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Digital BrandingPersonal Branding

Looking for a Better Brand Awareness? Why Launch PPC Campaigns When SEO Fails!

PPC or Pay Per Click Advertising is one of the most effective and affordable ways for a business to generate targeted traffic to the website. In fact, some businesses have found immense success with PPC campaigns, especially in cases where search engine optimization failed to bring them the desired results!

If you examine PPC ads, you will find that it alleviates the stress of the business being listed on the first page. It permits your business to be on the first page of a search engine and get a large volume of targeted traffic as well as visitors. The PPC ads can be seen on the right- hand side of the page results of the search engine. The PPC advertising campaign, if done correctly, can really generate a lot of ROI and targeted audience for the business, especially when SEO fails to work!

Now, the question is when and how can a business launch an effective PPC ad campaign that works?

When you have tried SEO techniques and strategies that have proved ineffective, you can resort to PPC campaigns that ensure you get faster-targeted traffic and results. The following are some top reasons why you should choose PPC campaigns for your business:

 

  • No competition- One of the biggest reasons why you should launch PPC campaigns is because it has zero competition. The process works in a special way, here the visitor searches for a particular product or service on the search engine and the possibility of them finding the product or service they want on the second or the third page is rare. With PPC campaigns, you are able to place your ads on the first page of the search engine results. Moreover, PPC campaigns actually reduce the need for spending on SEO campaigns that take time and long to show positive results. 
  • Better visibility- With Pay per Click campaigns, you are able to get improved visibility on Google. This gives rise to more clicks and sales. So, if you are struggling with SEO campaigns, you can consult experienced and skilled PPC experts to help you get better visibility online and more revenue for your products and services. 
  • Affordable for most businesses- Another plus point for PPC advertising is it is economical for most businesses. You only pay for the PPC ad when a visitor clicks on it. In this way, the business owner is able to save money as unnecessary costs are avoided. If you compare the costs of PPC campaigns in the long run to SEO, you will find they are much cheaper and affordable, even for small business owners.
  • Check whether your product or service has potential or not in the market- With PPC campaigns, you can actually check whether your product or service has potential or not in the market. PPC ads will give you real insights on the potentiality of the product or the service and whether it will succeed in the market or not. For instance, if you have launched a new product or service in the market and still unsure on how your targeted audience will respond to it, clicks on your PPC for the product or the service will give you the correct information. With SEO campaigns, you need to wait for some time to decide on whether the product offers you potentiality or not.
  • Better brand awareness- With the help of esteemed experts in PPC, one can increase the brand awareness of products and services with success. Skilled professionals will manage your PPC campaign to give you the desired results. Experts from esteemed companies like https://siteimprove.com/en-us/ads/ppc-management/ state that even if web visitors do not click on the ad, they will come across the name of your brand. In this way, brand awareness of your product and services increase. Moreover, when people are aware of the brand, you do not have to spend a lot of money on product launches and advertising campaigns to spread awareness. Since the ads for the product are displayed on the right hand of the first page of the search engine, you already create an online presence for your product or service with success. It is a natural method to generate traffic and get results.

  • Get faster results for your PPC advertisement online- With the help of PPC ads, you are able to generate faster results for your advertisements with success. When your ad comes online, and you do not have many visitors, this means that your ad is not doing well. This is where you should make changes to your advertisement. For instance, the ad copy of your advertisement might not have proper keywords or the style of writing needs to be changed. Once you get this instant feedback for PPC ads, you can improve the ad. With SEO, the process will take time to evaluate, and you need to wait for some weeks or months to see results. Changes to your SEO strategies can only be made at that time.
  • Location- PPC experts state that you can get the best results from your PPC campaigns if you target your customers in geographical locations. If you think that your product or service will do really well in another region or part of the globe, target the PPC ad to those customers to enjoy positive results. In a short span of time, you will get results.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Therefore, when it comes to PPC campaigns, you will find that you get short term results and better revenue. In case you have launched SEO, campaigns and have been working on it for a long time with no positive results; it is high time that you switch to PPC ads for your business. Like SEO professionals, there are dedicated PPC experts to counsel and guide you in the process. Bank on PPC companies that have proven track records and good credentials in the market. With them, you are able to improve the lead conversions of your business and generate more revenue in cases where SEO fails!

