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  • Important Elements Of A Good Brand Logo

    Your brand’s logo is directly linked to your business’ identity – it’s the first visual impression you offer consumers, stakeholders, journalists and more. Logos can evoke powerful emotions, and, when designed right, they can communicate a brand’s true essence. Besides starting out by understanding your target audience’s preferences, how do you really pack so much into one small image? Well, here are seven elements of a great brand logo –

    1. Timeless

    Trends change with every passing minute. Opt for a logo that is timeless so it doesn’t become obsolete after a few months or years because rebranding is an expensive and time-consuming process. Your logo should have a long shelf-life that’s classy. Dior, Coca-Cola, Jaguar, Target, Apple, Taco Bell, Adidas, Nike, 7-11, Puma, Swarovski and Starbucks are great examples of such logos that have stood the test of time.

    2. Simple

    Less is more, always. Don’t confuse your audience with too many elements in one tiny logo. In fact, even if you try to go overboard, the truth is half the detailing won’t even be visible on a tiny phone screen. Marie Kondo your logo design. It’ll be more memorable.

    3. Adaptable 

    As your brand scales up and your marketing campaigns spread across multiple channels, you’ll need a logo that can be adapted to your Website, brochures, t-shirts, billboards, social media infographics, video clips, business cards, pens, backdrops, standees and more. Your logo should look nice even if it is super large or super small, and should look decent in black-and-white color schemes as well as full color. Select colors and fonts accordingly.

    4. Unique


    Your logo should be distinct – the last thing you’ll want is for consumers to mix up your logo with another brand’s logo that looks very similar. Do enough research to avoid this blunder!

    5. Typography & Colors


    Typography and colors emit a lot of personality and carry certain connotations. Are you looking for font and colors that convey power or nostalgia or fun or feminine appeal or youthfulness? Are the font sizes you’re selecting going to be visible in a small size or from a distance? Are the colors aesthetic? Do they communicate the right values? Will they look good on different color background? Usually, experts recommend avoiding more than 3 colors in one logo. Also, more than 3 colors in a logo will increase production cost when printing. Follow this sound advice!

    6. Meaningful


    Your brand’s logo should be linked to your brand – there should be an interconnected meaning, rather than a sense of disjointedness. Your logo represents your brand’s vision, so make sure they are in sync. Think of tag lines that you want to include with your logo, as well.

    7. Balanced



    Whether your logo is only comprised of text or an icon or both, make sure all the elements are well-balanced and strong. Again, visual appeal is important – remember that. You may want to consider focus testing different logo options on a group of people to understand which one works best.

    We hope you’re able to develop a powerful logo for your business with this handy checklist. Remember to develop a comprehensive creative brief for your design team to avoid unnecessary back-and-forth and confusion. If you need any help with branding, don’t hesitate to contact our team right here.

    Sources-
    > www.logomaker.com/blog/2017/10/03/the-5-fundamental-branding-elements-of-logo-design/
    > www.crowdspring.com/blog/create-a-successful-logo-with-these-10-essential-elements/
    > https://blog.hubspot.com/insiders/logo-design-tips
    > www.webdesignerdepot.com/2009/06/12-essential-rules-to-follow-when-designing-a-logo/

  • 6 Reasons Your Brand Should Send Newsletters

    According to the Radicati Group, more than 34% individuals use email worldwide, with nearly 196 billion emails being sent on a daily basis, out of which 109 billion – the vast majority – are business emails. A 2013 study by Custora also indicates the popularity of email marketing – it quadrupled within four years preceding the study, accounting for nearly 7% of online customer acquisitions. Most importantly, statistics from Convince & Convert illustrate that 44% of email subscribers made at least 1 purchase linked to a promotional email they received, and are likely to spend 138% more than those who don’t receive newsletters. If you haven’t already integrated newsletters into your digital marketing strategy, here are six reasons why you really ought to begin! –

    1. Update Busy Customers

    People are extremely busy these days, and are likely to miss out on all of your updates. Newsletters are a great way to remind them of new company happenings, media coverage, endorsements and products/services, as well as promotional offers to boost sales. Your newsletter is basically a hall of fame of content within a predefined period / frequency interval.

