Common-Sense Website Tips For Newbies

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Common-Sense Website Tips For Newbies

If you’re starting up a business, one of the first things you’re going to need is a website. But if you’ve never built a website before, it can feel like an impossible task – especially if you’re not very tech-savvy.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it! Building a website is straightforward, with a lot of tools out there to help you get started. Some additional tips will help make sure your efforts pay off and help you develop a successful website for your business.

Here are some common-sense website tips for newbies to get your site off the ground.

Decide on the kind of website you want

Don’t have a website yet? There are plenty of strong arguments for having a business website. A website can help you improve your sales, help you provide information to clients, show off your portfolio – whatever you want. Making the decision about what kind of website you want and the features you want it to have will make it easier to create.

Use an easy web builder

Building a website doesn’t have to involve a complicated design and a degree in coding. There are some fantastic website builders out there that can help you create a simple, striking website in minutes. The best website builders feature a wide range of designs to choose from and a lot of extra features to help you get the most out of your website. From an online store to an online booking system, you can make whatever you want possible.

Approach it from the user’s point of view

Your user’s perspective is the most important thing when creating a website. What would you want to read online? Which features are the most important to you? By taking this approach, you can help build a website that people will actually want to use. You can use tree testing to make sure your menu options are all relevant and easy for your user to find. Regular testing is a great idea to make sure your website is delivering what your customers or clients need.

Keep your layout simple

The layout of your website needs to be clean and simple. If you put too much on a page, nobody is going to want to read it. Your website doesn’t have to be flashy, but playing around with your layout can make a big impact. Use a mixture of words and images and don’t be afraid to play with different font sizes and weights. You’ll want to draw the eye to the most important parts of your website and make it clear what you’re offering.

Need some ideas for a cool website design? Take a look at some unique website layouts to give you some inspiration.

Use fewer words

It’s natural to want to provide people with as much information as possible, but word counts are very important when it comes to your website. Being able to write concisely will help you keep the reader’s attention, and hopefully help them linger on your site longer. You can find some good tips for writing for the web that can help the reader scan the page and feel engaged with your content. Writing well takes practice, but it will be worth it to have great web copy on your site.

Choose the best images

Images can have a huge impact on your website, and there are a couple of ways you can do this. A hero image is a great way to draw attention on your website, creating a great first impression. You should also think about the types of images you use on the rest of your web content, making sure each one is carefully selected to help tell the story of your business.

You’ll need to make sure that you have all of the appropriate permissions for the photos you use. You can either take them yourself, or you can find them through stock websites. Make sure you check you’re using online photos legally, you wouldn’t want to have to remove them after working hard to get your website looking just right.

Double-check everything

A good piece of advice to follow is to proof all of your content, or make sure that someone else does. Having typos and other errors doesn’t look very professional, and it also helps to sense-check what you’ve already written.

As well as proofing your content, you should check that everything works. Regular testing to make sure the links are working, everything is loading and that your process work can help prevent problems that could cost your business. Carry out regular checks on your website and resolve any problems immediately.

Make it secure

Data protection is extremely vital in today’s day and age, and any kind of breach could be disastrous for your business. Protect your website by making sure its kept up to date, use the right security software and use https encryption. These elements will help provide the basic protection your website needs. If you’re dealing with financial transactions and personal data on your website, it can be a good idea to speak to web security experts who can help ensure your website has the protection it needs.

Don’t forget to promote it

After launching your website, you need to promote it. An effective website promotion plan will help you drive visitors to your website and help them connect with your business. There are plenty of creative marketing ideas for your business that include free and affordable options while you get your business off the ground. Don’t forget to include links in your social media posts to help drive as many people to your website as possible.

Designing your own website is a great way to ensure your business gets the attention it deserves. By following some of the guidance above, you can create a fantastic website that will get your business off the ground. There are some fantastic website builders like sitejet out there that can help you create a simple, striking website in minutes. It’s quicker and easier than ever to get started, so make a start on your new business website today.

Social Media Success: 10 Keys to Social Media Marketing

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Social Media Success: 10 Keys to Social Media Marketing

Did you know Facebook alone has over 2 billion active users? That’s an ocean of potential leads, paying customers, and more! Don’t forget there are other social media platforms to consider, like YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

However, you can’t simply post randomly and hope you’ll succeed. There are certain keys to social media marketing that you need to grab and take advantage of.

