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12 of the Most Important Web Design Trends In 2025

Wed, 05 Mar 2025 23:14:57 GMT

It should come as no surprise that every year brings back trends we’ve seen before and introduces new trends that completely change the way websites are designed. It’s one thing to read about web design trends in blogs, but it’s another to hear it directly from web design experts themselves.

Here are 12 web design trends in 2025

This infographic contains quotes from 18 web design companies in the Toronto area. The data was collected by Digital Ducats Inc. to reflect an accurate assessment of the most important design trends that companies are adopting in 2025.

Other Notable Design Trends

It should be expected that as we progress with more advanced tools and capabilities, that we will see more websites tailored to be more responsive to the personal needs of users. There are still many design trends that started years ago and have returned in 2020 for an honorable mention.

Dark-Themed Websites

For many of us who work in front of a computer screen all day, darker themed websites are an attractive option. The option exists on mobile phones to transform your screen into a dark mode, so perhaps that will become an option in the near future for more websites.

As for now, we can see more of these dark themed websites being developed as a nice change in contrast to the white space that has historically dominated web design.

Gradients And Depth In Design

Ian Chapman from Leaf Design Inc. believes more websites are transitioning towards more gradients and depth. He says, “While providing a clean aesthetic, the recent trend of flat design has resulted in many websites feeling too clinical and lacking visual interest. Although it has been slowly creeping back in for a while, we are seeing more depth being added to the designs we build for our clients. This includes multiple overlapping layers, very subtle shadowing, and multi-color gradients (many of which are being animated).”

Here is an example in the Leaf Design Inc. portfolio.

Retro-Themed Sites

Retro themed sites are cropping up and have the ability to capture attention and inspire emotion. Here is an example of a retro-themed site:

There’s no doubt that we will see new ways of implementing design each year as we are constantly improving and integrating the way business is done on a day to day basis.

Whether you’re building a new website or updating an older site, make sure you take into account the top web design trends of 2025 for a trendier site built for longevity.

It Matters

Fri, 26 Jul 2024 18:02:02 GMT

"Why Every Business Should Have a Website:

A Humorous Take"

So, you've got a business, huh? Maybe you're a budding entrepreneur with dreams of conquering the world with your revolutionary product. Or perhaps you're a seasoned pro, navigating the treacherous waters of commerce with the finesse of a seasoned sailor. Whatever your story, one thing's for sure: if you don't have a website, you're missing out on some serious fun. Yes, you heard me right – fun! Because let's face it, running a business without a website is like trying to ride a unicycle while juggling flaming torches – entertaining to watch, but ultimately doomed to end in disaster.

Need more convincing? Well, buckle up, my friend, because I'm about to take you on a wild ride through the wacky world of why every business should have a website.

You're So 90s Without One: Picture this:

it's 2024, and you're still handing out flyers on street corners like it's 1999. Meanwhile, your competitors are busy raking in the dough with their fancy websites, attracting customers from far and wide with just a few clicks of the mouse. Talk about living in the past! Embrace the future, my friend, and join the digital revolution – your customers will thank you (and so will your bank account).

Because Google Said So:

You know you've made it in life when Google gives you the nod of approval. And what better way to earn Google's love than by having your very own website? Think of it as your golden ticket to the front page of the internet – where dreams come true and cat videos reign supreme. So, what are you waiting for? Get on Google's good side and watch your business soar to new heights.

It's Like Having a 24/7 Sales Rep (Minus the Awkward Handshakes):

Let's be real – nobody likes a pushy sales rep. But with a website, you can say goodbye to awkward small talk and hello to round-the-clock sales pitches that actually work. Whether it's 3 AM or high noon, your website is always open for business, ready to dazzle customers with its irresistible charm and killer product photos. Who needs sleep when you've got sales to make, am I right?

Because Cats (Need I Say More?):

Let's face it – the internet runs on cats. From viral memes to adorable videos, our feline friends reign supreme in the online kingdom. And what better way to cash in on this craze than by featuring cats on your website? Trust me, nothing sells a product faster than a cute kitty giving it two paws up. So, do yourself a favor and unleash the power of purr-suasion on your website – your customers will thank you (and so will the cats).

Because Everyone Else Has One (Even Grandma):

If everyone else jumped off a bridge, would you do it too? Well, when it comes to having a website, the answer is a resounding yes. Because let's face it – if Grandma can figure out how to set up a website for her knitting club, you can too. So, stop procrastinating and start building – your business (and Grandma) will thank you for it.

In conclusion, if you're still on the fence about whether your business needs a website, just remember this: life's too short to be stuck in the digital dark ages. Embrace the weird and wonderful world of the web, and watch your business transform into an online sensation. Who knows, maybe you'll even become the next viral cat meme – now wouldn't that be something?

A Patriotic Look into Cybersecurity

Thu, 20 Jun 2024 18:15:00 GMT

Defending the Digital Frontier: A Patriotic Look into Cybersecurity

In the age of digital revolution, our lives are increasingly intertwined with the virtual world. From social media to online banking, we rely on digital technologies for almost every aspect of our daily lives. But with great convenience comes great responsibility – the responsibility to protect our digital assets and safeguard the integrity of our cyber borders. In this patriotic exploration, we delve into the importance of cybersecurity and why it's essential for the well-being of our nation and its citizens.

Protecting Our Digital Sovereignty:

In the digital realm, data is the new currency, and cyberattacks are the modern-day battlefield. Just as we defend our physical borders from external threats, so too must we defend our digital sovereignty from cyber adversaries. Whether it's nation-state actors, cybercriminals, or hacktivists, the threats to our cybersecurity are diverse and ever-evolving. By investing in robust cybersecurity measures, we can protect our critical infrastructure, preserve our national security, and ensure the safety and prosperity of our citizens.

Securing Our Economic Future:

In today's interconnected global economy, cybersecurity is not just a matter of national security – it's also a matter of economic security. Cyberattacks can have devastating consequences for businesses, ranging from financial losses and reputational damage to intellectual property theft and operational disruptions. By prioritizing cybersecurity, businesses can safeguard their assets, protect their customers' data, and maintain the trust and confidence of their stakeholders. In doing so, they contribute to the resilience and competitiveness of our economy, driving innovation, growth, and prosperity for all.

Empowering Our Digital Citizens:

Just as every citizen has a role to play in defending our physical borders, so too does every individual have a responsibility to practice good cyber hygiene and be vigilant against online threats. From creating strong passwords and enabling two-factor authentication to avoiding suspicious links and phishing emails, there are simple steps that everyone can take to protect themselves and their families online. By empowering our citizens with the knowledge and tools to stay safe in cyberspace, we create a stronger, more resilient society that is better equipped to face the challenges of the digital age.

Fostering Collaboration and Innovation:

Cybersecurity is not just a technical challenge – it's also a social, economic, and political issue that requires a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach. Governments, businesses, academia, and civil society must work together to share information, coordinate responses, and develop innovative solutions to address the evolving threat landscape. By fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation, we can stay one step ahead of cyber adversaries, adapt to emerging threats, and build a more secure and prosperous future for generations to come.

Preserving Our Digital Freedoms:

In the digital age, our freedoms are increasingly tied to our ability to access and participate in the online world. Whether it's freedom of expression, freedom of association, or freedom of the press, these fundamental rights must be protected in cyberspace as they are in the physical world. By defending our cybersecurity, we defend our digital freedoms and ensure that the internet remains an open, inclusive, and democratic space for all.

In conclusion, cybersecurity is not just a technical issue – it's a patriotic imperative that demands our collective attention and action. By prioritizing cybersecurity, we protect our nation, secure our economy, empower our citizens, foster collaboration and innovation, and preserve our digital freedoms. So let us stand together, united in our commitment to defending the digital frontier and securing a safer, more prosperous future for all.

Kevin Renfro

TeamLogic IT

Econcept Inc.

FORGET about MAY

Mon, 20 May 2024 17:26:05 GMT

Don't Overlook Your Business Social Media: 5 Reasons Why It's Crucial

In today's digital age, social media has become an integral part of business strategy. However, amidst the hustle and bustle of running a business, it's easy to overlook or underestimate the importance of maintaining a strong presence on social media platforms. Whether you're a small startup or a well-established corporation, neglecting your business's social media can have significant consequences. Here are five compelling reasons why you shouldn't forget about your business social media:

1. Enhanced Visibility and Brand Awareness:

Social media platforms provide an unparalleled opportunity to increase your brand's visibility and reach a wider audience. With billions of active users across various platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, your business has the potential to connect with potential customers from all around the globe. Consistently sharing engaging content, interacting with your audience, and leveraging relevant hashtags can significantly boost your brand awareness and visibility in the crowded online marketplace.

2. Direct Communication with Customers:

Social media offers a direct line of communication between your business and your customers. It provides a platform for you to engage with your audience in real-time, respond to inquiries, address concerns, and gather feedback. By actively participating in conversations and fostering genuine relationships with your followers, you can build trust and loyalty, turning casual followers into loyal brand advocates. Moreover, the ability to receive instant feedback allows you to adapt your products or services based on customer preferences, ultimately enhancing the overall customer experience.

3. Cost-Effective Marketing and Advertising:

Unlike traditional advertising methods, such as television commercials or print ads, social media marketing offers a cost-effective way to promote your business and reach your target audience. Many social media platforms provide sophisticated advertising tools that allow you to target specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, ensuring that your marketing efforts are reaching the right people. Additionally, organic content, such as posts, stories, and videos, can help you generate buzz around your brand without breaking the bank.

4. Competitive Advantage:

In today's competitive business landscape, having a strong presence on social media is no longer optional – it's essential for survival. Your competitors are likely already leveraging social media to engage with customers, promote their products or services, and stay top-of-mind. By neglecting your business's social media, you risk falling behind the competition and missing out on valuable opportunities to attract new customers and retain existing ones. Staying active and relevant on social media can give you a competitive edge and position your business as a leader in your industry.

5. Insights and Analytics:

Social media platforms provide powerful analytics tools that give you valuable insights into your audience's behavior, preferences, and demographics. By analyzing metrics such as engagement rates, click-through rates, and demographic data, you can gain a deeper understanding of what content resonates with your audience and tailor your marketing strategies accordingly. These insights allow you to refine your approach, optimize your content strategy, and make data-driven decisions to drive business growth.

In conclusion, neglecting your business's social media presence can have far-reaching consequences for your brand's visibility, reputation, and bottom line. By actively engaging with your audience, leveraging social media advertising, and analyzing performance metrics, you can unlock the full potential of social media as a powerful marketing tool for your business. So, don't overlook your business social media – embrace it, nurture it, and watch your business thrive in the digital age.

Made in the USA - "Fact Checked"

Mon, 22 Apr 2024 03:11:30 GMT

Embracing Local Talent: The Essence of Econcept Inc.

In today's globalized world, it's easy to overlook the value of local talent. At Econcept Inc, however, we understand the profound impact that homegrown expertise can have on your business. From the very inception of your website to ongoing support, we prioritize utilizing the skills and creativity of our local talent pool.

Crafted in the USA: Beyond Borders

"Made in the USA" isn't just a label; it's a testament to quality, innovation, and reliability. When you choose Econcept Inc, you're not just investing in a website – you're investing in a community. Our commitment to utilizing local talent goes beyond mere patriotism; it's about fostering economic growth, supporting our neighbors, and ensuring the highest standards of excellence.

Personalized Support, Every Step of the Way

One of the distinct advantages of working with Econcept Inc is our unwavering dedication to client satisfaction. Our support isn't outsourced halfway across the globe – it's right here, in the heart of America. When you reach out to us, you're not greeted by a generic automated response; you're greeted by a friendly voice, ready to assist you with any questions or concerns you may have.

Experience the Difference

At Econcept Inc, we don't just build websites; we build relationships. Our commitment to providing top-notch client care is evident in everything we do, from offering unlimited website updates to ensuring that you can always speak directly with a live developer. When you choose us, you're not just a client – you're part of the Econcept family.

Ready to Elevate Your Business?

Experience the Econcept difference for yourself. Contact us today and hear the difference firsthand. Whether you're launching a new website or seeking ongoing support, Econcept Inc is the premier choice for businesses that demand nothing but the best. Join us in supporting local talent and discover what sets us apart from the rest.

The Importance of Small Business Websites Developed Locally: A Key to SEO Success

Mon, 12 Feb 2024 05:20:44 GMT

In the vast landscape of the internet, where businesses of all sizes compete for visibility and customers, the role of a well-designed website cannot be overstated. For small businesses, especially those operating within a local community, the significance of having a website developed by a local entity goes beyond mere aesthetics—it directly impacts their search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. Let's delve into why small business websites developed locally are pivotal for SEO success.

1. Understanding Local Dynamics

Local businesses thrive on local customers. When it comes to SEO, targeting local audiences is essential. A website developed by a local small business inherently understands the nuances of the local market—its preferences, trends, and search behavior. This deep understanding enables the integration of relevant keywords, localized content, and targeted SEO strategies that resonate with the local audience, ultimately improving search engine rankings.

2. Tailored SEO Strategies

Generic SEO tactics might yield limited results for small businesses, especially in competitive local markets. However, a website developed by a local small business is primed to implement tailored SEO strategies. From optimizing meta tags and descriptions to creating location-specific landing pages and directories, local developers possess the expertise to tailor SEO efforts that align with the unique needs and goals of small businesses operating within the vicinity.

3. Quick Response to Market Changes

In the dynamic realm of SEO, staying ahead requires agility and adaptability. A website developed by a local small business fosters a close working relationship, facilitating swift adjustments to SEO strategies in response to market changes or algorithm updates. This agility ensures that small businesses maintain their competitive edge in search engine rankings, driving organic traffic and boosting online visibility.

4. Support for Community Growth

Supporting local businesses is not just a trend; it's a commitment to community growth and sustainability. By entrusting the development of their website to a local small business, small enterprises contribute to the local economy while receiving personalized attention and support. This symbiotic relationship fosters a sense of trust and collaboration, laying the groundwork for long-term success and mutual prosperity.

In conclusion, the importance of small business websites developed locally extends far beyond aesthetics—it is a cornerstone of SEO success. From understanding local dynamics to implementing tailored SEO strategies and fostering community growth, the advantages are manifold. Therefore, small businesses keen on enhancing their online presence and standing out in the digital landscape should consider partnering with local developers for their website needs.

Protect Your Website: Essential Tips to Avoid Hacks

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 02:15:06 GMT

Your website might be getting hacked as you are reading this!

In an era where online security is paramount, safeguarding your website from potential hacks is crucial. Learn how to fortify your digital fortress with these essential tips that can help you avoid the nightmare of a website hack.

Update Regularly:

Keeping your website software, plugins, and themes up to date is your first line of defense. Outdated components are often targeted by hackers, so make it a habit to check for updates regularly.

Strong Passwords Matter:

The importance of strong, unique passwords cannot be overstated. Ensure that all user accounts, including yours, have robust passwords that include a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.

Implement SSL Encryption:

Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption is not only good for protecting sensitive data but also improves your website's SEO. Enable SSL to encrypt the data transmitted between your users and your website.

Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF):

A Web Application Firewall acts as a barrier between your website and the internet, filtering out malicious traffic and preventing potential threats. Invest in a reliable WAF to add an extra layer of protection.

Regular Backups are Non-Negotiable:

In the event of a hack or data loss, having recent backups can be a lifesaver. Schedule regular automated backups and store them in a secure location, separate from your website server.

Monitor User Permissions:

Limit user access to only what is necessary for their role. Regularly review and update user permissions to ensure that no unauthorized individuals can compromise your website's security.

Be Cautious with Third-Party Plugins:

While plugins can enhance your website's functionality, be selective and only install those from reputable sources. Regularly audit your plugins and delete any unnecessary ones to minimize vulnerabilities.

Security Audits and Penetration Testing:

Conduct regular security audits and, if possible, penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities before malicious actors can exploit them.

Educate Your Team:

Human error is often a weak link in website security. Ensure that everyone involved with your website is educated on security best practices, such as recognizing phishing attempts and avoiding suspicious links.

Emergency Response Plan:

Develop a comprehensive plan for responding to a security breach. Know who to contact, what steps to take, and how to communicate with your users in the unfortunate event of a hack.

By implementing these proactive measures, you can significantly reduce the risk of your website falling victim to hacks. Stay vigilant and prioritize security to keep your digital space safe and secure.

Get on Google MAPS NOW!!!

Thu, 12 Oct 2023 21:06:30 GMT

Step-by-Step Guide to Claiming Your Business Google Page

Are you a business owner looking to claim and manage your business on Google? Having a verified Google Business Profile is crucial for increasing your online visibility and attracting potential customers. Follow this step-by-step guide to claim your business on Google and ensure your information is accurate and up to date.

Step 1: Go to Google My Business

Open your web browser and go to the Google My Business website .

Step 2: Sign In or Create an Account

If you have a Google account, sign in. If not, click "Start now" and follow the instructions to create a new Google account.

Step 3: Search for Your Business

Once logged in, type your business name into the search box. If your business appears in the suggestions, select it. If not, click "Add your business to Google."

Step 4: Confirm or Add Business Details

Verify if your business is already listed. If it is, select it and proceed to the next step. If not, click "Add your business to Google."

Step 5: Enter Business Information

Fill in the required business information, including your business name, location, category, phone number, and website. Make sure to provide accurate details.

Step 6: Verify Your Business

Choose the verification option that suits your business (usually a postcard with a verification code is sent to your business address). Click "Mail" to request a postcard.

Step 7: Verify Your Business Address

Once you receive the postcard, log in to your Google My Business account and enter the verification code from the postcard.

Step 8: Access Your Google Business Profile

After successful verification, you will have access to your Google Business Profile. Here you can add photos, business hours, services, and respond to reviews.

Step 9: Optimize Your Google Business Profile

Make your profile attractive and informative by adding high-quality photos, responding to customer reviews, updating business hours, and adding relevant posts.

Step 10: Keep Your Information Updated

Regularly update your business information to ensure accuracy and relevance. Utilize Google My Business tools to monitor performance and engage with your audience.

By following these steps, you'll have successfully claimed and optimized your business on Google, enhancing your online presence and making it easier for potential customers to find and connect with you.

Unleash Your Online Potential with Our $49/month Website Package - Act Now!

Sun, 13 Aug 2023 18:59:26 GMT

A re you ready to transform your online presence without breaking the bank? Look no further than our unbeatable $49 per month website package! This is your golden ticket to a comprehensive online solution that includes a domain, hosting on the reliable Amazon platform, stunning design, mobile optimization, ADA compliance, Google SEO compliance, and guess what? Unlimited updates for life! But hurry, this limited-time offer won't last forever. Read on to discover how you can elevate your digital game effortlessly.

1. Powerful Features, Affordable Price

Our $49/month website package is designed with your budget in mind while packing a punch with an array of features that are essential for your online success. We believe that every business deserves a chance to shine online, and this package empowers you to do just that, without compromising quality.

2. Domain and Hosting on Amazon's High-Performance Servers

Harness the power of Amazon Web Services (AWS) with our package. Your website will be hosted on Amazon's secure, reliable, and high-performance servers, guaranteeing swift loading times and 24/7 uptime. This ensures your visitors can access your site whenever they need, leading to better engagement and more conversions.

3. Captivating Design and User-Friendly Platform

Your website's design can make or break your first impression. Our package includes a professionally designed website that aligns seamlessly with your brand's identity. Plus, managing your content is a breeze with our user-friendly platform. No technical expertise required – update your content effortlessly to keep your audience engaged.

4. Mobile Optimized for On-the-Go Excellence

In today's mobile-driven world, a mobile-optimized website is non-negotiable. With our package, your website will adapt flawlessly to any device, ensuring an exceptional user experience on smartphones, tablets, and more. This not only boosts user satisfaction but also improves your SEO rankings.

5. ADA Compliance for Inclusivity

Web accessibility matters, and our commitment to inclusivity is unwavering. Our websites are designed with ADA guidelines in mind, making sure all users can access your content, regardless of disabilities. By embracing ADA compliance, you're broadening your reach and showing your dedication to equal access.

6. Google SEO Compliance for Maximum Visibility

A visually stunning website is fantastic, but it won't be effective if it's not visible to your target audience. Our package includes Google SEO compliance, setting your website up for search engine success. Enjoy higher rankings, increased organic traffic, and more potential customers finding their way to your business.

7. Unlimited Updates for Life

Unlike other packages that leave you stranded once the website is live, we offer unlimited updates for life. Your business is dynamic, and your website should reflect that. From seasonal promotions to new products or services, we've got you covered without any additional fees.

Act Now - Limited Time Offer!

Seize the moment and take advantage of our exclusive $49/month website package before it's too late. Elevate your online presence, enhance customer engagement, and drive business growth with a stunning, fully compliant, and ever-evolving website. Contact us at (805) 202-2368 or visit www.roostersites.com to get started. Don't miss out on this opportunity to shape your digital success story today!

FAKE SEO --- Unwanted!

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 21:20:30 GMT

Unmasking the Deception: The Perils of Fake SEO Services

Introduction:

In today's digital landscape, where online visibility and search engine rankings can make or break a business, search engine optimization (SEO) has become a critical component of any successful marketing strategy. With the growing demand for SEO services, a dark side has emerged: the proliferation of fake SEO services. These deceptive practices not only fail to deliver promised results but can also have long-lasting negative consequences for unsuspecting businesses. In this blog, we'll delve into the world of fake SEO services, explore their tactics, and discuss the dangers they pose to businesses.

The Illusion of Success:

Fake SEO services often rely on flashy websites, compelling promises, and an aura of credibility to lure unsuspecting clients. They claim to possess insider knowledge of search engine algorithms and guarantee top rankings within an unrealistic timeframe. However, these claims are often baseless and meant to exploit businesses eager for quick results. Genuine SEO professionals understand that achieving organic search success takes time, effort, and expertise.

Black Hat Techniques:

Authentic SEO involves ethical strategies that abide by search engine guidelines. Fake SEO services, on the other hand, resort to black hat techniques that aim to manipulate search engine algorithms for short-term gains. These unethical practices include keyword stuffing, hidden text, cloaking, and link schemes. While they might yield temporary improvements, search engines are becoming increasingly adept at identifying and penalizing such tactics. Businesses associated with these practices risk severe penalties, including being banned from search engine results altogether.

Lack of Transparency and Reporting:

One of the glaring red flags of fake SEO services is the lack of transparency in their operations. They often fail to provide clear reports detailing their activities, progress, and the impact of their efforts. Legitimate SEO agencies value transparency and maintain open lines of communication with their clients. They provide regular reports, insights, and analysis to keep clients informed and engaged in the optimization process.

Cookie-Cutter Approach:

Fake SEO services tend to adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to their clients' needs. They offer generic solutions without conducting proper research and analysis of a business's unique requirements. In contrast, genuine SEO professionals take the time to understand a business's goals, target audience, and industry landscape. They develop customized strategies that align with specific objectives and adapt their techniques as needed.

Unethical Pricing Models:

Fake SEO services often employ unethical pricing models to exploit unsuspecting clients. They may demand large upfront payments or tie clients into long-term contracts with exorbitant cancellation fees. Genuine SEO agencies, on the other hand, offer flexible pricing options and are transparent about their fees. They focus on building long-term partnerships based on trust, accountability, and measurable results.

Conclusion:

If you're looking for legitimate SEO services that prioritize transparency, ethical practices, and long-term results, consider contacting Econcept Inc. With a proven track record of helping businesses achieve online success, Econcept Inc. stands out as a reputable and reliable SEO agency.

Econcept Inc. takes a client-centric approach, understanding the unique needs and goals of each business they work with. They conduct comprehensive research and analysis to develop customized SEO strategies tailored to your specific industry, target audience, and objectives. By focusing on sustainable growth and following best practices, Econcept Inc. aims to improve your organic search rankings and drive qualified traffic to your website.

What sets Econcept Inc. apart is their commitment to transparency and accountability. They provide regular reports and insights, keeping you informed about the progress of your SEO campaigns. With open lines of communication, you can collaborate with their team, ask questions, and receive clear explanations of the strategies and techniques being implemented.

In terms of pricing, Econcept Inc. offers flexible options that are fair and transparent. They believe in building long-term partnerships based on trust, and they work closely with you to ensure their services align with your budget and expectations.

When it comes to SEO, it's crucial to choose a reputable agency that adheres to ethical practices and delivers genuine results. Econcept Inc. embodies these qualities, making them a reliable choice for businesses seeking legitimate SEO services.

To learn more about Econcept Inc. and their range of SEO services, you can visit their website at www.econceptinc.com or contact them directly via email at info@econceptinc.com or phone at [insert contact number]. Take a proactive step towards enhancing your online presence and achieving sustainable success with Econcept Inc.'s trusted SEO expertise.

Remember, investing in legitimate SEO services is essential for your business's long-term growth and reputation in the digital landscape.

Title: Top 3 Reasons Why Your Business Needs a Website

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:13:11 GMT

Introduction:

In today's digital age, having a strong online presence is essential for businesses of all sizes. A well-designed and functional website serves as a powerful tool to attract potential customers, establish credibility, and boost your brand's visibility. In this blog post, we will explore the top three reasons why your business needs a website.

Expand Your Reach and Attract New Customers:

With a business website, you can extend your reach far beyond your physical location. The internet provides a global platform, allowing you to connect with potential customers from all corners of the world. By optimizing your website for search engines, you can increase your online visibility and attract organic traffic. Moreover, through effective digital marketing strategies such as social media integration, content marketing, and online advertising, you can target specific audiences and generate leads, expanding your customer base.

Establish Credibility and Build Trust:

In today's competitive business landscape, credibility is paramount. A professionally designed website with relevant and valuable content showcases your expertise, professionalism, and commitment to customer satisfaction. It provides a platform to highlight your products, services, and testimonials, creating a positive impression on visitors. A well-maintained website also instills trust and confidence in potential customers, leading to higher conversion rates. Without a website, your business may appear outdated or less trustworthy compared to competitors who have a strong online presence.

Showcase Your Products and Services 24/7:

Unlike traditional brick-and-mortar stores with limited operating hours, a website allows you to showcase your products and services round the clock. Potential customers can browse through your offerings, read detailed descriptions, view high-quality images, and even make purchases at their convenience. This accessibility and convenience not only enhance customer satisfaction but also open up new revenue streams. Additionally, you can provide valuable resources such as product demonstrations, FAQs, and customer support, further strengthening your customer relationships.

Conclusion:

In today's digital-driven marketplace, having a business website is no longer a luxury but a necessity. It enables you to expand your reach, attract new customers, establish credibility, and showcase your products and services 24/7. Whether you run a small local business or a large corporation, investing in a well-designed and functional website will undoubtedly yield significant benefits and help you stay competitive in the digital era. So, don't wait any longer - it's time to build your online presence and unlock the full potential of your business.

Is your website ADA compliant?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 16:24:21 GMT

As the internet becomes more pervasive in our daily lives, it is increasingly important to ensure that all users, regardless of ability, can access and use websites. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that public and private entities provide equal access to their services, including online services. This means that websites must be accessible to people with disabilities, such as visual, auditory, and motor impairments.

The importance of ADA compliance in websites cannot be overstated. Failure to comply with ADA guidelines can result in legal action, including costly fines and lawsuits. In addition to the legal ramifications, there are also ethical considerations. By making websites accessible, we ensure that everyone can participate fully in society, regardless of ability.

There are several ways to ensure that a website is ADA compliant. The first step is to use accessible design principles when creating the website. This includes using clear and concise language, providing alternatives for images and videos, and making sure that the website is navigable using a keyboard. It is also important to ensure that the website is compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers and speech recognition software.

Another important consideration is to test the website for accessibility. There are several tools available that can help with this, including automated accessibility testing tools and user testing with people who have disabilities. It is important to keep in mind that while automated testing can be useful, it is not foolproof and may miss certain accessibility issues.

In addition to the legal and ethical reasons for ADA compliance, there are also practical benefits. By making a website accessible, it can reach a wider audience, including people with disabilities who may have previously been excluded. This can also improve user experience for all users, as accessible design principles often result in a cleaner and more intuitive interface.

In conclusion, ADA compliance is an essential consideration for any website owner or designer. By ensuring that websites are accessible to people with disabilities, we can create a more inclusive and just society. Additionally, ADA compliance can result in practical benefits such as improved user experience and expanded audience reach. By prioritizing accessibility in website design, we can ensure that everyone can participate fully in the digital world.

