Why WordPress Updates Are Critical To Your Website

WordPress started life way back in 2003. Back then, this humble Content Management System (CMS) was used primarily by bloggers to create simple and personal websites.

It was in 2008 when WordPress started to expand the repertoire of their program. Custom themes were now adopted and will set the stage for bigger things to come.

Nowadays, WordPress is no longer just for bloggers. The program has grown in sophistication, functionality, and is now known as one of the best customized CMS platforms for websites.

From large corporations, to small businesses, to personal websites, more and more people are choosing WordPress because of the program’s ease of use.

Want to get a gist of how popular WordPress is? According to a source, there are over 75 million websites using the WordPress platform. Which is a huge chunk considering that there are only about 170 million active websites around.

However, there are things you should watch out for especially with such a popular CMS tool like WordPress.

These issues go further beyond security. So, without further ado, let’s find out why you need to keep informed and always do WordPress updates

Why WordPress Updates Are Critical To Your Website

Always Be Secure

Remember when I said that most websites use WordPress? Well, there is a bit of a drawback when you are the most popular belle of the ball, so to speak.

Hackers often target the most used platforms on the Internet and are keen to exploit any weaknesses that WordPress may have.

If you are a small business, you may ask yourself, “Who in the world would want to hack me?” Well, you might be surprised that even small companies get hacked quite often.

Take the case of Ken Taylor from the Sydney Herald, his restaurant system got hacked all because he visited some bogus website.

That simple act will probably cost him thousands of dollars just to hire security experts to help fix his problem.

If you think that this is just an isolated incident, then you might have to think again. According to a study, 43% of hacking attacks target small businesses.

And if you are a large business? Well, it’s pretty much the same. It seems like whenever there is a financial opportunity; hackers are always looking to cash in.

Having WordPress updates is one of the right ways you can ensure that your website will be tough to hack. WordPress has many users and hackers, which is why they always release security patches to fix specific vulnerabilities.

You Need That Speed

Technology is pacing at an incredibly fast rate,and the Internet always comes along with the frenetic ride. Unfortunately, if you fail to do WordPress updates, your site can be left in the dust.

While this may seem like a minor problem, believe me when I say that the consumers won’t agree with you. According to studies, 47% of consumers expect a website to load in two seconds or less.

According to the same source, 79% of consumers won’t buy again from a website that has problems. That’s a significant chunk of customers who could have been regulars if only your site loaded just a measly 4-5 seconds earlier. Ouch!

WordPress updates can have patches that keep your website in tiptop shape and would be better prepared for any new technology out there.

Always Have Compatibility

Plug-ins are one of the greatest things that make WordPress easy to use as well as powerful.

However, sometimes you need to update plug-ins regularly to ensure that new versions will always be compatible. You need to do WordPress updates to avoid freeze-ups and crashes.

Updates Make It Easier For You

One of the biggest things that updates try to address is bug fixes. Bugs are a bit common when it comes to WordPress, this is because a lot of plug-ins are available for download and it can cause you some problems. Best way to avoid this is by updating your WordPress constantly

Another benefit of keeping your WordPress updated is you get to have access to new features.

A lot of new features from WordPress make the interface easier to navigate as well as ease in adding new stuff. Every version gets better and better so you should definitely keep an eye on that.

Woah, hold your horses!

Before you just click that update button, know first some of the things that could happen.

Sometimes updating your WordPress can cause your website to freeze or even worse, crash! Hopefully, you won’t have any critical data that could get lost.

If you need some professional help with updating your WordPress, check out our services. We can update your Website safely with our security and safe back up service.

Do Update Today!

Updating your WordPress is just as important as making your website look good. Your WordPress is your engine that ensures that your site is running smoothly and working for you 24/7. So check if you have the latest version of WordPress right now!

 

 

 

 

Why Not Having A Website Is A Death Sentence For Your Business

Online marketing is becoming a critical tool for businesses to generate sales. Quite interesting, because just a few decades ago, a lot of companies were quite hesitant putting a lot of money online. The view back then was more, “Why would I need to have a business website when I don’t have any plans selling online?” Back then, that was actually a valid question. However, the times have radically changed.

Google forever altered the game with their sophisticated search engine. Amazon just blew up as an online reseller, and social media got more and more people online. Just think about it, the internet reached its 1 billionth active user in 2005 and is now on track to reach 4.5 billion users.

