Discover how to create and manage a brand that helps your business become known, loved, and preferred. Coca-Cola is more than a soda. Starbucks is more than a coffee. Ray-Ban is more than a pair of sunglasses. Glossier is more than a tube of concealer. Interacting with these products provide experiences, and we buy them with that experience in mind. Better yet, the companies that create and market them know exactly the experience they want you to have when you make (or consider) a purchase. That’s why they create a brand. From the language in their Instagram caption to the color palette on their latest billboard to the material used in their packaging, companies who create strong brands know that their brand needs to live everywhere. They know their names extend far beyond the label. The result? These brands are known, loved, and chosen out of a long lineup of options. Who doesn’t want that? I know I do. That’s why we built this guide — to equip you to create and manage a strong brand that’ll help your business be admired, remembered, and preferred. Use the links below to jump ahead to sections of interest, and don’t forget to bookmark this guide for later.
What’s a brand? Before I dive into the importance of branding and how to build a brand, let’s go back to basics: What is a brand? A brand is a feature or set of features that distinguish one organization from another. A brand is typically comprised of a name, tagline, logo or symbol, design, brand voice, and more. It also refers to the overall experience a customer undergoes when interacting with a business — as a shopper, customer, social media follower, or mere passerby. What is branding? Branding is the process of researching, developing, and applying a distinctive feature or set of features to your organization so that consumers can begin to associate your brand with your products or services. Branding is an iterative process and requires getting in touch with the heart of your customers and your business. It’s important for a variety of reasons — I dive into these next. The Importance of Branding Your brand is arguably one of your organization’s most important assets. It gives your organization an identity, makes your business memorable, encourages consumers to buy from you, supports your marketing and advertising, and brings your employees pride. Branding can be the deciding factor for consumers when they make a purchase decision. In a 2015 global Nielsen survey, almost 60% of shoppers said they actively buy from brands they know, and 21% said they bought a product because they liked the brand. Branding gives your business an identity beyond its product or service. It gives consumers something to relate to and connect with. Branding makes your business memorable. It’s the face of your company and helps consumers distinguish your business across every medium (which I discuss later). Branding supports your marketing and advertising efforts. It helps your promotion pack that extra punch with added recognition and impact. Branding brings your employees pride. When you brand your company, you’re not only giving your business identity, you’re also creating a reputable, highly-regarded workplace. Strong branding brings in strong employees. Branding Terms to KnowHere are some other brand-related buzzwords you should know. They further demonstrate the importance and value of branding your business. Brand awareness Brand awareness refers to how familiar the general public and your target audience is with your brand. High brand awareness leads to brands being referred to as “trending,” “buzzworthy, or “popular.” Brand awareness is important because consumers can’t consider purchasing from your brand if they’re not aware of it. Strong branding makes your business known. Brand extension Brand extensions are when companies “extend” their brand to develop new products in new industries and markets. Consider Honda lawn mowers or Martha Stewart bedding. Brand extensions allow companies (or individuals) to leverage brand awareness and equity to create more revenue streams and diversify product lines. Strong branding brings in more money. Brand identity Brand identity is the personality of your business and the promise you make to your customers. It’s what you want your customers to walk away with after they interact with your brand. Your brand identity is typically comprised of your values, how you communicate your product or service, and what you want people to feel when they interact with it. Strong branding gives your business more than a name. Brand management Brand management refers to the process of creating and maintaining your brand. It includes managing the tangible elements of your brand (style guide, packaging, color palette) and the intangible elements (how it's perceived by your target audience and customer base). Your brand is a living, breathing asset, and it should be managed as such. Strong branding requires consistent upkeep. Brand recognitionBrand recognition is how well a consumer (ideally in your target audience) can recognize and identify your brand without seeing your business name — through your logo, tagline, jingle, packaging, or advertising. This concept goes hand-in-hand with brand recall, which is the ability to think of a brand without any visual or auditory identifiers. Strong branding keeps your business top-of-mind. Real-life brand example: Want to test your brand knowledge? Take this Logo Quiz by Business Insider to see how well you know your corporate brands. This is brand recognition at work. Brand trust Brand trust refers to how strongly customers and consumers believe in your brand. Do you deliver on your marketing promises? Do your salespeople and customer service go above and beyond? These things can create trust among your customers, which is important in a world where a mere 25% of people feel confident in large businesses. Strong branding builds trust with your customers. Brand valuationBrand valuation is the commercial valuation of your brand derived from consumer perception, recognition, and trust. This concept goes hand-in-hand with brand equity. A powerful brand can make your business invaluable to investors, shareholders, and potential buyers. Strong branding increases your business’s value. How to Create a Brand
Here’s how you can create a brand — or begin the process of rebranding your current one. There’s a lot that goes into a brand, and there’s a lot to consider when building a strong one. So, grab a notebook and jot down ideas as you move through this section. Recognize that branding is an iterative process, so you might be repeating some of these steps as you brainstorm and build your brand. 1. Determine your target audienceBranding leads to awareness, recognition, trust, and revenue. We’ve talked about that. But let’s take a step back and understand where those stem from: consumers. And not just any consumers — your target audience and customers. If your brand doesn’t resonate with your audience, it won’t lead to that awareness, recognition, trust, and revenue. That’s where target market research comes in. Before pressing pen to paper (or cursor to digital document), you must understand to whom your branding will be speaking. Who does your product serve? Who is your ideal customer? Why did you create your business in the first place? What you learn about your target market and buyer personas will influence your branding decisions down the line, so make this step your first priority. 2. Establish your mission statementLet’s return to a question I asked in the previous step: Why did you create your business? Answering this will help you build your mission statement, which defines your purpose and passion as an organization. Before you can craft a brand that your audience recognizes, values, and trusts, you must be able to communicate the purpose that your business provides. Then, every part of your brand (logo, tagline, imagery, voice, and personality) can reflect that mission and vision. Your mission statement is a building block of your brand manifesto, which encompasses why your organization exists and why people should care about your brand. Download our free guide to Defining Inspiring Mission and Vision Statements and learn the ins-and-outs of two of the most valuable strategic planning elements for businesses. 3. Define your unique values, qualities, and benefitsThere are probably lots of businesses in your industry and niche. It’s easy to focus on your competition (and there’s a time and place for competitive analysis), but, for now, let’s focus on you. What’s one thing that your business has that no one else can mimic (er, legally)? Your brand. Because of that, you must ensure that your brand is comprised of and inspired by elements that are solely yours: the values, benefits, and qualities that make your company unique. Take a moment to jot down a list of what sets your business apart from others. I’m not talking about product features (like appearance, components, or capabilities); I’m referring to how your products or services improve lives and contribute to success. Real-life brand example: Alani Nutrition You’ve probably never heard of Alani Nu; they’re a nutrition company based in my hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. I order their vitamins because 1) they’re proven to work, and 2) I trust and respect the brand (and it’s gorgeous!). On their website, they’ve clearly and simply outlined their unique values and benefits as part of their overall brand. Highlighting these makes it easy for customers like me to trust their products and choose them over competitors. 4. Create your visual assets At this point, you should understand your target audience, your mission statement, and the unique qualities that make up your business. If you can say with confidence that you’ve mastered these steps, it’s time to move onto one of the more exciting parts of branding — the visual design. We’re talking about your logo, color palette, typography (fonts), iconography, and other visual components. As you create these elements, build a set of brand guidelines (or a brand style guide) to govern the composition and use of your visual assets. This will ensure that whoever uses your new branding does so accurately and consistently. Note: Design can be just as intimidating as it is exciting. Consider hiring a professional with logo and identity design experience or starting with a few helpful design templates. 