5 reasons for SEO

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 22:50:49 GMT

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical tool for modern businesses that want to thrive in today's digital landscape. SEO is the process of optimizing a website's content, structure, and code to improve its visibility and ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). In other words, SEO helps businesses attract more organic traffic to their website from search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

SEO has become an essential part of digital marketing because it enables businesses to reach potential customers who are actively searching for products or services they offer. It helps businesses to stand out in a highly competitive online marketplace by improving their search engine rankings and driving more targeted traffic to their websites. Here are some reasons why SEO is important:

1: Improved visibility and credibility:

The primary goal of SEO is to improve a website's visibility in search engine results pages. This increased visibility helps businesses to attract more potential customers to their website, which in turn can lead to more leads, conversions, and sales. When a website appears on the first page of search results, it is perceived as more credible and trustworthy by potential customers. This increased credibility can lead to a higher click-through rate and ultimately more conversions.

2: Increased website traffic:

SEO can drive significant amounts of targeted traffic to a website. By optimizing a website's content and structure for specific keywords and phrases, businesses can attract potential customers who are searching for those terms. This targeted traffic is more likely to convert into leads and sales, making SEO a highly effective marketing tool for businesses of all sizes.

3: Cost-effective marketing:

SEO is a cost-effective marketing strategy compared to other forms of digital marketing such as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising or social media marketing. Once a website's SEO is optimized, the traffic it generates from search engines is free, making it a highly cost-effective way to drive traffic and generate leads.

4: Competitive advantage:

SEO can provide businesses with a competitive advantage in their industry. By optimizing their website's content and structure for specific keywords and phrases, businesses can outrank their competitors in search engine results pages. This increased visibility can help businesses to attract more potential customers, generate more leads, and ultimately, win more business.

5: Long-term results:

Unlike other forms of digital marketing such as PPC advertising, SEO can provide businesses with long-term results. Once a website's SEO is optimized, it can continue to attract targeted traffic for months or even years. This long-term approach to digital marketing makes SEO a highly effective strategy for businesses that want to generate sustainable traffic and leads over time.

In conclusion, SEO is a critical tool for modern businesses that want to thrive in

today's digital landscape. By optimizing their website's content, structure, and code,

businesses can improve their visibility and ranking in search engine results pages.

This increased visibility can help businesses to attract more potential customers,

generate more leads, and ultimately, win more business. So, if you want to grow your

business in today's digital world, SEO is a

must-have strategy for your digital marketing toolkit.

What Is The Real Meaning Of Saint Patrick's Day?

Thu, 23 Feb 2023 00:22:58 GMT

The true meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day differs from person to person but we look at the facts and history behind Paddy’s Day to discover how close to the origins of the day the meaning of St Patrick's Day now is.

St. Patrick’s Day is associated with many things, all of which have different meanings for different people: wearing green, breaking Lent, making an attempt to try out your cúpla focal (a small ring-shaped metal badge worn by advocates of the Irish language) , going to a parade and, of course, drowning the shamrock. Yet what is the real meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day and what is its true importance for Ireland today?

What is the true Irish meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day?

March 17 marks the fifth-century death of our beloved patron saint, Saint Patrick and for over a thousand years, has been celebrated as a religious feast day.

According to history, St. Patrick was a missionary to Ireland and he became an adored figure for Irish Catholics as the person to bring Christianity to the Emerald Isle.

In times gone by, canonizations were carried out on a regional level, meaning that Patrick has never officially been canonized by a Pope although he is included on the list of Saints. The feast day was only officially placed on the Catholic Church’s liturgical calendar in the early 1600s with thanks to Waterford-born Franciscan scholar Luke Wadding.

From then on it has been a holy day of obligation for Catholics (they are obliged to participate in the Mass). Until the 1700s, St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated predominantly in Ireland where it was a somber religious occasion spent mainly in prayer.

St. Patrick’s Day didn’t become an official Irish public holiday until 1903 with the introduction of the Bank Holiday (Ireland) Act 1903. This act was introduced by Irish Member of Parliament James O’Mara, who was also responsible for the law that required the closing of pubs on March 17.

The typical Irish family celebration before the 70s and before the uplift of the ban on drinking was very different from the party atmosphere associated with the day now. As St. Patrick’s Day generally falls within the Christian season of Lent, Mass was attended in the morning with the afternoon set aside for celebrations. The Lenten prohibition against meat was lifted for the day and families sang and danced and celebrated during a time that is normally more somber on the Christian calendar.

In fact, before the drinking ban was repealed, there was only one place in Ireland where one could buy a tipple on March 17: The Royal Dublin Dog Show.

When did the meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day change?

The evolution of St. Patrick’s Day into the ruckus it’s now associated with may, in fact, have been solely an Irish-American construct. Despite the fact that the feast day has been observed in Ireland since the 9th or 10th century, it was in New York City that the first parade took place when in 1762 Irish soldiers serving with the English military marched through Manhattan to a local tavern.

Patriotism amongst Irish immigrants in America continued to grow with the New York Irish Aid societies holding the first official parade in 1848 - the world’s oldest civilian parade and the largest in the United States. The first parade in the Irish Free State did not take place until 1931.

The promotion of Paddy’s Day in Ireland truly began in 1995 when the Irish Government realized the potential tourism benefits of celebrating the day and the opportunities for the country to sell its culture and sights to the rest of the world.

This resulted in the creation of the St. Patrick’s Day Festival and has amassed to the multi-day celebration that we now have in Dublin in which approximately one million people take part annually.

Is the meaning of Saint Patrick’s Day to promote Irish culture?

Some people love/hate Saint Patrick’s Day as the biggest day of the year on which we get to sell our little island to the world’s big hitters and convince them to continue doing business with us and visiting our shores.

While this is a recent phenomenon - the now traditional shamrock ceremony in the White House only being started in 1952 by Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, John Hearne - there were other times in history in which St Patrick's Day was used as a day on which Irish culture could be placed to the forefront.

From the 18th century onward, as a result of the Penal Laws in Ireland, some Irish people began to use St. Patrick’s Day as a means of promoting Irish culture and tradition. So as to show their Irish Christian pride, the tradition of wearing of shamrocks began but the day still revolved around the Catholic religion.

How close to the origins and history of Saint Patrick’s Day are we now?

There are still certain religious links evident in our adoration of St. Patrick. Each year, 5.5 million people visit St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York and there are over 450 churches around the States named after Ireland’s patron saint. Almost 650,000 babies in the States have also been named Patrick in the past 100 years.

There have been calls by some to bring back the old pre-70s traditions and to return to the religious feast day. In 2007, theologian Fr. Vincent Twomey argued for this return to religion in an article for The Word magazine. Fr. Twomey claimed that the day needed to be reclaimed as a Church festival and taken back from the secular and vulgar festival that it had become.

Within the Church itself, there are certain traditions that are still retained although they may go unnoticed by the larger corporate events. As St. Patrick’s Day sometimes falls during Holy Week, and the church avoids holding feast days during certain solemnities such as Lent, there have been times when the feast day has moved to a different day. This happened as early back as 2008 when St. Patrick’s Day was celebrated by the Church on March 14 although the separate secular events continued on the national holiday. This will not happen again until 2160.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.irishcentral.com/roots/history/real-meaning-saint-patricks-day

11 Strategic Methods For Redesigning Your Website

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 19:32:27 GMT

Follow these expert tips

Your business’s website is one of its most important digital assets. It’s likely the first result that will appear when a potential customer searches for you and therefore will be their first impression of your brand.

That’s why it’s so important to get the design and messaging right up front. For a new website or redesign to be successful, it should be carefully planned and incorporate feedback from your team, customers and other stakeholders. We asked a group of Young Entrepreneur Council members the following question:

What’s your best advice for business owners looking to build their first website or do a complete redesign?

Their best answers are below:

1 . Set a goal first

One of the biggest elements we cover before starting a project is getting a clear understanding of the business’s goals. A website can achieve a number of objectives, including increasing sales, getting better search engine rankings, improving operational efficiency, improving customer service, getting more leads, etc. Get clear on the priority of your goals first. This will help direct the solution. –Kevin Getch, Webfor

2. Encourage constructive criticism from multiple sources

Constructive criticism is imperative for any creative project. Websites require business owners to pay attention to the user experience from a number of perspectives — the employee’s, the developer’s and the customer’s — when building from scratch or doing a complete redesign. Ask these three stakeholder groups for advice on what the website needs to make their lives easier and increase traffic. – Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP

3. Keep it simple

Your website doesn’t need all the bells and whistles you might think it does. More important than a flashy site is one that’s welcoming and easy to use for visitors. So don’t overload your website with too many features, options and ways for your site visitors to get lost and confused. Keep it simple and clean. – John Turner, SeedProd LLC

4. Avoid alienating existing customers

When you develop your company’s first website, you may already have a pre-existing customer or client base that you’ve sold your products or services to directly. While it may be tempting to portray a completely new image through your website, be mindful that any major changes in brand messaging can alienate your earlier supporters. – Firas Kittaneh, Amerisleep

5. Have a clear call to action

The intention of a website is to inspire people to take an action. Make sure that it’s a seamless experience from landing page to purchase by having a clear call to action on each page. Don’t hide things like phone numbers or booking buttons; don’t hide prices or list them separately. Everything should be easy to use and to discern. – Rachel Beider, Massage Greenpoint, Massage Williamsburg and Massage Outpost

6. Make it intuitive

The gold standard for all online purchasing experiences is speed and intuitive design. You also want to make sure you’re not doing anything outright irritating. Irritating website features include audio that plays automatically, poor navigation and excessive pop-ups. Go to a website that you like and one that you dislike. Use good elements, and avoid the bad ones. – Chris Quiocho, Offland Media

7. Highlight your team and your story

B2B companies are still built and run by humans, so showcase the team behind your technology and services. Spend a little extra time on the design and content of your about us or company page to make it easy for people to feel a personal connection and learn about the people behind the product. This is also a great place to show your values and the reason behind starting the company. – Roger Lee, Human Interest

8. Set an appropriate budget

As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Your website is your storefront. It’s usually at the center of your marketing. Don’t just build it on a free platform with a template and call it a day. Make a plan. Build a budget. Invest in messaging. Invest in photography and video. Invest in design. Invest in clean code, high performance and the right content management system. Don’t settle; pay the extra dollar. – Robby Scott Berthume, Bull & Beard

9. Check out your competitors’ websites

Evaluate the websites of your closest competitors before you build or redesign your site. Figure out what works and doesn’t work, and then implement the positives into your design. Also, make sure your site loads quickly, looks appealing and offers a surplus of intuitive navigation. – Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker

10. Answer the right questions

Your website can be clean and beautiful, but if it doesn’t answer the right questions, it may not fulfill its intended purpose. Consider your audience and the questions they will have, such as: What is this product (in simple terms)? Is it relevant to me (and how do I know)? Are other people interested in it (social proof)? What are my alternatives? Put on your buyer hat, and simplify. – Peter Kozodoy, GEM Advertising

11. Work with good developers for complicated projects

A free DIY website can actually be very easy, and I would recommend it for companies with low capital. However, most e-commerce sites have a reality check three months into a rabbit hole. For complicated projects, hire a good team from the start. Ensure that they guarantee their work and match your communication style. If you misjudged, and they cannot deliver, never be afraid to shake hands and part ways. – Codie Sanchez, Codie Ventures LLC

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://thenextweb.com/contributors/2018/12/14/building-or-redesigning-your-website-follow-these-11-...

Recurring Subscriptions

Fri, 19 Aug 2022 08:02:14 GMT

A recurring subscription allows you to charge customers on a repeated schedule for products and services.

You can offer subscriptions and accept recurring payments for one or more items. The billing cycle can be set to daily, weekly, biweekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually. With recurring subscriptions you can sell food, daily products, cosmetics, subscription boxes, access to membership, accept regular donations, and more.

NOTE

This feature is available on Advanced and Unlimited Stores.

You need the Stripe payment method to set up recurring subscriptions, and therefore subscription settings will only display for those countries where Stripe is available.

Customers will see a price along with a period of the subscription in your StoreFront (a period is displayed for items with subscription only. If an item has an option for a one-time purchase, a subscription period will be displayed on the product details).

To enable subscriptions in your store, you should connect the Stripe payment method. After that, buyers can pay with a debit or credit card. Once they subscribe to your product, they will be charged automatically according to the subscription period. Customers can manage subscriptions in the customer account — cancel it or change payment details.

Customers can have more than one subscription in your store. Items must have the same subscription interval, so a customer could add them both to the cart. For instance, a lunch-kit for a week and a craft beer box for a week. If products have different subscription intervals, or if one of the products doesn’t have a subscription option, a customer can order them separately.

If a customer pays for the shipping, they will be charged for it every time during the subscription. For instance, a customer subscribed to a $10 shampoo. Shipping cost is $5. So they pay $15 for the order. Next quarter, a customer should get another shampoo bottle, and they will be charged $15 — exactly the same sum they paid you the first time.

Once the order is made, you will receive an email with subscription details. Every time a customer is charged during the subscription period, you will receive an email and a new order will be placed automatically. You will also receive an email if the subscription is canceled or if there is an issue with charging.

If you change the price of the subscription, new customers will be charged with the new price. The price won't change for customers who subscribed before the price changed.

If your product has different options and a customer subscribed for a particular one, they will be subscribed to that particular product variation. If a customer changes their mind and decides they want to get products with another flavor, color, etc., they will have to cancel the current subscription and re-subscribe to another product variation.

To manage subscriptions, go to the Store Control Panel, click My Sales , and click Subscriptions. In your Subscription page, you will see all the subscriptions — there are four types in total, including active, canceled, subscriptions with failed charge, and ones that need payment confirmation.

Add Recurring Subscriptions

To start selling your items regularly, you need to enable the subscription option in your store and add products with the subscription pricing.

Before you proceed with setup, make sure that your store meets the requirements:

Connect Stripe as a payment method. For more information, see About Payment Options .

Include rules for using recurring subscriptions in your store’s Terms & Conditions. For example, the refund policy, delivery details, and so on. For more information, see Legal Pages .
Make sure to include information about payment terms, non-refundable fees, restrictions on use, termination of subscriptions.

To add recurring subscriptions:

In the side panel of the editor, click eCommerce , and then click Manage Store .
Click Settings , click General , and then click Cart & Checkout .
Scroll to the Subscriptions section, and complete the following:

Allow Subscriptions . Enable the Allow Subscriptions toggle to enable products with subscription prices.
Payment Method . If you have not previously added the Stripe payment gateway, click Set Up Stripe .
Subscription Products . To create new subscription products, click + Create subscription product . To sell existing products with recurring payments, see Enable Existing Products for Subscriptions .
Terms & Conditions . Click Go to Terms & Conditions to add or edit the Terms & Conditions document.

4. Click Save .

Now your customers can subscribe to your products. With every new charge, your inventory will be updated automatically.

NOTE

You can specify the shipping method for a product with recurring subscriptions. For example, if you want to deliver only with local delivery, or only with a particular postal service.

Enable Existing Products for Subscriptions

To sell existing products with recurring payments:

In the side panel of the editor, click eCommerce , and then click Manage Store .
Click Catalog , and then click Products .
Next to the product you want to enable for recurring subscriptions, click Edit Product .
In the Pricing section, click Manage Pricing Options , and enable the Sell by subscription toggle.
A Billing Period field appears. Click the drop-down and select how often you want to charge your customers for this product.
Select Allow purchase without subscription to allow customers to choose between one-time purchases and subscriptions. Otherwise, they can only buy a product with a subscription.
Click Save .

Manage Subscriptions

To manage subscriptions, in the side panel of the editor click eCommerce , and then click Manage Store . Click My Sales , and then click Subscriptions . You will see all subscriptions your store ever had, including active, canceled, subscriptions with failed charges, and the ones that need to be confirmed.

To make it easier to find the subscription you are looking for, click Filter and select how you want subscriptions to be displayed. This can help you prioritize your order processing. For instance, you can click Filter → Next Charge Date and select Next 7 days . That way you will see what subscription products need to be prepared and shipped first.

You can also check all the orders that were made within one subscription. For instance, a customer subscribed to one cosmetic box once per month, one hair treatment box once per month, and one shaving set once per month. If you want to see all orders within a subscription, go to My Sales → Subscriptions , find the subscription and click Orders created: 3 orders . You will see all orders that were made within the subscription.

While processing an order, you can change its status, edit the order, or print an order in My Sales → Orders .

Contact Customers

In case you need to specify the delivery address or clarify subscription details, you can always contact your customer in person via email.

To find your customer’s email or phone, in the Store Control Panel, click My Sales , and then click Subscriptions , find the subscription you have issues with, and look up the email of a customer to contact them.

Edit Automated Emails

Customers that subscribed to your products can receive automated emails if payment confirmation is required, if a charge has failed, or if the subscription is canceled. You can edit the email templates for these automated emails — change the appearance and texts. For instance, change font color to your brand’s colors, change the paragraph’s order, add image, and more.

To edit email templates for subscriptions:

In the side panel of the editor, click eCommerce , and then click Manage Store .
Click Settings , and then click Notifications .
Click Edit next to one of the templates you want to change: Subscription Canceled, Subscription Charged Failed , or Subscription Payment Confirmation is Required .
To disable an automated email, click the toggle next to the email you want to disable.
Make the required changes.
(Optional) To preview the changes, click Preview Template .
(Optional) To send a test email to the admin account, click Send test email .
If you don’t like the result, click Revert to default at the bottom of the template to restore the default template.
Once you are satisfied with the result, click Save .

For more information, see Email Notifications .

Cancel Recurring Subscriptions

A subscription can be canceled in three cases — if you cancel the subscription manually, if a customer cancels their subscription manually, or if a charge can’t be made (not enough money on a credit card or the card period has expired). The subscription will be canceled within 7 days if a customer won’t add a valid card to their account.

To manually cancel a subscription:

In the side panel of the editor, click eCommerce , and then click Manage Store .
Click My Sales , and then click Subscriptions .
Select the subscription you want to cancel and click Actions , and then click Cancel subscription .

After canceling the subscription, orders will no longer be placed automatically, and the customer won’t be charged any further.

Recurring Subscriptions for Customers

Here’s how recurring subscriptions work for your customers:

Once in your store, customers will see what products you sell with recurring subscriptions. A price will be displayed along with a period of the subscription. For example, $50 per week .

2. If a product has two ways of collecting payments, a customer can choose to buy only once, or subscribe.

3. Once an order is placed, a new account for a customer will be created automatically in your store (if a person hasn't already created an account). A customer will receive an email with the subscription details and a link to log in to the customer account.

4. Customers can log in to their account and manage their subscriptions by changing card details, cancel subscriptions, and check the delivery address. They will also see their payment details, payment history, and your store contacts.

Setting Up Instagram Business Account

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 19:08:54 GMT

Instagram is a powerful marketing tool for your business. Here's how to make the most of it.

Instagram is a popular social media platform that can also serve as a valuable business marketing tool.
Create a business account on Instagram, and then use photos, live videos, and hashtags to market your business.
Advertise your business through Instagram ads and use the platform’s sales function to sell your products.
This article is for small business owners and marketers who want to use Instagram to grow and market their businesses.

Instagram is a leading photo-based social media platform, but it does more than keep you up to date on your friends’ adventures. Influencers and small businesses use Instagram as a tool for audience connection, engagement and sales.

Instagram’s robust business features are available only if you create a business or creator account. We’ll explore setting up your Instagram business account and show you how to take advantage of Instagram’s top connection, engagement and sales tools.

How to create an Instagram business account

If you don’t already have an Instagram account, you’ll create a personal account and convert it to a business profile. If you already have an Instagram account, it’s easy to convert it to a business account.

Create a new Instagram account.

If you don’t already have an Instagram account, here’s what to do:

Download the Instagram mobile app for iOS, Android or Windows Phone on your smartphone or tablet. (You can also access Instagram via a web browser, but its functions are limited.)
Tap Sign up.
Enter your email address. Ideally, use your business email or an email designated for your business’s social media accounts . You can also log in with Facebook if you already have a business account there.
Choose a username and password.
You now have a “personal” Instagram account that you can convert to a business profile.

Convert your personal Instagram profile to a business profile.

Once you have a personal account, it’s easy to convert it to a business profile.

Open Instagram and tap your profile picture on the bottom right.
Tap Menu (three lines) on the top right.
Tap Settings.
Tap Account.
Scroll down and tap Switch to Professional Account > Continue.
Select the business category that most accurately represents your organization.
Tap Done.
Tap Business > Next. (Or tap Creator if you’re a content producer or influencer.)
Review your public business contact info and make any necessary edits. Tap Next.
Optionally, tap Login to Facebook and follow the prompts. Instagram recommends you connect to your Facebook Business Page to take full advantage of Instagram’s business tools, such as boosting your posts and stories and setting up shopping on Instagram.
Follow the steps for setting up your professional account, including completing your profile, choosing other businesses to follow on Instagram , inviting friends to follow your account, and exploring professional tools like Insights (analytics about how your content is doing) and ad creation.
Tap Done to finish creating your professional profile.

How to use Instagram for business

Between posts, ads and stories, there’s no shortage of potential small business marketing tools on Instagram. Here are some basics to help you start using Instagram for business.

1. Add professional-looking photos.

Instagram is a photo-sharing social media platform, so it’s essential to share visually engaging content. Generic photos won’t cut it. Take photos, edit them and take time to ensure you’re creating a cohesive grid on Instagram.

To add a new photo post:

Tap Create (plus sign) at the top of your screen.
Select Post.
Tap the camera icon to take a new photo, or select a photo from your camera roll.
Tap Next to choose filters and edit options.
Tap Next and then write a caption, tag people and add a location.
Optionally, choose to share the post to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.
Tap Advanced Settings to control like and view count visibility, turn off commenting, and more.
When you’re satisfied, tap Share to share your photo post.

Tip: To prevent copyright infringement on social media sites like Instagram, only post images that you’ve taken yourself or received explicit permission to use.

2. Use Instagram Stories.

Instagram Stories is a popular feature for personal accounts and business profiles. Instagram Stories comprise photos, videos and more that disappear 24 hours after posting them.

Instagram Stories lets you create a vibrant montage that can grab viewers’ attention and present more information than a traditional post. You can use recorded videos, still photos, live videos, boomerangs (videos that loop back and forth), text, music and focused photos.

Add stickers to show your location, the temperature, user tags and hashtags.

Interact with your viewers by creating polls and inviting questions, making it easy to collect valuable feedback. For example, some accounts use the questions feature to hold a weekly Ask Me Anything session, a fun way to answer common questions.

Use Instagram’s Stories Highlights feature to create categorized stores that stay on your profile so viewers can go back and watch them.

3. Stream live videos.

In addition to Instagram Stories, users can take and stream live video that disappears – sort of like a cross between Facebook Live and Snapchat. Give customers a live look behind the scenes of exciting aspects of your business, show products or answer live questions via the comments.

Once the video ends, it lives in your Instagram story for 24 hours. If you want a video to remain on your Instagram feed, upload a video you’ve taken or shoot one directly through the app to post. If you choose to shoot or upload a video, you can still add filters and change the cover.

4. Interact with your followers.

As with any social media platform, it’s crucial to engage and interact with your followers on Instagram.

Liking: Liking is an easy way to connect with other users. To like a photo, double-tap the image or tap the heart button under the post.
Commenting: To comment on a post, tap the comment icon (speech bubble), and the app will take you to that post’s comments page. Type your comment into the text box, add emojis if you like and tap Post.
Mentioning: As on Twitter, use the @ symbol to tag other users in your Instagram comments or post captions. They’ll be alerted to the mention and may circle back and interact more.
Tagging: Instagram allows you to add tags before and after posting content. To do so, tap Tag People before sharing your photo, and tap where you want to add the tag in the photo. The app prompts you to type in the person’s name to search for their account. Once you’ve tagged people in your photo and shared the image, other users can tap on the photo to see the tagged people.
Direct messaging: To access Instagram Direct, go to your home page and tap the Messenger icon on the top right. (Facebook’s Messenger is integrated into Instagram.) Send private instant messages, including photos and videos, to other users. To send a new direct message, tap the notepad button in the top right corner and search for the person or business you want to contact. Once you’ve sent the message, you and the recipients can message back and forth. Users who are not already following you will be asked whether they want to allow you to send them photos and videos before they can view your DM.

5. Use hashtags.

Hashtags are an excellent way to help users find content on Instagram. Hashtags can include letters and numbers, but they can’t contain any non-numerical characters. For example, #DaveAndBusters works as a hashtag, but #Dave&Busters does not.

Because users can search for hashtags and click on hashtags they see in posts, relevant hashtags can be a highly effective tool for getting noticed. However, ensure you’re using the right hashtags for your brand.

Follow these best practices for hashtags:

Use relevant hashtags. Hashtags such as #nofilter (a photo that hasn’t been heavily edited with filters), #selfie (a picture of yourself), and #tbt or #throwbackthursday (old photos) are popular on Instagram, but they may not work for you or your brand. Look at other established brands or users and bloggers in your industry for examples of what hashtags to use.
Don’t use excessive hashtags. Instagram allows 30 hashtags in a post or comment (and up to 10 in an Instagram story), but that many would be excessive. The fewer hashtags you can use to get quality responses, the better. Using many popular hashtags might earn you a lot of likes from other users, but it probably won’t increase your following all that much, and the interactions you get will likely not be from people interested in your brand, but rather those who saw and liked your image.
Experiment with hashtags. Once you understand hashtags, branch out and experiment to find which ones work best for your brand. It’s also smart to create a custom hashtag for your business or an event you’re hosting. This way, customers can follow along with an event, even if they aren’t there in person.

6. Use Instagram Reels.

Instagram Reels are short, entertaining videos that can help you bring your brand to life. Offer a behind-the-scenes tour, or show how your product is made. Add effects and transitions, tag products from your catalog, showcase paid partnerships, and more.

Reels are an excellent way to create a campaign for a specific target customer or expand on an Instagram story’s product or service focus. [Learn more about connecting to your target customers .]

To get started making a Reel, tap Create (plus sign) from your home page and select Reel.

7. Advertise on Instagram.

Like on other social channels, businesses can advertise on Instagram. You have a few options to consider.

To create a new Instagram ad, you choose from three basic formats: photo, video and carousel ads.

Photo ads: These look like regular photo posts, but they have a Sponsored label above the photo. They also have a call-to-action button at the bottom right of the photo. Many photo ads are boosted posts, where you pay to amplify an existing post’s reach.
Video ads: Like the photo ads, these look like regular video posts but with a Sponsored label on top.
Carousel ads: These ads look identical to photo ads but feature multiple photos that users can swipe through.

Of course, you also have other advertising options on Instagram.

Instagram Stories ads: Instagram Stories ads appear when users tap through other accounts’ stories. Stories ads use the entire device screen, so ensure you’re using a visually captivating image.
Collection ads: Collection ads feature a main image with a product catalog at the bottom. This is an excellent way to invite viewers to explore your products.
Explore ads: Explore ads appear on a user’s Explore page, where Instagram presents posts that might appeal to their interests. Explore ads are an excellent way to get your business in front of people likely to be interested in your brand.

When you advertise on Instagram, you can go through the Instagram app or the Facebook Ads Manager (if your account is connected to your business Facebook Page). Both options let you choose your ad’s objective, set an audience base, determine the ad’s budget and set the length of time it will run. Facebook’s Ads manager offers additional configuration, formatting and demographic options. [Related article: What Are Demographics in Marketing? ]

Instagram ad objectives include video views, click-throughs to your website, mobile app installations and mass awareness.

Tip: Need help with your overall social media marketing strategy? Visit our comprehensive overview of social media marketing solutions . Before paying for a solution, though, develop a marketing budget to figure out what specific services you can afford.

7. Obtain audience insights.

Anyone with a business account can access insights about their audience and engagement levels. In your Instagram business account, open the menu and tap Insights to see metrics on your followers and their activity with your content. On any individual post, tap View Insights to see metrics for that post.

The information you glean from Insights can help you optimize your posting schedule, pinpoint your target audience and find out what’s working.

8. Sell products on Instagram.

Instagram is a great way to start selling online . In November 2020, Instagram added the Shop tab, allowing users to discover and purchase products from brands directly through the app. Instagram’s Shop functionality is likely a response to continuous social media and mobile shopping growth .

You can sell your products under the Shop tab or create shoppable posts by adding product tags to your posts, stories, and reels.

To set up shopping on Instagram:

Connect your Instagram business account to your Facebook business page.
Confirm that Instagram supports your market .
Choose whether you want to set up shop using Facebook’s Commerce Manager or a supported partner like Shopify.
Create your shop in Commerce Manager or your platform.

To complete a transaction, users enter their name, email address, billing info and shipping address. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, will save that data for future transactions. Users can pay via Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover and PayPal.

Key takeaway: To maximize Instagram for your business, connect it to your Facebook business page , interact with other users, use hashtags thoughtfully, post quality photos, and set up a shop.