Way before the boom of social media and online retailers, having a website was your best bet to have an online footprint. The number of online sites has grown by leaps and bounds ever since the internet was made public. Can you imagine that in 1992, there were only 10 websites on the internet and now that number has grown to about 2 billion as of today? That is a truly amazing feat!

However, there is a disconcerting trend about websites that we should discuss. While there are billions of sites nowadays, the number of active websites are just north of 170 million. This means that there is a massive chunk of websites that have no activity or are not even built yet.

A considerable part of this trend could be attributed to the rise of the above mentioned social media and large online resellers. Some companies feel that using these sites kills the purpose of having a business website. So they either stop updating and promoting their websites or not build one at all.

This is a huge mistake as a website is still extremely useful in today’s online market. Let’s explore the various reasons why not having a website can mean a death sentence for your business.

The Dangers of Not Having A Business Website

You Won’t Look Legitimate

Even if you have a social media profile, customers are still going to check if you have a website to just feel comfortable about your brand. This feeling of ease is especially true if you have a great looking site. Customers will just trust you more if you have a fully functioning website complete with updates.

I mean think about it, most consumers would like to know more about your brand before trusting you with their hard earned cash. Without a website, it is going to be difficult for them to check up on you.

You Will Get Left In The Dust When It Comes To Search

Google search is so important when it comes to online marketing. While it is still possible to be seen in Google even if you do not have a website (granted you are part of the local listings) you will really have to ask yourself as to where your customers will go once they click on you?

As I stated above, customers are leery in doing business with you if you do not have a website. Websites act as the main showroom for your business. Without that, your customers might check on your competitors who have a site and looks more credible than you.

Plus, websites with a lot of great content is still the best tool you can have to propel your SEO efforts. If your site has a rich content of blogs, videos, pictures, community, etc. then there is a more significant chance that Google will start ranking you higher. Without a website, it might be a bit tough to get that coveted top page result on Google.

Your Customers Won’t Pay Attention To You

If you have customers going on your website, chances are they are going to stay in there. When it comes to having your own site, other distractions won’t be much of an issue. Compare that to Facebook, where customers might go to your page only to see a paid ad that takes their attention away. Plus with all the games, messages, and updates hovering around, it might be a bit tough for your customer to focus on your brand.

And if you are banking on online retailers, well keep in mind that your competitors are probably there. Customers will see their products right next to yours. They will be able to compare prices, reviews, looks, much more than if they were on your website.

You Will Have A Much Less Effective Email Marketing

So, you do email marketing yet you do not have a website? Well, you better need to rethink that strategy. Because over 50 percent of email campaign responders go to that brand’s website. That’s a massive chunk of wasted customers!

So if you are thinking about doing email marketing, then think about creating a good website first!

You Are Missing a Low-Cost Advertising Opportunity

A website won’t cost you as much as let’s say a billboard or a TV spot. With proper SEO and a treasure trove of site content, having a website is as effective as traditional advertising.

Plus it can be a goldmine of valuable insight on your customers. Just use an analytics tool on your website. Find out what your customer likes, what they don’t, how much they spend on your site, etc.

You Can’t Rely on Social Media That Much

Social media has grown so much that it will be wrong for your brand not to have any presence there. However, relying on social media has its drawbacks. A big one is, what if social media starts changing their algorithms and rules and it directly affects your business? The answer is that there is not much you can do about it.

Remember the website Multiply? Well, it used to be big as an online marketplace. Years ago they shut down and was never seen again. Can you imagine if your whole livelihood was based on that site? You will have to do some massive restructuring, and all your marketing will have to restart somewhere else.

A website protects you from moments like this. When a social media site shuts down or changes some of its policy that affects your page. When that happens, your loyal customers will always have your website to go back to.

Your Online Branding Won’t Be As Effective

Even if you have an presence on all social media platforms, your branding will still seem incomplete without a website. It will be difficult to stand out in the crowd of social media pages as the interface remains the same for everyone.

Standing out is extremely important for businesses. That is why companies like McDonalds and Nike pay a lot to have unique store designs and packaging. A website allows you to show people what your brand is all about.

Don’t Turn Your Back On Your Business Website!

Creating a lasting online footprint for your brand is becoming easier and easier now that there are large platforms like social media and online resellers out there. However, as listed above, having a website is still essential in today’s online marketing landscape.

So don’t forget about your site! Give it some TLC, and fortify your branding on the web!