5. Find your brand voice. Next, consider the auditory component of your brand. What would your brand sound like if you had a conversation with it, or if it texted you? How you communicate with your target market is also considered part of your branding. You want to define a brand voice that connects and resonates with your audience — otherwise, they probably won’t pay attention. Because of that, don’t hesitate to return to step one to get familiar with to whom you’re speaking. From your advertising campaigns and social media captions to your blog posts and brand story, ensure your tone is consistent throughout all of your written content. Give your audience a chance to get familiar with your brand and learn to recognize the sound of your voice. Better yet, master a fun, entertaining voice, and your customers will look forward to your social media and email updates. Real-life brand example: MailChimp MailChimp is a great example of a brand that speaks with a clear, consistent tone. When I used their free plan for my small business, I always chuckled when receiving their emails and working in their interface. From its web copy to its email blasts and social media captions, MailChimp has established a brand voice and personality that is personable, fun, and accessible — it can be hard to explain the technical parts of a software product (like A/B testing), but MailChimp has mastered that, too. Source 6. Put your branding to work Your brand only works if you do. Once you finish designing and creating your new brand (or rebrand) integrate it throughout every inch of your business. Pay extra attention to ensure it’s displayed anywhere your business touches customers. Here are a handful of tips for applying your brand across your organization. Website Splash your logo, color palette, and typography across your website. Don’t use anything but your predefined assets in your brand guidelines. Your website is a major part of your company identity — if it doesn’t reflect your brand, it will only provide a jarring customer experience. Also, be sure that all web copy, calls-to-action, and product descriptions reflect your brand voice. Social media All profile photos, cover art, and branded imagery should reflect your brand. Consider putting your logo as your profile photo — this will make it easier for customers to recognize your business. As with your website, be sure all profile information, posts, and captions reflect your brand voice. Packaging If you have a physical products business, your product is probably the most tangible way that customers interact with your brand. For that reason, your packaging should reflect your new branding — in its design, colors, size, and feel. Real-life brand example: Chobani I love Chobani yogurt (confession: I’m eating it right now). Their new branding immediately tells me that they produce authentic, healthy Greek yogurt. That’s one of the main reasons I buy Chobani. Recently, I realized that their yogurt packages are made with a very earthy, textured material — an intentional decision that supports the overall experience they’ve paired with purchasing and eating the Chobani brand. Advertising Because advertisements (digital and print) are often used to establish brand awareness and introduce consumers to your brand, it’s critical that they reflect your branding. In fact, your branding should make the ad creation process easier — with your brand style guide, you already know how your ads should appear and what type of copy to write. Sales and customer serviceA brand is only as powerful as the people behind it, and if your people aren’t putting your brand to work, it won’t work for you. Moreover, your brand applies to more than your marketing. Inform your sales and customer service folks of your brand guidelines and tell them to use it, especially when they engage directly with customers. Whether they are sharing a branded product demo or answering customer support inquiries, encourage them to use your logo, tagline, imagery, and brand voice. Branding Tips for Small Business
Treat your brand as a personTo best wrap your head around the branding process, think of your brand as a person. Your brand should have an identity (who it is), personality (how it behaves), and experience (how it’s remembered). Ask yourself these questions about your brand:
The purpose of branding is to create relationships with your customers. The easiest way to do this is to treat your brand as a person and understand that you want your customers to do the same. Real-life brand example: Whiskey Riff Whiskey Riff is another brand you’re probably not familiar with. It’s a two-man media company based here in Chicago that’s dubbed themselves “the most entertaining country music site ever”. I’m a fan because I love country music, enjoy their written and podcast content, and proudly wear some of their awesome apparel. If Whiskey Riff was a person, here’s how I’d think it would answer the questions above:
Build and follow a brand strategy A brand strategy is more than your brand guidelines; it’s a plan with specific, long-term goals that can be achieved as your brand evolves. These goals typically revolve around your brand’s purpose, emotion, flexibility, competitive awareness, and employee involvement. Remember how I said that branding is a continuous process? There’s a lot that goes into it. A brand strategy can help you turn that process into a well-oiled practice that keeps your brand moving toward success and recognition. Don’t let inspiration turn into imitationCompetitive analysis is important. Not only does it educate you on where your competition stands and how they are excelling, but it can also give you ideas on how you can improve or further set apart your brand. However, be conscious to not fall into an imitation trap. Keep your competitive research limited and focus on what your organization brings to the table. Just because a competitor (or two) has branded their company in a certain way doesn’t mean that you have to follow suit. New, unique, provocative brands are memorable brands. Use branding to hire Strong branding makes your employees proud. Leverage your branding to attract talented people. If hiring is a strong initiative for your organization, dedicate some of your resources to employer branding. Employer branding is how you market your company to job seekers and current employees. If you’re publically proud of your organization, others will be, too. Ready, Set, Brand Branding is your organization’s name, logo, color palette, voice, and imagery. It’s also more. It’s that intangible feeling your customers have when they interact with your brand. You know … that experience we talked about in the beginning. That’s how powerhouse brands deviate from all the others. The tangible components contribute to this — a gorgeous logo, a clever tagline, an authentic manifesto, and a clear brand voice — but truly strong brands thrive when they focus on the big picture of their brand. Get to the heart and soul of your target audience and your organization, and a successful brand will follow. Topics: Branding Don't forget to share this post!
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For every piece of content we write, SEO is on our radar. We want our content to rank high so visitors come to our site.
But do certain content writing techniques impact SEO? You bet. And in this post, we’ll cover ten SEO content writing tips for improving search ranks. We also tossed in a few bonus tips to take your content writing to the next level. Let’s get into it. Looking to sharpen your SEO? Write an Enticing Page Title and Description. To kick things off, let’s start with our look in search engines. The goal of SEO content writing is to get search engine traffic. This means searchers need to click. But how? By writing irresistible page titles and descriptions. Here are a few tips to use. For page titles:
Use Headings and Subheadings Headings and subheadings go a long way. Here’s why: They break up your content. Because visitors are reading from a screen you have to keep your page light. This means avoiding walls of text. And you can also inject SEO juice into your content by mentioning target keywords. This is good on-page SEO practice. I try to mention the target keyword in my main heading and in a few subheadings when possible. Pro Tip: If your target keyword doesn’t make sense in a heading or subheading, scrap it. Forcing keywords for the sake of SEO will hurt you in the long run. It turns readers off, making them jump ship. Use Appropriate Keyword Density (and LSI Keywords)You know mentioning keywords throughout your content is a must. But how much is too much? Keyword density is a time-tested SEO concept. Because we’re writing content with SEO in mind, mentioning your target keywords throughout your copy is wise. But you have to be careful. Here are a few tips to keep in mind: Don’t spam your content to improve SEO. First, it creates a bad user experience. And second, search engines will pick up on your attempt. In the end, both hurt SEO efforts. Instead, mention your keyword when it makes sense. You can see good keyword density in action on the RyTech blog. Their writers mention target keywords naturally every 1 – 2 paragraphs. You can also use latent semantic keywords to build around your topic. These are variations of your target keyword. Use Internal and External LinksLooking to add credibility to your content and boost SEO? Then link to other resources. From a credibility perspective, linking to other content (internal or external) gives users the option to explore subjects deeper. Also, if you’re sharing stats in your content, links provide a source. This goes a long way for improving user experience. Next, SEO. Linking your content to relevant pages shows search engines you know what you’re talking about. How? Because you’ve done the homework. You know where to send your visitors for more details. Pro Tip: Use authority websites when linking to other pages. These are sites that have built credibility in their space. The Garfield Group blog shows good examples of how to link. They reference authoritative domains and link to their own relevant content throughout blog posts. Answer User Search IntentThis SEO content writing tip isn’t technical. It’s about providing value. Because searchers are asking questions and looking for solutions, you need to provide the answer. And in doing that, make sure you answer search queries quick. Once you’ve done that, then you can elaborate. Here’s why: New visitors coming to your site expect answers immediately. It’s different when you have a subscriber base returning regularly. For this type of content, you can take your time to warm up. But for new visitors, you have to be direct. So make sure you’re answering user search intent at the outset of your content. Use a Simple URLHere’s a quick SEO content writing win. Not so much to do with content, but more for search result look-n-feel. There are also SEO points to win here. A simple URL gives searchers instant recognition. Also, Google prefers simple URLs. As a rule of thumb, try using your target keywords as your URL slug. The content team at Evus shared this tip with us in the past. And you can see they practice what they preach when it comes to optimizing URLs. Writing SEO-friendly URLs is straightforward, so don’t miss out on this quick win. Use Bullet ListsBullet lists pack a ton of info into a few points. And this is exactly what search engine visitors reading your content are looking for. It also doesn’t hurt to throw your target keyword into the mix. Pro Tip: When you have a long paragraph that’s a goldmine of information – transform it into a bullet list. You might even be able to get away with using your target keyword in unique ways. Here’s an example from the TrustedPros content team. They use bullet lists to explain complex ideas. This takes cognitive load off readers. Use Call-to-ActionsFor any content writing, your goal is to create action. Whether you’re writing content for a blog, landing page, or homepage, you want visitors to take the next step. This is where a strong call-to-action come in. CTAs guide your readers. If your web content does its job, you should see users moving on to other pages. But how is this good from an SEO perspective? A combination of great content and a CTA improves site dwell time. Pro Tip: Dwell time is the amount of time visitor spend on your site before returning to a search engine. Search engines use dwell time as an indicator for content quality. Back to our call-to-action technique. This is one of my favorite SEO content writing tips because it funnels visitors through the lead-gen cycle and it also improves SEO. Here’s how we use CTAs on the Swift blog. We want to provide a great experience to our readers. And to do that, we use a CTA that leads to relevant content. Use Shorter Sentences. Shorter sentences keep visitors reading. It makes content more digestible. Similar to the headings