Re-design is a scary idea for many marketing experts. Many designers timidly offer this kind of idea to their superiors, and the answers they most often get are:
“Why do we need this? What we have now works perfectly, better not change it.”
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
“Conversions and traffic are fine, why risk them for a better look?”
The total change of design is a sensitive topic for both sides. On the other hand, frequent change is an idea well-known to every online business because of the influence it has on how the visitors perceive a website and how the latter performs.
What should we consider while discussing re-design?
Do we have bugs?
Do we perform well in each browser?
Will it hurt the the page speed?
How will the change affect conversions?
Did we think of SEO?
The answer to all these questions is quite simple – everyone has to aim at being modern and relevant. If, for example, Facebook, didn’t change its design at certain time periods, would it still be so relevant?
Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to consider changes all the time, without giving them a thought first, and they should also be implemented with a clear and definite purpose.
How to do this?
Know your target customers
Who are our customers? What is their average age? What do they do for a living? Why do they use our services? What do they need? These are the questions that should be answered before determining the direction in which to work while creating the design most suitable for them.
Do many tests
If your goal is to use as much as possible of what we have, it will be necessary to spare enough time for testing and modifying elements that do not perform as well as they should. The design has to effective, not just attractive. This is why we should experiment with different versions, using metrics indicating which the most promising version is.
Introduce the new look to your visitors.
When the loyal visitors of your site come back and start asking themselves what happened to your site, it is necessary for you to explain to them the reason behind this new look. You have to introduce to them the new elements and the new benefits they will have of this look.
Getting the customers’ feedback
We should never stop seeking the opinions of our clients and visitors regarding what we offer them. It always is a good idea to use the potential of feedback because it is the surest way to learn what our visitors need and to hold their attention and interest.
A good understanding of the old design
What was wrong with the old design? Which elements we had high expectations of didn’t attract any customer attention at all?
Apart from drawbacks, it is also important to note the advantages of the old design.
Where was most traffic until now? What did the visitors like best? How can we transfer this to the new design.
Planning and research
Choose the right time for a total change of the style and kind of your site. If you think that you have now reached your ultimate goals – think again about the possible use of this change. If you think there is still more to want from your research, this means you have a chance of broadening your targeted market, and then it’s a good idea to make that change.
There always is business risk when planning a transformation of your business site. After all, this is your main way of communication with your clients and to make sure that the change will lead to better results, it is necessary to spend enough time on the task.
Remember the main points discussed in this article, and don’t forget that they can help you lower the risk of loss of visitors to your site.
Contact the Operations Manager of 411 to get a better idea of the modern requirement in the world of design and SEO. Our experts will share with you the information you need to make the right decisions for your business.
Re-design is a scary idea for many marketing experts. Many designers timidly offer this kind of idea to their superiors, and the answers they most often get are:
“Why do we need this? What we have now works perfectly, better not change it.”
“If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.”
“Conversions and traffic are fine, why risk them for a better look?”
The total change of design is a sensitive topic for both sides. On the other hand, frequent change is an idea well-known to every online business because of the influence it has on how the visitors perceive a website and how the latter performs.
What should we consider while discussing re-design?
Do we have bugs?
Do we perform well in each browser?
Will it hurt the the page speed?
How will the change affect conversions?
Did we think of SEO?
The answer to all these questions is quite simple – everyone has to aim at being modern and relevant. If, for example, Facebook, didn’t change its design at certain time periods, would it still be so relevant?
Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to consider changes all the time, without giving them a thought first, and they should also be implemented with a clear and definite purpose.
How to do this?
Know your target customers
Who are our customers? What is their average age? What do they do for a living? Why do they use our services? What do they need? These are the questions that should be answered before determining the direction in which to work while creating the design most suitable for them.
Do many tests
If your goal is to use as much as possible of what we have, it will be necessary to spare enough time for testing and modifying elements that do not perform as well as they should. The design has to effective, not just attractive. This is why we should experiment with different versions, using metrics indicating which the most promising version is.
Introduce the new look to your visitors.
