Your 9-step Website Redesign Checklist
9 things to consider before a website redesign
Everyone’s guilty pleasure is a good home improvement show. These hosts always know precisely how to create the best home using all the space available and transform a shabby home into a posh luxurious one. These same principles also apply to redesign your website to integrate modern trends, improve the user experience, and get the most that you can out of your business. Site redesigns do not include only cosmetic changes, but also many other functionality modifications.
As a Los Angeles digital marketing agency, we understand how daunting all of this may sound. So our team has compiled a small website redesign checklist of steps to help you achieve the perfect and most effective redesign. Of course, your website is one of your digital marketing campaigns’ key aspects, so you should make sure that it is continuously up to par. Read on for our easy steps on how to redesign and get the most out of your website.
#1. Review your current site with a microscope: What works and what doesn’t?
Before you take out your sledgehammer and plan to change everything on your site, take a good look around. You can’t know what to change if you haven’t understood what doesn’t work on your old site. Actually, this is one of the most overlooked steps in our website redesign checklist and is a common mistake. Carefully re-examine everything. A redesign is not something that you often do, so take this one chance to do it right. Look into your site analytics and try to figure out which pages are most often visited. Also, look at where the site visitors come from and where they continue to. This will help you figure out where your weak content is, and this will be where you will need to concentrate your redesign efforts. The pages that generate most traffic should only be further optimized.
Aside from looking at the details of your current content and design components, this redesign will also be a chance to measure the effectiveness of the usability and performance features of your website. Are you happy with all the features on your sites, or do you want to add something new? Is your host delivering the speed, security, and support that you need, or do you want to go back on the market for a new one? Always set aside a significant amount of time to analyze all the details of your old website before you move onto redesigning it. This will help make the whole process easier, and you will avoid making the same mistakes again.
#2. Find inspiration but also try to save time: Which tools are going to help you succeed more quickly?
As you start to move on to the next step of our website redesign checklist, we have to give you a small warning. It is very common to get sidetracked and waste time in this process. Many designers and developers get distracted and spend loads of time on the design aspect of a website. It is enjoyable to spend hours picking color palettes, fonts, and design features. The options for these are limitless, and that is exactly where the problem lies.
Try to set aside this need to toy around with colors and features and focus on some site builder options. There are multiple website builders available online to help beginners build a website on their own. Many of these builders now have powerful tools that help business owners create a one-of-a-kind website in a very short amount of time. Of course, this would mean you choose less of the detailed options in building a website, but you will be saving a significantly large amount of time that could be spent on other tasks. An example of a website builder is WordPress. By using their site, you will be able to create a website in a few minutes, without having to waste loads of time on special details. Why would you want to spend so much time slaving away at a website when someone else can just do all the heavy lifting for you.
#3. Look past colors and fonts: How can you prioritize your content?
With so many options for new designs, it can be easy to get overwhelmed or carried away by all the imagery and visual elements. For a successful website redesign, you need all your online presence aspects to be improved. You wouldn’t focus on the color of your rug if there was a giant hole in the roof.
If your online presence is a house, then your content is the framing around which everything else is leaning on. The layouts, fonts, images, and colors should be all focused on showcasing the strengths of your brand’s message. Observe analytics to figure out which articles and pages resonate with your customers and look for the posts which didn’t do as well as you expected them to.
Instead of using up text to brag about the history and the achievements of your company, showcase how your brand is essential for a customer. Try to describe how your services or products can help customers achieve a goal or solve a problem. Focus your writing on your audience and not yourself. No one will use a website that is salesy and robotic.
Also, try to have content everywhere and not only on your homepage or information section. Blog posts are a great way to inform potential customers about new ideas and practices. These blog posts can also include ways your brand will benefit customers.
#4. Concentrate on user experience: How should you optimize for conversions?
Just as your content strategy should be focused around visitors, the same way your fresh website must make it clear to the visitors where they should click. Show them where they can find the information and services they need. Do not choose your layouts and themes only on what looks good and what appeals to your eye. Remember, your website is not for you and should not be tailored to you. If your website doesn’t lead your visitors to where they want to go, then it becomes a business liability when it should be a way to grow.
Use analytics to figure out how your customers find you, where they go and how they make a purchase on your website. Do not focus on working on the “fun” parts of a redesign. Start by working on the basic functionality of your site. This is a highly important step in our website redesign checklist. A positive website experience will make visitors more likely to become customers and brand supporters. These people will also recommend your services to their friends and other potential customers.
#5. Think of a plan and start working: What do you need to meet your goals?
