Inbound marketing means making the potential customers come to you. Here are some website design tips for small business to ensure your website is getting the traffic it deserves and your brand is getting the attention it needs.
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Website Design Rules #1: SEO
According to Comscore, internet users in the USA conduct an average of 12 billion searches per month. Additionally, Search Engine Watch reports that 50% of all mobile searches are performed in order to find local results, and that, furthermore, 61% of those searches result in a purchase. And if those numbers aren’t enough to convince you that SEO needs to be on your marketing radar, keep in mind that searchers still heavily favor organic search results, as well as results on the first page, with Search Engine Land reporting that 70-80% of users completely ignore paid ads and Business2Community’s investigation showing that 60% of all organic clicks go to the organic top 3 results. One of the most important website design tips for small business is that search engines aren’t going away and time soon and that means neither can the SEO strategy in your company’s web development process.
Website Design Tips for Small Business Rule #2: Content Marketing
If you’re new to the content marketing game, never fear, the rationale behind it is quite simple and intuitive. Content marketing consists of the production and distribution of media content with the express purpose of attracting and retaining customers. Whether it is website design reviews, testimonials, blog posts, video, or even a podcast, this material is posted by your company and made highly specific so as to better target potential buyers.
Top Website Design Tips for Small Business Marketing
Currently, informational blogging represents one of the most widely used and lucrative forms of content marketing. LeadUp reports that when sources of online information are ranked in terms of accuracy and trustworthiness, blogs come in at fifth, making them a very valuable mechanism for establishing brand loyalty. If you’re a small business looking for a new website, then part of the website design requirements gathering process is to find out if you wish to include blog integration into your design. Additionally, development agencies such as Bullseye Marketing Consultants will offer website design tips for small business. For example, providing guidance on a content management and creation strategy is one of the key factors that companies over look when preparing for the website design services cost. LeadUp also reports that B2B marketers whose websites maintain active blogs get 67% more leads than those without. As a top marketer, you should definitely consider it worth investing your company’s time and money to get quality content as the ROI tends to be quite high for relevant, compelling material.
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Website Design Rules and Trends
As a top marketer, it’s essential that you keep up with the latest trends in the ever-changing world of technology. Mobile internet use is only growing and quite clearly here to stay, as are three other important tech trends, discussed briefly below: wearable devices, video advertising, and crowd source funding. Some basic knowledge of these topics will definitely help step up your online marketing game. Take note of these topics is they may prove useful in your website design requirements gathering process.
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Mobile-Friendly Focus
As of April 2015, 64% of American adults own a Smartphone according to the Pew Research Center, and eMarketer forecasts that by 2019 a whopping three quarters of digital ad spending industry-wide will be mobile. To be at top of your marketing game, all of the media content and sleek design you and your team slave over must also be compatible with, if not actively taking advantage of, mobile platforms. Making sure that all of your bright beautiful videos and attention grabbing banner adds are compatible with smaller screens and are sensitive to touch engagements will give your potential customers smooth and consistent interactions with your brand, which is exactly what you need to be working towards in order to more effectively drive conversions and sales. So be certain that you’re leaving time and money for mobile development in your overall web development process. Understanding this essentially understands the ultimate website design tips for small business. Bottom line is that you need to be ready to do everything in a mobile-centric way.
Back To The Future: Wearable Tech?
Wearable technology is a growing industry and it shows no current signs of dwindling. A report from Business Insider estimates that the global market for wearable’s will grow at a compound annual rate of 35% over the next five years, with up to 148 million units sold annually in 2019, which is seriously up from where we are now at 33 million. The smart watch is expected to lead and rise by a compound annual rate of 41% over that same five year period. They are also predicted to make up 59% of total wearable device shipments this year, expanding to an anticipated 70% by 2019. As wearable tech is more heavily adopted, it will become increasingly crucial to customize content for these new platforms with their smaller, differently proportioned screens. As with all new trends, treading cautiously in terms of investment may be wise. However, there is significant benefit to early integration as well and there is certainly money to be made including this new channel in your current web development process and marketing strategy.
YouTube Stars & Video Ads
According to Cisco, video is only on the rise and will account for nearly 80% of all internet traffic by 2018. More than just making up a significant portion of the web’s traffic, however, video content is also excellent at holding its viewers’ attention, making it a crucial component of the modern marketer’s advertising toolbox. According to Marketo, landing pages with videos see 80% more conversions, leads who watch videos as part of their conversion path cost an average of 20% less, and emails with videos have 2-3 times higher click-through rates. If you’ve been anxiously waiting at the sidelines when it comes to video marketing, don’t sit back any longer. As a digital marketer, now is the time to familiarize yourself with video advertising’s power. High quality video marketing strategies are essential to a modern and effective web development process. When analyzing website design services pricing, you should also examine the costs of a video creation and marketing platform solution.
Crowdsourcing: The Next Wave of Financing
Crowdsourcing has a ton of money-making potential and may very well be worth incorporating into your company’s marketing strategy, especially if you’re willing to get creative. As you look into the overall cost of website design services pricing, look into crowd sourcing in getting your next project development. One website design tips for small business is to use services such as Bullseye Marketing Consultants to deliver a custom development once you obtain your funding.
Of course it is the case that you can use crowdsourcing for starter capital on a new product, but you can also crowd source advertising, your website design, or even your marketing strategy and creative ad graphics. One way is by allowing users of your product to upload pictures of themselves interacting with your brand to your website. Or, you could even crowd source the testing and bug-checking periods in app development by releasing beta-versions and having early adapters fill out problem reports. You can also use crowdsourcing to establish a support base long before a product is ready to be manufactured or released, which appeals heavily to outside investors. With a little creativity, crowdsourcing could represent the next big opportunity for your company.