When the loyal visitors of your site come back and start asking themselves what happened to your site, it is necessary for you to explain to them the reason behind this new look. You have to introduce to them the new elements and the new benefits they will have of this look.
Getting the customers’ feedback
We should never stop seeking the opinions of our clients and visitors regarding what we offer them. It always is a good idea to use the potential of feedback because it is the surest way to learn what our visitors need and to hold their attention and interest.
A good understanding of the old design
What was wrong with the old design? Which elements we had high expectations of didn’t attract any customer attention at all?
Apart from drawbacks, it is also important to note the advantages of the old design.
Where was most traffic until now? What did the visitors like best? How can we transfer this to the new design.
Planning and research
Choose the right time for a total change of the style and kind of your site. If you think that you have now reached your ultimate goals – think again about the possible use of this change. If you think there is still more to want from your research, this means you have a chance of broadening your targeted market, and then it’s a good idea to make that change.
There always is business risk when planning a transformation of your business site. After all, this is your main way of communication with your clients and to make sure that the change will lead to better results, it is necessary to spend enough time on the task.
Remember the main points discussed in this article, and don’t forget that they can help you lower the risk of loss of visitors to your site.
Contact the Operations Manager of 411 to get a better idea of the modern requirement in the world of design and SEO. Our experts will share with you the information you need to make the right decisions for your business.
How Google Redefined Local Search
Local optimization faced probably the biggest shake-up since the Pigeon algorithm. We noticed the first obvious changes on 6th August, and with them arrived the first reasons for panic. From 7, the number of listings on the first page of Google, has melted to 3. At this moment, it became clear that the search engine has totally changed the whole concept of local search.
This event affected the search results in each country of the world by the end of the same day. It was a strange decision given the fact that Google always used to run tests in certain countries before implementing the changes everywhere.
Mobile-oriented search
The use of mobile devices for online search continues to grow to unprecedented levels, and Google tries to adapt its desktop results to the display of those on a smartphone or tablet. The goal of the Local Snack Pack was to make the same what we see and use on both platforms.
These kind of improvements in the user experience has always been part of Google’s focus, but what the users get, regardless of the kind of platform they use, is the main direction, in which the search engine works.
Reasons for the update
Every change and update result from a number of continuous tests, which are usually noticed by the SEO experts. The main reason for concern springs from the fact that every business which competes with more than two other companies in the same industry will be extremely seriously affected by the changes.
It is here necessary to ask an important question – just how much traffic was distributed among the positions between 4 and 7. To take this serious step, Google probably had its reasons, and namely – the lack of enough traffic for the lower half of the 7 results which we used to see before the new update.
The main reason behind this is again related to mobile devices. The first three results fill the entire screen of the smartphone, leaving the rest 4 without enough exposure unless the user decides to scroll down.
Despite this fact, however, the businesses which occupied lower positions had a greater chance of development and popularization of their brands. Their websites received visibility on desktop platforms, which they lack at the moment, and they miss the opportunity to present themselves to a larger audience.
New methods of optimization for a position among the top 3
Where should we redirect our efforts?
#1 Limited search
Local optimization has a great variety of specific elements, which remain important to it, but it also has many other examples coming from organic search, which also affect the local search engine results in Google.
Despite the local optimization techniques, organic search will always be on top. This requires more skill and effort on the part of the SEO experts, who have to focus on the aspects most important for organic search to succeed in increasing the rank of local results.
#2 Links
Before the Google update, many businesses succeeded to get by without the use of links, due to the lack of a sufficiently competitive environment.
From now on, we will have to pay serious attention to linkbuilding, because it is becoming a key aspect of the optimization process. Every link opportunity has to be used if we want to reach maximum levels of traffic.
#3 Marketing priorities
Marketing and Public Relations have to be at the core of online presence. If they are not of a high enough standard, even the hardest efforts invested in organic and local optimization will not be sufficient for good results.
To achieve good marketing, it takes great investment in it because linkbuilding is just a small fraction of the whole process! Promotions on local level and partnership with various businesses and institutions are an excellent tool for building successful public relations.
If you need expert help in the field of SEO and you want to be sure that your business will reach the new standards required to be in the top 3 of Google’s search results – turn to 411 Marketing!
