Understanding The Challenges That Come With Building Your Own Website

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Build your own website|Understanding The Challenges That Come With Building Your Own WebsiteMany people take on the challenge of building their own website, nowadays. This is largely thanks to the large range of DIY website builders available on the market, with many offering the chance to build beautiful websites without having to learn a single line of code. Of course, though, there are a lot of challenges that can come with building a website, and it’s always worth considering them before you get started.

Using The Code

While tools like Wix and Shopify promise to enable you to build websites without code, taking real control of your online platform is only possible if you’re able to use HTML, CSS, and Javascript. It’s very hard to make a website stand out when you use the default options you have available, and this means that you need to have a way to give yourself an edge.

Security

Many people don’t realise, but websites are key targets for hackers. Viruses and other security issues can easily impact a website, and this means that you need to have a good understanding of security, backups, and SSL to be able to run a website successfully. This can cause serious issues for companies that take sensitive data from their customers, with most countries having strict laws to protect people when they give their information to you.

Search Engines

No matter how you build your website, you will always need to perform SEO work to make sure that you appear in search engines like Google. This sort of work is a very specialist field, making it hard to break into it when you have a lot of other work on your plate. DIY platforms are better at dealing with SEO than they used to be, but most of this work happens away from your website, and this means that you can’t rely on them to help you.

User Experience

Designing a website that works well and appeals to users is very hard, with most agencies requiring that their team members have a lot of experience in the field of UX. Many people find that they are able to build a site that appeals to them, but this won’t impact other users in the same way, and more work has to be done to create a website that is good for a range of users.

Overcoming These Challenges

Overcoming these challenges has never been easier, but you don’t have to do it for yourself. Finding a web design agency to help with your website will ensure that you get the best possible results, while also never having to deal with the long list of challenges that can come with a DIY website. In most cases, your users will have a much better experience with a professionally made website.

Building a website can be a challenging process, with many people finding that they need help along the way. Thankfully, there are plenty of agencies out there, and you can usually find a company that is willing to help with your website.

How to update your website for a profitable post-Covid push

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COVID-19 has raised serious questions for businesses, primarily how can they respond to the crisis and what changes will it cause going forward for consumers? Businesses are always looking for new ways to survive the peaks and troughs of consumer behaviour, and with lockdowns starting to lift, there are several ways for businesses to strategize to make the most of the post-COVID period.

Be clear about brand purpose

Many brands stuck to the side lines with traditional marketing until the outbreak was under control. But post-COVID, ensure that the marketing you put out to your audience is purposeful and considered. You don’t want to appear to be profiting off the misery of the pandemic, nor is it the time to poorly execute marketing campaigns in a bid to be seen as a ‘good’ company. Make sure that the messaging on your site is clear and simple, and above all sensitive, without being overly salesy.

Evaluate product offerings

It’s no secret that the pandemic has forced us to rethink how we live our lives each day, so businesses need to take this into account when it comes to their products and services. Some products will now seem irrelevant to the users’ needs while others will be more important than they once were, given the situation we now find ourselves in.

For example, if your products or services are primarily aimed at outdoor or in-person events, these may not have been necessary to your audience throughout lockdown. It’s important that businesses take this opportunity to reevaluate their audiences’ needs so that they’re as relevant as possible for your target audience, which can also help you mitigate any dip in sales from the past year.

Consider the customer experience

With more of us at home than ever before, businesses need to develop new strategic perspectives and reshape the customer experience. One way businesses can achieve this is to consider the user’s journey and the added functionality they can include to improve the customer’s digital experience.

“We improved the functionality of our website during the pandemic to improve user experience and enhance the online shopping journey of our customers”, say printing specialists You Love Print. The business enhanced their site to automate shipping costs as customers added products to their cart, for a more efficient shopping journey and to provide real-time information to users. Consider similar ways in which you can improve your website to create a better experience overall.