Now you have a general idea of your website and how a redesign is going to help users reach certain goals. The next step in your web redesign checklist is to write these ideas down. Take note of your current strengths and weaknesses, along with details on how a redesign is going to solve your past problems. Make sure to realize which parts of your old site you will keep, what new components you need to create, and what content can be optimized. Since your content needs to be customer-based, you must also make sure you define your target audience.
Create personalities by figuring out what they are looking for, what stands in their way, and how your company can help them. Along with defining your goals, you should also formalize deadlines and realize when things need to be done. Keep coming back to your plan to make sure you are on track and aren’t distracted.
#6. Preview your website on various devices and browsers: Are you covering all users?
Once you complete all the previous steps of our website redesign checklist, it is time to check on the user experience yet again. Today, there are so many devices being used to access your website. Not everyone is going to be looking at your website in the same dimensions, browsers, screen sizes, and devices. So, you must make your website accessible and comfortable for users from various devices.
First, start by checking your analytics to find out what browsers your customers are using. Open and test your website on all versions of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer. You can also check out other browsers such as Opera, Edge, and even the Yandex browser. Make sure you are covering everything viewers may use.
You must also check out what your site looks like on mobile devices. Responsive web design is very popular right now, and this technique makes websites compatible with all devices and browsers. In fact, once you invest in responsive web design, your website will adjust to different dimensions and screen sizes on its own.
#7. Make your work clear and visible: How can you reach a wider audience with keywords?
Next, you must make sure that all your new layouts and visuals go to waste. More than the majority of your traffic is going to come from visitors who clicked on a link from a search. Search engines are the entryways to your audience, and your content and site should be compatible with this.
SEO or Search engine optimization is the right way to go when it comes to online marketing. Start by writing a list of the topics you think matches your brand. It should include your products, the subjects you write about, and your expertise. Think of keyword phrases for each topic, and try to figure out how users would type these out to find you.
Don’t be afraid to dive deep and get really specific. Long-tail keywords will be searched less but will be helpful in the long run. Viewers will surely be grateful to have found your resources and are more likely to become clients. Generic keywords are more competitive, and more established brands usually end up getting clicked on.
#8. Improve your technical SEO: Why should server speed and security matter?
SEOs must extend beyond your content, page titles, alt tags, and headings. Technical SEO is the behind-the-scenes elements that contribute to search engine crawlers. These are who are going to scan your site to understand the relevancy and trustworthiness of your site. One of the most important technical SEO components is your site speed.
Longer page loading can significantly affect traffic and sales, and it can also impact your position in search results. Try to keep your templates and layouts of your website as lean as possible. Don’t overwhelm your site by adding extra plugins, widgets, and features.
Mobile-friendliness also plays a large role in search performance, especially when it comes to location-based searches. A user-friendly site sitemap is vital, which is the security of the HTTPS protocol.
#9. Test your design: What should you do better next time for website redesign?
Once you launch your new design, promote it as best you can. Spread announcements through press releases, emails, social media posts, and other methods.
Just as analytics were important in the past steps of the website redesign checklist, they will also play an important role going forward. These will help you measure your success and show you what areas need improvement. Abandoning analytics is often the reason for a redesign in the first place. A redesign does not mean the end of your efforts. Keep your future goals in mind, along with a list of features you want to implement in the future. This is going to help you with your next redesign.
Now that you have your complete website redesign checklist keep your path in mind and get moving!
If you need help on this journey to a website redesign, then you are in luck. An experienced digital marketing agency such as Mirdon Production can help you with all the steps of the way. Let our team prove your design and functionality for a site that is going to get you the results you want.
How To Choose The Best Web Design Company
Consumer behavior has been changing majorly over time to adjust to the evolving technologies of this digital area. You would never see anyone use yellow pages today when they can simply search for the phone number they need. Today, the majority of people search for answers online and contact businesses by the details found on websites. 97% of all people have searched online to find a local business that is near their place. This means if you want a successful online marketing campaign, you are going to need a solid online presence. As a popular Los Angeles digital marketing agency, we are here to help you understand why your company needs a website and how to pick the right web design company.
#1: Your customers are going to expect it
In today’s digital age, everyone expects to find all the information they need online. This means they are also going to be expecting your company to have its own website. Currently, it is not normal for a person to be unable to find a website for their desired company. Your website is going to help you increase brand recall value, which will generate lots of business. With a website, you will also have the opportunity to deliver strong marketing messages and publish your promotions to a wider audience. Your website is essentially going to deliver your marketing message 24 hours, 365 days a year. The website must be information-oriented and must include anything you think a client is going to be searching for.