Instagram tips and tricks

Follow these tips to get the most out of your Instagram business account:

Don’t try to put links in Instagram captions. Your profile is the only place you can share a working link that takes users to a website. Links don’t work in captions or photo comments. If you want to direct people to a specific website, change the default link in your bio to that URL, and note in the caption that the link is in your bio.
Ensure posts relate to your brand. It can be tempting to share photos of food, fashion and animals because they’re popular on the platform. But if your business has nothing to do with those things, it could make you look disjointed and confuse your followers.
Run giveaways and promotions. Post an image advertising your giveaway, sale or contest, and ask users to repost that image with a specific custom hashtag to enter. Search for that hashtag to see who has reposted it, and pick a winner. Promotions allow your customers and followers to market your brand for you by talking about your promotion on their profiles, driving more people to your profile. If you decide to run a contest or sweepstakes, be sure to follow social media contest guidelines .
Respond to followers’ comments. When people comment on your photos, be sure to reply. Interacting with customers and followers shows you’re paying attention and care about what they say. They’ll be more likely to continue following you and interacting with your posts if they know they’re important to you.
Embed Instagram posts on your website. From the desktop version of Instagram, you can get an embed code to add specific images and videos to your company’s website. This shows visitors that you’re active on Instagram and can help you gain more followers. Select the photo you want to embed, click More (three dots) in the bottom right corner and then select Embed . This pulls up a box with the embed code and gives you the option to display the caption. From there, copy and paste the code where you want it to go on your website.
Use Instagram influencers to promote your business. Influencers can serve as brand ambassadors for your business. Influencers are people with a significant following on Instagram. Find influencers who are a natural, organic fit for your business and who will be genuinely enthusiastic about promoting your products. You’ll pay some influencers, while others will accept free products as compensation.
Share posts directly to your story. If a client posts a photo of your product, share the post directly to your story to highlight the product and your client. With this feature, small businesses can interact with followers while promoting their products or services.
Use polls and other features in your stories. Instagram offers many interactive features for building online conversations and relationships. For instance, use the interactive questions sticker in Instagram Stories so followers can submit questions for you to answer. This is a fun and easy way to interact with your followers.
Use video. Instagram has several ways to incorporate video. Reels are vertical videos you can access from the bottom-center button of the Instagram mobile app. They last up to 60 seconds and are a great way to feature new products, highlight your work or engage with customers . Instagram feed videos can be up to 60 minutes long and are excellent for long-form content. (Feed videos replaced IGTV, Instagram’s previous long-form video format.) Instagram Live videos and Instagram Stories videos are other options.

Tip: Use a video app to create social media posts with time-lapse videos, GIFs, and long or short video clips.

Instagram terminology

To get the most out of Instagram, stay up to date on the social media platform’s terminology.

Bio: Your bio is the biography section in your profile. Businesses can also use their bio to include a call to action.
Direct messages (DMs): Users can privately communicate with each other through direct messages. If a customer has a complaint or question, follow live chat best practices to resolve the issue via private direct message. Direct messages are often referred to as “DMs.”
Filters: Apply preset filters to your photos to enhance features and colors.
Follow: When you follow a user on Instagram, you’ll see their content in your timeline. You can also view their Instagram Stories at the top of the app.
Followers: Your followers are people who will see your pictures in their timeline and your Stories at the top of the app.
Hashtag (#): Like Twitter hastags, a hashtag (marked with the pound sign) on Instagram is used to index words or phrases. When you click on a hashtag, you’ll see other posts with the same one.
Highlights: A highlight reel of your Instagram Stories appears on your profile above your photo gallery and stays until you remove it.
Home: Tap the home button in the bottom-left corner to land on your home screen, which is also your timeline or feed. Here you’ll see photos from those you follow.
IG: IG is an abbreviation for Instagram.
Instagram handle: Your handle is your username. To mention a user on Instagram, you must use their handle, which always starts with the @ symbol.
Instagram Stories: Stories is one of the most popular features on the platform. These pictures and videos disappear after 24 hours.
Reels: Reels are short videos users or brands can post for engaging content. Reels are Instagram’s answer to TikTok.
Tag: There are a few ways to tag people on Instagram, including in a photo’s caption, in Instagram Stories and in photos. Use the @ symbol to tag someone in a caption or an Instagram story. You can tag someone in your photos before you post the picture

Tip: To broaden your social media marketing campaign, learn how to use TikTok for business and Twitter for business .

Instagram FAQs

Here are some common questions about Instagram business accounts.

Are Instagram business accounts free?

Yes, an Instagram business account is free, as are all Instagram accounts. While having an account is free, you’ll need to pay for any ads you run.

What are the benefits of using Instagram for business?

Using Instagram for business can drive brand awareness , boost sales, and build and track audience engagement . It’s an excellent way to find customers where they’re already spending time. It can also provide valuable audience insights to use with all your marketing plan strategies. [Learn how to create a great business marketing plan .]

What are the disadvantages of using Instagram for business?

Although Instagram for business has far more advantages than drawbacks, using it opens your direct messages to just about anyone. That direct line of communication can prove frustrating for certain business owners. Using Instagram for business can also give competitors more insight into your operations.

How do you get paid for Instagram?

The vast majority of Instagram users who get paid for being on the platform are influencers – as in people, not businesses. However, you could monetize your videos with ads or upload lots of shoppable posts. But overall, you’re better off viewing Instagram as a marketing tool or online catalog, not a new revenue stream.

Can I have a business and personal Instagram account?

Yes, you can have both a business and a personal Instagram account. You probably shouldn’t use your personal account for business purposes. Only business accounts have access to several features key to successful Instagram marketing and sales.

What can I sell on Instagram?

You can sell any permitted physical product on Instagram. You’ll likely fare best if you sell beauty, health, fitness, pet, fashion, travel, business or lifestyle products. These categories are consistently the highest sellers on Instagram.

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7662-instagram-business-guide.html

Credibility - Improve your business

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 20:41:05 GMT

The time is now! Improve your businesses credibility.

Website/Mobile Website:

A good effective website helps build a strong online presence and helps communicate quality information to your consumers. Today not having a website may raise a question of its legitimacy. Customers expect legitimate, trustworthy businesses to have a website and social media accounts.

Your website not only needs to look good but also work while using a mobile device. Easy images, big buttons, simple "Call to Action" elements to get visitors engaging on your website is well worth the investment.

Before you begin the build of your website, take a moment to stop and consider the goals you want to achieve with your new website. This can be complicated as you consider the role you want your website to play. However, drafting a website purpose statement is essential to creating a website with clarity and conciseness. This should outline the objectives and tasks that your new website will accomplish for you. Ask yourself questions like these, “Do I want to generate more leads so that I can close deals quickly when potential clients call or inquire?” “Do I want my website to be an online store that ships directly from the website and connects with other services such as Shopify?” Is the purpose of my site to educate visitors?”

Write down the websites functions and purpose. Your website may contain more than one purpose.

The overall goal again is to gain business credibility.

Social Media Accounts:

Just having Facebook is no longer enough. Facebook is still the leader when it comes to marketing your business online. With billions of users Facebook has the ability to reach just about every living human. Your Facebook page is pivotal to giving your business credibility. Your page must be current and at min. 2 posts per week. Posting often and with your brand will show the visitor your business is relative and up to date.

Instagram is just has important as Facebook as it reaches an audience that "whats it now".. Be sure to post unique content on Instagram as this platform will touch those who only want a quick fix..

Twitter. Yes this is still a thing. Post shout-outs! Having this page will help your business. There are those who do not engage in Twitter but still view it daily.

Online reviews are important for consumers because they provide social proof, validate expertise, and build brand trust. They're important for companies because they influence purchase decisions, confirm authority, and showcase customer trust.

Get your business on Yelp, Google, and even Facebook reviews.

Once you have your website and social channels set up with your business the rest is up to you in earning credibility.

Let us help your business "Shine Online". No contracts with guaranteed results.

Get into the Rhythm of Algorithms

Thu, 28 Apr 2022 21:23:57 GMT

Salsa, Mambo, Waltz, Zumba, what do these all have in common? They flow to a rhythm. A beat. They have a consistency that can be seen. Different steps and different music can tie together and create something beautiful. Something that onlookers appreciate. If you can imagine Algorithms as a Waltz, then you can understand how they work on social media platforms.

First off, let’s define what an algorithm is. An algorithm is a combination of factors that helps the social media platform decide which content should be prioritized and seen, and which can be bumped to the bottom of a user’s newsfeed. It helps determine what will gain the most reaction. Does this sound familiar? Dancing is a combination of moves that helps the audience decide which moves are more appealing. Which moves will gain the most reaction out of the audience. The priority moves are placed in specific parts of the song that calls for reaction. The easier, less appealing moves are put throughout the song because they’re just there as filler.

Algorithms are extremely important if you want your company to be seen. Millions of companies and small businesses are utilizing social media now as their main form of marketing and communication. In order to set yourself apart from the rest, you have to keep up to date with the rapid changing algorithm requirements for each platform. What are these requirements? That’s something you’ll have to do your own research on. But I can tell you that each platform has a specific difference in how they put your posts and information in front of your consumers. Certain features on each platform could include, how much engagement your post has, what the consumer has in their history, similar businesses that the consumer follows, what types of posts the consumer interacts with, how the consumer interacts with your posts, etc.

Yes, it’s all very confusing. But it’s extremely vital if you want to ensure social media dominance over your competitors. Yes, it is extremely time consuming. Yes, it is ever evolving as each media platform gains and wavers in popularity. They help maintain an order in which consumers can comprehend their newsfeed. Once you understand how algorithms work and what you need to do, it becomes easier to create content for your social media page. Stay on top of trends, stay on top of “breaking social media news”, and maybe you’ll become just as popular as big box businesses. “Go with the flow” of the dance, move with the moves, flip with the flips. Get the rhythm down and you’ll be on top of your social media marketing game in no time.

Smartphone Takeover - Social Media Edition

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 18:19:38 GMT

Technology has flourished significantly over the last several years, and Smartphones are excellent proof of that. Almost everyone has a smartphone these days. According to Pew Research Center:

“The vast majority of Americans – 97% – now own a cellphone of some kind. The share of Americans that own a smartphone is now 85%, up from just 35% in Pew Research Center’s first survey of smartphone ownership conducted in 2011.”

What does this mean for social media platforms? This means they’re becoming easier to access, profiles are becoming easier to create, and connecting to the internet is as easy as 1-2-3.

Smartphones are taking over our lives, our entertainment, the way we communicate and connect. They are our entire world in our pocket. Why is this so important to emphasize when it comes to social media and your business? Everyone is on their smartphone. Your business will gain exposure . What is the first thing they do when they need to look up a business’ phone number? Business hours? Reviews? “Hey Google” or “Hey Siri, find me Mexican food restaurants in my area?” (Which is why SEO and Google Analytics are SO important when building an online presence, so you can be the FIRST one in their search results). What should pop up first? Your website. Second? Your social media accounts - Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, etc.

If they want to make sure you’re a reputable, legitimate business, they will look up your reviews and social media first. They will look at how active you are on social media, and they will want to see if you are having any fun events or specials. They will see how you react to customers and they will commend you for being “with the times”.

On the flip side of it, everyone is on social media because of easy access with their smartphones. Billions (not millions) have one or more social media profiles. Social media is a form of “down time” entertainment to millions, and consumers are constantly connected. Hot trends? Social media. Fitness and health? Social media. Tips and tricks? Social media. Consumers browse social media platforms and interact with influencers, posts, friends, but most importantly, businesses. Does your business show up in the algorithms? Does your business have the exposure it needs to be put in front of people’s eyes as they aimlessly browse their news feeds on their phones?

These are things to think about when looking into your digital marketing plan. Do you have a social media business profile? If you don’t, you definitely won’t gain money. If you do, you will gain money.

Getting on Google. FIRST PAGE

Sun, 20 Mar 2022 01:55:29 GMT

Getting on Google isn't that difficult once you follow a few simple "Google" rules. Google doesn't tell you these rules rather using a skilled developer will not only know the rules but understand how to use them in order to get your website on the first page of Google. Below you will see my personal short list of how to get your website #1 on Google.

1). Site design: Site design is critical for Google 'crawlers to find and must be free of design errors. Design errors will be issues with design elements such as colors, misuse of fonts, image errors (sizing) etc. A skilled developer/designer will have this under control. It's important that if you build your own site you follow site design rules. Google will penalize your site for errors and they won't tell you.

2). SEO: On site basic SEO is necessary. This does not need to cost as much as you may think. On site SEO includes basic information such as address, phone, titles, types of business, and branding. Using your developer they will make sure the basics are in place and also include your favicon, tags, and more. Keep in mind some developers will charge up to several thousands to complete your on site SEO.

3). SEO OFF: Off site SEO is a huge was we get our clients on the first page. This typically costs a small monthly fee depending on the service you have. Off site is simply links, back links, credit blogs and credited images. I highly recommend using a listings builder as this will get you on the first page the fastest and help your website stick on the first page.

4). Use a Google compliance builder!!! This is a Google first platforms that are designed to ensure your site is found on Google.

For more regarding SEO or how to get your site found on the first page please let me know. Consultation is free. Our team is easy to get a hold of Monday - Friday PST 9am-5pm. Ask about SEO.

Cheers,

Robbie

How Good Website Content Helps You Earn Potential Customers

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 18:30:03 GMT

Website content is the ambiance of any business’s digital platform. Beyond conversions and revenue, website content is also accountable for spreading brand awareness and business objectives on an enormous scale. When your potential customers stop over your website in a quest for relevant products or services, they must not find any reason to exit out of your website. This can only happen when you have website content that entices consumers.

Furthermore, studies report that users need only about 50 milliseconds to form a judgment about a business after reading its website content.

These statistics demonstrate how imperative website content is to earning potential consumers. Thus, if your objective is to appeal to more targets, you need good website content.

An extraordinary website influences decision-making extensively

On a website, every brand conveys its message to its potential consumers. As a responsible brand, you need to portray yourself as unique. Besides, your content is also your turning point that decides whether your visitor will remain your visitor or become a consumer. In such cases, your content must be compelling enough to convey a unique persona and recognizable voice. Besides, the style and pitch should also be consistent throughout all pages to retain consumers.

In addition, quality can also be seen with your choice of words. If you have regional and local consumers to target, your website content must deliver an essence of regional touch to create a consumer persona.

Similarly, if you wish to entice global consumers, you need to ensure the usage of precise words that better suit your business.

What does impressive website content do?

Retains your audience

Creating ideal website content aids you in creating an everlasting relationship with your consumers. With great web content, you will always create a positive experience for your prospects. Whenever your target consumers achieve a positive experience, they will come back.

Creates a positive brand impression

Poorly written content can deliver a negative experience to clients. However, when you incorporate impressive content, you can create a positive browsing experience for audiences. Even within five seconds of browsing, your content must be striking enough to encourage customers to stay on your site.

Builds trust within consumers

Website content is not always meant to convey a sales pitch. Instead, your website content must blend sales and information to be interesting to readers. This is what exactly good website content does: It caters to your demand of audience attraction with an amalgamation of business information, sales pitches and other insights. Good web content also shows statistics of consumers satisfied with your service. This aids you in enticing more consumers by capturing their trust. Compelling website content also gives your brand a good reputation. This gives consumers a positive association with your brand.

Enhances conversion rates

A website is a tool that lets businesses achieve their conversion objectives. When your target audience views your website content, it must entice them to become your consumer. However, that can only be possible with the precise incorporation of a call to action. Well-written web content caters to all these needs by offering the necessary sales pitch in the right tone. This improves your conversion rate and helps you find more consumers.

Good website content comes optimized with SEO

Integrating content with a top-tier choice of words is not the only thing that offers you consumers. If you want visitors to your website, then you need to get discovered. For this, website content that comes optimized with SEO strategies includes all necessary components to get indexed at SERPs.

A good website content always includes:

Right keywords to target consumers
Easy-to-understand content
SEO-check formatting to take minimal time to load

If you want to maximize your visibility in SERPs, you need optimized content on your website. This is where you win half the fight.

Nurture loyal brand enthusiasts

When a visitor stop by your website consistently, that means they have become your loyal enthusiasts. Achieving this type of following is only possible with the consistent creation of compelling web content. With good content, you not only influence your loyal visitors to make a buying decision, but you can also make them your promoters. Your loyal fans can market for you and entice more consumers to visit your website.

What should you do to create good website content?

To attain an ideal website, you should:

Always research your top competitors
Innovate and develop new ideas for content structure
Never repeat content
Astound consumers with figures

Incorporating all these above ideas can help you achieve compelling content. The website content is your veto power, so you must use it wisely.

Resource: By- Bhavik Sarkhedi on https://www.entrepreneur.com/

Why Have Both Facebook For Business And A Website?

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 21:24:59 GMT

Question: Is it more effective to have a business Facebook page or a business website?

I’m looking to start marketing a startup online one step at a time…’

This article explains Facebook vs Website and more importantly how you can use both to complement and accentuate each other to build your online presence. Before you make a decision about which is best here is some information which will give you a better understanding about each platform and how to use them for the result you want.

Understand the Difference Between Website and Social Media

Remember, online platforms are simply virtual locations which people visit to assist them in living their daily lives. Each online platforms is designed differently to serve certain needs and desires for the people who visit them. For instance, the need may be shopping, socialising, getting fit, learning or teaching. Therefore, understanding the end goal for which existing platforms are engineered is essential when choosing website vs social media.

Social media sites are typically designed to allow humans to connect and network, whereas, personal business websites are typically designed to profile a business, personal brand or product.

The Benefits of Facebook to Build Business Online

These days many social media platforms have boosted functionalities to act as both a content distribution channel and networking platform empowering the practitioners of that platform to diversify offerings to their audience.

Here are some pros and cons of Facebook Page for Business.

Pros of Facebook Page:

Quick and free – It takes a couple minutes to set up a Facebook page and all the background software is already developed for you.
Easily engage your audience – Facebook provides in-built communication tools such as Messenger & Comment to communicate directly with your audience
More traffic –

Cons of Facebook Page:

Lack of control – You are subject to Facebook’s rules and updates
Limited design – Much of Facebook’s design is pre-automated and you only have the ability to brand your business to a certain extent.

The Benefits of a Website to Build Business Online

Pros of Website

Full control – You have absolute say on all aspects of your website including where it is hosted, the url it is located at, the design, visitor rights and much more.
Freedom – There are no rules and you can post up what you wish without restraint.
Credibility – Having a personal business website adds credibility to your brand especially if you want people to buy from you online.

Cons of Website

Ongoing maintenance and upkeep – The entire back end of software development and upkeep is on you
More marketing effort – It’s up to you to drive traffic to your website

Get Used to Being Everywhere at Once

The aim is to make you and your business as discoverable as possible to your audience. Your goal is to make it easy for potential customers to find you, and subsequently, buy from you. How you do that is by making yourself available across as many online platforms as possible, not only your website and Facebook page, but also any new online platforms that will assist to build your personal brand.

Adapt to New Online Platforms Quickly

There are countless new online social media and content distribution platforms becoming available every day. Mobilize as many as you are able for content distribution to build your online presence. It’s imperative that you foster a flexible mindset that allows you assess, adapt, and learn new online platforms quickly. Rather than thinking, ‘Hmm, should I be using a website vs social media?’ it is of greater importance that you test drive each platform and really become a practitioner.

If you’re swamped with other business building activities then get someone else to set up your blog or Facebook page. Visit Fiverr.com and you’ll be able to outsource the work at an extremely affordable price.

Here are a few of our social media & website clients! Click on image to view what we do!

Use Both Platforms to Market Business

The right answer to ‘ Facebook vs Website : Which should I use?’ is BOTH and the reason for that is because crossposting increases traffic at both ends. Publish an article on your website and simultaneously post it on your Facebook page to drive traffic to your website. Vice versa, include your social media handles on your website in order to drive people to your Facebook page.

What is the Best Use of Time? Facebook or Website?

We’ve already clarified the best option is to utilize two or more platforms to build a strong online brand. If you have limited time then it’s a simple matter of splitting your allotted time between the two, or three, or however many platforms you are currently using to distribute content to your audience.

Say for instance you have 1 hour per day available to build your online presence. If you are setting up both a Facebook Page and a website then spend 30 minutes on your website and 30 minutes on your Facebook Page.

Website Maintenance for the Successful Website

Sat, 01 Jan 2022 17:47:11 GMT

Website maintenance plans and care are now an integral part of website ownership. Because just like your iPhone or tablet, the software of your website needs to be updated. It requires care and maintenance to keep your website working properly. Hoping for the best where website maintenance and care is concerned is like hoping that your car won’t need an oil change.

You wouldn’t be able to drive your car for very long if you didn’t take care of it and provide it with the regular maintenance that it needs. The same is true for your WordPress website. Your website should always be up and running, ready for customers and presenting your business at its best.

Websites Are Not “Set it and Forget It” Anymore

I f your website isn’t being cared for every month, you may actually be wasting money by throwing it out the window. When potential customers come to your website and find that things are wrong with it, they usually do not stick around. Many website owners do not check their website on a regular basis. They do not know how it is functioning. Missed or overlooked issues or downtime can leave the wrong impression. Even worse, it could cost you a customer

Benefits of Website Maintenance Plans and Care

Many people do not realize the benefits of site maintenance and care. For instance:

The website performance, downtime, and uptime, its load time, is all dependent on whether the software and plugins are functioning as they should (and if they are using the most recent updated versions).

Analytics monitoring, website growth, its fresh content, and design changes are all dependent on you having someone ensuring that all updates to the website are completed in an experienced and seamless fashion.

Dangers of Do It Yourself Maintenance

Maintaining your site yourself can feel like a great idea. However, it can cost you more than you may think at first blush. If you only update from your WordPress admin area, you would not have a record of what was completed. If an update to a plugin creates an issue a couple days or weeks later, it would be difficult for you to know what was changed and how you could revert back without restoring a now outdated backup (which could potentially cost you the loss of content changes, image updates, sales orders, contact entries, and so on).

It Will Cost More to Fix Than to Maintain

The approach of “I’ll get to it when I can” and a general lack of knowledge about website architecture can damage the look and functionality of your website. When that happens, you will be presented with a problem and two choices.

First, you could try to fix it yourself. In this approach, you may end up doing further damage.

Or, you can choose to pay someone experienced (a hefty price, now that your site is “broken”) to fix it. Just like most things, it costs more to fix it than it does to maintain it properly.

Regular oil changes help keep your car running in tip-top shape. Regular website care and maintenance will help to keep your website running in tip-top shape, too.

Time for a Professional

T here is a direct correlation between regular website maintenance and care and successful websites.

Your business is what you know best. What we know best is websites.

Would you go into a courtroom without your lawyer? Why try to maintain your own website if you’re not a website professional?

By partnering with an experienced website professional to care for your site you are actually saving valuable time, valuable money, and potential lost visitors. Lost visitors often times means lost revenue.

Top 7 Websites for Your Kids at Christmas Time

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 18:00:03 GMT

School’s out, the present shopping done and the wrapping (and cleaning!) begun, so I feel like we can take a bit of time to relax and enjoy the last few days before Christmas. We’ve been making decorations, cards and treats, watching a holiday movie or two, reading lots of our favorite Christmas books, and having a bit of fun creating a little Christmas magic online as well! This is a list of fun Christmas websites for kids.

1. Portable North Pole

My girls have adored the free video messages from Santa at PNP for three Christmases now (this will be our fourth). You’ll need to personalize the message before showing the video to your child, so this is one to pre-prepare. Each video is simple to create, taking only a few minutes, and there are a range of paid, premium options available too.

You’ll also find lots of fun information for children (especially about Santa and his elves) in PNP’s Santa’s Village .

2. NORAD Santa Tracker

Every year on Christmas Eve, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) tracks Santa’s journey around the globe. It’s fun to see Santa visit the countries and landmarks around the world. The site also includes games, books, videos and music to enjoy in the lead up to the big night!

3. Reindeercam.com

My seven year old is fascinated by this live feed of Santa’s reindeers. Of course, being on the other side of the world, it’s usually night and the reindeer are asleep when we tune in but recent live streams have been captured to enjoy. Santa makes regular appearances – feeding the reindeer and checking his mail, and even reading some of the mail out on camera. You might also catch sight of a cheeky elf or naughty Grinch, if you are lucky! You can also add your children’s names to the scrolling Nice List.

4. ElfYourself.com

Upload your children’s photos to create a small range of fun dancing elf videos that can be emailed and shared via social media if you choose.

5. JibJab Holidays

A step up from Elf Yourself, Jib Jab is a paid subscription service that allows you to make all sorts of different dancing elf and other holiday themed Christmas videos, with your kids as the main characters. It cost me $18AU to subscribe for a year and Immy has spent hours making and watching the videos featuring herself and her sister. You can email the videos as e-cards to friends and share them on Facebook too.

6. NorthPole.com

A website of Christmas themed games, stories and activities that the kids will have fun exploring.

7. Why Christmas?

Created by a Christmas expert, Why Christmas? features interesting information about Christmas customs and traditions, including a great Christmas Around the World section.

Interested in having your own website??Call us today!! 805-202-2368

Our team here at Econcept is here to help your business "Shine Online."

What are Dynamic Websites? (And Why You Should Care)

Wed, 03 Nov 2021 18:48:35 GMT

In the relatively short history of the internet, websites have continuously evolved to improve experiences for both brands and their audiences. Due to the leaps and bounds in technological advancements, these changes have made an impact on the way people experience content online.

Modern websites are optimized for viewing on any device–laptops, tablets, and even smartphones–and have become more intuitive. With the rising popularity of smart assistants, pages have also integrated voice search features for a user-friendly browsing experience. Among all the exciting upgrades, one of the most useful features is the dynamic website.

What is a Dynamic Website?

A dynamic website is a website that displays different types of content every time a user views it. This display changes depending on a number of factors like viewer demographics, time of day, location, language settings, and so on.

While static pages require manual updating before their contents change, dynamic websites offer unique content to visitors each time they view the site. This is done through a combination of client-side and server-side scripting.

Client-side scripting involves code that is executed by the viewer’s browser, using scripting languages like JavaScript. This scripting is responsible for rendering changes to the webpage as a response to actions taken within it, such as mouse clicks or keyboard use.
Server-side scripting , on the other hand, refers to code that is executed by the server before sending the content to the viewer’s browser. This affects the webpage when it is loaded or visited, like with login pages, submission forms, and shopping carts.

Using both types of scripting allows modern websites to adapt to each user’s view of the page while reducing the server’s load time.

Dynamic Website Elements

Creating a dynamic website allows you to elevate your page’s content to be more relevant and engaging for your visitors. Below are common dynamic website elements that work in a dynamic page setup:

Format changing according to your screen size

With the vast array of smart devices in the market, having a webpage that doesn’t scale well can put off visitors. Dynamic website development allows the page to display on almost any screen without compromising its visual appeal and intuitive layout. This includes rearranging buttons, reformatting text and typography, and resizing images to suit the visitor’s display.

Language changing according to what country you’re browsing from

By using certain web development tools, a dynamic web page can display in the language of the region a site visitor is viewing the page from. This gives your site content a more familiar voice, as well as further personalizing the overall experience.

Custom recommendations based on what you’ve viewed before

One of the benefits of having cookies integrated into your site is that there is a wealth of information at your disposal for creating a more tailored experience on the site. Based on a user’s previous visit, a dynamic website can offer similar or related recommendations. This is useful for sites with a wide variety of content or for e-commerce platforms.

Integration of social media and offsite content

One way to add new and changing content on a site is by tapping into social media. Page plugins can display new content from your brand’s social media platforms. Site visitors can see how active your brand is, even if other onsite content isn’t as frequently updated. The addition of these active feeds also gives Google and other search engines more content to crawl through.

Dynamic visuals and animation displays

Hero images are a vital part of any website. With the right image behind compelling copy, it can attract a site visitor’s attention almost instantly and encourage them to continue browsing. With the use of dynamic elements, you can have a slideshow of images that cycle or change upon refreshing the page. These techniques can also be applied to video content and animation.

How Google Search Uses Dynamic Elements

One of the best examples that most people already know about is Google making use of dynamic elements to provide a better experience to users. The following elements play a part in helping Google provide more personalized search results:

Location

Google makes use of a user’s IP address or previous GPS locations in order to tailor-fit results for certain search queries. The results will usually include physical businesses and places closest to the user, which are grouped together and pushed higher in the results pages.

Search and Website History

Each user’s previous searches, search engine result pages (SERPs) clicks, and browsing history are stored by Google in a personalized profile. This profile allows Google to display search results that are closer to the user’s perceived interests. It is also used to further contextualize search queries.

Device

Google’s search results will rank pages differently depending on which device the user searches on. When searching from a smartphone, the algorithm will prioritize pages that are optimized for mobile, while unoptimized pages are pushed down the ranks.

