tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27947937689326956612024-03-21T14:09:43.502-07:00Online Marketing in JacksonvilleOur Jacksonville, FL SEO, Web Design, Social Media, and Digital Marketing Services are sure to deliver results. We are completely aligned with our clients in that the only reason one should partner with an Online Marketing Agency is to increase the amount of money the business makes. Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.comBlogger2328125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-19861767267947065762020-11-13T16:27:00.001-08:002020-11-13T16:27:23.931-08:00The 4 Best Technical SEO Companies of 2020<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image1-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98987" /></figure>
<p>No matter how great the content on your website is, your hard work could amount to nothing without proper technical SEO. </p>
<p>Technical SEO gives your site structure, makes it super easy for search engine bots to crawl and index, and helps Google understand what each page is about. </p>
<p>URL structuring, robots.txt, redirect codes, canonical tags, .htaccess files, load time, and many others. It all matters.</p>
<p>Do all those things sound unfamiliar to you? No? </p>
<p>Well, you don’t need to.</p>
<p>Tons of companies already know this stuff and it’s really easy to work with them.</p>
<p>That’s where this guide comes in. </p>
<p>Our team at <a href="https://npdigital.com/">Neil Patel Digital</a> researched, reviewed, and listed the top technical SEO companies on four criteria: </p>
<ul>
<li>Outstanding customer reviews.</li>
<li>Awards, impressive clientele, and a long history of delivering stellar technical SEO work.</li>
<li>Thought-leadership—consistently publishing of insightful articles and trends on the topic.</li>
<li>A strong reputation amongst other SEO professionals.</li>
</ul>
<p>From these criteria, we found technical SEO companies you can trust and what they’re good for:</p>
<h2><strong>The 4 Top Technical SEO Companies in The World</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#Neil">Neil Patel Digital</a> – Best for Technical Content Structuring</li>
<li><a href="#Web">Webris</a> – Best for Technical SEO Audits</li>
<li><a href="#Salt">Salt.agency</a> – Best for Enterprise Technical SEO</li>
<li><a href="#Orainti">Orainti</a> – Best for Ecommerce Brands</li>
</ol>
<p>Without further ado, let’s dive into what makes us trust and bet our reputation on these companies. </p>
<h3 id="Neil"><strong>1. Neil Patel Digital – Best For Technical Content Structuring</strong></h3>
<p>It’s been touted over and again that <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/future-content-marketing/">content is king</a>. While there’s truth in this, what most people never take into consideration is content structuring. </p>
<p><a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">Neil Patel Digital</a> is the go-to SEO company for excellent content structuring.</p>
<p>Well, don’t take my word for it. Let me show you why. </p>
<p>From our years of extensive search engine optimization experience, we found that for content marketing to work and power long-term SEO strategy, it must have the right structure. </p>
<p>This is a key piece of <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/search-engine-optimization/">our comprehensive SEO program</a>.</p>
<p>And what have we to show for doing this, you ask? </p>
<p>The result of doing this speaks for itself: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image1-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98987" /></figure>
<p>Over 3 million visitors per month on this blog. All built from scratch.</p>
<p>Content was a huge part of this but the site wouldn’t be nearly as large without the right structure and technical SEO.</p>
<p>You can get access to this vast technical SEO expertise by working with <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">the Neil Patel Digital team</a>.</p>
<p>Today, we’ve developed a content marketing program with content structuring (in the form of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/pillar-pages-explained/">content clusters</a>) to help clients get technical SEO right from day one.</p>
<h3 id="Web"><strong>2. Webris – Best for Technical SEO Audits</strong></h3>
<p>Almost all great endeavors begin with taking in-depth audits of what’s already existing. </p>
<p>Technical SEO is no exception. </p>
<p>You won’t achieve much in your effort to optimize your site for search engine bots’ crawling and indexing without first doing a proper audit of your site’s structure. </p>
<p>And <a href="https://webris.org/">Webris</a> is the company we recommend for technical SEO audits.</p>
<p>If you a do quick Google search for “technical SEO audit,” you’ll find this excellent <a href="https://webris.org/technical-seo-audit/">content piece by Webris</a>:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image3-6.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98986" /></figure>
<p>Ranking on Google’s top spot for this search term is another way of saying that earned its stripes on this list. </p>
<p>No company can earn that by accident. </p>
<p>This proves that Webris walks the talk when it comes to technical SEO audits and is a reliable option if you’re just getting started. </p>
<p>Founded by Ryan Stewart, the core strengths of Webris is technical SEO audits and conversion-focused UX. This company boasts of an incredibly talented team of advanced technical SEO consultants. </p>
<p>Major brands like Shopify and Accenture trust Webris and have worked with them.</p>
<h3 id="Salt"><strong>3. Salt.agency – Best for Enterprise Technical SEO</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://salt.agency/">Salt.agency</a> prides itself on “Technical Excellence” and that’s for a good reason. This company breathes technical SEO before anything else:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SALT_agency%C2%AE_A_Technical_SEO_Agency_in_Leeds__London__UK___Boston__USA.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98988" /></figure>
<p>Massive enterprise sites can have all sort of crazy technical problems.</p>
<p>If you’re running one of these sites, you need a team that’s worked with that type of complexity before.</p>
<p>In this case, Salt.agency is the best option.</p>
<p>With offices in Boston, Leeds, and London, Salt.agency’s clients include Cloudflare, Hartley Botanic, Brex, Travel Supermarket, and many others.</p>
<h3 id="Orainti"><strong>4. Orainti – Best for Ecommerce Brands</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEO_Consultancy__International__Mobile___Technical_SEO___Orainti.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98989" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://www.orainti.com/">Orainti</a> specializes in providing technical and strategic SEO services for brands in competitive industries. </p>
<p>This company approaches digital marketing and search engine optimization with a technical mindset, which justifies its inclusion in this highly-vetted list. </p>
<p>And they work mostly with ecommerce brands selling internationally. </p>
<p>International ecommerce businesses have tons of unique challenges like dealing with multilingual sites, getting product and category pages ranked properly, and avoiding duplicate content. </p>
<p>Orainti comes highly recommended for this.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.aleydasolis.com/en/">Aleyda Solis</a> is the Founder of Orainti. She is a veteran SEO practitioner, speaker, and author who has earned recognition and awards for her technical SEO expertise by organizations such as Forbes and European Search Awards. </p>
<p>Orainti boasts an impressive portfolio of top brands, including Zillow, Under Armour, Sage, Eventbrite, and others.</p>
<h2><strong>5 Characteristics That Make a Great Technical SEO Company</strong></h2>
<p>What separates the good technical SEO shops from the great ones? What would you specifically look for when choosing someone to work with? </p>
<p>Here’s what I look for.</p>
<h3><strong>1. A Complete Implementation Process that Includes Technical SEO</strong></h3>
<p>Technical SEO brings structure to your site. It helps search engine bots crawl, index, and rank your website correctly, which is essential for driving traffic. </p>
<p>Also, it helps to boost your site’s load time. </p>
<p>However, this doesn’t mean that once you have an excellent technical SEO, everything search engine optimization will fall in place automatically. </p>
<p>The best technical SEO companies have a complete SEO program including manual site review, technical SEO implementation, content strategy, and others.</p>
<p>If you’re really good at SEO already and just need a quick SEO audit to double check everything, you could get value at working with a specialist. But for everyone else, I recommend working with someone that understands the complete SEO strategy. It’s the only way to build a site with tons of traffic.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Thought leadership</strong></h3>
<p>It takes lots of experimentation to implement technical SEO strategies that move the needle. Companies that embark on this kind of excruciating work always like to document their experience and findings.</p>
<p>Working with SEO thought leaders increases the odds of a successful project.</p>
<p>After all, if someone can successfully teach technical SEO, they can also help your business directly.</p>
<p>Publishing cutting-edge content about technical SEO is a great sign that they’ll deliver amazing results. </p>
<h3><strong>3. An Impressive Client Portfolio</strong></h3>
<p>An excellent way to see if the expertise and processes used by a technical SEO company works is by looking at its client portfolio.</p>
<p>There is nuance here.</p>
<p>Having a ton of major brands is great. But that doesn’t mean that you can get help with your exact situation.</p>
<p>Ideally, the technical SEO company has worked with similar companies like your own.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Real Life Results</strong></h3>
<p>The nice thing about technical SEO is that it’s extremely practical. Technical problems come up that tanks traffic. Then technical SEO experts fix those problems.</p>
<p>It’s cut and dry.</p>
<p>Any great technical SEO company should have plenty of case studies where they turned around a site after it got hit. The more obscure the technical problem, the more likely they’ll be able to find weird problems on your own site.</p>
<p>Sometimes, these case studies are published on their site. But a lot of companies don’t like sharing the best stories. So ask their team as you talk to them. They should be able to give you plenty of examples during a call.</p>
<h3><strong>5. A Diversified Team</strong></h3>
<p>Covering every last technical SEO requirement is way too big of a task for a single person. You’ll need a fully-staffed team to do it all. Especially on major sites.</p>
<p>Go through the company’s team pages and LinkedIn employees, then look for lots of depth and expertise across the entire team.</p>
<h2><strong>What to Expect from a Great Technical SEO Company </strong></h2>
<p>If you’re like most people who only realize the need for technical SEO late on, you’ll probably be wondering what you should expect from one. </p>
<p>The most significant things to expect are what follows. </p>
<h3><strong>1. A discovery session</strong></h3>
<p>After you reach out to a technical SEO company, they’ll want to get on a call to understand what you’re looking for. </p>
<p>It’s the only way to understand the goals that you have for your site.</p>
<p>If a technical SEO company wants to jump straight into an audit without even getting on the phone, it’s a sign they’re running an “audit mill” and aren’t going to spend much time on your project.</p>
<p>Find a company that wants to go really deep and understand the full picture.</p>
<h3><strong>2. A one-time audit proposal</strong></h3>
<p>Most technically SEO companies will perform a one-time audit for a flat fee. </p>
<p>Since this is a standard part of their practice, they can usually jump into this right away.</p>
<p>Assuming their fee works with your budget, you could have someone get started within a week. That’s how easy it is to get going.</p>
<p>Before starting the audit, ask them for everything that they’ll check. It should include everything like canonical problems, indexing issues, duplicate content, other Google Search Console errors, everything.</p>
<p>If the list doesn’t feel extremely comprehensive, get a few quotes from other companies.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Completing the audit</strong></h3>
<p>Once you’ve agreed to move forward with an audit, the company will get started.</p>
<p>These usually take a few weeks to complete, depending on the size of your site.</p>
<p>Of course, you’ll need to give them access to your Google Analytics, Google Search Console, WordPress account, and possibly your web host.</p>
<p>During the audit, there shouldn’t be much work for you or your team. The company performing the audit may have questions but they can do the vast majority of the work on their own.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Implementation proposal</strong></h3>
<p>Most technical SEO audits only include the discovery of site issues. The project doesn’t usually include the work that’s required to fix any problems.</p>
<p>This is because most problems don’t have easy fixes.</p>
<p>For example, if your site has terrible site speed that’s impacting your rankings, you’ll need to do a ton of front-end work in order to fix it. That will also involve your marketing team and possibly other agencies.</p>
<p>So once the audit is complete, expect to see a proposal that includes implementing any solutions.</p>
<p>Something to watch for here: a great technical SEO company will know the limits of it’s expertise. When they find problems outside their capabilities, they’ll tell you and advise you to work with someone else on fixing them. Site rebuilds and content marketing are good examples of this.</p>
<p>If a technical SEO agency tells you that it can fix every single problem, double check and make sure they truly have real expertise in those areas.</p>
<h2><strong>Should I take Technical SEO Seriously?</strong></h2>
<p>Yes!</p>
