Proliferation

Apr 14
0

How to Tell If Your Website Is Doing Well

By | web development, website design | No Comments

You’ve just completed an amazing website, complete with videos, graphics and intelligent copy. You know you and your family and friends have visited the website, but what about the public? How can you tell if your website design company did a good job? There are different tools you can use to measure the traffic on your website, so you can see just how popular it is compared to your competitors.

Mistakes You Could Be Making

At this point, you’ve probably noted that millionth visit on your page — and that does deserve a pat on the back — but does that really show how popular your website is? Don’t always focus on the upward trends, because you may be missing what’s going down. You may be getting that millionth visit, but how many monthly visits are you getting? This is important to understand, because people may not be returning to your website, due to your website design or some other reason.

Looking At Metrics

Looking at metrics can help you to see what is popular on your website and how many people you are pulling in. Let’s say you’re measuring the time people spend on your website — this can be another way to measure average engagement per visit. When you are able to measure the time on your site, you can see how engaged people are on your website. Say you find that on average someone is on your site for 50 seconds, and that you have an average of four page views a day. You can measure this for weeks, and when hits go up, this will help you notice if changes occur due to your website design, or for another reason.

Be Aware of Conversions

When a customer visits a website but does not interact much with it, such as when browsing Amazon, this does not result in a conversion. The website design itself isn’t the problem, this is actually something called “multi-channel conversion.” This means that you have visitors, but you’re not gaining loyal customers, whether your website exists for purchasing items or not. As a Web designer, it’s important to create something that will help your customers find the answers they are seeking. It may take time to gain loyal customers, but it’s a place to start.

Checking your metrics and other resources to see how popular your website is will help you decide what website design changes you may want to make, or help you find a new way to market. Keeping these in mind will help you to better understand both your website and your visitors.

Apr 11
0

Mobile Content Marketing Mistakes You Might Be Making

By | content marketing, Utah | No Comments

Creating a good mobile content marketing strategy is crucial for any business, whether you’re based in Utah or on the East Coast. People don’t walk around carrying laptops — you see people walking around Utah on their mobile phones. People are glued to their phones twenty-four-seven, so having your website optimized for mobile is essential.

It may seem simple enough to make a mobile site, but crafting a good mobile content strategy requires skill and finesse. Here are some things content marketing agencies should watch out for when implementing a mobile strategy.

Fit the Mobile Marketing Strategy

Your website may already be mobile-friendly, but you can use certain types of graphics and designs to really get the most out of your mobile content marketing game. One popular content phenomenon is the infographic. An infographic is typically designed by a graphic designer, and works as a visual tool to get your message across.

Unfortunately, infographics can often be lacking in the mobile-friendly department. You have to zoom in on them, scroll up and down, etc. It’s a lot easier to view them on a computer, where you can view the entire graphic with one glance. If you are planning to use infographics for your company in Utah or elsewhere, try using a HTML5 landing page that can share the information. This will ensure engagement with consumers remains high in the long run.

A Lack of Typography in Mobility

Don’t be afraid of typography — when it comes to content marketing, typography is something that you’ll want to understand. According to Content Standard, typography “is the art and technique of composing all the visual components that make up the look and feel of your copy.” Yes, your choice of font can make a big difference in your mobile content marketing. Keep in mind that your chosen font, point size, line length and spacing will affect how comfortable your consumer is when using your website.

Too Many Words

In Utah and elsewhere, people are using their phones on the go. People are looking for apps that give them what they want — and quickly. Potential consumers don’t want to have to read through pages and pages of information to find an answer. Make sure that your website is “skimmable,” meaning that your consumers can easily find what they are looking for, all on one page.

Too Slow

How fast your mobile site runs doesn’t really have anything to do with your design — or does it? Make sure that your design can be loaded quickly onto any device. Test your marketing content on different devices, and check to see how long it takes to load on each browser. It’s important to find that middle ground, so that your website can work at its best across all mobile devices.

