over quantity with your outreach: utilize your business advocates, peers, and “big fish” influencers to your advantage.

7. Avoid Over-Promote Your Brand

Don’t give in to the temptation to directly promote yourself every time. Some experts recommend the 1-in-7 rule: for every 1 openly promotional post, make 6 content posts.

8. Share Video

Visual content, especially video, is a proven attention-grabber.

9. Build a Community Around Your Brand

Another common pitfall is trying to get the most followers possible. Instead, we recommend you focus on cultivating a loyal, engaged customer base.

10. Provide Value to Your Followers

To keep them engaged, give your customers something useful, whether you entertain or inform them. This will help you gain followers and spread your content to a wider consumer base.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

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Build Trust Using Reputation Marketing

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Build trust online using reputation marketing.

You might not know that there are many places out there where people can leave reviews telling their experience with your business.

Some businesses choose not to get involved because it might be too much work. This can be a huge business mistake that you will want to fix right away.

In a recent online poll, it was found that 84% trusted online reviews as much as they would a recommendation from a friend or family member. That’s up 4% from last year showing that more people are looking at online reviews and that you need to have reputation management in place taking care of these reviews and making sure you are getting authentic reviews.

Most businesses are starting to see the importance of managing their online reviews, and even getting customers to leave them reviews. With that being said, it is very important not to have fake reviews for your company, intended or not. And it’s always a good idea to know all the popular review sites out there so you can manage any reviews that are being left.

You should never let a bad review go unchecked. This can show people that you don’t care, and are likely guilty as charged. And some businesses have been completely destroyed by bad reviews.

Don’t let this happen to your business. Create a solid review management strategy that will help you build trust with potential customers.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

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10 Easy Ways to Boost Your Business on Social Media

social media boosts your business

Social media is a great way to boost your business.

Having social media accounts for your business is critical in this digital age. But are you getting the most out of them? Social media marketing works best when people are engaging with your business.

Here are our top 10 no-sweat tips to get more engagement for your business on social media.

1. Use attention-grabbing headlines. Why did you decide to read this article? It probably had something to do with the headline. Headlines that start with an exclamation, or “How to…” or “# Ways to…” or that ask a question that your customers might ask themselves tend to get the clicks you’re looking for.

2. Use images, animated gifs, and memes. Posts with visuals perform better, period. Memes and gifs can also bring humor into the mix and increase the chance that your audience will share your content.

3. Create and share videos. Over 100 million hours of videos are watched on social media every day. Get your piece of the pie!

4. Don’t only post your own content. Curate and share content made by others that you think your followers will enjoy. That way, with less work, you get more content and your audience gets added value.

5. Post more often. Making frequent posts boosts your organic growth.

6. Share an excellent piece of content more than once. That’s right: it’s okay to post the same material multiple times if you vary the accompanying message, and it can get you up to 31.5 times the number of click-throughs as posting once.

7. Use hashtags. They can double your #engagement rate!

8. Tag people and businesses you quote or reference. When you tag someone, like a guest blogger, they usually respond or repost, getting you more exposure.

9. Optimize your posting times. Schedule your social media messages to post at peak times to increase your reach.

10. Recycle your evergreen content. Some content doesn’t have an expiration date. If it’s timeless, share it again later!

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

If you like the information you are receiving, please share this post.

SEO Campaign Not Working? Is Your SEO Provider Doing These 3 Things?

best seo providers

Your SEO provider should be doing these three things.

If your search engine optimization (SEO) campaign isn’t going as well as you’d hoped for, you may not have the right service provider for your business.

Choosing an SEO provider should be done carefully to ensure the long-term success of your campaign, website, and business. It’s important to find a provider that not only has a strategy but who utilizes a strategy that is specific to the needs and goals of your business rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.

The industry is constantly changing. What works today may not work six months from now. Finding a provider who customizes their services for your business will ensure that you won’t get left behind.

Here are 3 key things that the best SEO providers do for the businesses they serve.

1. Top providers perform SEO audits. These audits document baseline performance and analyze the impact and quality of previous work to ensure continued success.

2. Good providers provide SEO blueprints, which lay out a comprehensive plan designed specifically for your business. They establish benchmarks and goals, integrate a budget, provide strategy recommendations, and provide a backup plan in case things don’t go as well as they should.

3. The best providers maintain ongoing SEO monitoring and consultation. Providing ongoing monitoring and consultation ensures that your campaign is performing successfully and that you are seeing the desired results.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

If you like the information you are receiving, please share this post.

Don’t Be Anti-Social! Putting the ‘Social’ Back into Social Media Marketing

social on social media

Be social on social!

If you’re among the business owners who are posting and sharing content through Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms, then you’re off to a good start.

But if you’re not getting the results you’re looking for, chances are that’s because your social media isn’t actually very social. Posting and sharing content just isn’t enough!

However, how do you put the ‘social’ back in social media and take your social media marketing game to the next level?

Here are four ways to create opportunities for your customers to get involved in the conversation and get to know you and your brand.

1. Post conversational status messages.

This will humanize your brand. Remind people that your business is run by individuals who care about their products and their customers, not by some faceless corporate machine. Allow your customers to connect with you on a human level.

2. Post videos of yourself talking to your target customers.

As a business owner, showing your face builds trust and, again, humanizes your brand.

3. Ask questions. Hear their story.

Ask about their needs and get feedback on your products or services. The exchange will benefit both you and your customers. You’ll be helping your customers feel like they are a valued part of your business, and as a business owner, you will gain valuable insight about your target customers.

4. Respond to comments.

Being social means engaging in a two-way conversation. When your customers reach out to you, make them feel heard and keep them engaged by responding thoughtfully to their comments.

Do these things, and your business will not only have gone social, but it will start taking off.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

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BrightLocal Report: Simply Ask, And You Shall Receive Reviews

ask for reviews

Remember to always ask for a review.  Here’s why.

Do you have customer reviews for your business?

Based on a report by BrightLocal, getting reviews from your customers can be as simple as asking them.

Here are some of the report’s key findings:

1) 7 out of 10 consumers will leave an online review if they’re asked to.
2) 50% of consumers have been asked to leave a review about a business and actually did leave a review.
3) 20% of consumers asked to leave a review did NOT leave a review for that business.

In short, you can give your customers the opportunity to leave you valuable feedback by simply asking them to leave you a review. Odds are, they will, and then you can use this feedback to promote your reputation.

This report shows the enormous potential of reputation marketing.

It’s important for every business to have a reputation marketing strategy in place to capitalize on it.

Are you ready to grow your business now? If you’re ready to take the next step and make your business more profitable, please reach out to us.

If you like the information you are receiving, please share this post.

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