5 Web Design Tips for Creating a Great Ecommerce Site

posted on March 4, 2022

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No matter how excellent your products may be or how carefully you’ve planned out your marketing strategy, a poorly designed website can stunt your business growth in an instant. The fact of the matter is, it only takes a few seconds for an online visitor to form an impression and decide whether to keep browsing on your site or to leave and find a more user-friendly website. As such, having an attractive, clear and concise eCommerce site is imperative today. To help you maximize conversions and retain customers, here are a few of our top web design tips for creating a great eCommerce site.

1. Embrace Minimalism

Although minimalism is typically used to describe interior design, it’s becoming a significant trend in web design. Keeping things clear, uncluttered, and straightforward in our hectic, modern world is essential. And when it comes to designing an eCommerce website where there’s usually a range of products and categories, it’s even more crucial to keep it simple. So this year, strip away anything that might make your site look overwhelming or busy and get straight to the point. All of those extra bells and whistles only create distractions, which reduces the chance of visitors purchasing something from your online store. So instead, stay focused on the sale and make it easy to navigate by keeping it attractive.

2. Nail Your Branding

These days, online users are much more cautious than ever before about handing over their personal info and credit cards due to the overwhelming presence of online scams. For this reason, establishing trust with your customer base is fundamental for creating a successful online store. In order to do this, your branding needs to be polished and on point. This means putting the time into nailing the look and tone of your brand and keeping it consistent. It’s also a crucial part of setting your store apart from the crowd and creating an emotional connection with people, the key to driving sales. If you haven’t already, make an effort to prioritize your branding, so you understand your business identity and which avatars you’re targeting.

3. Do the “Grandma” Test

If you’re planning to target certain generations, like the Baby Boomers, keep in mind that many shoppers aren’t as comfortable online or are just starting to get familiar with the concept of eCommerce. That’s why having an easy, user-friendly layout is essential. To ensure your site hits the mark, perform the “grandma” test. Ask a friend or relative to browse your website to see if it’s easy to navigate or if it could use some improvements. Ask them to be honest with their feedback, as this will help you improve the functions on your site to improve retention. If it’s not clear or easy to use, you could be missing out on a lucrative niche of shoppers.

4. Don’t Cheap Out on Imagery

The quality of images used on websites can directly impact conversion rates. And since consumers can see or touch the offered products, they have to rely on your photos to determine if it’s worth the money. If you’re using images that are blurry or insufficient, no one is going to trust it. This is why having professional, high-quality photos are even more important for eCommerce businesses.

5. Keep Text to a Minimum

Conveying your passion for the products that you’re selling is great, but the truth is most people don’t have the time to stop and read through long descriptions. Instead, online users today want to scan through quickly and find the key bits of info they need to make a decision. So focus on getting your point across, break up your content into small sections, and keep it to a minimum. Also, segregate sections clearly using large, bold fonts and distinguishing your CTAs. Remember, the simpler it is, the better your chances of converting sales.

Above all, your eCommerce site needs to look professional, which can be tricky if you’re trying to manage several roles in your start-up and don’t have experience in web development. But that’s where we can help! Hire top web development freelancers at Goodie Website. This way, you can avoid pricey overhead costs and get the expert support you need to enable your online store to flourish.

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How to Optimize Your Content for Readers Who Skim

posted on March 3, 2022

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People want answers – and they want them fast.

When Google introduced answer boxes the already short attention span of the average search user got even shorter. They can now get their answer without even clicking on a result.

But it wasn’t Google who made us all look for shortcuts. Google simply responded to a pre-existing need of getting fast answers.

43% of users surveyed by HubSpot admit to skimming blog posts. 55% of users spend 15 seconds or less on a blog post.

Are you still here?

Good!

This means that you fall within the minority who’s in it for the relatively long run. But don’t worry – I won’t bore you.

I’ll show you how to optimize your content for everyone – skimmers and people who are willing to stick with a piece of content for more than a minute.

How to Optimize Your Blog Content for People in a Hurry, Skimmers, and Everyone Else

While there are still people out there who have the time and the willingness to read for more than one minute, easy-to-skim content will be more appealing to them too, not just to the quick answer seekers. Like it or not, it is the era of speed and UX, so people expect a great experience on your website.

However big their appetite for reading, it doesn’t mean that you should force them to squint at every line or that you shouldn’t offer the possibility to skip some of the text and easily get to what they need. Here’s how to do that:

1. Use Subheadings and Make Them Relevant

Like this one. And the one above it. Ideally, use H2, H3, H4 and so on to show the connections between the subheadings. More importantly, keep the text under a subheading below 300 words. If you need more to explain the point, you may also need additional headings.

For this particular article, my goal is to summarize each of the ways to make your content skimmable in one subheading. This way, if you’re in a hurry, you can just read the subheadings and get the gist. You can come back later for a more in-depth read if you need it.

2. Keep Paragraphs Short and Sweet

Gabriel Garcia Marquez didn’t do that. The Autumn of the Patriarch is impossible to skim because it is one long paragraph, occasionally broken into chapters.

But you’re not Garcia Marquez and a blog post is not a novel. So keep each of your paragraphs as short as possible. For some readers, five lines can be too much.

One line is sometimes enough, especially if you’re trying to make a point.

Remember that some people are reading your blog from a mobile device. What seems like a decent paragraph on a desktop looks like an unapproachable wall of text on a phone.

This is even more important if you’re writing on a technical subject. Cybersecurity content writing, for instance, is usually hard enough to digest. If you cram your knowledge into walls of text, you will lose the reader for good.

3. Highlight Important Concepts and Points

Remember your middle school textbooks? Most likely they had the important points highlighted in some way. Borrow a page from those textbooks, even if you’re writing for adults.

You can use bold, italics, different colors, and so on. Your goal here is to make the important parts pop. However, don’t overdo it. You don’t want your blog post to end up like a piñata that’s been hit by overzealous kids who really need their sugar.

4. Use Bullet Points Whenever You Can

If you have three or more items on a list, you have a wonderful opportunity to add bullet points. They are a great way to break down the text and to offer a bit of rhythm.

5. Add Graphic Elements

Ideally, for every 300-500 words of text you should have a photo, a video, or a GIF to break down the monotony. But don’t force it.

If your blog post isn’t overly long (for instance, if it’s under 1,000 words), it’s better to leave it without any graphical elements than to add things that are completely irrelevant. As always, relevance comes before anything else.

6. Include Takeaways and Summaries for Longer Sections

One or two phrases that summarize a longer section are ideal to keep skimmers engaged – just like your textbooks used to do. Include the concepts and key information that you would write down if you were in school and that’s it.

Ideally, someone who only reads those takeaways should be able to understand what your blog post is about and should be left with some valuable information.

Conclusion

Everyone skims blog posts. I do it frequently. And I love it when a writer is thoughtful enough to include all of the things above so that I can quickly get to that one part that I am truly interested in.

I know – it’s a bit sad that very few people are willing to read every word your write. After all, you’ve really worked for all of them, not just for the ones in subheadings and in bold. But you won’t be able to change reading habits.

You are able, however, to retain users for longer with content that is engaging and easy to read.

Need help with content writing that’s easy to read, engaging, and high-converting? Get in touch with my team of expert writers!

The post How to Optimize Your Content for Readers Who Skim appeared first on SiteProNews.

4 Reasons Why Podcasts Are a Marketer’s Best Friend

posted on February 28, 2022

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Marketers know that it’s important to go where the people are — so why should podcasts be any different? This audio platform is growing in popularity, with around 68 million Americans alone listening to them every week.

So what does that mean for brands, exactly?

It means an additional platform to market their product or service, of course! More and more people are growing to love podcasts for the intimate communities, diverse content, and ease of multitasking. Anyone can listen to any type of podcast while doing any kind of task! Whether they’re driving or walking, cooking or cleaning, or just looking to listen, there are so many interesting, informative and entertaining podcasts available to choose from.

Not a lot of people recognize its power as a platform for promotions yet, though podcasts are an excellent way to get people thinking and talking about your brand.

Since people are averse to in-your-face advertising, it can feel difficult to sell to people when they don’t want to be sold to. Most people are likely to trust a personal friend’s opinion about something, and who else might seem like a better choice to trust than a person they spend tons of time listening to, right? The power of social proof isn’t only among personal friends, but is also effective in small communities, of course.

Wondering if you should take the leap and use podcasts to market your business? Here are some reasons why other marketers have decided to make the shift:

1. Low Competition

While there are a lot of podcast listeners, there aren’t that many podcast creators. Compared to other social media platforms like Facebook that have over 60 million business pages talking to almost 2.9 billion users, podcasts have far fewer listeners that are more loyal to their programs.

There are actually around 2 million podcasts around the world!

From a marketing perspective, it’s much easier to get noticed on a podcast than on Facebook or Instagram. People can easily swipe past content that you publish on your pages, but if mentioned or talked about in a podcast, then it’s not so easy to skip over. When well-integrated into both podcast scripts, promotions are given the opportunity to feel more natural in stories rather than outright advertising. 

2. Diverse Options Help Reach Specific Niches

While there may be fewer podcasts than there are pages, there is certainly a wide range of options that listeners can choose from. The top podcast genres include comedy, news, true crime, and self-help! There are tons of other podcasts, as well, like educational podcasts on business, science, history, and more.

If you’ve got a certain target market, collaborating with podcast creators who can help you promote your brand shouldn’t get too difficult.

While social media might offer targeted ads and analytics, it’s a lot of work to put out posts and ads that might not even appeal to the intended audience. Podcasts allow for marketing to audiences who are intentionally seeking out content that’s aligned to your product or service. Communities surrounding the podcast can also signal boost the content where you’re mentioned.

3. Content Consistency and Accessibility

One more advantage that podcast marketing has over social media is that it offers consistency in terms of content. On other platforms, you have to experiment with what kind of content appeals to your audience. Do they prefer video? Are they partial to photos, and if so, what kind? You have to test different copywriting and engagement formulas, as well. Promoting through podcasts ensures some kind of stability in the kind of content you’ll be planning for and producing.

There are also several podcast platforms available to users: Spotify and Apple Music are some of the more popular names, but there are also alternatives like BuzzSprout and Podbean that help make podcasts more accessible to everyone.

Creating consistent content helps your audience develop familiarity with your brand, as well as loyalty to it. Once people know that your podcast is a source of reliable information or entertainment, then it’s much easier to keep coming back to and even share with others, so don’t miss the chance to integrate audio platforms and podcasts into your social media tactics.

4. Customer Relationship

Since podcasts provide a more intimate venue for creators and their audience to interact, communities can easily form. This gives podcast creators an opportunity to stay more in touch with the interests and opinions of their audience. That’s a clear advantage for marketers and creators who want to generate a following for their brand.