<p>Technical SEO is like the frame of your house. Only with good bones can your content and marketing drive traffic to your site. </p>
<p>But, as things add up, and you have hundreds or thousands of pages on your site, something is going to break. </p>
<p>Search engines have a harder time crawling your site, content isn’t indexed, and your site speed slows way down.</p>
<p>Even if you start with a great foundation, you need a healthy rebuild every few years.</p>
<p>If you haven’t done a deep technical SEO audit recently, now’s the time.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/technical-seo-companies/">The 4 Best Technical SEO Companies of 2020</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-31916846265579943362020-11-13T13:27:00.001-08:002020-11-13T13:27:44.689-08:00How to Use Quizzes in Your Marketing Strategy<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/quizzes-in-marketing-1.jpg" alt="quizzes in marketing" class="wp-image-99139" /></figure>
</div>
<p><span style="font-size:inherit;">Using quizzes in your marketing strategy is one of the most underrated marketing moves.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-size:inherit;">Seriously. </span></p>
<p>They are incredibly effective at generation leads, engaging your audience, and much more.</p>
<p>But, it isn’t enough for me to just convince you to implement quizzes in your marketing strategy, so I’m going to show you exactly how to create an effective quiz, how to distribute it, and how to follow it up with marketing automation.</p>
<p>At the end, we’ll cover several brands successfully using quizzes in their marketing strategy so you can walk away with a little more insight.</p>
<h2><strong>Part I: Creating Your Quiz</strong></h2>
<p>There’s more to a quiz than you might actually think. Did you know that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2016/06/16/six-in-10-of-you-will-share-this-link-without-reading-it-according-to-a-new-and-depressing-study/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">six out of ten people only read a headline</a>? That means we’re going to have to make a pretty good first impression, so let’s talk about the title first.</p>
<h3><strong>Title Selection & Quiz Types</strong></h3>
<p>The very first step to creating a quiz would be coming up with the title for it. Once you’ve got that down, you’re going to want to figure out what type of quiz you want to make.</p>
<p>Here are a few of the most common quiz titles;</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The “Actually” Title:</strong> Believe it or not, adding the word “actually” can turn a simple question into a challenge. Compare “How much do you know about the Golden State Warriors” against “How much do you actually know about the Golden State Warriors” and you’ll see what we mean. No one likes to back down from a challenge, right?</li>
<li><strong>“The Which (Blank) Are You?” Title</strong>: This one’s a classic. Due to our innate inquisitive nature, sometimes we just <em>have</em> to know which Marvel superhero we are before we die. It’s just one of those things we have to cross off our bucket list.</li>
<li><strong>The “Celebrity Personality” Title</strong>: This is your typical personality quiz with the substitution of celebrities to give it that added pizazz. Because of the use of celebrities, they’re more likely to get someone’s attention sheerly through being starstruck.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/which-wrestling-team-mate-are-you-quiz.png" alt="which-wrestling-team-mate-are-you-quiz" class="wp-image-29487" width="617" height="413" /></figure>
<h4><strong>Choosing The Quiz Type</strong></h4>
<p>The quiz titles above will give you a few ideas of quiz types, but here’s a few more to consider:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>The Personality Quiz</strong> – We like to hear good things about ourselves, so because of the “<a href="http://www.wiley.com/college/psyc/huffman249327/resources/links/pseudo.html#self-servingf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">self-serving bias</a>,” personality quizzes work so well. This type of quiz categorizes people into personalities that compliment them based on their answers. If you’re a brand that focuses on product sales, you could use a personality quiz to place individuals into categories with personalized product recommendations based on the answers they gave.</li>
<li><strong>The Knowledge Test:</strong> The knowledge test simply challenges anyone’s knowledge on a given subject. You could ask your audience how much they know about your brand, the products it offers, or any of today’s trending topics.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Crafting Quiz Questions</strong></h3>
<p>Now that you’ve got a general idea of what kind of quiz you want to create along with a title to go with it, it’s time to bring it to life by filling it up with questions!</p>
<p>Here are some things to keep in mind when formulating your questions:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Infuse Personality into Your Quiz:</strong> Breathe some life into your quiz by injecting your personality into it. Approach your audience as if you were talking to them in person. Make your audience feel comfortable so that they’ll be more likely to opt-in later.</li>
<li><strong>Use Images for Your Questions:</strong> There’s nothing wrong with having text-only questions, but don’t be afraid to use images either. Using pictures keeps things interesting and relevant, it also makes your quiz feel more like a trivia game.</li>
<li><strong>Keep It Short:</strong> People don’t have the longest attention spans, so keep things simple and sweet. Aim between 6 to 10 questions for your quiz, in general, this will only take your audience about two to three minutes to complete.</li>
</ul>
<h3><strong>Designing A Lead Capture: Do’s and Don’t’s</strong></h3>
<p>After coming up with the questions for your quiz, it’s time to create a lead capture form. The purpose of lead capture is to gather contact information so that you can <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/5-digit-email-lists/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">grow an email list.</a></p>
<p>You can then follow these leads up through marketing automation, which we’ll get into later. For now, here are some helpful do’s and don’t’s you should follow when creating your lead capture:</p>
<h4><strong>Do: Incentivize Your Lead Capture Form</strong></h4>
<p>Give your audience a reason to provide you with their contact information. Offer incentives like a free eBook or an entry to a free giveaway. Standard incentives include infrequent updates about your brand or a weekly newsletter. Find what works best to encourage your audience to join your mailing list.</p>
<h4><strong>Don’t: Ask For Information You Won’t Use</strong></h4>
<p>What’s the point in asking your audience for their phone number if you aren’t going to call them? Make sure you only ask for information that your brand will use; the most basic being a first and last name, and an email address.</p>
<p>Otherwise, you risk <a href="https://blog.planetargon.com/entries/7-ways-to-annoy-users-on-your-web-forms" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">annoying your audience</a> and having them bounce from your quiz.</p>
<h4><strong>Do: Be Honest About Your Marketing Strategy</strong></h4>
<p>It won’t always be clear to your audience that after you get their contact information, you’ll be contacting them. It’s a good rule of thumb to let your audience know that you’ll be getting in touch with them soon, so don’t be all hush-hush about your marketing strategy.</p>
<p>Be honest with your audience. Give them a quick heads up about what’s to come, like this:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/confirm-email-to-discover-style-personality-quiz.png"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/confirm-email-to-discover-style-personality-quiz.png" alt="confirm-email-to-discover-style-personality-quiz" class="wp-image-29490" /></a></figure>
</div>
<h3><strong>Creating Shareable Results</strong></h3>
<p>Now onto the results! This is the moment your audience has been waiting for. You want to make sure your results are something they’re going to like and share with others, so creating share-worthy results will be your priority.</p>
<p>Here are a couple of pointers that will help you create results worth sharing:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Be Honest and Positive</strong>: <a href="http://scan.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/10/07/scan.nsu121.full" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Positive emotions are more likely to promote sharing</a>, so create results that compliment your audience into sharing what they got. At the same time, be honest with your results. Don’t tell your audience that they’re something they aren’t.</li>
<li><strong>Use Share-Worthy Images:</strong> Just like how we used images for your questions, we’re going to want to make sure we use images for your results. This time around, you want to use some pretty interesting pictures; <a href="https://viralsolutions.net/what-makes-images-worth-sharing-on-the-internet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ones that are worth sharing</a>. This is what’s going to attract attention when people share their results on social media.</li>
<li><strong>Create A Call-To-Action:</strong> Don’t let your interaction with the audience end at the results. Provide a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-the-perfect-call-to-action/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">call-to-action</a> for your audience. It can be something as simple as a link to your website, or maybe even personalized links to product recommendations.</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/tony-ramos-wreslter-quiz-result.png" alt="tony-ramos-wreslter-quiz-result" class="wp-image-29491" width="587" height="521" /></figure>
<h2><strong>Part II: Distributing Your Quiz</strong></h2>
<p>Now it’s time to put your quiz through the ultimate test by promoting it on social media. Your major outlets for social networks would be Facebook and Twitter, but if you wanted to take it a bit further, you can also use paid advertising on Facebook to give your quiz that extra boost.</p>
<h3><strong>Share Your Quiz on Facebook and Twitter</strong></h3>
<p>When sharing your quiz on Facebook or Twitter, be sure you check off each of these to get the most out of promoting your quiz:</p>
<ul>
<li>Be sure to use an attractive image to represent your quiz.</li>
<li>Make sure you have a captivating headline for your quiz.</li>
<li>Share both the image and the caption with a shortened link to track results.</li>
</ul>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/red-lobster-quiz-facebook-ad.png" alt="red-lobster-quiz-facebook-ad" class="wp-image-29492" /></figure>
</div>
<h3><strong>Don’t Be Afraid to Use Paid Advertising on Facebook</strong></h3>
<p>The process of promoting your quiz through Facebook via paid advertising can be a fairly lengthy operation, so to save you guys some time, we’ve truncated the whole process into a more time-friendly summary.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Selecting Your Target Audience</strong>: You have your choices of selecting a target audience by location, demographics, behaviors, and connections. You can even break these categories down even further. Let’s take location for example. We can narrow down the location to country, state/province, city, and zip code. Why would we want to do this? Maybe your brand wants to target an audience within its immediate vicinity. We don’t know. It’s up to you how you want to set the parameters for your target audience. So give it a try.</li>
<li><strong>Creating A Custom Audience:</strong> Creating a custom audience consists of working with a list you’ve uploaded ahead of time. Facebook then generates an audience based on that list of previous customers you’ve already worked with.</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>Part III: Marketing Automation Follow-Ups</strong></h2>
<p>Here’s the fun part: following up on the leads you’ve collected. With the help of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-marketing-automation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">marketing automation</a>, this may not take as much effort on your end as you might’ve thought.</p>
<p>We’re going to follow-up on your leads the very moment people opt-in, and in the course of two weeks, we’re going to show you how to nurture these leads until you can finally convert them into paying customers.</p>
<p>Here’s a four-step sequence that your marketing automation email follow-ups should live and die by:</p>
<h3><strong>Thank Your Audience for Taking Your Quiz First</strong></h3>
<p>Immediately after someone opts-in, send him or her an email that telling them “Thank you for taking our quiz!” This will remind your audience that they’ve opted-in, and it’ll also help assert your brand. It’ll give people a head’s up that you’ll be getting in touch with them soon.</p>
<h3><strong>Encourage Your Audience to Retake Your Quiz</strong></h3>
<p>After a couple of days, we’re going to pick up where your audience left off: their quiz results. Inform your audience about the other results they could have gotten. This may prompt your audience to retake your quiz, and maybe to even share their new results.</p>
<p>This is the perfect transition from your “thank you” email to sending out different content.</p>
<h3><strong>Build Trust with Case Studies or Testimonials</strong></h3>
<p>After a week, now would be a good time to build trust between you and your leads. Introduce testimonials or customer case studies to familiarize your audience with your brand and what other people think about it. This not only makes your brand look good, but it also lets your audience get more comfortable with who your brand is and what it stands for.</p>
<h3><strong>Convert Your Leads into Paying Customers</strong></h3>
<p>After two weeks, it’s time to convert those leads. Your audience should be familiar with your brand by now. Use incentives, like a webinar signup or coupons and discounts to encourage your leads to buy into your brand.</p>
<p>The rest is up to you and your expertise in <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/lead-conversion-with-social-media/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">converting leads into customers</a>. These marketing automation follow-ups did most of the work for you, so it’s your turn to close the deal.</p>