How to Get Amazing Reviews for Your Business

Nothing can bring a company to its knees than a lot of terrible reviews. Whether you are a small enterprise or a multinational conglomerate, a vast negative reputation will make you fear for your survival. Bad reviews can quickly turn into PR nightmares as well as risk throngs of potential customers turning away from you.

If you need some convincing then here is some food for thought. According to the website Telegraph, one out of every five companies in the UK is losing about 30,000 pounds a year because of bad reviews.

On the flip side, glowing reviews can turn your business into a sales engine. A single good review by the right individual can turn an upstart company into an overnight success. On a more positive note than our last examples, there are a lot of stories out there of great reviews rocketing companies to new heights.

I mean nearly all of us know a story or two about authors getting featured by Oprah, and suddenly their books fly off the shelves the very next day. Or how about those products going on “Shark Tank” and suddenly their websites lock up from all the orders after the episode airs.

Truth be told, old and new businesses strive through great word of mouth. Especially today, where one person’s opinion can be seen throughout the internet. So most companies today are willing to spend a lot just to get generally positive reviews on their websites and other affiliates.

Good reviews are not that hard to achieve if your companies can be consistent on a few things. However, before we go into any of that, it might be a good idea to find out the best places where your company can go to get those great reviews.

The Best Places For Great Business Reviews

Review Buzz– A great reviews resource site where you can post, search, and even get reviews. They also have a tool that allows business to manage their reviews

Yelp– One of the top review sites

Tripadvisor– The top site on reviews about the tourism industry

Amazon– The top site for product reviews

How To Build Amazing Reviews For Your Business

Nothing Beats Great Service

You can do all the tips below, but without great service, there is absolutely no way you will go far. If your customer, both existing and potential, ask you a question or file a complaint, then you should reply as quickly as you can.  Why is this important? Well, a study from the website Dialogtech states that a whopping 59 percent of customers are more likely to buy from a company who answers them in under a minute.

But of course, merely answering quick isn’t the only requirement for excellent service. Your staff should be able to answer questions in a courteous, professional, and complete manner. They should also be trained well to answer all the questions about your product or service in a satisfactory way.

Don’t forget the follow-ups. Customers will be delighted to know that you care about them even after you have answered their questions or after they bought something from you.

Last but obviously not the least, deliver on your brand’s promises whether it is about product quality or timely deliveries.

Appreciate your fans

If you have loyal customers who give you great reviews, then don’t forget to provide them with a shout back. Maybe you can thank them through comments or even private messages. From time to time, you can choose random fans to give a small token from your side.

Here is a little nugget. According to Helpscout, feeling unappreciated is the number one reason customers turn away from a brand. So remember, keep buttering up those who are loyal to you!

Take care of the haters

There are always going to be negative reviews especially if your brand and service start reaching out to more and more people. This is attributed to the fact that customers who had bad experiences on a brand are 91 percent more likely to take some sort of action.

So what can you do? Well, for starters you can own up to your own mistakes and say politely on how you can improve on it next time.

If your negative review comes from an unreasonable customer, then politely tell your side of the story. The customer is not always right, but still, try to be respectful each chance that you get.

Lastly, don’t forget to thank your customers for taking the time to comment on your brand whether it is negative or positive.

Be visible across all platforms

If there is something that people hate, it is when stores are just so hard to reach. While a reply is critical, it is equally essential to be seen across multiple platforms. Customers have different ways to contact you, so you need to give them multiple access to your brand.

Make thriving social media pages since most customers will most likely be there. Have a dedicated hotline where customers can air their queries and complaints. Be ready to quickly answer emails and text messages. Put a chat app on your website so customers can interact with you while browsing on your site.

There are other places to be visible that might fit your brand correctly. Search for online communities or even try to create one.

Give Incentives

If you have a lot of loyal customers, then you might need to think more about giving them incentives to keep being loyal. We touched upon this subject a while back, but I feel like we really need to go in depth about this considering how important this is to creating an exceptional customer service experience. So here are some tips for great incentive ideas.

1. Discounts: This is the best way to reward loyal buyers. Try a cumulative discount for those who buy big or a good loyalty card plan. Nothing makes a consumer feel more special than getting something cheaper compared to others.

2. Give something for free: You know something better than discounts? Free items! Look for non or slow moving stocks from your store and think about giving it for free to loyal customers who buy a lot.

