Your website is a very important element of your brand. A recent study highlighted the need for a good brand website as the majority of consumers expect a better experience from a brand than from a retailer. A survey conducted of online shoppers by Astound Commerce spelled out the high expectations consumers have for site design. Consumers’ expectations of your brand site include comprehensive product and service information, enhanced customer service, and better prices. In an age where consumers do a lot of research on the items they want to buy, it’s necessary for a brand’s website to be as effective as a salesperson.
But did you know that the conversion often relies on the look & quality of your web design? Web site design influences perceptions of trust, and lack of trust has been shown to impact online sales. No matter how brilliant your content marketing sounds, if the website’s overall design fails to impress, it won’t make a significant impact. The fact is that websites play a vital role in how consumers perceive and engage with your business brand. Design decisions that were planned and made years before will continue to influence new users. Creative web designs that are aligned with consumers’ needs can generate 3X more leads than an ordinary-looking website that is hard to navigate.
WEB DESIGN can be divided into FOUR KEY ELEMENTS
ACCESSIBILITY. The goal of accessibility within web design and content marketing is to not exclude people from using their products and services. A brand’s website is an important resource that should provide equal access and equal opportunity to all people. Accessibility can enhance your brand by improving overall user experience and satisfaction. Web accessibility standards help define accessibility requirements in web design. For example, as the site is being built, text alternatives can be incorporated to provide an equivalent user experience. Text alternatives serve as labels for images, navigation controls, and interact with voice recognition. Being able to navigate your site by voice control, keyboard, or mouse is another example of accessibility. Meeting this requirement helps people to navigate through web pages in different ways, depending on their particular needs and preferences.
Aesthetic Appeal of Content. Aesthetics can influence important factors related to online purchasing decisions such as attitude toward the company, credibility, and motivation. Users make judgments of the visual appearance of a website very quickly and those judgments are very consistent over time. The best web page designs pay attention to aesthetics to provide the best user experiences and the best results for website owners. A visually appealing website is easy to digest, more functional, enjoyable and inviting. A good layout is critical to aesthetic design. When a website is too cluttered or has no structure, it is not visually appealing.
Readability. Readability is vital for every online business. However, even the best sales copy won’t make sense if the readability is poor. Website readability is measured on several parameters but mainly measured on ‘complexity of words’ and ‘sentence structure’ in the copy. Some easy ways to improve the readability of your web copy include large fonts (the font size should be at least 14px), contrast b/w text & background, length of paragraphs, images, and typography.
Visual Elements. Visual elements of a website can be a great way to increase website engagement. Elements like images, videos, animations, infographics, GIFs, pie charts, etc., bring more value to the content – by making it more digestible. Besides influencing the audience’s perceptions of your brand, visual elements serve the marketing purpose by grabbing readers’ attention, providing them with relevant context, and clarifying concepts via subtle demonstration. Moreover, visual elements bring added value to your web content by making it look fun, inviting, and making it more engaging.
A user’s perception of a website can evoke a wide range of emotions and attitudes. Don’t neglect the importance of design and color treatments and their influence on your brand. We hope this blog has given you some insight into why you need to improve content marketing via creative web design.
Have you ever heard of SEO for images? Search is not just about words anymore. Over 20% of all U.S. web searches happen on Google images. Besides good information, users are looking for good visuals too – and Google knows this.
Image SEO is an area you must not neglect, especially if you’re running an e-commerce platform. Some users search for your product’s images on the internet, and optimizing them with relevant keywords can capitalize on online impressions and traffic. Image optimization creates a better user experience, faster page load times, and additional ranking opportunities. In this write-up, we will highlight tips for optimizing images for visual search.
No. 1 – Choose the right format.
Before you start adding lots of images to your website, you need to choose the right format for your image. The most common formats are PNG, JPEG, and WebP. Choosing the right format will help with smaller file sizes, faster downloads, and crisper graphics. PNG is broadly chosen for better quality images, especially creative graphics. JPEG is best for photography, and it allows you to adjust the quality level. WebP is a modern image format that provides superior lossless and lossy compression for images on the web.
No. 2 -Avoid Heavy HD Photos
It is a best practice to compress your images before publishing. Large file images on your website add extra weight to pages and affect the loading speed. According to HTTP Archive, images make up on average 21% of a total webpage’s weight. This added load degrades the performance of a website and affects its rankings on Google SERP pages. Using Photoshop or a dedicated plug-in for compressing your images will not only reduce the size of a file but will also improve SEO and page load time.
No. 3 – Find related keywords.
Image SEO starts with the file name. Keyword research is important to make your image meaningful and allows it to be found more easily by search engines. A descriptive file name would be much more useful than DSC73635.jpg. Along with the file name, every image has a keyword and an alt tag. These keywords are used by search engines and help index and rank your file better. The best alt tag descriptions are short and include relevant keywords.