<h2><strong>Part IV: Examples of Quiz-Use in Every Industry</strong></h2>
<p>It’s time to take a quick look at several examples of brands from different industries and how they implemented quizzes in their marketing strategy. Seeing these examples should give you a solid foundation when it comes to considering the use of quizzes in your own marketing strategy.</p>
<h3><strong>Retail: Z Gallerie</strong></h3>
<p>Z Gallerie is known for its commitment to providing furnishings, art, and accessories to both professional and amateur interior designers alike. They created the quiz “<a href="http://style.zgallerie.com/style-quiz/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">What is your Z Gallerie Style Personality?</a>” to provide a personalized experience for every potential and current customer.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/zgallerie-style-personality-quiz.png" alt="zgallerie-style-personality-quiz" class="wp-image-29493" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Z Gallerie used a personality quiz as a way of bringing results that offered personalized product recommendations as a part of their marketing strategy. This method brought in a massive amount of leads per day which they followed-up with marketing automation.</p>
<p>It allowed Z Gallerie to continually recommend products tailored specifically to each person based on their individual quiz results. Now that’s online shopping done right.</p>
<h3><strong>Software: Cloud Sherpas</strong></h3>
<p>Cloud Sherpas specialized in cloud advisory and technology services for the world’s leading brands. (They’ve since <a href="https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-to-acquire-cloud-sherpas-accelerating-its-cloud-first-agenda.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">been acquired by Accenture</a>.)</p>
<p>Cloud Sherpas used their quiz to gauge each individual’s level of maturity, which helped determine the more qualified leads for their marketing strategy. They also promoted their blog on Facebook with the quiz attached.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="661" height="447" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/cloud-sherpa-marketing-quizz.png" alt="cloud sherpa marketing quizzes example" class="wp-image-99141" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Cloud Sherpas’ quiz brings in 3-4 qualified leads a day. Nothing like quality over quantity, am I right?</p>
<h3><strong>Marketing: The Foundation</strong></h3>
<p>The Foundation focuses on building businesses with entrepreneurs through the idea of building backward. It’s an incredibly interesting concept, and with it, they created the quiz “<a href="https://thefoundation.com/p/mind-quiz" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Do You Have An Entrepreneurial Mind?</a>” based on an existing eBook they had which covered the basic types of business owners.</p>
<p>The Foundation used a quiz in its marketing strategy by pairing it with a Facebook ad campaign. This combination was able to cut their cost per lead from $6.00 to $3.80, <em>and</em> collected over 16,000 leads and millions in revenue. That’s quite the turnout if you ask us.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/question-about-your-type-email.png" alt="question-about-your-type-email" class="wp-image-29494" /></figure>
<h3><strong>Nonprofit: Pin Cancer</strong></h3>
<p>Pin Cancer’s call-to-action is the rallying of the US wrestling community to fight against, you guessed it: cancer. Their noble efforts have prompted the aid of their quiz “<a href="https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/pin-cancer/1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Which USA World Team Member Are You?</a>” as a means of driving social traffic and raising awareness on cancer.</p>
<p>On a site that normally sees 200 visits per day, Pin Cancer had the best day ever when their quiz went up, driving social traffic up to 6,000 in a single day and bringing in 3,800 new email subscribers. Talk about turning the tables on cancer!</p>
<blockquote class="wp-block-quote twitter-tweet">
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/PinCancer">@PinCancer</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Jakeherbert84">@Jakeherbert84</a> true! Can’t match the style of a ninja!</p>
<p>— Reece Humphrey (@ReeceHump60kg) <a href="https://twitter.com/ReeceHump60kg/status/636289641432395776">August 25, 2015</a></p>
</blockquote>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Who knew implementing quizzes into your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-an-online-marketing-plan-that-will-grow-nearly-any-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">online marketing strategy</a> could be so effective? We’ve just covered a lot of material, but hopefully, you got a lot out of it.</p>
<p>Just to recap, we went over the entire quiz creation process, so you should be familiar with how to create your own quiz by now. Distributing your quiz will really put it to the test, but as soon as you <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/9-ways-generate-qualified-leads-content-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">generate those leads</a>, you know exactly how to nurture them until conversion.</p>
<p>Don’t let quizzes fly under your radar any longer; try using them in your marketing strategy to see just how far your brand can get.</p>
<p><em>Have you used quizzes in your marketing strategy? What were the results? </em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/quizzes-for-your-marketing-strategy/">How to Use Quizzes in Your Marketing Strategy</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-65166352864010669092020-11-13T10:27:00.001-08:002020-11-13T10:27:53.496-08:00How to Buy a Domain Name<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image8-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98900" /></figure>
<p style="color:#707378;font-size:12px;">Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.</p>
<p>Buying a domain name is one of the first steps to launching a website. </p>
<p>But finding the perfect domain for your site and registering that domain can feel like a tall task if you’ve never been through this process. Fortunately, domain registration isn’t that difficult—you just need to follow a few simple steps.</p>
<p>Throughout my career, I’ve bought a lot of domains—too many to count. Some of those experiences were significantly better than others. </p>
<p>This guide will explain my two favorite ways to buy a domain; one of those methods will even get you a free domain. I’ll also cover the differences between these options in greater detail and explain how to buy a premium domain. Let’s dive in.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Buy a Domain Name With Bluehost</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0192/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Bluehost</a> is a web hosting provider. In fact, they are one of the most reputable and reliable web hosts on the market today. More than two million sites across the globe are hosted by Bluehost.</p>
<p>But Bluehost also provides domain registration services. If you use Bluehost for web hosting, you’ll get a free domain for one year. </p>
<p>Since you need a hosting plan anyways, you can use Bluehost as a one-stop-shop to bundle hosting and domain registration into a single package. This is a great option for beginners starting a new website from scratch. </p>
<h3><strong>Step #1 – Navigate to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0192/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Bluehost.com</a></strong></h3>
<p>The first step is easy. Just make your way over to the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0192/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Bluehost website</a>.</p>
<p>From here, scan the menu and select “Hosting” at the top of the screen. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image3-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98905" /></figure>
<p>I’ll say it again; click <strong>HOSTING</strong>. Do not click on the “Domains” menu option. </p>
<p>If you click on the latter, you won’t be bundling your hosting plan with domain registration, which defeats the purpose of using Bluehost (and you won’t get the domain for free).</p>
<h3><strong>Step #2 – Choose a Hosting Plan</strong></h3>
<p>The hosting menu will expand and present you with three different options:</p>
<ul>
<li>Shared Hosting</li>
<li>Dedicated Hosting</li>
<li>VPS Hosting</li>
</ul>
<p>Shared hosting will be the best option for 99% of people starting a new website. So go ahead and select that from the expanded drop-down menu. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image2-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98906" /></figure>
<p>You’ll still be able to bundle your hosting plan and domain registration (and get a free domain) if you select dedicated or VPS, but most of you won’t need to worry about that right now; stick with shared hosting. </p>
<p>Bluehost offers four different shared web hosting plans to choose from—Basic, Plus, Choice Plus, and Pro:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image6-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98902" /></figure>
<p>If you’re launching a small personal site, the Basic entry-level plan starting at $3.95 per month should be fine for you. For those of you launching a site for your business, I’d go with the Choice Plus plan, at a minimum. </p>
<p>The extra features that come with this plan are worth the few extra bucks per month. </p>
<p>To continue, just click the “Select” button under the plan that fits your needs.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #3 – Register Your Domain</strong></h3>
<p>Once you choose a web hosting plan, Bluehost will automatically prompt you to set up your domain. You’ll be presented with two different options here:</p>
<ul>
<li>Create a new domain</li>
<li>Use a domain you own</li>
</ul>
<p>You’ll want to use the “Create a new domain” option to search for available domains.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image10-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98899" /></figure>
<p>Simply enter the domain you want to buy into the search bar and choose your domain extension (.com, .net, .blog, .biz, .info, .store, .co, .us, etc.). </p>
<p>In the vast majority of cases, you’re going to want a .com extension. The only reason why I’d consider an alternative domain extension is if the .com domain is taken. For example, if you try to create a domain using nike.com or apple.com, those will obviously be unavailable. But a different extension might be available for purchase.</p>
<p>So if you’re set on a name, you could always get an alternative extension in the meantime while you figure out how to buy the .com extension. I’ll explain how to buy domains that have already been registered in greater detail later in this guide (although you probably won’t be able to buy Nike or Apple).</p>
<p>Another reason to consider an alternative domain extension is the price. Lots of these extensions will be cheaper than a .com domain.</p>
<p>For a small blog, side project, or personal site, that’s fine if you want to save a few dollars. But businesses should always register a .com domain.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #4 – Finalize Your Contract</strong></h3>
<p>Once you’ve chosen an available domain name, simply create your Bluehost account and select your plan terms.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image9-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98898" /></figure>
<p>Definitely make sure you get “Domain Privacy + Protection” located in the “Package Extras” section. Otherwise, your name, email, phone number, and address will all become available on a public database. It’s well worth the extra $0.99 per month. </p>
<p>The other options, like SiteLock Security and Codeguard Basic, are up to you. I’d get them, but there are alternative third-party services out there that you can use for site backups and security. I think it’s just easier to get them now.</p>
<p>That’s it! </p>
<p>Once you enter your payment details, your hosting plan and new domain purchase will be finalized. Your domain name is free for the first year of your contract. </p>
<h2><strong>How to Buy a Domain Name With Namecheap</strong></h2>
<p>The market is flooded with domain registrars. But <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0193/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Namecheap</a> is definitely my favorite. It’s super easy for anyone to buy a domain using this registrar, even if it’s your first time.</p>
<p>This method is a bit more straightforward than using Bluehost, only because you’re not bundling any other services—Namecheap is strictly for buying a domain. </p>
<p>The entire process can be completed in just three quick steps.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #1 – Visit <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0193/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Namecheap.com</a></strong></h3>
<p>Obviously, the first thing you need to do is make your way over the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0193/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Namecheap website</a>.</p>
<p>From here, you can search for your domain directly from the homepage.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image5-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98903" /></figure>
<p>Enter your desired domain name into the search bar, which can be found in the center of the screen. </p>
<p>Make sure that “Register” is toggled above that search bar. The “Transfer” option is made for people who have an existing domain and want to switch registrars—that’s not for you. </p>
<p>Click the search icon to continue. </p>
<h3><strong>Step #2 – Choose Your Extension</strong></h3>
<p>As a domain registrar, Namecheap offers an extensive list of domain extensions. </p>
<p>You’ll have the option to choose from things like .fun, .vip, .studio, .health, .xyz, .lol, .design, and hundreds of other extensions. But in most cases, choosing a .com extension will be your best bet. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image1-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98907" /></figure>