and bullet list tips. Make sure you’re practicing shorter sentences on your company blog. When visitors find your blog through search, you want them to stick around and read through the entire piece. This shows Google that searchers prefer your content. Make a Promise and Deliver. Let’s walk through a scenario. A visitor searches for a topic and finds your landing page. So: What made the visitor click on your result and not your competitors? It’s because you made a promise. You offered a solution to their query. But once the visitor is on your site, they realize you’re not meeting their needs. So what happens? They bounce. From an SEO perspective, this is bad news. Bounce rates are a major factor in dwell time. Your goal is to keep visitors on your site. And this starts with the promise you made in your organic result. So as a rule of thumb, don’t make a promise and not deliver. You might get more clicks, but at the expense of a bad experience. SEO Content Writing Bonus TipsYes! You’ve reached the SEO content writing bonus tips. These are bonus tips because they’re applicable to specific types of content. Nonetheless, make sure your boosting SEO performance with them. Long-Form Content for Blog PostsIf you’re familiar with the SEO game, you know about long-form content. And you can use your blog to drive site traffic for unique keywords. So when you do hit publish on that blog post, make sure it’s the definitive answer on a subject. So how long should posts be? Try writing content that’s at least +750 words. This gives you enough time to introduce the subject, and dive into the details. Anything less and your content is going to be thin. Meaning search engines won’t give it the quality stamp. Use Emotion-Driving WordsI touched on this idea earlier in the post. But it’s worth mentioning as it’s own SEO content writing tip. Emotion-driving keywords are important to use for your organic CTRs. Spicing up your organic headline and description are going to help improve click-through rates. This, in turn, improves SEO performance in the long run. Help Content Succeed in Search Engines with These SEO Content Writing TipsYou have to keep SEO in mind when writing content. But there’s a fine line to walk here. You never want to sacrifice quality content for SEO. Search engines have become smart enough to see through that. Instead, you can use these outside the box content writing tips. They work for both copywriting and SEO. What did you think of our SEO content writing tips? Would you include anymore? Let us know in the comments. And make sure you’re maximizing organic visitor traffic to your site with the On-Page SEO Checklist Download for Digital Marketers. The Secret to Building Large Websites: Website Architecture When I started writing about website architecture, the idea of a skyscraper construction project came to mind. I thought of a huge skyscraper with restaurants, retail stores, offices, gyms, and residential spaces — a large self-contained, compact community all by itself. No one would ever start the construction process of a skyscraper like that until everything is properly planned and drawn out. In this article, I’ll share our company’s process for architecting large websites. The website architect. Let’s first figure out whose role it is to do this thing called website architecture. To me, this job is carried out by a website architect. The website architect needs to have a solid understanding of usability, in-depth knowledge of web development tools, online marketing technologies, and everything else involved in the construction and maintenance of a website. Just like an architect of a skyscraper or a residential home, she must be well-versed with the tools, materials, and processes of construction in order to plan the product efficiently and effectively. This person, our website architect, should possess strong logical thinking, has an analytical mind, is smart with commercial aspects of websites, and be attentive to details. Of course, for a guaranteed quality product, the architect can/should consult other specialists: designers, developers, etc. As you see, the ideal web architect in my mind should be a broad specialist, because, as you’ll soon see below, there’s no getting away from that. Overview of the website architecture processI’ll give you just a general overview of my company’s website architecture process. The process is divided into these 11 stages:
As you can see, all these stages are related to each other, and we’ve organized them in a sequential manner. Let’s discuss each stage. Stage 1: Project brief Gathering the needed data from the client and your team can usually take days. Though you should be as thorough as possible, also keep in mind that there’s always room for elaboration and additional data-gathering in the other stages of the website architecture process, so don’t get too off-track if some pieces of information haven’t been transmitted to you. Determine goals and expected outcomes. What is the client’s goals and expected outcomes of this project, and how does she envision the end result of the project? You should be clear about the evaluation criteria of these goals and expected outcomes to make sure you’re both on the same page. You have to be as specific as possible; goals and outcomes should be quantifiable and measurable. Brainstorm with the client. Ask the client to tell you everything he has on his mind. Listen to what he says patiently and thoughtfully. Take notes. Focus on what they’re saying and resist the urge to chime in. Your ideas and remarks can wait. If the client is passionate about his ideas for the project, he can spend hours talking about it, which is completely normal. When the client is really into the project, he’s a great help and pleasure to work with. Client idea summary. At the end of your brainstorming session, you should ask the client to sum everything up — if he succeeds in boiling his idea down to one sentence, then the idea is clear. If not, you will need better clarity and focus. Determine the target audienceWho is the client’s target audience? Who’s going to use this site, and how might they benefit from the site? The client should have a clear idea of who the end-user is so that we can produce a website for them. Otherwise, it’s like playing darts with your eyes closed: You know where the target is, but it’s going to be nearly impossible to hit it. You can also start discussing what the client already knows about their target demographic: gender, age, location, etc. Determine competitors. Who are the website’s direct and indirect competitors? The client and the website architect should be aware of the existing competitive environment. There are always competitors. Even if the website’s idea is completely unique, there are at least indirect competitors. Meet the decision-makersMeet with the people who make decisions. Discuss the deadlines, the budget limit, resource availabilities, and so forth. Organizational matters, matter. Results and deliverables. Some of your other questions will need to wait to be answered later on in the website architecture process. What you get out of the project briefing stage will be basic data and just to get a general feel of what your client already knows about his project. It’s crucial to understand the client’s needs and expectations at this early stage, and to choose the right direction for the project right at the starting line. The price you pay for not giving enough time to this simple but critical first stage exponentially grows as the web architecture process and website production progresses. The deliverable of the briefing stage is a written document with detailed information given to you by the client and the decision-makers. This document should be approved and verified by the client. It can be in the form of a design brief. Stage 2: Website goal definition A website needs goals. The client’s goals might be these: to monetize the site, to increase the offline market share through online marketing, to better engage customers online, and so forth. The goals define the direction of the entire website design process. Besides determining the website’s goals, you also need to define success criteria according to the client. A good way to establish goals is by using the SMART criteria. That is, each goal should be:
This document needs sign-off by the client/decision-makers. Stage 3: Define the target audience. This stage involves researching the target audience. We need to identify what types of users will go to the site, and also define the needs of each group. Gather characteristics data. We need to create a common persona for each group. The user interface design depends greatly on the results of this stage. To get started with this, we first need to define what our audiences’ common characteristics are. Define socio-demographic characteristics: We should figure out the sex, age, education level, and occupation of our target audience. Targeting teenagers (15-18) is going to differ from a site meant for people over 60. Define psychological characteristics: We should determine the lifestyle, personality, temperament, motivation, value system, philosophies, etc. of our target audience. This information is even more important than socio-demographic characteristics in terms of user interface design. If, for example, our users are early adopters, the user interface and pre-launch strategy will be different than other websites. Define wants/needs characteristics: We should figure out why our user would want to sign up to our website, what problems they’re looking to solve with our site, etc. We define their pain points and aim to solve it with our website. This information is vital, though it’s hard to find. If you’re working on a website redesign project, the client may already have this information if they have user feedback tools in place. Sometimes the competitor can have it (but good luck getting them to share it with you). In this case, you need to perform user research studies and conduct surveys. Geographic location characteristics: Country, city, region, continent — these are all helpful information. Being online does not completely eliminate the location factor. Sometimes geotargeting is the first thing to think of when creating a national site, government website, or any location-dependent website. Moreover, website content and website copywriting is heavily determined by the audience’s location. To get a better image of your target audience you can interview potential users. This is about marketing research at this point. Stage 4: Competitor analysis. To ensure the success of the project, you need to know your competitors and have good ideas on how to get ahead of them. You should discover their strong points and weak points. There are several methodologies involved in conducting competitor analysis research, including market participant polling, and Internet and print media research. If you’re creating a local website, don’t limit yourself only to your country. Look through international websites that are doing similar things. Most likely, there are similar or analogous projects up and running somewhere in the world. Some of these projects can be rather inspiring. For example, we’ve been working on a social networking site for pet lovers for a client in Russia. We didn’t find direct competitors in the local market. However, there are several foreign sites and indirect local competitors. They are: COMPETITOR CHARACTERISTICS www.dogster.cominternational, popular, quality www.dogster.ruRussian project, quite popular, satisfying quality www.catster.cominternational, popular, quality Your website’s competitors can be direct competitors or indirect competitors.