Digital BrandingLegal Branding

7 PPC Strategies to Use In Your Campaign For 2019 

Are you searching for the effective Paid-Per-Click (PPC) tips and tricks for a successful paid campaign? I know how tough it is trying to achieve goals from your paid campaigns, but sometimes, it ends up in you paying more than actually accomplishing goals.

But as long as you learn the right techniques and tips to tweak your PPC and paid campaigns, you can begin getting the results you need in time. The question is: HOW?

I’ll be sharing you all of the secrets on how to improve your paid campaigns for ads on different platforms and social media networks. Not to worry, these tips are easy to do known to show effectively WITHOUT much of the competition using it.

So read on for the best PPC strategies you can use for your campaigns this 2019 to maximize its impact!

Seven Best PPC Strategies for Better Campaigns

To help get your website up and running for the world (or your target audience) to see, follow these tips for better PPC metrics:

1. Remarket Long-Tail Keywords

One of the secrets to online outreach is remarketing. We all know repeat customers are more valuable. That’s why you should consider remarketing using long-tail keyword queries. Use all remarketing platforms, doing this through creating lists of retargeting users for every ad group subject with a UTM parameter.

You can also try using lookalikes, which has you target the same target audiences, which doesn’t only advertise your ads to repeat customers. It extends remarketing to an entirely new group for even more potential clients!

2. Reverse Engineer the Conversion Funnel

Many online marketers say that they save clicks for users to convert quicker. The faster you can get visitors through your funnel, then the more of a chance you convert and get a sale!

However, increasing the time to engage people with your ads can also do the same. Do these by reverse engineering your conversion funnel to see if it works. You can try adding a little extra, such as an interactive preview of your products or a demo to entice people to purchase your product or service.

3. Use An Inverted Unicorn Tactic

Regular ad targeting casts a narrow net, maximizing your engagement rates. This is a type of targeting to bring in specific demographics or niches.

You can try the Inverted Unicorn, which includes two unrelated interests when targeting your target audiences. As a result, you get more actual targets interested in what you have to offer.

You can also use these “unrelated” interests to customize ads, adding even more dimensions to campaigns and having them stand out, looking more compelling to others. Plus, these ads cost less because of higher engagement rates.

4. Go For Messenger Marketing

While people might focus more on landing pages and the Facebook News Feed, Messenger marketing is actually as effective. It might even be more effective, seen to be up to 80 times better compared to the News Feed or email.

When blasting out announcements on Messenger, you can see up to 80% open rates within the first hour. It’s worth trying out a Messenger blast to see if it works well for your target audience.

5. Use Advertising Slush Funds

Typically, advertisers and marketers have a monthly budget allocated for PPC and advertisements. This is because they have scheduled ads and monitor the way these ads perform. It’s a common approach, however, it may be limiting and won’t allow reacting to trends.

But when using advertising slush funds, you can create ads if a viral trend comes by. So if you’re extremely sure that your ad is effective, then consider using funds to run such ads. This method can allow you to maximize your ad campaign results.

6. Switch Off the Audience Network With Facebook Ads

I recommend that you switch off your Audience Network on Facebook Ads, which eliminated around 90% of click fraud from sketchier websites. You can see these on the Display Network on Google AdWords or Facebook.

When using the Google Display Network, say NO when they ask for managed placements. It excludes websites from reports and also gets rid of unwanted clicks from Facebook Ads, saving you money in the long run.

7. Create and Advertise Your Off-Topic Content For Building Brand Bias

New visits have a low brand affinity, with repeat visitors having a better brand connection. That’s why it’s best to remarket, targeting the people familiar with your business. Dedicate about 20% of your resources into making off-topic content. This gives people more brand affinity and value for them.

Wrapping It Up

PPC is one of the effective ways to help get your webpages seen by the right people. As long as you do it right, you can achieve even more goals and continue forward with achieving your goals. If you don’t have the time to put in all your effort for such campaigns, you can get companies like Joel House Search Media to guide you.

I hope this article on the best PPC strategies helped you out! So start looking into any of these PPC strategies for your next campaign now.