Internet users are becoming more and more demanding when it comes to visual effects, whether they are in a website, video game, or any other carrier of digital content. The social medial and the mobile technologies also contribute to the suddenly increased demand for better quality.
Looking back, we remember the static galleries, the static content in social channels and the corporate images, which were sufficient and appropriate at a certain period of time. Since the visual effects have turned into an indispensable part of our online everyday lives, the users have come to heavily rely on them in order to decide whether a certain product or service deserve their attention and time.
Visual content is an extremely powerful instrument, which can help us increase the number of happy users, who like our website or another kind of platform through which we popularize our work. What we have to remember is that proper presentation is a must if we are to expect true results.
If you are looking for ways of additional growth using the modern and constantly evolving visual effects which allow improved sharing of content, follow these rules to learn how to better present your products, ideas, or services in the most attractive way.
Authenticity
A reference or word of mouth from a friend or acquaintance is the most reliable factor for each user. In most cases, the company, no matter which one it is, is not a reliable source.
According to latest research in the field, the young and mature people are more willing to trust, or and least consider, what they learn from a stranger regarding the product, service, or a company. This is the main reason why user-created content for the company in question is considered more engaging, relevant, and valuable than anything presented by the company itself.
Credibility
The biggest and most useful advantage a brand has is when its users identify with its products and support the campaign. This is the biggest trust indicator of the brand.
Put in simpler words, if your clients share their experience and positive impressions of the service or products your offer, this will immediately and positively affect your social media rank, which in turn will influence everything else.
Let’s think about it… it’s always easier to determine what deserves our trust. The image or video used by a brand or corporation to show how happy their clients are or the same message shared by a real-life client and personality?
Relevance
The context should always be the main driving force behind the visual content, which means that digital effects should be accompanied by a well-organized and relevant context.
If you are trying to sell a product online, the corresponding visual content must fit the goal of the product in question, to accentuate its benefits and positive aspects. Written content also remains indispensable, when it is included in the right places.
An easy example:
When the product is some kind of clothing, it is necessary to offer not only an image of each item but also appropriate pictures taken by users, which should involve clients in a real-life situation.
Caption
A great image or photo is worth a thousand words, but when combined with some perfectly chosen words, it can lead to even better results.
It goes without saying that people perceive and understand visual content much faster than the written one. However, a short and simple caption is often the small key to big profit as it can tell the whole story more effectively without taking much time.
Each brand has its identity, but it can also be conveyed using a short and catchy caption.
Another example:
A company which specializes in toy manufacturing or other entertainment products can easily win its clients with a short and fun phrase.
What comes to mind when someone mentions online marketing? Even if you don’t know the industry well, you certainly can think of things like blogs, social media, and other forms of paid and unpaid advertising.
But do you think of email?
Yes, to some, it may be too old school and unnecessary, but you should not reject it as an additional chance of increasing revenue. Read on to find out more about the true power and potential email marketing has.
A personalized approach
Social media are an excellent means of sharing big amounts of information at great speed and with a wide range of people. At this may seem like the ideal medium for social marketing. But is it really so?
Email communication is personal
If you are trying to share your message with a big number of people in the social channels, your attempts won’t be as successful as you expect. On the other hand, a well-created email campaign will do this job by taking a more precise and personalized approach, which is more easily noticeable by all.
Email is a universal tool
Just as many other people, you too may not find the idea of email advertising attractive. Even more so when you are getting ready to leave the office on a Friday afternoon, but you receive something that requires your attention.
Truth is, everyone uses email! Every day!
Here lies the difference between social media, blogs and your mailbox. You will never forget to check it, while many people forget some social platforms for weeks on end.
If you are looking for ways to spread the word about your business and you want it to be heard, email marketing is the easiest and surest way.
From email receivers to clients
Online marketing and advertising are thriving due to the countless creators of content, which attracts, holds attention, and increases traffic. However, there is something missing. Many of them don’t know how to actually convert this attention into traffic that benefits their business.