#2: Offers social proof
Customers are largely impacted by what other people are saying about your business. But, even if you have amazing reviews on FourSquare or Yelp, people want to see a professional website. Many specific questions can be answered on a website, while these answers will not be found on review sites. Try to integrate these reviews into your website, so people can see good testimonials while also finding other information they need.
#3. Controls the narrative
While there is no way to keep under control the things people say about you, you can influence people by what you place on your website. This is a platform where you will be able to showcase everything about your company. A website is great for marketing, even better than printing ads or mail brochures. You will be able to spread your message, vision, and mission. According to many studies, there are around 5.6 billion searches on Google every day and 63,000 searches per second on any day. There are definitely a few people in this number who are looking for a service or a product that you offer. If you do not have a website, these people are going to go to the competitor that does have a website.
#4: ROI
Just as mentioned in the point before, thousands of people are searching for something online. It is important that the website you create is search engine optimized. This will let your website be shown to thousands of potential consumers without spending a lot of money. It will also help you reach a large target audience to help promote your service. The content of your website will influence buying decisions and transactions, no matter which industry you are in.
#5: Company credibility
If you want potential long-time clients to take your business seriously, then you must invest in a professional website. More than 50% of smartphone users say they discover a new company while searching for something on their phone, not having a website can ruin your credibility and make you lose potential customers. Many online users judge a company’s credibility according to their website design, so it is time you step up your game. In the end, people are most likely to interact with the company that looks more trustworthy and credible.
#6: More conversations
#7: Compete with others
Keeping up with the competition is key in online marketing. In fact, having a great website even gives you a fair chance when competing with industry giants. When you set up an optimized website, it may rank higher and be at the right place for potential customers. The correct keywords and visually effective design will increase your website traffic and influence your consumers who come from search. Having a high spot in the search results page is a great way to challenge your industry Goliaths. If you set up a great website, your customers will not have a reason to contact the competition.
#8: Social media irrelevance
#9: Expand your working hours
When you have a website, you are making content available to everyone at any time during the day. When they view this information depends on their convenience. So no matter when a customer visits your website, you are somehow always interacting with them. This basically means your business is always open, at all times of the day. Always being accessible will support your online marketing and will increase sales significantly, especially for e-commerce companies. When you have effective customer service available on your website, this is only going to attract more customers.
#10. Show off your offers
Always remember that your website is the very first interaction your target audience has with your brand. What impression you leave on a customer is totally up to you and your website design. Try to showcase your offers and services on your website, but in a way that is subtle. You can also highlight some of your testimonials and awards. Show off your best features that will attract new customers. The more interesting information there is on your site, the more time people will spend on it.
Web Design
#1 Be proactive about your requirements
A customer takes less than a second to form an opinion about your business from your website. This means your website must visually be up to par so that it catches a potential customer’s eye. So, before you choose a web design company, you must have a general idea of how your website will look and what functions it will have.
Maybe you need to create leads for your business or integrate some sort of relationship management software. Are you going to add a payment option or a contact form? Will you require a high level of security?
As the business owner, you need to go into this step with a picture painted in your head of how you want your website to look. Remember, this is going to be a large part of your online presence, so you want to hire a motivated team to help.
But, this does not mean you must do it all alone. Ask the designers on your hired team what they expect the website to look like, and what they would recommend adding or removing. If a company completely agrees with what you say, then you must also beware. Chances are, they only want your money and aren’t interested in creating an impressive website.
#2 Ask for a portfolio
#3 Place emphasis on user experience
User experience is key for a successful online marketing experience. Even if you create a good first impression, you must be able to make your customers stick around.
The overall design of a website includes more than just structure and functionality. There must also be a real substance that appeals to the visitor, and this is what will turn a viewer into a customer. When choosing a web design company, look out for the level of content they usually produce.
You can observe the quality of the company by looking at how deep they dig in your niche and the amount of industry research they have done before meeting you and how much they plan to do for your specific target audience. Try to stay away from companies that prioritize aesthetics over content. The appearance of a website will attract a customer, but the content is what is going to make them stay.
#4 Assess their technical abilities
Of course, it is very important that a company is at the top of their game. Web design requires constant development and usage of modern techniques, as the digital arena is always changing. The company you choose must be flexible and willing to adjust to new digital environments.
#5 Ask about responsive web design
In 2020, responsive web design is a must for all modern websites. Due to the number of devices used to access the internet, your website must be able to adjust to all browsers and dimensions. In fact, about more than half of global internet use is done by mobile phones, so responsive web design is necessary for the survival of your website.
#6 Ask about ongoing maintenance and optimization
Creating a website is difficult, but a lot of effort is also required for maintaining and optimizing it. Try to look for a long time team, who is willing to help you every step of the way. A good team will be motivated and invested in the success of your company and will help your website adjust to the ever-changing online market.