<p>Just click the “Add to cart” button next to the extensions you want and then checkout.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #3 – Confirm Your Order</strong></h3>
<p>When you’re buying a domain directly from a domain registrar, you can skip all of the extras. You won’t need an SSL certificate, professional email, or anything else. You’ll be able to get that from your web hosting provider.</p>
<p>Definitely make sure you have WhoisGuard enabled. This protects your personal information from being available to the public. Some domain registrars make you pay extra for this, but Namecheap offers it free forever. </p>
<p>Turn on “auto-renew” for your domain registration as well. Otherwise, you’ll have to renew it manually every year, which puts you at risk for the registration lapsing. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image4-5.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98904" /></figure>
<p>It’s that easy! </p>
<p>Once you confirm the order, you’ll be asked to create a Namecheap account. After you enter your payment details and finalize the purchase, the domain is yours. </p>
<h2><strong>Ways to Buy a Domain Name</strong></h2>
<p>Generally speaking, there are two main ways to buy a domain name. Both of which have been covered above—domain registrars and hosting providers. </p>
<p>There are pros and cons to each method, and the process for each one is very different.</p>
<p>I’ll quickly explain the differences between these options so you can figure out which one is the best choice for your website. </p>
<h3><strong>Buying a Domain From a Standalone Domain Registrar</strong></h3>
<p>In most cases, going directly to a domain registrar like Namecheap will be your best option. As the name implies, these platforms specialize in domain registration. </p>
<p>Buying domains directly from a standalone registrar will be faster than alternative methods. That’s because you’re not bundling other services, so the process is more direct.</p>
<p>Domain registrars also make it easier to buy domains in bulk. So if you’re in the market for more than a single domain, definitely go with a registrar. </p>
<p>If you want alternative extensions, domain registrars will offer significantly more options. While I typically don’t recommend anything other than a .com domain, some of you might want to browse through hundreds of alternative extensions. </p>
<p>Transferring domain names with a registrar is also easier than using a service that doesn’t specialize in domain registration. So if you want to transfer your domain or think you might want to transfer it in the future, use a domain registrar.</p>
<p>It’s usually cheaper to buy domains directly from a registrar. For starters, the domain itself will likely be less expensive. But the best registrars, like Namecheap, include WhoisGuard protection for free with the purchase of a domain. You probably won’t get that from a hosting company. </p>
<p>The downside of getting your domain from a registrar is that there’s an extra step in the process. You’ll still have to get web hosting elsewhere. </p>
<h3><strong>Buying a Domain From a Web Hosting Company</strong></h3>
<p>For the most part, domain registration and web hosting should be kept separately. Bluehost is the exception to this rule. So if you want to bundle your domain name with a hosting plan, Bluehost is really the only option to consider.</p>
<p>There are a couple of main reasons why you’d go this route.</p>
<p>For beginners who are new to the world of web hosting and domain registration, getting everything under one roof is just easier. It’s less steps, and you can manage your hosting plan and domain name from a single account. </p>
<p>Furthermore, Bluehost gives you a free domain name for one year. You’ll never get a deal like that from a domain registrar. </p>
<p>But getting a domain from a hosting provider isn’t ideal if you want to buy domains in bulk. It’s fine for a single domain, but beyond that, it gets messy. You also won’t have as many options for alternative extensions (if you want something unique). </p>
<p>Most web hosting providers will also charge you extra for domain privacy + protection, whereas you can get this for free from a domain registrar. </p>
<h2><strong>How to Buy a Premium Domain</strong></h2>
<p>Premium domains are a great way to stand out online. They are great for branding and marketing purposes as well.</p>
<p>What is a premium domain?</p>
<p>A premium domain is typically short, memorable, and easy to spell. High-quality domains have a high search volume and are closely associated with an industry, service, or topic. They also have TLDs (top-level domains) like .com, .org, or .net. </p>
<p>Premium domains are in high demand. So they’ll typically cost a bit more to register. The process of buying a premium domain can be different as well since it’s not always clear if the domain is actually for sale. Here’s what I mean.</p>
<p>Let’s say you try to register a premium domain from a domain registrar or hosting company. Just because it says “unavailable,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t be acquired. These are the steps for buying a premium domain:</p>
<h3><strong>Step #1 – Determine if the Domain Seems Attainable</strong></h3>
<p>If a domain is unavailable from a registrar, try going directly to that website and see what you find. If there’s an active website or business using that domain, it might be tougher to acquire. </p>
<p>But if you don’t see an active site, there’s a good chance that domain will be for sale.</p>
<p>Here’s an example for management.com:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image7-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98901" /></figure>
<p>Clearly, not much is happening on this site. So if you wanted this premium domain, there is a pretty good indication here that it’s for sale. </p>
<p>In some cases, you’ll even see text like “buy this domain” or information that says “this domain might be for sale.” All of these are good signs that the domain is attainable.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #2 – Find Out Who Owns the Domain</strong></h3>
<p>There are two ways to complete this step:</p>
<ul>
<li>Figure it out on your own</li>
<li>Hire a domain broker to do it for you</li>
</ul>
<p>Doing it on your own can be tricky. You could run a quick WHOIS lookup, but most people won’t have their personal information listed. Using Google to your advantage can be helpful. Some domains might be linked to another website or social media profile. You could potentially find the owner that way.</p>
<p>Personally, I’d recommend using a broker. <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0194/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Sedo</a> is one of my favorite domain marketplaces and brokerage sites.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image8-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98900" /></figure>
<p>Brokers can almost always find out who owns the domain because they have such a massive network. They’ll determine if the domain is actually for sale and how much the seller is asking for. Your broker can even handle the negotiations on your behalf.</p>
<p>The downside of using a broker is that you’ll have to pay a brokerage fee. But in most cases, you’ll only have to pay if the sale actually goes through.</p>
<p>Other great places to find a premium domain online include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0195/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Flippa</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0196/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">NamePros</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0193/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Namecheap</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0197/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Domain.com</a></li>
</ul>
<p>If a domain is for sale, you’ll be able to get the ball rolling with Sedo or one of the other options listed above.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #3 – Negotiate and Buy</strong></h3>
<p>Often times, the listing price of a premium domain can be negotiable. If you think it’s a fair price and fits well within your budget, you can speed up the buying process by offering the asking price in full.</p>
<p>If a domain is in high-demand, this also increases your chances of securing it before someone else makes a better offer.</p>
<p>But in some cases, domains can be outrageously priced. You need to ask yourself if it’s actually worth the cost. Sometimes you might be better off just looking for another domain. Unless a certain domain is crucial to the success of your business, it can be tough to justify a five or six-figure listing price. </p>
<p>Don’t be afraid to walk away during the negotiation process. If it’s not meant to be, you can move on or try again at a later time. This is also another reason why it’s helpful to have a broker.</p>
<h3><strong>Step #4 – Transfer the Domain</strong></h3>
<p>Once the domain has been purchased, the final step is transferring it to your domain registrar. Again, I recommend <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0193/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Namecheap.com</a> for this because it’s so easy. </p>
<p>Make sure you turn on the auto-renewal after the transfer. Otherwise, you’ll have to worry about manually renewing your domain each year. If you forget and the name lapses, your premium domain could be up for grabs on the open market.</p>
<p>The process is officially complete when you see the domain sitting inside of your domain registrar account. Now you can finally rest easy knowing that you’ve secured your premium domain.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Buy a Domain Name That’s Not For Sale</strong></h2>
<p>Not every premium domain will be available on a brokerage site or domain marketplace. But if you really want to pursue a specific domain, you still might have a chance.</p>
<p>Similar to the steps we took in the last section, you’ll need to figure out who owns the domain. If a domain isn’t for sale, this step should be a bit easier, and you can probably do it on your own. </p>
<p>Most domains that aren’t for sale will be linked to an active website. That site should have some sort of contact information on it. You can reach out directly to get in contact with the business owner or decision-maker associated with the domain. </p>
<p>Start with a general inquiry saying that you’re interested in buying the domain; don’t throw an offer out there just yet (or you could end up overpaying). </p>
<p>See what type of response you get and if the site owner is willing to sell. Unlike a premium domain that’s listed on a domain marketplace, you might have to dig a bit deeper into your pockets to buy a domain that’s not currently for sale. </p>
<p>If it’s absolutely imperative that you secure this particular domain, consider making the owner an offer that they can’t refuse. </p>
<p>Just be aware that this won’t always work. It’s like trying to buy a house that’s not for sale. You can knock on the front door and make a cash offer, but the homeowner might decide to stay put.</p>
<p>If they’re willing to sell, use a broker to make sure the purchase goes smoothly. Then immediately transfer that domain to your registrar after you obtain ownership.</p>
<h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2>
<p>Buying a domain name doesn’t need to be that complicated.</p>
<p>Even beginners and first-time buyers can complete this process in just a few minutes by following the step-by-step instructions explained in this guide.</p>
<p>Buying a premium domain might take a bit longer. But again, you can still make it happen by following the process I’ve outlined above. Good luck and happy buying!</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-buy-a-domain-name/">How to Buy a Domain Name</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-53126991688766541572020-11-13T07:27:00.001-08:002020-11-13T07:27:50.929-08:00How to Use Instagram Filters in Paid Social Media Campaigns<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/instagram-filters-paid.jpg" alt="How to Use Instagram Filters in Paid Social Media Campaigns" class="wp-image-99116" /></figure>
<p>One billion – that’s how many people use Instagram each month.</p>
<p>With such a <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">huge, highly engaged audience</a>, you can bet the competition between brands is tough. This is why small details can make all the difference, and Instagram filters could play a part in making your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/beginners-guide-how-to-build-a-killer-instagram-following-and-increase-your-sales/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">social media campaigns more successful</a>.</p>
<h2 id="h.k088b561w570"><strong>What are Instagram Filters?</strong></h2>
<p>Everywhere you look, marketing advice says you need <a href="https://famoid.com/why-use-high-quality-images-on-social-media/#:~:text=A%20high%2Dquality%20image%2C%20one,after%20it%20was%20originally%20posted." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">high-quality images to succeed on platforms like Instagram</a>. But what if you’re not a professional photographer?</p>
<p>This is where Instagram filters can be a game-changer for your marketing and particularly your paid social media campaigns—they can make your images look as sleek as if they’d been professionally shot.</p>
<p>Here’s an example of an unfiltered image vs. its filtered twin:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="315" height="324" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Unfiltered-instagram-photo-of-boats-on-water.png" alt="Unfiltered instagram photo of boats on water" class="wp-image-99124" /></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="315" height="324" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Instagram-photo-of-boats-on-water-using-clarendon-filter.png" alt="Instagram photo of boats on water using clarendon filter" class="wp-image-99123" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Not only do Instagram filters make things look cleaner, but they also allow you to edit your image with one click. Where most editors make you alter contrast, saturation, and so forth individually, Instagram lets you pick a pre-set filter that suits your image—though you can tweak them if you’d like.</p>