Search Ads

While Google displays paid search ads–also known as pay-per-click (PPC) ads–with organic search results, they don’t affect the number of organic results displayed. Instead, these search ads are customized to a user’s location. Users from different locations will then be served different search ads despite using the same search query.

Time of day

Google continuously updates search results to account for current content, especially for events that occur in real-time. A search query for news and current events may display dramatically different results with every page refresh.

Other Google Products

With the vast amount of Google products in the market–YouTube, Drive, Blogspot, Calendar, Maps, and so on–it’s no surprise that information from these products are displayed alongside organic search results. A user searching “what time is my flight” may receive the exact time recorded in their Google Calendar.

So how many users are affected by these customized results? In 2018, rival search engine DuckDuckGo conducted a study on how SERPs are ranked differently for users. The study found that Google’s algorithm will always attempt to personalize results, no matter the user’s relationship with Google and its products. This makes it easier for brands and businesses to reach their target audiences and provide value to them.

Benefits of Dynamic Websites

Making the shift to a dynamic website has several benefits for both your business and your target audience:

More personalized browsing

One of the biggest benefits to having a dynamic website is providing users with a personalized browsing experience once they visit your website. Content and product suggestions, features for recently-viewed items, and even offering content based on location and demographics can all work towards getting visitors to stay on your page and possibly take the next step with your brand.

Easier to maintain

Dynamic websites make use of a content management system (CMS) that provides a database for content and other elements on the page. These sites also make use of scripting languages that interact with the information in the databases, making it easier to enact site-wide changes without having to make the changes one at a time.

You can upload content with ease, edit backgrounds and other design elements, and even make changes to the site without knowledge of coding. This makes the site much easier to maintain than its static counterparts.

Better user experience

Aside from tailoring each visitor’s browsing experience on the site, dynamic web pages enable other functionalities. Being able to edit the site according to user needs and build a more intuitive navigation are all possible through dynamic websites. Additionally, upgrading and adding more functionalities to a dynamic website can easily be done, making it good for improving the overall user experience.

Elevated professional look

While it is possible to have professional static sites, they lack the features and other elements that many users expect from a modern website. Not only do dynamic websites provide the functions and interactivity that visitors enjoy, but the ease of editing that comes with it helps take the professional look to the next level.

Get with The Times and Get Moving!

Gone are the days of static walls of texts and bland pages. Now and probably for a long while, dynamic websites are in. They elevate the user experience by adapting to certain factors or actions taken onsite and delivering personalized and engaging content.

By offering a more responsive and interactive experience to users of any kind, dynamic content is the next step towards giving your audience an impactful experience.

Resource: https://www.spiralytics.com/blog

11 Signs YOUR Business Needs a NEW Website

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 17:24:35 GMT

"mmm... My website is not as good as I thought!"

There are many reasons why a business

might be in the market for a new website.

1 . It’s Old or Outdated

Content is no longer relevant to what the business is currently doing or there are older design elements that are no longer relevant. These are all clear signs that the website is outdated and needs to be refreshed.

Most businesses look to refresh or revamp their site every 1-3 years.

A modern, look is very important for every business’s online presence.

2. UGLY. The website doesn't look clean

We’ve all come across sites with bright, harsh colors or poor quality, pixelated images. Maybe you can just tell that the small business owner hired someone’s family member, friend or another amateur to build the site.

You will come across some business sites where you see four or more different fonts and/or a clash of colors. Or maybe the site has all text and no images at all. These “homemade” sites give a bad first impression and need to be updated.

3. It’s Difficult to Navigate

Sometimes a site can look really good and then be a nightmare to navigate.

Page titles are difficult to find, or there are no calls to action for the visitor to take.

Every business website should provide a pleasant user experience to all online visitors.

If it’s very difficult to get around the site, then this is considered a terrible user experience.

This could also cost the business owner in losing potential customers and/or revenue.

4. It’s Not Mobile-Friendly

With about 65% of all site visitors coming from mobile devices, it’s important to have a mobile friendly - optimized website. Google gives a high preference to mobile friendly websites. If a business website is not mobile friendly, then it could really suffer in the search results.

Non-mobile responsive business websites are prime candidates for a re-due.

5. It’s Broken or “Under Construction”

Oftentimes you’ll come across a business website that either doesn’t load properly or has components that are missing or broken. For instance, the links are broken, images are missing, buttons are not responsive, etc. There might even be a message on the homepage that reads “this site is under construction”. These can all contribute to a really bad user experience and are indicators that the business needs a new website.

6. It’s Not Secure. NO SSL

Have you ever tried visiting a website only to be hit with a warning message that says something like “your connection is not private” or “this site is not secure”? It’s not only alarming, but it’s also hurting their business. In a recent study, 67% of customers say that they would not do business with a website that’s not secure.

Website security is more important than ever. Google is actually penalizing sites for not having an up-to-date SSL certificate assigned to the site. Every site should be secured – in fact, some browsers won’t even load a site without a valid SSL certificate.

7. They’re Overpaying

Lots of freelancers and web design companies are out there and quite frankly overcharging small businesses for a simple website. It’s not uncommon for a company to charge $5,000 - $10,000 for a basic site up front followed by hundreds of dollars per month or per hour for basic support. Paying for additional functionality that the business doesn't use or need.

8. They’re Not on Google

Every business website should perform well in search results for keywords related to their business. A nice looking site is not effective marketing if customers cannot easily find it on Google.

If a business’s site isn’t coming up on the first page of Google, there is likely something inherently wrong with the site such as the issues mentioned in #4, #5, and/or #6 above. This business could also be losing market share to their competition due to not showing up on the search engine results page.

9. It’s Lacking Key Features

Over time, businesses’ needs may change. Their current site might lack some key features they need to grow. It could be as simple as a well-placed contact form to generate leads or a link for online ordering.

10. They’ve Rebranded

Businesses will sometimes redesign their logo or remodel their physical office or retail space. It’s super important that all their branding & marketing is updated on their site to reflect that as well.

11. They’re Current Designer Sucks

It’s very common for larger web design firms to be unreliable when it comes to customer support and for fly-by-night web designers to fall off the face of the Earth. Web design is ultimately a service-based business. So if a business owner is not getting the care or response they expect, it could be a good enough reason to find a new web designer along with a new website.

BLOG CONTENT FROM:

https://www.inbounddesignpartners.com/blog/12-signs-your-business-needs-a-hubspot-website-redesign

Examples of Bad Website Design that Would Make Customers Leave Your Ecommerce Store

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 17:00:02 GMT

Just as neat, customer-oriented website design of your online store can boost sales, objectively bad design can cut them drastically. A variety of mistakes can lead to discouraged customers who won’t engage with your web store and convert due to poor customer experience.

In this article, I use three illustrative examples to highlight the design elements that repel customers and decrease the conversion potential of an ecommerce website.

Uninformative content

The website of the juice seller Pennyjuice exemplifies a decision to leave customers uninformed. Its design raises quite a few questions starting from why their product is designed specifically for childcare facilities and ending with what are the ingredients of the juice. After an exhausting search, you can find some answers in one of the pictures, but its quality and size do not allow you to get the details.

Be careful to avoid: If customers can’t figure out what your product is and how to buy it, they are likely to turn to other businesses with more information provided.

Tangled ordering process

This site has a questionable color scheme that distracts the attention of customers from important CTAs. Though products have fairly clear descriptions and specifications, the problem comes with the ordering process. The website lacks a shopping cart and a straightforward checkout page, and a retailer offers more complicated options for ordering, including unnecessarily multistep ones like downloading an order form, printing it, and sending it by mail.

Be careful to avoid: If a customer decides to buy with an online store and can’t make a quick order directly on the site, they will likely leave.

Overwhelming visuals and puzzling navigation

The website of the Norwegian online retailer Arngren collects the majority of design mistakes mentioned above. Some products are accompanied by a price, and some products are not, which results in difficulties with connecting items to their prices. There’s also a confusing website layout with non-uniform font styles and colors, which makes online shopping a real headache. Plenty of graphics make the website less responsive and increase loading speed up to several seconds.

Navigation remains wanting as well. The links to categories in the index section lead either to single products or groups of different goods, and the search results are difficult to compare as they do not appear with product photos, prices, or clear descriptions.

Be careful to avoid: Obstacles in the shopping process can make customers abandon your online store and never return again.

How to avoid web design mistakes?

Let’s follow common mistakes stated above with ScienceSoft’s ways to put things right.

Uninformative content ⇒ Clear product pages with specifications and quality design elements (videos, graphics, etc.) that communicate your brand.
Tangled ordering process ⇒ A shopping cart with a straightforward online checkout process as the fastest order method.
Overwhelming visuals ⇒ Moderate usage of videos and graphics that accentuates the quality of your products and does not kill loading speed.
Puzzling navigation ⇒ Noticeable navigation menu with logical categories and operational search that gives adequate information on products on the results page.

Good ecommerce website design is a customer-friendly one

As sales depend directly on customer experience, the worst-performing online store websites are those that ignore a customer’s wish to navigate smoothly through the shopping journey. You can learn from others’ mistakes and give thought to your customers when building an ecommerce website. And if you already have an online store, you may consider redesigning it to ensure a positive customer experience.

Econcept, Inc. has a solid experience in ecommerce implementation and UX and UI design, so, whether you need to create a converting web store, or wonder whether your website adversely affects customer experience, ask our team .

Does a small business need a GOOD website?

Wed, 04 Aug 2021 21:22:36 GMT

The world is going digital at a rapid pace, and it's more important than ever for businesses to position themselves to take advantage of this trend. According to the data published by the Search Engine Journal, more than 9 out of 10 online experiences start at a search engine. In simple words, if your business does not have a professionally designed website, you can be losing out on 90% of the market opportunities for your business.

A good website can serve as the nerve center or hub of a company’s digital presence and marketing activities.

There are many ways to promote your business, including social media, PPC ads, blogging, email newsletters, online press releases, and various other digital means, but a website is what strings all of these unique campaigns into a cohesive marketing strategy.

If your website is compelling, with an attractive and intuitive web design, it will deliver a high rate of conversions from visitors who arrive on your website through multiple marketing channels.

Establish Strong Credibility

A website is the most visible face of any business. Potential customers are going to judge the quality of a business by the quality of their website. Even the finest business with a poorly designed website is going to make a bad impression. In today’s fast-paced world, the first impression is often the last impression. The connected customers of today (whom Google calls Generation ‘C’) are likely to quickly move on to the competition if a merchant's website design fails to attract them.

Whether a business is dealing in B2C or a B2B products or services, most customers who are seeking to buy them will first try to evaluate a business through their website. They may want to learn about the company’s background, the products or services they offer, and what other customers are saying about them (through customer reviews and testimonials). If a business’s website provides all this information in a well-laid out manner, and the visitors can navigate it quickly and easily, they are likely to win in the marketplace.

It is also important to remember that today’s discerning customers do not really differentiate between big and small companies, as long as they are getting the product, quality and price that they want. A solid website lets small, locally-owned businesses compete against the biggest players in the industry. There is no reason why a "mom-and-pop" business’s website cannot dramatically outshine the sites of larger companies. In the eyes of the customer, the business’s image and reputation will be enhanced with a web design that stands out in the crowd, and sets them apart from their competitors.

Be Available and Accessible

Many small and mid-sized businesses make the mistake of assuming that only e-commerce companies need a website to sell their products online. It is important to understand that even if their products are available only through physical stores or they are a service provider, their customers still want to remain in touch with them online. With a good website, a business can be available and accessible to their customers 24x7.

Through a website, a business can provide the directions and map to the stores or offices to assist customers in locating them easily. Many customers are too busy these days and they may want to review a company's products, services or menu in advance. Some may want to do product and price comparisons with competitors or see examples of their work. An efficient business website design can enable customers to perform all these activities.

Some businesses may even choose to include a 24x7 chatbot service on their website. This way they are engaging with their customers even during off-business hours. They can announce the launch of new or upcoming products and services to help customers with wider choices. A website can also direct site visitors to their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, or other social media pages to enable them to interact with the business more effectively.

When you empower customers with this level of online accessibility, chances are that they would visit a store or office with a pre-decided mind to buy a particular product or service. It saves the customer’s time, makes life easy for them, and makes them feel positive about a business.

Promote Your Business Cost-Effectively

Digital marketing has overtaken the traditional forms of marketing by far, and no business today can afford to ignore the power of digital marketing. A website can serve as the foundation for all the marketing activities of a business. It can deliver a very high ROI (return on investment) as long as a business has an excellent website design backed by quality content and solid SEO techniques.

A pleasing website design, easy to use navigation, and fast download speed are among the key factors that search engines such as Google will consider while ranking your website. A well-built website has a much better chance to rank higher in search engine result pages (SERPs) compared to a poorly designed website. When a business outranks their competitors in localized Google Search, they will start winning market share and achieve solid new leads, inquiries, and sales regularly.

A website can be the most effective form of advertising and communication for any small business. They can provide useful and enriching information to educate and inspire their customers through text, images, graphics, podcasts, and videos. They can cast a much wider net by reaching out to different customer demographics with unique tastes and preferences through a single, comprehensive website.

Investing in an excellent website design shows customers that a business cares about them, wants to engage with them, and help them make informed choices. Businesses can increase their customer connections, improve customer service and, most importantly, boost their brand image and trust with their customers through a user-friendly and compelling business website.

Author Website: https://www.bloomidesign.com/blog-post-1

TOP DIGITAL ADVERTISING TRENDS TO WATCH OUT FOR IN 2021

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 17:00:02 GMT

The year 2020 has been uncertain for the most part due to the Covid-19 pandemic. From the standpoint of developments in the digital space, it has been a moderate one. While some expected trends happened as planned, others did not.

A lockdown spanning a few months kept most people indoors. As a result, people had to turn to the Internet to do most things online. From official work to communication, there was a massive surge in the usage of the Internet never observed before. Also, there was an exponential rise in eCommerce sales in the lockdown period.

2020 may not have changed much as far as the approach in digital marketing is concerned. But it has made people more dependent on the Internet than ever before. As a result, a great opportunity knocks on the door of digital marketing companies to make the most out of it. The change in the behavior of Internet users is also likely to shape up new trends. Now that we are in 2021, it is just about the right time to predict the new trends in digital marketing this year.

1. SEO based on Video, Visual, and Image Searches

Most people search on Google and other search engines with relevant queries or keywords. But there is another way to find out the requisite information about a query. One can also run a search on Google with images and videos for this purpose. This method is equally useful in yielding additional information about a query.

In the next few months, most users are likely to tweak their method of searching for information on Google. They may either include image descriptions with alt text or a sitemap with dedicated images for better results. Also, they may use file names with images or HD videos for this purpose.

2. More Attention to Featured Snippets

Snippets are unitary search results with a title, URL, and page description. For its most part, SEO has been all about getting into the front pages of Google search results. But in 2021 and the subsequent years, it will be more about “getting to position zero” than “getting to the number one position”.

Snippets also contain useful information about a given query just like other search results. But a snippet shows up as a small box that stands out from the other results in search engine result pages (SERPs). Digital marketing companies are likely to make use of snippets for advertisements.

3. Local SEO

While SEO may indicate either broad SEO or local SEO, the latter assumes more importance for the sale of products in a geographical region. In 2021, it is all set to assume greater prominence. Consequently, there will be more investments in this aspect of SEO for better output in connection with conversions.

4. Segmentation of Customers

The trend of segregating customers into different categories has been a norm among companies in the digital marketing space for quite some time. However, 2021 will shape up how companies approach this trend concerning consumer behavior. Investments in small marketing campaigns targeting select customers will get more preference than the one featuring all customers. Using an Ad Network to generate additional traffic can be a solution. The rationale behind it would be to promote customer engagement.

For instance, digital marketing firms may segregate customers as small spenders and hefty spenders. Thereafter, they may send

relevant newsletters matching customers’ preferences for better results.

5. Interactive Content for Promoting Customer Engagement

To increase customer engagement, digital marketing brands will turn to interactive content. Over the years, such content has played a positive role in drawing the attention of customers towards brand-related activities. Polls, giveaways, surveys, and questions promote customer engagement with a brand. They keep users engaged for a long time, thereby helping a brand website stand out in algorithm-based searches.

Interactive content improves the user experience of both potential and existing business prospects of a brand. Thus, digital marketing companies are likely to channel their efforts and resources to make the most of this aspect.

6. Inclusivity

Inclusivity will govern consumer behavior in the future, especially among younger audiences. In the conventional approach, brands segregated a specific group of the target audience for marketing purposes. However, it has become outdated, and now is the time for inclusivity.

A piece of content depicting inclusivity is likely to form a positive impression and image of a brand in the minds of younger target audiences. Digital marketing companies will likely do their best to use content feature inclusivity without any segregation based on age, race, groups, and genders.

Final Thoughts

From the above, it is crystal clear that 2021 will be phenomenal with some path-defining changes for both users and digital marketers. There will be something for both. Together, these trends will add a new dimension to digital advertising trends and make way for new changes in the next few years down the line.

What is Social Media Marketing?

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 17:30:02 GMT

Skip this part if you’re pretty familiar with the concept – or take a refresher and read through. If you only have a vague idea of what constitutes this online marketing channel, here’s a quick definition.

So, what is social media marketing? Also known as SMM, it is the process of crafting content for social networking platforms to achieve your business and marketing objectives. You use the content to raise brand awareness, engage your audience or generate conversion such as driving traffic to your site or compelling followers to contact you.

Depending on your short-term or long-term needs, you can create either a single or a unified social media marketing strategy. You might focus your efforts on a single platform or market on multiple ones – but be aware that doing the latter requires more resources because each social networking app has its standard content and messaging format. This approach, however, also has the potential to make a bigger impact.

The Top Three Benefits Of Social Media Marketing

If you have to choose among the major pros of social media marketing to direct your strategy, let it be any three of the following:

1. Social Media Outreach is an Economical Choice

As the COVID-19 crisis bleeds into the new year, it’s crucial to keep your business alive by reaching out to your target market without breaking the bank.

This makes social media a good place to start. A Forbes Communication Council post said that, amid the pandemic, “it is cheaper for businesses to build their brand and engage with their customers through social media.” Setting up a business account on a social app is free, as is posting content on your business page. Some basic features like messaging and analytics are also free.

Of course, you have to start paying if you want to use the advertising and targeting features. But spending on ads can easily be aligned with your budget. For what it’s worth, hiring a social media management team can help you run an effective ad campaign, which in turn can pay for itself.

2. Raising Brand Awareness Can be Streamlined

Tap into the broad user base of social platforms to gain exposure for your brand. You can enhance your likelihood of being recognized by more users when you put up a page or profile on each of your chosen channels. Work on increasing your followers, sharing content consistently and interacting with your community to familiarize people with your presence.

But achieving visibility also depends on the viability of the social media apps. Take a look at the traditional ones, which have been here since the early 2000s and have not shown any signs of slowing down during the pandemic.

3. Customers Can Connect With You Directly

One of the advantages of social media is making interactions seamless and convenient. Through post or comment tagging and messaging features, you can reach out to another person or an organization in seconds.

These elements can also be turned into social media marketing tools, so you can easily cater to the needs of your customers. Likewise, you can ask them about what they want, announce promotions and sales and educate them about your products or services.

Online users aged 16-64 find new brands or products through social ads, use social networks to research new brands or products and rely on social proof (such as likes and positive comments) to influence their purchase decisions.

Is your Website ADA Compliant?

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 17:30:06 GMT

How to Avoid a Lawsuit & Strengthen your Brand

Inclusivity is more than just a buzzword; it’s the future of a healthier economy. When it comes to your business, it’s important to make sure your end consumer feels represented and identified. One of the most crucial ways to do this is through your website.

The latest and greatest in the digital realm are web accessibility features. According to ADA title III, every business website has to be accessible to people with disabilities, or it will be at risk of being sued and facing unnecessary legal expenses (yikes – we know!). Not only that, but access to information and communications technologies, including the Web, is defined as a basic human right in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

So to avoid the possibility of unnecessary expenses and controversy, we’ve prepared web accessibility solutions for your website. These features meet the code standards and design guidelines set forward by the ADA.

It focuses on accessibilities that are meant to allow people with disabilities to effectively use websites, including:

Blindness – Screen Reader Optimization
Motor Impairment – Keyboard Navigation Optimization
Visual Impairment – UI and Design Adjustments
Screen Readers – Using the ARIA attributes, accessiBe’s AI enables JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, Chromevox, and other screen-readers to properly interpret your site.
Epilepsy – Stops all flashing animations
Cognitive Disorders – On page live dictionary/glossary
We will ensure every action that can be done with a mouse, can also be done using just the keyboard (hovering, clicking, etc.)

With this web accessibility feature, not only are you benefitting more end consumers, but you’ll have peace of mind knowing:

It’s the right thing to do
You’ll prevent lawsuits from happening
You’ll be creating more opportunities for a broader range of clients
You’ll generate more brand exposure and awareness
You’ll increase your SEO

Not sure if your website is inclusive enough to fit the ADA’s standards?

Let us review your website... Econcept Inc.

How HTTP vs HTTPS can impact your SEO

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 23:04:46 GMT

To ensure a high level of security on your dream website representing your business, you need to turn 'http' to 'https'

Prevent the attacks of malware or invasion of privacy by taking the important steps. Make your website as secure as possible by protecting your audience that visits your website and improving your SEO.

If you haven't understood the difference or want to know deeper about 'http' and 'https', don't worry, we are here to do the drill for you. We'll be covering every important detail about them. You will get to know the difference between both and also the ideal stage about making the switch. Read further to learn more:

The Difference between HTTP vs HTTPS:

As we discussed, there is a big difference between both of them. However, there wasn't much of an issue between them in the old days when the internet started. During 2014, Google began to offer minor rating bumps to nearly everyone who switched from HTTP to HTTPS. Now you're wondering what makes HTTPS so exclusive? To find that out, we must first understand each of them separately.

What is HTTP?

Let's first understand what HTTP is. It expands as Hypertext Transfer Protocol which is being used right from the origination of the internet to transmit data from web servers to browsers. This procedure enables any visitor to open and view web pages.

HTTP allows different types of systems to interact with each other. Every initial–stage website has used it and most still use it.

The primary concern revolving around HTTP is that there are chances of security breach or intrusion of privacy. It means the information transferred can be visible to just about anyone. It also implies that it is far more simple for anyone to gain access or change the website's content.

What is HTTPS?

HTTPS can be described as Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure. Basically, It performs the same tasks but with an extra layer of security. In contrast to HTTP, HTTPS performs encryption of the information between the browser and the server. The added layer of encryption prevents hackers from stealing user information. Before 2014, many e-commerce websites made use of HTTPS for securing payment information. However, due to the problematic flow between websites and information, more websites are switching to HTTPS.

HTTPS protects information by using an SSL (secure sockets layer) certificate for your kind information. This builds a protected encrypted connection between the browser and the server. This secures sensitive information from being stolen.

What is the Difference?

Basically, HTTP and HTTPS are both used to transmit information between the web server and the browser. The significant point of difference between the two is that HTTPS uses an SSL certificate. This is very important when websites collect sensitive information such as credit card information, passwords or social security numbers.

An SSL Certificate retrieves information and encrypts it. Subsequently, the encrypted information is translated into a secure code that implies hackers won't fathom it even if they manage to steal the information due to the secret code.

Moreover, apart from the additional security layer, HTTPS is also protected by TLS (transfer layer security) protocol which lends added data integrity. It implies that watering hole attacks, corruption or modification of data transmission can be prevented.

One more advantage of TLS is the additional site authentication. This ensures users that they are connecting with the authentic and intended website. Site authentication allows the website users to become aware of the fact that the information is being transmitted at the correct place.

HTTP versus HTTPS: Which one is best?

HTTPS is obviously a gamechanger over HTTP. However, HTTPS is mostly useful for eCommerce websites or those websites which collect potentially sensitive information. One piece of advice: if you aren't one of these websites, you can go without using HTTPS to avoid critical hassles.

Nevertheless, adopting the usage of HTTPS can still be beneficial for you. Apart from additional security, HTTPS enhances your SEO results. This is excellent news for any organization that wishes to carve its global niche.

HTTPS and SEO Potential

There are numerous reasons for switching to HTTPS whether you're willing to enhance your SEO efforts or anything else. All those reasons will retain your visitors and get you more. The SEO enhancers gained by switching to HTTPS involves:

1- ELIGIBLE FOR AMP

Creating Accelerated Mobile Page is becoming the need of the hour for every website. A lot of people surf the internet from their mobiles. Therefore nobody would want a slow-paced website. Everyone loves a faster-website which comes from AMP page that requires an HTTPS site. Local SEO and Mobile search ranking are pivotal for your website rankings. This is one of the biggest reasons for switching to HTTPS to increase your SEO efforts.

2- DEVELOPS VISITOR TRUST

When you see a webpage with a warning message of potential malware attacks on your site or possible stealing your information, don't you hate it and feel threatened for a moment. Nobody likes this experience, and besides, it breaks your trust. Therefore, HTTPS comes with an SSL certificate that provides a completely secured experience that builds and maintains your visitors' trust. How? Because it blocks security breaches and protects sites from potential risks.

3- BOOSTS YOUR WEBSITE RANKING

As mentioned above, Google gives a bit of boost to ratings to those websites switching from HTTP to HTTPS. However, this is not the only method by which HTTPS boosts the Google rankings. When you switch to HTTPS, your visitors will often check out the website more and stay glued for more time. Why? Simply because it's a secure website without any possible threats or intrusion of privacy. More recently, website visitors notice the lock symbol on their browsers, making them aware of being on a secure website. This lock symbol features only on HTTPS-enabled websites.

Finally switching to HTTPS

After understanding the distinction between HTTP v.s HTTPS and what impact they will have on your SEO, you must have understood that your organization requires switching to HTTPS, which will be beneficial for you.

SiteCheck for Security HERE!!!

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Sun, 13 Dec 2020 03:09:12 GMT

Did Your Site Get Blacklisted by Norton Safe Web?

One of my sites was blacklisted by Norton Safe Web last week. A client’s site was blacklisted two days after launch. Both have no malware and are not blacklisted anywhere else – a sure sign that Norton is doing something very different than all the other blacklisting services.

Here’s how Norton describes their ‘service.’ While I’m sure there are legitimate flaggings going on, the only ones I’ve encountered so far are not. Sucuri confirms that Norton is sending out ‘false positives’ in a chat I had with them today:

‘Regarding the Norton blacklist alert, Norton systems have been flagging a lot of false positives lately.’

One of my clients first reported this problem about about a month ago. Despite not being on any other blacklist, and having her site cleaned by Sucuri repeatedly and verified to have no malware whatsoever, she remains on Norton’s blacklist. Here’s what her site profile on Norton Safe Web says:

‘This is a known dangerous web page. It is highly recommended that you do NOT visit this page. The threat categorization is not complete & details will be added soon.’

So if your site is blacklisted by Norton and a potential customer is running some form of Norton’s security software, when they visit your site they will see a warning like the one above. They will most likely choose to avoid your business as a result.

Improperly flagging a site without due process can harm the business and doesn’t help anyone except Norton. No one should blacklist without due process, and unless they offer a reasonably fast and easy removal process for improperly flagged sites.

Here are the steps required to request (but not necessarily receive) a review from Norton to get your site off their list.

1. When you go to their report for your site you’ll see the link for ‘Site Owner? Click Here.’

2. You’ll see a menu of choices. If you click on ‘Do you think your web site’s rating is inaccurate,’ you’ll see this: ‘Please note that your site needs to be registered and site ownership verified to get the site re-evaluated.’ It goes on to say:

If you feel that your Web site has been given a rating by Norton Safe Web that is inaccurate, you can easily request a re-evaluation following these steps:

Sign in to your Norton Safe Web account.
On the “site dispute” tab, click the “Re-evaluate my site” link next to your Web site name. You can raise your concerns and issues regarding content on your Web site here.

The “site dispute” tab lists any threats detected on your site. You must remove these threats from your site.

3. You are required to sign up for NortonLifeLock and join their Safe Web community and create a display name.

LifeLock is an identity protection company that many of us were signed up for in the wake of the credit reporting agencies’ personal information theft debacle. If you were one of those signed up and later tried to leave LifeLock, you know that they make it extremely difficult, time-consuming, and onerous to remove yourself from their services.

4. When you go back to your site’s report page, you can click on Add Site under Site Dispute and then will have to verify that you actually own it. To do this you’ll have to either upload the supplied HTML file to your site or add a meta tag to your site header. I chose to get the HTML file, but I don’t think it matters which one you do.

5. Once you do one of the above (HTML file or meta tag) click ‘Verify Now.’ During this step, I got this message: ‘The Norton Safe Web site is unavailable. Please try again later.’

…..