Bear in mind that when you select keywords, you need to analyze the key traits of images as well. For example – let’s say you sell “shirts.” Now the key traits would be – material (i.e., cotton or woolen), full-sleeves or half-sleeves, plain or printed, etc. On the basis of key traits, you can choose keywords accordingly. From what we have observed, long-tail keywords work best for image SEO. They extend your focus keyword and bring in more traffic.
No. 4 – Optimize titles and descriptions.
Search engines rely on relevant, descriptive titles and descriptions to deliver quality search results. When thinking of a good, descriptive title, a good place to start is to think of the 5 w’s- who, what, where, when, & why. Once you have shortlisted the relevant keywords, it’s time to implement them into the image title and meta description. Keywords in the title & description describe the graphic and are important in ensuring that your content is more accessible to all users. Try to keep titles concise and literal while descriptions can include broader concepts and ideas.
No. 5 Create a dedicated sitemap for images.
Google gives emphasis to the sitemap for crawling and ranking purposes. A sitemap contains a map of your entire content. Adding images to a sitemap gives Google image extensions to discover images that it might not be able to find. In other words, it enables the search engine to crawl all the pages of your site. This allows Google to crawl & index all your images for better image SEO.
Eye-catching visuals make the content more interesting and play a crucial role in user engagement. Optimized images contribute to good user experience, SEO, and higher conversions. By combining high-quality content and properly optimizing it, you will benefit from search working for you.
Your website traffic has suddenly hit a slump —now what? On online business needs a consistent stream of traffic in order to stay relevant and generate revenue; therefore, it is essential to continuously attempt to boost your website traffic. Luckily, there are a variety of different techniques that online business owners can use to turn the tides in their favor. Read on to discover some of the most effective ways to increase your brand’s website traffic, today!
Check for Penalties: If your content is plagiarized or uses other unfair or irrelevant marketing techniques, such as invisible text or links to non-relevant content, then Google can penalize your site. This penalty can create a huge loss in traffic. It’s easy to check if your site has a penalty or not by looking at the notifications on Google Search Console. Revising your content to fit the standards set by Google can increase your website traffic again!
Add Quality Backlinks: Backlinks are one of the many essential components that drive traffic to your website. If your traffic is falling, try investing in developing quality backlinks. Content that is organically connected to other sites generates more website visitors and often ranks higher on search engines. It’s also important to remove bad backlinks that connect your site to undesirable or irrelevant sites.
Purchase Niche Ads: Purchasing or renewing relevant ads is a great way to turn around falling website traffic. Ads can be costly but highly effective in generating more views to your pages. When creating an effective ad, it’s important to consider your target audience and create ads that directly appeal to them using relevant keywords and content. Additionally, if your current ads are no longer as effective, try looking for new places to advertise or revise your current ad campaign.
Boost SEO Ranking: A decrease in your SEO ranking can cause a big drop in website traffic. Maintaining relevancy in the search result rankings is important to capturing the attention of potential visitors to your site. SEO can be improved in a variety of ways, such as using accurate keywords and original content that relates to your site.
Check User Experience: A bad website design can drive away your customers completely, causing a drop-in website traffic. Effective user design is well-organized and simple to use. Navigating your website should not be difficult for the user to complete. A long loading time can force impatient visitors to abandon your site before it even loads. Check that all of the different processes on your site are easy to use and attractive to customers.
–
Don’t worry if you’ve noticed a sudden decrease in your website traffic! Improving your website traffic is important, but there are a number of different techniques you can try to use in order to revitalize your business and attract more attention. Try using multiple different methods mentioned on this list in order to best increase your online presence and website traffic.
Online marketing is an increasingly essential format of branding that can make or break the success of your business. Advertising through Google is crucial, as it is the major internet server, and any ads or online presence your business has is viewed by potential customers using Google search algorithms. Therefore, your Google Ads Quality Score —a ranking which indicates the sure experience and accuracy of your ads— is one of the most important factors your business should consider for your online marketing campaigns. If your Google Ads Quality Score isn’t where you want it to be, read on to discover all of the ways you can improve it!
Increase Expected Click-Through Rate: A good ad will have a high click-through rate, meaning that potential customers viewing your ad will be more likely to follow through and visit your site, rather than dismiss the information. Keywords play a big part in increasing click-through rate. An optimal ad’s keywords should match the keywords used by customers searching Google. Your Quality Score takes keyword accuracy into account when ranking your ad. Above all, a higher anticipated click-through rate signals to Google that your content is relevant to visitors and worthy of a higher Quality Score.
Develop Relevant Ads: A huge part of increasing the click-through rate is done through designing relevant online advertisements. Customer’s needs and desires should be targeted specifically rather than broadly. In order to improve your Google Ads Quality Sore, and also the success of your advertisements, try focusing the scope of your ad details. Ads that are closely related to search keywords will receive higher scores and more audience engagement. Don’t try to reach every internet user with your advertisements; instead, consider a narrower range of target audience and use increasingly relevant content and keywords to reach them.