One of the proven and most popular tools for this purpose is email marketing. When the information is delivered personally, where everyone goes every day, this increases the chances of it being noticed.
How can this form of marketing be so successful when most emails are of such low quality?
Yes, most emails we receive as advertising are extremely unattractive, boring, and give us no reason to read them. Many people block them, delete them, or find other ways to ban them from their email boxes.
This is something we don’t want for your marketing campaign!
A well-written and targeted email always helps the creation of better relationships with your audience. The quality, kind, and nature of the content will meet the needs of your readers and motivate them to share it with other people, inspiring positive word of mouth.
You will learn more about the opportunities that email marketing brings, when you contact 411 Marketing for more information and ways we can improve your online presence. We can create a brand new marketing campaign from scratch, which will immediately start bringing more traffic for your business and many potential clients.
Nowadays, it looks like web content has strayed away from its main goal. The greater part of the focus of almost every element shifts toward the first sentence and attracting the reader’s attention to it. So that we don’t make the wrong conclusions, we have to admit that this objective will always be key, but it should not come at the expense of value. Neither should we rest on our laurels for creating a great first impression.
At 411 Marketing, we know well the importance of creating of a clear, concise, and easy-to-read text for the successful communication through content. We also understand the importance of a catchy title!
But how to structure our content for persuasiveness?
There is no one answer to this question. It will depend on the goals we have set for achieving through the article we are writing, and it is important to know that the key to a successful structure lies in the variety of its components.
Main rules for the creation of a suitable, attention-grabbing structure:
Focus on the readers
The readers should always come first, and we have to make a promise in the beginning of each article (expressed in a title or an introductory paragraph). Never force your readers to ask themselves the question: “Why should I pay any attention to this?”
An idea behind each word
Each separate part of the description and the argument should have a main idea and a main goal (to attract a reader, to refute somebody else’s argument, etc.), which to support your points of view and above all – fulfill the promise you’ve made.
Concreteness and arguments
It takes great concreteness when presenting and explaining your statements, as well as good reasons to support them. General statements unsupported by concrete and specific facts speak of lack of seriousness and substance of the content.
Credibility
Whenever possible, we have to present the necessary proof in the shape of statistics, expert opinion, and references. This helps build the credibility of the article, without which the end goal will be hard to achieve. If you lack knowledge in a certain field, make sure you do some thorough research.
Make an offer
Whether you are trying to sell a product, service, or just an idea, you have to present it in the shape of an offer to the reader. It is always best to be confident in your offer and also to remove the sense of risk for the readers, by guaranteeing that you stand behind what you are saying.
Summary of the content
Each article needs a strong end, which to close the circle of the initial promise we made, by demonstrating we have fulfilled it.
These are just some of the most critical elements we have to include in our content in one way or another. Let’s not forget that the diverse topics, ideas, and goals of our content imply an individual approach. If you need the help of experts with substantial experience in the creation of unique content, contact 411 Marketing for more information!
Local search engine optimization has never been more important for the small and medium-sized business than it is now. In fact, each business owner can benefit from the advantages offered by the local SEO solutions. After the Google updates, it is becoming more and more imperative for the companies to pay more attention to their marketing strategies, despite their long years of the lack of a particular online campaign.
The companies which have already implemented optimizational strategies see the new changes as a good opportunity to benefit from their efforts and advance. These are brave moves, but that’s not where it all ends. In the years to come, the local SEO solutions will become more and more important and determining for the local small and medium-sized businesses.
Google likes local businesses quite a lot
The popular search engine has been demonstrating a preference for new, small, and capable companies which are yet to enter the online market as such. While brand history and its authority matter, Google also wants to give the users what they need – and this very often means smaller companies, popular only locally.
This gives the owners of new companies with a limited access to resources, an additional opportunity to enter the product and service market, as well as to discover new horizons for its development.
Even more personalized results are to come
With the advance of Google’s algorithm and services, the demand for more and more personalized results has increased on the part of the users. This is already a fact to a great extent, thanks to the search history as well as the geographical location of each user.
This also influences the local optimization and the search for SEO solutions!