6. When I could see the profile page again my site was verified. Click on ‘re-evaluate my site.’

7. You’ll see that the language is broken, looks like a scam email rather than a legitimate company: ‘Please provide re-evaluation reason for each reported threats and proceed to click on Submit button.’ There was no space to provide any reasons or comments, at least not for my submission.

8. After you click the Submit button you should see your site and a ‘re-evaluation in progress’ message under Status.

That’s it for now – I’ll report back when I get a response.

EDIT: An email from Norton says it takes 2 weeks for a re-evaluation. Don’t hold your breath – one of my colleagues has had a clean site blacklisted for 9 months – 3 attempts to contact Norton have been met with complete silence.

If you work with Sucuri (recommended if you know you have a legitimate malware issue, they are great) they submit a request to all blacklisting databases once their cleanup work is complete. But my client has been on Norton’s list for almost a month now. Even Sucuri is having problems getting false positives removed from Norton Safe Web, it seems.

Also – Norton began sending me ads the day after I registered on their site to request removal.

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Effective Elements of Website Design

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 00:49:04 GMT

Sell or increasing brand awareness is just the beginning.

Ever thought of selling a product or increasing brand awareness? Effective website design is the contrast between a change and a lost possibility. Your website serves as an important medium for users to effectively grasp what your brand is about. The very last thing you want is to chase site visitors away because of an inadequately designed website. Check out 11 awesome elements of Website Design below to see how you can effectively design a website. You can also seek professional advice from the folks at Econcept Inc. / www.Econcept.biz if you think you need some extra help.

1. Simplicity is the best

Purpose comes first, graphics are secondary. As much as creative and innovative graphic designs will greatly catch the attention of users, they should never be the cause of distraction for users who visit a website with a purpose in mind. If there is too much going on, visitors who do not understand what your site is about will leave within a few seconds.

If you have redundant information on your website, delete it. Avoid busy and irrelevant designs. There is no point in cramming your site too much above the fold. Simplicity is the best — simple designs allow for easier navigation on the site, and aid users in searching for information that truly matters to them.

Utilizing white space, alternatively referred to as negative space, can effectively draw the attention of visitors to your site! White space is the area on your site that are deliberately left unfilled, and they help to separate paragraphs of texts and graphics. White space is a significant and powerful element of website design as it makes a page look professional and neat.

2. Aesthetics

Colors, balance, and typography are the three most vital aesthetic principles for successful website design. Colors evoke poignant and enthusiastic reactions — warm tones such as yellows and pinks excite people whereas cool tones like blues and greens have a peaceful effect. Here’s a fun fact, do you know why a large number of fast-food restaurants have red logos? This is because red instantly attracts attention and makes people feel hungry!

Colors should be in harmony and feel consistent when you select a color palette for your site. For your website background, select colors that coordinate with your logos and avoid colors that clash too much as they can put your users off. A maximum of five distinct colors is suggested for successful website design. Fonts also affect the feel of your site — stick to a font size of 12-16 pts and a maximum of three typefaces. Sans Serif fonts are also proven to be effective for body text. Whatever you do, remember to always keep your audience in mind.

3. The power of graphics

A nother design hack is the use of visuals over text. Pictures speak a thousand words, and they contribute significantly to effective website design. Visuals can be strategically incorporated to point users to where you want them to go. For instance, ‘Contact Us’ and ‘Shop Now’ buttons, coupled with visual cues can direct users to primary conversion points.

Quality over quantity — when selecting pictures for your site, they ought to be high resolution and appropriate for your site. Utilize photos that look as natural as possible, otherwise, they might come off excessively tacky. Infographics can also be useful as they catch the attention of users easily. Since an average user typically skims a site instead of perusing it in full detail, infographics are an incredible asset that can effectively deliver information.

4. E Format

People typically scan websites starting at the upper left corner, then move across the webpage to the right corner, then downwards to the left and back across the page to the right. This is known as the ‘E Format’. What this layout proposes that the most vital information should be placed on the upper left corner while the least significant details should be parked on the bottom right of your website. Users should not have to scroll down your site to find out the most important information. Grid-based layouts, headers, subheaders, and bullet points are also recommended as they make it easier for users to navigate your website.

5. Conventions

Sometimes, conventional designs that users are acquainted with can be the best solution to effective website design. These include a search bar at the upper right corner of the page, navigation menus, and a logo at the top that will divert users back to the homepage, as well as contact information located at the bottom of the page. Shopping cart icons are often a typical feature of e-commerce sites, alongside ‘add to cart’ or ‘view cart’ buttons. Common buzzwords such as ‘contact us’, ‘submit’ and ‘check out’ also allow users to navigate your site with more ease and speed.

6. User Experience (UX)

7. Load Time

Research has shown that users would leave a website if it took more than three seconds to load. In order for effective website design, load time should be significantly reduced and one way to do so is to optimize image sizes and scales. Allowing landing page redirects to be cached can also improve load time.

8. Consistency is key

Consistency is the key to effective website design. A few instances of maintaining consistent design elements across your site include having the same font, color scheme, and menu options on each page. Congruence between landing pages, advertisements, and your website is a powerful factor in determining whether a user will turn into a customer. Maintaining consistent themes in your branding would be an advantage to your design process and is helpful in maximizing conversions.

9. Accessibility is key

In the age of technology today, your website has to be mobile-friendly and as optimized as your desktop site! In order for your website to reach a larger group of audience, you can either create mobile versions of your website or use a layout that can easily and automatically adjust to differing screen sizes.

10. Constant Optimization

Constant optimization is key to successful website design. The best way to ensure that your site is user-friendly and effectively designed to maximize conversions is to enlist the help of friends to test out your site and provide valuable feedback. You must also put in conscious effort to update your site with the latest information and ensure that it runs smoothly regardless of the number of users accessing it.

11. End-goals

Lastly, a successful site is contingent on an effective marketing strategy beyond aesthetic visuals, load time, and accessibility. Your website design should be focused on specific goals that should be evident to your users at all times. With an end-goal in mind, anything is possible.

An efficiently designed website is some of the best marketing you can do for your products. With the saturation of websites in the market today, users are spoiled for choice. They can easily choose to click on the back button if your website interface doesn’t immediately give them what they’re looking for. Hence, if you want potential customers to stay, be sure to follow these tips.

Why Your Business Won't Succeed Without a Strong Logo

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 12:01:13 GMT

What’s the most important part of your brand’s image?

If your answer wasn’t “a logo,” you’re wrong. Your logo is the first thing many new customers will notice about your business, and it will have a big impact—even if they don’t realize it—on whether or not they decide to invest their money on you.

In fact, your business can’t survive without a logo.

That’s why we’ve put together a few reasons you should never overlook your logo. Let’s get started.

It Tells Your Story

Your logo captures who you are in a single image. It tells your customers what type of business you are, what kind of products or services you sell, what your message is[1], etc.

It’s the foundation of your business’s identity. Without a logo, you’ll have trouble creating a consistent and clear brand for your company.

It Catches People’s Attention

The unique image and bright colors of your logo design are attention getters. When a customer sees your logo, it’ll pique their interest and drive them toward your products or services.

A professional logo also creates a good first impression for new customers—something that tells them they can trust you with their money. Otherwise, these people will pass right by your business without even realizing it was there.

It Promotes Brand Recognition

A logo is the face of your brand.

For example, try thinking about your favorite business. What’s the first thing that popped into your mind? Probably their logo.

It's hard to see Starbucks without their mythological mermaid or McDonalds without their golden arches. You want your customers to see your logo when they envision your business as well.

Your customers will have a hard time recognizing your brand[2] without one, and they won’t be able to tell you apart from your competitors.

Your Customers Expect It

When customers visit a new business, they expect to see a logo. If they don’t, they might lose trust in you or think your company isn’t reliable or reputable.

This will push them toward the competition, meaning you lose money.

If you avoid spending on a logo, you won’t save in the long run. Instead, it will cost you sales and credibility.

The Importance of Designing a Business Logo in the San Luis Obispo/Santa Barbara Area

You’ll end up losing customers and money if you don’t invest in a professional logo. And without those two things, your business won’t last very long.

Coming up with a logo idea, though, isn’t something you should do alone. A DIY logo won’t benefit you much more than not having a logo at all.

That’s why we want to help you through the designing process. Our team at Econcept Inc. can give you a logo that represents your business’s values and resonates with your customers.

Don’t hesitate to give us a call at (805) 202-2368 to set up a logo consultation!

References:

1. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/227072

2. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brand-recognition.asp

5 Ways Facebook Can Help Grow Your Business

Wed, 16 Sep 2020 16:57:53 GMT

By now, we are used to using social media, after all, 74% of all internet users are on it every day! But are you familiar with all the ways social media platforms like Facebook can help grow your business? While traditional marketing methods can still be effective, the new generation of consumers are turning to social media. Consumers use social media to learn about products and services. So, if your business is not using social media effectively, you could be missing out on new customers!

If that is not enough to motivate you to use Facebook for your business, then maybe this will: social media isn’t going anywhere. Social media platforms like Facebook, continue to be one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods for engaging with your customers, promoting your services, and building your brand. We already know about Facebook’s great ability to connect friends to each other, so just imagine how it can connect consumers to your company.

Still not convinced? Take a look at these 5 ways Facebook can grow your business.

1. Audience Engagement Creates Brand Loyalty

Posting often to your social media platforms can help engage your customers and build brand loyalty. The fact that you can also post about your daily specials and product promotions isn’t bad either! By engaging with your customers via social media your business can build relationships, create loyal consumers, and best of all attract new ones who are interested in buying. Just make sure you don’t let too much time pass in-between posts. To get the most out of social media marketing make sure you are posting quality content every day or every other day.

2. Great Content Helps Your Business Stay Connected

When you communicate and actively post on social media, it shows customers that you care about staying relevant. Therefore, that you care about having their business. Create stimulating and appealing visual content will interest your consumers so post often! Photos of products, services, or your place of business will create a more personal connection for your fans.

3. Target Your Ideal Customers With Facebook Ads

When you use Facebook Ads for your business, you are able to target the exact audience demographic you want to reach. You can target based on location, age, gender, education level and so much more! This means your ads are relevant to the audience that will see them. So you don’t have to worry about it being shown to people who are not interested in your services. From an ad, users can get information such as directions to your business, a coupon code to make a purchase or information on how to get an exclusive deal. Facebook also provides data on how your ad is doing which will help you measure the results.

4. Contests And Incentives Drive Fan Engagement

Everyone loves a good deal or better yet, free stuff. When you post for a contest or giveaways, it drives traffic to your social media page. This traffic boosts fan engagement and often leads to greater exposure for your business. Running a contest or giveaway also can lead to more fans for your page. This means more people your business can connect with (and convert to customers) over time!

5. Social Media Can Boost SEO

When people are searching for your business online, more times than not, they will be looking to see if you have a Facebook page. Search engines, like Google, also rank social media activity in their search results. If your business’ Facebook page has quality content being published consistently and you have a steady amount of follows and likes, then search engines will rank your content higher in the search results. Overall, this makes your business easier for customers to find.

Interested in learning more ways Facebook can help grow your business? Contact us today and schedule a meeting with one of our social media experts who can help your business shine online!

Resource: https://notimeforsocial.com/5-ways-facebook-can-help-grow-your-business/

How to Get Customers to Leave Positive Reviews for Your Business

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 07:01:33 GMT

About 76% of customers read reviews before buying a product or choosing a company’s services. If the reviews they find are good, these customers are more likely to give your business their trust (and their money).

But how do you get your customers to actually leave positive reviews?

We’ve put together a few strategies that’ll encourage your customers to review your business—and it's not as hard as you might think.

Here’s how to get started.

1. Make It as Easy as Possible

Just because a customer is happy with your products/services doesn’t mean they will leave a review. In fact, customers are more likely to put effort into writing a review if their experience was a bad one.

So you have to make leaving a review as easy as possible.

Give them a lot of different options. Set your business up on websites like Yelp and Google Local[1] and social medias like Facebook. No matter where your customers spend their time, they won’t have to go out of their way to leave a review.

2. Give Them an Incentive

Want your customers to tell you what they thought of your product/service? Then make writing an online review worth their while.

For example, you can give them a small incentive for reviewing your business, such as:

Entering them into a prize drawing
Giving them coupon codes
Sending them a gift card
Giving them special deals
Etc.

However, it’s important that you ask your customers for honest reviews. You should never bribe them to say good things about you as this is unethical.

3. Just Ask

Remember, your customers won’t always go out of their way to leave a review even if they loved your business. That doesn’t mean they don’t want to write one—they just aren’t thinking about it.

But all you have to do is ask them. According to research[2], 70% of customers will review a business if they're asked to do so.

4. Follow up If Necessary

Did you ask your customers for reviews and still didn’t get anything? It’s easy to forget, so don’t give up yet.

Instead, follow up with your customers and ask them again to write a business review if they haven’t already. Once they see your reminder, there’s a good chance they’ll sit down and write what they thought about your products/services.

The Best Way to Get Positive Reviews for Your San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Business

Encouraging your customers to write positive reviews isn’t hard, but it does take some time. It also shouldn’t get in the way of what you need to focus on as a business owner, which is growing and developing your company.

That’s why we’re prepared to take care of the review process for you. Our team at Econcept Inc. can gather good reviews, turn any bad ones around, and manage your online reputation.

Want to learn more? Don’t wait to get in touch with us today at (805) 202-2368.

References:

1. https://www.google.com/business/

2. https://searchengineland.com/70-consumers-will-leave-review-business-asked-262802

DIY or DIDon’t: Should You Hire a Web Design Company or Do It Yourself?

Sat, 01 Aug 2020 07:05:48 GMT

You can find a DIY website builder online and put together a functioning website in under an hour, and you can do it without spending much money. So is spending money on a web design company worth the cost?

The short answer to that question is yes.

While the speed of DIYing is certainly convenient, it comes with its fair share of disadvantages. By building your own website, you’re sacrificing several other things instead.

Here’s a quick look at some of the most important.

Traffic

One of the biggest problems with DIY websites is they aren’t competitive. Odds are you won’t be able to rank above your competition in the search results—in fact, you might not even be close.

On top of that, these types of websites also:

Aren’t search engine optimized
Don’t look professional
Aren’t mobile-friendly[1]

That means your customers won’t be able to find you.

If people can’t get to your website (or if they have a hard time using it), they won’t stick around for long. By losing these customers, you’re also losing business and, therefore, money.

Customization

When you choose to build your own website, you also choose whatever DIY web design the program gives you. Customization is almost always out of the question.

Unless your website only needs basic features (which isn’t likely), you won’t be able to build a site that represents your business on your own.

Maintenance

Is there something wrong with your website?

Going the DIY route means you’ll have to figure out what’s causing the issues and fix it yourself. If you don’t have a lot of experience with coding, this can be a long and difficult process.

And every minute your website isn’t working[2], you’re losing more money.

But Doesn’t DIYing Help You Save Money?

Not really.

Although DIYing your website will cost a lot less upfront, it doesn’t put more money in your bank account. Since your website won’t make it into the top search results, you won’t convert as many customers and sell your products/services.

So you’ll make less money in the long run.

You’ll also need to hire a professional to keep your website running if you encounter any problems. This can end up costing you more money, especially if your website keeps having these issues.

It’s worth spending extra money hiring professional in the beginning to get a competitive website that runs well (and stays that way).

How to Find a Web Design Company That’s Worth Your Money

When you’re looking for a web design company to build your website, don’t focus too much on the price. If you choose the cheapest option you can find, you’ll get a low-quality website, which won’t perform much better than a DIY one.

Instead, base your decision off a company’s experience, customer service, and reviews.

If you need help building a website for your Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo business, our team at Econcept Inc. can do the hard work for you. Give us a call at (805) 202-2368 to talk about your website goals today!

References:

1. https://www.theceomagazine.com/business/innovation-technology/3-reasons-why-your-site-must-be-mobile-friendly/

2. https://www.siteuptime.com/blog/2019/09/26/the-top-8-reasons-behind-a-website-crash/#:~:text=Code%20Errors,maintenance%20or%20updating%20the%20website.

Why Our Web Maintenance Services Are Different from the Rest

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 13:53:32 GMT

Your business needs a website .

You know that. But trying to find the right company to build and maintain your site can be a tricky process. How do you find the best fit for your business?

We’ve put together this guide to show you why our web maintenance is different from the others and how this can benefit you.

So keep reading to learn more.

You Can Always Reach Us

Do you have a question about your website? A concern? You can always get in touch with us.

We answer the phone between 9 A.M. and 5 P.M. every Monday through Friday, and we answer every call. You don’t have to rearrange your busy schedule to talk to us. Instead, you can call whenever you have time.

And when we say we answer the phone, we mean it.

You won’t be put on hold for an hour, you won’t be stuck talking to a machine, and you won’t have to leave a message. We want your business to succeed, so we take the time to listen to what you have to say and solve your problems.

Your needs are always our first priority.

We Address All Support Tickets Within Two Business Days

If something goes wrong with your small business website (or if something just isn’t quite right), you can send in a support ticket, and we’ll address it within two business days.

Here’s why this is so important.

It Prevents Downtime

The second your website stops working, you start losing money.

If your customers can’t get on your website, they can’t do business with you. That means you can’t sell any products or services during that time.

But downtime can also lead to a host of other problems. For example, you might lose your customers to your competitors if they can’t use your website. You may have to pay your employees overtime to fix the problem or to meet important deadlines. And—worst of all—you may negatively impact your brand image[1].

We can take care of any potential problems before they spiral this far out of control.

It Gives off a Good First Impression

For many people, your website is the first thing they will see of your business. If your website is slow, glitchy, or not user-friendly, those people won’t stick around for long. Instead, they’ll head over to your competitors.

Since we provide fast web maintenance services, you won’t have to worry about missing out on these potential customers.

It Makes You More Money

If you don’t lose business or customers, you make more money. That means you can continue to grow your business and make an impact in your community.

Why Our Web Maintenance Services Are Different from the Rest

When it comes to our web maintenance services, we aren’t like other companies. We don’t consider you as “just another client.” We are invested in your success. We want you to reach new milestones, which means we will go the extra mile to keep your website up and running (and running well).

If you want to learn more about how we can help you grow your business, don’t wait to give us a call at (805) 202-2368. We would love to set up an appointment and talk about your business goals.

References:

1. https://www.mediabistro.com/climb-the-ladder/managing/15-tips-fixing-brands-bad-reputation/

The Benefits of a Website: Why Your Business Can't Survive Without One

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 07:01:18 GMT

Websites have become an essential part of business. It doesn’t matter what type of business you have, the benefits of a website can mean the difference between success and failure.

While creating a website might be an investment, you can’t afford to not have one anymore.

We’ve put together this guide to show you why you need a website, so make sure you keep reading below!

Gives You Credibility

Customers trust websites. If you have a well-designed, user-friendly website, customers are more likely to give you their business.

In fact, about 75% of online users[1] will judge the credibility of your company based on your website. If you don’t have a website, customers won’t trust you as an authority in your industry, and they’ll go to your competitors instead.

Makes You Competitive

A website gives you a way to compete with the other business in your area (and on the web). With the right SEO strategies, you can outrank them on search engines, meaning the customers searching for your products or services will go to you first.

If you don’t have a business website, you’re essentially ushering your customers to your competitors instead.

Helps Grow Your Audience

When you build a website , you’re exposing your business to people who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to find you. A website also gives you unlimited marketing opportunities (one of the most important website benefits), meaning you can reach more people in a wider demographic.

Increases Your Sales

Since a website helps you attract more customers, you’ll end up making more sales. But that’s not the only way a website will boost your income.

According to research[2], nearly 80% of people buy products and services online, both for convenience and affordability. If you don’t have a website, you’re cutting yourself off from a massive pool of online shoppers.

On top of that, 97% of customers[3] research a product online before they buy it from a local business. If these local customers can’t find a website for your products, they are less likely to do business with you.

It’s What Customers Expect

Most business have websites, so your customers expect you to have one, too. They will likely head over to one of your competitors if you don’t have one, which is lost business for you.

Taking Advantage of the Benefits of a Website

If you don’t have a website yet, getting one should be your next priority. But this isn’t something you should do alone.

Remember, your customers will judge your credibility and trustworthiness based on the appearance of your website. Because of this, the best way to take advantage of the benefits of a website is to get some professional help.

Not sure where to look?

Our team at Econcept. Inc. can build and maintain a quality website for your local San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara business. You can get in touch with us at (805) 202-2368 to learn more about our web design and marketing services!

References:

1. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/307165

2. https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/19/79-percent-of-americans-now-shop-online-but-its-cost-more-than-convenience-that-sways-them/

3. http://www.bizreport.com/2010/03/user_view_97_of_consumers_research_products_online.html

5 Ways Small Businesses Can Use Their Website To Survive The COVID-19 Crisis

Fri, 01 May 2020 22:19:46 GMT

With the recent global developments surrounding the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small businesses everywhere are being forced to think outside the box in order to survive. For many, who cannot conduct business as usual by being in the office, at the store, or seeing customers, relying on their website is their only hope. Here are 5 ways small businesses can use their website to make it through these challenging times.

1. Communicate with customers

From changes in store hours to product availability, small businesses are using their website now more than ever to share important updates with the community. A website allows businesses to easily, safely and cost-effectively communicate with their customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

2. Online ordering

For some businesses, online ordering has become the only source of revenue. Restaurants restricted to carry-out or delivery-only are hooking their website up with popular platforms like Seamless, DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats to offer online ordering to their customers. Other businesses such as hardware stores and pharmacies are using their website to allow customers to email their order for curbside pickup.

3. Stay visible

You know the saying: "out of sight, out of mind." If you’re not visible, you’ll quickly lose market share to the competition. A website helps businesses stay connected to customers and keeps leads coming in, especially when in-store traffic is down or stores are temporarily closed. Remember: consumers are still searching online for local businesses and no better time than now for them to develop the client relationship, which can be done without being face-to-face.

4. Offer coupons and specials

A website is a great way for businesses to promote coupons and specials. And since some consumers are surviving on reduced incomes, offering discounts during this time is wise, and a very empathetic thing to do that can build reputation in the community. In some markets, traditional media sources like newspapers and coupon circulars have stopped printing due to COVID-19 and a website is the only way for businesses to post coupons and deals.

5. Job postings

While some businesses are temporarily closed, other essential businesses like supermarkets and delivery businesses are flourishing and are unable to keep up with demand. These businesses need to hire new employees – and fast. A website is a great way to post job openings and accept applications en masse, online.

Ecommerce Websites Now Available!!!

PayPal Exclusive...Only $49 Per Month!!!

Call Today for Details! (805) 202-2368

SIP (Stay In Place) Update

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 19:05:27 GMT

Time to RE-Open

As our state is dealing with re-opening businesses and adjusting the SIP (Stay In Place) order, we are faced with the task of how this will impact our business.

Below you will find the TOP 5 changes due to the SIP order that will primarily change the way we do business.

No specific order

1). Ecommerce:

As people have embraced social distancing as a way to slow the spread of the pandemic, there has naturally been a drop-off in brick-and-mortar shopping. That would seem to mean there would likely be an increase in online shopping as people turn to e-commerce to purchase the items they might have otherwise purchased in person.

HOW: Develop a simple one click e-commerce site. Doesn't have to be much more than a simple description and call to action.

Amazon alone has seen it value increase: March 16th ($1689) to ($2300) per share

2). Social Ordering:

Retailers are continuing the quest to engage with visitors on social channels. With the average person reportedly spending around 2 hours a day on social media - it's undoubtedly a BIG opportunity.

Facebook alone dominates the social gathering channel. Making the leap from 'like' to 'buy' has now become the focus of most marketers.

HOW: Using your post to remind people of your product or service with links to an optimized website. Single click buying -

3). Website BLOGS:

Now that we are online more and still searching to learn something new and exciting, now more than ever should you be posting regular blogs and content to your website. Blogs with valued content and call to action will not only lead a visitor into becoming a client but also their friends.

HOW: Write monthly blogs or articles about what interests your visitors might have. Be sure to capture their emails and during the month remind them of new content on your website.

4). Email Marketing:

With email open rates doubling it's no wonder why more emails are being sent to consumers. Now is the biggest opportunity to bring visitors to your service and or product. Providing your Blog directly into their inbox makes it simple to get the word out about what you offer.

HOW: Smaller is better. Simple email campaign with a few lines to the topic you want to cover. Direct the reader to your website for the full article and sales pitch. Don't forget the single click to buy from your email...

5). Working From Home:

Since the SIP order we have most likely all started working from home and several companies will continue this trend once the SIP order is lifted. What this means is that people will continue to use online services for their social, and shopping needs. It is expected that a 200% increase in remote workers will be necessary as businesses restructure. With all this being said it is important that your business captures these potential clients/customers, as all of them will earn a wage above the average in-office worker.

HOW: Develop your business website and social media business pages!

Curbside Websites Now Available!!!

These sites have no set up fees and can go live in 24 hours.

Call Today for Details! (805) 202-2368

ZOOM - GET IT NOW!!!

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 23:10:54 GMT

Zoom Widget - Now With Econcept WEB!

Zoom, the hugely popular video conferencing service, now has its own Econcept (TrilogySites) widget. Add it to your sites and give your clients an easy, quick, and effective way to engage with site visitors.

With so many people working from home due to the coronavirus, it’s more important than ever for companies to find creative ways of engaging with their customers and conveying their core business values. One way millions of people are doing this is via Zoom , the video conferencing service that’s free, easy to use and accessible on every device.

Zoom is one of the top downloads on both Google Play and the Apple App store. If your clients aren’t using it yet, now is the perfect time to talk with them about creative ways of engaging with their client base via video conferencing on their sites.

Your clients can even monetize online meetings by adding a PayPal widget to make collecting payment easy, and set the Zoom meeting with a password that is sent after payment is received.

Zoom is a great tool for attracting new visitors, creating a database of email addresses for future communications, and solidifying your client's reputation in their field.

Types of sites that are perfect for Zoom

While physical shops, studios, salons and restaurants are closed, Zoom can help your customers engage with their customers. A few examples:

Personal trainers, yoga teachers, etc. can host classes, enabling visitors to pay for single classes or purchase monthly memberships.

Private tutors can offer online lessons in real-time with one student or an entire class.

Restaurants can offer live cooking classes or demonstrations to promote deliveries.

Therapists can hold remote, face-to-face meetings with their clients.

Cosmeticians & hairstyles can offer face-to-face consultations that include personalized tips and more.

A bit more about Zoom

Zoom had a 1,270% increase in downloads over the past month, with numbers increasing every day. Its free plan allows for meetings that are up to 40 minutes long, with up to 100 participants per meeting.

To set up an account, you just need an email address. Download Zoom, set up an account and you can host or join meetings.

Zoom can be used on desktop, android or iOS, making it super accessible to a maximum number of people.

Zoom comes with filters to improve how you look, a selection of backgrounds, allows you record meetings and more.

After every meeting, you can pull the attendance list for follow-up communications and offerings.

To read more about using Zoom, see their website at zoom.us.

Check out the new Personal Trainer Template that includes the Zoom widget.

For more on how people are using Zoom these days, see articles in the New York Times, Adweek and Forbes.

COVID-19 for the remote worker!

Mon, 23 Mar 2020 22:05:38 GMT

UPDATE - We are looking out for you

Now that most of you are working remotely here are a few steps you can take to insure you are safe from contamination.

1). Wipe down your computer keys. A simple wipe down with a damp cloth will help. Dirty fingers can carry the virus and who knows who last touched your computer keys.

2). Use window cleaner to wipe down your desk top or work space before you begin work. This will guarantee there is nothing funky where dirty palms or hands have touched.

3). Avoid touching your face.... Remote jobs in front of a screen can become tiring and at times you may rub your eyes or lean your head on your hands. Your hands will carry the virus place to place regardless where you are at.

4). Wear a face mask... Just a good practice when sharing your computer. Have an extra face mask on the computer just as a reminder to anyone who might get on to your computer.

Just how serious is this? Take a peek at the stat counter below.

5 Reasons Why You Should Hire A Social Media Manager

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 17:37:48 GMT

For any business, social media is an integral marketing tool that must be utilized properly. With that being said, as a business manager, you should hire a social media manager. Managing different social media accounts and keeping them full of content can sometimes feel like a full-time job. Between maintaining a business Facebook page and responding to consumer questions on Twitter, social media management is usually too time-consuming for business owners to handle alone. That’s where social media managers can be of assistance. If you find yourself floundering in the sea of social media sites, consider upping your prowess by hiring a social media manager.

A social media manager is a professional who is placed in charge of monitoring, guiding, filtering, and contributing to the social media accounts of a business, organization, or individual. They work to help with branding and engagement. A social media manager takes over all of the social media accounts of the business or organization. Read on to learn the top reasons why you should hire a social media manager.