    2. Boost Sales

    Newsletters, especially drip email campaigns, help lead customers to a particular end-goal, which can certainly be purchases. According to Experian, if you setup a transactional emailer, it is likely to receive an 8x higher open and click rate than other email campaigns. By snapshotting certain attractive offers like limited time discounts or delightful products that are hyperlinked to the sales page on your Website, newsletters are a great way to improve sales smartly.

    3. Appealing ROI

    According to VentureBeat and the Direct Marketing Association, email marketing generates nearly $40 per every dollar spent! This makes newsletters very inexpensive and a no-brainer for brands operating on a tight marketing budget. A joint study by Shop.org and Forrester Research indicates that 85% of US retailers consider email marketing as one of the most effective tactics to acquire customers.

    4. Offer A Personal Touch

    With many sophisticated tools out there in the market, newsletters can be personalized with not just the customer’s name, but even offers and information that meet their individual needs. Research from Campaign Monitor indicates segmented campaigns can increase revenue by a whopping 760% because it is more engaging.

    5. Measurable Results

    Rather than leaving things to guesswork, newsletters’ performance is measurable – you can see who has opened your email, how much time they spent, what links they clicked on and if they opted to unsubscribe. You can literally track which customers are more sales-ready than others, and which ones you need to spend more time and effort on.

    6. Establish Trust

    Newsletters help consumers and stakeholders trust you – it makes you seem as a thought leader within the industry, especially if you push out stats, research studies and trend-related blog posts from time-to-time, too, instead of only profiling new products and services. You can even highlight any events you’re participating in or awards you’re winning for an added credibility boost. Bottom-line is people like to do business with brands they can actually trust, so use newsletters to your advantage.

    We hope these six reasons encourage you to incorporate email marketing into your brand’s strategy. If you need any help, don’t hesitate to contact our team of experts at Kissdoodles right here.

    Sources-
    > https://smallbusiness.chron.com/company-newsletter-important-68359.html
    > https://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-newsletters-business-61725.html
    > https://www.saleswingsapp.com/email-marketing/why-you-should-send-out-newsletters/
    > https://inboundrocket.co/blog/6-reasons-why-email-marketing-is-important-for-internet-marketing/

  • Stay On Top Of Marketing Trends With These 10 Sites

    Irrespective of what the nature of your business is, staying on top of digital marketing trends is essential because the landscape is changing with every passing day. From SEO tweaks and content hacks to social media trends and emailer optimization, there are plenty of facets to keep track of. We’ve compiled a handy list of 10 excellent blogs and Websites to follow that will keep you in the loop about all developments within digital marketing.

    1. HubSpot Blog

    With plenty of research studies, data analysis, insights, easy-to-process infographics and more, Hubspot’s blog is an excellent resource for all marketing professionals to uncover brand new information that can work wonders for their strategy.

    2. Search Engine Land

    The brand behind the Search Marketing Expo, also releases regular news surrounding important headlines, as well as in-depth analysis of trends.

    3. Social Media Today

    Social media presence is imperative in today’s day and age, and if you want to know the latest buzz surrounding Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more, Social Media Today will keep you equipped with information ’round the clock.

    4. Copyblogger

    Solid content is the backbone of any digital marketing campaign, but even content writing has its own rules. Copyblogger will improve your knowledge regarding everything that has to do with copy, although it might not be as regularly updated as other portals on this list.

    5. Neil Patel

    Previously known as the KISSmetrics blog, New York Times best-selling author, Neil Patel shares in-depth insight surrounding email marketing, paid promotions, content marketing, SEO and more on this platform, and pretty much all of his claims are backed with robust data. Highly recommended!