The advance of mobile technologies and portable platforms
Perhaps one of the most key and determining factors at the moment is the unprecedented growth in search coming from mobile devices, and this percentage is growing with every passing year. It goes without saying that the search is being done by users on the go, which means that more and more growth is yet to be seen in this kind of search.
This means, respectively, that the results specific for each location will become more and more imperative, which will lead to information and results that are increasingly relevant for particular locations.
Growing competition
Every year, millions of new sites are created, and thousands of new businesses all over the world are establishing a reliable name for themselves. This leads to the multiple increase in competition, which makes the businesses search for smaller market niches so that they can accomplish the online visibility they need. The most effective way to do this is the perfection of local optimization for each business.
How to launch a local SEO campaign
Creation of profiles in local directories
This way, the business will become visible in more than one places on the Internet space, which is a significant advantage. A popular example for the Bulgarian market is the site zavedenia.com, which restaurant owners from all over the country have the opportunity to use as part of their online marketing campaign.
Content relevant to a given region
If the content describing a company and its services reflects the characteristics of the region, in which it carries out its activities, it will be much easier to optimize this content for local relevance. A good opportunity to do this is to cover events and new information pertaining to this location.
Creation and management of rеputation and public relations
If a business is recognized by the community and has enough reviews by clients from the region, Google takes this into consideration and increases the rank of the website and the local listing, associated with the company in question. If you manage to spend our resources wisely, you will have the opportunity to increase your assets. There are no better ways for this to become a reality for the small and medium-sized businesses than the endless possibilities for development the Internet space has to offer.
If you are looking for new ways to present your business to your potential clients, contact 411 Marketing for more information and viable solutions you can implement in your online marketing campaign.
In this post, we will try to explain exactly what landing pages are, what their purpose is, how they are created, and how they are used.
Let’s go through abstract theory very vast and focus on the more substantial points which will help us understand the idea and structure of landing pages. What we should know above all is that the true potential of you your website can be unlocked when you add this element and direct the right traffic to it.
Time should be on your side!
The searching habits of the users are constantly evolving, and this means that it is becoming harder and harder to grab their attention for longer if your site does not offer them what they need. The whole idea and goal of the landing pages is to invite the users to action and encourage them to complete it.
Creation, content, and design
To have a successful website and a profitable online marketing campaign, we will have to pay special attention to the first impressions our landing page creates, as well as its structure. The content should be easily visible, readable and as informative as possible, in an aesthetically pleasing way, which will stimulate the user to take the action we want them to.
Main goals and benefits
The benefits to creating a landing page consist of a more accurate and precise flow of traffic, which is directed to the right places where the content and the design are created for the purpose of converting the visitors into real clients. This is the general idea of this type of pages, and the accomplishment of these goals is realized through the accurate creation of the right design and and encouraging content.
We’d like to share some sample options of cases where the different sources of traffic could directed to properly designed landing pages.
Google AdWords is an easy and popular example of a marketing campaign using PPC (pay per click) methods for sending traffic. This most often happens by using several different landing pages which are properly optimized and created around the kws the users search for.
Banners and sponsored charts are the perfect source of big traffic, particularly when they lead to a landing page, which is especially created for the target group of the ad.
Even if we accept that the email marketing is a relatively old-fashioned method for advertising products and services, it is an unquestionable fact that it still has its place and it succeeds to deliver results. Even more so when the content is directed to a landing page which encourages purchase.
Blogs, posts, and links from the side bar of a site can contribute to the direction of traffic to the landing page whose content enables the purchase or subscription to a product or service.
If you like the idea of landing pages and want to learn more about them, contact the SEO experts at 411 Marketing who research, develop, and create different kinds of products, from which you can benefit.
Businesses with multiple offices, stores, and locations in different cities usually find it difficult to optimize at a local level. This general conclusion doesn’t apply for every business, since the good reputation in the public and online space always improves the positive rank of your listing. If you are in the initial period of creating a business and building your reputation, you will most probably have certain difficulties with the optimization for your different locations.
This post, we dedicate to some key factors for businesses with multiple locations, on which we will focus when we optimize on a local and long-distance level.