Finding your perfect web design company isn’t going to be quick or easy, but it will surely be worth the wait. Keep these helpful tips in mind when you are searching for a web design services and find a team that will help you create a website that looks great and works great.
Responsive Web Design – What It Is And How To Use It
In this day and age, there are a lot of devices that people use to access the web. Right now, it is very important to design a digital experience that is both visually appealing but is also compatible with many devices, systems, and browsers. As a popular Los Angeles digital marketing agency, we have seen how a bad website design can ruin a great company’s reputation. It is also understandable that when you cater to audiences across many devices, you are expanding your business even more. More device compatibility means a larger audience, better SEO, and successful marketing. For this purpose, responsive web design has been designed and is widely used today. If you aren’t using responsive web design, then you are behind your competitors, and you are missing out on a potential opportunity. Moving to responsive web design may seem daunting at first, but it is an essential step for successful online marketing. If you know exactly what you are planning to do, then making this jump can be easier than it seems. Our team has a lot of experience in this field, and we are here to help you figure out what responsive web design is and why you need to use it.
What is Responsive Web Design ?
Before you can start using responsive web design, you must first understand what it is.
Web Design
The market for gadgets and tools is only growing larger. To make up for this growth, web designers must be able to keep up. They must keep many new versions of websites that will be compatible with new screens and browsers. But, as you can understand, this is a very tiring and difficult process. It put extreme pressure on developers to create many custom-made products for each new device and type of user. This is right where responsive web design steps in. It is basically the solution to most problems that this extreme amount of customization created. It is a web development method that creates a flexible design that will be able to adapt on its to multiple platforms, screens, and orientations. This means the system will work whether the site is opened on a mobile phone or a large TV screen. The core idea of responsive web design is to have a single website that will work on multiple devices. The creation of responsive web design involves using cascading style sheets (CSS), and many other technologies. These lead to the creation of designs that have flexible layouts and can expand and shrink without impacting the usability of the website. For example, if one user switches from a Mac laptop to an Android phone, the site automatically adapts and adjusts to the different resolution and browser dimensions. In addition to this, responsive web design also creates adaptive web products that strive to recognize user preferences and previous settings. In fact, many people agree that responsive web design led to a complete revolution in digital design. Many websites developed and became more modern, requiring less effort and time for customization. Outdated versions of HTML were very restrictive and inadequate to fully adapt to a new digital world. Of course, these set up the path for the development of newer projects, but they are now only a part of history.
The Requirements
For successful, responsive web design, you are going to need these four tools in your toolbox.
Adjusting to different screens
Today, there are so many devices in use. When you walk around in the street, every single person is going to be using something different. Not to mention that some people also use multiple devices, depending on where they are. The more devices that are in use, the more varying screen resolutions, orientations, and color spectrums there are. This is why your website requires a responsive web design. It will allow your site to adjust to these different dimensions immediately. Most websites are tasked with fluidly adapting to transitions between mobile phones and desktop screens. Responsive web design utilizes fluid design strategies along with CSS to make the adjustment between small and large devices easier. This also applies to the transition between a landscape and portrait orientation on tablets and phones. The site must also maintain usability in both orientations. But, this step isn’t as simple as adjusting sizing. It should also involve adjusting functionality. Obviously, if you keep all options of a desktop and move them to a small phone screen, it would be burdened with all the options. But, you also want easy access to all options on a big screen. When responsive web design is used, all of these are taken into account. It will create the perfect website, which will be adaptable to both a tiny screen and a large screen. In short, functionality is also a must in this step.
Flexible pictures
When a user enters a site, the first thing that catches their eye is the images. This means it is important that image resolution isn’t too mangled. The maintenance of image resolution is always a headache for web designers everywhere. If the images on the site are optimized too small, then the low quality will be very obvious when viewed on a large screen. But if the image size and quality are way too large, then the website will function significantly slower. Both of these issues are going to impact the functionality of your website. Responsive web design utilizes creative CSS design elements, which will limit the use of images to make a beautiful layout on your website. These elements will also adapt images according to the screen resolution being used on the device. Both these processes will occur without affecting the loading time of your website.
Usability
Technology has significantly adapted today and is only getting more modern. This means that a good website must have usability, so it must be able to adapt to the capabilities of any device being used. When this is designed, many factors must be kept in mind. For example, the website will be accessed using both a touchscreen and a mouse. This means you must not assume that touchscreen users will always be people using mobile phones. Many desktop monitors are using touchscreen technology, meaning your website must be flexible enough to adapt to this format. Responsive website design understands the interface while also maintaining usability as much as possible. Usability must always also include accessibility. For example, users with bad sight or elders will be unable to read small text on small screens. Not all of your users will be able to see or hear. Usability takes into account the difficulties of your audience members and will try to give them the best experience while they consume the media on your site.