People are also very likely to share podcasts with their friends — podcast listeners tend to be more loyal to podcasts in comparison to other creators with different content on other platforms. Creating dialogue with listeners is perfectly possible, making you a known reliable source within your niche, and even recognized outside of your own niche.

If you’re looking to create a more meaningful relationship with your audience (and potential customers, of course), podcast marketing is one of the most efficient ways to approach that goal.

Summary

As they grow increasingly popular, podcasts become more of an attractive platform for people, which makes them a great new way to market your brand.

Not only do podcasts offer diversity and entertainment, they’re also able to create meaningful communities and a larger spectrum of people who are interested in what you have to offer. When correctly integrated into your social media plans, it’s a great chance to be able to connect with your audience and potential customers.

Like other aspects of marketing, it’s all about how you approach it and appeal to the audience you want to connect with. Learning how to get it right is well worth the effort considering the many benefits possible for your brand.

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Copywriting Trends of 2022 with OtterPR’s Sam Johnson

posted on February 25, 2022

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Subjectively speaking, effective copywriting may be the most crucial aspect of a marketing plan. Copy is the voice of a business and how brands engage with consumers. Bad copywriting can stop engagement cold in its tracks. Conversely, great copywriting can elevate a brand and change the trajectory of an entire business. Between 2020 and 2021, copywriting has proven essential for brands looking to cut through the virtual noise and achieve digital recognition.

Copywriting trends can shift with changing times. Even five short years ago, methods that may have worked well are now outdated and will fail to effectively convert customers. The marketing industry’s consistent ebb and flow means copywriters need to find and creatively draft content that helps brands and businesses stand out from their competition.

Here are some examples of copywriting trends to keep an eye out for in 2022:

1. Know the Importance of SEO

Five years ago, copywriters could get away with knowing less about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) than other marketing professionals; this is no longer the case. SEO evolves each year, and with key changes to Google’s search engine algorithm having been implemented last year, the focus is no longer on the quantity of content being produced but on its quality.

Going into 2022, copywriters should focus on creating authoritative content that seeks to solve the pain points of a brand’s customer base. Unique content disseminated via high-quality sites is a sure-fire way to improve your brand’s SEO-friendly content. Gone are the days of just slapping random keywords on a page hoping something sticks. Today’s algorithms are far more complex. In order to get ahead, copywriters need to get creative. Google maintains that they seek to reward great, quality content, making talented copywriters more necessary than ever.

2. Pay Heed to AI (Artificial Intelligence) and Machine Learning

Creatively-minded professionals, like copywriters or marketers, may not think they need to worry about their jobs being taken over by “robots.” Regardless, technology has advanced to the point where that may not be closer to the truth down the road. AI and machine learning are rapidly evolving. AI chatbots have become a familiar addition to many business websites. Content written by AI still falls short. AI-generated written content is often nonsensical and is likely still a few years away from being indistinguishable from content written by humans. There is still room for creative content-creation by flesh-and-bone human beings, but those human beings would be well-advised not to discount the rise of AI.

If a business is looking to improve the use of AI in content, copywriters should look to improve the scripts and interpersonal language used by AI, such as chatbots. This is to emulate human interaction and intelligence better when customers quickly answer their questions. Even if customers know they’re interacting with a bot, they don’t always want the interaction to feel robotic.

3. Nurture and Continue to Engage With Current Customers

Marketers know that retaining current customers is more cost-effective than reeling in new ones. Consistently producing high-quality and engaging written content can translate into upsells and new customer referrals. If marketers haven’t hopped on the email newsletter train yet, they should as soon as possible, beginning with converting social media followers to email subscribers. Copywriters can then engage with those converted customers on a more personalized level, retaining them in the process.

When considering what type of copy resonates with customers, it helps to look inward. As copywriters, we know what sounds forced or manufactured. When content isn’t authentic, it doesn’t resonate as well with readers. Current customers who have enjoyed your content in the past and continue to follow your business deserve to have consistently authentic and personalized content. Meeting their expectations will offer your business greater engagement, conversion, and longevity going forward.

4. Personal and Interactive Content That Converts

Along with highly personal content, interactive content will continue to be popular with consumers in 2022. For example, integrating items like surveys, quizzes, or gamified content on your website will set it apart from sites with less interactive components that seek merely to inform, rather than engage. As consumer markets have advanced over the past few years, gamified content has become a popular way for businesses to grow their target market. This trend won’t be going away anytime soon, and some more creative copywriters may even find a specialized niche in creating high-quality interactive content for brands moving forward into 2022.

Could your business’ copy use a tune-up? Familiarizing yourself with what’s new and emerging in copywriting will allow your business to always be on the cutting edge of engagement and brand marketing, consistently converting and building a base of loyal fans.

The post Copywriting Trends of 2022 with OtterPR’s Sam Johnson appeared first on SiteProNews.

What Causes the Bounce Rate on Your Website?

posted on February 23, 2022

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A website’s bounce rate is calculated by dividing the total of one-page sessions by the total of page visits.

41-55 percent is average, anything over 70% becomes disappointing, except for blogs and news websites.

Image supplied by Author

And if yours is going below this, there are some serious problems that you need to fix. So without any further ado, let’s get started.

1. Bot Traffic

Bot traffic is a non-human traffic that is also an addition to your website’s metric.

When your landing page doesn’t perform well or you experience a high bounce rate on ads, bot traffic could be the culprit.

These bots can be automated to click on ads and visit websites as targeted humans. And guess what? Up to 29% of ad clicks can be accredited to bot action.

And if you as a marketer knows this, then a 45% bounce rate would not bother you.

This is because you know that every website visitor or traffic is not real.

The bots are automated to copy, paste, or scan information from web pages.

Up to 52% of website traffic in 2016 was bot traffic and this was staggering.

And this would have resulted in a large number of bounce rates for websites.

When you run ads online, these bots can result in ad revenue loss.

They are the reason you get unreal data when trying to measure your website’s bounce rate.

So bear in mind that not all website traffic is human traffic.

2. Speed Issues

A landing page load time can cause an increase in bounce rate. After all, our generation has an average attention span of 12-8 seconds.

With a 12-second attention span, it’s necessary to have your landing page loading faster.

It’s likely that the more pages a visitor views, the more likely he or she is going to add one of the items on a page to their cart.

This means that a faster-loading eCommerce website would get more items on the cart and that’s an increase in revenue.

But end-users indeed have different connection speeds, especially on mobile devices.

So it’s necessary to optimize your website speed for desktop as well as mobile phones.

Large eCommerce companies constantly optimize the speed of their landing pages to have an advantage.

Image supplied by Author

Amazon for example reports over 1% decrease in sales when their page loading speed was 100ms slower than expected.

This means that the faster website pages load, the more time visitors would spend clicking on different web pages.

And when visitors begin to go through your website because of how fast pages load, your bounce rate gets lower.

3. Poor User Experience

Anyone who clicks your ad is trying to solve a problem. Your landing page design should focus on solving their problem.

Avoid distractions like pop-ups on your landing page. Otherwise, web visitors would definitely leave the website.

It could also be that your landing page layout, your colors, your design, and your copywriting are not well optimized.

The user experience is essential in converting a website visitor into a customer.

If your site is populated with messy, incorrect, irrelevant, or boring content and design, your ad clicks will bounce.

This would result in a low conversion rate.

An old-looking landing page can tell a visitor a lot about your business, especially when you’ve irrelevant images.

4. Weak or No Call-to-Action

Once a visitor clicks on your ad and goes through your landing page, they go through a decision-making process.

And when it’s time to move on to the next step, you need a clear and precise call to action to make that happen.

Every element matters when optimizing the perfect call to action.

Even the text color could double your click-through rate.

When users click the call to action and move over to the next page, this reduces your bounce rate.

It’s a must to have a call to action if you are trying to reduce your bounce rate.

If you don’t show where your visitors should go next, they might instantly hop on to your competitor’s website.

5. Low-Quality Content

Dollars literally fly out of the window when visitors bounce off due to poor quality content or copywriting.

This could be a lack of readability or when your content isn’t clear and concise.

Poor quality landing pages – or lack of landing pages – often cause a high bounce rate. If a customer doesn’t see what they’re looking for quickly, they’re more likely to bounce.

If they don’t see what they want, it’s easy to move over to a competitor’s website to get the problem solved.

They might get a poor impression of the company’s message and might be triggered to click off the landing page.

If your landing page content doesn’t answer the questions of your visitors, they might bounce off. And eventually, your conversion rate would get hurt.

6. Technical Error

Maybe your JavaScript is malfunctioning or visitors are hitting some sort of roadblock on your landing page.

Technical errors could be another reason why visitors are leaving your landing page.

It could also be that a website form is not loading, which can sometimes be a popular problem with websites.

These errors can exist on your site without you really figuring out what’s wrong.

If your site is quite small, you can test this on your own.

Try accessing your landing page through different devices and browsers or you can use Google search control if you have a bigger site.

7. Poorly Targeted Traffic

When you are getting the wrong visitors on your landing page, they can increase your bounce rate.

If your ad isn’t being shown to the right audience, it attracts the wrong clicks to your landing page.

This can include poor targeting, bad ad placements or not segmenting your campaigns by customer intent.

Try to define your target demographic, and get as granular as possible. This will allow you to display your ads to people who are most likely interested in your product or service.

General ad targeting can be costly and will likely result in a high bounce rate.

How Can We Get A Good Bounce Rate?

Run a manual landing page analysis and identify that page from your funnel which has the most bounce rate. Isolate it and run an analysis of the metrics.

Look at the page design, go through the page like a visitor, identify, and take relevant notes.

Along with this, you can apply these mini tips:

Get High-Value Traffic: Show your ads to the right audience, If you are using Google or Facebook PPC ad campaigns, refine your audience.

Write A Relevant Advertising Copy: Write ads that are relevant to your audience and narrow down your demographics deeply.

Use Heatmaps: Heatmaps show you what users are doing when they visit your website, you can see where visitors spend their time the most, and you can strategically add a call to action there.

Optimize Landing Page Speed: Test your speed at GTmetrix and keep optimizing unless you get a good result.

Filter out invalid traffic: Bots are a constant problem and one that requires a technical solution. Software for click fraud prevention is the best way to reduce your exposure to clicks from non-genuine traffic.

The Bottom Line

You have mostly figured out that reducing your bounce rate is not a lone endeavor.

The measurements you need to figure out before you can reduce your bounce rate require a series of processes.

These processes and solutions are not the same for every business.

What works for you might not work for another business. All in all, it’s all about observing, tweaking, and making it better over a period of time.

The post What Causes the Bounce Rate on Your Website? appeared first on SiteProNews.