SWOT analysisThere are different approaches towards competitor identification and analysis. I like SWOT analysis the best. SWOT — which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats — helps indicate the strong points and weak points of your competitors, and more importantly, aids you in figuring out project opportunities. SWOT matrix. Source: wikipedia.org While analyzing competitors, you can discover useful site features and ideas worth adapting onto your own website — general, universal site features like commenting systems, web forms, etc. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel in these cases. All good ideas you end up with during the competitor analysis stage will be needed for the mind mapping stage (which we’ll discuss later on). Results and deliverables. You should now have:
User goals Every person has short-term and long-term goals. There can also be sub-goals. For example, a person might desire to improve his career, but first he needs to find a job. The sub-goal is finding a job to reach the goal of improving his career. For our website project, we identify a person’s goals, problems, and we look towards providing solutions for them. All goals should be designed well. Fuzzy goals won’t help, as it’s impossible to solve all problems within one site. Focus on primary goals and keep the list of goals short. Some clients think if users listen to music online, their site should also provide such a service, even if their website isn’t looking to solve this problem. The more features we add, the more diluted our core objectives become. User problemsWhen we have a list of concrete goals, we can determine concrete problems. For example, a user goal on our website might be to find a contractor that can build his construction project. That goal is more complex than it seems: How do we locate the right contractor for the user’s specific construction project? Is it important that the contractor is located close to where the construction project is? How do we allow them to quickly evaluate many candidates? Due to questions like these, you’ll generate ideas easily. Our solutions. When we’re done identifying goals and problems, it’s time to design and develop solutions for them through website architecture design. This process brings great fulfillment to the website architect because she’s looking to solve pain points that her users have. Results and deliverables. As the result, we’ll have a goal-problem-solution matrix designed for each persona we’ve developed for our website. Find your list of ideas and divide them into logical categories. For example, let’s say we’re working on a real estate website. The real estate website’s sections might be:
If an idea fits in more than one category, choose the best fit for it. Brainstorming will help sift out the useless and unneeded features, web pages, etc. Each website section should be planned logically. Don’t forget about section-dependent features (such as the user being able to rate each property, in our example). Mark this connection with an arrow to remember the dependence (in our example, it would go to the Property Catalog). You can design your own symbols to indicate different functional sections. If the web architect, for example, is undecided in terms of which section a certain site feature belongs to, she can mark it with a question mark. These symbols are really important if the project is large. Results and deliverables As a result, we have a bird’s-eye view of the interconnections of site features and sections. Stage 8: Information architectureNow that we have a detailed mind map of our website, we can start working on the website’s information structure, which will be the foundation of the website’s prototype. The website’s IA can be created with the help of flowcharting software like Visio. Results and deliverablesYou should end up with an information architecture (IA) design after this stage. Stage 9: Prototyping/Wireframing You will need prototyping software for this stage. I recommend Axure, though there are a number of other similar programs. The home page prototype doesn’t necessary have to be prototyped first. For example, in the case of an online shop or a blog, the product page or blog post page should come first, because these are critical pages, and will typically be the landing pages of most users on the site. The website architect is going to lean on the mind map and information architecture diagrams to develop this prototype. When creating each web page prototype, you should focus on how the user can achieve his/her goals. Before prototyping, you should refresh your knowledge of your target audience using the previous stages in the site architecture process. Prototype the primary navigation menu. The primary navigation menu is the first to create. We need to figure out the number of menu items and the number of drop-down menus. Prototype the header sectionThen we design the header section that typically contains these items:
Prototype the website footer. The footer typically stays the same on each web page. Usually, the footer duplicates the main menu. It also contains auxiliary information such as the website’s privacy policy, links to social networks, contact information, copyright information, and so forth. Client feedback The first web page prototype should be shown to decision-makers, and the reason for the layout should be explained to them. The client might revise and suggest some adjustments. That’s OK, because having this done on a low-fidelity prototype is much easier than if we had a higher-fidelity prototype. After the first page is approved, we can move to the next prototypes. All the ideas represented in our mind map should be found in these prototypes. It’s crucial not to forget about the smallest detail, as it can turn to hell in the long run if you do. Test the prototypes against scenario mapsOur scenarios will help test the mockups to ensure the logical order of every action. This is the most time-consuming component of this stage and requires a lot of patience and attentiveness. In the case of large websites, there could be over 100 unique interface prototypes. Results and deliverables. The deliverables after this stage are low-fidelity prototypes/wireframes of all web page types. Examples: There are 90 some such prototypes for the example project above. As you can see, each prototype was broken down in detail. This way, no questions and uncertainty arose during the design of the functional prototypes and finished web designs. Usability testing at this stage will help you notice gaps and flaws in the architecture. For testing purposes, we invite some representatives of the target audience and observe how they manage to reach certain pages and results within the site. Then, the users can be interviewed regarding the site in general. After usability testing, we make final corrections. Results and deliverables. As the result, we will have validated and improved the user-friendliness of our web page prototypes and we get a better picture of how users would be interacting with the site. Stage 11: Project specification. The final stage of the website architecture process is to create the project specification document. This should contain a detailed description of each stage of the site architecture process. The project specification is the result of all the stages you’ve gone through. It typically will contain a detailed description of each prototype, user flows, and so forth. The specs should be full and unequivocal. Be detailed and thorough, but also keep it as succinct and as concise as possible. The project specification should contain all the information regarding software and web technologies required for the website. 8 Tools to Help You Create Better Blog Posts Creating a blog is one of the best ways to attract traffic and potential customers to your website, regardless of your industry. It shows readers that your business not only provides great products and services but also serves as a helpful and interesting source of information. But if you have experience with blogging, you know that writing and publishing new posts on a regular basis is often easier said than done. When you’re brainstorming new ideas, researching your topics, writing the copy, and finding visuals to accompany it, creating one blog post can easily take up an entire day. Fortunately, that doesn’t have to be the case. These 8 tools will help you create better blog posts and manage each step along the way more effectively. Blog structure for seo To understand your audience: Google AnalyticsMuch like every other aspect of Internet marketing, you can improve your blog with Google Analytics. This is especially true if you already have a lot of existing content on your site. Log in to the platform, then navigate to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages. If you have a subfolder for your blog (like /blog/), you may want to narrow your results to those pages only. Then, you can see which posts have received the most page views, which have the longest average time on page, and which have the highest bounce rate. This will help you get an idea of what kinds of posts your audience likes to read. Of course, you won’t be successful if you simply replicate previous content. But if you determine that your readers respond particularly well to posts with lots of visuals, make it a priority to include them. And if you figure out that posts with numbers in the title (like “8 Tools to Help You Create Better Blog Posts”) get more traffic, continue to use list posts in your content strategy. To see what’s already out there: BuzzSumoHave a certain topic in mind, but aren’t sure what angle to take on it? You’ll probably find BuzzSumo extremely useful. Type any word or phrase into their search bar, and you’ll be able to see what’s already been written about that topic, as well as how many shares it received on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+. High share numbers indicate high levels of interest, so take a look at some top posts and see how they address a topic. Then, look for gaps in that topic’s coverage. Did anyone leave any questions unanswered? Do you have additional insight on any of the topics? When you write about topics that readers already like, you’re much more likely to be successful than with a topic right off the top of your head. To organize your ideas: Trello. As you come up with new topic ideas and build your blog calendar, one of the biggest challenges is often organization. Trello can be a huge help. At Swift, we have a shared board where everyone can add new idea cards. When it’s time to make the monthly calendar, we simply pull those