Reassess SEO

Businesses with an online presence should already be optimised for search engines, but post-pandemic, it’s more important than ever that your site appears high up in the rankings for your key search terms. This is even more crucial for brick and mortar stores who haven’t been able to rely on foot traffic to gain sales.

With more people shopping online than ever before, SEO should be a priority for any business, post-COVID, but companies need to take a different approach going forward. Businesses need to improve page loading times and speeds, to help customers navigate your site more easily, and create evergreen content within your niche. It’s also important that Google My Business listings are optimised for local search.

Ramp up digital interactions

Use this opportunity to promote apps, mobile tools and digital transactions. If your business doesn’t already utilise these tools, now is the time to consider how you can innovate to deliver your product or services in a digital way. Think about how you can offer further assistance to your customers and use digital tools to deliver these offerings in a personalised way.

Buyers want organisations to treat them as individuals and digital interactions can be an effective way to achieve this level of personalisation. Post-pandemic, customers will be seeking out more personal interactions, which is something businesses should strive to offer.

Final thoughts

Case numbers are finally starting to decrease and while it’s difficult to know when normality will be completely achieved, businesses can start to consider ways to ramp up their activities to increase sales. Your business should find ways to mitigate the losses experienced during the pandemic by adjusting marketing strategies, innovating and focusing more on SEO to make the best out of this challenging situation.

How to Use the Internet to Boost Your Business

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Boost your Business|How to Use the Internet to Boost Your BusinessIf you run a business, you will undoubtedly be aware of the importance of an internet presence. From digital marketing to content creation, the internet is one of the main ways that your potential clients and customers will find you, so you need to make sure you are using the internet to its full potential. When you run a business, you may not have a dedicated digital team, but fortunately, there are plenty of experts, software, and technology out there to make it as simple as possible to maximize your internet presence. Here are just a few of the ways you can use the internet to boost your business.

Virtual Tradeshows

These are a great way to connect with potential customers and other businesses, demonstrate your services and products, and check out the competition, all from your own home. Virtual tradeshows are perfect for those who cannot attend in person for whatever reason, and they can also cost less to attend and prepare for. You can still educate your audience with live webinars, and interact through the use of live chat functions, so you can get all the perks of an in-person tradeshow without having to leave the house.

Social Media Platforms

Don’t underestimate the power of social media as a tool for marketing, advertising, and increasing your client base. Some of the benefits of social media for business are that it is cost-effective, reaches a wide audience, and allows you to check out analytics and post insights to see exactly how successful your posts have been.

IT Systems

For a more behind-the-scenes use of technology and the internet, IT systems and consultants can help in many ways. They can recommend products and software that would work for you and your business goals, implement new systems or update your old ones. Furthermore, investing in IT consultancy can help save you time and money in the long run, increase productivity, and leave you free to focus on your business’s other elements.

Website

Having a high-quality website is incredibly important, not only for your users but also to help boost you up the list of search engine results. Make sure that your website is easy to use, the links are all working, and that the pages are in the correct place. You can also link your social media to your site and vice versa to ensure that people know how to find you and easily navigate between your different platforms and sites.

SEO

A well-designed website is just one of the techniques used in SEO (search engine optimization). This is the process of increasing organic traffic to your website by making sure that your site appears high up in the list of search results. This can also be achieved through good-quality copy that is rich in keywords, among many other SEO techniques. The majority of internet searchers do not look past the first page of results, so it is important to take SEO seriously to ensure that customers can easily find you when they are looking online.

How to Boost Brand Awareness for Your Business

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Brand Awareness|How to Boost Brand Awareness for Your BusinessLaunching a business is never a simple task, but building your company and taking its success to the next level can be even more of a challenge. Attracting new customers and increasing sales is vital to expand your business and to ensure you achieve sustainable long term growth. But, understanding exactly how to get your brand out there and let everyone know about your products can be difficult. Boosting brand awareness can play a significant role in growing your business’s success and ensuring that it gets noticed by your target audience. In this article, you will discover how you can boost your brand awareness and reach your target audience effectively.