<p>While these filters have been around since 2011, they’ve taken off in recent years. With the added <a href="https://www.adobe.com/uk/insights/5-realworld-examples-of-augmented-reality-innovation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">capabilities of</a> <a href="https://www.adobe.com/uk/insights/5-realworld-examples-of-augmented-reality-innovation.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">augmented reality (AR) technology</a>—which adds imaginary images to those of the real world—they can significantly impact your social media campaigns.</p>
<h2 id="h.5ega9629kv39"><strong>Why Should You Use Instagram Filters in Your Paid</strong> <strong>Posts</strong><strong>?</strong></h2>
<p>Social media platforms are competitive, and standing out from the crowd isn’t easy. If you’re going to get the best cost per click with your paid social media campaigns, then <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-make-social-media-marketing-work-for-your-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">your brand needs to grab attention and drive engagement</a>.</p>
<p>When you run an Instagram ad, you don’t have much real estate to work with, so you’ve got to find ways to draw your audience in with the limited space you have.</p>
<p>If you can combine innovative use of filters with creative images and excellent text, then you could achieve exceptional results— as <a href="https://adespresso.com/blog/best-instagram-ads-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Opel did with their “Opel Adam” campaign</a>. In just two weeks, the campaign achieved a 2.5x increase in registrations and significantly lowered Opel’s cost per registration.</p>
<p>It’s possible to achieve the same results for your business, but you’ve got to make the most of the tools available to you.</p>
<p>If <a href="https://medium.com/@stpe/statistics-how-filters-are-used-by-instagrams-most-successful-users-d44935f87fa9" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">only 18% of Instagram posts use a filter</a>, this means you’ve got an opportunity to make your content stand out over the other 82%. Research shows that <a href="https://www.wowso.me/blog/ar-filters-brands-marketing-examples" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AR filters have an average dwell time of 75 seconds</a>, which is four times that of even video content—so using it can make a huge difference.</p>
<p>Social media platforms crave engagement, and if your advertisements give them that, you may find you reach more people for less—and Instagram filters are one of the best tools to help you achieve this.</p>
<h2 id="h.apzdejwy4az"><strong>How to Use Instagram Filters for Your Paid Campaigns</strong></h2>
<p>Turning your posts into paid campaigns through the Instagram app couldn’t be easier. All you need is a <a href="https://business.instagram.com/getting-started?locale=en_GB" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">business or creator account</a>, and then you can get set up with your paid ads.</p>
<ol>
<li>Click the profile icon in the bottom right-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select promotions.</li>
<li>Choose a post to promote. Instagram will prompt you to use your top post, but you can select any of your previous posts to promote.</li>
<li>Select where to send people— your profile, website, or direct messages.</li>
<li>Define your audience. The easiest option is to choose “automatic,” which targets people similar to your followers, but you can create your own.</li>
<li>Choose your budget, setting your daily cost and how long you want the campaign to run for.</li>
<li>Review and publish.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="h.kopo4owivurj"> </h2>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="280" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/how-to-use-instagram-filters-for-your-paid-campaigns.png" alt="how to use instagram filters for your paid campaigns" class="wp-image-99118" /></figure>
<p>To create a promotion through the app, you need to have already created your post or story. Luckily, Instagram makes it exceedingly easy to snap an image on the go, add a great filter, and promote it within seconds.</p>
<h2 id="h.aneu9fntda7j"><strong>Tips for Picking the Right Instagram Filter for Your Campaign</strong> </h2>
<p>The right Instagram filter might be a quick way to <a href="https://fstoppers.com/education/tips-different-filters-photographers-136778" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">give your images the professional touch</a>, but the wrong filter can have the opposite effect. When you’re choosing your filter, keep these three points in mind:</p>
<ul>
<li>Your images reflect your brand</li>
<li>Consistency works well on social media</li>
<li>Don’t go filter crazy</li>
</ul>
<p>Your images help define your brand, so the filters you choose matter. Your filters should reflect the mood of the product or service you’re promoting, and you need to stay consistent with this. </p>
<p>A great example of this is JetBlue’s Instagram account. You can easily spot how consistency has allowed them to develop their own simple yet effective style by using similar image styles, colors, and more.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="315" height="560" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Screenshot-of-JetBlues-use-of-Instagram-filters.png" alt="Screenshot of JetBlues use of Instagram filters" class="wp-image-99117" /></figure>
</div>
<p>While the right filter can make things look amazing, “over filtering” can have the opposite effect. You don’t want to alter things so much that they look surreal. Instagram filters are optimized to please, so it’s often worth sticking to the tried and tested rather than over-editing.</p>
<p>If you’re looking for inspiration, Canva studied the most popular filters, and Clarendon, Gingham, and Juno came out on top.</p>
<h3 id="h.yz3hci69vp23"><strong>Instagram Filters for Posts</strong></h3>
<p>Adding filters to your Instagram posts couldn’t be easier. In five simple steps, you can post amazing <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-take-good-instagram-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">images that grab your audience’s</a> <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-take-good-instagram-photos/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">attention</a>.</p>
<ol>
<li>Click the + button at the center of your home screen.</li>
<li>Select the image you want to use from your library, or select “photo” or “video” to create a new one. Click next.</li>
<li>Choose your filter from the list at the bottom of the screen. Remember, you can add more by clicking manage at the end of the reel.</li>
<li>Add your caption, tag people in your posts, post your location, and choose other social platforms you would like to post to.</li>
<li>Hit share.</li>
</ol>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="591" height="210" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Guide-to-Adding-Instagram-Filters-for-Posts.png" alt="Guide to Adding Instagram Filters for Posts" class="wp-image-99122" /></figure>
</div>
<h3 id="h.m91wiepzza3"><strong>Instagram Filters for Stories</strong> </h3>
<p>Instagram stories allow you to post photos and videos that vanish after 24 hours. <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">One-third</a> of the most viewed Instagram stories are created by businesses, so they are an <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/marketers-guide-to-instagram-stories/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">excellent way to make your posts go further</a>.</p>
<p>The process of posting stories with filters is just as simple as with posts, but you’ll notice a lot more options when it comes to AR filters.</p>
<h4 id="h.6jy60vamcna2"><strong>For a live video or image:</strong></h4>
<ol>
<li>Select your profile icon.</li>
<li>Hit the + button in the top left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select “story” from the pop-up menu.</li>
<li>Use your camera to take live video or images, or select an existing one from your library by clicking on the image in the bottom left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Choose between your front-facing and rear-facing camera if you’re taking a live image.</li>
<li>Select your filter from the reel at the bottom.</li>
<li>Tap the center button to take a picture or hold the button to take a video.</li>
<li>Use the editing buttons in the top right-hand corner to add extra filters, overlay text, or download to your library.</li>
<li>Hit “send to” and select where to share your story.</li>
</ol>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="591" height="210" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/A-step-by-step-guide-to-adding-Instagram-filters-for-stories.png" alt="A step by step guide to adding Instagram filters for stories" class="wp-image-99120" /></figure>
</div>
<h4 id="h.85ie4vd72icv"><strong>Bonus Instagram Filter Tip</strong></h4>
<p>If you’re scrolling through Instagram and see a filter you like, you can save it to use on your own stories.</p>
<ol>
<li>Go to the profile of the person with the filter you like.</li>
<li>Click the smiley face emoji to see all their filters.</li>
<li>You can save it by clicking the down arrow or try it on.</li>
<li>When you’re trying on the filter, click the drop-down menu.</li>
<li>From here, you can save the effect or send it immediately as a story.</li>
<li>The next time you send a story, the filter will be ready for you to use.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="h.chb8rfbaabv2"><strong>Instagram Filters for Faces</strong></h3>
<p>When you created your first story pin, you likely noticed there are a lot of things you can do to your face with AR.</p>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/augmented-reality-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">AR allows you</a> to add computer-generated effects over the live image you see on your camera. For example, if you want to see what you look like wearing sunglasses, there’s an AR filter for that. The sunglasses appear on your face and follow you as you move.</p>
<p>There are endless Instagram filters with AR, which gives you more options to engage your audience. However, as with any Instagram filters, it’s essential to find the ones that suit your brand.</p>
<p>Some companies have had great success with AR filters on Instagram, such as this one by Ray-ban. But if you’re going to use these filters, then you’ve got to make sure you stay on-brand.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="315" height="560" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Rayban-Instagram-Filter-of-woman-with-antlers.png" alt="Rayban Instagram Filter of woman with antlers" class="wp-image-99121" /></figure>
</div>
<p>To create a story with AR filters, simply follow these steps:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select your profile icon.</li>
<li>Hit the + button in the top left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select “story” from the pop-up menu.</li>
<li>Choose between front- and rear-facing camera.</li>
<li>Slide between the filters at the bottom and watch as your face is brought to life with AR.</li>
<li>For more effects, slide to the end of the reel and select “browse effects.”</li>
<li>Choose a filter.</li>
<li>Click the middle button to take a photo, hold to take a video.</li>
<li>Click send and then select where to share.</li>
</ol>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="581" height="211" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Instagram-filters-for-faces.png" alt="Instagram filters for faces" class="wp-image-99119" /></figure>
</div>
<h2 id="h.qxlw1aj4euvc"><strong>Other Instagram Features to Help Your Paid Campaign</strong></h2>
<p>One of the reasons Instagram is so popular with advertisers is because it gives you lots of tools to give your paid campaign extra oomph. The beautiful thing about it is it’s so easy for anyone to add filters, gifs, text, and music to their images.</p>
<p>While a recent study found that <a href="https://www.agorapulse.com/social-media-lab/text-instagram-image-posts/#:~:text=We%20found%20that%20photos%20outperformed,or%20some%20believed%20that%20rumor." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">images without text overlay generally perform better than those with text</a>, marketing is all about <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/audiences-vs-keywords/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">finding the message that engages your audience</a>, so it’s worth experimenting to find the formula that works for you.</p>
<p>These Instagram features give you added options when it comes to reaching and engaging your target audience.</p>
<h3 id="h.91i81j9wn6ri"><strong>Adding Gifs</strong></h3>
<p>Gifs provide a great middle-ground between static images and video. They were talked about as <a href="https://www.digitaldoughnut.com/articles/2017/january/gif-the-biggest-digital-marketing-trend-for-2017" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a big marketing trend</a>, and while AR has taken over somewhat, they’re still a <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnrampton/2016/07/13/5-ways-to-use-gifs-in-your-digital-marketing-strategy/?sh=3ac760a59861" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">handy tool for your paid Instagram campaigns</a>.</p>
<p>A gif is a quick and easy way to add something extra to your story, and once again, Instagram makes it exceptionally easy to do:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select your profile icon.</li>
<li>Hit the + button in the top left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select “story” from the pop-up menu.</li>
<li>Choose between front and rear-facing cameras or open your library via the icon in the bottom left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Take a picture, or choose an image from your library.</li>
<li>Choose the square smiley face at the top of the screen.</li>
<li>Select gifs, or use the search bar to find a specific gif.</li>
<li>Make your gif bigger or smaller by pinching in or out with two fingers and drag it into position.</li>