    6. Buffer

    If your main priority is timely insights surrounding the hottest news within the world of social media, Buffer is your go-to site. Added bonus – they aren’t afraid to tell it like it is and raise a few eyebrows in the process.

    7. Moz

    One of the most well-known sources within the digital marketing arena, Moz’ in-depth content covers plenty of topics and sub-topics, alike, especially surrounding SEO. You’ll also enjoy their Whiteboard Friday videos – very helpful!

    8. Social Media Examiner

    Social Media Examiner is a useful site to consult because they don’t just report news, they equip you with tips on how to implement their information into your campaigns. Begin your day by browsing through their hottest headlines.

    9. Search Engine Watch

    If something’s brewing within the digital marketing domain, chances are Search Engine Watch has reported it in a timely manner. And, they provide tons of how-to articles to improve your marketing game.

    10. Search Engine Journal

    The growth Search Engine Journal has demonstrated over the past few years, in terms of the amount of content they churn out, is impressive. Furthermore, they host helpful events, including the SEJ Summit, and are even the brains behind the Marketing Nerds podcast.

    We hope these ten blogs help you align your digital marketing efforts with best practices throughout the year. If you need any help with content creation or content marketing, don’t hesitate to contact our team right here.

    Sources-
    > www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/01/05/marketing-news
    > www.bluefountainmedia.com/blog/the-10-best-digital-marketing-blogs-you-should-be-reading
    > https://medium.com/elfsight-blog/best-digital-marketing-blogs-2019-61413063985

  • Why Blogging Is Important For Your Brand

    As consumers spend more and more time online, making your presence felt on the Web is increasingly important. While active social media accounts and emailers are great tactics, maintaining an official blog for your business is also integral. In fact, Research indicates that 80% of companies blogging as part of their key marketing strategy acquired customers through this tactic. Furthermore, and 82% claim blogging is imperative to their business. Here are seven reasons why your brand should blog –

    1. SEO Boost

    Search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing love Websites that provide them with fresh content to index. Maintaining a blog allows you to churn out content that adds value to your consumers’ lives and also rank higher on targeted keywords. It’s like killing two birds with one stone.

    2. Build Credibility


    Providing audiences with new information, not just about your products, but about trends in your industry, allows you to secure an edge over your competitors – it enhances your credibility and establishes your business as a thought leader. Not just consumers, even media outlets and other stakeholders will trust your brand more.

    3. Subtle Advertising

    No one likes a brand that shoves products and services down a consumer’s throat. Instead, use your blog to smartly and subtly to lead your audience to a desirable action-step, gradually. For example, if you’re a brand that sells men’s t-shirts, you can post a blog about 5 hottest men’s fashion trends of the year and promote your own product images / links within the story.

    4. Develop A Strong Community

    Attracting a loyal consumer base is every brand’s dream. Blogging presents customers with an opportunity to engage with your brand and with one another, too. Furthermore, if your content is truly meaningful (which it SHOULD be), you might be surprised with how many people share your articles on their social media handles, offering free word-of-mout

    h. In a nutshell, blogging allows you to strengthen your relationship with existing consumers and also attract new ones in the process.

    5. Tap Into Influencer Marketing

    If you maintain an active blog, you can appeal to influencers hrough listicle format posts that snapshot various thought leaders whom you want to tie-up with. For example, if you are a restaurant, a listicle about Top Food Instagrammers or Top Food Bloggers might just earn you a reshare from some of the people you profile.

    6. Understand Your Audience

    Blogging allows you to understand your consumers effectively – by monitoring which blog posts are performing best, you can find out what their wants and needs really are. Accordingly, you can tweak your messaging to control the narrative properly and feed them relevant content they wish to see, so your brand resonates with audiences even further.

    7. Coveted Subscribers List

    Blogging also presents you with an opportunity to build a database of consumers who are genuinely interested in your products and services – often times, if people love your blog’s content, they will subscribe for more updates, which then provides you with a golden chance to cross-promote your business even further through other touch-points.