cards into the “Assigned” column and tag the writer. When the post is completed and drafted in WordPress, we drag it under the “Completed” tag, making it easy to keep track of what we’ve already posted. If you work with a team, this is a great way to keep everyone on the same page. And even if you’re solely responsible for all of your blog’s content, it can still be a helpful tool for keeping track of your ideas. To keep track of everything: EvernoteIf you’re the kind of person who tends to only come up with new ideas when you’re miles away from your computer (like me), Evernote could be your new best friend. With an online version and apps for smartphones, tablets, and virtually any other device you might want to work from, it allows you to keep track of your ideas wherever you are. Personally, I find it useful for making quick notes and saving links to reference later, but Evernote also has built-in writing tools, a chat tool (for collaborating with other people on your team), and the ability to set reminders. To make your posts readable: HemingwayAppNo matter who your audience is, your blog posts shouldn’t read like textbooks. Although the topics may be complex depending on your industry, the copy itself should be easy to understand. That’s where Hemingway App comes in handy. When you write in the app (or copy and paste your text), it will highlight difficult sentences and suggest grammatical changes. It will also give you a “readability” score in terms of grade level. But contrary to what you may think, writing at a “higher” level shouldn’t be your goal. Blog posts that are difficult to understand often drive readers away, and HemingwayApp recommends a level of 10th grade or below for most audiences. To write great headlines: Headline AnalyzerWhen you promote your post, the title is often the only thing potential readers will see before deciding whether to click. A great one could mean tons of traffic, while a bad one could mean none – for the exact same content. Type your working title into CoSchedule’s headline analyzer, and the tool will analyze how effective it is. It will tell you how unusual your word choices are, whether the title evokes emotion, and whether it commands action. Depending on how you want your post to come across, you can change up your word choice to match that tone. To provide useful examples: Lightshot. If you’re writing a post that teaches readers how to do something or introduces them to new concepts, screenshot examples are almost always necessary. There are many tools that can help you create them, but I personally prefer Lightshot. Once you install it on your computer, pressing the Print Scrn button on your keyboard will allow you to highlight and screenshot any area on your screen. Then, you can either copy the image, upload it to their server for sharing, or save it to your computer. You can also use their built-in editing tools to highlight certain areas, draw on the image, and add text. To create eye-catching images: Canva. One of my personal favorites, Canva is a free image creation tool. You can use it for any visual elements you want in your posts, and also to create images for social sharing. Best of all, it’s extremely easy to use. Even without any design experience whatsoever, their tools and templates make it possible to create professional-looking images for your blog. Ready to start writing?Whether you’re new to blogging or have been running a successful blog for years, these tools can help you streamline the creation process. Do you use any other tools to create great posts? Are any of them particularly helpful? Let me know in the comments below! Swift's SEO team leverages your competitive advantages and unique selling proposition to optimize your website for organic rankings, traffic, and conversions. At Knucklepuck, we understand that every business is different, just like every industry, every target market, every keyword, and every user is different. A good SEO strategy identifies and captures user intent that already exists around your core products or services. By identifying all the different variations a user might search, we design and execute an on-page content strategy to secure top rankings and drive users directly to your target landing pages.
Keyword Research ServicesOptimizing your content for user intent satisfies the needs of both users and search engines. Our keyword strategy will balance broad, generic queries (ex. – search engine optimization) with queries related to specific specialization (ex. – on-page SEO, technical SEO audit), verticals (ex. – healthcare SEO, SEO for SaaS), and transactional (ex. – seo agency) to deliver a comprehensive user experience.
SEO On-Page Optimization ServicesStrategic content recommendations are the backbone of Knucklepuck’s SEO services. By focusing on developing high-quality content that services the keywords your target audience is using, we strengthen your credibility and increase organic rankings.
Swift Digital Marketing Agency offers technical SEO services to evaluate the technical infrastructure of your domain to assess how search engines are currently crawling and indexing your site content. This service ensures that your site structure is stable and your on-page and off-page SEO efforts are attracting maximum visibility and making the highest possible impact.
Analytics & Reporting You can’t manage what you don’t measure, so Swift Digital Marketing team makes sure you have reporting in place and properly configured to provide actionable insights on how people arrive at your site and what they do when they get there. This gives you a solid foundation for intelligent decision making. Audit current Google Analytics (GA) configuration to identify inaccurate or incomplete tracking Install and configure Google Tag Manager (GTM) to manage page-level analytics and conversion tracking, ensuring proper attribution and requiring limited dev resources Advanced data collection and verification including iframe tracking, 3rd party platform tracking, and cross-domain tracking for informed decision making Your success or failure depends on how much high quality traffic visits your site. The Knucklepuck SEO team will drive that high converting traffic to you by making Google to see you as relevant and important. Take advantage of our expertise today. If you own a business, you know that one of the best ways to become an authority in your industry is to create informative, beneficial content (like our video on repurposing content below). There are a lot of ways to deliver your content to your target audience, but one of the best ways is with social media. Social media for content marketing is a dream come true because it helps you:
If you want to learn more about social media for content marketing, feel free to give us a call at (216)-339-6041. Otherwise, keep reading! We Form Long term Partnerships Over 90% of Swift Digital Marketing clients continue partnering with us into year 2 of their campaign. Speak with Us Today! How are social media and content marketing related? Before we dive in, it’s important to note the connection between social media and content marketing. Social mediaSocial media refers to any social media platform including, but not limited to: Social media is home to billions of users, and the numbers continue to grow every year. For example, Facebook alone has a staggering 2.45 billion users. There are a few things you can accomplish with social media marketing including:
Content marketing Content marketing refers to the process of creating, implementing, and sharing written content, video content, and more. When you market your content, the goal is to increase your customer base by informing your target audience about topics related to your industry. You can accomplish a wide variety of goals with content marketing including but not limited to:
When two different marketing strategies have the same goals, it makes sense to use one to improve the other, and that’s exactly where social media for content marketing comes in to help. Creating a social media content strategy helps you get the most out of your website content and accomplish all of your goals — two times over. Let’s talk about how you can create a social media content plan that combines your current content marketing efforts with your current social media efforts. Haven’t jumped into either marketing strategy yet? Don’t worry! Swift Digital Marketing has a full team of social media marketing specialists and content marketers who know how to create specialized campaigns for your unique business. Give us a call today at (216) 339-6041 to learn more about what we can do for you! Creating a social media content strategy that helps you get double the benefitsYou can reap benefits from a social media marketing strategy, and you can also reap benefits from a content marketing strategy, but what happens when you create a social media content strategy? Not only will you make your content available to two different audiences, but you’ll likely see increased metrics across the board. Let’s go step by step to create the perfect social media content plan for your business. Step 1. Take inventory of what you already haveBefore you can get started, it’s crucial that you determine what you already have in place. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself, and what to do depending on your answer:
Step 2. Determine what your audience wants to see on socialThe name of the game when it comes to marketing is catering to your target audience — after all, they’re the ones that buy your products. It’s important that you don’t create content because you think it’s important, but rather create content that you know appeals to your target audience. For example, if you own a bakery, you might be tempted to post the brands of icing tips that you use to decorate, but make sure you think long and hard about whether or not that topic is important to your target audience. If you own a bakery that is known for children’s cakes, a better content topic would likely be something like options for boys’ birthday cakes. You don’t need to guess what your audience wants to read, though. Here are a few ways to determine what your target audience wants to see on social media:
Make sure that you always pay attention to the competition and take note of what content performs best on each of their social platforms. Also, keep in mind that just because something works on Facebook doesn’t mean that it will get the same reaction on Twitter. Looking at your competition who already posts content on social platforms is like testing different types of content without creating it. You’ll learn a lot without even lifting a finger!