Inexpensive Marketing Campaigns

Social media marketing costs about 60% less than other marketing campaigns and can bring in as many as three times the leads. Therefore, it is a truly cost-effective means of budgeting. You can earn money without spending so much of it. Many businesses expand through the many ways that social media boosts profits. However, to increase your profits on social media, you need an expert. To gain the best marketing results, invest in a social media manager.

1) Strategy Implementation

A social media manager is going to be able to help their client by introducing a full social media marketing strategy. Instead of simply posting random things on social media, this strategy keeps things organized and helps companies to stay on track. A big part of the responsibilities a social media manager has is keeping up with the reputation of the individual or company. Social media can make or break a person or company’s reputation. Properly managing a reputation is essential to business growth. Social media managers establish credibility for companies through implementing various social media tactics into their strategies. For instance, they include the best practices for giveaway items to increase consumer interest and gain followers. By implementing strategies on a daily basis, social media managers effectively manage companies’ reputations.

2) Increased Engagement

Another reason business owners hire social media managers is because they increase engagement. While providing quality content on various platforms can increase your online presence, engaging with customers earns you more sales. Customers respond more to companies that return the favor. If you ask a question on your Instagram post that will help you plan out your next campaign, you need answers. To ensure that you get those answers, respond to the questions your followers ask on your other posts. In this way, a social media manger can boost your sales.

3) Keep Up With Trends

Trends come and go in social media and it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with the changes. A social media manager stays abreast of the changes and prevents their client’s social media pages from becoming stagnant. If your competitors implement new tactics based on the current social media trends and you do not, you will not gain any new customers. Furthermore, you could lose your existing ones. Hire a social media manager to keep up with the trends for you and retain customers.

4) Constant Updates

A social media account must consistently be updated or it becomes stagnant and boring. Sometimes, individuals and business leaders are too busy with other responsibilities to keep up with their social media accounts. Since consumers choose to follow you on various platforms to increase the number of quality posts that appear on their timelines, you need to provide them with quality posts regularly. If you do not, you could lose your followers and, therefore, potential customers. Social media managers have plenty of content marketing ideas under their belts. With them, they can keep content consistent. Then, you can work and reap the benefits of maintaining social media pages at the same time.

5) Use The Right Campaign

The right marketing platforms will help companies to increase their branding and see greater returns on their invested time and money. Hiring professionals make the process of managing social media accounts much more effective and less exhaustive. It can be difficult managing social media accounts without professional help. With the right professional, your social media campaigns will be more popular than ever before.

If your social media accounts are outdated and boring, hiring a social media manager can bring them back to life. A manager can take over all of the aspects of running your social media accounts so you do not have to stress. With the right manager in place, your social media accounts will come alive again and you will notice more engagement than you ever thought was possible.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://businessfirstfamily.com/hire-social-media-manager/

Make 3 Goals For 2020 — No More, No Less!

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 17:34:14 GMT

There’s a principle that I like to live by, and it is this: if you cannot explain your work in a sentence, you are not clear about what you do.

It’s not because your job is so complicated you couldn’t possibly explain it, or that you're doing so much you couldn’t possibly sum it up in just a few words. If you cannot distill the essence of what you do into a single line that anybody could understand, you either are not clear about what you’re doing, or feel insecure enough about it that you have to create complexity and mystery.

The same is true for setting goals.

If you think you are going to change your entire life in 2020, you are already wrong.

We are not only incapable of altering every single aspect of our lives at once, we also don't want to. We simply do not have enough energy in the day, nor enough care.

The truth is that nobody really wants to accomplish more than a few goals, but outside influences like social pressure make us keep reaching far beyond what’s within our bandwidth.

You should set 3 goals for 2020, and to achieve them, try to limit your daily objectives to 1-5 items as well.

This is why:

Doing less accomplishes more

When your goals are so spread out into different areas of your life, you simply do not have enough time or energy to reach them all. You halfheartedly accomplish a few, but the momentum doesn’t pick up because you’re not making real progress.

Radical reinvention shocks the system

You change your life one piece at a time. Anything less thrusts you so far from your comfort zone, you start to panic. I call this “adjustment shock.” Anything new — no matter how good — is uncomfortable until it is also familiar. That is why we have to lean into new ambitions slowly, until they become a natural part of our everyday lives.

You’ll figure out what you really care about

Despite what culture would have you believe, you’re not here to be everything. You do not have to master every single aspect of your life, and feeling pressured to even pretend that you want to is robbing you of your energy to affect change where it really matters. Get crystal clear on exactly what you want and what you care enough about — that passion will help motivate you in the months to come.

Your goals need a hint of realism

A list of huge goals that are so far off from where you are right now seems intimidating. Three goals, even if they are big ones, seems more fathomable.

You can always make adjustments

Your 2020 goals might be accomplished by March. That is a totally possible thing to have happen. It’s not that you’re only aspiring to do 3 things total this year, it’s that you’re focusing on these 3 until they are mastered, and you can be onto the next thing.

Growth is not an isolated event

When you improve one part of your life, it tends to touch everything else. When you raise your standards in one way, everything else has to rise to meet it. Growth is interesting in this way: often when we focus completely on changing one thing, we inadvertently create a ripple effect in which we are naturally motivated to change others, too.

Choosing less than a handful of goals for the new decade doesn’t mean you’re diluting your ambition. In fact, quite the opposite. You’re getting focused and crystal clear on what you want to do, and funneling your energy toward creating real, and lasting, impact.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannawiest/2019/12/03/make-3-goals-for-2020--no-more-no-less/#44d89da2372a

Build A Loyal Client Base With These 11 Retention Tips

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 17:13:09 GMT

If you want to build and keep a loyal client base, it's important to focus on providing incredible service and an experience that makes people want to come back. Here's how the members of Forbes New York Business Council recommend doing that.

1. Be Empathetic

I don't think enough is said these days about providing clients with exceptional customer service. Clients definitely have more choices than ever before, but being there for them and showing empathy for your clients is the best way to keep them as long-term customers. While the customer may not always be right, be responsive, flexible and, above all, willing to go above and beyond to help them. – Christopher White, The Sneakers Agency

2. Prioritize Sincerity And Appreciation

Peter Drucker said, "The difference between appreciation and flattery is one is sincere and one is insincere." Always be sincere and appreciate all of your clients because if they feel they are being taken advantage of, they can tell immediately. In the past, poor service to a client stayed in their circle of friends, and now it will have an impact for anyone who searches your business name. – James Giacopelli, Giac Capital, Inc & Giacopelli Accounting and Tax Services, LLC

3. Listen To And Implement Customer Suggestions

How does David compete against Goliath? People love when they are appreciated. I had my clients listen to their customers via polls and actually implement what they learned. They also thanked them personally and offered to put them in company videos. The idea is to create a cultlike following where the customer feels they are part of the company. That will always help David win. – Philip Smith, PJP Marketing, Inc.

4. Launch A Loyalty Program

I still find that a lot of customer-facing businesses, especially local businesses, struggle with customer loyalty. Implementing a customer loyalty program that provides your customers with tangible benefits while simultaneously ramping up customer retention is a requirement for any business, let alone one that relies on foot traffic and returning business. – Phillip Alexeev, Sketchfab Inc.

5. Encourage Positive Reviews

People who have a negative experience feel inclined to write reviews, while people who have positive experiences usually don’t have the instinct to do so. We encourage members who have been with us for years to share their experiences online in order to give others insight into what it’s like to be a part of our community. – Morris Levy, The Yard

6. Provide Great Service

Treat people better than they expect, and provide them exceptional service. Review sites are a good way to gauge if you are doing this effectively. Providing great service is key. – Josh Bobrowsky, Ignitia Office

7. Focus On Customer Interactions

Know the product differentiators between you and competition and provide great pre- and post-sales interactions. If you offer the same exact product at similar prices, customers would want to deal with a company they can talk to or interact with in a genuine way. They want to talk (live chat, phone or email) to a real person who understands their problems and how the products can help. – Ching Au, Durabrite Lighting Solutions

8. Get To Know Your Customers Personally

As a business owner, you have some idea of the pressures your customers are under — but does your staff? Oftentimes, they only see what clients need, not why they need it. By helping them see customers' goals, concerns and backstories, you help your team empathize with and appreciate your customers, which comes through in the service they provide. And appreciated customers are loyal customers. – Alan Goeman, eSlide, LLC

9. Provide A Consistent Experience

Do your best to provide customers or clients with the absolute best experience at all times; it’s as simple as that. Sometimes even the best businesses have an off day, so don’t be worried about the one or two bad reviews — worry about trying to keep quality as consistent as possible. Make customer or client experiences memorable. That’s the key. – Hoda Mahmoodzadegan, F'in Delicious Beverages

10. Treat Them Like Family

In PR, clients generally come and go every three to six months, but our average client has now been with us for over two years. I believe it is because we uncover business opportunities beyond our scope and we treat our clients like family. This year, we had a luxury beauty client who I formed relationships for in Turks and Caicos. We spent the weekend together trying to get into hotels and spas. – Warren H. Cohn, HeraldPR

11. Stay In Touch

Outside of your unique selling point, you need to ensure that you stay relevant by consistently popping up on your customers' radars. You can actively engage using multiple social media tools, which are mostly free if targeted to an existing customer base and are very effective ways to stay relevant and, most importantly, stay at the top of someone’s list for your product or service. – Savraj Aura, U.S. Parking Investments

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnycouncil/2019/02/06/build-a-loyal-client-base-with-these-11-retention-tips/#5991d9c44e82

3 Essential B2B Web Design Elements For Usability & Profitability

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 18:48:55 GMT

You only have a matter of seconds to engage website visitors and gain their trust in your brand. It takes less than 1 second for humans to form a first impression about a person and B2B websites are no different.

When B2B (business to business) websites aren’t designed with purpose and ease of use in mind, visitors often get frustrated and leave. Below are 3 crucial design elements that will help you leave a lasting impression, establish credibility, and increase revenue.

Clear And Consistent Navigation

Complex or inconsistent navigation in B2B web design frustrates users because they are not able to easily find what they need on a website. Things like too many product or service offerings, inconsistent categories, and poor layout hurt conversion rates.

For example, too many service offerings, or confusing category options in your navigation can actually make it more difficult for consumers to choose. Psychologists call this “choice overload” or “overchoice.” As the number of choices increases it then peaks and people tend to feel more pressure, confusion, and potentially dissatisfaction with their choice. When you pare down your website menu items to the essentials, you greatly reduce anxiety and doubt for users by giving them clear, easy choices.

The layout of your B2B website navigation is also one of the most important aspects of the user experience. The primary objective of navigation on a website is to facilitate wayfinding. If your menu moves around and is inconsistent, it makes it hard for users to find the information they need on the website. Users need to know at all times: “Where am I?,” “Where have I been?” and “Where can I go?”

Professional Imagery And Color Scheme

Human beings tend to be visual creatures and, as such, visitors decide quickly what they think of your B2B web design. Language takes longer for our brains to process, so while content is important, when it comes to first impressions imagery is king.

Photos, video, and color should aid and engage users. There are tons of options these days for images and graphics. Whether you use stock or custom graphics, make sure your imagery reinforces your brand story and messaging.

Another thing to keep in mind is image quality. Pixelated images feel second-rate, and cheap—leaving this impression. Imagery should be optimized to display well for every digital format and pictures should be crisp and clear.

The color scheme for your site is also important as color is another way to reinforce your brand and messaging. The color scheme of your website should complement your logo, photo choices, and messaging. Studies have revealed that our brains prefer recognizable brands, which makes color incredibly important when creating a brand identity. Your color choices can set you apart or help gain trust by being similar to others in the market.

Visual Hierarchy

A website’s visual hierarchy is also a critical design element. Typographic hierarchy is a system of organizing type that establishes an order of importance within the content, allowing the reader to easily find what they are looking for and navigate to relevant content. Visual hierarchy helps guide the reader’s eye to where a section begins and ends, while also enabling the user to isolate certain information based on the consistent use of style throughout a body of text. Designers use size, placement, and color to help viewers know where to look first.

When you cram content onto a page with no visual hierarchy, the user has trouble discerning what information is most important and will become tired and frustrated when navigating through a site.

Bringing order to chaos is what typographic hierarchy is all about. Size, color, position, and typeface—these are just some of the attributes you can experiment with to create a typographic hierarchy in B2B web design.

The design is not just what a website looks like and feels like. The design is how a website works.

By keeping these design elements in mind, you can create a beautiful and easy to use B2B website. Making this extra effort in the design department will pay-off as you will have better conversion rates and increased profit.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.business2community.com/web-design/3-essential-b2b-web-design-elements-for-usability-profitability-02162634

The Gazette

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Tue, 01 Oct 2019 18:04:19 GMT

SEO Tips For Optimization

To observe results from optimization, you have to do it consistently. There’s a great deal more to search engine optimization, But these ideas should help your site greatly enhance its rankings. While there are various strategies to use search engine optimization, this is one that might just be the manner of the future. Keyword search engine optimization may be a handy tool although there isn’t any guarantee it will help you in the short or long run.

*Content is easily the most important thing you’ll be able to enhance your site. The content of your site is the secret to SEO success. Your content ought to be creative and you need to still write for your clients, visitors and followers not simply to secure more people to examine your content by getting your site appear first in a search engine result. Good content and fantastic products or services make an outstanding website.

To find page rank on local SERP it’s essential that the website is mobile friendly. The website has to be relevant. So it assists the website to acquire an increasing number of traffic without having to spend an excessive amount of money on advertising. Thus, you’ve followed every one of the above strategies and got a website that blows each of the whistles and rings each of the bells!

Be sure your site is apparently on the up and up.” You decide for what’s perfect for your website. If your website is one which is not, correct it now. You should not alter this if you currently have an established website.

Use this website to learn how popular a website is. When a website isn’t updated and the spiders continually bring back the very same information they’re not content. Before starting the off-page optimization you should know your website first thus you are in need of a good research work for your whole website. Without an excellent place in the rankings, your internet site will be extremely hard to find.

If you prefer your website to work, you’ve got to understand how to earn search engines work for you. If a person arrives to your website and can’t even read what you’ve written, they’re simply likely to click the back button! Even how your website is built technically is essential for your rankings. Also know about expensive websites, ask the internet company how well their other websites have performed previously and ask to find some examples.

**You could also damage your site utilizing keyword SEO if you decide to over do it. You must go through your website for errors, some neglect to do this. If it’s the case that you already have an internet website, then a fast inspection to make sure these basic search engine optimisation principles are in place is surely suggested.

Don’t forget that you can swap links with other associated websites and it is possible to both benefit. If it’s possible to get links from popular and strong superior sites it will permit the search engines know your website is also of high quality. Placing a lot of internal links on your website is a superb means to optimize your website for the search engines.

SEO’s must never attempt to spam websites and blogs with comments. Search engine marketing is critical to decide on the significance of a site search engine ranking. Search Engine Optimization (search engine optimization) has come to be a fine science. When describing your company or its services or products on your site, you would like to keep SEO in mind. SEO or search engine optimization is a significant tool for virtually any site owner. It will be effective only when you have unique and high-quality content with the right keywords, which will be able to highlight the overall theme. Off-Page” optimization, on the opposite hand, is not anywhere near as simple to control.

Yet again, you must make certain that your site comes out as relevant. If you prefer your site to earn money and help grow your company, you must benefit from this completely free traffic. So it’s truly crucial for your site to appear in prime search results as a way to secure more visitors directed from search engine. Getting your own domain name is the first step to begin your SEO journey. When you have written and are content with it, load it onto all three of the aforementioned article websites (above) and ensure there is a URL to your site at the base of it.

To be able to get indexed fast, getting a link from another authority website will help your in that. As Search engines spidered crawls authority sites more frequently than new sites. That said, know that Search Engines today have superior indexing capabilities. So indexing today is so much faster with the implementation of tools like Search Console. Optimizing a site so as to enhance the search ranking needs a lot of patience and energy. Getting your website listed within the initial ten search results is the best situation which will most certainly result in several free targeted traffic. Look around online and you will discover several websites which have advice on how you can better your search engine traffic.

Seven Aspects Of Website Design Crucial For Drawing In Customers

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 19:49:31 GMT

When drawing in clients or customers, it is important to remember that each interaction they have with you or your company reflects upon your brand as a whole. Your company’s website is no exception. A website is not merely a place to list services and provide contact details. A website helps visitors know more about your ethos, operation style and brand aesthetic, which are all important when building interest and engagement.

Making sure your website design accurately represents your company and brand is absolutely critical in maintaining a smooth cohesion between what the customer sees, what they then expect and what your company actually delivers. So which aspect of website design is the most important for drawing in clients or customers? Here is what members of Forbes Communications Council advise:

1. Send A Cohesive Message

A well-designed website should combine brain-friendly creative, UI and messaging. Your website is your lead salesperson, and although the design aesthetic is important, a cohesive message that arcs from prospecting to closing the sale is a critical component of all marketing collateral, including the website. - Sara Wesche , Revenue Path Group

2. Make It Clean And Easy To Navigate

It's crucial to have a clean website design that's easy to navigate. Ensure that contact information or forms are accessible on all pages to allow clients to easily reach you. While I know the trend in the last few years has been to have a one-page website, it's difficult with one page to maintain effective SEO. I would recommend including important pages like about us, contact, portfolio/products/services, and a blog or insights page. All of these pages will allow you to curate enough content and keywords to increase your visibility and reach your clients. - Allison McMahan, Alford Media

3. Use 'The Four-Second Test'

According to data from Google, the millennial generation has an average online attention span of 8 seconds, while the younger Gen Z group comes in at a shocking 2.8 seconds. Web design needs to use these numbers as a guide, by presenting key information as quickly as possible. I've created a method to test whether or not a website is optimized for a short attention span called "The Four-Second Test." Open a webpage and start a timer, then close the page after four seconds. If you can't answer the question "What was the webpage about?" then the page failed and needs improvement. If the users can't find what they are looking for in those crucial first moments, you will likely lose them. - John Leo Weber, ProjectManager.com

4. Be Responsive And User-Friendly

Just as internal communication is going through a mobile transformation, today’s websites must be responsive and mobile-friendly since many site visitors come from mobile devices. Copy is equally important. We’re in the midst of a website overhaul designed to provide immediate value to our target audience of communication professionals by speaking to them in a voice they recognize. We found that communicating the value of our software worked 10 times better than messaging about our product. Features are easy to convey, but now our website tells a story and shares our solution in an audience-specific language with real people sharing real product success. - Carla Kath, Staffbase

5. Step Into Your Audience’s Shoes

Questions around “Will the site create value for the desired audience?” and “Will it prove intuitive for them to use?” are definitely at the top of my list. Over the years, I’ve seen many different design approaches and aesthetics come and go. There is a rigor to website design: It takes time and effort to step into your audience’s shoes and create something special. There are no shortcuts. - Tyler Sharp , Lendio

6. Provide Good Content

The crucial component of a good website is providing relevant content that your target audience finds useful and informative. Your web content should clearly communicate your value proposition. Less is more. Avoid the fluff and ensure that your content very concisely communicates who you are and what you do. - Crystal McFerran , The 20

7. Optimize Your Message

Clear and simple messaging is the most important aspect of a good website. Optimizing your message for search engines and your target market is where the magic happens for page rank, readability and stickiness for your site. - MaryPat Kavanagh, Terahertz Device Corp.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescommunicationscouncil/2019/01/28/seven-aspects-of-website-design-crucial-for-drawing-in-customers/#798a4acd4137

10 Things You Didn't Know About Valentine's Day

Thu, 07 Feb 2019 17:48:54 GMT

Millions of people celebrate Valentine’s Day on the 14th of February every year – but just how much do you actually know about the celebration and how it got started?

These ten interesting facts should shed some light on a few things you probably didn’t know about the day of love.

1. Valentine’s Day started as a form of rebellion

The most popular theory about Valentine’s Day origin is that Emperor Claudius II didn’t want Roman men to marry during wartime.

Saint Valentine went against his wishes and performed secret weddings, which means this day was originally founded on an act of rebellion! Cool huh?

2. Signing your messages with a kiss is nothing new

Typing a long line of kisses at the end of a message is something many of us do, but while you may associate it most with the modern “text” era, this little symbol actually has a much longer history.

Some think the cute ‘x’ symbol became synonymous with the kiss in medieval times when very few individuals could write and would end each of their letters with an ‘x’ embossed in wax or ink to show their sincerity. This evolved to represent the kiss and the rest is history (we’re not sure who decided to add ‘o’ symbols to represent hugs but we’re pretty sure it happened a fair amount of time later!

3. Not all valentines are chosen on purpose

Receive a Valentine today and it’s a sign that someone has a secret crush on you. Go back to the Middle Ages though and the situation is a little different.

Back then, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who would be their valentine. The single women’s names would be added to an urn and single men of the town would take a name out and pin it to their sleeves for one whole week. This would allow everyone in the town to see who their valentine was and could be where the term “wearing your heart on your sleeve” originates.

4. Nearly three-quarters of men will buy flowers on Valentine’s Day

While it is hardly surprising that more men buy flowers on Valentine’s Day than women, it may shock you to learn just how many men pick up a bouquet. Around 73% of men will buy flowers on the big day while just over one quarter (27%) of women will do the same. Come on ladies!

5. Red roses have been associated with love since Ancient Rome

We are all aware that the red rose is a common purchase around the time of Valentine’s Day – but why? Roses, and red ones, in particular, have become a symbol of love and are therefore heavily connected with the day. The origin of this tradition stretches as far back as Ancient Rome when the red rose was the favorite flower of Venus: the Goddess of love.

6. Juliet still gets love letters sent to her on Valentine’s Day

William Shakespeare’s most famous romance Romeo and Juliet has captured hearts for decades – so much so that Juliet still receives love letters on Valentine’s Day! Every year, the city of Verona in Italy (where the play was set) receives around 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet. Not bad for someone who’s been dead for hundreds of years.

7. You don’t have to be lovers to celebrate Valentine’s Day

While Valentine’s Day is most commonly associated with lovers and couples, that doesn’t mean singletons can’t celebrate the occasion too! In fact, one country has gone as far as to transform the occasion into “Friend’s Day” instead!

On February 14, Finland celebrates Ystavanpaiva which is translated as ‘Friends Day’. Forget the romantic undertones – gifts and cards are given and received but by friends rather than lovers. We think it’s a great way to involve everyone.

8. Henry VIII decided when Valentine’s Day should be celebrated

Marrying a total of six women throughout his lifetime, there’s no denying Henry VIII was a BIG fan of women and probably a rather big romantic – but did you know he is responsible for when we actually celebrate Valentine’s Day? Back in 1537, King Henry VIII declared by Royal Charter that Valentine’s Day would be a public holiday and chose the 14th of February as the official day of celebration.

9. Women buy most of the Valentine’s gifts – even the ones for themselves!

Want to make sure you get what you want this Valentine’s? Then buy it yourself apparently! A massive 85% of ALL gifts for Valentine’s Day are bought by women which means a lot of us are picking up our own treats. Well, it beats getting lumbered with a tacky ornament we don’t like!

10. Teachers receive the most Valentine’s Day cards

Valentine’s cards are big news for those of school age but surprisingly it is teachers, not pupils, who stand to benefit the most. Teachers generally receive the largest number of Valentine’s Day cards with children, mothers, wives, and pets (yes, pets) filling the rest of the top five recipient’s list.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.serenataflowers.com/pollennation/10-weird-facts-valentines-day/

Why You Need a Facebook Page for Your Small Business

Tue, 29 Jan 2019 21:53:29 GMT

Small business owners who use social networking sites effectively are able to promote their businesses in powerful ways, and one of the best ways is with a Facebook business page.

While Facebook began as a way for college students and other young adults to connect online, it has become a staple for businesses and community organizations. Here are six reasons to create a Facebook page for your small business today.

01) Learn About Your Target Audience

A business page on Facebook gives you a way to communicate directly with your target audience. Think of it as an ongoing focus group. Your fans are there because they are aware of your company and want to learn more. While they certainly are expecting to receive useful information from your Facebook page, you also can be collecting useful information from them through their participation.

Facebook Insights also provide useful information about your fans and their interactions on your page. As a microcosm of your target market, your Facebook fanscan tell you a lot about what they want through their interaction, comments, and feedback. Facebook groups should also be considered.

02) Humanize Your Company

Social connections and genuine communication are integral parts of social media, and Facebook gives you an opportunity to attach a face, name, and personality to your brand. While your Facebook page may represent your company, it also allows you to show the human side of your business through one-on-one conversations, personal tidbits, and nonbusiness interaction.

Even if you automate parts of your social media activity, you can fit in a moderate amount of live, on-the-spot communication to create richer, more "human" relationships.

03) Build a Community

Facebook pages are excellent places to gather your customers, prospects, and fans to provide reviews, share opinions, voice concerns and offer feedback. You can build a community on your Facebook page in a number of ways, including:

Posting useful, relevant and interesting links
Asking fans to contribute with comments
Organizing contests and promotions
Providing a place to leave reviews and other feedback
Offering incentives for activity on the page

If the Facebook page you create for your business successfully brings people together, you can develop a loyal following that will continue to grow.

04) Facebook Is Good for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Facebook can be an effective way to direct traffic to your business website and blog. Your posts, links, and other actions that are contained on your public Facebook page also can give you an SEO boost if they are indexed by search engines.

With the speed of social media and new weight being added to information shared through social channels, having a Facebook page filled with rich content relevant to your business can help you boost your search engine rankings.

05) Your Competition Already Has One

Doing something simply because your competition is doing it isn't a good enough reason, but when it comes to social media, not having a Facebook page or a presence on other social networks can cost you opportunities—especially if your competition is using social media and using it well.

06) Put Your Business in Front of Your Clients and Customers Every Day

Most people on Facebook visit the site every day, so regular status updates, shared links and videos, and other information gives you a chance to connect with your customers daily.

With more than 2.2 billion active Facebook users, as of 2017, an increasing number of consumers are using the site to find products, services, and brands to solve their everyday problems. Facebook and other social networks make it easy for potential customers to find you. And when they do, they often are more likely to remember your brand and share it with their own connections.

Ultimately, a branded Facebook page for your business can be a powerful way to expand your reach and increase awareness of your business online.

Editor: Aubree Russell

Resource: https://www.thebalancesmb.com/facebook-pages-for-business-2951737

What Is SEO And Why Is It Important?

Tue, 08 Jan 2019 22:39:00 GMT

You’ve probably heard a hundred times that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a vital digital marketing tool, but even if you have a basic understanding of what it entails, you may still not have a solid grasp on this complex and multifaceted creature.

SEO is made up of multiple different elements, and knowing what they are and how they work is key to understanding why SEO is so important. In short, SEO is significant because it makes your website more visible, and that means more traffic and more opportunities to convert prospects into customers.

Beyond that, it is also a valuable tool for brand awareness, building relationships with prospects, and positioning yourself as an authoritative and trustworthy expert in your field. So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about SEO and why it’s vital in today’s digital world.

The Crucial Elements of SEO

Keywords

Long gone are the days when keywords were the only SEO technique that mattered, but that doesn’t mean they aren't still crucial. The difference is that today, keywords must be well-researched, carefully chosen, and judiciously used in your content in order to be effective. But what are keywords, exactly? Keywords are words and phrases that prospects use to find online content, and that brands can then use to connect with prospects who are looking for their products and services.

When researching keywords, it’s important to look for ones that have high search rates and low competition and to choose short-tail keywords (such as dog), long-tail keywords (such as terrier puppies for sale), and local keywords (such as puppies for sale in Boston) to work into your content. You can also use keywords to optimize all your titles, URLs, and other on-page SEO elements (more on that later).

Content

Content is a vital part of SEO because it’s the vehicle you use to reach and engage audiences. For instance, if you owned a nursery and wanted to increase your visibility, you might publish a series of blogs about gardening, choosing the right species of plants, growing tips, and more. When a person who wanted to know about gardening went looking for that information, your blog would come up, and you'd be able to build a relationship with that prospect by providing valuable information. When the time came for that prospect to buy a plant, for instance, you’d be the first nursery that came to mind. Today’s content must be educational, but also interesting, relevant, engaging, and shareable. Content comes in a variety of forms, including:

Web page content
Videos
Blogs
Infographics
Podcasts
Whitepapers and e-books
Social media posts

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO involves external optimization practices that happen away from your site rather than on it. The main technique used for off-page SEO is backlink building since quality backlinks to your site from external sites tell search engines that your site is valuable and high-quality, and this builds authority.

There are many tactics to backlink building, and some of the current best practices include guest blogging, creating lots of infographics that will be highly shared, and mentioning influencers in your content.

On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is making sure Google can find your web pages so they can show them in the search results. It also involves having have relevant, detailed, and useful content to the search phrases you’re trying to show up for.