Compatibility
Browser and device incompatibility with web technologies have improved significantly over time. Now, developers can easily rely on different browsers and operating systems that read code in similar techniques. But, this does not mean the problem is solved all the way. Incompatibility between preferences, systems, and settings is still a big challenge for developers everywhere. It is ensuring that your websites will work on different operating systems and browsers are essential to reaching a wide audience. The more devices your website works on, the more people you are going to reach.
A responsive website is basically a way to change the layout of your website according to what device it is being viewed on. This design must include elements such as readable text that doesn’t require zoom, adequate space for tapping, and no horizontal scrolling. Now that you know what a responsive web design really is, it is time to move on to the reasons why it is a requirement for your website.
Benefits of Responsive Design
The Experience
Tracking
Time and Cost
This may be stating an obvious fact, but most people do not realize how much time and cost they will be saving. With a website that adapts on its own, there will be no need for constant site content management. This means you will be hiring fewer people to monitor your website, and saving a lot of money on this. The time you would use to customize a website to each version of software and browser can be used on other much more important tasks.
Competition
With a responsive web design, you are sure to be staying ahead of the competition. In fact, about half of Fortune 500 companies are not even mobile-ready currently. A client on their smartphone who needs information fast will obviously prefer the company with a great mobile website. A good website on multiple browsers, screens, and platforms signifies a professional company that knows what they are doing. One easy step and you will be miles ahead of your competition.
Now, you can clearly tell that we are in a new era of digital design. With the increased usage and functionality of all types of devices and the availability of them on the market, websites must also be able to keep up. Your website must be flexible, fluid, and compatible. As you can see, using a responsive web design is currently the best choice. Not only is it going to give your site a sleek look and functionality, but it will also put you ahead of all your competitors in the market right now. There really is no reason not to implement this web design method. If your team is not very up to date with these techniques or if you are considering selecting a new web design partner, then make sure you are choosing a team that is professional and experienced in this specific field of responsive web design and its implications!
10 Digital Marketing Ideas to Consider During the Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Since the Coronavirus pandemic began in the world, people face a lot of challenges. Unfortunately, the disease takes away a lot of lives. And in many countries, the numbers are very high. Many businesses are struggling with the loss of customers, and some of these businesses are closing. Although there are businesses that are doing great during a pandemic, such as pharmacies, the hospitality industry was hit the hardests and is in one of the worst positions. Restaurants and cafes have been empty for a couple of months, which is a massive loss. Although cafes are already operating anyway, it will take some time for them to recover from all the damages.
In such situations, the business should consider different strategies in order to survive hard times. Each company should be flexible enough to be able to come up with new and creative solutions. Online marketing is one of the critical parts that every business should pay attention to. People spend most of their time at home and use the internet all the time. So you should transfer your business to an online platform. Los Angeles, digital marketing agencies are working day and night to have the right strategies for your business during COVID-19.
Why is Digital Marketing Important During Coronavirus?
Coronavirus has changed almost everyone’s life in the world. Businesses who built their company through years and with a great struggle are now closing. If you want to survive, this means you need to be present online. There are industries that are entirely dying. For example, the future of travel agents is very uncertain. But other aspects can survive if they work hard and get creative. For example, if you have a cafe or restaurant, then you can start to develop your social media accounts. So you can show the restaurant’s foods on your page and offer delivery services. People stay at home most of the time, and they may want to eat restaurants’ food. So as a CEO, you should take steps and immediately. And one of the first steps is to take your business to an online platform. Below you will find ten digital marketing ideas to consider during Coronavirus.
1. Connect with Your Customers Through Social Media Platforms
Because we spend most of our time at home, as a result, we spend more time on social media platforms. The negative information and news are too much on the internet, and people need some positivity. And in addition to this, there are people who are in a terrible situation because of the pandemic. Some lost their jobs; others are fighting for their life and the life of their loved ones. You can use this time and try to connect with your customers on a deeper level. People need more empathy nowadays, so they will appreciate it if your company shows compassion to them. For example, you can execute different campaigns that may help people who are ill with Coronavirus. Or you can connect with various businesses and help with food for the ones who need it. Then you can talk about your steps on your social media accounts. Your customers will pay attention to your actions and perceive you as an optimistic company.