If you have any questions or want to share your own PPC tips, then comment below. All your thoughts are much appreciated!

Legal Branding

Types Of Workers Compensation Benefits As Per The Law

The Workmen’s compensation benefits will offer the workers a form of insurance that can be widely used for supporting them financially through some wage replacement and through some medical benefits as well. While the specified time of offering benefits and the type of benefits are provided by law and individual circumstances, there are some major types of workmen’s benefits associated with this lot for you to consider.

The first one is wage replacement benefits

This form of benefit under Brooklyn NYC workers compensation is made by around 3 forms of wage replacement plans. Each one is dependent on the injury time and the effect of that injury will be addressed on the worker’s ability to just earn. 

  • Then you have temporary total disability benefits, which are made available to the injured workers, who cannot work due to work injury or those who cannot just find work due to some restrictions placed on them. Here, the benefits get paid right out at two-thirds of their entire wage during the time of injury.
  • The fields of temporary partial disability benefits are made available to workers, who will return to work after their stated injury but will be earning less than what they used to because of the disability they suffered.
  • This current benefit is also paid right out at two-thirds of state wages at the time of their injury. These partially based disability benefits will end when the worker’s wage will be rising to around 90% of the pre-injury wage.

The permanent-based total disability benefits are mostly paid right out to those workers whose disability results in their being not able to return to work that might earn them one steady wage. Certain hazardous professions, such as working in the military, come with a total disability claim process for monthly financial aid. You can find out more here.

Aiming for the permanent partial disability

These benefits are mostly made available for the workers who might have suffered permanent disability like loss of the body part or its current functioning mainly because of the work-based injury. This current amount of benefit is mostly decided by the rating of the permanent partial disability that you are dealing with.

Understanding the real meaning of vocational rehabilitation benefits

The vocational rehabilitation benefits are mostly made available for the injured workers who are in need of assistance in just returning to a former job or such similar jobs in various workplaces. These benefits might allow the provision of various programs like job training and retraining. Qualified rehabilitation consultant is here to help the worker in its ways of managing injury or disability right in their current workplace.

Get hold of some medical benefits

The insurer and the employer are mostly held responsible for the payment of necessary medical care and reasonable prescriptions for any form of workplace injury. Based on the nature of the injury, this form of medical care will include hospitalization, surgery, physical therapy and even that of chronic pain based management. 

It is vital to check out the benefits first before the matter gets out of hand. Make sure to know more about the positive sections first.

Local BrandingPersonal Branding

Best Wedding Present Ideas for Couples Who Just Enter Their New Home

When you have the task of buying a nice wedding present for a couple that has just started living together and are still settling into their new home, the best option would undoubtedly be something to make their new life together more comfortable, efficient and easier. That said, it’s not that difficult to find an ideal present for these two. Those of you seeking some fine ideas are welcome to read on.

1. Matching robes

This is definitely one of the best gifts that a young married couple can receive, especially if you get them the robes with their monograms as well. That way, they can match perfectly at their new home and cozy up together on those days and nights that they just want to cuddle and relax. You can do the same with towels and pajamas if you don’t think robes are their thing.

2. New bedding

Bedding is extremely important for everyone and especially for the married couple that just moved into their new home. And if they haven’t been living together before, the gift of new bedding can be a true lifesaver for them. Stocking up on bedding can get expensive, which is why it’s always appreciated to receive it as a gift. Make sure to choose a nice and soft material with stylish design.

3. Decorative bits and bobs

If the couple in question are your close friends, you probably already know their taste in decorating. This will allow you to pick the perfect gift for them. You can surprise them with trinkets that make one’s place a true home such as art, cushions, curtains, vases, candle sets, and so on. Even though there are plenty of options to choose from, things can get a bit overwhelming, which is why you should opt for this particular gift only if you’re absolutely certain that the couple will enjoy it 100%.