Too Bad, So Sad

Have you even taken a chance to look at your own mobile website? Do you use it often? Being the owner of a website may make you feel as though you don’t need to see or use it. In fact, using your own mobile site regularly may help you build empathy for your users in Utah. If you can walk in the same shoes as your customers, you’re going to know exactly what they want from your website.

Apr 08
0

From Print to Mad Men: How Advertising Became Digital

By | content marketing, digital marketing | No Comments

Cup of Coffee By a Computer

The real point in advertising is to get the name and product out in the public — while simultaneously making it not only look good, but fantastic. With major changes in entertainment and culture, the way that advertisement companies have presented their clients’ products to the community has changed. It’s important to find the right marketing company so that you’re getting up to date strategies on marketing and advertising here in Utah. A lot has changed between the paper era of yesterday to the digital marketing era of today.

The Beginning

Advertising didn’t really show up until the 18th century when the printing press was invented. The first newspaper ad in America came out in 1704. Many of the first advertisements however, were for recruitment. In 1776, during the American Revolution, notices were put out asking for recruitment. It may not be advertising for a product, but it’s advertising nonetheless.

Getting Bigger

Soon events were being advertised, and not just in small print, but on billboards. The first billboard was put up in 1843 advertising the Ringling Brothers. This was a smart way to market, even if it hadn’t hit Utah yet — mainly because Utah hadn’t been established yet. This era was when advertising started to really kick off for companies. Kodak started advertising for their camera in 1891, and this was the beginning of brand identities. Slogans were being thought of and companies were finding target audiences.

The Mad Men

In the 1920’s, soap operas were now appearing on radio and television, creating a whole new market for advertising agencies. This gave companies the opportunity to reach a wide audience, and in 1941, the first television commercial was released by Bulva Watches — it only cost nine dollars. Then the mad men came into play, when advertising agencies hired psychologists to help them understand the nature of people and what was most appealing to different demographics. This would help with focus groups, and help advertising companies really create emotions and thoughts in their television and radio ads. 

The Digital Age

We’ve entered into the digital marketing era, where advertisers now put their names and brands on the internet. This helps digital marketing companies and advertising agencies reach out to more than 5 million people. Now, digital marketers are able to let the consumer see what they want to see. This makes digital marketing a lot easier in Utah and around the world.

Apr 08
0

The Ultimate Guide for Surviving the Ocean of Content Marketing

By | content marketing | No Comments

Yes, content marketing is basically taking over the internet, and many are beginning to believe that it may not be a sustainable solution for marketing for businesses. So how does a company survive with content marketing, and why is it not sustainable? There are several Utah content marketing companies who are looking into different types of content marketing — and they’re here to help you.

Where’s Content Marketing Going?

Content marketing, like any form of economics, has a supply and demand. Of course, content marketing is set at a price of zero, but in order to produce the content, marketing companies need someone to buy it. So in the long run, we are basically paying viewers to see our content. Think about how much time you spend making content for a client, and think about how much time a customer spends looking at it. That time you spend on the content, you are already asking the customer in Utah to view it. In return, you’re getting notice from others, and making connections.

Content Consumption

Customers, including ourselves, really can take in an unlimited amount of content marketing, but with this limitless amount of content marketing, you have to wonder — when is the supply going to run out? Content marketing companies around the world, and here in Utah, will have to find new ways to come up with content marketing, but it looks like new ideas could be slim. According to a different studies about the changes of content marketing, in the 1920’s, consumers were seeing about 11 hours of content marketing per day, today that viewership has only gone up two hours.

The Solution

There’s a lot of demand when it comes to content marketing, and you have to wonder, how much can we actually produce? Will we eventually have a marketing world full of content only? There are new ways coming out of how your content marketing can change, and one of the biggest ways to survive the waves is to put out better content. Write differently, find something that fits for you and do something different then your competitors, this will help you stand out against the sea of content marketing around the world, and here in Utah.

Apr 07
0

Is Pinterest the New Dark Horse of SEO?