<li>Select “send” to and choose who you want to see your story.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="h.ftt4cqeqxok7"><strong>Adding Text</strong></h3>
<p>Instagram might be a very visual platform, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t use for text. The right use of text can help give your posts and stories context, grabbing people’s attention and linking the image to your brand.</p>
<p>Text is a vital part of Instagram because this is where you make use of <a href="https://blog.hootsuite.com/instagram-hashtags/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">one of the most important features: hashtags</a>.</p>
<p>Hashtags not only help people find your posts, but they also boost engagement and allow you to zero in on what’s popular in your industry. The statistics show that <a href="https://adespresso.com/blog/instagram-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a><a href="https://adespresso.com/blog/instagram-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> posts with even just one hashtag can see an increase in engagement of 12.6%</a>. So with only a little extra text, you can give your campaigns a better chance of success.</p>
<p>You can also use text overlay on your stories. You’re in control of your text’s font, color, and look, which means you have another way of giving your images a professional look.</p>
<p>To add text overlay to your stories, simply:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select your profile icon.</li>
<li>Hit the + button in the top left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select “story” from the pop-up menu.</li>
<li>Select your image or video.</li>
<li>Click the “Aa” in the top right-hand corner.</li>
<li>Type your text.</li>
<li>Choose your font, color, and effects, using the tools at the top of the screen.</li>
<li>Hit “done.”</li>
<li>Select “send to” and choose your audience.</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="h.719cgv4qhjzw"><strong>Adding Music</strong></h3>
<p>Music has always played an important part in advertising. <a href="https://www.chatterbuzzmedia.com/blog/the-relationship-between-music-and-advertising-5-ways-music-enhance-commercials/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Music helps make advertisements</a> more memorable, evokes emotion, builds the story, and accentuates the brand, so it can be an essential tool.</p>
<p>While some people will use Instagram with the sound off, Instagram makes it so easy to add features such as music that you don’t lose anything by using them.</p>
<p>Again, make sure whatever you choose fits your brand and is going to engage your audience.</p>
<p>Here’s how you can add music to your Instagram stories:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select your profile icon.</li>
<li>Hit the + button in the top left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Select “story” from the pop-up menu.</li>
<li>Choose between front and rear-facing cameras or open your library via the icon in the bottom left-hand corner.</li>
<li>Take a picture or choose an image from your library.</li>
<li>Choose the square smiley face at the top of the screen.</li>
<li>Click the music icon.</li>
<li>Choose your song.</li>
<li>Edit which part of the song you want to showcase, clip duration, and how you want to credit the song.</li>
<li>Click “done.”</li>
<li>Move the music sticker, making it bigger or smaller to suit your image.</li>
<li>Hit “send to” and select your audience.</li>
</ol>
<h2 id="h.ih2emuf6h73s"><strong>Instagram Filter Features Within Other Photography Apps</strong></h2>
<p>You might be thinking, “I want my Instagram posts to stand out, so why would I use the most common filters such as Clarendon?” While many brands find success with Instagram’s filters, you have other options if you choose to go that route.</p>
<p>To help you with this, there are lots of photography apps that have curated Instagram filters you can pay for or give you the ability to create your own, including:</p>
<ul>
<li>VSCO</li>
<li>Afterlight</li>
<li>A Color Story</li>
<li>Tezza</li>
<li>Spark AR</li>
</ul>
<p>You may have to invest some time in finding or creating the perfect Instagram filter, but once it’s saved to your Instagram account, you can add it to all your posts and stories in seconds.</p>
<h2 id="h.4gjhbsx2n2l5"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>The right Instagram filter can immediately improve your images and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/guide-to-online-branding-1/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">give your brand an identity</a>. When you’re <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-social-media-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">running paid media campaigns</a>, you want to give your images and videos every chance of standing out from the crowd, and filters can help you achieve this.</p>
<p>Instagram makes it incredibly easy to add this extra element to your posts. Turn your images into posts that people want to engage with and share, then watch how they may improve your paid social media campaigns.</p>
<p><em>What’s the go-to Instagram filter for your brand?</em></p>
<h2 id="h.upr7e493r7tm"> </h2>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/instagram-filters-paid/">How to Use Instagram Filters in Paid Social Media Campaigns</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-51880963502231008322020-11-13T03:29:00.001-08:002020-11-13T03:29:15.266-08:0010 Reasons Your WordPress Site Will Get Hacked (and How to Stop It)<p><img src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/10/featured_wpsecurity-scaled.jpg" align="left" alt="" width="100%" style="max-width:100%;width:auto;" /> A hacked WordPress site is as damaging as having your home burgled. It can completely shatter your peace of mind and adversely impact your online business. </p>
<p>Why do hackers target WordPress sites? The answer is relatively simple: WordPress is the single biggest platform for website creation these days, so there’s a larger base to attack; this attracts the attention of online criminals. </p>
<p>So, how can a hack impact your website? </p>
<p>Depending on the type of attack, your website could suffer any of the following:</p>
<ul class="tight_list">
<li>It could be defaced completely;</li>
<li>It could load or operate very slowly on any device;</li>
<li>It could completely crash and malfunction;</li>
<li>It could display the dreadful “White Screen of Death”;</li>
<li>Its incoming visitors could be redirected to other suspicious websites;</li>
<li>It could lose all your valuable customer data.</li>
</ul>
<p>This list is not exhaustive but you get the idea.</p>
<p>Now that we know how a successful hack can impact your website and online business, let us look at the top 10 reasons behind WP hacks and prevent them.</p>
<h1>1. An Insecure Web Host </h1>
<p>Like any website, WordPress is hosted on a web host or server. Unfortunately, most site owners do not pay much attention to the web host they select and choose the cheapest they can find. For example, it is more affordable to host a website on a shared hosting plan — one that shares its server resources with many other websites like yours.</p>
<p>This can make your site vulnerable to hackers as a successful hack into any website on the shared server. A single hacked site can consume the overall server bandwidth and impact all the other sites’ performance.</p>
<p>The only way to fix this problem is to opt for a reliable host and a virtual or dedicated server.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> If you’re already using a shared hosting plan, check with your hosts if they offer VPS hosting and make the switch.</p>
<h1>2. Use of Weak Passwords</h1>
<p>Weak passwords are the main reason behind successful brute force attacks that target your account. Even to this day, users continue to use weak and common passwords like “password” or “123456”; if you’re one of them, your website could land in trouble!</p>
<p>Guessing weak passwords allows hackers to enter the admin accounts where they can inflict the maximum damage.</p>
<p>How do you fix this problem? Simple, ensure all your account users (including admin users) configure strong passwords for their login credentials. With at least 8 characters, passwords must be a mix of upper- and lower-case alphabets, numbers, and symbols. </p>
<p>For added safety, install a password management tool that can automatically generate and store strong passwords.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> You can use a plugin to reset passwords for all your users.</p>
<h1>3. An Outdated WP Version</h1>
<p>Outdated software is among the most common reasons why websites get hacked. Despite being free to download, most site users defer updating their site to the latest version, for fears of updates causing their site to crash.</p>
<p>Hackers take advantage of any vulnerability or bug in an older version and cause issues like SQL Injections, WP-VCD Malware, SEO Spam & other major issues like website redirecting to another site.</p>
<p>How do you solve this problem? When you see a notification about an update on your dashboard, update your site as soon as possible.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> If you are worried about updates crashing your live website, you can first test the updates on a staging site.</p>
<h1>4. Outdated WP Plugins and Themes</h1>
<p>Similar to the previous point, hackers also take advantage of outdated, unused, or abandoned plugins and themes installed on websites. With over 55,000 plugins and themes that are available, it is easy to install a plugin or theme, even from unsafe or untrusted websites. </p>
<p>Plus, many users do not update their installed plugins/themes to the latest version or do not find the updated version. This makes it easier for hackers to do their job & infect sites.</p>
<p>How do you avoid this problem? As with the core WP version, update each of your installed plugins/themes on your site regularly. Take stock of all the unused ones and remove them or replace them with better alternatives.</p>
<p>You can update your plugins/themes from your hosting account.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> We suggest setting aside time every week to run updates. Test them on a staging site and then update your site.</p>
<h1>5. Common Admin Usernames </h1>
<p>In addition to weak passwords, users also create common usernames that are easy to guess. </p>
<p>This includes common usernames for admin users like – “admin”, “admin1”, or “admin123”. Common admin usernames make it easier for hackers to get into admin accounts and control backend files in your WP installation.</p>
<p>How do you avoid this problem? If you are using any such usernames that are easy to guess, change them immediately to a unique username. The easiest way of doing it is through your hosting account’s user management tool, by deleting the previous admin user and creating a new admin user with a unique username.</p>
<p>As the first step, change the default username of your admin user and limit users who have administrator privileges.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> WordPress has 6 different user roles with limited permissions. Only grant admin access to users who really need it.</p>
<h1>6. Use of Nulled Plugins/Themes </h1>
<p>Coming back to the importance of plugins/themes, users have access to many websites that sell nulled or pirated copies of popular and paid plugins and themes. While these are free to use, they are often riddled with malware. They can compromise your website’s overall security and make it easier for hackers to exploit. </p>
<p>Being a pirated copy, nulled plugins/themes do not have any available updates from its development team, hence will not have any security fixes.</p>
<p>How do you fix this problem? Simple, for a start, only download original plugins and themes from trusted websites and marketplaces.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> If you don’t wish to pay for paid or premium plugins and themes, opt for a free version of the same tools that will have limited features but are still safer to use than the nulled version. </p>
<h1>7. Unprotected Access to wp-admin Folder</h1>
<p>To take control of your site, hackers often try to break into and control your wp-admin folder in your installation. As the website owner, you must take measures to protect your wp-admin directory.</p>
<p>How can you protect your wp-admin folder? First, restrict the number of users having access to this critical folder. Additionally, apply for password protection as an added layer of security for access to the wp-admin folder. You can do this using the “Password Protection Directories” feature of the cPanel in your web host account.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong><i> </i>Besides these fixes, you can also implement Two Factor Authentication (or 2FA) protection for all your admin accounts.</p>
<h1>8. Non-SSL Website</h1>
<p>You can easily migrate your HTTP website to HTTPS by installing an SSL certificate on your site. SSL (or Secure Socket Layer) is a secure mode of encrypting any data transmission between your web server and the client browser.</p>
<p>Without this encryption, hackers can intercept the data and steal it. Plus, a non-secure website can have many negative implications for your business – lower SEO ranking, loss of customer trust, or a drop in incoming traffic.</p>
<p>How do you fix this problem? You can quickly obtain an SSL certificate from your hosting company or SSL providers. It encrypts all data that is sent from and received by your website. </p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> You can get a free SSL certificate from places like <a href="https://letsencrypt.org/">Let’s Encrypt</a>, but these provide limit protection that will only be sufficient for a starter site or small site.</p>
<h1>9. No Firewall Protection</h1>
<p>Lack of firewall protection is another common reason why hackers can bypass website security measures and infiltrate the backend resources. Firewalls are the last line of defence against hackers and work like the security alarm installed on your house. Firewalls monitor web requests coming from various IP addresses, including the suspicious (or bad) ones. </p>