    We hope these seven reasons inspire you to either breathe life into your pre-existing blog or to add one to your corporate Website pronto! If you need any help with content creation, contact our team right here.

    Sources-
    > www.cbo.me/blog/5-powerful-benefits-of-blogging-for-your-small-business
    > www.prismglobalmarketing.com/blog/7-reasons-why-blogging-is-important-to-your-business
    > https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2018/01/brand-needs-blog/
    > https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-benefits-of-business-blogging-ht

  • Does Your Website Have These 11 Essentials?

    We’ve already taken a close look at why every brand needs a Website in today’s day and age when competition is cut-throat and maintaining a strong digital footprint is imperative. However, not anything and everything will make do. In fact, there are eleven important elements that make a Website robust. Let’s take a look at all of them right now, shall we?

    1. Be Clear

    Customers who happen to stumble across your Website shouldn’t be confused about what it is you exactly do, else they are going to bounce off your platform immediately, and that’s going to lower your SEO performance . Make sure there is a crystal clear description that is short and sweet about your products/services – and, it should be super easy to spot.

    Pro Tip – Your Website should have a clear call-to-action, as well!

    2. Site Map

    A site map is an important element to include on your Website, even if there aren’t too many pages. It helps users navigate your site smoothly and look at all the sections + subsections in one convenient place, in case they are having difficulty finding something. Do not miss this component!

    Pro Tip – Also add a Search Engine on your Website.

    3. Straightforward URL

    Do not complicate your URL – it’ll be difficult for people to remember and pass along to others. Stick to your brand’s name, and preferably .com (which is most commonly used). In essence, your URL should have high recall value.

    4. Easily Contactable

    Contact info. Hyperlinked social media icons. Customer service chat-box. All of these features should be easily discoverable. Nothing frustrates a customer more than having to search for a way to get a hold of you should they need help or wish to receive assistance with an order / query.

    5. Credibility Boosters

    Testimonials. Reviews. Awards. Media coverage. Portfolio / case studies. Prestigious client tie-ups. Endorsements. Display your “social proof” proudly to boost your credibility. This works as a charm in swaying customers / clients in your direction over your competitors.

    6. Smart Design

    High-quality content User-friendly design. Mobile-friendly navigation. Stunning visuals. Hero shots. Smart headlines. Crisp sub-sections.These are all staple ingredients of any solid Website. Do not neglect these basics. If your site isn’t user-friendly, it will turn them off and impact SEO adversely!

    Pro Tip – Do not forget to invest in a good logo. Microsoft Word Art is not going to cut it!

    7. Appealing Offers

    Convert site visitors into customers with an appealing offer they cannot resist. Are you an e-commerce portal? Offer a nice discount off first purchases upon subscription. Do you offer services to other companies? Offer a free trial of your service upon subscription.

    8. Regularly Updated Blog

    A blog is an important element of most Websites these days. They allow you to improve SEO. And, they also enable you to maintain your image as a thought leader. Furthermore, you can often repurpose content from your blog as social media content, killing two birds with one stone. Word of advice – do NOT turn comments off on your blog. Remember, the goal is to engage.

    9. Security / Safety Measures

    If users feel your Website isn’t very safe to use, they probably won’t want to make a transaction on your platform. Make sure your site is fully secure. And, if you’re dealing with customers in Europe, make sure it is also GDPR compliant.

    10. Links & Tags

    Don’t forget SEO basics when designing your site. Always use tags, meta-tags and try to cross-link within your Website so audiences can be redirected to co-related content and spend more time on your Website.

    11. Update Regularly

    Many brands forget to update their Website regularly. Just because you are current on your social media handles does not mean you can slack off on your Website. If you haven’t updated the Copyright date on your portal, that shows you’re lazy. If you haven’t updated your client roster, again, you’re showing you aren’t taking your own company’s achievements seriously. Make sure you set a date every month to update your Website properly. And, while you’re doing that, also cross-check analytics!