Local SEO

Local SEO is becoming increasingly important as more and more people use mobile devices for search. These days, 57% of all searches are performed from tablets and smartphones, and half of those searches have local intent.

If you owned a restaurant, for instance, then local SEO would ensure that when people in your area went looking for the best restaurants in town, they’ll come across your site. Along with using local keywords, other local SEO best practices include claiming directory listings, creating location-specific pages for your site, and creating pages for your business on Google My Business, Google+, and Google Maps.

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing (SEM) refers to paid marketing efforts, and it includes things like native ads, Google AdWords, social media ads, pay-per-click, Google shopping ads, display ads, and more.

Although SEM isn't usually a major component of a comprehensive SEO strategy, it does have its place because it can help you reach new and highly targeted audiences.

Understanding the Importance of SEO for Modern Businesses

Visibility and Rankings

One of the most important functions of SEO is increasing visibility, which means making it easier for prospects to find you when they search for something you have to offer. Visibility is directly related to your ranking.

The higher you rank on a search engine result page (SERP), the more likely prospects are to see you and click through to your site. The more effective your SEO efforts, the higher your ranking and the better your visibility, which is especially important when you consider that a quarter of web users never click past the first SERP.

Web Traffic

Increased web traffic is one of the main goals of SEO, and you increase traffic when you increase visibility and rankings. Consider this for a moment: nearly 33% of clicks go to the first ranking page, and the first five listings get over 75% of all clicks.

If you want more prospects to find your website through a search engine, then you need SEO practices that will help you rank among the top five positions, and ideally number one.

Authority

The concept of authority is relatively new in SEO, but it’s becoming increasingly important to search engines because it’s becoming more important to web users. Essentially, authority means that your website is trustworthy, high quality, relevant, and has something to offer. The more authority your site has, the higher your ranking will be, and the more prospects will come to trust your brand.

Creating a Better Visitor Experience

Another reason SEO is critical is because all the time you put into generating great content and optimizing your site with on-page SEO improves the usability of your site, and this creates a seamless and positive customer experience.

For instance, when you take steps to make your site responsive, it will make it usable for all your mobile visitors as well as people who visit from a laptop or desktop. Similarly, by increasing your page load speed, you'll reduce your bounce rate and encourage visitors to spend longer on your site. Nearly 50% of consumers expect a page to load within two seconds, and the longer the load time, the higher the bounce rate and the lower your conversions.

Growth

In the end, the ultimate reason SEO is essential is that it can help you achieve many of your business goals. SEO can help you build better relationships with your audience, improve the customer experience, increase your authority, drive more people to your site, give you an edge over the competition, and increase conversions, which means more sales, more loyal customers, and more growth for your business.

Search Engines Are Fallible

A final note that’s worth mentioning is that SEO is important because search engines aren’t perfect, and if you don’t take steps to counter their failings, then your website will pay the price.

For example, if a site doesn’t have a proper link structure, then search engines may not crawl and index the site properly, and this can lower rankings. Moreover, coding errors can block search engines entirely, making it impossible for your site to rank, no matter how much time you put into other SEO efforts. Other common areas where search engines can run into problems include:

Duplicate pages
Forms
Images, flash, audio files, video, and other non-textual content
Language and Semantics

Final thoughts

As you can see, SEO is a complex undertaking that involves many different techniques, tactics, and best practices. Moreover, these best practices are always evolving as consumer and web-user behaviors change, as new technologies emerge, and as search engines change their algorithms. That being said, SEO is still of the utmost importance for any business that wants to be visible online, so your efforts are well worth it.

SEO can help a business accomplish a number of goals, including ones involving brand awareness, traffic, conversions, customer experience, and much more, which is why it’s so important for digital marketers to have a solid grasp of what SEO is, how it can help achieve goals, and what the most cutting-edge best practices are.

Resource: https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/en-us/blog/what-is-seo-and-why-is-it-important

Editor: Aubree Russell

Why Do People Make New Year's Resolutions?

Thu, 27 Dec 2018 18:56:32 GMT

We love to make New Year's resolutions even if we seldom keep them. Why is that?

Every New Year's Eve, I write a list of resolutions. Some are practical (whiten teeth), while others are a bit of a stretch (write best-selling novel). These promises to myself run the gamut -- from physical to mental, possible to improbable -- but all have one thing in common: They serve as my own personal road map for the next 12 months.

And I'm not alone. The concept of creating New Year's resolutions is so ingrained in U.S. culture that the government even has a list of popular resolutions and resources for achieving them. It's a baker's dozen of good intentions, including: drink less alcohol, eat healthy food, get a better education, get a better job, get fit, manage debt, manage stress and recycle [source: Federal Citizen Information Center].

Additional research backs up these claims. According to a 2011 Marist University poll, "losing weight" topped the list for one in five resolution-making Americans, closely followed by "exercising more," with "spending less and saving more," "quitting smoking" and "being a better person" tied for third.

As someone who's made the top two resolutions (more than once), I wanted to know: Is it true that most people don't keep their resolutions? The answer, I am relieved to discover, appears to be a resounding "yes."

Whew.

Richard Wiseman, a psychologist and author with a penchant for mass participation experiments, discovered that 52 percent of people making New Year's resolutions were confident they'd stick it out. Yet only a scant 12 percent really did [source: Eisenstadt].

Then why bother? New Year's resolutions are, as one author wrote, "a triumph of hope over experience" [source: Westacott]. They're a way to quantify what we wish for ourselves. They are a means to cataloguing our personal dissatisfactions. And, perhaps most importantly, they are a method of erasing errors of the past year.

Yes, New Year's resolutions are all about hopefulness. And it's always been that way.

A Historical Look at New Year's Resolutions

When did ringing in the New Year become such a big deal? Turns out, it isn't just a construct of modern Americans. Some 4,000 years ago, Babylonians rang in their new year with an 11-day festival in March, and ancient Egyptians celebrated the advent of their new calendar during the Nile River's annual flood. By 46 B.C., Roman emperor Julius Caesar had moved the first day of the year to Jan. 1 in honor of the Roman god of beginnings, Janus, an idea that took some time to catch on. However, in 1582, Pope Gregory XIII brought the Jan. 1 New Year back in vogue with the Gregorian calendar -- a concept that persists today.

The origin of making New Year's resolutions rests with the Babylonians, who reportedly made promises to the gods in hopes they'd earn good favor in the coming year. They often resolved to get out of debt [source: History].

Sounds familiar? Many of us are still making that resolution today. So what's the secret to keeping it? Turns out, simply wanting to change is not enough; you need to make it stick. One way to do this is to share your resolution with others.

"When you keep resolutions a secret, no one is going to check up on you. You're only accountable to yourself," says Joe Ferrari, professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago. He says that a party to publicly share your resolutions is an admirable way to ring in the New Year. Social media offers another avenue to let others in on your goals.

Once you've involved others in your resolutions, what steps can you take to ensure that when they do check up on you, you have something positive to report? Here's some advice from the experts.

The Psychology of New Year's Resolutions

The success of your New Year's resolutions starts with your head. Limiting yourself to a few resolutions, maybe even one, and being specific are a few things to keep in mind, says Michael Kitchens, assistant professor of psychology at Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pa. "It's tempting to make a list of 'to-dos,' but that list will easily be overwhelming and you will end up frustrated."

Setting a specific goal can make all the difference, such as "I want to lose 10 pounds by March 1" or "I want to save $50 of each paycheck."

"Set a goal that is challenging, but manageable," says Kitchens. "This is a sensitive balance that really can only be made by each person."

Overly ambitious goals can drain a person's confidence when they're not met, agrees Ferrari. Instead, build on small, observable victories and possibly achieve bigger goals down the line. "Don't try and do everything," he says. "Take things on one at a time."

Whatever goals you do tackle, be sure to monitor your progress. "If your resolution is to lose weight, check your weight regularly. If it's to save money, write down where you've spent your money. Monitoring those few, challenging goals you set will dramatically improve your success rate," Ferrari says. Sometimes, just the act of recording everything you eat or spend can cause you to eat or spend less even if you don't consciously change anything else.

Many resolutions include overcoming bad habits, such as smoking, overeating or too much alcohol consumption. These could be tough because they are easy to rely on when stressed out.

"While these vices are especially difficult to overcome, they can be beaten," says Kitchens. "One of the best ways is to have a social support system." In other words, when you're feeling stressed, call a friend rather than open a bottle of red wine.

Whatever your New Year goals, give yourself some time to make them a reality. More time than you may have planned on, actually. While most people cling to the widespread belief that new habits can be formed in 21 days, new research is suggesting we need a longer timetable. One recent study found it took participants an average of 66 days to do something different -- and stick with it [source: PsyBlog].

The good news? If you take this advice, your new gym membership won't become obsolete until March.

Resource: https://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-other/why-make-new-years-resolutions.ht...

Editor: Aubree Russell

From St. Nicholas to Santa Claus: the surprising origins of Kris Kringle

Thu, 27 Dec 2018 18:56:30 GMT

Santa Claus, Father Christmas, St. Nick—no matter the name, everyone knows the story of this plump, jolly, bringer of gifts. Or do they?

ANY KID CAN tell you where Santa Claus is from—the North Pole. But his historical journey is even longer and more fantastic than his annual, one-night circumnavigation of the globe.

The progenitor of the modern American Santa was born in the Mediterranean during the Roman Empire, his legend evolved across northern Europe, and he finally assumed his now-familiar form on the shores of the New World. Who is this ancestor of Santa, and how did he change over time?

Jolly Old St. Nicholas?

Every December 6, the faithful celebrate St. Nicholas Day in cities all over the world, with the largest ones taking place in Europe. Images of St. Nicholas vary considerably, but none of them look much like the red-cheeked, white-bearded old man seen everywhere today. One of the most compelling views of the real St. Nick, who lived in the third and fourth centuries, was created not by ancient artists but by using modern forensic facial reconstruction.

Scholarly debate over where the remains of the Greek bishop rest continues to this day, but traditionally, it was believed that the bones of St. Nicholas were stolen by Italian sailors during the 11th century and taken to the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola on the southeast coast of Italy. When the crypt was repaired in the 1950s, the saint's skull and bones were documented with x-ray photos and thousands of detailed measurements.

Caroline Wilkinson, a facial anthropologist at the University of Manchester (England), used these data and modern software simulations to create a modern reconstruction of the long-dead man. Wilkinson put a human face on Santa's original namesake—one with a badly broken nose, possibly suffered during the persecution of Christians under the Roman Emperor Diocletian.

Much of her work is necessarily subject to interpretation. The size and shape of the facial muscles that once covered Nicholas's skull had to be inferred, and the shape of that skull itself was recreated from two-dimensional data. Digital artists added details that were based on best guesses, including the olive-toned skin most common among Greek Mediterraneans like Nicholas, brown eyes, and the gray hair of a 60-year-old man.

"We are bound to have lost some of the level of detail you would get by working from photographs, but we believe this is the closest we are ever going to get to him," Wilkinson said in the BBC Two feature film of the project entitled The Real Face of Santa .

From Bishop To Gift Giver

How did this St. Nicholas turn into the North Pole-dwelling bringer of Christmas gifts? The original saint was a Greek born in the late third century, around 280 A.D. He became bishop of Myra, a small Roman town in modern Turkey. Nicholas was neither fat nor jolly but developed a reputation as a fiery, wiry, and defiant defender of church doctrine during the Great Persecution in 303, when Bibles were burned and priests made to renounce Christianity or face execution.

Nicholas defied these edicts and spent years in prison before the Roman emperor Constantine ended Christian persecution in 313 with the Edict of Milan. Nicholas's fame lived long after his death (on December 6 in the mid-fourth century, around 343) because he was associated with many miracles, and reverence for him continues to this day independent of his Christmas connection. He is the protector of many types of people, from orphans to sailors to prisoners.

Nicholas rose to prominence among the saints because he was the patron of so many groups. By about 1200, explained University of Manitoba historian Gerry Bowler, author of Santa Claus: A Biography , he became known as a patron of children and magical gift bringer because of two great stories from his life.

In the better-known tale, three young girls are saved from a life of prostitution when young Bishop Nicholas secretly delivers three bags of gold to their indebted father, which can be used for their dowries.

"The other story is not so well known now but was enormously well known in the Middle Ages," Bowler said. Nicholas entered an inn whose keeper had just murdered three boys and pickled their dismembered bodies in basement barrels. The bishop not only sensed the crime, but resurrected the victims as well. "That's one of the things that made him the patron saint of children."

For several hundred years, circa 1200 to 1500, St. Nicholas was the unchallenged bringer of gifts and the toast of celebrations centered around his feast day, December 6. The strict saint took on some aspects of earlier European deities, like the Roman Saturn or the Norse Odin, who appeared as white-bearded men and had magical powers like flight. He also ensured that kids toed the line by saying their prayers and practicing good behavior.

But after the Protestant Reformation began in the 1500s, saints like Nicholas fell out of favor across much of northern Europe. "That was problematic," Bowler said. "You still love your kids, but now who is going to bring them the gifts?"

Bowler said that, in many cases, that job fell to baby Jesus, and the date was moved to Christmas rather than December 6. "But the infant's carrying capacity is very limited, and he's not very scary either," Bowler said. "So the Christ child was often given a scary helper to do the lugging of presents and the threatening of kids that doesn't seem appropriate coming from the baby Jesus."

Some of these scary Germanic figures again were based on Nicholas, no longer as a saint but as a threatening sidekick like Ru-klaus (Rough Nicholas), Aschenklas (Ashy Nicholas), and Pelznickel (Furry Nicholas). These figures expected good behavior or forced children to suffer consequences like whippings or kidnappings. Dissimilar as they seem to the jolly man in red, these colorful characters would later figure in the development of Santa himself.

Coming To America

In the Netherlands, kids and families simply refused to give up St. Nicholas as a gift bringer. They brought Sinterklaas with them to New World colonies, where the legends of the shaggy and scary Germanic gift bringers also endured.

But in early America Christmas wasn't much like the modern holiday. The holiday was shunned in New England, and elsewhere it had become a bit like the pagan Saturnalia that once occupied its place on the calendar. "'It was celebrated as a kind of outdoor, alcohol-fueled, rowdy community blowout," Bowler said. "That's what it had become in England as well. And there was no particular, magical gift bringer."

Then, during the early decades of the 19th century, all that changed thanks to a series of poets and writers who strove to make Christmas a family celebration—by reviving and remaking St. Nicholas.

Washington Irving's 1809 book Knickerbocker's History of New York first portrayed a pipe-smoking Nicholas soaring over the rooftops in a flying wagon, delivering presents to good girls and boys and switches to bad ones.

In 1821 an anonymous illustrated poem entitled "The Children's Friend" went much further in shaping the modern Santa and associating him with Christmas. "Here we finally have the appearance of a Santa Claus," Bowler said. "They've taken the magical gift-bringing of St. Nicholas, stripped him of any religious characteristics, and dressed this Santa in the furs of those shaggy Germanic gift bringers."

That figure brought gifts to good girls and boys, but he also sported a birch rod, the poem noted, that "directs a Parent's hand to use when virtue's path his sons refuse." Santa's thin wagon was pulled by a single reindeer—but both driver and team would get a major makeover the next year.

In 1822 Clement Clarke Moore wrote "A Visit From St. Nicholas," better known today as "The Night Before Christmas," for his six children, with no intention of adding to the fledgling Santa Claus phenomenon. It was published anonymously the next year, and to this day the plump, jolly Santa described therein rides a sleigh driven by eight familiar reindeer.

"It went viral," Bowler said. But familiar as the poem is, it still leaves much to the imagination, and the 19th century saw Santa appear in different-colored clothing, in sizes from miniature to massive, and in a variety of different guises. "I have a wonderful picture of him that looks exactly like George Washington riding a broomstick," Bowler said.

It wasn't until the late 19th century, he added, that the image of Santa became standardized as a full-size adult, dressed in red with white fur trim, venturing out from the North Pole in a reindeer-driven sleigh and keeping an eye on children's behavior.

The jolly, chubby, grandfatherly face of this Santa was largely created by Thomas Nast, the great political cartoonist in an era that featured many. "However, Nast did leave him half-sized," Bowler added, "and in what I think are rather indecent long johns."

Once firmly established, North America's Santa then underwent a kind of reverse migration to Europe, replacing the scary gift bringers and adopting local names like Père Noël (France) or Father Christmas (Great Britain). "What he's done is pretty much tame these Grimm's Fairy Tales-type characters from the late medieval days," Bowler said.

The Santa Problem

Though he undoubtedly means well, Santa has certainly stirred up, and continues to create, more than his fair share of controversy.

In Russia, Santa Claus fell afoul of Josef Stalin. Before the Russian Revolution, Grandfather Frost (Ded Moroz) was a favored figure of Christmas who had adopted characteristics of proto-Santas like the Dutch Sinterklaas. "When the Soviet Union was formed, the communists abolished the celebration of Christmas and gift bringers," Bowler said.

"Then in the 1930s, when Stalin needed to build support, he allowed the reemergence of Grandfather Frost not as a Christmas gift bringer but as a New Year's gift bringer," Bowler added. Attempts to displace Christmas in Russia were ultimately unsuccessful, as were Soviet attempts to spread a secular version of Grandfather Frost, complete with blue coat to avoid Santa confusion, across Europe.

"Everywhere they went after World War II, the Soviets tried to replace the native gift bringers in places like Poland or Bulgaria," Bowler explained. "But local people just sort of held their noses until the Soviet Union collapsed in 1989 and returned to their own traditions."

Santa remains a politicized figure around the world. American troops spread their version of the jolly man around the world in the years immediately following World War II, and he was generally welcomed, Bowler said, as a symbol of American generosity in rebuilding war-ravaged lands.

Nowadays, however, people in many nations have Santa on their own naughty list, either because he represents the secular side of Christmas at the expense of the religious. Sometimes Santa is rejected because he's not a local. "In places like the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Austria, and Latin America, they all have very strong anti-Santa movements because they are trying to preserve their native Christmas gift bringers and customs, and protect them from the North American Santa," he said.

Such efforts seem unlikely to stop a growing interest in Santa Claus, but their organizers may save him a few stops on his busy Christmas Eve schedule.

Resource: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/12/131219-santa-claus-origin-history-christmas-facts-s...

Editor: Aubree Russell

15 Christmas Traditions to Celebrate With Your Family

Thu, 13 Dec 2018 20:30:50 GMT

Create holiday memories that last a lifetime—and beyond.

It's hard to believe, but there once was a time when the holiday season was about more than the presents under the tree. With all the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it can be easy to forget to dedicate precious moments to the ones you love. This year, think about starting or continuing one of these Christmas traditions—you’ll make memories your family will cherish for years and years to come.

1. Count down with an advent calendar

The very first advent calendar was produced by Gerhard Lang way back in the early 1900s, according to Mental Floss , and it's been a holiday staple ever since. If you don't already own one, or if you've never used one before, try DIYing your own this year and turning it into a memorable Christmas activity. Your kids will have fun creating their own calendar—and of course, receiving a treat each day of December!

2. Listen to classic Christmas music

You don't have to own a record player to listen to all the holiday hits from Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Dean Martin. The best part about this activity is everyone will know the words to the music—even your kids—so all can join in and sing along.

3. Plan a cookie exchange

There's nothing more delicious than a fresh batch of Christmas cookies. Knock on your neighbors' doors and invite everyone face-to-face—with nearly everyone communicating through a cell phone, a personal request will make your friends feel oh-so-welcome. Then, get baking! For the kids, whip up some sugar cookies that will be super fun to decorate. And for the adults, try a decadent thumbprint recipe that everyone will be talking about.

4. Get your craft on

Christmas has become so commercial, it's easy to forget the real reason for the season. This year, try DIYing almost everything. Start with the festive decor, then take on your ornaments. Next up are the Christmas cards, and of course, a welcoming wreath! You could even give homemade presents for some truly thoughtful gifts. Everything you make will be extra special (and you'll save some money in the process).

5. Watch quintessential Christmas movies

Your kids are probably excited to see the new Grinch , but before you head to the theater, take a weekend to watch some of the most classic Christmas movies. Some of our favorites are: It's a Wonderful Life , Miracle on 34th Street , Holiday Inn , and A Christmas Carole . We also suggest Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Frosty the Snowman , of course!

6. Use cash only

Our grandparents didn't go into debt over the holidays; they had a budget and stuck to it out of sheer necessity. "Spending with cash makes it more real. When it's gone, it's gone," says Elizabeth Revenko, a certified financial planning professional with Mosaic Financial Partners in San Francisco. "It also gives you a moment to stop and think about what you're buying, which makes spending more focused." If you shop online, use a prepaid card to stay within your limits (or make a promise to yourself not to go over your budget no matter what!).

7. Bake from scratch

Dust off the old recipe books or cards and try your hand at Bubbie's latkes, Bubka's potica, or Gammie's famous 7-Up cake. Your efforts don't have to be perfect, but this simple act pays homage to your loved ones, especially those who are now gone. If you don't have a recipe that's been handed down through the family, check out our favorite Christmas desserts and Christmas cookies to find one that seems close to what you remember as a kid.

8. Mail holiday cards

Even in the age of social media and instant updates, real honest-to-goodness cards are a way to reconnect with family and friends far and near. "It's still an American custom that's special," says Lizzie Post, co-host of the Awesome Etiquette podcast. "It's the one time a year we send and receive good wishes in the mail. Nothing else compares." Photo cards, postcards, or Year in Review letters are all fine; just keep them positive and factual without bragging.

9. Decorate with what you have

Grandma used what she had to deck the halls. "Look around your yard and house to find natural elements to dress up your home," says Rakes. "Many natural items are prettier anyhow, and they're fresh and free." Collect pine cones and make a wreath, or arrange in glass apothecary jars. Cut greenery and tuck into simple white pitchers. String cranberries and popcorn for the tree. Dress up branches with glitter paint, then place in vases or line the mantel.

10. Spend time together

"That's what we'll remember years from now, not what you gave or received as gifts," says Rakes. Bake cookies with your kids. Plan a family game night. Attend services at a house of worship. Go caroling. Drive around to look at Christmas lights. Make ornaments. Arrange a potluck New Year's party with friends. The point is to interact and be present in the moment with your family and friends, not with your smartphone or tablet.

11. Make gifts

Our grandparents used their talents to create gifts. "But you don't have to be crafty," says Rakes. "Homemade goodies such as cookies and breads are always welcome, but you can make plenty of other easy gifts." Layer your favorite cookie recipe ingredients in a Mason jar, and attach baking instructions. Package homemade seasoning chili or taco mixes, or make your own vanilla extract. Download a free inspirational quote and frame it. Put together a themed gift basket such as movie night.

12. Dress up

"When you look at old photos of our parents and grandparents, you see that everyone is dressed nicely at big holiday gatherings," says Post. Sure, you want to be comfy in your PJs on Christmas morning. But kids—and actually, most adults—don't have that many dress-up events to attend these days. "Everything is super-casual. But sometimes it's okay to make your gathering a dress-up occasion so that it feels special and different," says Post.

13. Write thank you notes

Your grandma would tell you that nice manners still matter. Sit down and write a real thank you note this holiday season, whether you're thanking someone for a lovely party or a thoughtful gift. "They're always appropriate and relevant," says Post. "And handwritten reigns supreme."

14. Share memories

Part of the joy of the season is reminiscing about what makes your family unique. Ask your parents and grandparents about their holiday customs growing up or what they received as gifts when they were kids. Celebrate what makes you family, especially the silly or quirky traditions. "We have a mouse head ornament that has a long history in our family," says Revenko. "Sharing stories, traditions, and values defines your family and is a great gift to each other that doesn't cost a cent."

15. Give back to others

Our grandparents shared what they had with neighbors when times were tough. Think about what matters to you and your family and share what you can to reflect your beliefs, says Revenko. Your gifts don't necessarily have to be monetary. Collect coats for homeless shelters. Help an elderly neighbor put up her tree. Send care packages to military members who are deployed away from home this year. Invite someone who's single and may not have family nearby to your own holiday dinner.

Resource: https://www.countryliving.com/life/g3868/christmas-traditions/

Editor: Aubree Russell

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Why Is It Called Black Friday? History and Origins of the Shopping Day

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 22:04:20 GMT

Black Friday is quickly approaching for American consumers. Where did the day get its name, and how long have we had a Black Friday?

Black Friday , the day where stores say they are slashing their prices for a limited time and consumers camp out in front of them to wait for these sales, is such a uniquely American event that it has begun cutting into Thanksgiving - the first American holiday.

The day after Thanksgiving being a day dedicated to holiday shopping has become more commonplace and less of a local news story, and it remains one of the busiest shopping days for stores across the country. These retailers have also been taking advantage of online sales both to maximize profits and prevent riots. Now hundreds of millions of Americans partake in some form of Black Friday.

But where did we get the terminology for it? The word Black before a day has historically been used to discuss disasters on Wall Street a la Black Thursday, Black Monday and Black Tuesday referring to the stock market crashes of 1929 and 1987. How did Black Friday become associated with profits and not crashes?

Black Friday Origins: Where Did the Name Come From?

Whereas Black Thursday, Monday and Tuesday were named for the dark economic outlook they brought with them, Black Friday is named such for positive reasons. Accountants use "black" to reflect profit in companies, and "red" for loss. Thus, going from a loss to a profit is referred to as being "out of the red" and "in the black."

With the money that the day so consistently brought, retailers began referring to it as Black Friday due to its profitable nature. It was helping many companies end the year in the black, or at least closer to the black.

Black Friday as we know it has been advertised every year since sometime in the 1980s. But it has been around longer than that.

Black Friday History

The earliest iteration of a similar sort of "Black Friday" phrase is from the early 1950s. This was not used in a positive sense; instead it was how Philadelphia police referred to the massive crowds the day after Thanksgiving that would appear for shopping and tourism, often in advance of the Army-Navy college football game which was often hosted in Philly.

It was also, early on, used briefly to describe the day after Thanksgiving in terms of employees calling in sick at work so they could have a four-day weekend.

The idea of the day after Thanksgiving being a massive day for holiday shopping has never been lost on retailers. Through the early 1900s, retailers actually deeply resented that Thanksgiving fell on the last Thursday in November, feeling as though the holiday sales started too late in the season to ultimately help their yearly profits get into the black. The Retail Dry Goods Association pleaded their case with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s about its effect on sales.

Roosevelt was receptive to their request, and in 1939 moved Thanksgiving back to the Thursday before the last one of November, in that year's case the Nov. 23 instead of the Nov. 30. This new Thanksgiving tradition was met with some derision at first, with some snidely referring to it as "Franksgiving." But in 1941, Congress and Roosevelt made it federal law that Thanksgiving Day would be the fourth Thursday in November.

By the 1960s, Philadelphia's "Black Friday" name had made it into print, but brought a negative connotation due to the stock market association and the hostile crowds of consumers. There was a brief push to turn it into "Big Friday" but it never quite took. Black Friday, meanwhile, stuck and began growing.

It was in the 1980s that retailers began using Black Friday in "get-in-the-black" terms, allowing themselves to lean into a phrase that had become established on a day already known as being great for sales. Why mess with a good thing?

The 1990s and 2000s, with toy crazes like Tickle Me Elmo, are when Black Friday began to take shape the way we see it today, and the way local news still covers it: people dressed for the bitter cold waiting in long lines, fighting to get into the store and get their gifts in time.

The at-times thousands of people at a single store fighting for toys and other goods have mostly been used for viral video fodder, but there have been times these crowds have turned deadly. Most notably, in 2008 the large crowd of over 2,000 at a Walmart (WMT - Get Report ) in Valley Stream, N.Y., trampled an employee to death.

Other more recent changes to Black Friday traditions, such as online sales or businesses opening doors Thursday night instead of early Friday, were meant to maximize profits. But these are also things that have likely helped quell impatient, rioting hordes of consumers who stayed up all night to get a new television.

They've also helped make Black Friday sales a multibillion-dollar endeavor by themselves. Adobe Analytics estimated that Black Friday sales for retailers were approximately $7.9 billion in 2017. There are more methods than ever for Black Friday shopping, and American consumers have been all too eager to take advantage.

Are There Other "Black Fridays"?

Contrary to a rumor that was started on the internet several years ago, the term Black Friday does not originate from the days of slavery. This baseless myth, which claimed that slave traders would sell their slaves at a discount on the day after Thanksgiving, has been thoroughly debunked.

There is, however, a Black Friday that originates from the 1800s. Like Black Thursday, Monday and Tuesday, this one actually does involve finance. One of the first Wall Street panics, two speculators named Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market by buying large amounts of bullion to drive up the price and leverage their relationship to President Grant's brother-in-law to get him to limit its availability. Grant, upon realizing what was happening, instead ordered the U.S. Treasury to sell more gold. On Friday, Sept. 14, 1869, the gold market collapsed and the entire market fell dramatically as a result. This was disastrous for many investors, and thus this became known as another sort of Black Friday.

