The top website and online marketing links of the week. Are you a stats person? This is just for you! Here is HubSpot’s ultimate list of marketing statistics for 2018 – enjoy! Some of the standouts for me include: 84% of people will not make a purchase if they are dealing with an unsecured website. (Blue Corona, 2018). What this means: you need an SSL certificate for your site if you don’t already have one. 70-80% of search engine users are only focusing on the organic results. (MarTech, 2018). What this means: the majority of searchers ignore the paid results on… Continue Reading
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Weekly Links Roundup – Website Problems, Nofollow, Android vs iPhone, Local Competition
The top website and marketing links of the week. I’m on a constant campaign to get my clients to overcome these common problems that hold their websites back. Mobile-unfriendliness, low-quality (or mostly absent) content, free website builders, and lack of trackable conversions are always issues that can be fixed to make your site a more powerful marketing tool. What is the “nofollow” tag, and when and how would you use it? Learn how to use nofollow to avoid passing linkjuice to sites that may be in any way questionable. Here’s something interesting (if a bit clickbait-y): did you know that… Continue Reading
Friday Link Wrapup – Blogging, Email Marketing, Millenials, SEO Tips
The top website and marketing links for this week. I always advise my business clients to consider including a blog in their new or redesigned website. Sure, it can be a lot of work, but most of my clients who do it consistently find it’s worth the effort. If you’re on the fence about whether to commit or not, here are some great reasons to start that blog including: benefits for SEO. If you run an email newsletter (or are thinking about starting one), here are five tips from CopyBlogger to make your new signups feel all warm and fuzzy. If you… Continue Reading
Friday Link Wrapup – Promotions, Millennial Shoppers, Analytics Spam
The top website and marketing links for this week. Need a marketing boost? Quality Logo Products has a monthly grant in which they provide $500 worth of promotional materials from their site to a small business that has a unique story to share. What could you do with all those marketing goodies? A giveaway? Stock your table at a trade show? It’s all up to you. And, you must be willing to be interviewed – yet another opportunity to get your business out there. To sign up for the next monthly grant, visit Quality Logo Products. — If you’re running an ecommerce site that… Continue Reading
Friday Link Wrapup – Hiring a VA, Optimizing Pages, Marketing Fails
The top website and marketing links for this week. Okay, so these first three aren’t website or marketing links, but they might be good for you anyway. I just hired my first VA (virtual assistant), something I probably should have done a few years ago. It felt good, even though right now it’s just a 2-week trial to see how we work together, but I’ve taken the first step. If you’re interested in having someone who can help you get more done with you working less time, here are some references I used when figuring out how and who to… Continue Reading
Friday Link Wrapup – Google Search Console, SSL, Email, To-do Lists
The top website and marketing links for this week. I always set up Google Search Console (formerly Google Webmaster Tools) account for project clients; here’s a basic guide to understanding what it does and how to benefit from it. This is a great post (not too confusing) explaining some of the issues and misconceptions around SSL certificates and switching from HTTP to HTTPS – a topic that’s become more popular among my clients in the last few months. Here’s a post from Constant Contact describing how three small businesses use a combination of email and social media to connect with customers. And finally…… Continue Reading
Friday Link Wrapup – Ideal Customers, Missions, Conversions
The top website and marketing links for this week. Creating user personas is something done often when designing a website, but it can also be very useful for business owners. Here are 6 steps to identifying and targeting your ideal customer that walk you through it. Considering a redesign of your site? Before you do it, clarify the mission of your site to help you focus on what’s most important. Make it crystal-clear what you offer and what you want people to do on your site. And finally – need more conversions on your site (who doesn’t)? Here are 4 quick tips… Continue Reading
Websites don't 'attract new business' all by themselves. Really.
One of my clients contacted me the other day and told me he’d be moving on to a new host and marketing pro. “No problem,” I told him, but asked if he could tell me why? He told me that “unfortunately, had never received any business through the website.” Let’s look at that… One of the things I do with every client is stress, repeatedly, how critical it is to think about their new website as the powerful tool at the center of your marketing efforts. Note the word ‘efforts.’ And also, how very important it is to get fresh,… Continue Reading