5 Tips to Get Better Results From Your Google Ads

posted on February 21, 2022

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Google ads (formerly known as “Adwords”) is an advertising platform offered by Google that allows advertisers to show their products or services on the search engine’s pages. When someone clicks on one of these ads, they’ll be directed to the advertiser’s website. It might seem like it would be easy to set up and manage a campaign for your business with this kind of advertising – but there is more than meets the eye!

If you’re looking for some tips on how you can increase your return from running Google Ads campaigns, read on!

1. Use a Budget That Is Appropriate For Your Industry and Product

When it comes to budgeting for your Google Ads campaign, it’s important to be realistic about how much you’re willing to spend. You’ll want to consider your overall marketing budget, and also think about how much you’re willing to pay for each click on your ad.

Be careful when you are setting your average daily budget. Bear in mind that the price your setting is averaged over the course of the month so you may even spend double it over some days but your entire monthly spend will not be more than your daily budget multiplied by 30 days.

If you’re not sure how much to spend, try starting with a small amount and increasing it gradually as you see results.

Having said that, make sure your billing is in line with your competitors, if they are spending $3 per click and you are spending 25 cents for the same visitors, do not expect to get many clicks.

2. Try Some Remarketing Tactics to Reach Those Who Have Already Visited Your Site

Google Ads remarketing is a feature of the AdWords platform that allows businesses to show ads to people who have visited their website before. This can be a great way to reconnect with potential customers who may have been interested in your products or services but didn’t make a purchase.

To start using remarketing, you’ll need to create a remarketing list. This is simply a list of all the people who have visited your website. These are created by adding a tracking code to your website. You can then create an ad campaign that will show ads to these people on Google and across the web.

When creating your ad campaign, you’ll need to choose a goal for it. Some common goals for remarketing campaigns include increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, and getting more leads or sales.

Once you’ve chosen a goal, you’ll need to create ads that are relevant to your target audience. You’ll also need to come up with a budget and schedule for your campaign.

Remarketing can be a great way to increase the return on investment from your Google Ads campaigns. If you’re not currently using this feature, give it a try and see how it can help your business grow.

3. Consider Using Negative Keywords to Avoid Targeting Irrelevant Searches or Competition’s Products and Services

One of the best ways to make sure that your Google Ads campaigns are effective is to use negative keywords.

What are negative keywords?

Negative keywords are words or phrases that you add to your campaign to prevent your ads from being shown when someone is searching for those terms.

For example, if you’re selling Mercedes cars, you might want to add the keyword “photo” as a negative keyword. This would mean that your ads wouldn’t show up when someone searches for photos of Mercedes cars.

Adding negative keywords can help you save money on your advertising budget, because you’ll be preventing your ads from being shown to people who aren’t interested in what you have to offer. It can also help you improve the quality of your website’s traffic, as people who are searching for negative keywords aren’t likely to be looking for a business like yours.

4. Conduct A/B testing on Both Copy and Landing Pages

Test out different variations of an ad or offer to see which one provides the best results! This will help you maximize your return from running AdWords campaigns by giving you more information on what works best for you and what doesn’t

Add a compelling call-to-action that will encourage people to click through and learn more about what you’re advertising!

5. Get Professional Help With Your Google Ads

When it comes to something as important as advertising your business, it’s always a good idea to get professional help. This is especially true when it comes to Google Ads – a platform that can be tricky to navigate at first. A good AdWords consultant will be able to help you create campaigns that are effective and profitable, and they’ll also be able to give you advice on how you can improve your results over time. If you’re serious about running successful Google Ads campaigns, then it’s definitely worth considering hiring a professional consultant.

Google Ads is a powerful advertising platform that can help you drive more traffic to your website and generate sales. However, it’s not always easy for small business owners to navigate Google Ads campaigns on their own. If this sounds like you, consider hiring a Google ads consultant or agency who will be able to provide guidance and expertise in areas such as creating copy that maximizes clicks-through rates and landing pages that convert visitors into customers.

Do some of these tips sound familiar? Which ones have been most helpful when trying out new digital marketing strategies with your ads? Let us know!

The post 5 Tips to Get Better Results From Your Google Ads appeared first on SiteProNews.

4 Instagram Features to Try in 2022

posted on February 18, 2022

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Looking to get more serious about your Instagram strategy this year? Read on to find the newest updates and how the platform is set to evolve this year.

Briefly put, Instagram is taking its role as the social media platform for influencers seriously. The most recently launched features are a clear testament to that. But you don’t have to be an influencer to incorporate these new features into your strategy. You can leverage them even if you have a business account or a personal one.

1. Paid Partnerships Are Clearly Signaled

Disclosing paid partnerships has always been a hot topic. A few years back, promotional posts were only signaled by a hashtag (carefully hidden in a sea of other hashtags). Some of the popular influencers would add #ad #paidpartnership #sponsoredpost or something similar to their posts.

Of course, not everyone did that. Following the public backlash, Instagram introduced a feature that lets you easily signal paid partnerships. It is now the most convenient and transparent way to show the relationship with other brands or people mentioned in your post.

This is what it looks like:

Image courtesy of The Right Fit

While this feature is not exactly new, it was the first signal of Instagram’s focus on content creators. It set the tone for other features and updates like the ones below.

As it usually happens with Instagram features, you are strongly encouraged to use it. In other words: if you’ve got the paid partnership, mark it as such or expect your account to get into trouble.

2. The Collab Feature Can Mean Better Reach for Everyone

What if you simply create some content with a brand or another person without being paid for it? Then you can use the collab feature:

Image courtesy of Tech Radar

To use this feature, start posting your photo, video or reel as you normally would. When you get to the “Tag People†option, click on “Invite Collaboratorâ€Â. As soon as your collaborator accepts, the content will be posted on both profiles.

This is a great way to reach new audiences and to increase your brand awareness. You may have already seen it used by content creators, but you can also use it for your business.

A bakery can collaborate with a producer of fresh juices, a furniture store can work with an architect, a social media SaaS can work with an SEO one, and so on.

3. Streamline Your Influencer Marketing with New Creator Tools

In case Instagram’s commitment to influencer marketing wasn’t obvious, you’ve got a host of new creator features to make it crystal clear. Last fall, Instagram began testing a dedicated DM (direct messages) folder for partnerships.

Also in tests: a preferred brands feature that allows content creators to put together a list of brands they would like to work with. If you are looking for new influencers to partner with, you can simply check out whose list you appear on and make your choice.

Finally, sponsored content can now be taken a step forward. If a content creator publishes a new post and tags you, you can re-post that content organically, without third-party apps. It’s a great way to keep your feed more authentic and to increase your brand awareness!

4. Shopping on Instagram Gets a Major Upgrade

Yes, it’s been a while since shopping first became available on Instagram. However, in recent months it got a major facelift and a lot of new options. You can pretty much sell on Instagram alone, without bothering with a website of your own (although you shouldn’t – never build your home on someone else’s land!).

Aside from tagging products and collections in your feed posts and adding shopping stickers to stories, you can now host live shopping events. Showcase your products in a live event with the option for viewers to buy them on the spot.

Launching a new product in 2022? You might want to check out Instagram’s Drop feature. Drop lets you tease product launches to your followers who have the option to get a notification as soon as the product becomes available. They get to be the first ones to shop your new collection and you get to make sales on more than one channel.

Instagram looks dead set on becoming a one-stop-shop for everything, from business partnerships to online shopping. Whether the new ambitious features and plans will crush under their own weight or not remains to be seen.

For the time being, using all these features can definitely improve your bottom line or, at the very least, keep your feed looking fresh and hip. Need help leveraging the new Instagram features? My team of social media marketers and I are just a click away. Let’s talk about your Instagram strategy for 2022!

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Be Seen, Be Heard -11 Steps to Video Marketing

posted on February 17, 2022

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Today’s audience is more savvy and more difficult than ever to market to and may not think your cute or funny ad is that cute or funny. On the flip side, consumers are reading less as the screens are considerably smaller and watching more. Information is prepackaged for them, and when the video is done right, it is easy to understand.

With the high cost and singular distribution of TV, until recently, video marketing had been standardized; a 30-second commercial that was either cute or funny in attempts to get the word out about your product or service. Millions are spent on commercials every year, including writers to compose brilliant scripts, actors to get the point across, and directors to mold the idea into reality, and so on. Sometimes the hard work and money spent pay off, but other times the audience is not affected (and you end up with a less than viral commercial).

You can have an effective video to reach your target audience within a surprisingly reasonable budget. The new digital age of marketing is all about storytelling – explainer videos are perfect for this.

So how do you tell your story? Because so many videos are now battling to get the most views, brands and marketers need to come up with new ideas to make their videos stand head and shoulders above the competition. It’s not easy to make an appealing explainer video, but by following these simple steps, you will be able to keep your audience interested while reaching a wider demographic at the same time.

Here are 11 proven components to effectively tell your story:

1. What are your marketing objectives and who are you trying to reach?

These questions apply to any marketing initiative, but for video, these questions will determine what kind of video you want to create:

  • Are you looking to increase sales by targeting millennials? Promote a lifestyle, a meaning, and escapism that can give them goosebumps.
  • Are you looking to educate current customers on how to use your product? Create their emotional connection to the product, helping you establish trust.

Whatever the goals are, make sure you think about those first; a video that is produced with no goal in mind makes it much harder to measure return on investment.

2. What is the story your business tells?

While you don’t need to reprise â€œThe Epic Split,” there should be some type of narrative arc to your video.

It can be as simple as a tour of your facility where you make your product or as complicated as that vampire musical you always wanted to make. What matters is the video needs a beginning, a middle, and an end.

3. Demonstrate, Don’t Explain

Ironically, one of the worst things you can do with an explainer video is the actual explaining. Many people misjudge this medium and think that all they need is one person standing in front of the camera talking. Just like if you were making a feature film, the intention is to show, not tell. Instead of having one person explaining all the way through the video, it is much more appealing to have someone demonstrating what they are talking about. If you are trying to explain how a product works, then a video demonstration is one of the most effective ways to show how good your product is.

4. If You Can, Use Genuine Reactions

Quite often, with explainer videos, actors are used to posing as general members of the public. This is something that is alarmingly easy to spot, which is why it is much better to use authentic reactions. If you are thinking of using real people for your demonstration, it is always best to use as many as possible and over a wide demographic. This way, you will be able to illustrate that your product is suitable for everyone.

5. What do you want people to do? What is your call to action?

So the viewer loved your video. Now what? You need to present them with a clear action at the end of your video, as well as in the text surrounding it (for example, the description section on YouTube). If you like them to sign up for your email newsletter, tell them. If you want them to post the video on Facebook to share with their friends, tell them.