3. Invite customers to product trials or focus groups: Make your customer feel like they are part of your brand’s growth by inviting them to various events like product trials. Make them feel that their opinion matters and how highly you value them. Don’t forget to give them a small token of your appreciation on their way out!

Create Contests

Always strive to make your customers feel the fun! Spice up your brand’s image by making contests for your customers from time to time. Keep a few things in mind though like make the prize a little worthwhile and always tie that prize with your brand. I mean don’t use an iPhone as a prize if your brand deals with sporting goods.

Contests are fun, interactive, and can gain you new customers, while making the old ones feel appreciated.

Create Communities

Brands love it if they can create a cult-like following. I mean have you seen how people camp out of Apple stores every time a new phone comes out? Or how about those Harley motorcycle riders who have festivals and fun runs? Brands like those do well because they have incredibly passionate customers.

These phenomenon started by customers building communities. Nowadays, brands can speed this process up by creating online communities where like-minded customers can find each other. They will share tips and secrets as well as their experiences.

Once it gets bigger, you can start organizing location-based events for your customers. However, you must be involved in all of this. Have someone moderate the boards from your side who can personally interact with the community.

If you want a great example of a thriving brand community, check out the Playstation Gamer Community.

Be personal

Negative reviews won’t seem as bad if customers see a brand is humanized and is trying his/her best to give the best service possible. So always try to be personal in your responses rather than sounding like a robot or a bored customer service representative. If you have the staff to do that for you, train them on how to respond appropriately to queries and how to take care of negative feedback.

Not as Simple as Service With a Smile

Today’s customers are as demanding as ever. Creating a well thought out customer service plan can help build you an excellent reputation for your business. Keep in mind that a lot of customers rely on previous reviews when assessing your brand. But do a lot of things right, and your brand will be glowing with amazing reviews in no time!

Why You Need To Use Google My Business

If you want to do some SEO but is having a hard time with all the technical stuff, then Google My Business might be your best bet to start with. It is an easy way to get more exposure for your business.

Interestingly, a lot of companies overlook this and go ahead with the more popular SEO methods. Which is a shame, because according to Moz, Google My Business ranks number 1 when it comes to local finder ranking factors.

So before we go to more specific details on why your business needs to be in Google My Business, let us first find out how you can harness the marketing power of this tool

How to Create a Google my Business Account

1. Log into your Google Account (Make sure this is the account you want for your business)
2. After you have logged in, type google.com/business and on the top right corner of the page click on Start Now.
3. The next step will be filling in details about your business. You will need to write things like your business name, address, delivery area, business category, phone number, and website.
4. Google will then give you a variety of options on verifying your business. Choose one that suits you
5. After the verification process, go to your Google my Business Account dashboard and start editing the details of your business. Here you can also put your business’ profile photo and other photos and videos you wish to share.

The Best Reasons To Get Into Google My Business

It’s like a calling card on the web

As you can see from above, Google My Business allows your business to have a formal and proper listing on Google. While Facebook and other social media sites are great when it comes to business profiles, Google My Business just gives off a much professional feel compared to those.

It also allows your potential clients to have easier access to your contact numbers, website, and location. It is more of a quick view option rather than searching contact pages on websites and social media profiles. In a nutshell, Google My Business is one of the best and most user-friendly business directories online.

Gets you on the map

Google Maps is fast becoming the go-to database when it comes to finding and navigating through different locations. As technology gets better and the internet gets quicker, the use of GPS and maps is slowly becoming an essential need in today’s world.

Not convinced about this? Then here is some food for thought, according to Statista, Google Maps has over 154.4 million users each month. That figure will almost assuredly keep climbing up over the next few years. Quite rapidly, people are relying on GPS maps to find locations, look where to eat, find services, and locate the best shopping hubs. It is, therefore, ludicrous to skip this when doing online marketing.

Google My Business puts you on the map and allows potential customers to spot you there. Definitely, a winning situation for your online marketing.

Be visible across multiple devices

Google My Business is web optimized for viewing across all devices. Now that is a tough thing to do when it comes to personal websites. Optimization over a broad range of devices is very critical in a highly competitive business landscape.

Did you know that according to ImpactBND, 57 percent of users say they won’t recommend a business without an excellent mobile-optimized website? Also by 2019, internet use with mobile devices will surpass desktop by a significant margin.

Having a great business page with Google My Business already gets you one step closer on having all your profiles optimized for all devices.