2. Make Sure that People Can Find Your Business Online
Most probably, you have already understood the importance of social media platforms. Los Angeles marketing agencies are professionals who promote social media accounts. Their main job is to help your business have a strong position on online platforms. Most of the professionals have a huge amount of knowledge and information, and they learn every day. Each company has a professional who knows everything about SEO. Believe us, SEO is what you may need right now. It will help you to make your company visible and so that your potential customers can find you easily. We understand that you may not have time to explore everything connected with SEO. So we highly recommend you to not do online marketing alone and contact Los Angeles marketing agencies.
3. Start to Use Pay-Per-Click Advertising
Of course, during Coronavirus, every business needs to spend more wisely because the sales are decreasing. Pay-Per-Click marketing will help you to spend less on your advertising and get a better result. So we highly recommend you to examine PPC marketing and try to gain the most out of it. You can learn more about Pay-Per-Click marketing by clicking the mentioned link.
4. Be One Step Ahead of Your Competitors
In the case of the proper implementation of SEO, you will notice an increase in the traffic of your website. This will help you to win the competition. When customers search keywords connected with your business, your page will be the first one to pop up. Hence the consumers will prefer your product over others’. It takes time to be on top of the Google search results, and of course, a lot of knowledge. This is a significant part of online marketing, which needs to be carefully examined.
Not implementing SEO strategies for your business will be one of the biggest mistakes. You will lose customers because people will not be able to find you. Hence your revenue will decrease, and you will have a decline in sales. This is a critical aspect of every business, so you should hire people who will take care of SEO. Or cooperate with Los Angeles marketing agencies, which are professionals, and know everything about it.
5. Prepare Your Business for Better Times After Coronavirus
We should be positive and believe that after some time, the world will come back to an everyday life. This means that consumers will start to spend normally, and they will go back to their old habits. You should keep in mind that SEO and online marketing strategies are for a very long time. And the results that they give are long term. So all the strategies that you implement during Coronavirus will prepare your business’s strong position during better times. This means that after Coronavirus, you should not stop your campaigns. You should use this time to learn the most about online marketing, then continue implementing strategies. Los Angeles marketing agencies will help you to make a strategy for your desired period of time. To continue implementing all the online marketing strategies even after the Coronavirus.
6. Try to Provide Special Offers to Your Customers
CEOs of companies need to be very flexible and think creatively during such kinds of difficult times. During such uncertain times, you can provide special offers to your customers. This way, you will show your support to them, and they will feel that you understand their situation and want to make their lives better during hard times. For example, you can offer special discounts or different giveaways. This will not only make your revenue increase but also you will make a good connection with your customers. Many people who stay at home are all the time on the internet, and they are looking for discounts. They want to shop because they have a lot of spare time. But also they want to save money, so discounts are a great way to do so. Moreover, this is a great way to have more or less steady revenue.
7. Develop Your Local SEO
As people are staying at home, boosting local SEO is critical for your company. People are not traveling, and the movement is minimized. So they want to find convenience and find shops which are in the city and near to them. People will mostly do “near me” searches, so you need to boost your local SEO for them to easily find your website. If your business is near to customers, then they will prefer it over the competitors.
Also, don’t forget about reviews and, most importantly, positive ones. It is critical to keep your online reputation to high levels. This is important because people are reading reviews before buying something. If you provide great products and services to your target customers, then most probably people will leave a good review for your company. So work on the quality and develop your online marketing, and good reviews will come very fast.
8. Be Ready to Be Flexible and Tell Your Customers About Changes
As the situation in the world is fluid, this means that your business should be ready to be flexible and be ready for changes. This is a perfect time to explore new aspects and things. And maybe you will find something new which may open new doors for you. For example, if you are in a restaurant business, then you should consider having a delivery service. Restaurants are closed during Coronavirus, so you will have a lot of losses and a decrease in revenue. So you should have a great system of delivery service, and market it so that people want to use your service. And your customers will want to order your restaurant’s food
Another example is the gyms. All the gyms are closed, but there are different options to not lose customers and have a source of revenue. For instance, you can offer online workouts and get creative with new offers. So as you can notice, hard times can help you to find new aspects and eventually gain from the situations.
9. Don’t Panic and Get The Most Out of the Situation.
Remember to keep the situation under control and try not to panic. Every hard situation has a solution, so this means that if you work hard, then you will exit the situation in the best way. That is why you need to have a strong online marketing strategy. As a result, when others panic, you will be one step ahead from them and implement the strategy from the beginning to the end. You should not make a panic move, and you should just implement smart strategies. Panic never ends well, and it is the main reason why most businesses fail during hard situations. There are many examples when businesses don’t have enough competency to survive during different hard situations. That is why, during good times, you should collect resources in order to end well during bad times.