6. Do you think we’re done? Optimize your video.

Although there are too many different ways to optimize your video to go into detail in this blog post, video is a perfect way to take advantage of search engine optimization and social media. There are techniques and strategies which include keyword research and video sitemaps. To learn more about video optimization and SEO, check out this YouTube SEO guide.

7. Use Social Media

When you have put your video online, it is always important to spread the word through social media. Instead of pointing out that it is an explainer video, it often helps to mention the nature of the demonstration. Also, make sure that you use hashtags and mentions to increase the number of people who share the link.

8. Don’t Make Advertisements

Nowadays, audiences install ad blockers on their computers and skip through all ads possible. They do not want to feel as if they are being sold to because they will just move on.

Make sure to create a compelling story. You want to keep your viewers watching by indirectly selling your brand and company. Viewers want to see stories, not ads.

9. Make Sequels

Don’t just stop at one video. In order to keep your viewers engaged, make short and continuous videos so that your viewers will want to come back to your channel to watch more. Making sequels will allow you to further introduce the viewer to your brand.

10. Connect With Comments

After you have posted a video, pay attention to viewer comments. This will help you determine the success of a video, what works and what does not.

You should be thinking and acting based on viewer debate. The Brand – Old Spice had its views skyrocket after they customized their videos based on viewer-submitted questions. Their favored viral video – “Smell Like A Man, Man” is still being viewed today.

11. Never Restrict Access

Launch your viral campaign without any barriers.

Viewers do not want to have to register in order to view a video. It takes too much time and will only discourage the viewer from watching the video. People do not want to work hard to watch a short video.

Final Thoughts

With the right video marketing strategy, you can convince visitors to buy your product or service. We are visual creatures. To hit the rock bottom and attract that engagement (ultimately leading to sales), take your time to research how you can tie your brand into a powerful story. Audiences are smarter than ever today but also more passionate about the people and products they connect with. When you make a truthful connection, you make a new customer. So think about the stories and experiences your company wants to share. Chances are there is an effective, engaging video in there just ready to be made!

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The Key Relation Between UX Design and Website Traffic

posted on February 14, 2022

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Millions of websites are operating on the Internet as of now. Do you fear that your brand’s website might not be noticed among the crowd? Unfortunately, that has been the case for numerous businesses. Many companies either revamped or closed down their entire web presence because of no or low traffic. Not all websites manage to attract enough users, after all.

Now, the main question: What makes a website successful? The success of a website is measured by the number of its visitors and their conversion rate. What can you do to bring more traffic to your website? Well, the answer is quite simple; provide your users a great experience!

This blog first describes user experience and highlights its importance. Then it covers how a good user experience drives traffic to your website. Finally, it explains the process of ensuring an effective UX design. Let’s get started.

What is User Experience (UX) Design?

User Experience refers to the overall experience of a user when using your website. UX Design means a website design built to enhance user satisfaction. Satisfying users requires an in-depth analysis of what they need or value, how they interact with your website, and how they feel over each interaction.

User Experience (UX) is often confused with User Interface (UI). However, users do not just need an interactive digital interface for a good experience on a website. There are various other aspects involved, like visual design, information architecture, content strategy, and usability.

Why Does It Matter?

Would you revisit a website if it takes too long to load? How about websites that have confusing navigation or low-quality graphics? Nobody likes to deal with such poorly designed websites.

People nowadays have very short attention spans. They abandon a website immediately if it fails to appeal to them within the first few minutes of their use. Even search engines like Google do not index such websites anymore.

Therefore, websites with slow user interfaces, difficult navigation, or average content do not survive in the market for long. It’s high time for businesses now to level up their user experience game.

How Does User Experience Design Increase Traffic?

User Experience Design is all about ensuring a worthwhile experience for your users. People will definitely revisit your website if they have a positive experience the first time.

Let’s see how the elements of UX design attract people and convert them into actual customers.

1. The First Impression

The first few seconds after a user clicks on your website are crucial. Users will only continue further if the landing page loads quickly. Plus, the home page content (including text and graphics) needs to impress them at the first glance. You have to make the best use of typography, expressive images, colors, fonts, etc. Users explore a website further only when the landing page is quick, readable, and attractive.

2. Mobile Optimization

Gone are the days when people had to use a PC to access the Internet. Now almost everything happens on mobiles! People mostly surf the Internet on the go. Therefore, your website will lose maximum traffic if it’s not optimized to run on mobiles. The better your website looks, feels, and performs across different screen sizes, the more traffic it generates.

3. Engaging Content

Content is truly the king of the digital world!

Nothing can save a website with dull and boring content. Users never revisit a website if they do not like the content there. Websites with interesting articles, impressive info-graphics, catchy images, and meaningful videos definitely receive the highest amount of traffic.

Improved content is also a crucial factor for search engine optimization. The better your content is, the higher it ranks on the search engines. A higher rank on search engine pages leads to higher visibility amongst your target audience.

4. Smooth & Simple Navigation

The audience doesn’t bother using confusing websites. They abandon a website the moment they feel that it’s difficult to move around. In fact, most user complaints are related to navigation issues. This proves the fact that a website’s performance also depends on smooth and simple navigation.

5. Search Engine Optimization

An effective UX Design means better SEO for your website. But how do search engines determine the ranks of the websites? They check the website’s relevance in terms of the user interface, user experience, customer support, and content. If a website performs well in all such aspects, it automatically ranks higher on the result pages. And a better rank on search result pages automatically drives more traffic to the website.

How to Ensure an Effective UX Design?

To provide an exceptional experience to your users, you first need to know them closely. Research about your target audience and develop user profiles. User profiles will help you create experiences that relate to their emotions.

Then experiment with different user interface designs. When you have a few suitable alternatives, test them to see which one is more effective. Tools like Google Optimize allows you to test different interfaces and see which one performs better.

Do not forget to include your users in the design process. Take their feedback to know what they would prefer to see on your website. You can use surveys, interviews, polls, or suggestion boxes to gather valuable user insights.

Make flowcharts of how you expect your users to move around the website development agency. Then compare how they actually navigate through the website. Use tools to track their movement and then make relevant structural changes based on that data.

Finally, think about the sitemaps, style guides, design patterns, wireframes, and prototypes for an effective UX design.

Conclusion

Your website’s traffic highly depends on what the users feel when they use your website. A good UX design is necessary to attract new visitors and convert them into actual customers. More people will use your website if it’s easy to navigate, SEO optimized, and quick to load. Plus, engaging content also plays a vital role in generating more traffic to your website. The better the UX design of your website is, the more traffic it receives.

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How Artificial Intelligence Can Improve Data Privacy

posted on February 11, 2022

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is used for many tasks in the global digital domain. From customer service bots to virtual assistants, predictive analytics, HR portals, companion chatbots and numerous other applications, AI is literally everywhere around us in the global world.

The last 2 years have given us a much needed lesson on the development of the digital world. The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that anything that we used to do in person before the pandemic can also be done digitally. Remote work was a distant possibility before the pandemic came, but a number of companies have taken their operations remote and have gone for a digitalized method of operations. From buying groceries to meeting new people, seeing the doctor and celebrating birthdays, almost everything is being managed online.

Now that the light at the end of the long COVID-19 tunnel is finally visible, it can be said that a number of things that we did during the pandemic are here to stay for long. With 5G deployment over the globe, the success of edge computing and the growth of IoT devices, it can easily be said that our lives in the future are bound to get a whole lot better.

Data Threats in a Highly Connected World

The idea of living in a connected world gives us immense passion and joy. But it also has to be said that there are certain data threats that companies and individuals may get to encounter due to the high connectivity in the world around us. There are constant threats looming over the privacy and security of our data, as almost everything is digital now and accessible to all.

The more digital our lives have become, the more we are exposed to the perils of the digital world. 2021 has seen a stark increase in data leaks and ransomware attacks around us today. The cyber world is prone to attacks, and our data seems to be on the radar.

Besides the misuse of data by brands, data breaches from external threat actors have also compromised the safety of sensitive customer information. It was recently found that sensitive customer data, including names, passwords, emails and numbers, were the most common data sources to be compromised in data breaches.

Companies around the world are working on ways they can follow to secure data, and AI has come up with a plausible solution. In this article, we take a look at how artificial intelligence can improve data privacy and the benefits it can provide for the future. Stick with us to find out how AI is determining the waves of change around us.

AI Holds the Future of Data Privacy

According to a recent study released by Gartner in 2019, almost 40 percent of all privacy technologies in the digital world will utilize AI by 2023. This figure and the rising trust of consumers in AI engines goes to prove that customers trust AI and the related algorithms for their work.

The use of AI and automated operations for securing data does make a lot of sense. The world is using such a massive amount of data today that it doesn’t make sense for us to manually update and secure this data. A manual approach will not only waste time but also make it difficult for organizations to improve data security measures.

Integrating AI-driven solutions in your algorithms can help update the security of your data stack and can also add an extra layer of privacy.

Companies can turn to AI algorithms to set up extra layers of protection against data breaches, leaks and attacks. The privacy that comes from AI protection is just what customers expect today and is something that can go a long way to improve customer trust in brands.

How AI Makes a Difference

One can only truly understand how AI makes a difference when they study the challenges in data protection and privacy faced by organizations around us. While the complications of data security and privacy vary across organizations, the two common challenges come in the form of user activity volume and variance in regulations around user data.

Organizations working globally are host to a number of regulations and industry standards, which are different in nature. AI can help organizations with all challenges, as the right AI algorithm can implement access control and multi-factor authentication to provide excellent services. The AI model can adapt to the behaviors shown by users and implement security measures based on that.

The best thing about the AI approach is that it isn’t invasive in nature. Companies and organizations have to be mindful of the security practices they implement because of the fine line between data security and non-compliance.

AI algorithms know how to segment data generated through e-commerce shopping sprees so that only the essential information is disclosed to providers. This means that the shipping company only gets your shipping information, and the payment gateway only gets your financial information needed to complete a transaction. Manually isolating this information from all providers during a typical transaction can be a hard task, but AI makes it possible through effortless operations.

AI Proving Its Worth

Artificial Intelligence algorithms can also help secure data present in different transactions beyond e-commerce. These algorithms make sure that all private data stored within servers comes with an expiration date, which can stop organizations from using data sources for ulterior motives long after the transaction has been performed and secured.

As is the trend with AI across the board, there are multiple applications for AI in data privacy and security. The technology has the potential to hand over the power and the control over data sources to people who actually own it. AI has raised the bar for data security and protection and has provided a pathway that organizations can follow in the time to come.