<p>They can identify and block requests that are known to be malicious in the past, thus preventing easy access for hackers to your website domain. Web application firewalls can thwart various attacks, including brute force attacks, XSS, and SQL injections.</p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> A firewall provides much-needed security and is your first line of defence. But it’s important to also have a malware scanner installed.</p>
<h1>10. Lack of WordPress Hardening Measures</h1>
<p>Typically, hackers target the most vulnerable areas or weaknesses within a WP installation, to illegally access or damage the website. The WordPress team has identified these vulnerable areas and has devised a list of 12 hardening measures recommended for every website.</p>
<p>A few of these include:</p>
<ul class="tight_list">
<li>Disabling the File Editor;</li>
<li>Preventing PHP execution in untrusted folders;</li>
<li>Changing the security keys;</li>
<li>Disallowing plugin installations;</li>
<li>Automatic logout of inactive users;</li>
</ul>
<p>How do you implement these hardening measures? While some steps are easy to understand, others require the technical expertise of how WordPress works. </p>
<p><strong>Pro tip:</strong> You can implement hardening measures on your own. However, some measures require technical expertise so in these cases, it’s much easier and safer to use a plugin.</p>
<p> </p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-10839707795186416142020-11-12T12:27:00.001-08:002020-11-12T12:27:27.162-08:00What Are Meta Tags?<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/metatags.jpg" alt="What Are Meta Tags?" /></figure>
<p>Let’s talk about meta tags — what they are, why they matter, and how to do them better.</p>
<p>First things first — what made you click on this article to read it?</p>
<p>Maybe the <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/title-tags-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">title caught your eye</a></u>, or perhaps it was the short blurb you saw.</p>
<p>You might have clicked simply because this article comes from a source you trust.</p>
<p>If you found this article via a search engine, though, there’s a good chance you found and clicked this article because of meta tags.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ClXTdjsXKFU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
<p>Meta tags are the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">foundation of SEO</a>, and the first thing you’ll find yourself setting up when building a web page.</p>
<p>Without meta tags, you can’t reach readers organically.</p>
<p>It doesn’t take much time to generate meta tags, but it’s more important than you might think.</p>
<p>That’s because <u><a href="http://www.ninestats.com/9-shocking-seo-statistics-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">93% of all online experiences</a></u> begin with a search engine.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Search-Engine-Optimization-statistics-for-2017.jpg" alt="Search Engine Optimization statistics for 2017 why meta tags matter" /></figure>
</div>
<p>This is why so many <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/digital-marketing-consulting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">online marketers</a> are so focused on <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/10-most-important-seo-tips-you-need-to-know/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">getting SEO right</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/organic-traffic-without-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Organic search traffic</a> is the holy grail of SEO, so it can’t be ignored.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/pasted-image-0-898.png" alt="What Are Meta Tags?" width="563" height="1052" /></figure>
<p>Your content needs to be readable and appealing to users on search engines.</p>
<p>There’s a very specific syntax needed.</p>
<p>It’s similar to how bookstores and libraries organize their archives of books — and that’s what meta tags are, essentially.</p>
<h2><strong>What are Meta Tags? </strong></h2>
<p>Meta tags are a type of HTML tag that provides search engines with information about a website page.</p>
<p>Let’s take a look at the basic elements.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Digital-Marketing.png" alt="Neil Patel Digital Marketing" width="563" height="90" /></figure>
<p>The title and description tags make up almost the entire entry.</p>
<p>If not for these meta tags, all you’d see in Google SERPs would be my URL.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Digital-Marketing-Tags.png" alt="Neil Patel Digital Marketing Tags" width="563" height="90" /></figure>
<p>Title and description tags are the two most-used tags for SEO purposes, but SEO isn’t the only part of digital marketing.</p>
<p>Advanced digital marketing requires the use of even more tags that improve page rank and overall user experience.</p>
<p>Just like this search result, you’ll soon find out that these tags control how your entire digital presence is viewed and navigated.</p>
<p>Machines can read URLs just fine. If I wrote for machines, my website would look like this:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Source-Code-1.png" alt="Neil Patel Source Code 1 | What Are Meta Tags?" width="525" height="356" /></figure>
<p>Google prioritizes certain tags because they provide context for people.</p>
<p>I built my website for people as well, so it looks like this:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Website.png" alt="Neil Patel Website what are meta tags and why do they matter" width="529" height="426" /></figure>
<p>This polish is what marketing is all about.</p>
<p>In this blog post, we will explore meta tags and see how they affect your overall digital marketing efforts.</p>
<p>While simple, the devil is in the details, and every detail counts.</p>
<h2><strong>How Meta Tags Affect Brand Image and Click-Through Rates</strong></h2>
<p>You absolutely can judge a book by its cover. It’s what covers are designed for.</p>
<p>Your title and meta description tag create the cover for your web page. They’re your first impression on most visitors.</p>
<p>It’s not just about search engines, but how we view the Internet.</p>
<p>Reddit is a basic link-aggregation site that takes away all the bells and whistles.</p>
<p>Reddit depends on the title and image to entice conversations and clicks.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Reddit.png" alt="Reddit | What Are Meta Tags?" width="533" height="426" /></figure>
<p>Using meta tags correctly is like using the correct format for a business email.</p>
<p>Sure, you can put whatever you like out there, but there’s a level of professionalism that’s expected at some point.</p>
<p>Even Amazon will only give you a picture, title, and short description to make your point.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="410" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Amazon-meta-tag-examle-700x410.png" alt="amazon meta tag example " class="wp-image-99105" /></figure>
<p>Think of these tags as your elevator pitch.</p>
<p>You’re given about as much space as a Tweet to sell your entire brand and product.</p>
<p>Which means you need to nail it.</p>
<p>You can’t just call in this detail and polish everything else. If you do, nobody will ever see the rest of what you polished.</p>
<p>We already know how meta tags affect SEO, but that’s not the only element.</p>
<p>Meta tags will make your <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/11-types-of-cold-emails-that-generate-a-response/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">email marketing</a></u> and marketing automation efforts easier by providing information for emailed links.</p>
<p>Tags are a crucial element that determines what my automated social media posts look like.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Twitter-2.png" alt="Neil Patel Twitter 2 meta tags exxample " width="558" height="368" /></figure>
<p>When other bloggers, YouTubers, and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-connect-with-social-media-influencers-when-youre-not-popular/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media influencers</a> (and micro-influencers) share your content, tags make it easier.</p>
<p>Think of meta tags as the packaging for your product.</p>
<p>If your packaging isn’t spot-on, nobody will ever buy your product, no matter how great it is!</p>
<p>So what are some best practices to implement for tags?</p>
<h2><strong>Meta Tag Best Practices</strong></h2>
<p>There are a TON of different HTML tags that can be used on a web page. We’re only going to focus on a handful of significant tags.</p>
<p>We’ll start with the one that might have brought you here today.</p>
<h3><strong>1. Title Tags</strong></h3>
<p>It’s not technically a meta tag, but it shows up in the header and is used as one.</p>
<p>As of July 2017, the character limits for title tags in Google search results are <u><a href="http://www.thesempost.com/google-mobile-title-tag-length/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">78 on mobile devices and 70 on a desktop</a></u>.</p>
<p>However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should use all those characters, and 60 is the generally recommended limit.</p>
<p>Long-tail keywords make a difference.</p>
<p>Here are the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/master-title-tags/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">top meta titles</a> in the SERPs for “How to make content marketing effective.”</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Content-Marketing.png" alt="Content Marketing meta tag examples " width="561" height="419" /></figure>
</div>
<p>By adding the year, we get an entirely new set of results for “how to make content marketing effective 2017.”</p>
<p>Some users will want basic information, while others will want the most current.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Content-Marketing-2017.png" alt="Content Marketing meta tag titles examples " width="601" height="439" /></figure>
<p>By adjusting our title tag, we can affect which of these searches we rank for.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the goal is to hit both, but that’s not always feasible.</p>
<p>Make sure your keyword is in your title, or you’ll find your articles buried in search results.</p>
<p>For example, when I search for the “best tacos in Tucson,” some restaurants are on page 10 below, even Del Taco.</p>
<p>That’s a wasted opportunity for that taco capital of the country!</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Tucson-Tacos.png" alt="Tucson Tacos meta tags title examples " width="677" height="666" /></figure>
<p>These small businesses could greatly improve their search results, sales, and ROI by simply adding “best tacos in Tucson” to their title tags.</p>
<p>Here’s a sample of the HTML required for a title tag located in your header.</p>
<p><head></p>
<p><title>The Best Title Example I Could Come Up With</title></p>
<p></head></p>
<p>In WordPress, it’s as easy as giving your page a title.</p>
<p>You really can’t miss it.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Wordpress-Title-Tag.png" alt="Wordpress meta tag Title " width="525" height="388" /></figure>
<p>That’s all there is to it!</p>
<h3><strong>2. Image Tags</strong></h3>
<p>Like title tags, Image tags aren’t labeled “meta.”</p>
<p>But they’re clearly used by search engines, link aggregators, and other sites to identify your site.</p>
<p>There are two image descriptions actually crammed into one tag.</p>
<p>Here’s what the HTML code looks like.</p>
<p><img src=“image.jpg” alt=“image description” title=“image tooltip”></p>
<p>Both the <u><a href="https://yoast.com/image-seo-alt-tag-and-title-tag-optimization/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">alt and title tags should be defined</a></u> for the best experience.</p>
<p>The title displays on your screen when you hover your cursor over it.</p>
<p>The alt text displays when the image can’t be rendered (or is spoken to the blind and visually impaired).</p>
<p>When uploading an image to WordPress, you’ll be prompted to enter the title, caption, alt text, and description.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Wordpress-Image-Tags.png" alt="Wordpress Image meta tags" width="493" height="378" /></figure>
<p>The more fields you fill out (even if you use the same information), the <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/6-dreadful-design-mistakes-thatll-ruin-your-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more searchable your images become</a></u>.</p>
<p>Anywhere from <u><a href="https://moz.com/ugc/potential-of-images-search-ways-to-track-traffic" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">20-60% of all Google traffic</a></u> goes to sites with well-optimized graphics.</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t you want to be included?</p>
<p>It’s also a matter of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ada-website-compliance/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>ADA website compliance. </u></a></p>
<p>There are approximately <u><a href="https://www.sitepoint.com/how-many-users-need-accessible-websites/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">58,200 people with some level of visual impairment</a></u> per million in the U.S. alone.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1396223555Figure-3.png" alt="why meta tages matter number of people with blindness chart " width="700" height="462" /></figure>
<p>That’s a huge segment of the population that wouldn’t have a great user experience without alt image tags.</p>
<p>Optimize your images for search engines and users.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Description Meta Tags</strong></h3>
<p>A meta description tag gives you a chance to provide an overview of the page’s content.</p>
<p>They’re <u><a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/meta-description#:~:text=Meta%20descriptions%20can%20be%20any,descriptions%20between%2050%E2%80%93160%20characters." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">limited to around 160 characters</a></u> and aren’t directly tied to Google’s search algorithms at all!</p>
<p>Once again, the reason you need description tags is to improve the user experience.</p>
<p>Description tags <u><a href="http://searchengineland.com/write-meta-description-gets-clickthroughs-207922" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">encourage click-throughs</a></u>.</p>