4. Electrical goods

You also have a ton of different gift possibilities when you want this wedding present to be a gadget or an appliance that will make the couple’s life easier. Some of the best electrical goods gifts include oil heaters with timers, lamps and electrical blankets, but appliances such as a coffee maker, especially bean to cup type (as it would do everything for the couple and they would have more time for each other), toaster and an instant pot as well. You might also consider something more specific such as an ice cream or popcorn maker if you’re sure that the couple would love and really use something like this

5. Cups, mugs, cutlery

Basically, you can never go wrong with giving a young married couple a set of essentials for their kitchen. This can be a set of plates, cups or mugs, a set of knives or maybe even good-quality cutlery. Pots and pans are also great if they’re really big on cooking. With so many modern designs and durable materials, you will definitely make the couple very happy.

6. High-end beverage

There’s something really special about filling your very own bar with drinks once you move to a new home, even when you’re not a big alcohol consumer. The act itself feels rather fulfilling and grownup, and being able to serve your guests with your own drinks from the bar is really fun. In that respect, you won’t make a mistake if you give the couple some kind of a high-end beverage to add to their bar collection. Whiskey and wine are common go-to’s in this case.

7. Furniture

Again, if you’re someone close to the happy couple, you might want to splurge on the gift of furniture. Of course, you wouldn’t be buying them something over-the-top such as a bed or a wardrobe, but if you know their style, a dining room armoire or a china cabinet may be a rather effective addition to their new home and very helpful. Of course, you can surprise them with a gift card for the store that sells furniture if you’re not quite sure what to get.

It’s always nice and rewarding to surprise someone entering a completely new chapter in their life with a useful and thoughtful gift. That said, you can’t go wrong with any of the above-mentioned suggestions. And if the couple registers for the gifts, it will be even easier for you to find the perfect wedding present.

Digital Branding

4 Uses Of Virtual Reality Technology in Digital Marketing

The term Virtual Reality can easily be explained by defining the words, Virtual and Reality, together. A reality that is not real seems quite an oxymoron but is not! Using the computer software to create a simulated environment that the user believes in as if it’s the “actual” one is the main idea behind introducing the virtual reality technology. Two of the five senses, Sight and Sound, are used to get an experience of a virtually real environment. Works are underway to introduce and use the third sense, Touch. The feeling of Touch will help visually impaired people get an understanding of the world they are surrounded by.

Virtual Reality vs Augmented Reality

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality are alike in a way and different in many others. The Augmented Reality does not provide you with a whole new experience but adds into what you are already experiencing. Augmented Reality presents the user with an artificial component to experience without having to isolate himself from the real world. A very famous game that got the real hype recently, Pokemon Go, is the best example of an Augmented Reality experience.

In contrast, Virtual Reality is all about creating and presenting a totally artificial environment to the user to experience a situation he wishes to be in. Virtual Reality helps people to get an experience they usually cannot under their typical surroundings. With the aid of this technology, you can explore beaches or mountains sitting on your couch at home or conduct urgent office meetings while being at a resort with your family.

VR in Digital Marketing

We have gathered for you four ways where Virtual Reality Technology development helps you market your business.

Captivating User Experience

The times are moving forward, a new technological product is being introduced with every passing minute. Old marketing techniques are becoming irrelevant or less working in this technologically modernized world. Digital Marketers are now taking the help of Virtual Reality Technology. It helps their potential client, and the user gets the 3-D learning experience of the services offered to them. Create websites that are aesthetic and use new techniques to engage your user.

Building Client Relationships

Giving out a VR application for your product or the services you are delivering helps your clients get connected to you. You need to update these regularly to build successful relationships with your clients. Remember you want the client to reach for you, you should not pursue your client but let him ring you for your services.

Mobile Applications that employ  Virtual Reality Technology proves to be helpful in expanding your business. A user uses these applications and gets an in-depth view of what services you are offering and how can he employ those.

Stand Out of The Crowd

Several brands are out there conducting a mass-campaign for their brand awareness utilizing various tactics and technique. Therefore, only new and unique ideas for promoting your business would prove fruitful. Using Virtual Reality technology to market your business would not only help you stand out from the crowd but also create your individuality within your competitors. Check out the Unique out of the box services of the Html Pro Top Digital Agency in NY.

You can help your potential client or the user get the visual analysis of the prototype of the product. It is easy to get feedback and increase the ratings of your brand.