Don’t fret, we’re not going to leave you hanging. Read on below to discover 10 crucial tips for social media marketing success:

1. Pick the Right Platform

One of the most important keys to social media marketing success is to use the right platform. Don’t immediately assume that people using Facebook are the same as those on Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, or Twitter. People go to these platforms for different things and each platform sets up different expectations.

People on YouTube want to see short videos that fully explain and explore a product. Those on Instagram might want to see expertly-edited photos.

2. Track the Right Metrics

Do you think it’s important to track how many people like your posts or share your latest videos? Those are great metrics but they don’t directly correlate to profit.

Track crucial metrics first.

This means keeping an eye on conversions-per-post, for example. This metric alone can tell you what kind of posts are the most effective in increasing conversions. Do you see more conversions when you post video ads on Instagram, snarky quotes on Twitter, or memes on Facebook?

StrategyDriven's Social Media Publication Timing Whitepaper

3. Invest in Graphic Design

Having a strong brand image is essential for social media success. Look at your favourite influencer and visit their profile. You’ll notice their images are all brand and well-designed. Dark roast is like having your own in-house designer but without the obligation of employing someone full time. It’s also a great design pickle alternative, offering unlimited graphic design for a fraction of the cost!

4. Pop-Culture is Your Friend

Is anyone surprised Baby Yoda exploded in popularity and now every shop under the sun wants to sell some sort of Baby Yoda and The Mandalorian merchandise? The biggest reason the character got so famous is pop-culture. Memes and funny GIFs propelled The Mandalorian into what it is today.

Use pop-culture to your advantage. Dig deep into Reddit and Facebook to discover the most trending memes and GIFs. Integrate the humor into your social media posts to increase shares and brand exposure.

5. Schedule Ahead

Create your marketing materials one month ahead. This should include your ad videos, posters, promo blurbs, and banners.

When ready, use tools like HootSuite. This tool lets you prepare social media posts and then schedule when they’ll upload and go live. As much as possible, do this for the whole month.

Preparing like this helps you reach social media marketing goals. You know what you want and scheduling your posts ensures you know which steps you’re taking to get to the end-goal.

6. Follow Up Social Media Leads

Did a few hundred people click on your Facebook post to sign up for a survey or newsletter registration? Don’t wait for your email marketing plan to kick-off! You can follow-up on social media leads quickly with text message marketing.

Why stop there?

You can prioritize those leads by giving them an exclusive look at your new product or give them a discount for a limited period. You can allow them to participate in A/B split testing for your new services or website design. Give them something, a reward for taking a step forward, and this can encourage them to purchase.

7. Integrate Your Store

Speaking of sales, try to give social media users as much convenience as possible. Did you post an image of your latest products? Why force them to click on a link to go to your site, funnel them to the checkout process, and then redirect them back?

Why suck them out of Instagram or Facebook when you can integrate your store with tools like Shopify? Using Shopify allows you to sell on social media, through your posts. A user can now click on the image you uploaded on Instagram and they’ll immediately get taken to the checkout page.

It’s quicker, simpler, and you’re not interrupting with their social media sphere.

8. Use Facebook Pixel

How do you get site visitors back and convince them to purchase or subscribe? One technique is to showcase ads from your site as soon as they get back on Facebook. You can do this with Facebook Pixel.

It’s a small code you can copy and edit. Paste it on your site’s back-end to let it do its thing. Whenever someone visits your website, the code will target the user and redirect Facebook ads towards them.

While it might seem like a little thing, constantly showcasing ads on social media can influence a person’s shopping habits. They might eventually get curious and click on an ad, increasing the chances of them subscribing or purchasing.

9. Take Time to Engage

One of the reasons people follow brands and businesses on social media is because these are platforms where they feel a strong, human connection. Watching a high-end ad on TV has a certain disconnect compared to commenting on Facebook and seeing an actual reply from the company.

Getting in touch with your audience is effective social media marketing. Schedule something like a Facebook Live video or a Reddit AMA.

10. Take Advantage of AI

No matter how many employees you get, you might not have enough to answer all the messages and inquiries you get on social media. Sooner or later, the expenses of hiring more customer service representatives will outweigh the benefits.

Workaround this by using AI chatbots. Fortunately, you can customize chatbots so they can identify keywords and respond appropriately to a certain extent. If needed, provide a means for users to get in touch with an actual person for special concerns.

Bonus: Highlight User-Generated Content

Do you use Pinterest? Create a board and pin images related to your latest advertising theme. Now ask people to create their own boards following the same theme, use a specific hashtag, and share their board with others.