By | Mobile marketing, Social Media, Utah, Utah SEO | No Comments

When considering major search engines moguls, such as Google and Yahoo immediately come to mind. However, another major search engine that’s overlooked is Pinterest — yes, that social media platform. With recent updates to the site, including a new Smart Feed algorithm that displays relevant content first, Pinterest is providing a large opportunity for businesses to gain a competitive advantage — whether they’re targeting SEO in Utah or on the East Coast. There are a couple of ways that you can use Pinterest to effectively optimize your SEO efforts. Here’s the breakdown.

Verify Your Site for Optimization

To get the most out of your SEO efforts on Pinterest, verify your website. Doing this directly affects the placement of your site in search engine results pages. Additionally, Pinterest views this favorably in terms of credibility, giving you a competitive edge in overall rankings. It doesn’t matter if your site is based on services rendered in Utah or across the country; verifying your site gives you an additional boost to rank higher in search results.

How to Optimize Your Username and Account Name

After you’ve verified your site, optimize your Pinterest username and account name. You can do this via your account settings, beneath the Profile section. Pinterest automatically creates a URL for your page based off of your account name; from here, you should edit your page’s URL to be more SEO-friendly. Separate words with dashes and carefully select a URL that correctly reflects the content of your page. In doing so, you’ll make your Pinterest page more visible to Google, and thus, more likely to appear on a search engine results page.

Next, optimize your username. Pinterest allows a max of 15 characters per username — so choose carefully. Ideally, you should use your company name or industry-related keywords. Yet in addition to this, you should strive to make your username as memorable as possible. If your company provides services or information specific to Utah, include this geo-qualifier in your username (if possible). The more straightforward and unique your username is, the better.

Apr 07
0

The Alpha and Omega of Web Development

By | Utah, web development, website design | No Comments

Although almost every Website is different (or should be), the basics of the Web development process stays relatively similar. From the beginning phases of planning and gathering information through the end steps of development, testing and delivery, the Web design process involves several integral processes.

Research and Information Precedes Design

An appropriate amount of research must be done before the design process can begin; inadequate background information could result in a haphazard end product. As perhaps the most important aspect of the Web development process, research involves several different tangents. Before design and development can begin, the purpose and goals of the project must be completely designated. Is the purpose of the site to provide information? To sell a project? What are the goals of the site? After these items have been finished, you can identity your target audience and specify the type of content you want on the site.

Create a Design for Your Target Audience

After the initial planning and research phase is complete, it’s time to move onto the design portion of the Web development process. Perhaps the most important aspect of this step involves creating a design for your target audience. A retail site developed for younger audiences will have a much different design approach than a site targeting a financial planning audience. Whatever your target audience may be, your web design process should adequately reflect who you’re targeting.

Develop and Test for Different Browsers

Development immediately follows the design phase. Typically, the home page is designed first, immediately followed by an outline for interior/subpages. This template harbors the main navigational structure for your site — including the site map, page navigation and CTAs. After the development phase is complete, it’s time to move on to the testing and delivery phase. Before a site goes live, your Web designer will test the functionality of the site to ensure that all forms and scrips are functioning correctly, and will also test compatibility issues. This critical testing phase is done to ensure that the site can be viewed properly across a large range of different browsers.

Apr 05
0

The Psychology of Color in Web Design

By | web development, website design | No Comments

The color scheme on your website has the power to either adversely or positively affect visitors. With such a large color palette to choose from, how can you ensure that you select the correct color scheme for your target audience? Whether you’re a web development firm in Salt Lake City, Utah or on the East Coast, the rules of color psychology apply everywhere. Here are the basics that you need to know about color psychology and your target audience.

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Apr 04
0

Put Your Ego Aside and Give the Client What They Want

By | web development, website design | No Comments

It can be hard as a web designer, and web developer, to put what you know aside and give the client what they want. You may feel that your idea would be more beneficial and look good too, but your client may want something different. Your client may not know best, but they know what they want their website to look like.