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How Digital Trading Cards Can Support Others

posted on February 9, 2022

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Modern trends along with digital development have made collectibles a staple of the 21st-century lifestyle. Terms like “digital collectibles,” “NFT portfolio,” and even “Pokemon NFTs” have become synonymous with rising blockchain technology.

However, collectors are often wealthy individuals able to purchase high-priced, unique collectibles from other wealthy personalities. This makes the market one that profits only those in a financially stable position. The question is, can their collecting pursuits be linked to the spirit of blockchain, wealth redistribution, and a more direct support to those who need it most?

What Are Collectibles For?

Collecting is a natural trait in humans, associated with our emotional side and the ability to hold memories. Seeing children play with Pokemon trading cards reminds adults of their childhood, for instance.

But collecting is not only about returning to the past. It is also about praising the present and preserving it for the future. Think of the late 90s, when collecting cards of baseball players and popular TV series, such as Pokemon, were used not only as a way to remember but a way to praise idols of the moment. Kids could show off their Pokemon trading cards to their classmates, evoking interest and a shared appreciation for the famous TV show streaming at the time.

Collecting can attain forms of power, too, as the social layers collectibles add can ignite an uprise in status. Traditionally, art collectors are known for amassing status by the display of wealth, taste and pride through their acquisitions. Now with the rapid appreciation of blockchain-based assets, collectors are turning to new ways of investing their wealth, targeting the decentralized landscape of NFTs.

What Exactly Are NFTs?

NFTs are a new way to hold value and show wealth, all from within a secure blockchain-based environment.

An NFT digital collection, on the other hand, is often sought for the ownership aspect blockchain assets are embedded in. But not all NFT collectors are driven mainly by ownership. The NFT space offers creative, outlandish items perfect for those who are after uniqueness, too.

NFT eccentricity and novelty make them not only possible value storage but also a way for collectors to keep up with the latest emerging trends, and partake in the future of technology. An NFT digital collection can hold immense value, while at the same time offering new ways of collecting, investing and supporting blockchain-based communities and their creators.

The value of collectibles does not only lie in the way they are manufactured, but also in the ways that they can appreciate, such as the CryptoPunks collection whose price has altered significantly since they were minted. There are a couple of markers that can make those assets valuable well beyond their stock price.

Pricing of Collectibles

A collectible’s price can be influenced because it is a one-of-a-kind item. Pokemon trading cards have a lot of printing mistakes, but only rare instances impact the value, as evident on Mewtwo cards that lacked a rarity symbol on the front. One card from that series is worth more than $5,000. The way a collectible is priced depends on a couple of factors, some of them being scarcity, ownership, and uniqueness.

Trading based on those factors would be impossible without a strong community. This network of connections is what allows for collecting in the first place—people who would like to buy and sell potentially rare items. A good example comes from Pokemon, where a collector was willing to pay $240,000 for a Pokemon game trading card due to its rarity and signature of the Pokemon CEO.

Combining scarcity and the status of someone behind the overbearing narrative is another way to increase the value. Pokemon cards are just one out of many examples tied to a bigger product.

Depending on those factors, fans of collecting all over the world search for items that they can hold or later trade. The digital realm is open to new potential collectors, and it bears resemblance to the physical collectible landscape.

Decentralization allows collectors to participate in a variety of aspects of the blockchain ecosystem. Through this technology, artists are able to monetize their talent via an NFT digital collection, and more recently, through digital trading cards, making them appreciate in value in the eyes of the whole blockchain community.

Digital Trading Cards

Digital trading cards are not only virtual equivalents of physical trading cards, but they can also be used to bridge talent with supporters. Through VirtualStaX, a TurnCoin powered platform, people all over the world can create their own, personalized collectibles called StaX and get the additional support they need. VirtualStaX can be created in the StaXApp by people from different sectors like sports, business, and arts among others.

A person interested in creating their own digital trading card, can acquire a BaseStaX, and supporters can acquire them to be part of the person’s journey and directly support the talented person when buying the BaseStaX. Supporters can collect them, reminiscent of NFT collection cards, and profit with the talent’s ongoing success and growth.

Digital cards can not only support the creator but charities as well. While creating the card in the digital trading cards app, the card author can choose whether they would like to devote a part of their income to a charity. VirtualStaX works with two foundations at the moment: Heart of Sport and Heart of Compassion.

The Heart of Sport foundation offers children from disadvantaged backgrounds opportunities to fulfill their sports aspirations. It does so by providing them with equipment, scholarships and training they need to develop their careers. Funds can also go to financial planning, counseling and rehabilitation of athletes all over the world. All inspired by NFT digital collection technology.

Heart of Compassion is focused on providing food, water, health, and human rights to the places that need it the most. The culture of this foundation revolves around the word “Ubuntu” which means, “I am because of who we are.” This spirit of unification and willingness to change are fundamental to a strong foundation.

By using blockchain technology based on NFT collection cards, the invested funds are guaranteed to go to the mentioned foundations, as the technology provides immutability, ensuring that the funds go to the desired place when a transaction is made on the blockchain.

Choosing the Right Card

Collectors can browse through the StaXApp and pick whose journey they would like to be a part of. The Global Popularity Index (GPX) factor, a supply and demand algorithm found in the platform, helps collectors oversee the value of the StaX.

The author of the VirtualStaX can also create a CollectorStax, which is an NFT collection card. If the collector buys it and is right in their assumptions, they can not only help fund the career of the card’s creator, but also profit on the transaction later on. The author of the card does not have to win any big championships, they just need to keep updating and showing signs of progress for the people to follow.

Out of many collecting possibilities that the digital, decentralized landscape provides, like Pokemon NFT projects, some of them, such as VirtualStax, were created to support worldwide talent and people who are in less fortunate circumstances, and this is where the power of blockchain lies—in enabling opportunities for everyone.

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How to Increase Backlinks With an Effective Content Strategy?

posted on February 8, 2022

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Backlinks are, arguably, the best methods to increase organic traffic to your website. Their main purpose is to ensure Google that your website is top quality and that, in turn, will help Google recognize this aspect and rank you higher in its search engine.

Backlinks are mostly created by guest posting articles, blogs on other websites and adding certain links that lead to your own site or by other websites referencing your site. This strategy is sure to give your website that edge over your competitors and other websites while also helping you garner more viewership.

With all that said, here are the six most effective ways to increase backlinks and implement the best of content strategies in the process. Remember, like any escape room out there; a good strategy is absolutely necessary when wanting to solve clues towards efficient content marketing.

1. The Right Keywords and Pages

Look at it this way: if you want to land your content on a site, you will have to write unique, high-quality blogs or articles so that pages pick up on your hard work. To be effective in doing so, you will first have to figure out what content you want to be writing about; based on that, note down the relevant keywords to use by placing them strategically and adequately. And lastly, make sure you are targeting certain genres of pages so that you have an idea of where your backlinks are.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

A good way to start if you are new is to do thorough keyword research before adding them to your content. Make sure you go for moderately competitive keywords that can rank you just high enough. Also ensure to not cram keywords into places wherever strategic placements are key.

2. Add Meta Title and Meta Description

After the relevant keywords are placed perfectly, the next step would be to boost your visibility on the search engine of Google. The best way to do that – instead of just adding a URL link at the end of your content – would be to include strong keywords, maybe in titles or meta descriptions of your content.

This will allow Google to find your content easily, and based on its quality, it will surely consider ranking the content higher even if not many people are clicking your URL link just yet. So, either way you look at it, you are winning at the end of the day. The recommended number of backlinks per write-up is around two. Make sure to switch up the anchor text keywords across your articles or blogs.

3. Stats and Monitoring

Now you are officially done with the hard part. What is now left for you to do is quietly track how your content is being received by viewers. Certain site analytic tools will allow you to keep track of which backlinks are effectively driving traffic and which ones are not.

And with that sort of information, you then get to learn and understand just what exactly the people are looking for and can base your future content in or around similar topics or keywords.

4. Guest Posts

As mentioned earlier, guest posting is also a very effective method of boosting backlinks to your site. If your company has some high-quality writers, you can assign them guest post articles that will be published on other pages but will contain links back to the mother site.

This strategy is especially effective if you want to tap into a whole new audience with different tastes and preferences. Let us assume that you know of a blog site that has certain work that people just adore, and the topics are pretty similar. One possibility is to reach out to them and ask them if they would like to include certain articles that your writers have conjured to use on their page. Said articles then obviously will include links that lead back to your website.

5. Social Media

Why are not more people using the power and influence of social media to their advantage? It is obvious that most people who have an online device are surely on some kind of social media.

A very effective backlinking strategy would be to come up with creative posts on your social media platforms with the help of your social media team and create backlinks that lead back to your website.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

The advantages of doing this are so immaculate. For starters, if you get a social media engagement going, you do not have to ask anyone to post content on your social media; you are basically the boss. And the cherry on top, you get effective backlinks that help you with external traffic.

6. Consistency

But on a serious note, ever since Google has started to take user-intent into consideration while ranking sites, it is extremely important that you do not slack off after creating some good content for a few months or so.

Google will recognize the downfall and will punish you with lower rankings in the end. The best way to maintain these standards for users is to provide gaps between content posting to, let’s say, one write-up a week.

Conclusion

There you have it! These are some of the most effective ways to backlink your content. If you use this content strategy and stay consistent with the standards set by Google, you will not have much of a problem with traffic.

Yes, it is harder to maintain standards than to hit them. That is how the majority of things in life work because as soon as you start to provide content of the highest quality, your expectations and standards are automatically raised. You just have to maintain it, and you will be just fine.

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5 Steps to Creating an SOP

posted on February 6, 2022

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The modern healthcare industry is complicated—and it can take a long time to learn the ropes, so it’s always good to have a system in place. SOPs, or standard operating procedures, are instructions that work as guidelines for employee work processes, such as for maintaining an Electronic Data Capture (EDC) system. These instructions can be used repeatedly and serve as a reminder of the best way to complete a task.

Think of an SOP like a recipe: It tells you how to make something, step by step—and all you have to do is follow the instructions and the dish will turn out perfectly every time. There’s no guesswork involved.

It’s important for healthcare professionals to have SOPs documented so that they’re easy to follow. It also makes the SOP easy to teach to new staff members and manage over time: if you want your SOPs to reflect the most current information, then all you need to do is update them.

What Is an SOP?

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is the standard that clinical trialists need to follow to ensure their trial is following the rules and regulations of their given organization. For clinical trialists, it is important to know what is expected of each step of the trial process. Applicable guidelines and regulations must be referenced, such as ICH E6 Good Clinical Practice and 21 CFR 50 for the protection of human subjects. Typically, an SOP contains the following elements:

  • Title page
  • Table of contents
  • Purpose (describe the clinical trial, summarize its main objectives, ensure all acronyms are defined at first use)
  • Procedures
  • Quality assurance/quality control
  • References

Creating an SOP

Here are the 5 steps for creating an SOP:

1. Make an Actionable Checklist

A checklist that is “actionable” means that each item on the list is a specific and concrete task that can be performed—nothing vague like “oversee project” or “monitor progress.”. Making your SOPs more efficient is as simple as designing them so they can be followed through by any clinical trialist. This will maximize the amount of work you are able to accomplish within a given timeframe, therefore being able to work more efficiently.