That’s a simple method of giving marketing power to your social media audience by encouraging them to create user-generated content.

Another good example is the Ice Bucket Challenge. It encouraged people to make their own videos to spread awareness about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis aka Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Sometimes, the best way to advertise your brand and business is to let people do it for you. Give them the keys to creative use and watch them make wonders.

Use These Keys to Social Media Marketing Success!

These are ten keys to social media marketing success. Use them in tangent with each other and your goals to get the most out of these platforms. There are millions of people on social media so don’t waste the opportunity!

That said, marketing doesn’t end here. There are other methods outside of social media to consider. If you want content to guide you through these digital marketing techniques, feel free to read our other articles now!

SEO vs. PPC: Which Is Most Valuable?

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |PPC|SEO vs. PPC: Which Is Most Valuable?You can find countless articles and blogs about SEO and PPC when you browse around the web. A lot of people are writing about these topics, and it can be hard to know what to think when you’ve read so much. Of course, though, one of these marketing tools has to be better than the other, right?

To give you an idea of how they stack up, this post will be exploring search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising. By comparing their benefits, it should be nice and easy to see which of these methods will be best for your business.

What Is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, and is the process of preparing a website to make sure that it always has a good position in searches on sites like Google. The speed of your website, the content found on it, and the links between it and other websites all contribute to this area.

Most people don’t understand SEO, though, and this can make it hard to know what needs to be done to get your site into good positions. An SEO company will be able to help you with this, providing you with everything you need to get your website higher in searches. Doing this by yourself will take a lot of time and effort, and will have far from guaranteed results.

What Is PPC?

PPC stands for pay per click, and is a name given to a specific type of online advert. Hosted on loads of different websites, adverts like this cost you money each time they are clicked, but don’t require any special work to get them working properly.

The placement of your adverts will depend on the money you’re willing to spend on them. Using Google Ads, you will have the chance to set up bids and daily caps for your spending, ensuring that you don’t spend too much to get your adverts to the right people. There are a lot of companies out there which can help you with this process.


Benefits Of SEO

SEO comes with a lot of different benefits. To start, giving a professional SEO company work on your site will mean that you only have to pay for this service a few times each year. Their work will last, and will only need to be updated as the market changes.

Alongside this, organic searches have been proven to garner higher quality results than PPC adverts. People who find your link in normal searches will be far more likely to buy things from you than those who discover it in sponsored ad sections.

Benefits of PPC

The results of PPC advertising can often be much faster than working on SEO. While you will have to wait for your adverts to be approved, this will still be quicker than having your site indexed by Google, and this is a benefit which a lot of people can’t ignore.

You will also benefit from being able to choose which demographics see your adverts, using tools like cookies to make sure that no one sees your ad unless they’re likely to be interested. PPC adverts also give you the chance to have your ads in more locations, with services like Google Shopping proving to be incredibly successful in recent years. Of course, though, you have to compete with a lot of other companies with PPC adverts. PPC advertising may seem complicated, but there are many tools that can help you to work professionally and effortlessly. In order to make your PPC advertising more easy and effective at the same time you can use software for PPC management like the one from Adplorer.

Which Is Most Valuable?

Deciding which of these marketing methods is more valuable is a very challenging job. In reality, the answer to this question will usually lie with your company and its needs.

Those which don’t mind waiting for results will almost always value SEO more. While it won’t be as fast, it will draw higher quality clients in, and will cost far less than using PPC ads. This can make it easier to sell expensive items, with those who want goods like this finding it hard to trust sponsored adverts.

Companies which need to make sales very quickly are more likely to find PPC ads more valuable. While it will cost more, this could give you the chance to start selling far faster, and this is a benefit which few businesses can ignore.

It’s crucial that you work on things like SEO as an ongoing process for your business. At the same time, though, it can also make sense to take a more direct approach sometimes, and this is where PPC comes in. Neither are better; they both have their own purpose, and this is well worth recognising.

Internet Marketing Failing? Let’s Take a Look at What You’re Doing Wrong

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, Internet Marketing Failing? Let's Take a Look at What You're Doing Wrong

Even the strongest businesses in the world have had their weak moments. Maybe things aren’t going so well with your business at the moment. Perhaps it’s just one factor of your business that isn’t performing as well as it should be. If we look at the most common elements that come into play when things aren’t going amazingly for any given business, it quite often has to do with poor Internet marketing.