    We hope these eleven essentials will guide you to revamp your Website so it does more for your business, moving forward. Need help with designing your Website? Contact our team right here.

    Sources-
    > www.entrepreneur.com/article/217499
    > www.orbitmedia.com/blog/what-to-put-on-your-homepage/
    > www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/10/13/13-important-elements-to-include-when-designing-a-website/#17390c9568de
    > www.poweredbysearch.com/blog/the-15-website-must-haves/

     

  • Web Design Teams From Around The World To Inspire You

    The world of online marketing has become extremely competitive, especially for e-commerce portals. With everyone glued to the Internet, the importance of maintaining a solid online presence cannot be emphasized enough. You need to be where your audience is, after all. And, one of the key tactics of beating your competition is to build a visually stunning, high-content and user-friendly website that not only ranks well from a SEO perspective, but also impresses both your target audience. Here are five of the best web design companies you should definitely study to get some much-needed Web design inspiration.

    1. Lounge Lizard

    Winner of many awards, Lounge Lizard is a New York based team that consists of graphic designers, content writers, designers, programmers and digital market specialists. They all keep one end-goal in mind when designing a Website – the number of users must grow. Active in the market since 1998, SoftwareTestingHelp.com and WP Arena have both profiled their work, in the past. They have worked with brands such as Spectrum Entertainment, Frey Moss, Sachem Public Library, Motorola Solutions, Novus and Animalpark.

    Check out their work right here.

    2. Go Gulf

    CEIBS. Fujifilm. Air Mauritius. Zodiac. These are just some of the very many prestigious brands Dubai-headquartered Go Gulf has helped with their Web based expertise. Founded in 2005, they have already dealt with over 500 companies! No wonder TIME, Neil Patel, CNN, Mediabistro, Techwire and more have featured them. They’re constantly up to great Web design and development.

    Check out their work right here.

    3. Alt Agency

    UK based Alt Agency’s strengths are design, development and Web site maintenance. And, the brands they’ve worked with all fall into a really interesting mix, including F1, The Beatles Story, Bad Bear, Supercar and Concept Hair Magazine. Founded in 2006, they’ve certainly come a long way Website-by-Website.

    Check out their work right here.

    4. Playground

    Milan, Italy sure is known for being a hip hub. And, the same goes true for Web design! Launched over 12 years ago, Playground specializes in designing digital experiences, and they handle other verticals, too, including content and email marketing. Their data-driven approach to Web design has won them some pretty high-profile clients, such as The North Face, Timberland, Vans and Napapijri.

    Check out their work right here.

    5. Ruckus Marketing

    Crayola. Haley Davidson. HSBC. OnePlus. Porsche. What’s the common thread with all these brands, minus the fact that they’re huge? Well, they’ve all turned to New York based Ruckus Marketing to help with Web related solutions! Listed as one of the top design agencies by Agency Spotter, Ruckus Marketing handles UX/UI, Website development, apps, marketing, branding and much more for clients across many diverse industries.

    Check out their work right here.

    We hope these five design pros from around the globe help you set the bar higher for your own Web site’s design. Remember, if you don’t invest in your own brand image, no one will want to invest in you. If you need help with putting together a user-friendly site, contact our team right here.