Create Engaging Campaigns

To attract user attention, you need to create aesthetically, pleasing digital marketing campaigns. Virtual Reality can help you with your brand awareness by creating an experience that can help the user get an insight into what you are offering.

Virtual Reality Technology sure has provided humans with the ease and the entertainment together in one. With every tick of the clock, the VR experts are coming up with brand new innovative ideas to implement, and nothing is stopping them down. VR may be another further progress in the technological world, but it is also here to stay for long.

Digital Branding

7 search engine optimisation best practices in 2019

Whether you’re new to online marketing or a well-seasoned veteran, you know that finding the best SEO strategies can be somewhat overwhelming. Experts are always sharing new tips and tricks that business owners should focus on. Also, Google has 200 factors that they consider when ranking a website and its algorithm is always changing. This is enough to make your head spin.

But what if there was a way that you could ensure that your website achieves high rankings without having to be an SEO guru or a Google developer? Well, there is. Instead of chasing down all of the latest tactics, simply put most of your focus on best practices. Below are 7 search engine optimization best practices that you should follow in 2019.

1. Focus On Speed

There are a lot of things that you can take shortcuts when it comes to SEO. However, speed isn’t one of them. It’s estimated that the average user has an attention span of a goldfish. What this means is that people aren’t willing to wait around for sites to load. The quicker your website loads, the more traffic you can expect.

Ideally, your site should load within less than 3 seconds. So get rid of the elements that slow it down. Deactivate any plugins that you’re not using. Clear away the clutter in your sidebar. Only use widgets when absolutely necessary.

2. Focus On Giving Links

A lot of business owners are afraid to link to relevant sites. They assume that these more authoritative websites will only take away their audience when in actuality, it does just the opposite. You see, whenever you link to a valuable site it makes your site seem more valuable. In fact, people will consider your site to be a resource and will begin to rely on you for quality information.

Perhaps the best part about linking to other websites is that other websites will be willing to link to yours as well. Create content that directs your readers to valuable information. Let the website owner know that you’ve just linked to them. Once they notice that you create helpful content, there’s a good chance that they will share your content with their readers. The key is to only link to quality content.

3. Focus On Getting Links

Not only should you be giving links, but you should be getting them as well. Search engine rankings revolve around inbound links. Whenever you get the right combination of dofollow and nofollow links, your link profile will be natural and Google will reward you for it. As long your content is high in quality, you can expect people to naturally link to your website.

4. Focus On Quality Content

No matter how fast your website is or how many links you build, you’ll never succeed at SEO if you aren’t creating quality content. Unfortunately, a lot of business owners put more focus on the keywords that they use than the actual value of their post. Not only does this hurt their brand, but also their traffic because they often neglect long-tail keywords.

The key to creating content that is well-optimized is to write for humans, not search engines. After all, humans are the ones who buy your products and share your content with their networks, not the search engines. When you’re passionate about your niche, it will be evident in the content.

5. Focus On Unique Meta Descriptions

Typically, meta descriptions are the first thing that people notice when they see your listing in Google. However, they’re often overlooked when it comes to search engine optimization. Even worse, website owners will use the same description for every page. Google hates duplicate descriptions. In fact, it’s a great way to get penalized. So make sure that you take the time to write descriptions that are relevant to that specific page.

6. Focus On Readable URLs

Another factor that’s easy to overlook is the URL. It’s very important that you create URLs that your users can understand. Why is this? Well, if humans can understand them then the search engines can read them as well. Place dashes between each word. Avoid using numbers and other characters. Ideally, there should be no more than 2-4 words.

7. Focus On Image Optimisation

Optimizing your images is just as important as optimizing your textual content. Whenever you include an accurate description of your image in the alt tags, it makes it easier for people to find you in the search engines. Keep in mind that Google has an entire section dedicated entirely to images. This means that a lot of people can find your website this way.

Takeaway

If you’re searching for professional help with your search engine optimisation Brisbane offers an excellent selection of experts. When choosing an agency, make sure that they’re aware of these best practices. Also, make sure that they understand each of their importance.

Personal Branding

CV Writing Tips for a Career in Internet Marketing

If you are looking to polish your CV in order to increase the chances of getting your dream job in Internet marketing, then these tips will really come in handy.