Many business owners are becoming cognizant of just how important Internet marketing is. But a lot of them are making a bunch of mistakes. One of those mistakes was assuming that Internet marketing would bring them immediate success and riches. This sort of attitude betrays a sort of ignorance about how Internet marketing really works and how it should be approached. This can cause a lot of errors when it comes to the marketing campaign as a whole.

So perhaps it’s time that you took a serious look at your Internet marketing campaign! If your marketing hasn’t brought you the return you were hoping for, then it’s crucial that you take a close look at things and perhaps rethink your approach. After all, most digital marketing methods out there aren’t exactly cheap. And that’s fine, as long as it can actually bring results, right?

Internet marketing isn’t the magic wand that a lot of businesses seem to think it is. It needs to be done properly. You can throw all the money you want at your campaign, but if it’s going in the wrong direction then you might as well be throwing your cash into a black hole. We’re going to take a look at some of the most common and severe fundamental problems that many modern businesses have with their digital marketing approach. If you start to get feelings of recognition as you read through this article, then it might be time for you to make some serious changes to your marketing techniques!

Overestimation

I made a brief mention of this above, but it’s worth going into a little more detail. Essentially, a lot of businesses out there massively overestimate the power of Internet marketing. Yes, if done right, it can be very powerful. But the fact of the matter is that Internet marketing is vulnerable to many of the same sort of flaws you see in any other medium.

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article
Photo courtesy of Infusionsoft Sales & Marketing via flickr

Internet marketing isn’t going to guarantee you a truckload of new customers. A lot of people understand this when it comes to working with advertising in other media, because they’re more used to have ineffective, say, a television advert or a newspaper advert can be. Most people will probably overlook those sorts of ads, right? Well, the same goes for most kinds of Internet marketing. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t invest in them! It just means that you have to be careful not to commit one of the most common mistakes in this field: that of overestimating the results you’re going to get.

Temper your expectations! You may even have started reading this article because you thought you would get hundreds of thousands of new customers from your campaign. This sort of thinking may have given you a false impression of the success of your campaign: it might be that it’s working as good as it can – it’s just that your expectations are unrealistic!

The DIY approach

A lot of business owners seem to be working under the assumption that Internet marketing is easy. They’re also looking for any way they can find to save some money. Well, it’s true that it’s possible to do your own Internet marketing. And, with that in mind, you can cut a lot of costs if you do take this approach. But the fact is that Internet marketing is much more complex than many of these business owners realize.

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article

If you want to take on this task by yourself, then you should really be an expert at this sort of thing. If you’re not, you could be wasting a lot of time with ineffective marketing techniques. Remember that the right Internet marketing company has a lot of connections in the marketing industry, whereas you’re likely to have none at all. If you do want to take this approach, then you should make sure you really know what you’re doing. Look into taking an online course in digital marketing to boost your skills and knowledge.

The substandard marketing company

Having said all of this, working with a bad marketing company could be even worse than taking the reigns yourself! While there’s a lot to be said about the many problems that overconfidence in your own abilities can bring, there is also much to be said about putting too much confidence in the hands of those who claim to be experts. Just as in any other industry, there are companies in this field that simply don’t know what they’re doing. Not every Internet marketing business is some angel that will be able to save your business.

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article

You need to make sure that you’re signing up to work with an incredibly good Internet marketing company. These guys don’t come cheap, after all! You need to keep an eye out when it comes to these companies, because there are a bunch of potential problems that could really put a spanner in the works. What if their customer service is terrible? What if the methods they use to get results work only in the short term? And what if they’re using ‘black’ techniques? (More on that in just a moment!) You should ensure that you’re checking the online reputation of these companies, as well as the feedback they’ve received from previous clients.

Villainous techniques

Perhaps you’ve heard the term “black hat” before when you’ve explored the realm of Internet marketing. You may even know that it’s bad, though you’re not entirely sure why exactly that is. As clichéd as it may be, “black” Internet marketing techniques are bad and “white” Internet marketing techniques are good – or, perhaps, to be more accurate, “black” is illegal and “white” is legal. (And we’re talking in terms of search engine rules, not the actual judiciary reality of the real world!)

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article
Photo courtesy of freezelight via flickr

Essentially, “black hat” or “black label” Internet marketing methods (and they’re usually SEO-based) actively use the sort of techniques that spam search engine algorithms with the sort of content that used to provide shortcuts to the very top of search engine rankings. Keyword stuffing, false leads, and unethical link sharing and selling are all parts of this game. Of course, black hat and black label SEO don’t often produce results, because companies like Google are very wise to their games these days. So you need to ensure that you’re looking into white hat and white label SEO if you want your campaign to go anywhere in the long-term.