When to Give In

Web development and web design is your art, and as that artist, you were hired to do what your client wants. An easy fix may be to tell the client your idea and see how their idea and yours can come together. As the web developer, they may find your idea better, because you know what you’re doing as a web developer. However, if your client doesn’t agree with you, agree to disagree and give the client the web design that they’re looking for.

Don’t Lose Your Job

As the web designer, you are getting paid to make the website they want, and second-guessing a client can cause a good relationship to go south. This website may be your baby — but to the client, it’s a company and a business. The client may want a website that suits their needs; perhaps something that’s easy to use or straightforward and practical.

Relationship with Your Client

You may find yourself second guessing yourself when presenting to a client, wondering: Why did I become a web developer or a web designer? Sometimes the problem is the client, and you may have to cut ties and go your own ways. If a client isn’t giving you the respect you deserve and degrading your hard work, then this isn’t a website problem, it’s a problem they have with you. Just like any other job, you may not be the right fit.

Don’t lose your head over a web design, just listen to your client and do your best to meet that image in their head. You can still add flare to it, but make sure it isn’t all your own doing.

Apr 04
0

Make Facebook Live Streaming Work for You

By | digital marketing | No Comments

If you’re unsure of what Facebook live streaming is, it’s the new way of entertainment and news to share information. Many digital marketing companies have used this to show behind the scenes footage, that is live, and viewers will stop what they’re doing on Facebook and see the latest of what’s happening in Utah.

How to Use It

Facebook live streaming creates a real time video for viewers to watch, much like a live show, but the live streaming can be done from someone’s phone or lap top. It’s free to set up but there are some steps that need to be taken to use it, so you can have more than 50 viewers at a time. This is really done to limit piracy. Digital marketing companies have used this to stream live announcements, and behind the scenes at their companies, allowing their followers to feel more connected.

In Utah, many news stations used the live streaming to show speeches from the presidential candidates and of course have used it to show the behind the scenes on their sets. Celebrities have used Livestream to create an interaction between them and their fans. And if a person misses the video, they can play it back even though it’s not live.

Periscope and Meerkat Related

But don’t Preiscope and Meerkat do the same thing? Yes they do, but Facebook has more of a public outreach and that is where most of your followers are going to be. Using the streaming service on Facebook will allow you to reach out to more of your followers from Utah, and around the world. 

More Uses

With Facebook Livestream, you can tag yourself in your video and your followers can too. This can help your digital marketing without having to do much work, except come up with a live video people will want to watch. 

Apr 04
0

Three Ways to Make Mobile Marketing Work for You

By | Mobile marketing, SEO, Utah SEO, web development, website design | No Comments

It can be frustrating to open up a search engine and click on a link on your phone, only to have it freeze, crash — or worse — not be mobile friendly. People now search on their mobile device more than their computers, so making your SEO more search friendly and mobile friendly, is something that you can do and is something that search engine companies are working on.

Google AMP

Yes, Google is the source of all information these days, and Google’s new program called AMP can really boost viewership and help your SEO on mobile. AMP allows your website to run faster, boosts your SEO on a mobile device, and load quicker. Many people will quickly go back from your page and go to the next link hoping it’s going to be faster. So Google literally AMP’s your website up with this new program.

App SEO

Get an app and boost your SEO. According to a story by Criteo, people were more likely to use a mobile app to search for retail and places within the travel industry, rather than use a mobile website. Create an app that is user friendly, and easy to find. Join the new SEO, and get an app to build your business in Utah.

Google is also helping your SEO by making app searching more organic. This allows those searching for an app likes yours to appear on the list of useful apps.

Machine Learning

Machine learning is something you probably should learn about if you really want your SEO to improve for your company. Machine learning can actually help your advertising by analyzing algorithms and statistics. This will help you reach out to different people not only in Utah, but around the world so you can figure out what demographic your users belong too. This will better help you market and find out who you now need to market to so you can grow your business.