Resource: https://www.thestreet.com/lifestyle/holidays-events/why-is-it-called-black-friday-14783324

Editor, Aubree Russell

Millennials Are Disrupting Thanksgiving With Their Tiny Turkeys

Mon, 19 Nov 2018 18:25:01 GMT

With smaller holiday feasts, tiny birds are gaining popularity.

Small birds are having a big moment.

Tiny turkeys will increasingly grace Thanksgiving tables next week, thanks to the millennial generation’s ongoing campaign to remake American gastronomy. The holiday depicted by Norman Rockwell—Grandma showing off a cooked bird so plump it weighs down a banquet plate—is still common. But smaller families, growing guilt over wasteful leftovers and a preference for free-range fowl have all played roles in the emergence of petite poultry as a holiday dinner centerpiece.

“People are starting to understand it’s not natural to grow turkeys up to 30 pounds,” said Ariane Daguin, co-founder and owner of D’Artagnan LLC, a wholesale and e-commerce food company in Union, New Jersey. “In general, that means they were penned up with no room to move around, and that’s why they’re fat like that.”

There are signs that wee birds are in greater demand. Inventories of whole hens, which are smaller than males, are down 8.3 percent from a year ago, the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture data show. Whole toms, the males, are up 6.9 percent.

Don’t call them capons. They’re not castrated chickens. Nor are they chicks. They’re not babies. They’re just turkeys that weigh in the neighborhood of six pounds.

Bell & Evans is working with a breeder to make tiny turkeys that consumers will eat all year. Owner Scott Sechler said the new breed, which isn’t yet sold publicly, “fills out nicely,” unlike other undersized birds, which can be bony.

Still, 12- to 14-pound turkeys remain the biggest holiday seller, Sechler said. That may be because some millennials are “still going to Mom’s,” he said.

Even Butterball LLC, which sells 30-plus-pound heavyweights, also offers a Li’l Butterball that can be as small as six pounds.

HelloFresh SE, in its first Thanksgiving box this year, is selling 12- to 14-pound turkeys from Cargill Inc. designed to serve 10 people who’ve filled up on appetizers. And while Amazon.com Inc.’s Whole Foods said its most popular sizes are a classic 14 to 18 pounds, it also has a smaller version to feed four non-vegan customers.

Smaller families are fueling the trend. Last year, 62 percent of American households had just one or two people, compared with 41 percent in 1960, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The proportion of single-person homes has risen, too.

Karen Bell, owner of Bavette La Boucherie butcher shop in Milwaukee, said she sold half her tiny-turkey supply by Halloween. The organic birds are as little as six pounds, Bell said, because customers want less meat.

“Family sizes are smaller,” she said. “Celebrating Thanksgiving isn’t like 20-people extended families.”

Families are also more spread out than they used to be, an additional reason cooks are considering alternatives such as turkey breasts, which can be just a few pounds, or roasted chicken. Honey Baked Ham Co. has a 2.5-pound baked turkey breast for $34.95. D’Artagnan sells a six-pound capon for $80 to feed five to six people.

“The whole bird is not necessarily on everyone’s Thanksgiving table the way it used to be,” said Russ Whitman, a senior vice president at commodity researcher Urner-Barry.

With smaller birds, there’s less chance of tossing uneaten meat. Each year, about 200 million pounds of turkey is trashed during Thanksgiving week, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.

“Food waste is becoming an increasingly concerning issue,” said Michael Averbook, a food and drink analyst at Mintel Group. “Leftovers are part of the fun and tradition of the holidays, and this may be a small step for individuals to feel less wasteful and socially responsible.”

Meanwhile, home cooks are getting more adventurous with quail—or even squab (young pigeon), a teeny, single-serve bird that makes for a nice Instagram post. Others would rather stick to tradition but just don’t like the taste of poultry. For them, there’s the prospect of tiny deer.

“The first Thanksgiving had plenty of turkey but also venison on the table,” Daguin said. “It’s a traditional meat.”

Resource: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-11-15/millennials-are-disrupting-thanksgiving-with-thei...

Editor, Aubree Russell

Interesting Veterans Day Facts

Thu, 08 Nov 2018 17:16:59 GMT

On Veterans Day, Americans honor all living military veterans, including the many working moms who are veterans of military service as well as those who gave their lives for their country.

Here are some other Veterans Day facts you may not know.

How Veterans Day Began

Veterans Day is always observed on November 11th with speeches, parades, and church services across the United States and in many places the American flag is hung at half mast. A period of silence lasting two minutes may be held at 11am.

When the holiday first began, it had a different name, which was Armistice Day. Here is how the day has progressed over time:

It was first celebrated on November 11, 1919, which was the first anniversary of the end of World War I.

In 1926, Congress passed a resolution for an annual observance.

In 1938, November 11th became a national holiday.

In 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation changing the name to Veterans Day in order to honor veterans of all American wars. The day is to honor those who have died fighting as well as those who survived.

In 1968, the Uniform Holidays Bill was passed by Congress, which moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. The law went into effect in 1971 but reverted back to November 11th in 1975 by President Ford because of the important historical significance the date held.

Veterans by the Numbers

There were 19.3 million military veterans in the U.S. in 2014. Of those:

1.6 million were female

11.4 percent were African American.

78.9 percent were non-Hispanic white

6.1 percent were Hispanic

9.4 million were 65 and older

1.7 million were younger than 35

Veterans by the War

Thirty-five percent of all living veterans served during the Vietnam War. In 2009, there were:

7.0 million Vietnam-era veterans. (1964-1975)

5.5 million Gulf War veterans. (August 1990 to present)

1.1 million World War II veterans. (1941-1945)

2.0 million veterans of the Korean War. (1950-1953)

62,544 living veterans who served during the Vietnam War and both periods of the Gulf War (August 1990 to August 2001 and September 2001 or later).

4.4 million who served in peacetime only.

Veterans in the Work Force

7.4 million veterans were in the civilian labor force in 2014 and 7.0 million of them were employed.

Women veterans earned $31,810 in 2014, more than the $21,804 earned by female civilians with no military experience.

Male veterans earned $37,307 in 2014, more than the $32,433 earned by male civilians with no military service.

9.2 percent of the U.S. non-farm firms were owned by veterans. Veteran-owned firms comprised an estimated 2.5 million of the 27.6 million non-farm businesses nationwide in 2012.

Veterans' Income, Education, and Disability

27.5 percent of veterans who were 25 and older held at least a bachelor's degree compared to 30.3 percent non-veterans.

3.8 million veterans suffered from a "service-connected disability" in 2014. This type of disability is when a soldier gets injured or aggravates an injury while on duty or suffered from a disease that results in a disability.

Veterans More Likely to Vote

14.7 million veterans voted in the 2012 presidential election. That's 70 percent of all veterans, compared with 60.9 percent of non-veterans.

11.5 million veterans voted in the 2006 congressional election. That's 54 percent of all veterans, compared with only 41 percent of civilians with no military service.

How to Say Thank You to a Veteran on Veteran's Day

"Thank you for your service."

"Thank you for stepping up when others took a step back."

"Thank you for delaying your personal plans so that you could serve our country."

"Thank you for sacrificing so much, like being away from your friends and family so that you could keep them and the rest of us safe from harm."

"Thank you for all you've done and for what you continue to do. We are all safer because of your actions."

"Thank you."

Resource: https://www.thespruce.com/interesting-veterans-day-facts-3544907

Editor, Aubree Russell

Everything you need to know about Halloween 2018

Tue, 23 Oct 2018 20:43:08 GMT

From the holiday’s Celtic history to this year’s top costumes, here’s what to know to have a smart and scary holiday.

THE SCARIEST, SILLIEST , sugariest night of the year is finally here. Americans take their Halloween pretty seriously, even if many of us don't know exactly why we carve pumpkins, hang fake ghosts, hand out candy, or dress up like something dragged in by a graveyard cat.

As it turns out, we’ve been wearing Halloween costumes for nearly two millennia. But we've added plenty of modern twists to this ancient tradition.

To help you celebrate, we've summoned up that history, as well as a number of fun-size facts.

Archaeologists are still unearthing Halloween's roots at Celtic spiritual centers like the Hill of Ward (originally known as Tlachtga) in County Meath, Ireland. The holiday is descended most directly from the celebration of Samhain (SAH-win), the Celtic New Year observed between the sunsets of October 31 and November 1.

Tradition holds that bonfires were also kindled at major sites like Tlachtga, where evidence of large-scale burning has indeed been found. These fires may have been used for sacrifices, or to symbolize the sun, since Tlachtga was known as one of the sun’s goddesses.

Celtic Costumes

Celts also began the Halloween tradition of wearing costumes, according to the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The Celts donned animal skin to hide themselves from spirits, or they wore masks and blackened their faces to impersonate ancestors who had preceded them to the spirit world.

Revelers disguised as spirits are also believed to have gone from house to house engaging in silly acts in exchange for food and drink. These acts were possibly inspired by an earlier custom of leaving food and drink outdoors as offerings to supernatural beings. This likely inspired today's trick-or-treat traditions.

Putting the Christ Back Into—Halloween?

Christian leaders later transformed Samhain as they co-opted pagan holidays. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV decreed November 1 All Saints' Day, or All Hallows' Day.

The church didn't attempt to do away with the celebrations, however. The night before Samhain continued to be observed with bonfires, costumes, and parades, but it was all rebranded with a new name: All Hallows' Eve, which later became "Halloween."

Halloween Arrives in America

European immigrants brought Halloween to the United States, where different Old World traditions mingled in America's cultural stew. The celebration gained steam with the explosion of Irish immigration to the United States in the 1800s.

It was only a matter of time before politicians got into the act. Anoka, Minnesota, may be home to the United States' oldest official Halloween celebration. In 1920, the city began staging a parade and bonfire to mark the day.

The celebration may have had another purpose, too. Anoka historians say townsfolk wanted to curb Halloween pranks that loosed cows on Main Street and upended outhouses, so the official celebration might’ve arisen in an attempt to promote good, clean fun.

Urban Legends, Poisoned Candy, and Killer Clowns

One of the most persistent urban legends claims that people hand out candy tainted by poisons, needles, or razor blades.

University of Delaware sociologist Joel Best , who conducts extensive research on tainted Halloween candy, says he's been unable to find even one substantiated report of a child dying or being seriously injured from eating trick-or-treat candy.

“Somebody gets a candy bar and sticks a nail through it and puts a picture up on their Facebook page saying, Hey, this is the treat that I got,” Best says. “And then eventually it gets debunked.”

Though these scares inevitably turn out to be hoaxes, Best notes, some years do bring new twists. In recent years, Colorado's legalization of marijuana caused some unfounded concern. “There was a fear that people would pass out edible marijuana and cause children to overdose,” he says, “which, among other things, completely ignores how much edible marijuana costs.”

In 2016, a rash of creepy clown sightings put trick-or-treaters on edge. But, as with other scares, it’s lacking in hard evidence.

“It reminds me of 1982 when the Tylenol poisonings occurred in September, and that led to a lot of speculation that there would surely be a lot of poisoned candy,” Best says. “There may be some clown stuff this year just because of the timing.” (Due to the revamped release of Steven King's "IT")

But even creepy clowns aren't new, Best notes. “One of the things that surprised me is that this has actually happened before. It's just that this one, also, is amped up by social media,” he says. “There have been periodic clown scares not just in the U.S. but in European countries.”

Big Business

Halloween may have originated as a religious and spiritual observance, but these days it's very big business.

According to the National Retail Federation's long-running consumer survey of American Halloween habits, 179 million U.S. consumers plan to celebrate Halloween activities in 2017, and they'll open their wallets in the process.

This year, seven out of every 10 Americans will hand out candy, while half will decorate their homes or dress in costumes. Total spending on decorations, costumes, and candy is estimated to reach a record $9.1 billion in 2017. That’s a consumer average of $86.13, nearly twice as much as the 2005 average, which was a mere $48.

Most Popular Costumes

Wondering who's most likely to show up at your door this year? Expect a nonstop parade of costumed kid crime fighters, according to the NRF survey. Princess costumes are this year's most popular costume among children, while both Batman and Star Wars characters also appear in the top five. Witches, Spider-Mans, and pirates will also be out in full force.

Nearly half of all adults plan to dress up this year; some several million witches are expected to be on the streets and in the skies this Halloween. Many of those adults surveyed also planned to dress as characters from the Avengers (sans Spider-Man), zombies, and pirates. (A new Google effort to chart trending costume searches, the Frightgeist , suggests we'll also see our share of Wonder Women, Harley Quinns, clowns, and unicorns.)

Even though many pets are less than enthusiastic about wearing Halloween costumes, their owners will be dressing them up whether they like it or not. Pumpkin, hot dog, lion, and pirate top this year's list of costumes for our four-legged friends.

Great Gourds

Far from the pumpkin's native roots of Central America, chilly Illinois produces most of the United States' pumpkins.

Illinois produced some 318 million pounds of pumpkins in 2015, followed by California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reports . Together, the nation's major pumpkin-producing states harvested almost 40,000 acres of pumpkins in 2015, a haul worth about $90 million.

More Than Costumes?

For almost half of all Americans, ghosts aren't just part of Halloween fun—they're real. Forty-two percent of Americans believe in ghosts, according to a Harris Poll of 2,250 adults surveyed in November 2013. The same poll reports that 26 percent of those adults believe in witches.

A 2009 Pew Research poll reported that nearly 1 in 5 Americans, some 18 percent, said they have actually seen or felt the presence of a ghost.

Now that’s a scary thought.

Resource: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/10/halloween-costumes-candy-history/?user.testname=none

Editor, Aubree Russell

When You Should NOT Use WordPress For Your Website?

Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:04:07 GMT

Even if WordPress is the most popular content management system from the Internet and has lots of advantages , it also has some disadvantages that can make you think twice if you want to use it for your website or not.

Each CMS has some improvements, updates and upgrades released in time that solves older bugs and comes with multiple new and various features, but some bugs remain unsolved for a really long period or are never fixed.

There are several WordPress bugs and disadvantages that you need to consider when you want to make a website with this platform: translation, security, bad programming, support, bad default configuration, source code, customization, updates and resources.

Translation

One of the biggest problems of WordPress is volunteers, there are a lot of them, and most of them don’t have the proper skills for certain areas of expertise such as translation. Anyone can be volunteer, you only need a WordPress account and you can start translating from English into different languages without any restrictions.

I have seen users who made poor quality translation from English to foreign languages, turning the easy to use dashboard into non-sense admin area.

In some of the WordPress versions, especially the newest one, translations are incomplete. By updating the system, you might end up having your website in both English and the other language you used before.

So if you need to build a website for a client who does not understand English, you rather do the translation and help the community out with your work, or you choose another method to make the website.

Security Problems

Security is a major problem of WordPress websites. Especially brute force attack is one of the main concerns. We talk about BFA, when someone tries to access the dashboard of your WordPress site or your FTP account by trying out different user names with different password combinations. If you choose a strong password and changed the default admin user name, you can reduce the chance to get hacked, but there is no guarantee that you will always win.

Another big security hole is represented by the third-party themes and plugins which are made by both professional development companies as well by individuals or even hackers. These files are verified, but sometimes the developers can hide fishy code that will not catch the attention of the verifier.

These security problems cannot be resolved just with updates. They need to pay more attention on the themes and plugins that are being updated and verify the users who are doing it. Employing highly skilled programmers and WordPress expert to review the code could be another solution, but as I told there will always be a hole somewhere.

Bad Programming

While the core WordPress is developed by Automatic Inc, a professional web development company, who pay really close attention to details, most third-party plugins and themes are created by unskilled persons.

Not optimized code can not only slow down your site or cause errors, but can also be the back-door for a hacker to break into your site.

Lack of Support

Although the community is very active, and you will find answers to most of your questions, there are cases when you have to figure out things by yourself. The official WordPress support is represented by volunteer, plugin and theme developers, WP assistants or people from all around the world.

When buying a commercial theme or plugin, you will get a level of support from the company who sold it to you, but you might still have unanswered questions at the end of the day. You can also purchase WordPress support from different companies or buy guides to learn this system, but these are not cheap.

Default Configuration

The default configuration of WordPress needs some adjustment by the user. Basically when you install WordPress to your site, you will have to make some adjustments.

For instance, you will have to activate SEF URLs for better SEO , so search engines such as Google can find your pages and content more easily. The visual editor might also cause problems for newbie users, because by default some important features are hidden, which the user have to figure out.

Source Code

Although WordPress is updated frequently there are still parts in the core where old PHP techniques are used for global variables, functions, and classes. The naming of some functions is confusing and becomes frustrating sometimes.

WordPress produces bloated code with its WYSIWYG visual editor and you can easily see this when you write an article in the editor and then toggle to HTML editor where you can see the source code.

Some free themes and plugins have hidden codes and links to suspicious websites. When removing these codes, the theme and the whole website will stop working. In some cases the dashboard can also be affected, disabling you the option to change the theme or modify your site as you.

Customization

Customization of a WordPress theme or plugin needs a good knowledge of PHP , HTML, CSS and JavaScript. You also need to understand the WordPress framework itself to be able to modify the files and functions to archive the results you want.

SQL queries are also hard to customize because you need knowledge of MySQL and PHP or you need to hire a web programmer to make your website in WordPress so it is better to make one from scratch without using any CMS.

Updates

Although the core is usually updated once a month, some plugins can have daily updates. Updating your plugins or theme every day can be frustrating. You don’t have to do it, but it is recommended.

However if you have already modified the theme or the plugins you are using, watch out, because the update will overwrite all your modified files. Will not create a backup or a copy of the files you have edited, so you will lose your modifications. In this situation you will need to live with the constant update notification.

Server Resources

Because the core WordPress and third-party extensions includes a high number of PHP functions and SQL queries, websites built with this CSM will require greater server resources.

There are problems regarding CPU usage and nobody seems to know the solution or even to identify the source of the problem. If you buy managed WordPress hosting , some plugins that are heavy resource consumer are banned. So you will not be able to install the necessary plugins to your site, because your hosting provider will not allow that.

Conclusion

Now, that I enumerated so many disadvantages of WordPress, you might think that it is a bad CMS. The fact is, that it is the best CMS around, and it is powering over 75 million websites world-wide. I always recommend WordPress for website building, even if it has some problems, because it is very simple to use and is free.

However there are still some cases when you should not use WordPress for your project: if you want to create a simple website, which does not need to be updated. In this case you can create the site in plain HTML and CSS. You should not use WordPress for sensitive projects that need high security. You should avoid using WordPress if you can’t afford a reliable web host .

Resource: https://webhostingmedia.net/when-not-use-wordpress/

Editor, Aubree Russell

You're Probably Not Even Thinking About One Of Social Media's Biggest Dangers

Thu, 27 Sep 2018 21:09:51 GMT

Social media platforms allow us to stay connected to family and friends that we don't get to see every day, but they also allow hackers and identity thieves to gain access to our personal information. In the last few years, there has been a rise in identity theft cases that started from social media platforms .

It's critical that individuals practice safe and smart social media use to protect not just themselves, but also their businesses and their customers. Beware of these three common mistakes that can lead to your personal information being compromised, and learn ways to proactively protect your identity from being stolen:

Avoid oversharing.

When people start sharing information with the public, it can open up doors for the information to be used against them. Details like full name, date of birth, hometown and even school locations and dates of graduation can become dangerous in the wrong hands. Social media platforms typically require your name and your date of birth, but most platforms will give you the option to not make the information shareable .

Beyond basic information, be careful about what you post. Of course, you should not share your debit/credit card and social security numbers with people online, but images can be dangerous, too. A few examples would be things like posting a picture of your new car and not covering your license plate number or sharing event details that contain your home address. If these get in the hands of someone you don't know, that person could use the information to steal your identity.

Restrict application permissions to your social media accounts.

When you download a new application that gives you the option to log in with a social media platform instead of using an email address, you are giving the app the rights to your information that has been collected on the platform. You might not think anything of it or that it would impact you in a negative way, but as we saw with the Cambridge Analytica data scandal , third parties have been able to gain access to information on social media users without their knowledge.

Use careful consideration when granting access to any application, regardless of its stated intent. Even if the app itself is benign, a hack or data breach could leave your personal information out in the open. And the more applications your social channels are linked to, the more vulnerable your information is to being hacked and used inappropriately. Make sure to review the settings on your social media accounts, including the permissions for apps, and delete applications that you no longer use.

Update security functions regularly.

Changes to websites and applications happen often, and it is never a bad idea to monitor the security functions on different platforms to ensure that your information is protected. You should have a clear understanding of what the default security settings are and how to change them so that information is only shared with the audience you choose. Many people are surprised when they learn how broadly visible their information is by default on social media; you don't want to be caught unaware when your personal information is at stake.

In addition to security functions, you should consider changing your password frequently and avoid using the same password across different accounts. A rogue hacker tweeting from your profile might not make you sweat, but what if that person then also had access to your bank accounts and healthcare data? If someone was able to gain access to an account with a shared password, they will have a lot of information about you that they can use to steal your identity .

How can you protect your information?

Before you start shutting down all social media platforms because of fear of identity theft, there are a few more things that you can start doing now to protect yourself. Only follow or friend people that you know, and be mindful of what you post and share. When accessing accounts in public spaces, make sure to log out when finished and delete any browsing history. Lastly, never give out your social security or credit card number to any person or business unless it is legally mandatory (as with an employer for tax purposes or when applying for certain federal benefits).

Identity theft is something that individuals should be vigilant about, but it doesn't need to be a burden. Keep best practices in mind so you can still enjoy the positive benefits of social media and protect your information from the bad guys.

Resource: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/320172

Editor, Aubree Russell

Best Web Design Practices for Landing Pages

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Mon, 14 Sep 2015 23:24:41 GMT

Econcept Inc.

In the proverbial customer conversion funnel, a landing page is the part that brings all your traffic together. It’s often the final destination for visitors who are led by an email, PPC campaign or other marketing effort, to a single page with one unified purpose — to take an action. A landing page can prompt the potential customers to make a purchase, subscribe for more information, share something with friends on social media or give feedback on a service or product.

As you go about designing your next landing page, here are some best practices to keep in mind.

Stick to One Action:

People often mess this up by thinking of a landing page like the twin sister of their homepage. They add way to much information about themselves or their business, and it divides the user’s attention between various calls-to-action. It’s a trap!

Whether you’re offering a deal on a certain product, asking for a people to sign up or giving away a download, you want the end goal of the page to be as clear as possible to the visitor. For every non-essential link orbit of distracting information, you increase the chance your visitor will fall off the path toward conversion. One landing page = one action. That is the formula.

Clear-Concise-Compelling-Consistent

These are four essential hallmarks of great copy on a landing page, and if you integrate all four, your page will be a customer conversion engine. The action should be extremely obvious to the visitor, and when calling out the benefits, be sure to use language that makes that action a no-brainer. That all may seem easy enough (heavy undertones of sarcasm), but you have to find a way to convey that information in bite-size pieces (too much copy is the bane of good web design) that are simple enough to attract the attention of even the most flippant of visitors.

Keep the Design Clean

First of all, don’t lose the web design battle early. It’s really easy to lose a potential customer if the first thing they see is clip art, ugly colors and bad fonts. But beyond basic design aesthetics, it’s important that the design of your landing page is simple to follow, and ultimately leads your visitor to the CTA. Landing pages aren’t the best place to show off your bag of design tricks (think animations and popups), because ultimately, they may distract from the message you’re trying to convey.

Share, Share, and Share Again!!!

Just like traffic is useless if visitors aren’t taking action, a super high conversion rate is useless if you don’t have a lot of traffic. In order for your landing page to succeed, you have to put in the leg work to get the link out to as many people as possible. Your main website, paid advertisements, social media posts, marketing emails, QR codes, carrier pigeons and any other form of mass communication you have, can and should be used to share your landing page.

Quick tip — Include social media sharing buttons on your landing page so your visitors can help spread the word.

Landing pages can be used by the biggest and smallest of companies alike, and I highly recommend setting one up for your next marketing campaign. Econcept has many landing page designs from you to choose from, so check them out and start converting more visitors.

Keep Business LOCAL

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Sat, 08 Aug 2015 18:04:15 GMT

Is your community important to you? If so then continue reading...

In lean times, consumers pinch pennies and eliminate most luxuries. From cutting back on extras to more prudent spending and budgeting, people inject a degree of caution into their financial habits. In such a volatile environment, smaller, local businesses count on your patronage in order to stay afloat; every transaction is precious to them. So when deciding where to spend your hard-earned dollars on tonight’s dinner or a gift for a friend, consider the benefits of turning to local, independently owned businesses within your community.

There are far-reaching advantages to deciding to “shop local.” By supporting local businesses, you are in turn supporting your local economy; significantly more money stays in a community when purchases are made at locally owned – rather than nationally owned – businesses. The U.S. Small Business Association and the U.S. Department of Labor report the positive impacts of small, independent business on local economies.

Local businesses are more likely to utilize other local businesses such as banks, service providers, and farms.
For every $100 you spend at local businesses, $68 will stay in the community.
Independent retailers return more than three times as much money per dollar of sales to the community in which they operate than chain competitors. Independent restaurants return more than two times as much money per dollar of sales than national restaurant chains.
Small businesses employ 77 million Americans and accounted for 65% of all new jobs over the past 17 years.

In addition to helping build the local economy, there are also notable intangible benefits that come from supporting businesses in your local community.

Local businesses are owned and operated by your neighbors! They care about and are invested in the well-being of your community and its future.
Local businesses are more accountable to their local communities and donate more money to non-profits.
Supporting local businesses is good for the environment because they often have a smaller carbon footprint than larger companies.

It isn’t always the easiest or most convenient option to visit a local independent business rather than a large national chain that might be down the street. However, there are plenty of ways you can help support your local economy in Massachusetts by thinking local first:

Try the menu at a local restaurant for lunch or dinner
Purchase a birthday present at a local gift shop
Join a local gym
Visit a local nursery or hardware store for your lawn and garden needs
Get your car serviced at a local mechanic
Visit a Massachusetts farmer’s market to purchase the ingredients for your family dinner. There are Buy Local groups throughout the state advocating locally grown food products

So the next time you need to run out for some groceries or do a little shopping, seek out a local business and see what they have to offer! You could discover some great products and services while helping to build a strong and successful community around you.

Join the conversation and tell us about a great local business in your community

Steps of a Website Build at Econcept

info@econcept.biz (Robert Shipman) — Tue, 21 Jul 2015 21:45:35 GMT

Getting a brand new website is exciting. We know it's a big step for your business, and to make it go as smoothly as possible, we have outlined our basic 5 step process.

Step 1 - Information Gathering

The first step to the design process is to gather information. During this stage you will be in contact with your sales representative , so that they can help you decide what type of website is best for your business. Some of the topics you will cover during this step include:

Purpose: What is the purpose of the site? Are you looking to sell products online? Do you hope to drive more traffic to your restaurant?
Audience: Who is your target audience? Does your business cater to party hearty college students, or are you geared more towards families? Are you looking for new clients, or are you providing information to existing clients? Useful categories to think about include age, sex, interests, and location of your audience.
Content: What type of content do you already have? Is this a face-lift for an existing site, or is this your very first website? Do you have photographs, or will your designer need to find images for you? Do you have a logo? Do you have a vision of how you want your website to look, or do you want to leave it up to the pros?
Scope: How many pages do you want on your site? How quickly do you need this project completed?

You will want to gather any content you want on your website, this will include:

The name of your business
Your domain information (if you have it)
Business information

Hours of operation
Location
Phone number
Email
Products/Services

Logos and Graphics
Photos
Text
This will include staff bios, descriptions of products, mission statements,slogans etc.

Step 2 - Initial Design

Once all the information and content has been gathered, your web designer will put together an initial homepage design. This page will only act as a visual reference, a starting point for the rest of the website. If you like the design style, the rest of the site will be built using that same framework.

Note: Links, menu buttons, and social media links will not work during this phase, that will all be taken care of further along in the design process.

Step 3- First Draft

Once you have given the designer the thumbs up on an initial design, they will build out your first draft of your website. This will be the first incarnation of your website.

At this point you will want to check the website for any inaccuracies, typos, and let your designer know of any changes you would like made.

It is likely that you will have many drafts of your website, as your web designer hones in on your vision.

Step 4 - Final Draft

Once your designer has fixed any issues, and you are happy with the way it looks, it will enter the final draft. At this point your designer and developer will work on the behind the scenes information (this includes adding a favicon, working on SEO , and setting up your Analytics and tracking).

Step 5 - Going Live!

Woo Hoo! This is the most exciting step, when we publish your site for the whole world to see. This is where we connect your site with your chosen domain name. On our end, this step is usually accompanied by cheering and clapping.