There are essential SOPs, and then there are optional SOPs. An example of essential ones could be how to obtain informed consent prior to starting a clinical trial. There is always going to be some kind of essential SOP that must be implemented before you start your trial, which means that having a checklist with those tasks first on the list (and marked as a priority) will allow you to comply with regulations in a timely manner.

2. Create a Plan for Reviewing and Updating the SOP

An important part of creating an efficient SOP is to have a plan for reviewing and updating it, so you don’t have to start from scratch every time. The key is to set up a system so that you can quickly identify what needs to be changed without having to review each step. If your team works from a template SOP, this process should be much easier because you can indicate when each section needs to be updated.

Adding a note for updating is an effective way of maintaining efficiency in your SOPs. If you have a team member working on the step, add their initials next to the comment so that they know to look over the section as well. This will ensure that no step is missed.

3. Collect Information to Include in Your SOP

SOPs are typically used to ensure uniform and quality output. This means that they focus on documentation of the steps, tools, and techniques used to complete a task or reach an objective. The most effective SOP template will be one that is tailored specifically to your company’s needs.

This means that the more information you collect regarding what you want to include in your SOP, the better you can tailor it to fit your needs. Collecting this information will not only help the development of your SOP but will also ensure that what you do finally put in your SOP is exactly what you want and need for day-to-day use.

The collected information should include:

  • What the procedure is and what it is for.
  • The people and departments that are responsible for completing the task or procedure.
  • Who requires training on this process, including who wrote it (if different from those required to complete the task).
  • When does it need to be done? How often?
  • What tools, equipment, and supplies must be available to complete the task?
  • Who is responsible for any reporting and record-keeping requirements?
  • Are there any environmental factors that need to be considered?

4. Write, Review and Publish Your SOP

Write your SOP, then have a team member review it. This will ensure that there are no mistakes or misunderstandings, which could cause an error in the compliant conduct of clinical trials. Once the SOP is reviewed and edited appropriately, have someone else read through it just to be sure before publishing it throughout your organization. This way you can feel confident that everything is correct before it is distributed.

5. Maintain SOP Overtime

SOPs are easy to use and effective, but only if they are kept up-to-date. Don’t let your SOP’s become stale because it could cause a number of issues including missed steps or lack of accountability. If you have the time, do a quick review every week just to make sure nothing has been added or if you have a team member who is responsible for the task at hand, then let them know that they are responsible for keeping the SOP up-to-date. If you want everyone to be responsible, then hold a short meeting each time a new employee is added to the project/task and go over the SOP together. Going through each step to make sure everyone understands their role will help keep everyone accountable and on track.

When you are responsible for tasks on your team, there is no way to avoid creating (or having assigned to you) SOPs. Whether or not someone has created an SOP yet, you can use the steps above to create one that will help your team. Implementing these five steps will also provide consistency in your project/task management, which will make your team more efficient and productive.

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How to Level Up Your SEO Strategy with Keyword Clusters

posted on January 28, 2022

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Did you know that you can get so much more out of your SEO strategy with simple tweaks, like paying more attention to the way you organize your keywords?

Since the BERT update, Google started getting gradually better at understanding natural language. In other words, it got better at understanding how humans speak.

This means that search engines can now understand synonyms better. And they understand what falls into a broader topic. This is where keyword clusters come into play.

What Are Keyword Clusters?

As the name suggests, keyword clusters are groups of keywords that speak to the same topic and, more importantly, to the same search intent.
For example, “rustic decorations†and “farmhouse decorations†or “rustic home décor ideas†are different keywords but someone looking to change the look of their home might search for any of these phrases.

Why Should You Bother with Keyword Clusters?

A good question! Should you add all the keywords in a cluster to a single piece of content or spread them out on several pages? Modern SEO says to go with the former.

Here’s why:

  • Keyword clusters help search engines make connections between your pages easier.
  • Looking at the example above: if your page only ranks for “rustic decorationsâ€Â, you will be missing out on a good share of searches.
  • Having one page rank for multiple terms in the same clusters consolidates your first spots and can bring you up to 10 times the amount of traffic a single keyword would.
  • Search engines (Google, most notably) reward holistic content, that’s in-depth and covers everything about a topic. I’m talking about the type of content that doesn’t prompt the reader to go back to search results looking to complete the information you offered. Keyword clustering helps your content go in-depth.
  • It’s easier to write: when you use similar terms, your content sounds more natural. It’s easier and more appealing to read.

Topic clusters are a good way to get the best of both worlds: you can have different blog posts for different topics. Then, you can group them on a single pillar page with a neat table of contents and create a mega-guide. Each sub-topic will link to the pillar page, so when one subtopic ranks well, it will lend its “SEO juices†to everyone in the cluster.

Let’s see keyword clusters in action.

How to Build Effective Keyword Clusters

Before you say clusters may limit the keyword opportunities out there, hear me out. You can build keyword clusters around almost any long-tail keyword you’ve identified.

So, to begin with, identify a profitable keyword that matches users’ search intent and your business goals. Let’s say I want to sell SEO courses and, to begin with, I need to establish my expertise and attract SEO newbies. I would begin with “what is SEO?†as my seed keyword.

The cluster may look like this: what is SEO? -> introduction to SEO -> the basics of SEO -> what is SEO and how does it work?

And so on. You got the point.

This is definitely not the only keyword cluster I can create for SEO beginners. Here’s another example: SEO tips and tricks -> SEO best practices -> on-page SEO tips -> off-page SEO tips.

How can you come up with the keywords in your cluster?

Start with a good old Google search. In the “related section†or “people also ask†boxes you’ll find suggestions you can add to your cluster. You can also use Google Ads for this or your favorite paid SEO research tool.

Once your tool of choice comes up with suggested keywords, find the ones that bear some similarities:

  • They have a similar search volume.
  • They have a similar ranking difficulty.
  • They can be grouped around the same search intent.

All these factors are equally important. If you miss the semantic relevance, your topic cluster will not make sense. If you optimize for keywords with widely different difficulty or search volume, you risk some of them not ranking at all.

For example, if I want to create a topic cluster for a company searching for social media marketing tools, I get these suggestions from Google and from my Keyword Surfer plugin:

See all those keywords with a volume of 3600? They can all go into this cluster. But I would definitely skip “social media management†or “best branding tools†– these are great starters for other topic clusters.

Wrapping Things Up

Google and other search engines have spent years (and billions of dollars) getting their solutions to “speak humanâ€Â. And they’re just getting started. This is what the future of SEO looks like – semantic relevance and search intent all wrapped into a nice blanket of high quality content.

Topic and keyword clusters are strategies that keep on giving because you can easily add to them. Spotted a new keyword that works for one of your best pillar pages? Create a blog post around it and add it to the page. It will rank much faster (and better!) than anything your competitors may write from scratch and betting only on that single keyword.

The post How to Level Up Your SEO Strategy with Keyword Clusters appeared first on SiteProNews.

A Beginner’s Guide to Ranking High on Google Using SEO

posted on January 27, 2022

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Ranking at the top of Google’s first search results page is the ultimate goal for all businesses today. As research by Backlinko indicates, the #1 result on Google accumulates nearly 31.7% CTR, while the second pages generally tend to receive 0.78% of clicks.

Whether you own a thriving online business, work as a digital marketing manager for someone else, or are an SEO specialist at an agency, you’ll have to manage, monetize and promote online content through Google.

Search engine optimization may look like small modifications to a website. However, the combined impact of these minor changes on your website’s performance and user experience is massive.

The secret behind creating a high-ranking website resides in your ability to satisfy the users by offering them an above-par experience on your platform. One of these users is a search engine, which helps you reach other users with your website. Let’s look at some effective ways you can improve your Google ranking.

1. Understand the Google Algorithm

Whether it’s John Mueller or Gary Illyes, every successful Google executive states that Google frequently changes its algorithm and a majority of these changes are not announced publically. According to Moz, there are about 500-600 Google algorithm changes every year.

The primary purpose behind keeping these changes is to prevent black hat SEO strategies and shortcuts to maintain the authenticity of websites.

However, some notable algorithm updates you may want to know include page experience updates, core updates (related to the content quality), and mobile-first updates.

You can keep yourself updated with these changes by regularly keeping a check on Google Webmaster Central.

2. Strategize your Work

Image courtesy of Pexels

Targeting a single keyword across different pages of your website is certainly a bad idea! Instead, you need to rank for a maximum number of keywords, with the same amount of work and effort.

This is only possible if you come up with smart strategies. Start with keyword research and carefully choose your target keywords. Your targeted keywords directly impact your probability of success.

Here are a few important things to consider while selecting keywords:

  • Choose the keywords specific to your particular domain only
  • Choose less competitive keywords
  • Make sure that your chosen keywords offer sufficient traffic
  • Make sure your chosen keywords are relevant to your business
  • Target multiple keywords simultaneously

People tend to search for the same things in a billion ways. Look for a keyword seed and then search a list of keywords that represent the same theme.

3. Discover a Seed Keyword

To grow your keyword theme, try to identify your seed keyword. Seed keywords are basically the most obvious keywords relevant to your topic.

If, for instance, you sell handmade jewelry, your seed keyword can be “buy handmade jewelry.â€Â

To come up with good keyword seeds, you need to do some research and then brainstorm different ideas based on your services, business objectives, targeted audience, and keywords you want to rank for the ads you’re planning to purchase.

4. Turn Your Keyword Seed Into a Keyword Theme

Once you finalize your seed keyword, grow it into a theme by listing out all the related keywords. This approach will help you expand your opportunities and rank for multiple keywords at the same time.

Long-tail keywords can be a major help in this regard. The number of long-tail keywords used on a website is typically directly proportional to the amount of traffic directed to it by the search engines. You can use several paid or free keyword research tools like Semrush.

However, at this stage, you need to be mindful of your business goals and hence, keyword specificity. Make sure they’re not out of context or irrelevant to your industry.

5. Create Value

Image courtesy of Unsplash

Your website content gives you an edge over your competitors; make sure it’s spectacular, relevant, and well-researched. Before you share any blog piece, infographic, or any other report on your website, make sure that it offers something more to your recipients than they’re already getting from other content, raking on the same keywords you’re using.