    Sources-
    > https://wparena.com/top-web-designing-companies/
    > www.softwaretestinghelp.com/web-design-company/
    > https://yourstory.com/mystory/top-5-website-design-and-development-companies-in–r1iv2iq8vi

  • Analyze Web Analytics Better With These 5 Tips

    Did you know that 88% of online visitors are less likely to return after a negative site experience, and that people’s perception of a company’s credibility is 75% based on Web design? Assessing and reiterating measures to help your website achieve a high performance level is no walk in the park. Web analytics is a highly reliable methodology to undertake an accurate assessment of your website’s performance. Get rid of the guessing game regarding campaign success/failure with these five tips to assess web analytics better! –

    1. Keep A Check On Bounce And Exit Rates

    The bounce and exit rates will help you determine whether your strategies are successful in grabbing the right eyeballs. Exit rates indicate how many people left the website via which page, and whereas bounce rates signify the number of people who didn’t even make it to the second page. These metrics are useful in understanding your conversion rate, i.e. the success of your website. A high bounce rate could mean your Website has poor content and usability issues, or that your social media campaigns  and emailers are not appealing enough to transfer audiences onto your site.

    2. Keep A Note Of Your Referrers

    Referrers are the websites that send traffic to yours. Good referrers can boost your online presence – benefit from more of these by building your online network strategically. For example, if you are a guest blogger on another Website, you can always hyperlink to your brand’s URL.

    Pro Tip – Also check which channels are sending you traffic beyond referrers – i.e social media {handles, emailers, ads, etc.

    3. Focus On Measurement

    Web analytics heavily relies on measurement of standard metrics like referrers, bounce rate, unique site visits and repeat site visits. Many companies eyeball these numbers arbitrarily. Do not make this mistake – document these stats in an Excel sheet every month so you can identify issues as and when they happen.

    4. Call To Action

    70% of small businesses don’t even have a CTA on their Website! Make sure your website has a clear call-to-action so customers actually take the step you’re hoping they will! Do you want them to download something, sign up for a Webinar/event, make a purchase, leave a comment, sign up for newsletters? Whatever it is – make it evident.

    5. Page Views

    Always check the top performing pages on your Site – these are the portions actually resonating with your audience. If you have an e-commerce portal that sells earrings, necklaces and rings, and the best-performing page is rings sorted from low price to high price, you can discover that your rings are more appealing than the rest of the categories of products you offer, and that your customers are price conscious, too. Likewise, if you run a marketing company with an active blog section, examining which blogs are performing the best (through page views), will help you understand what your audience’s real concerns are and you can serve them with more relevant content, accordingly.

    We hope these five tips help you understand your Website’s performance better so you can modify your campaigns, layout and content accordingly. There are many tools available for this – Google Analytics, Piwik, Snoop, Kissmetrics, Mint, Woopra, Crazy Egg – and, we’re also just a click away!

    Sources –
    > https://parqamarketing.com/2018/11/why-your-websites-design-is-important-stats-that-prove-it/
    > https://www.smartbugmedia.com/blog/8-website-analytics-tools-you-should-be-using
    > https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/5-components-of-successful-web-analytics/
    > www.purelybranded.com/insights/top-10-website-analytics-you-should-be-measuring-and-learning-from/

  • 5 Reasons Why You Should Work With An External SEO Team

    It is interesting to note that Google has already captured a whopping 90.1% of the total search engine market share. Yet, surprisingly, only 44% of companies are leveraging the power of search engine optimization (SEO) for marketing purposes. Lack of SEO compliance has a direct impact on your company’s marketing strategies and it adversely affects your online presence. Do you really want your brand to fail to show up in the initial pages of Google search engine results? Nope, didn’t think so! When left to real experts, SEO can greatly improve the influx of traffic to your website. Read on to know 5 reasons why you should work with an external SEO team as opposed to hiring someone in-house.

    1. The Third Person Perspective

    An external SEO team is an industry exclusive marketing expert. They can observe opportunities from a bird’s eye view and create ideas, which might be unusual for your sector, but can prove to be truly ground-breaking for your long-term marketing agenda.

    2. Cost-Effectiveness

    By hiring an in-house SEO expert, you will not only be paying for SEO-specific tasks, but also for employee benefits, such as medical insurance and paid time off. However, if you hire an external SEO team, you will be engaging qualified experts on a need-basis system and your expenditure will only comprise of the actual services you avail.