Why the different locations of the same rank badly:
Problems with the website
This is the core essence of your online marketing strategy, that is why you should pay more attention to the fundamental factors and work toward gradual improvement. Sometimes Google gives us mutually exclusive and unclear pieces of advice, which is why we will tell you more about some of the most common problems with a website, which must be fixed.
Missing separate pages of each of the locations
Undiscoverable location pages
Bad quality location pages
Low-quality website
Penalties
Creating a business account
To register you business in Google is not at all hard, but you have to know that it is just as easy to get some key details wrong. Even if we don’t mean to, we could easily break the rules of Google for the creation and development of our site or listing. If we decide to add a few aggressive SEO tactics, this will guarantee you zero visibility.
Inaccuracies and unnecessary additions to the name of your company
Incorrect business address
Incorrect phone number for a given location or all of them
Wrong choice of categories
Incomplete profile
Local Content
Here, the problem is not what your site will contain but what it will lack. Businesses with a single location don’t have any difficulties with this factor, but these which have a great number of offices, stores, or industrial facilities always have to cope with the problem through unique content. It has to reflect the individuality of each of your establishments, what it is famous for, what it offers, and where it can be found.
Request reviews on your separate locations from your clients
Local news are big plus, that is why you should post them regularly
A gallery page presenting your word for each location is also beneficial
Let’s wrap it up!
In most cases, local SEO is done for big organization and companies, which have problems not that much with the difficulty, but rather with the sheer size of the online campaign. Focus on the details we mentioned, to be certain that you have created a solid foundation of the local content and reviews, on which to build.
Most often, the good SEO methods boil down to good general knowledge, your loyalty, and the high level of customer care you offer to your clients. Research and decide what your clients from each location need, and then make a well-informed choice regarding the proper management of your online campaign.
If you manage to do all this, you will definitely have great success, and the local visibility of your organization will be entirely under your control. If you need a partner to help you with this task, contact the SEO experts from 411 Marketing for more information and advice on making the online presence of your business more effective.
Every user searches in Google maps. Where are You?
If you already are or intend to be an owner of a small or medium-sized business which relies on all possible kinds of advertisement, this means that you have probably had experience with the different kinds of online marketing. To do this hard task on your own, it takes countless hours of searching for the most optimal solutions to the placement of your business and products in the right place and in front of the right audience. There are all kinds of ways to let your potential clients know that your services are right for them, and even if you don’t believe it, the best ways are entirely free.
How people use Google Maps
Regardless of the search term a user enters in the search engine, your business will be visible if Google has information for your location and the type of service you offer. When it comes to searching for a particular type of business, it is based on location, distance to the location, and other criteria. The search engine aims to make it easier for the users to find what they need and gives them the results which are closest and most convenient for them.
When a user does a search, Google gives the results which consists of the listings of all businesses which match the search, and the map with all locations is displayed on the right side of the page. This way, your potential clients who are searching for a service like yours will have the chance to discover you there and find a way to contact or visit you.
Take advantage of the opportunities Google offers, and you will have the chance to rank your business in the right place, and namely there, where people need you. A large part of the searches are done on mobile devices while people are on the move. Situations in which people have to find a solution quickly – these are your opportunity to present your products and services.
Use Google Maps in Your Website!
Everyone has an Internet connection and spends most of their time there. With the advance of technology, a large part of the shopping for products and services happens online. Even if it is only to compare prices and products, the Internet space is the main platform for the collection of information on each type of market demand. If you are after success in business, this is the place for you, and you should grab the opportunities it offers.
Your website can also have a map indicating the location of your office, storage facility, or store. This is completely free, as well as your appearance on the map in Google. Don’t forget, however, that the use of Google as a platform for online advertisement does not constitute their support for you.
There are many rules, requirements, and standards that have to be observed so that your online marketing campaign will be successful. If all is done right – your business will have a promising future and you will be able to benefit from an increasing number of clients thanks to the opportunities that Google maps give.
If you need to learn more about the methods and rules for being in a leading position in the search results of the biggest search engine in the world, our company offers tested and tried solutions of proven effectiveness. Contact 411 Marketing for more information!