Here’s a list of what you need to include.

1. Personal Information

This should include your name, address, salary expectation as well as the notice period.

2. Personal Profile

This ought to be a brief paragraph that contains your softer skills. Keep in mind that it should be targeted towards the position that you’re applying for.

3. Career History and Skills

When it comes to career history, it should be in chronological order, beginning with the most recent position. Don’t copy-paste the job specification in your most recent role as recruiters easily pick up on this one. Use it as a guide instead.

4. Technical Skills

Make sure that you include systems, languages and projects that are relevant to the position that you have been in. Also, make sure that your technical skills are quantifiable by including things like timelines, percentages and figures. These help the recruiters visualize your success.

5. Education

This should again be arranged in a chronological manner, beginning with the most relevant qualifications. If relevant to the position, highlight your dissertation- although this is mostly for graduates. If you feel that you need a professional help with writing your CV, editing and proofreading it, as well as stating your education achievements, you can turn to best writing services review site to find your perfect writer who’d be happy to assist you.

6. Interests

This is one of the ways you set yourself apart from the crowd. Avoid saying things like playing football, socializing with friends and going to the movies and instead which team you play for, films that you enjoy and where you like going. Impressive interests always help you stand out, such as rock climbing, sword swallowing, and the like. However, you should never lie as it might put your career on jeopardy down the line.

Digital BrandingLegal Branding

5 PPC Strategies to Boost ROI and Save Time 

PPC provides businesses with an opportunity to increase their revenues and grow exponentially in their respective industries. A lot has changed in the past few years. Pay-per-click advertising now comprises an ecosystem of multiple channels, numerous locations and devices, more competition amongst players, plenty of data for planning, and so much more. 

With all these, it’s only prudent to come up with the right strategy. You want to make sure that every penny counts with every action you take. A strategic approach ensures that you make the most out of every tool available. Here are 5 PPC strategies that will help you boost ROI and save on time.

1. Generic Keywords

Generic keywords are mainly used for research and can put you a couple of dollars back. Their conversion is also very low and they provide an ineffective way to achieve business goals using the last-click conversion model. To make the most out of generics, use them to retarget visitors that search using generic terms. 

Once they familiarize themselves with your brand, you want to get them to convert afterward through an offer placed in the ad copy in a different message or, by raising your bids to increase prominence on generic terms where people are willing to convert. This allows you to focus on potential customers and to minimize impression wastage. 

Use scripts to activate generic keywords at a time when people are likely to search them. (For example, during summer or winter). This helps to make your keywords effectively. The strategy is applicable to numerous triggers such as social media posts, TV ads, news articles, stock market activities, and sports.

2. Targeted Campaigns

It’s best to create several campaigns for different types of audiences. Any product or service will appeal to different types of consumers in a different way and for a different reason. Having one ad for all types of audiences will result in poor ROI. Create personalized ads that will appeal to each group differently. Each ad should explain the value the product or service has to offer to the targeted group. Start by identifying the kinds of people that will want to use your product or service.

3. Consumer Data

Since the very begin, paid search has been based on keyword intent. Simply put, it depends on what people are searching for on the web. With so much to consider, RLSAs (Remarketing Lists for Search Ads) are a great way to identify people that are likely to convert based on how they interact with your site. This helps to boost conversion rates, improve efficiency in how you spend on ads, and optimize your cost per lead.

Create customer groups by checking which URLs people are visiting. Retarget them using other relevant terms that they search for. You can do this by ensuring that your ad appears in front of them or by using a different message. Consider integrating CRM data to create audience lists based on the emails you have in your database. This allows you to target repeat customers as well as those you have interacted with before. Link your analytics with Google Ads to help you determine how bounce-rate, pages visited, time-on-site, and other metrics affect your audience list. These help to know who to target instead of making blind guesses.

4. Run Time-Sensitive Ads

Time is one of the most important factors to consider when running your ad campaigns. The idea is to do it when your customers are online. Targeting the right audience won’t matter if people never get to see your ads. Almost all industries have a peak hour(s) during the day. You’ll start to see positive results when your ads run at this particular time. Watch out for trends that boost the performance of your ads. You can change the time depending on holidays, seasons, and other factors. Also, pay close attention to identify when your industry is experiencing the most traffic. Capitalize on those hours as it is then that your customers are likely to be most active.

