So far, in this series on Web Optimization, we’ve talked about the Home Page, Design and Navigation, and Features and Functionality. Today is all about content. Create your content outline to answer questions. The information you provide on your site should be tailored to answer your target market’s questions about your products or services. Too […]
In this web optimization series, we’re looking at methods to increase conversions – the number of site visitors who respond to your call to action to make a purchase, get a quote, or contact you. When we talk about features and functionality, we’re talking about the options provided for visitors to interact with the site. […]
Web optimization is a process used to maximize the number of visitors who make a purchase online or begin the transaction process by contacting you. In this series, we’re looking at some of the factors involved in optimizing your website. “Design” includes colours, fonts, shapes, and layout. “Navigation” includes the actual structure of pages and […]
Web optimization is a process used to maximize the number of visitor “conversions.” On an ecommerce website, a conversion is a sale, but conversions include any visitor action promoted on the site, such as filling out a Request for Quote form, sending an email or making a phone call to the company. We have a […]
We’re wrapping up this article series with a few frequently asked questions about Search Engine Optimization, and moving on to another topic. What would you like to learn more about? Send us your questions and suggestions on anything to do with Internet Advertising! Now, FAQs. Do I need a blog for SEO? No, but a […]
Another way to think about quality content is creating a site to meet your customers’ needs. While you can’t anticipate what an individual customer might be looking for, you can make it easier to find any specific thing on your site, with these considerations. Simple Navigation: Creating an appropriate navigation system is like sorting laundry. […]
Quality content is important for a number of reasons, including search engine optimization. But what exactly is it? Here are x of the main factors that will result in quality content. Expected Basics: The 5 W’s are the place to start. Who are you? What do you sell or provide? When are you reachable? Where […]
If you’ve done any research on search engine optimization, you’ve no doubt seen the word “algorithm” as part of an explanation about how search engines prioritize or rank results. So what is an algorithm? It can take many forms, but an algorithm is basically a formula or step by step process. For example, a mathematical […]
If you go to the back pages of a reference book, you’ll find a list of key words and which page of the book those key words are on. This is called an index, and while tremendously more sophisticated, Google’s index is a digital version of this concept. The crawlers (see Part 3) look at […]
First, a little lingo lesson. A “bot” is a computer program that, once put into action, runs automatically. The internet is often referred to as “the web” because it functions much like a spider’s web, with many different ways to connect between two specific points. Google uses a bot (aptly named “Googlebot”) to crawl the […]
Google is the most popular search engine out there and they offer great resources for developers and marketers, so we’re going to use Google as our search engine example. Google uses a three step process to figure out what your website is all about, how to categorize it, and how to match it. Google has […]
Welcome to our new article series. Don’t worry, this one is information only – no homework! Well, that is true if you actually did do your homework last time and wrote your marketing plan. Why? Because a great SEO program needs a lot of the information you complied in your plan. That said, in this […]
Welcome to the final edition of our Marketing series. Over these past months, we’ve dedicated each newsletter to one component of a Marketing Plan, and how you can do the research and strategizing needed to develop a plan for your company. In this last installment, we’ll summarize some highlights and provide links to the related […]
Generally speaking, advertising is any form of promotion where you pay to display content at a particular venue. In this article, we’ll discuss the different kinds of advertising and the best methods to use for different types of companies, products, services and audiences. Effective advertising has three objectives: Getting the ad in front of your […]
Over the past months, we’ve looked at six different marketing topics that will become components of your Marketing Plan. This month, we’re going to talk about the steps in devising your marketing strategy.As you’ve no doubt gathered by now in this series, the differences between different areas of marketing can be rather subtle. So, perhaps […]
In the digital world, public relations has become more important than ever before. Why? Because even if your customers are happy, upsetting the “Internet” or the “Twitterverse” can have devastating repercussions. Making your brand and good reputation known well beyond your customer group can help protect you from the trolls, as well as increasing awareness […]
The term “Customer Relations” pretty much says what it means – it’s how you interact with your customers and the quality of the relationship that forms as a result. The secret here is viewing your customers as friends. That means listening as well as talking, being fair, staying in touch, living up to your good […]
While your brand is something that you create, your reputation is what others really think of you, and “others” are fickle creatures ready to pounce in cat-like fashion. Your company’s good reputation is essential to success and can be ripped from you in the most unexpected of ways. Remember the guy who kicked the dog […]
You already know what you have to sell, but do you understand what your customers are buying? Do you know who they are, why they want what you have, how they make the decision to buy from you? One of the most basic premises of marketing is matching – matching what you have to sell […]
Welcome to the first edition of our Marketing series. Our intent is to share our knowledge of the timeless basics of marketing and business development, and how these translate into the current sales environment. Our hope is to give you greater insight into the consumer perspective and show you how to use this information to […]
Video is a powerful marketing tool for any business. Sometimes words and images just aren’t enough. It’s never been easier and cheaper to produce and promote video. A lot of small companies are using video to showcase their products and services. But some videos seem to get more traction than others. Here are a few […]
Annoying, time sucking, distracting – we all hate junk mail; and it’s especially infuriating when it’s email. Yes, there’s always a yin and a yang, but here are five ways to stave off chaos in your inbox. Just Say No The truly devious hackers and spammers don’t follow the rules, but chances are that most […]
I had yet another experience last week where the services provided did not live up to the advertising. This time, not only was I disappointed, but the venue rooked itself out of many planned return visits and the revenue that would have gone with those. The visit itself would have been a positive one except […]
The practice of hiring younger personnel for older workmates to learn from is referred to as “reverse mentoring.” While that notion may not sound like a great idea to everyone, reverse mentoring can have incredibly positive results. Even if your target market doesn’t include those under 25, young adult mentors are worth considering. Here’s why… […]
When you own your own business, taking time off can be tricky. You want to be the “go to” person for your clients; the one who is always there for them, at the ready to solve whatever problem they may have. You don’t want to miss calls from potential new customers; and announcing that you’re […]
We all get complaints. No matter how great our products are, there will be those that are unhappy and eager to tell you about it. More importantly, they will also be eager to tell everyone they know, and that’s why you need to take a strategic approach to dealing with complaints. Here’s a four step […]
A timely comparison, the March Hare of Alice in Wonderland fame is described as “silly, ill-mannered, and loud;” all of the characteristics you want to avoid in your marketing. While the March Hare demands attention, gimmicks don’t give you the return on investment you can get with a less obtrusive, more logical approach. Here are […]
Who loves ya, baby? If you remember the Kojak television series and the detective’s now famous phrase, you’re old enough to also remember a much simpler time in the world of business. As long as your regular customers loved you and your products or services, that’s all that mattered. Well, we’re coming up on Valentine’s […]
Happy New Year! Time to get back to work, set new goals, and refresh your marketing. We’ve read the pundits’ predictions for web design trends this year, and found two we’ve held dear for a while now, along with two that were a bit of a surprise. So here they are, as they say on […]
If it ain’t broken… TED won the 2015 People’s Voice and Webby Award in the Best Home/Welcome Page category. In addition to a colourful display with lots of topical news options, they had a simple menu: Watch, Read, Attend, Participate, About. Makes perfect sense. So why did they immediately change the menu item “Read” […]