“SEO” and “social media” are just buzzwords, right?

An alarmingly common problem is that business owners often find themselves trying a little too hard to go against the grain. Yes, you should be unique in your approach. But it’s possible to take that too far. If you’re of the opinion that SEO and social media are mere buzzwords as opposed to things that can actually help your marketing in big ways, then you’ve definitely gone a little too far from the beaten track!

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article

Without the use of SEO and social media, you’re throttling the efficacy of your digital marketing campaign. And I mean really throttling. Like, Homer-Simpson-choking-Bart-Simpson level throttling. SEO and social media are what help your digital marketing breathe and expand to new corners of the Internet. Don’t try to be so unconventional that you don’t use these at all.

Problems with your business

And so we come to the least fun possibility of the lot. The one that’s probably the hardest the solve of all of them. Let’s say your marketing isn’t actually flawed. Perhaps you’re working with the best Internet marketing company in the business. You’ve invested in all the correct tools and employees, and at a reasonable price, too. You have all the data you need to make the right decisions. But business still doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. An SEO audit didn’t reveal any problems with your marketing approach, so what could the problem be?

StrategyDriven Internet Marketing Article

Unfortunately, it could very well be the case that the problem is with your business. After all, all the great marketing in the world simply isn’t going to help you out that much if your website, product, or service really isn’t that up to scratch.

But how exactly can you tell if this is the problem? Well, this is why you need powerful analytics for your website and Internet marketing campaign. If people are being directed to your business in droves, then you should be able to tell. If they are, but not enough people are actually clicking through to complete a purchase, then this is a sign that something is wrong with what you’re offering, or how you’re offering it, as opposed to something being wrong with the marketing itself. In this case, you’re going to have to do some market and customer research in order to pinpoint the problems you’re having!

A Brief Guide To Kickstart Your SEO

/in /by

StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article, A Brief Guide To Kickstart Your SEO

Regardless of the size of your organization, SEO can prove to be one of the most effective marketing tools in your arsenal. However, the lack of appropriate know-how and proper skills to proceed with your SEO can do more harm than good.

Here’s how you can kickstart your SEO campaign, with minimal efforts and gradually grow your business.

Step 1. Identify What You Wish To Achieve

Of course, you need a website before you begin with anything. But even before that, you need to identify what is it that you wish to achieve. Whether you are selling your products online, as an e-commerce retailer, or you are a SaaS enterprise, it is important to clearly demarcate your objectives. For example, Blogger outreach from Outreach Monks makes use of different strategies for e-commerce stores and SaaS enterprises. Since their products are different, their strategies also need to be different.

Step 2. Develop Key Performance Index

Once you’ve identified your target, it’s important that you decide how’d you be measuring the success of your campaign. In other words, you need to develop KPIs for your campaign. For example, the number of visitors your website receives is a critical measure for your website’s performance. You can target a specific number of visitors you wish to improve within a given time period. And in the end, you can measure how good have you been at achieving it. Similarly, you can create performance indexes keyword generation, sales, click-through rates, and so on.

Step 3. Aim At The Appropriate User Online

An important part of your SEO is keyword optimization. These are practically the terms that relate to your content and your business. In short, they help you rank better in search results. It is important to understand what terms your potential customers are using to search for you. For example, if yours is a shipment business, targeting terms that can relate to shipping and transportation can help your website improve in ranks. It is noteworthy that keywords are dynamic in nature. Meaning they keep on changing with trends, and you need to keep up with the trends. Look for the terms concerning your business that are searched by your audience in large volumes.

Step 4. Balance On-Site & Off-Site Efforts

Typically speaking, your SEO efforts should begin with optimizing your website first. You need to optimize technical as well as non-technical elements of your website including responsiveness, SSL security plugins, cookies, and your on-page content, along with internal link-building. At a later stage, you’ll need to step out of your website and execute your off-page SEO. For example, you can seek services like link building from outreach monks, which can help bring in referral traffic as well as improve your website’s authority online. This would eventually improve the relevance of your website with the keywords and help it rank better in search results. But, make sure that you maintain a careful balance between on-page and off-page SEO to drive effective results.

In the end, SEO is similar to traditional marketing in the sense that it also involves hit and trial practices. But still, SEO being a quantifiable practice can be a lot more cost-efficient as compared to other marketing strategies.