Keep Your Branding Consistent

To build brand awareness, your brand needs to be easy to identify and stand out from competing brands. The more consistent your branding is, the simpler it will be for your target audience to recognize it. Having a recognizable brand ensures that your products become familiar to your customers.

When you build your brand, you need to ensure consistency in every area, from your corporate colors to your logo’s positioning. Writing brand guidelines will help you to ensure that everyone in your organization knows how to use your branding consistently to ensure that your business is always represented correctly.

Start With Your Website

Almost all businesses have a website, but not every company uses its website effectively. Your website is often the first point of contact a customer will make with your business and creates their first impression of your brand. To ensure that you create a positive first impression of your business that leaves your potential customers wanting to know more, you need your website to encapsulate the essence of your brand. The appearance and feel of your website should be perfectly aligned with your brand’s personality, as this will ensure it is easily recognizable for website visitors. Having an attractive website that features plenty of engaging content will make it far more likely that website visitors will become customers.

Spread the Word

Having a fantastic product and an amazing brand is excellent, but you will need to let everyone know about it to help you achieve success in your business. Setting up social media pages and posting on them regularly is essential. Don’t forget to use your brand personality throughout your social media posts to keep your messages consistent.

Social media is a fantastic place to start when promoting your business and offers many opportunities to engage with audiences across the world. But, taking a multi-channel approach is the most effective way to develop the highest level of brand awareness and to boost your business above competing brands. Working with TV advertising services to build a campaign designed to maximize reach and build awareness of your brand is sure to get your brand noticed by a far wider audience. Advertising on this scale should translate into a boost in sales and healthy return on your investment, as well as increased awareness of your brand.

We Need To Talk About What It Takes To Ensure Your Website Is A Success

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StrategyDriven Online Marketing and Website Development Article |Website Design|We Need To Talk About What It Takes To Ensure Your Website Is A SuccessYou’ve created a business and you’ve built a website for said business; maybe this was recently or perhaps it was years ago, but you’ve realised that your website just isn’t doing what it’s supposed to. It’s not ranking well in search engines and it’s visibility is shot, and then there’s the fact that you’re barely converting any leads. What’s going on and why is your website failing to do its job?

If you find yourself in this situation, the most important thing is not to panic – yes it’s frustrating that your website isn’t doing what it’s meant to do, but there are lots of simple ways to remedy this. Believe it or not, fixing a poorly running website is easier than you think, it’s just a case of knowing what to concentrate on, and where to focus your time, money and effort.

Bearing that in mind, below are a few tips and suggestions for the ways in which you can ensure that your website is a success. For everything that you need to know, have a read of this.

Start with an audit

Not sure what’s going on with your website? The best thing that you can do is to start out with a website audit. There are tools online that you can use to do your own website audit, or you can opt to outsource the task to a specialist. How you go about this is up to you, what’s important is that you’re able to gain the visibility that you need to understand where the fundamental issues lay within your website, thus allowing you to fix these issues.

Upgrade and enhance your SEO strategy

A key aspect of improving how your website ranks in search engines like Google is SEO, and if your site’s SEO isn’t working effectively this means that your site won’t rank highly in search engines. This is extremely problematic as research shows that as a rule of thumb, internet users tend to navigate towards the top few sites listed in search engines, rather than navigating further down the page, so you need your site to be ranked in the first few sites within the search engine. Working with SEO specialists, like Smoothstack, can help to make increasing how well your site ranks in search engines a little easier.

Focus on your content

Remember, content is only king when that content adds value. It’s all well and good churning out website content, from on-page content to blog content, but if that content doesn’t offer value to your audience, then it holds no value. The key to creating high value content is to think about the kinds of information that will be valuable to your audience, as well as ensuring that all content is interesting, insightful and relevant. Not sure how to create content that adds value? Work with a content specialist to learn more about achieving content success.

There you have it, everything that you need to know about helping to ensure that your website is as successful as possible and ranks well in search engines.