Google provides guidelines and some clues regarding its content evaluation strategy. Try to comprehend it and create your content accordingly.

By creating the best content on the internet, you can establish your business as a trusted brand, build more links, increase user engagement and protect your website from uninformed algorithmic changes.

So, Are You Ready to Take the Plunge?

If you’re here, chances are, you’ve already started taking your Google ranking seriously, and congratulations, that was your first step towards improving your rank.

Don’t worry if all the SEO technicalities make you feel overwhelmed, you’re not alone.

If you’re looking for reliable SEO optimization services for small businesses, feel free to check out Search Berg, an established platform offering content writing, lead generation, paid marketing services, and premium SEO packages for small businesses to their clients at affordable rates.

The post A Beginner’s Guide to Ranking High on Google Using SEO appeared first on SiteProNews.

5 Tips to Save Your Business From Disaster

posted on January 24, 2022

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Business technology is the key to saving time and money so that your business can avoid disasters.

Do you have what it takes to become a next-generation business? Ever wondered what separates a successful business from the others (a.k.a. market competitors)? The secret lies in adopting the right combination of business technology tools that help you perform business activities in the most efficient way. We live in a technological age where things are not only meant to be faster and easier but also smarter. For entrepreneurs and managers who are forward thinkers, tapping into certain tools to save time and money will help expand their full business potential.

However, deciding on a single business tool is no easy feat. With ample software and platforms present, looking for a suitable tool is like finding a needle in a haystack! To make life easier and business operations smoother, we have jotted down a list of business must-have tools. Start with these 5 simple tips to save your business from an eventual disaster!

1. Marketing Software

We are living in a digital and visual world. Grabbing the potential user’s attention is paramount for businesses. Marketing involves social media marketing, search engine optimization, paid marketing, and more. These are daily tasks that require intensive planning and management. Such ongoing “busy work” tasks can be automated so business owners can focus on their core endeavors.

Email marketing systems such as HubSpot, Sendinblue and MailChimp allow you to easily keep your email subscribers informed of updates about your business. Social media scheduling tools such as Buffer and HootSuite allow you to schedule posts to go out on the desired times and dates, without having to set foot on various social media channels. What’s more, you can analyze and optimize your digital presence using tools such as Google Analytics. And business owners, you will be shocked to know that this is just the beginning! The list of marketing tools and software available on the market today is endless. What matters is how you leverage and use them to your advantage.

2. Business Intelligence Tools (BI Software)

Ever heard of Tableau or Power BI? These are the in-demand tools that give your business data insights. We all know that data is king. When it comes to business, only those who can manage data, draw conclusions based on it and make changes accordingly can grow their operations. Business intelligence tools are enabling modern businesses to tap into their hidden potential by discovering their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. This makes it easier for managers to understand their data without extensive technical know-how. There are a lot of BI platforms available for data visualization, data mining, and developing customized dashboards.

3. ERP Software

Enterprise Resource Planning and task management tools are simple, cost-efficient means for business owners to save time and money. Online ERP tools like SAP Business One and SAP Business ByDesign can help you stay on top of your finance, HR, manufacturing, supply chain, procurement, services and other activities. They also work as collaborative tools so all the employees on your team know what is being done, what is outstanding, and who has been assigned to the task. Add to this: ERP tools also have the capabilities to ascertain resources for the future. Now you can predict demand for the stock and work out your inventories accordingly. Can it get any better?

4. Interactive Tools

With work from home and hybrid working models gaining traction, it is important to be able to effectively communicate internally and externally. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, etc. allow teams to coordinate work and interact seamlessly. Some companies may be dealing with overseas clients or freelance employees who have time differences, but with online interactive apps, exorbitant calling fees are a thing of the past. The multi-features of calling, video, and chat combine to form a strong social structure, and an even more powerful business tool.

5. Admin Support Software

There are a lot of internal business operations that software can support. Take, for example, setting up meetings. Scheduling tools like Acuity and Calendly can automate the process of setting up meetings. When you need e-signatures on official documents, DocuSign or HelloSign can help out. No more running after colleagues or clients for signatures or hoping the post office is still open so you can get a contract out as soon as possible.

To keep track of potential, present, and past clients from the first interaction through your sales and marketing funnels, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms such as SalesForce, Hubspot, and Insightly prove very helpful. They can also provide valuable insights to nurture those relationships. Plus, every business needs to collaborate with others in an official manner. File-sharing systems such as Google Drive and Dropbox ensure that everyone has access to the same version of the same document. You can work in real-time or use these tools with clients and vendors to keep track of what everyone wants and needs.

Now that you are aware of the business tools needed for ultimate business success, what matters is choosing the right platforms. Your choice must depend upon various factors like the size of your business, target market, area of business operations, a particular business problem you are looking to solve, and most importantly, your budget. Once you know what you want to attain, take the time to explore suitable options for you and your business. By getting started with an ERP tool or Business Intelligence software, you can take a big step towards uncluttered operations management. In the long run, all of these tools free up your time, allowing you to do more in a day. Considering the current remote working scenario, they may also alleviate the need for extra management, keeping your overhead costs down. And this means you have the time and cash you need to grow, wherever and however you work!

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Choosing an eCommerce App Template to Supercharge Your Business

posted on January 21, 2022

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This article is designed to help eCommerce store owners who are searching for ways to boost their online presence. Whether you’re brand new to eCommerce or an established professional, you’ll likely have noticed that reaching a wider audience is easier with a mobile app. The number of smartphone users in the United States reached 298 million in 2021, and this number is expected to grow even more. More mobile phones means more mobile shoppers, and by 2024, the number of mobile buyers is expected to be 187.5 million! Looks incredible!

While it’s easy to see why an app would be important for your business, you may not have the 3+ years of iOS or Android development skills to build your own or the budget to hire your own team. Choosing an eCommerce app template will help you bridge the gap.

What Is an App Template?

An app template is a fully-fledged application that already contains the necessary functionality and allows app creators to customize interfaces, adjust the images, and use their own colors, themes, and content. In short, templates help you create a mobile app even if you have no coding skills, saving you time and money.

How Do App Templates Help eCommerce Store Owners Create Apps?

There’s a bit of a glut of app templates on the market which can be quite overwhelming. The good news is that you can find templates created specifically for eCommerce sites. These templates already contain pre-built eCommerce-specific functionality: store navigation, item search, filtering, product descriptions, carts, check-in, check-out, and more. All you have to do is customize the template, and you’ll have a ready-to-go application. It’s easy to edit and customize templates, so your app will look exactly how you want. You can replace banners, adjust visual element colors, apply new color settings, and more — all using step-by-step instructions without a single line of code.

How Do I Create an eCommerce App with an App Template?

Let’s use a Shopify site as an example. We’ll walk you through the steps of creating a mobile app with the Appery.io eCommerce app template. There are only five steps:

  1. Link your store with the app template
  2. See how your site looks on a mobile device before customization
  3. Customize and edit the interfaces
  4. Test your customized app
  5. Export the app to Android or iOS so it can be installed on mobile devices

These steps are quite straightforward, so you’ll have a mobile app in no time.

Choosing an eCommerce App Template

Here are some examples of eCommerce app templates that will help you build your own mobile app:

1. Zappter

This eCommerce app builder contains ready-made eCommerce templates that will help you start developing an app. The process is pretty straightforward as well. After signing up, you have a choice of hundreds of templates. Choose your favorite, modify and customize it, use the suggested plug-ins if you need additional features, and publish your app.

2. Builderfly

Builderfly is a mobile app builder focused on eCommerce, and it offers several popular templates in its marketplace. In addition, when the app is ready, it has a feature to track user behavior by tracking activity in real time and sending relevant offers with discounts or ads.

3) Appery.io

Appery.io offers a template for Shopify users. The template syncs the Shopify website catalog with a newly built mobile application and provides codeless customization; you can change color settings, replace banners, adjust elements, and more. It also allows you to preview the application before publishing it on the App Store or Google Play.

4. Instappy

With Instappy, you can create your eCommerce app for iOS or Android by choosing one of the numerous app templates from their “Themes” section. In their Shopping and M-Store category, you will find templates for food & beverages, furniture, clothing & accessories, books, shoes, and other types of eCommerce stores.

5. ConstApps

ConstApps integrates with WooCommerce, Shopify, and Magento and contains a number of ready-made themes that you can use as a template for your mobile app. You have the option to choose a default theme or choose a specific “clothes store” theme or a “restaurant” theme.

Have you tried one of the solutions listed above? If yes, please feel free to share your experience and also name the app you’ve tested.

Useful Tips for Choosing an eCommerce App Template

Here are some tips that will help you choose an eCommerce app template for your store:

  1. You’ll almost always get a fully-developed app with an eCommerce app template, but keep an eye out for extra plug-ins if you want to add more integrations or functionality.
  2. Make sure that the platform you choose offers documentation with an explanation of how things work. As mentioned above, the steps can be easy and straightforward, but step-by-step guides with instructions never hurt.
  3. See whether or not you will have complete ownership of your new mobile app created with the help of an eCommerce app template.

Conclusion

If you want to boost your eCommerce business’s conversion and sales, don’t forget that a significant number of your customers may be spending most of their time on mobile phones. Consider eCommerce app templates to build your first mobile app and supercharge your business.

The post Choosing an eCommerce App Template to Supercharge Your Business appeared first on SiteProNews.

7 New Strategies for Promoting Your Blog

posted on January 19, 2022

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Even though blogging is not a new trend, its popularity is rapidly growing. It is almost a requirement to have a blog on your website. It is a free source of information, and people love it. However, since the number of blogs reached 570 million, it is getting more difficult to advertise and stay ahead of the competition. With that in mind, it is essential to look at new strategies for promoting your blog. Here are our top 7 suggestions!

1. Use the Power of Videos

Reading a wall of text can sometimes be boring, especially if it’s not the first article the customer reads that day. Longer pieces can take a lot of time to process, especially if they are filled with important information. One of the strategies that will substantially improve your blog is turning content into videos and posting them on a YouTube account.

New businesses need blogs with videos because they save time for your readers. Instead of reading for 10-15 minutes, they can put on their earphones and listen to your content while doing something else. Furthermore, a video is more engaging and interesting than an article.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

2. Upgrade Your Old Content

If we look at how blogs function, it is virtually impossible that all of your content will be evergreen. Some articles will go out of date because everything constantly changes.

A good approach would be to update your old articles with new information. If someone opens an article from 2018, they will not close it and look for something more recent.

A clever way to do this is to create a redirect link to a newer post at the top of your old one. This will show your customers that you care about every piece of information on your blog. Still, have in mind that one of the reasons for not receiving traffic on your blog is posting duplicate content. This strategy could be treated as such. When doing this, you need to clarify that the new post is better and more valuable than the old one.