10. Complete Everything Connected With Your Online Marketing Strategy
This is a great time to finish everything which you couldn’t do for a long time because of the lack of time. Every business has things which seem not very important to do in the first place. During this time, you should pay a huge attention to it and finally finish everything on your to-do list. For example, if you were planning to create a website for a long time, now it is time to finally do it. As you may already know, websites are very important for sales, so it is time to finally create a dream website for your business. Or, if you already have a website, it may be the time to give a fresh look to it.
Another important aspect is that this is a perfect time to learn something new and improve your skills. As a CEO, you may always be full of tasks and not have enough time to dedicate it to your self-improvement. Try to use this time for your own good and learn something important. It is very important because every CEO should always learn new things. Otherwise, it will be hard for you to lead your team. So this is a great time to learn new skills.
Conclusion
It is not a secret that 2020 brought a lot of unexpected and difficult surprises. A lot of unpleasant things happened, which created difficult and harsh situations for many. The most essential thing is to stay strong and remember that everything will pass soon. Such times help us to value good times and work harder. Implement online marketing strategies and try to make smart moves in order to win in such hard times. Eventually, you will have a strong position and be ready for any kind of situation which happens.
7 Signs Your Website Needs an Update: Digital Marketing
Websites are essentially your face on the internet. It is the first thing that people will find when they search your name, and it will either have them hooked or put them off. It is a marketing tool that should help you gain more business and clients, and should always be updated. Without a good website, your online marketing and advertising will be pointless. There are new features being released every day that you should take advantage of to make your site seem more professional. Here are some signs that you should update your website according to top marketing agencies in Los Angeles.
1. Your website doesn’t make a good first impression
“First impressions last.” When someone visits your website, you only have 3-4 seconds to make a good first impression. Usually, the attention span of a new customer is very short, so if they don’t stay during the first few seconds, most likely they are not going to come back. Even if your product or service is known to be the best, yet your website leaves a wrong first impression, a customer will prefer to go to the competitor. Try entering the headspace of a new website visitor and look at your website to see what it looks like. You can also try to ask friends and family what comes to mind first when they look at the homepage of your website.
2. Your website isn’t memorable
“Almost everyone will make a good first impression, but only a few will make a good lasting impression.” Once you got a good first impression, you must work towards keeping the customers interested in your website. Everyone around your area will most likely have the same type of site, so you must stand out and be memorable. A website with a fresh and new look can help you to create a good lasting impression. Nothing says “trendy, successful and professional” more than a well-made website with new features and updated content. In order to beat your competition and stay ahead of the game, you must give your clients and new visitors a reason to use your website and to talk about it later. Mix it up by using new colors, fonts, and new content.
Marketing agencies in Los Angeles always experiment with risky features and colors, so you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things. Nowadays everything is the same and people are tired of it and are always on the lookout, something that’s different. Take the time to recall some websites that have had a lasting impression on you, and try to figure out which features contributed to this good impression and incorporate something similar to your website.
3. Your website doesn’t reflect your brand
As a business owner, how you see yourself and your products and how the audience sees you is your brand. Finding and building your brand may sound complicated, but it isn’t very difficult. Firstly, you must discover how you see yourself and your company and then how others see you. Gather some information from friends and family by surveys or something similar to find out how others see you. Now, combine these two descriptions and voila you have your brand. It is essential that you portray your brand through your website as it is what people should notice and think of first. Your brand should include your objectives, morals, and goals, and those should somehow come across when someone views your website.
- You have undergone a rebranding
Of course, no one expects your brand to stay the same forever. Just as people change, so do companies, and their brands should change alongside them. A rebranding can mean new logo design, tagline, new colors, and fonts, or even a completely new brand guideline. Your website should be a big part of your online marketing strategy, so just as your brand changes, so should your website. It will seem unprofessional and highly off-putting if you have changed the whole “look” of your company, yet your website still reflects your old beliefs and designs. It will also confuse any newcomers who know of your new brand and try to look up more information about you.
4. Your website is outdated
This is the point that can really make or break the experience of a visitor on your website.
The saying “Old school is cool” shouldn’t be applicable to the functionality of your website. The internet, digital media, and online marketing are ever-evolving tools and go through many changes and shifts each year. The standards for websites customers have in their heads change alongside the development of new tools and technologies. The potential clients’ likes, dislikes, and preferences change just as fast, and what was trendy and popular, may become outdated tomorrow. If you want your website to be effective and bring in revenue, you need to become agile with your strategy and website. If your website was built 1-2 years ago or even later, then it is very likely very behind in terms of design and functionality. The code is probably outdated and is slowing down the loading speed. There may also be new browsers that have requirements that your website doesn’t meet, so it is incompatible with the newer websites clients are using. Just because the content is updated and fresh, does not necessarily mean the website is. Even if you feel sentimental and attached to your old website design, it is time to upgrade it to increase clients and revenue.