    3. New Strategies, NOT Run-Of-The Mill Ideas

    When you hire an external SEO team, you hire a group of pros who are up to date with the latest trends and best practices. This helps create fresh and customized ideas that are relevant, which will fully resonate with any dynamic market scenario.

    4. Real-Time Results

    Positive SEO results not only need a lot of hard work, it demands consistency. Deploying a sub-standard ‘expert’ for one-time, half-baked efforts will not only throw your money down the drain, but it might even jeopardize your brand’s image if your competitors are already ahead of the game. An external SEO team can maximize your ROI with targeted solutions and also offer you the leeway of getting extra visitors without spending extraneous resources.

    5. Scalable Services As Per Your Needs

    SEO requirements are susceptible to change, based on new developments within the market, modifications to complex algorithms and/or customer demand. If your SEO need is limited during a certain month, an in-house team will still charge you the same salary (they are on your payroll, remember?). However, an external SEO team can scale up and down as per your needs – this is a crucial point because if your brand suddenly grows, or there are several new competitors in your industry, an external SEO team can easily rope in extra professionals during those high-volume periods.

    Clearly, outsourcing your SEO needs to an external team can help you grow your brand via unique strategies, cost-efficiency and scalability. Furthermore, you get to sit back and enjoy the benefit of fast, real-time results. If you want to understand how you can leverage the power of SEO, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team right here.

    Sources –
    > https://junto.digital/blog/seo-stats/
    > http://www.digitalmediaghost.com/publication/5-important-reasons-why-you-should-always-hire-an-external-seo-expert
    > https://moz.com/ugc/5-reasons-why-you-should-outsource-your-search-marketing-efforts
    > www.wsiprovenresults.com/blog/8-ways-your-business-can-benefit-from-seo-outsourcing/
    > https://thriveagency.com/news/heres-why-only-44-percent-of-businesses-are-investing-in-seo/

  • Top 6 Reasons Every Brand Should Have A Website

    To survive in this highly competitive and digitized world, one is always on the lookout for ways to broaden their brand in the market – an official website is a great starting point. Even if you think your social media handles are robust, the manner in which a Website will showcase your brand’s journey efficiently, lure prospective customers and aid in the marketing process is unparalleled. And, the good news is that building a business website or ecommerce store is not difficult at all. Still not convinced? Here are six reasons your brand should have a Website –

    1. Customers Rely On It

    In today’s digital world, customers like to be armed with sufficient information, including a company’s official Website – it establishes credibility. Even if you have a brick-and-mortar setup (i.e. a shop, restaurant, spa, daycare centre, clinic), it is much more convenient for a customer to explore what you have to offer online, rather than making an in-person visit. Nowadays everyone wants to search and compare online, before zeroing on a final product/service. Also, let’s get real – your competitors probably DO have official Websites in place, already.

    2. Wider Social Presence

    Once your website is online, you are not restricted to do business within your geographical limits. Your website will be visited and scanned by all the interested customers globally. Isn’t this a powerful concept?

    3. You Are The Controller

    A website allows you to display your products and services in as much detail as you want, without worrying about time and space, which are major hindrances in any other medium of advertising. A company’s blog aids in putting the company’s fundamentals, goals and personality in forefront of their targeted customers, even further. And, linking your page to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or other networking platforms fetches you a broader and dedicated customer base, too.  

    4. Cost-Effective Impact

    A website is the most inexpensive form of advertising. There are plenty of very cost-effective agencies that can help you build a bespoke Website that is user-friendly and visually engaging to leave a solid first-impression.

    5. Be Accessible 24/7

    An online website ensures you can do business beyond 9-5. In essence, your products are available 24/7 – there is no “closed” sign for a customer. Furthermore, your Website’s backend will collect data ‘round the clock about anyone and everyone who is browsing through your site, automatically.