For example, if you see that your competition gets a lot of attention on their posts including a cake decorating video, it can tell you that your audience values videos. However, if you see limited interaction on posts that talk about “quick baking facts,” you can draw conclusions from that as well — either your audience prefers longer content, or they don’t care to learn quick facts. You’ll also come up with some ideas of your own by looking at your competition. For example, you might see that a page about quick baking facts isn’t fruitful, but quick baking tips might be a topic with opportunity. Test them for yourself!
If you’ve had a social presence for a while, it’s important to learn from the past and analyze how your previous content performs. When you use analytics to determine how previous content performs, you’ll not only save yourself time, but you’ll save yourself the effort. When you know exactly what kind of content works on what social platforms, you’ll be able to create it without hesitation. Step 3. Create informative website contentDon’t worry, we’re still talking about social media! You must create informative website content first to create a social media campaign for your content. This content varies from article pages to blog posts, to videos and everything in between. When you create informative website content, not only will you be able to rank in search engine results pages (SERPs) for important keywords, but kill two birds with one stone by posting your site content on social media. But how do you create informative website content that will grab the attention of your social followers? Check out our tips for writing fantastic web content that you can share on any platform:
Not only do users see your video on their social feed, but to learn more, they’ll be encouraged to click the link to your website where they can learn more about the topic. Step 4. Create a content calendar and get sharing! Creating a content calendar helps you stay on track when it comes to social content. When your account goes silent for a while, users are less likely to trust you and your brand. A dry spell on your account might make your brand seem lazy, or too busy to handle your social accounts. Either way, it’s not a good sign to potential customers. On the other hand, when you post often, they’ll trust you as an authority and look forward to when you’ll post again. Creating a social media content calendar isn’t hard! Whether you create fresh content specifically for your social platforms or repurpose content that you’ve already posted on your site, you can include it all in your social media content planner! 5 social media content marketing examples to inspire your campaignSee how other companies are utilizing social media for content marketing! 1. A recap Susquehanna University posted one of their most popular pictures of 2019 on their Twitter feed — a genius move for engagement since users liked the photo in the past. They also provided users with a link that directed them to their Facebook account where they could see more popular 2019 images. 2.. A peek inside Buzzfeed Food posted an article that not only takes users to their website, increasing site traffic, but to entice clicks, they gave users a peek inside the article that makes clicking hard to resist. 3. A special offer CVS previews their pre-sorted Rx packs in their video content — an offer that is sure to get CVS loyals buzzing. 4. A piece of user-generated content The modern toothbrush mogul Quip posted a piece of user-generated content to gain the trust of their followers. Not only do they show that others love their brand, but they show followers that their product is a must-try. Ready to dive into the world of social media for content marketing?Swift Digital Marketing can help! We’re a full-service digital marketing agency that has over 200 marketing specialists who are well-versed in social media marketing and content marketing. We can help you create campaigns that improve your brand awareness and your client base by using cross-channel marketing to seamlessly integrate your content marketing strategy with your social media channels. To learn more, contact us online or give us a call at (216)-339-6041! State of Social Media Marketing in 2021 (7 trends) Are you looking to refresh your social media campaign this year? By looking at the state of social media marketing in 2020, you’ll see what’s trending and how you can integrate those trends into your social strategy. On this page, we’ll provide you with seven social media marketing trends for 2021 that’ll push your company ahead of the pack. To stay up to date on the latest trends and tips for social media marketing and advertising. Organic or paid social media marketing? See what the experts say. 1. Authentic content One of the biggest social media marketing trends for 2021 is authentic content. People don’t want to see boring stock photos and scripted content. They want to hear from real people and get content that feels like it’s coming from another person rather than a company. People want to make personal connections with your business. It’s harder for them to relate to your company if you build the persona of a stiff or uptight corporation. If people can’t connect with your business, they lose the motivation to interact and buy from your brand. So, how do you create authentic content? User-generated content (UGC) is the key to creating authentic content. This kind of content focuses on photos, videos, and testimonials from people who use your products or services and want to share their experiences. When you post user-generated content, you present your audience with first-hand experiences of what it’s like to use your products or work with your company. People take more interest in this content because they can see a genuine experience. Target utilizes user-generated content, for example, to highlight their products and make connections with their audience. It’s a great use of user-generated content to encourage engagement and subliminally advertise their products. With user-generated content, you’ll make your brand more relatable and build connections with your audience. 2. Video content As you look at the state of social media marketing in 2021, you’ll notice that video is continuing to dominate. If you want to drive success with your campaign, video is the future of social media in 2021 and beyond. With platforms like TikTok exploding in popularity and Facebook adding a “Facebook Watch” section, you can see that social media platforms are moving more towards emphasizing video content. Videos grab your audience’s attention and get them to engage with your content. Just look at these stats, which show the impact of video marketing:
Take advantage of video by creating videos for your social profiles. You can create videos that highlight customers using your products, explanation videos on how you use your products, whiteboard videos on how your products work, and more. By investing in video, you’ll help create a better social media profile for your business. 3. Private and meaningful connections One of the most important social media marketing trends for 2020 is creating private and meaningful relationships. People are looking for personal connections with companies to help build their trust and confidence in those businesses. The best way to build these private and meaningful connections is through messaging. Every social media platform offers messaging, but not every business pays attention to the messages they get. If you want to stay on top of social media trends, start paying attention to your inbox. Messaging is a valuable way to connect with leads, answer their questions, and provide relevant information. In fact, 69% of people believe that the ability to message a business makes them feel more confident about that brand. This private connection helps people get to know your company better. If you can’t keep up with your messages, you can use chatbots to help provide users with answers to simple questions and focus your time on solving more complex problems. 4. Social shopping When you look at the state of social media marketing in 2020, you’ll find that social shopping is on the rise. Social shopping is a critical component of your social media campaign because it encourages people to purchase your products when they see them on your social posts. Users want to have access to brands and products through social media. Social shopping allows users to focus on specific products you offer, rather than visiting your site and trying to find what they need. Many companies will use social shopping through ads. They can deliver tailored ad content that focuses on products that fit your interests best. Here’s an example of a social shopping post from a company that creates yoga-style dress pants. If a user is interested, they can click the “Learn More” call to action and visit a page where they can buy the pants from the ad. It’s simple, easy, and effective for earning conversions. Some social media platforms will allow you to create shoppable organic posts, too. Instagram, for example, allows you to add tags for products featured in your photo. You can see an example of this in Target’s Instagram post. If you decide to hop on this social media trend for 2021, make sure you don’t take people off their social media platform when shopping with your business. Users should be able to easily visit your website and buy the product, all while in the app. If you take them out of the social media app or direct them away from it, they’ll be more likely to leave and go back to their social app. If you want to keep up with the future of social media in 2020, integrate social shopping into your social media plan. 5. Micro-influencers When you work on your social media strategy, you may reach out to influencers to help you reach more people interested in your business. While many companies will reach out to more prominent influencers, you don’t need to partner with a big name to have an impact. As you’ll see by the state of social media marketing in 2021, micro-influencers are the best way for you to reach interested leads. Micro-influencers are people who have a small but steady following. These are people that cater to a specific niche. Even though it’s a small audience, it’s a dedicated one that’s interested in the niche you want to reach. With micro-influencers, you have a greater level of personalization because you’re targeting such a specific niche. So, how do you find micro-influencers? You can start by searching branded hashtags and related keywords in hashtags to find who’s posting about your products or similar products. You can check out their profile and see what kind of content they post, who engages with it, and more. By partnering with micro-influencers, you’ll help your brand reach more interested leads. 