Make your customers know you are active (chat and video function)

If you think that Google My Business is just a static profile site for your business, then you might have to think again. Google My Business has a wide array of features that is undoubtedly going to delight a lot of potential customers.

First is the fact that you can do posts that promotes your various offers, products, news, and other updates. This will be seen in Google Maps as a more interactive way for customers to look at what you have to offer. Just imagine your customer looking at your location and seeing what promos and wares are currently in your store? Now that is real-time advertising!

Next exciting feature is the ability to post videos. Keep in mind that people are more engaged when watching video content than seeing a static post. Keep in mind though that videos are kept only at 30 seconds each, so make those very short and impactful for customers to know more about your business.

Another great feature of Google My Business is the ability to chat with customers. Your account has a messenger feature that you need to activate, and your customers can instantly communicate with you for more info about your business.

Lastly, Google My Business has a nifty new feature in store for those in the restaurant business. They have a slot that allows customers to view a restaurant’s menu. This is great as more and more eaters and foodie like to look at menus before deciding on which restaurant to go to.

Best of all it won’t cost a thing

Want to know what the best part of Google My Business is? It’s absolutely free! So if you are a little tight on the budget for your online marketing, then you should definitely put Google My Business on top of your list. The risk and reward favor you, and it will be a big mistake to skip this one.

Take your business to another level

Google My Business is a one-stop and streamlined way for customers to get to know your business. Imagine the customer journey from searching online, to pinpointing your exact location, to knowing more about your store, and even directly communicating with. All this before they have even left their couches.

It is just a great way to promote your business. Oh, and did I mention that this is absolutely free? No doubt about it, sign up now for this fantastic marketing opportunity!

10 Forms of Online Marketing

As an online marketing company in Denver, one thing that we hear a lot is that many business owners just aren’t aware of what online marketing opportunities are out there. The online marketing world changes so often that it can be hard to keep up – which is why we do the hard work for you. Here are ten types of online marketing that we use to help your company succeed.

1. Video Marketing

Video content is quickly becoming the most powerful way to reach an audience online. Videos can be anything from education to entertainment and can help establish your brand’s persona in just a few seconds.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing involves giving a third party a reason to refer people to your product. This often means giving them a discount code to share, or offering them a small paycheck for every click their affiliate link gets.

3. Inbound Marketing

Inbound marketing means to use your content on your website to draw in readers, and then convert them to buyers.

4. Referral Marketing

Referral marketing happens when a customer is happy enough to tell other people to buy from you. Reviews are a form of referral marketing.

5. Email Marketing

Sending out emails to an invested list of buyers and interested parties is a great way to market your products and services.

6. Pay-per-click Marketing

PPC marketing means that you pay to have your website link displayed prominently in ad space on various Internet pages, primarily on Google or other search engines. Every time someone clicks, you pay a small fee to the hosting website.

7. Social Media Marketing

Using social media to market your business can mean a huge range of things. Primarily, social media is a great place to grow your brand’s persona and connect with customers or fans.

8 Display Marketing

Display marketing involves having a space with artwork and words, such as a banner on another popular website. Think of it as a digital billboard.

9. Search Engine Optimization

Getting your product in front of customers by using the right keywords and links is called search engine optimization. This makes sure that search engines display your content on page one of a search.

10. Search Engine Marketing

Using SEO, as well as PPC advertising, social media, and more, all together, is called search engine marketing.

Learn more about these tactics from your trusted online marketing company, Online Marketing Media.

How Do Pay Per Click Ads Work?

Are you familiar with the term PPC ad? It means Pay Per Click advertising and is one of the most commonly used forms of online marketing. Naturally, not everyone understands how the ads work (apart from being clicked!). Let’s take a bit of time to discover how this form of paid advertising works and help you determine if it is a good fit for your goals.

The Mechanics of PPC

So, how exactly does a Pay Per Click ad operate? Essentially, it is an ad in which you, as the advertiser, pay a few whenever someone clicks on the advertisement. In essence, it is a way to purchase traffic to visit your site. It is not the same as organic traffic that visits specific pages based on things like links in blogs or backlinks from other sites.

Getting the Clicks

Of course, there is also the matter of how the PPC ads appear where they do and what it costs. To keep it as simple as possible, most buyers will bid for the placement of their ads within a search engine’s (i.e, Google’s) sponsored links section of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). As an example, you pay for your ad to appear when someone types in a specific collection of words in a search engine, such as organic chocolate brownies. If you paid for those terms, your ad appears at the top of the SERP, and if it is clicked, you pay a fee and are likely to get a lead or sale out of it.