    6. Rank High On Google

    A well equipped website not only creates a boost in sales, widens your customer database all the year round, and helps with engagement (i.e. blogs, emailers), it also makes you rank higher on Google – there are plenty of tools available to help you opitimze your Website’s performance in search engines, so your target audience can easily find out about your existence when they search for various keywords.

    There are more than 3.5 billion Internet users, and according to Statista, e-commerce sales are expected to hit $4.5 trillion by 2021! Don’t miss out on heightened growth – get your Website up and running and make your presence felt loud and clear online. Need help putting together a customized Web site? Contact our team right here.

    Sources –
    > www.mtwebsol.com/top-15-reasons-why-you-need-a-business-website
    > www.forbes.com/sites/nicoleleinbachreyhle/2014/09/29/websites-for-small-businesses/#2c33a2312026
    > https://blogs.constantcontact.com/small-business-website/
    > www.martec.ie/10-reasons-why-your-business-needs-a-web-site/
    > www.disruptiveadvertising.com/ppc/ecommerce/2018-ecommerce-statistics/

  • Conduct An SEO Audit With 8 Simple Steps

    A detailed review of your SEO strategies – also known as an SEO audit – will allow you to analyze which areas are doing well and which need to be revamped to improve your Web site’s performance and rankings. Let’s take a look at how you can conduct a robust SEO audit with 8 simple steps!

    Step 1 – Eliminate ‘Zombie’ Pages

    Find out how many pages of your site have been indexed by Google by typing site:yourwebsite.com into Google. Research indicates that sites with 50% more indexed pages tend to miss out on substantial organic traffic. Remove these ‘extra zombie’ pages pronto Google traffic. This first step will help make the rest of the audit process much easier. While you’re at it, remove duplicate content and low-value pages, too!

    Pro Tip – Make sure Google indexes only one version of your website, by redirecting it properly.

    Step 2 – Check For Mobile-Friendliness

    Over 60% of Google searches come from mobile devices. Hence, mobile SEO is more important than ever. Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Testing Tool to discover if your site is considered mobile-optimized or not.

    Step 3 – Analyze Keywords

    Extremely crucial for SEO performance, keywords should ideally be long-tail (contain three words or more) – it helps attract more qualified leads for your business. Always use higher value keywords integrated with titles and meta descriptions, which allow your page to rank higher in search results.

    Step 4 – Check Speed

    A slow loading Website is a turn off for both customers and Google, as Google values user-experience a lot. Run a speed test and clean HTML page code. Also, compress your images using tools like Kraken, if needed.

    Step 5 – Conduct A Security-Check

    If your Website isn’t secure, customers aren’t going to spend much time on it. Furthermore, Google does not rank unsecure sites. During the SEO audit process, double check if your site is encrypted with HTTPS – it should be!

    Step 6 – Keep Tabs On Organic Traffic

    Use Google Analytics to find out how many times your site been searched for and visited in the last month. Set the dates to the last 6 months to know whether your organic traffic is moving in the desired direction or not. Flat traffic generally starts improving once the SEO audit is over (if you take the right action steps, that is!).

    Step 7 – Compare With Your Competitors

    Analyze where you stand compared to your competition. If all of them are using certain keywords, you may need to use other ones to get better results. Also monitor the content they are churning to understand which type is appealing to your audience base effectively.

    Step 8 – Identify Errors

    Crawl your site with tools like Screaming Frog, which is quite useful in recognizing site errors and fixing them to improve overall performance. Identify un-indexed and broken pages with error messages. Also, address broken links! Again, we can only emphasize the fact that Google values user-experience when ranking sites.

    We hope these 8 steps help you conduct an SEO audit that improves your site’s performance. Need help? Contact our team right here!

    Sources –
    > www.optron.in/blog/seo-audit-checklist-updated
    > www.webfx.com/internet-marketing/seo-audit-2019.html
    > https://backlinko.com/seo-site-audit
    > https://ahrefs.com/blog/seo-audit/