6. Short-lived contentLooking at the state of social media marketing in 2020, you’ll find that short-lived content, also known as ephemeral content, is making its way to the top of the priority list. This content only lasts for a specified period. Snapchat is a prime example of a platform that uses short-lived content. Sent photos and videos only last as long as the user sets the message to last or until the receiver closes the message. For Snapchat Stories, the pictures and videos remain online for 24 hours before disappearing. Other platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, have added “Stories” to allow people to post photos and videos that last for 24 hours. As more social media platforms create opportunities for short-lived content, you need to take advantage of this opportunity to reach and engage your audience. This type of content catches an audience’s attention and gets them to interact with your business. Whether you’re adding to your own story or running ads between people’s stories, you have an opportunity to create exciting and engaging content. By investing time in short-lived content, you’ll garner more engagement on social media. 7. Creativity You may be surprised to see that creativity is part of the future of social media in 2020 because it seems obvious. The reality, however, is that some companies don’t put the time and effort into making their content genuinely creative. If you want to stand out from the competition, you need to get creative with your social media content. It isn’t enough to toss a photo up on your Twitter profile and put a caption. You need to do more to help your business stand out in a user’s newsfeed and get them to engage with your content. Creativity will depend on your industry and audience. For some companies, bright photos and catchy captions will get their audience to engage. For other businesses, well-edited videos and intricate infographics will work better. Chewy is a prime example of creating unique content. This company took a creative approach to market its playlist on Spotify. They posted a photo of a dog with headphones, which immediately catches people’s interest. Then followed up by captioning the photo with a fun fact about dogs and music, then shared they have a playlist to help keep dogs calm when they’re left home alone. It’s unique, eye-catching, and interesting. This Instagram post is an excellent example of getting creative and engaging your audience. When you create social media content, make it creative, but also professional and high-quality. It should always reflect your brand so that people get familiar with your business. Bonus Read: How to do a social media analysis to improve social success Stay on top of the future of social media in 2021 As you continue to develop your social media strategy in 2020, you must take note of upcoming trends. You’ll want to use these trends in your social media plan so you can stay at the top of your game. If you’re overwhelmed with trying to keep up with your social media strategy up to speed, our team of over 200 social-savvy experts can help. With over a decade of experience, we’ll help you create the right content for your social media platforms. Contact us online or call us today at (216)339-6041 to speak with a strategist about our social media plans. Eye Catching Web DesignWe rarely get the chance to admire the full beauty of website designs when we’re limited to the cropped viewport of our browser windows, but there are some stunning examples of full page layouts out there. We might only see a finished website at a few thousand pixels at a time as we scroll down the page, but designers take great care to craft beautiful layouts in their design concepts. Considering the fact that an eye-catching web design helps you attract more clients and can considerably help promote and also improve your business, it should be one of your main concerns. The final result should be the result of creativity mixed with powerful and professional features. Having a full page layout has its benefits and limitations. An important aspect is that you can make great use of the entire space to showcase your project. However, you must pay attention on how the final design will display on several devices, to make sure no important information is hidden. Having a full page layout has its benefits and limitations. An important aspect is that you can make great use of the entire space to showcase your project. However, you must pay attention on how the final design will display on several devices, to make sure no important information is hidden. Call Swift Digital Marketing at (216) 339-6041 to start your project with us.
Not sure if your business should invest in search engine optimization (SEO)? As a core digital marketing strategy, there are plenty of reasons to invest in SEO — and even an SEO agency — to boost brand awareness, reach more customers, and earn more revenue online. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the 15 biggest SEO benefits, from boosting your credibility to maximizing your advertising strategy. Keep reading to discover the full list of advantages that come with an SEO strategy! 1. SEO Improves Your Digital MarketingWhen you invest in digital marketing strategies, you want to earn the highest return on investment (ROI) possible. With a smart and competitive SEO strategy, you can expect an impressive ROI. Why? When it comes to search engines, they offer a close rate of almost 15 percent for new leads. That doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you compare it to traditional marketing — which is less than two percent — that’s a massive advantage of SEO. That means you can increase your lead conversion rate by almost 13 percent. To put that in perspective, imagine that your average lead is worth about $800 and that you sign about 20 new leads a month. With digital marketing, plus SEO, you’ll now sign 23 new leads a month — that translates to an additional $2,400 a month, which means $28,000 in additional revenue a year. For many businesses, that revenue increase is one of the biggest benefits of SEO. That additional revenue from search, however, depends on SEO. If your website ranks at the bottom of search results on page two, three, or four, users won’t find your business. They’ll stick to the first page of results, which means you won’t generate leads from Google or any other search engine. It also means you won’t see that additional $28,000 in revenue, either. 2. SEO boosts your credibilityA key benefit of SEO that many companies overlook is how it improves your credibility among consumers. Ranking on the first page of search results signals to users that Google — or another search engine, like Bing — trusts your website. That’s one reason why 75 percent of users stick to the first page of search results. They trust search engines to filter results for them, eliminating spammy websites. Google, as well as other search engines, understand this, which is why they use on-page and off-page signals to rank websites. These signals, which can range from the content you create to your website’s speed, demonstrate that your website is safe and credible. They also emphasize that your webpage answers a user’s query, such as, “how to clean an inside AC unit.” Another way SEO can boost your credibility? By optimizing your Google My Business listing. This listing, which appears in local searches and specific searches for your business, provides users with details about your company. It can also feature reviews from Google users. These reviews are critical to building credibility, as well as driving sales. Shoppers place a lot of trust in reviews, which is why 80 percent of consumers say that online reviews have changed their mind about purchasing a product. That’s immense, and with SEO you can maximize the impact of your company’s reviews. 3. SEO drives high-quality traffic to your website SEO also helps you earn more high-quality traffic to your website. Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing offers hyper-targeted tools. Instead of paying for a billboard and hoping that your target audience sees it, you know they’ll see your website in search results. Plus, you’re reaching your target audience at a prime time. They’re looking for you — not driving to work or watching the TV — which means you have their full attention. It also means they’re more likely to act on your calls-to-action (CTAs), whether it’s an invite to call your team or like your Facebook page. That difference in user intent is one reason why 89 percent of marketers say SEO is a successful strategy. 