Design Optimal Landing Page Experience: After your ad successfully attracts clients to your page, it is essential that your landing page provides a positive experience as well. Landing pages should be easy to navigate and well organized. The product or information mentioned int he advertisement should be clearly visible to the customer. If your Google Ads Quality Score is lower than you’d like, chances are your landing page might not provide a good experience. To improve your Google Ads Quality Score, carefully create a landing page that is useful to users and relevant to your keywords.
–
Make sure that your company’s online presence is the most effective it can be by improving your Google Ads Quality Score. Making these changes can not only help in boosting your ad’s viability, but can also lead to a higher rate of successful hits to your business. A high-Quality Score indicates a successful advertisement!
Investing in a custom website might be the last thing on your mind when it comes to improving your business —but it shouldn’t be. There are numerous reasons why you should invest in a custom website as soon as possible. Not only does it create a stronger brand image and attract customers, it also can help your company be more easily discovered.
Serious Image: In our modern society, most people’s first impression of a company occurs the moment they click on the website. When browsing online for products and services, consumers browse through any number of different companies’ websites to try and make a decision. Oftentimes, a low-quality website looks unprofessional and can turn potential customers away before they even read more. Having an attractive interface signals that your company is professional and serious, which in turn can help persuade people to use your brand.
Improve SEO: A custom website designed specifically to improve SEO and audience traffic can boost interaction and sales. Recently, Google’s website ranking has expanded the factors it uses in its algorithms to determine high ranking websites. It now includes new factors such as time spent on website or pages interacted with. Therefore, a more unique and attractive looking website will entice visitors to spend longer browsing through your content which will boost your SEO.
Stay On Brand: Maintaining a cohesive brand is an essential part of modern marketing. It can help attract new customers by showcasing an attractive design that seamlessly fits in with the other aspects of your business. A custom website can ensure that your information is presented in a manner that reflects both what might attract your target audience as well as what prior customers expect when interacting with your business. Whether chic, serious, playful, or modern, a custom website can use design elements to easily set the tone for your business.
Be Flexible: A rigid website template doesn’t allow any room for creativity, which can be problematic when the design doesn’t best suit you and your business. Don’t let yourself become trapped in an inefficient layout. By seizing creative control of your website, you can make custom changes that are more attractive to your client base. It can be as simple as adding in a new element that highlights new products, a help page with increased customer service potential, or more. The ability to be flexible is essential to creating the best online experience possible for your clients.
The reasons why you should invest in a custom website are endless. Business owners looking to treat their brand seriously and attract more customers can benefit from ditching the cookie-cutter website templates and exploring a custom style that best showcases their products and services.
In the digital world, effective online marketing and a strong digital presence are essential tools in managing and growing your business. This is especially true for small businesses, which may lack the budget for product promotion. Luckily, there are a variety of SEO tools available for small business owners to use in order to reach a wider and more relevant audience. We’ve gathered some of the best here.
Google Analytics: Free, powerful, and one of the easiest SEO tools for small businesses to start implementing, Google Analytics offers business owners a wealth of SEO information. Businesses can examine their most effective marketing tactics, preferred content, and daily visitors, among other data. Google also offers a range of additional services in addition to Google Analytics that all small business owners should take advantage of. One tool, Google Search Console, gives website owners access to a variety of different SEO statistics and also alerts them if there are errors. Google My Business is also useful for creating a seamless business profile, which can help with online ranking.
WhiteSpark: An infrequently focused open aspect of SEO improvement is citations. A website full of relevant citations ranks better on search engines. WhiteSpark specifically targets finding useful citations for your niche market. This aspect of their services are provided free of cost. They also offer the paid option of directly setting the citations up on your website. A strong website with connections and references to other places in the internet can improve your SEO and make it easier for your target audience to discover your brand.
Raven Tools: Raven Tools is a quick and easy data compilation application that takes SEO data from a variety of other places and converts that information into a weekly, monthly, or quarterly report. By allowing Raven Tools to analyze and sift through all of the aggregated data, you can spend more time and money helping out your business in other areas demanding attention. Data is taken from a variety of different tools and social media in order to provide accurate results.
Moz Pro: Moz Pro has ample support for small businesses looking to utilize SEO data to improve their businesses. The tool manages SEO and provides data about keywords, rankings, and errors on your site. Moz Pro can be actively used to manage your keyword selection as well as suggest relevant keywords based off of your target suggestions. The application has a slightly higher monthly fee than competitors but offers many different tools for small businesses to use.
Utilizing a variety of SEO tools is essential for any small business, regardless of the product or service offered. Using even just a few of the these tools can go a long way into significantly improving your company’s online presence. Don’t wait to set up effective SEO tools and digital marketing —start using these SEO tools for small businesses today.