5. Focus on Long-term Results

PPC could take minutes to grasp, but ages to perfect and become a master at it. This could prove frustrating especially where you want quick results for your business. Focusing on long-term results is a key focus for SketchCorp. Brisbane. It helps to grow and improve business performance over a long period of time. You’ll start to see rising returns throughout the years. It also means that you’ll be all the more dedicated to ensuring that your audience gets the right information, which then increases your quality score. This then helps to save money in the long run. You end up spending less to maintain the same results as before. It also provides savings that you could use to run other ads, which will boost your quality score more.

Digital Branding

Doing it Yourself or Phoning It In: How Should You do Website Maintenance?

https://live.staticflickr.com/3702/10363851703_39505e02b0_z.jpg

A great business website is not a one-off thing. You can’t just pour all your effort and resources into creating it once and hoping that it will perform at a high level continuously even if you don’t maintain it on a regular basis. In order to ensure that your website is doing its job when it comes to marketing your business, you need to perform regular website maintenance.

What is Website Maintenance?

Website maintenance is the process of regularly performing checks on your websites to monitor its performance, as well as making sure that the content is kept relevant and updated. Another key process of website maintenance is looking for any bugs in the website’s features and functionality. The main goal of website maintenance is to make sure that your website is healthy, performing properly, and there are continuous traffic and growth. It also ensures that your Google rankings are kept high.

Whether you have a small business or a large enterprise, keeping your website well-maintained is critical to ensuring that your business is healthy so that you can retain old customers as well as acquire new ones. While smaller businesses might get away with cutting a few corners here and there, this still does not mean that these companies can survive for long without proper website maintenance.

How Do I Conduct Proper Website Maintenance?

There is a list of tasks that you should perform on a regular basis in order to perform website maintenance properly. You can break these down into four time periods: weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly.

Necessary Weekly Tasks:

  •       Backup and Update
  •       Check for Broken Links or Loading Errors
  •       Checking your Key Metric Performance

Necessary Monthly Tasks:

  •       Update Content
  •       Check loading speed
  •       Review security protocols

Necessary Quarterly Tasks

  •       Review and update website design and images
  •       Check SEO metrics
  •       Run some test purchases
  •       Test website on all possible browsers
  •       Review and update advertising and marketing campaigns

Necessary Yearly Tasks

  •       Renew the domain name
  •       Perform a thorough user utility test

Is Website Maintenance Really Important?

As you can see above, website maintenance is a process that grows on itself so you want to make sure that you always do each step properly to prevent future problems. Luckily for you, there are new tools that come out every year that allows you to perform website maintenance properly. However, you do need to invest the time and effort into learning how to use these tools correctly and efficiently achieve the results that you want.

Speaking of which, what results do you want to achieve?

High-ranking SEO results

Any website’s goal is to achieve a high Google ranking by using the latest SEO techniques. If you use the right SEO methods to increase your website’s ranking, Google will feature your website on the top of any related search inquiries. In a nutshell, Google rewards websites with updated and relevant information with high results and penalizes outdated or security-risk websites with lower search results. Your website might even get de-indexed if it falls to a low enough ranking!

Regular Customer Attraction and Engagement

Once your website has gained traction and is regularly receiving customer traffic, it’s now important to maintain the website in order to keep the current customers and attract new ones.  

Updated Security

This is arguably the most important reason to perform website maintenance, especially if you are running an e-commerce store. Since you will be handling sensitive information such as bank account and credit card numbers, you want to guarantee that your customers will remain safe from online threats such as data breaches and hacking.

Strong Business Brand and Image

If you invest in regular website maintenance, you will show your customers that you care about having a professional image. Customers often think websites that have a clean and professional design is likely to provide a better service.

How Much Will It Cost Me, or Can I Do it Myself?

            Now, the most important question: how much will website maintenance services cost me? It’s actually quite easy to calculate the actual cost of website maintenance services, but it’s not only a matter of whether or not you can afford the money. The more important question here is whether you can afford to perform website maintenance tasks by yourself.