3. Use LinkedIn

LinkedIn is most definitely the largest professional network today. With over 750 million users, it represents a source of valuable business connections. It should be, by far, your best social media platform for blog advertising.

One of the reasons LinkedIn is so much better than the rest is that people who use it are always on the lookout for new information. Your posts will gain visibility much quicker than on other platforms.

4. Guest Posting

Guest posting is one of the older strategies that still work. Finding professional writers to write for your blog is an excellent way to build a network of valuable connections. Furthermore, you can also get a lot of quality content.

Just how other people can write for your blog, you can write for others. If you have a niche where you excel, use that to your benefit. Create content for other blogs, and advertise your blog with their permission.

5. Focus on Data-Driven Content

The process of content creation has completely changed over the past 10 to 15 years. Customers are the driving force and the source of all the information. Data-driven content is created by doing customer surveys and polls and collecting valuable information about their shopping habits, demographics, requirements, and so on.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

The main goal of data-driven content is to create returning customers. This is what your blog should consist of. Each piece of information you create should have a purpose.

6. A Simple Newsletter Still Works

Once you start producing high-quality, data-driven content, the best way to let your readers know about it is through a newsletter. People still use emails, and they are needed everywhere.

Work on the design, make it simple and get straight to the point. People don’t have time to waste. That means you need to quickly grab their attention.

7. Speak to the Customers In-Person

This might be a bit more difficult to accomplish, but it can drive great results. Speaking at events or running a podcast is an excellent way to connect with your customers on a personal level. You can share the information directly and give a face and a personality to your blog.

Unfortunately, blogs may feel like spam websites because there are millions of them. You need a wild card to help you stand out in the crowd.

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Starting with a podcast is a good approach. You can find guest speakers, lead interesting conversations, and even include audience calls. In this age, when information is the most valuable asset, we need to find engaging and interactive ways to share it.

A Few Blogging Tips to Have In Mind

Here are a couple of bonus tips to help improve your blog. Look at these as best practices for quickly grabbing readers’ attention:

  • You need a powerful title. A title represents about 90% of the first impression.
  • Get straight to the point. Do not waste your readers’ time by talking about unnecessary topics.
  • Avoid creating walls of text. A well-placed image will break the boredom of an article and bring some color and personality to it.
  • Carefully choose the images you will use. Even though many blogs resort to free commercial photos, custom images are always a better option.

If you follow these simple steps, your content will advertise the blog for you. People want quality, and they will gladly spend their time on your blog if they get something valuable in return.

Use New Strategies for Promoting Your Blog and Connect

Hopefully, now you know what it takes to successfully advertise your blog. However, remember that these new strategies for promoting your blog will not bring results unless you know who your readers are. Research your readers, and learn about them as much as possible. Let this be your key takeaway for today! Once you get that done, everything else will be a lot easier. Best of luck!

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4 Ways to Use Google Trends to Take Your SEO Content to the Next Level

posted on January 17, 2022

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Google Trends is one of those platforms that is often ignored by SEO content writers. And it’s a shame.

First of all, it’s a completely free platform. More importantly, it’s the place where you’ll find data based on actual search volumes.

Paid SEO tools usually offer estimates extrapolated from various data providers. I’m not saying that they are useless – not at all! They offer more than search volume data, so paid tools are always a good thing to have in your SEO arsenal.

But if you want more data (and more accurate data) try pairing the information from your paid SEO tool of choice with a few Google Trends queries.

Not sure where to begin? Here’s how we use Google Trends in my SEO content writing agency:

1. Find Out How Your Keyword or Main Topic Is Going to Fare in the Future

SEO is a game for the long term. Unless you’re optimizing for time-sensitive content (like a new app release or a piece of news), you’re going to want to have your article rank high for years to come. But search volume matters here too.

So find out if what you’re going to write about will be of interest in the future. For instance, since I work in SEO, I might be interested in my own industry’s outlook:

In the last year, there has been a growing interest in this term. While SEO is not a new concept by any means, it’s good to know that it can still spark interest. Even more interesting, you can see how SEO fares against a known “competing†industry, like PPC ads:

2. Compare Keywords or Interest in Topics

When working on new topics for my agency’s blog, my team and I often have to decide if we should add SEO to the mix or stick to content writing or copywriting in general. Google Trends can shed some light on what our audience is more interested in.

This 5-year overview clearly tells me that there is more interest in content writing than SEO content writing:

Now you might say that the choice is obvious. But bear in mind, search volume isn’t everything. If keywords related to SEO content writing have more business value, then I can definitely live with less, but more meaningful traffic. What matters here is that the interest in both seems to be constant.

This is why it’s important to constantly check with Google Trends. As marketers, we need to know if the products or services we are selling are beginning to lose traction. Remember DVDs? Fewer and fewer people do:

This is how the demise of a product looks like. And Google Trends can make you aware of it before it’s too late.

3. Find Related Topics and Related Terms

Yes, you can do that in plain, old Google search too. But Google Trends adds data to this information. You can see which search terms are more popular and which other topics are usually associated with yours.

This can help you plan your SEO strategy for the long run, as well as your current piece of content. The related queries section can be an SEO writer’s goldmine if used properly. For example, you can turn all the related queries into subtitles and thus increase your chances of ranking higher for a wide range of keywords.

More importantly, the results marked with “Breakout†have recently had a huge increase in search frequency, usually due to them being new topics or due to recent changes in the industry. This is another opportunity you shouldn’t miss out on.

4. Learn Where to Focus Your Promotional Efforts

Content writing is very popular in a few states:

In other states, people seem to have almost no interest in the topic. If I were to promote my articles about content writing on social media, for example, why waste money on audiences who have no interest in what I’m trying to sell?

But even if you don’t plan to use paid ads to promote what you write, you can use this information to refine your articles. Let’s say you have an article that already ranks well on a topic that’s popular in Kansas, like mine is. You can add a few references to the state or a few elements of local pop culture to appeal to your Kansas audience even more.

Final Thoughts

Google Trends is a great way to get started on your topic and keyword research. In fact, with a bit of experience with the platform and within your industry, you may not need any other tool to help you put together an SEO plan.

Try it out!

Need help with that plan or with implementing it in articles that rank high and convert readers into leads? Talk to my team of expert SEO content writers, we can help!

The post 4 Ways to Use Google Trends to Take Your SEO Content to the Next Level appeared first on SiteProNews.

Five Ways to Empower Your Remote Workforce

posted on January 14, 2022

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A recent survey of CIOs worldwide by the ETR (Enterprise Technology Research) revealed that 72% of businesses work remotely today.

This means roughly three-fourths of the global working population are running about trying to find the new normal. But, unfortunately, while some business functions have thrived in adapting to the remote setup, others have failed.

As a business owner, you might wonder if your organization needs to create a hybrid work culture and ecosystem to survive these uncertain times.

The simple answer? Yes.

To help you navigate these difficult times and build an empowered remote workforce, we’ve crafted this article to elaborate on the different ways you can help set your teams up for business success.

Let’s begin!

Five Ways Businesses Can Empower Their Remote Workforce

1. Enable Employees to Set Up Office Spaces at Home

No employees ever thought that their own homes would turn into their workspaces. So it’s only natural that they lack the needed resources to carry forth their day-to-day tasks successfully.

Businesses keen on ensuring a smooth transition from in-office to in-home workspaces need to understand that enabling employees with the proper hardware and software won’t cut it anymore. It now goes beyond that.

An excellent way to understand and help employees here would be to directly talk to them and address their challenges with remote work. For example, some of the most common challenges they may report are:

  • No power backup.
  • Bad internet connectivity.
  • No designated “office space” at home.

Globally, companies that have addressed this challenge have overcome it by giving their employees a fixed amount of money to set up an office at home. This tiny gesture goes a long way in letting employees know that you genuinely care about their well-being, remote or not.

2. Enable seamless Collaborations and Communications Across the Company

Remote work has changed the nature of in-person workflows and processes. This needs to be fixed as a priority for your business to ensure sustainability.

Inaccurate communication, when combined with undocumented conversations, is going to cost your teams. But luckily, there are several tools out there that can come to your immediate rescue.

Software like Zoom and Slack enable cross-team communications while also letting employees share files and other media, just like they’d do on WhatsApp. This makes communication more effortless than ever, and what’s more, all your information is documented with zero additional effort. The usage of such software has also shown a significant improvement in employee engagement and productivity.

3. Encourage Remote Meetings and Gatherings for Non-operational Purposes

It’s no surprise that employee engagement was much higher in an office space. Remote work has made employees and teams run around to change and standardize processes, leaving little time for them to connect personally.

Keeping aside business meetings, leaders and HRs need to encourage employees to gather for non-operational purposes. This would set up perfect situations for them to have honest conversations to develop a unique sense of bonding and friendship regardless of the physical distance.

Such bonds and relationships also enable them to navigate these complicated times to get work done in the best possible way.

4. Encourage Your Teams to Leverage the Power of Digital Technology

The pandemic has been a huge reset button for almost all business workflows, processes, and communication. As we have already seen, manual processes just don’t work anymore.

Businesses need to adapt to technology that can bridge the physical gap and address these problems efficiently.

A digital transformation enables businesses to add a layer of security, control, and accuracy over all business functions. In addition, simplifying operations frees up time for high-impact tasks that let your business grow.

A quick list of software to start with:

  • Trello: To virtually manage all your tasks and projects.
  • Notion: To thoroughly document company-wide communication.
  • Fyle: To enable a seamless expense management process.
  • Google Drive: Secure storage for all your files.
  • CultureAmp: To know the pulse of your employees.
  • TrackingTime: To track time and keep up with your team’s work.
  • LeadsBridge: To enhance your omnichannel strategy.

5. Protect Your Finances by Automating Expense Management

At the heart of every successful business is rock-solid finances. However, with remote work, the added physical distance combined with broken processes has left Finance teams working for numerous hours to get a rough estimate of the whole picture.

With remote work, manual expense management just breaks and leaves your business open to multiple financial leaks through inaccurate records, expense fraud, and much more. As a result, companies worldwide have slowly begun to shift to an expense management software to address these issues.

An expense report software effortlessly streamlines all broken financial processes and frees up time for case-sensitive tasks like fraud detection and manual verifications. This provides Finance teams with all the information they’d need to ensure that your company finances are always safe.

Conclusion

Whether in-office or remote, businesses need to adapt to change if they’re going to stand the test of time.

McKinsey revealed in a recent study that 31% of businesses have completely automated at least one core business function.

There’s no denying that change is inevitable. The only question here is whether your organization will embrace this change to succeed and scale.

The post Five Ways to Empower Your Remote Workforce appeared first on SiteProNews.

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