Is It Worth It?

Most of the time, you will opt for a PPC ad once you have done a lot of keyword research and discovered which terms are the most competitive and likely to generate buying traffic. As a simple illustration, the terms above might cost you something like $2 per click, but that click could lead to a $30 or more sale each time. That is a nominal fee against the potential for profit and return business.

Getting Started

Naturally, you have to have well-written ads and the right terms. That is where expert help is essential to your Pay Per Click success. If you are eager to see what this approach to marketing has to offer to your Denver, CO business, get in touch with Online Marketing Media and discuss all of your online marketing, PPC, and other goals.

Top 3 Reasons to Add an FAQ Page to Your Website

When new visitors arrive on your website, chances are they will have questions. And because no business, no matter how unique, can operate in an unique way from other businesses, chances are that those questions will be pretty similar to commonly-asked questions of all businesses. People are interested in finding out up front how you handle things like shipping, returns, gift cards, and so on. But there are other great reasons to include an FAQ in your website design. Denver, CO business owners, could all benefit from including this page on any website right from the start. Here’s why:

• Immediately address common customer concerns and fears with an FAQ. Your customers may have some concerns about trying out a new product or a new supplier that they haven’t worked with before. Giving them information up front helps them feel more comfortable about working with you.
• Be ranked better by Google’s search algorithm. Did you know that an FAQ page is a great place to put keywords for your SEO? Not only are you educating your users, but you also have the opportunity for some natural keyword usage for the search engines. That is always a big plus for your visibility and growth.
• Take back your time to focus on your business by eliminating certain customer service tasks. There are some things that can be automated, like answering the same questions that most of your new customers have. You can spend your time focusing on your business and products, and less time focusing on providing the same answers over and over.

Creating an FAQ Page is Easy

Website design for Denver, CO businesses is what we do best at OnlineMarketingMedia. FAQ pages are easy to create and only take a few quick steps. First, you’ll need to gather the questions and answers that you are most frequently asked, and determine how you want to organize them on the page. Then you’ll need to choose how to present the answers and make the page look nice! Be sure to consider social media sharing and SEO so that you can easily utilize this page on around the web, and always add your contact information in case a customer has questions you didn’t include.

If you are ready to get your FAQ up and running on your website, contact us today by calling 720-432-1736.

5 Compelling Online Marketing Strategies to Transform Your Business

You might think that you’re doing everything you can to market your business…

… but what if you’re not?

The explosion of the Internet, social media, and mobile has changed all the rules of marketing. If you are not using the latest digital Marketing strategies to transform your business, you might be losing out on:

• New customers
• Increased sales
• Your future growth and expansion

You don’t want that to happen to you. And you might be wondering what online marketing strategies you should be implementing to make sure it doesn’t.

Here they are.

#1: Optimize Your Website for Online Search and Mobile

This most fundamental digital marketing strategy might seem obvious but a lot of local businesses don’t bother doing it. That’s because they have a limited understanding of the potential marketing power of their website.

Having a dynamic website might not be a necessity for a large business that relies on expensive paid advertising. But for small and mid-sized companies, website marketing is the most effective and affordable strategy to reach out to potential customers.

There are two types of digital optimization you need for your website:

1. Optimization for local search
2. Optimization for mobile

Both kinds of optimization are designed to help you attract organic search traffic to your site. For the former, you’ll need to audit your site, choose the right keywords, and use tags and content to get your site to rank.

For mobile optimization, the key is to use a responsive design that allows mobile users to view all your content easily regardless of what device they use to access your site. Google ranks mobile-optimized websites higher in its search results as more users today view websites on mobile devices than they do on a PC.

#2: Claim (and Standardize) All Online Listings of Your Business

Your website is important, but it’s not the only way people find you online.

Unclaimed listings may be incorrect. The last thing you need is a misleading listing that has the wrong URL, contact details or business hours.

The process of claiming your listings should go like this:

1. Do a Google search for your company and identify all online listings
2. Claim each listing according to the instructions on the site
3. Standardize all NAP listings (that’s name, address, phone number) so they’re identical. Everything, from street names to abbreviations to the format of the telephone number, must be the same.

If you do this, you can be sure that you’re not diluting your online presence with a slew of inaccurate or unclaimed listings. It might seem like a small thing, but it makes a big difference to Google. Google search crawlers determine the authenticity of a website using NAP Consistency as one of the key factors.