            What does that mean?

            Well, think of it this way: if you have a leaky pipe at home, you might be thinking of fixing it yourself. If you have the proper tools and experience, you might want to fix the problem to save the cost of hiring a professional. However, if the problem is too complicated, you might be causing more damage by trying to fix it yourself!

            This is the same idea that you should apply when thinking of performing website maintenance yourself. If you have the experience and tools, you can perform website maintenance tasks yourself. However, if you don’t have experience in the latest SEO techniques, online security protocols, or updated website design trends, you should consider hiring a professional to do these tasks for you.

Digital Branding

How to Choose an Agency for Explainer Videos

Designing an explainer video is wonderful but it’s important to find the right agency too. There are several details to ponder over while choosing between options and that’s where research comes into play. As you sift through the various options, it becomes important to find someone that is legitimate and worthwhile. Here are some of the details to think about as you pour through the different choices.

1) Go Through The Agency’s Portfolio

Kasra Design suggests that the best starting point is to sit down with an agency and go through their portfolio. This should include examples of explainer videos they’ve put together in the past. Most agencies are upfront about their work and will list everything on their main website. Go through this and take the time to speak with one of their representatives to learn more about what they have to offer for your industry. This is going to allow you to gain a stronger understanding of their work processes and what makes them unique. By doing this, you’ll be well on your way to finding someone that is good at creating explainer videos and knows how to customize everything.

You have to think about several details while watching their example videos. You want to think about transitions, voiceovers, sound effects, and scripting to see what works and what doesn’t. This is where the best agencies stand out most.

2) Assess The Agency’s Reputation

It’s okay to be impressed by the agency’s portfolio but that’s just a starting point. You have to focus on their reputation as a business. This is where research becomes essential as you go through the different options. Take the time to read through potential reviews to see what clients have to say about the agency. In this day and age, you can also take the opportunity to look at their LinkedIn page for more on how they work and who they’re connected to in the industry. This is a wonderful way to ask for opinions from others that are in touch with the agency.

3) Look at Your Budgetary Needs

Some video agencies are world-class but they may be out of your budgetary range. The price is going to matter and you want to make sure it’s a legitimate expense that’s okay for your expenses. If you are close enough, it’s okay to negotiate and try to bring the price down a bit. The right video agency will be more than happy to grab a new client at a cheaper rate. The best way to determine this is to mention price as soon as you are impressed to gauge what they are willing to do for you. Always come to the table with a budget while asking these questions.

4) Check Their Processes

The best video agency is going to have a clear-cut process when it comes to producing explainer videos. They will treat it as art and make sure everything is customized based on what’s required including animations, voiceovers, storyboarding, and soundtracks. Each agency is unique with how it does this but they need to have some type of process in place while speaking to you. This showcases they are the real deal and are going to plan everything in detail for your case. You never want to go into a process where the agency wings it. They should have a detailed process in place to make sure you are a happy client with a good explainer video.

5) Focus on Their Narrative

Explainer videos are all about the underlying narrative. You have to focus on what the explainer video is saying just as much. While the soundtracks, transitions, graphics, and voiceovers are nice, it’s essential to have a proper narrative in place. This is what a great agency can bring to the table. They are going to build a proper story and make sure the explainer video seals the deal in leaving a good first impression. This is how you start to create value.

A good example of this would be Hubspot and its explainer video. They make sure to list the main issue and touch various points a customer will relate to before introducing their product. This illustrates they understand what’s required and their product is the solution.

6) Emphasize Friendliness

A lot of clients ignore this detail even though it’s essential. You want someone that is easy to work with and is friendly. Dealing with hostile video agencies is bad for business and isn’t worth it. You should like speaking to them and picking up your phone to call them.  If they aren’t easy to deal with then you shouldn’t go with the agency. There are too many options and you should be able to go with someone that is the real deal. They should match with your approach to business as that is when the explainer video will work out.

7) Look at their Willingness to Communicate

If an agency doesn’t pick up the phone right away, they may not be a good fit. You want someone willing to take calls as a partner. It shouldn’t feel like a hassle to reach out to them. It should be as easy as calling your family. This is when you know the agency is on your side and will deliver results.