- Non-mobile-friendly websites
This is one of the gravest mistakes you can make as a company when it comes to a website. 50% of internet users use their mobile phones for access. Imagine if someone is walking down the street and notices your company name and wants to check it out while they’re on the bus. Or if a friend recommended your company in a text message, and the person doesn’t want to go get their laptop. So many potential customers will be lost if your website is not mobile-friendly. Even if you have top-notch design and content, if a website isn’t responsive on the phone, many customers will turn away from your company. Marketing agencies in Los Angeles have concluded that over 60% of all website traffic is conducted by mobile devices. Chances are most of your customers are in that 60% who want to access your website on their phone. You can be very sure that at some point, the rest of the customers will want to use your website on their phone too. It is also highly likely that the first interaction a potential customer will have with your website is on a mobile phone if they discover you through social media such as Instagram or Twitter. Mobile phone traffic isn’t going away anytime soon, and your website shouldn’t either. With may new website templates, you can choose to show or hide specific page blocks only on a mobile device, to optimize and engage the user more with your site. You will be surprised how many more customers you will attract with a fresh website with al the new features and a mobile-accessible option.
5. Ineffective Pathway
When a customer enters your page, there should be a logical pathway they follow. For effective website design, you will need an effective menu. This menu should be attractive to click on and should include all your pages. Aside from the menu, all your pages should encourage the customer to stay on your website and should lead them to the next page on your website. If your website includes a whole variety of content, a great tool to include on your site is a search bar. If a customer has come onto your website searching for something specific, they should be able to find it using the search bar. But as I mentioned above, you should also find a way to make them stay, with a “recommended” section or something similar to help them find other things you offer.
- “Call to Action” missing
If you’re wondering what a call-to-action is, then this is your first mistake. Everyone knows a website should have a contact me page, but most customers do not have time to look for it or to fill out their contact details. A call-to-action is simply a button or an area of your website that encourages action such as “sign-up now” or “get started today.” This is not just a button, or you can add randomly here and there. It must be placed strategically in order to keep the customer’s interest and offer them the opportunity to see more content and keep up with your website. You must never your potential customers wondering what their next step to see more content is. It must be subtle and intuitive but easy-to-find.
6. You have a high bounce rate
This is a very important factor for your website. If you have been spending time and money on an SEO and a marketing strategy, chances are you are successively bringing a lot of traffic to your website. But, right as they access the homepage of your website, the bounce right off, that means you have a big problem. You are losing clients and potential customers.
Your bounce rate defines the percentage of visitors to your website who exit the website after only viewing one page. A high bounce rate means that something you are doing is wrong; it has to do with either the content, the navigation, or the overall design of your website. Generally, a 40-60% bounce rate is considered to be normal, but this can vary according to the industry. You can check the bounce rate of your website using Google Analytics. Log in and then access the Acquisition >> Overview tab. Your end goal of a website should be to make your bounce rate as low as possible. Having a low bounce rate shows that visitors find your website to be worth their time. So, the lower your bounce rate is, the more opportunities there are to increase sales. Experiment with new designs, fonts, colors, and content. After some time, use an analytics site to see if the bounce rate has changed. If it has lowered, this means customers are liking this new look and stick around longer on your website. If the bounce rate has stayed the same or has gone higher, then try out other new features and designs to see if those will change the rate. The bounce rate of your website is one of the key clues into how your website is doing with customers, so take advantage of this and use it to its fullest potential. Many marketing agencies in Los Angeles would consider the bounce rate one of the most important tools in a website designer toolbox.
7. Your website is too slow: website update is needed
The target loading time of your website should be under 5 seconds. If you aren’t sure how fast your website loads, you can use tools like GTmetrix or Pingdom to check how long it takes for your site to open, along with which files are causing it to be slow. Remember to test everything, as it may be fast on Internet Explorer, but slow on Google Chrome. You must always keep in mind that you only have 4 seconds to make a good impression on a potential client. If 3 of those 4 seconds are spent on loading your website, then this will cause a big problem, because the visitor will exit your website before they even see the design you spent so much time on. Don’t miss out on opportunities by making a fresh design but having no one around to see it.
A few more words about website update.
If you went through this list and found it relatable to your website, then take this as a sign from the universe that you need to update it! Remember that your website, not a liability, and it is there to promote your work and help new customers discover your brand, so treat it like an asset. Any marketing agency in Los Angeles will tell you that no harm can be done with a website update, so what are you waiting for, get to redesigning
