Month: October 2016

5 Signs Your Website Needs a Makeover

28 Oct 16 by Chris Jenkin

From time to time, it’s important to give things a fresh, new look. No matter what it is, it’s important to keep things updated so that it stays in tune with the current trends. This same principle can be applied to websites, especially since they are being viewed by people throughout the world. By giving your website a makeover, you can get rid of things that no longer apply to your business as well as give your business a better image.

Giving your website a makeover is something that can benefit you in the long run. Because of your website, your customers are reminded that you are in business and know where they can find you. At the same time, it helps you gain new contacts in other areas where you have not advertised. For these reasons, a makeover is something that you cannot afford to ignore.

But how do you know that your website needs a makeover? Here are some signs:

Your website does not convert visits into leads.

The main reason why you have a website is so you can convert your website visits into leads. Once your website is unable to do this, it’s not doing its job right. A website that has been given a recent update should be optimized enough to win customers and generate new leads. You have to check whether or not your website is able to draw in new visits and grab their attention. At the same time, you have to encourage visitors to stay on your website and convince them to sign up for a free trial or a newsletter. With this, you’ll be able to get your website to actually do its work for you.

You can improve your website by the following actions:

  • Improve user experience
  • Create catchy call-to-actions
  • Compose attractive headlines
  • Optimize landing pages
  • Create clear and succinct contact forms
  • Offer conversion-oriented content

If you have a website that looks pretty much like a brochure yet doesn’t effectively convert visitors, then a makeover is much needed.

Your website has a cluttered homepage.

Compared with website design from years ago, the modern websites now have a simple, minimalist look to it. The main purpose of the design from previous websites was to give users a number of things to enjoy and images to look at. Websites also enlisted lots of information that often made it too much to take in. Information overload led to a high bounce rate. Because of this, many webmasters realized that in order to draw in more users, information should not be too overwhelming.

For this reason, there are many websites today that have a clean and uncluttered homepage. These websites are very easy to navigate and often have an appealing look to them. You may need to assess whether or not your homepage is cluttered so you can start giving it the makeover it needs. Apart from the design, you should also concentrate on removing unnecessary links and trim down your content to what’s needed. As for the photos, go for high-quality yet fast-loading images. By giving your readers the information they need without too much distraction, they will most likely visit your website again in the future.

Your website does not allow people to find you in social media.

Nowadays, your presence on social media plays a vital role on being online. It not only lets people find you, it helps you create a relationship with your customers. If you haven’t already done so, you need to take time to create a presence on websites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and many others.

Once you have created your social media accounts, the next thing you need to do is to link your website to your accounts. This will make it easier for your customers to share your content on social media. In turn, this will boost your ranking and build a strong footprint for your brand.

Your website doesn’t show the latest web development.

Most of the time, websites are handled by web design experts who can identify whether or not it is equipped with the latest advancements in the online world. If you own a website and you are trying to see if it is still updated with the latest web development, you can hire a professional agency to take a look at your site. They will verify if your website is equipped with HTML5 instead of Flash as it is no longer an advised tool to use for animation.

Apart from this, it is important to check the platform used and see if an update has been installed. This does not only make your website more pleasant to look at, but will also be protected against viruses, spam, and any potential security breach.

Your website is not yet optimized for mobile devices.

Fact: The number of users viewing a website with a mobile device has exponentially grown. It is now the device being used by many people to check out a website, whether they’re on the go or just at home. This is why it is important that your website should be optimized for mobile devices.

Here are the signs that your website is not yet optimized:

  • Content format is incorrect when viewed on a mobile device
  • Links are hard to click
  • No response when tapping on a phone number

These are just a few signs that will let you know if you need to upgrade your website. While it may cost you to give your website a makeover, it will definitely be worth it in the end. And as a website owner, it’s an investment you need to make to stay relevant.

Digital Marketinggotcha! Products

Tips for Successful Content Marketing

19 Oct 16 by Chris Jenkin

It’s been said many times — content is king — and it’s true, but there are still some business owners who don’t give importance to the exciting opportunities being provided by content marketing.

When it comes to developing a content marketing strategy, the process is not entirely easy. In most cases, it requires flexibility and experimentation. There is always something new to discover and try out to find a campaign strategy that works best for your line of business and the target group. You will need careful planning, research, and implementation in order to identify the best strategy for promoting a successful sales plan.

Here are a few ways you can be successful with your content marketing:

Audience

Get to know who your audience is

One of the surest ways you can be successful with content marketing is to see to it that you are targeting the right people with your campaign. You have to conduct a study to determine the demographics of what you are promoting. At the same time, you have to make sure you use the right tools to reach out to your target audience. When you are able to hit the right people with your campaign, you can be confident that they will also take the time to share your content to their friends. It becomes a valuable form of marketing with little cost.

Engage with your audience

It is not enough that you produce high quality articles every month. You should also take the time to engage with your customers. In the past, companies focused on building their brands by using a one-directional approach. This strategy, however, has long ago died when social media took over. You can now produce high quality blog posts, share new ideas on social media links, and even go on message boards just so you can interact with your readers. Not only are these great ways to engage with your readers, it also allows you to learn more about your audience.

Quality

Focus on content quality

Whenever you send out content, it will be read by your followers and other potential customers. For this reason, you have to make sure that the content you send out has been well-written, and probably by a professional writer. Whether you decide to write the content on your own or hire a talented copywriter, you have to make the decision carefully. This is because any poorly written article could potentially damage you and your brand. If you are not too confident with your writing, it’s best to hire the services of a professional so that you can most effectively get your message across.

Continue delivering quality articles

Once you have found the right copywriter for your content marketing strategy, you should plan to keep writing more articles. It is advisable that you produce up to 15 articles per month. If you can’t commit to producing that much, adding one or two blog posts per week may be a good approach, particularly if you are just starting with your content marketing campaign.

Measuring Effectiveness

Measure how effective you are

Keep it a challenge to continually improve your content marketing strategy. One way you can do this is to keep tracking comments, responses, and shares whenever you publish a post. There are a number of tools, both free and paid, that you can employ to help you decipher how effective your strategy is. Using this data, you can assess just how well you are able to get your message across and also identify what type of posts your audience looks forward to reading. In the long run, you can build your brand through the campaign strategy you follow.

Remember, the more content you produce, the better it will be for your content marketing strategy. Just make sure that the content you produce is useful, relevant and timely. But even so, don’t limit your engagement on just content creation. Above everything else, you need to cultivate your relationships with your customers through social media. Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to a successful content marketing campaign.

 

Content MarketingDigital Marketing