4. SEO measures your success with real numbers Whether it’s in advertising or marketing. That’s why it’s a massive perk of not only digital marketing but also SEO that you can monitor the success of your strategies. The best part is that you can access your digital marketing analytics in real-time. With Google Analytics, as well as other web analytics tools, it’s easy to assess the performance of your SEO strategies. A few metrics to monitor include your website traffic, bounce rate, conversions, and time on site. Marketing software, can make monitoring your SEO strategy easier. It can also measure your digital marketing ROI, as well as provide actionable insights into your campaign — both of which enhance your approach to SEO. 5. SEO promotes your company all day, every dayDepending on your business, you may offer 24/7 service. If consumers can’t find your ecommerce website online, however, that doesn’t help. That’s where another key benefit of SEO comes into use — it can promote your business 24/7. If you invest in video marketing, you can also supercharge your brand awareness efforts. Why? When users watch a video, their brand association increases by almost 140 percent — to make sure users see your videos, however, you need to optimize them for search. With SEO, you can do that. That’s critical, especially when you consider that Google processes more than 60,000 searches a second. It also reinforces digital marketing’s ability to connect with users on their terms. You’re not trying to reach consumers with a billboard that they spot when leaving town for the weekend — you’re reaching them when they’re looking for you. That enhances the value of your website to users, as you’re providing an answer to their problem. From that perspective, the benefit of SEO is that you’re promoting your company to consumers, but in a non-promotional way. 6. SEO targets every stage of your buying funnelThe rise of content marketing makes SEO even more valuable to businesses. With content marketing, which includes a range of content types, from infographics to guides to blog posts, you connect with consumers in every stage of your marketing funnel. The best part is that consumers love this approach. More than 60 percent of consumers prefer companies that create original content for them, which can also help build their brand awareness and loyalty for your business. This benefit of search engine optimization is a win-win for consumers, as well as companies. 7. SEO increases brand awareness among high-value shoppers What is another benefit of SEO? A better level of brand awareness among your most valuable shoppers. As consumers move through the buying funnel, they conduct a lot of different searches. If your company continues to appear in their search results, it increases their brand awareness for your business. Even better, it builds their trust in your company. With your content marketing and SEO strategy, you’re demonstrating to consumers that you’re more than a product or service provider. You’re also a valuable resource for industry information, which increases your value to audiences. 8. SEO generates more leads, sales, and market share for your businessOne of the most mentioned benefits of SEO is the increased sales, leads, and market share that companies see. This perk is also something you notice in your day-to-day operations. You see the shoppers coming into your store or the product orders shipping out of your warehouse. These increases happen because of your rank in search results. By appearing on the first page of search results for high-value keywords used by your target audience, you’re earning clicks and visits from the consumers that matter most to you. To put the value of ranking on the first page into perspective, consider that the first listing in search results earns 33 percent of all search traffic. If you target the keyword, “central air conditioner installation,” which has a search volume of 1300 a month, you’d earn more than 400 visits a month. Not all those visits will lead to sales, but you can trust that some will. 9. SEO maximizes the success of your PPC campaignsIf you’re incorporating digital marketing into your business strategy, it’s likely that you’ll invest in PPC advertising at some point. While PPC is a paid strategy and SEO is a non-paid strategy, they work well together — which is why you should think about partnering the two. How does SEO help your PPC campaigns, though? One, with SEO and PPC, you’re reinforcing your presence in search engines. Not only does your website appear at the top of paid search results but also organic ones too. That provides users with two opportunities to visit your website, plus emphasizes your brand. Another advantage of SEO is that you can apply your SEO data to your PPC campaigns. A webpage that leads in conversions, for example, may rise in value if you incorporate it into your PPC campaign. Even better, that landing page may target a keyword with a low cost-per-click (CPC). 10. SEO helps you outrank your toughest competitorsWith 80 percent of users relying on the Internet for researching a product purchase, expect your competitors to invest in SEO, as well as other digital marketing strategies. That’s why, if you skip on SEO, you can expect your sales and overall market share to decrease. When users search for queries related to your services or industry, your website won’t appear — and if it does, it likely ranks on the second, third, or fourth page. Only 25 percent of users go past the first page of search results, however, which cuts into your potential profits and leads. That’s why, if you want to compete against your competitors, SEO is essential. Invest in SEO, as well as develop a smart strategy, and you can outrank your toughest competitors. Even if businesses in your industry aren’t using SEO, it’s a massive advantage to your company if you’re the first. 11. SEO makes your digital marketing strategy strongerIf you’re investing in digital marketing, SEO is probably a part of your strategy. It strengthens your overall campaign in multiple ways, however. Plus, it enhances additional digital marketing focuses, like content marketing, video marketing, and social media marketing. By building a comprehensive, as well as a durable digital marketing strategy, you’re increasing your competitiveness in the online marketplace. That can serve as a significant advantage when competing in a tough market or against competitors with more resources than your company. Plus, a stronger digital marketing strategy means a bigger ROI. With a better return on your digital marketing efforts, you can reinvest in your company’s success. Whether you decide to improve your SEO strategy, expand your in-house team, or increase your company resources, you can use those funds to make your business even better for consumers. 12. SEO reaches every member of your target audienceA key benefit of SEO is that it not only reaches audiences in every stage of the buying funnel but also connects with every type of target audience. Depending on your company, you may have a few different target audiences. If you’re a lawncare company, for instance, you may offer commercial and residential services. Those services encompass two separate audiences — homeowners and business owners. While these audiences both want lawncare services, their journey through the buying funnel is likely different. For example, a business owner probably has a different set of questions than a homeowner when it comes to lawncare and lawncare services. A business owner may even want a set of services not available to homeowners, like maintaining a sizeable pond. With SEO, you can reach each of these audiences by targeting keywords specific to their intents. A quick example is creating a service page that targets the keyword, “commercial landscaping services,” and another service page for the keyword, “residential landscaping services.” 13. SEO decreases your advertising costsSEO also benefits your business by lowering your advertising costs — and even your marketing expenses. With a well-planned SEO strategy, your company can rank on the first page of search results for high-value keywords. That offers your business the option to decrease your advertising spend, as well as reinvest it elsewhere. For example, instead of running five PPC campaigns, you may opt to run two and then use your savings to expand your content marketing strategy. SEO can decrease not only your digital advertising spend but also your traditional advertising costs. Many businesses discover, often within the first year of investing in SEO, that it’s more cost-effective than traditional advertising and marketing. Plus, it delivers even better results. 14. SEO grows your local marketing effortsEven if you’re a local business that depends on offline transactions, SEO benefits your company. As more consumers become smartphone owners, local search rises in popularity. The value of local search is immense too, as 80 percent of local searches convert, which means more business for your store. If you’re not investing in local SEO, you’re excluding yourself from shoppers that are ready to buy. For your competitors, that makes it easy for them to gain market share, as well as build their popularity in the area. Don’t make it that easy for them. Instead, give your business a competitive edge with local SEO. 15. SEO drives your long-term successUnlike a lot of traditional marketing efforts, SEO is an ongoing strategy. That means your company continues to see the benefits of SEO, years after you invested in it — to see those results, however, it’s critical to view SEO as a long-term investment. That means that it’s something your business invests in each year. To maintain your rankings, as well as evolve with search algorithm update sand user search habits, you continue to include SEO in your marketing budget. By making a long-term commitment to SEO, as well as digital marketing, you’re maximizing your ROI. Even better, you’re building on the benefits of SEO. That can mean even better brand awareness, audience targeting, lead generation, and more. From there, they will spend less than 3 seconds inspecting a website. This includes looking at the content, grammar, assets and anything else on the website that they might find interesting. Another 3 seconds is then spent interacting with the website - clicking on links to see if there is anything useful on the site. At the end of this 6 second process, users will forman opinion about whether they find the site trustworthy or not. This is an extremely small window of time to convince users that your website is one that they can trust purchasing from - so what kind of trust factors can you include to promote your reliability as a business? More importantly, what kind of actual value do the assets on your webpage have? All these factors can help branding on the web. Businesses have about six seconds to create a positive impression with users when they come to navigate a website. With a help of the website, businesses create a positive impression and design a brand image. Although, it might take a few weeks to design a website, on average, visitors will spend about 200 milliseconds navigate it. This is no joke! Yes, milliseconds! This is the amount of time that is necessary to make a decision. The best branding websites are catchy when looking at the color, density and layout of the site. |
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