#3: Include an Opt-In Form on Every Page of Your Site

Building an email list is a must for every local business. It lets you communicate with both existing and prospective customers, announce new products and events, and turn leads into sales.

It all starts with an opt-in form. If your form is appearing on only one page on your site, you’re not capturing as many subscribers as you should be.

The solution? Place an opt-in form on every important web page. On some pages, you may want to include an offer, such as a tip sheet or a short eBook, to attract subscribers. On others, the presence of the form on the sidebar or as a pop-up may be enough.

The bottom line is that anybody who lands on ANY page of your site is a potential subscriber – so treat them that way.

#4: Be Smart on Social Media

For some local businesses, social media is an afterthought. They might have a Facebook page or a presence on Instagram, but they post sporadically and don’t do much to build or engage their audience.

With more than a billion active users on Facebook alone, there’s no denying that social media looms large on the marketing landscape. Here’s what you should be doing:

• Creating and adhering to a content-posting schedule so your followers know when to look for you
• Posting content that’s entertaining and valuable to your audience
• Varying your content so it’s always interesting
• Answer questions from customers

Don’t let your social media accounts stagnate. They’re the perfect place to engage current customers and show new ones what they’re missing.

#5: Pay for Advertising Strategically

There’s an awful lot you can do to market your company online for free, but sometimes, it pays to pay.

On Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites, you can boost a post – often for just a few dollars. Boosting greatly increases the number of people who see your content.

Here are the types of things you should post:

• Content that gets a lot of organic engagement
• Product announcements and event information
• Content that’s designed to attract email subscribers
• Content that you think is particularly relevant and useful to your audience

There’s an art to boosting content, and it’s your job to master it. Even if you spend only a dollar a day on boosted content, you’re likely to see a significant increase in your engagement.

Google AdWords program is another powerful way to promote your business online with paid ads. These ads will show up to targeted users who are searching for content on Google that is related to what your business offers. You can choose the PPC (pay-per-click) model of advertising on Google. Google will only charge you each time someone actually clicks on your online ad to learn more about your business or to visit your business website.

Stop Worrying about Missing Out and Implement those Marketing Strategies to Transform Your Business!

If you worry that your business might be missing out on the power of digital marketing, get in touch with an experienced online marketing company with proven expertise.

They can help you achieve targeted or localized online visibility to boost your business prospects. Partnering with a reliable and dedicated digital marketer could be the single most vital decision you might make to put your business on a high growth path.

 

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing a Website Design

Building an online presence is no longer optional. Every business, no matter how large or small, whether focused on ecommerce, or operating a brick and mortar location, needs a website to ensure visibility to their customers. With that being said, it is vital that you know a few things about choosing a website design for a Denver, CO, business.

Responsive

One of the first considerations you’ll need to make is whether the website design company you’re considering is capable of offering responsive website design. Responsive design simply means that your site will automatically detect the visitor’s device and screen size, and resize and reorder to fit that device. It ensures that every visitor enjoys their experience, whether they’re using a laptop or desktop, or browsing on their smartphone.

Local Optimized

While the Internet was once considered the great leveler, allowing small businesses to compete with large ones, and eliminating geographic barriers, things have changed today. More and more, consumers are demanding access to local companies, and Google and other search engines have responded. Make sure that your website is local optimized so that you’re visible to those who matter most – the customers in Denver, CO.

Customized

It’s important when considering website design in Denver, CO, that you ensure you’re not being saddled with what amounts to a cookie-cutter website. Too many web designers, take a template, make a few adjustments, and deliver that to their customers. You deserve better than a template – make sure the web design company you choose can offer true customization to meet your specific needs.

In-House Graphic Design

Web design includes a wide range of other disciplines. One that you might not think about immediately is graphic design. You will need custom graphics designed and developed for your company, so make sure that the company you’re working with can offer that. If they have to outsource the graphic design portions of the project, it can add to your cost, and increase the time to completion, as well.

Other Collateral

Your website may not be the only collateral that needs to be developed. Make sure you’re working with a web design company that can help you with all other collateral you need, including:

• Business logo
• Social media cover photos and profile pictures
• Custom icons
• Custom Facebook apps
• Ecommerce applications and solutions

With the right web design provider, you can build a website that invites in your target audience, delivers an ideal experience, and builds your success.