<p>Here’s what the HTML looks like:</p>
<p><head><br />
<meta name=”description” content=”This is an example of the text that will show up in search results. Read on to learn more about description tags.”><br />
</head></p>
<p>Without a <u><a href="https://www.quicksprout.com/university/how-to-craft-meta-tags-for-seo-and-ctr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meta description</a></u>, Google will default to whatever preview sentence it feels best encompasses the content.</p>
<p>This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.</p>
<p>This post doesn’t have a meta description (I rarely use them), and it ranks well.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Neil-Patel-Social-Media-Marketing.png" alt="Neil Patel Social Media Marketing meta tag example " width="617" height="105" /></figure>
<p>Of course, my blogs are filled with relevant content in short, sweet sentences. Most of them would work as descriptions on their own.</p>
<p>Still, there’s no harm in adding additional information to make your content more searchable.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Robots Noindex and Nofollow Meta Tags</strong></h3>
<p>Robot meta tags aren’t always necessary.</p>
<p>By default, all of the pages and links you create on your website are indexed as ‘follow’<em> </em>by search bots and web crawlers.</p>
<p>Whenever you want to redirect them, you’ll need a robot meta tag.</p>
<p>Here’s the noindex HTML code:</p>
<p><html><head><br />
<strong><meta name=”robots” content=”noindex” /></strong><br />
<em>(…)</em><br />
</head></p>
<p>This would be within the header and indicate this page doesn’t need to be indexed.</p>
<p>It’s useful for syndicated and <u><a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/duplicate-content" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">duplicate content</a></u> that your customers/readers could use, but you don’t want credit in search indexes.</p>
<p>Here’s the HTML for a robot nofollow.</p>
<p><meta name=”robots” content=”nofollow”></p>
<p>This is used for links you don’t necessarily want to endorse.</p>
<p>For example, readers leaving links in my comments aren’t exactly endorsed by me, so a nofollow tag above the comments section keeps my site clean for bots.</p>
<p>Here’s a great <u><a href="http://searchengineland.com/infographic-nofollow-tag-172157" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">infographic on when and how to use nofollow tags</a></u>.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="548" height="1600" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/nofollow-meta-tags-inforgraphic.png" alt="no follow meta tags infographic" class="wp-image-99037" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Now we get to one of the most controversial meta tags.</p>
<h3><strong>5. Keyword Meta Tags</strong></h3>
<p>Keyword tags aren’t used by search algorithms to determine search ranking.</p>
<p>Here’s what the HTML looks like:</p>
<p><meta name=”keywords” content=”HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript”></p>
<p>I <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/consulting" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coach my SEO clients</a></u> to ignore keyword tags because they don’t affect SEO.</p>
<p>That doesn’t necessarily make them useless, however. They’re especially useful in WordPress.</p>
<p>Keyword tags and categories can help Google determine which page on your site should rank for a search.</p>
<p>They also <u><a href="https://yoast.com/category-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">create a page in WordPress</a></u> that provides one more indexed page.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Wordpress-category-page.png" alt="Wordpress category page meta tags" width="533" height="381" /></figure>
<p>This means that, while your blog posts are focused on <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/a-step-by-step-guide-to-integrating-long-tail-keywords-within-blog-posts/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">long-tail keywords</a>, your tag and category pages have feeds covering the shorter keywords.</p>
<p>Categories can be used for<u><a href="http://www.wpbeginner.com/wp-tutorials/how-to-include-category-and-subcategory-in-wordpress-urls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> the URL format</a></u>, providing one more keyword to the page address.</p>
<p>This is accomplished under Settings – Permalinks in WordPress.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/categoryurlspermalinks.png" alt="category urls permalinks meta tags" width="550" height="459" /></figure>
<p>Adding this format provides context to your content.</p>
<p>Google loves context for search results!</p>
<p>Keywords also provide a big-picture overview of how many pages you have for each keyword.</p>
<p>You can use them to help plan your editorial calendar.</p>
<h3><strong>6. Viewport tags</strong></h3>
<p>You don’t spend much time thinking about viewports, but they’re especially important in today’s mobile-first world of search.</p>
<p>On mobile devices, pages are shown in a popup window called a viewport that extends past the device’s border.</p>
<p>Here’s an<u><a href="http://www.lets-develop.com/html5-html-css-css3-php-wordpress-jquery-javascript-photoshop-illustrator-flash-tutorial/html-html5-html-5/understanding-viewport-meta-tag/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> illustration of what I’m talking about</a></u>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Understanding-viewport-meta-tag-width-device-width.jpg" alt="Understanding viewport meta tag width device width" width="700" height="415" /></figure>
<p>Developers can set the viewport size to increase mobile usability.</p>
<p>WordPress users can check this tag to learn this information for their templates.</p>
<p>But you probably didn’t know that unless you’re already a web developer.</p>
<p>Since Google increasingly <u><a href="http://searchengineland.com/googles-mobile-friendly-algorithm-boost-rolled-249357" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">focuses on mobile-friendly websites</a></u>, this meta tag could mean the difference between success and mobile failure.</p>
<p>Now that you have a basic understanding of meta tags and why they’re important, I’ll show you some of my favorite tools for manipulating them.</p>
<h2><strong>Free Tools to Add and Check Your Meta Tags</strong></h2>
<p>Don’t worry if this all sounds overwhelming — there are tons of tools to make it easy to get meta tags right. Here are two of my favorites.</p>
<h3><strong>Yoast SEO Plugin for WordPress</strong></h3>
<p><u><a href="https://yoast.com/wordpress/plugins/seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Yoast</a></u> is a powerful SEO plugin for WordPress and one of the most-downloaded SEO and meta tags tools.</p>
<p>With Yoast, all of the pages and posts you publish have back-end options to increase social sharing, optimize SEO, update tags, and other metadata.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Yoast-SEO-WordPress.png" alt="Yoast SEO WordPress | What Are Meta Tags?" width="635" height="560" /></figure>
<p>With Yoast installed on your WordPress site, a few clicks and a few seconds of your time are all it takes to add meta-tagging to your process.</p>
<p>Yoast also allows you to enter a focus keyword that doesn’t get added to the meta tags, allowing the back-end program to analyze your post.</p>
<h3><strong>BuzzStream Meta Tag Extractor</strong></h3>
<p>If you need a quick chart of the metadata that’s being used by your competition, <u><a href="http://tools.buzzstream.com/meta-tag-extractor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">BuzzStream’s Meta Tag Extractor</a></u> is a sleek and simple solution.</p>
<p>Copy and paste a list of URLs, and you’ll be presented with the meta tag information.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Tag-Extractor.png" alt="Tag Extractor meta tag tool " width="612" height="242" /></figure>
<p>There’s even an option to download as a CSV file so that you can scrape large lists quickly.</p>
<p>It’s a quick and easy way to organize this data when you need it.</p>
<p>This free online tool does its job without all the bells and whistles.</p>
<h2><strong>Less Popular (But Still Useful!) Meta Tags </strong></h2>
<p>So to be fully transparent, here’s a chart of <u><a href="https://www.w3schools.com/Tags/tag_meta.asp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HTML meta tags</a></u>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Meta-Tags.png" alt="Meta Tags chart" width="664" height="325" /></figure>
<p>An author meta tag can be used to tell search engines who wrote a piece of content.</p>
<p>Authors have been used in the past for search results, but it’s not a factor anymore. However, you might use author tags if you run a multi-author blog.</p>
<p>WordPress does add this information to blogs when multiple users are contributing content.</p>
<p>It’s more a badge of honor for bloggers than anything else.</p>
<p>Most of the rest define parameters that should already be controlled on a server level.</p>
<p>While I ignored these meta tags, it doesn’t mean you have to. Feel free to add whatever information you’d like.</p>
<p>It doesn’t help search rankings, but it doesn’t hurt them, either.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Meta tags are a basic part of HTML — and can impact SEO.</p>
<p>Back in the early days of the internet, they were a signaling factor for search engines to understand what content is on a page.</p>
<p>The internet (and our relationship with it) has evolved exponentially since then.</p>
<p>Contextual search, <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ai-digital-assistant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">AI digital assistants</a>, and mobile devices are changing the way we view content.</p>
<p>Search engines are incentivized to provide the best search results possible, so meta tags are less important.</p>
<p>However, some, such as the titles and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/meta-description-magic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meta descriptions</a>, are more important than ever before.</p>
<p>While less metadata is used, it’s still the first impression you’ll make on both robots and people.</p>
<p><em>What do your website’s meta tags say about you?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/why-meta-tags-are-so-important/">What Are Meta Tags?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-85392291649701433402020-11-12T07:27:00.001-08:002020-11-12T07:27:47.411-08:00How to Do SWOT Analysis For PPC<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SOWT-ppc.jpg" alt="SOWT ppc" class="wp-image-99058" /></figure>
<p>Pay-Per-Click (<a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/introduction-to-search-marketing/">PPC</a>) marketing can be one of the quickest and most effective ways to drive customers to your site.</p>
<p>But it can be hard to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/why-your-ppc-ads-arent-making-you-any-money-and-what-to-do-about-it/">make money through PPC ads</a>. It’s all too easy to make common <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-mistakes-that-completely-wreck-most-ppc-campaigns-and-how-to-avoid-them/">mistakes that can wreck your campaign</a>.</p>
<p>Luckily for you, I’ve got plenty of tips that can help.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ru3jcnHWVJE?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
<p>And there’s one strategy I’ve borrowed from my business analyst friends, which I’m going to share with you today.</p>
<p>It’s called a SWOT analysis.</p>
<p>A SWOT analysis can help you see a different side to your PPC campaign and improve its performance in the process.</p>
<p>This article will help you carry out your own analysis and take your PPC campaigns to another level.</p>
<h2 id="h.kyp1rzn26w3x"><strong>What is a SWOT Analysis?</strong></h2>
<p>A SWOT analysis is a corporate evaluation technique that can be used to assess anything from an entire company right down to a single PPC campaign.</p>
<p><em>So, what does SWOT stand for?</em></p>
<p>It stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats.</p>
<p>Strengths and weaknesses are internal factors, things you control. Opportunities and threats are external factors. These are happening in the market right now, whether you like it or not. You may not be able to change them, but you can react to them.</p>
<p>Typically, SWOT analysis is used at an operational level to help business leaders assess a company’s current position in the market and highlight areas for future growth.</p>
<p>It can also be used to assess your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-use-ppc-advertising-to-diversify-your-traffic-and-protect-your-business/">PPC campaigns</a>. A SWOT analysis can show you how well your campaign is performing, what’s holding you back, and how you can improve. </p>
<h2 id="h.p4kj4bcyk390"><strong>Why Your Company Should Do SWOT Analysis for PPC Campaigns</strong></h2>
<p>A SWOT analysis should be considered essential if you don’t want your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/why-did-your-last-ppc-campaign-fail-5-most-common-reasons/">PPC campaigns to fail</a>.</p>
<p>Too often, when brands try to optimize their PPC advertising, they look at their campaigns in isolation. They only analyze their own keywords, bids, and landing pages. But your PPC campaigns don’t exist in a vacuum.</p>
<p>You are competing with hundreds of other brands for the same cherished three or four spots.</p>
<p>A SWOT analysis will help you to understand external factors that may impact your PPC campaigns. Things like competitors, the economy, and the state of your industry can all affect the performance of your ads and the likelihood that someone will buy when they click them.</p>
<p>You’ll also identify new opportunities for your campaign. That could be doubling down on what you do well, or it could be fixing one of your weaknesses. When you lay out what’s working and what’s not, it’s much easier to put together a plan that involves more than just raising your bids.</p>
<p>Ultimately, it will help you to look at your PPC campaigns in a different way. Despite the wealth of advice out there on <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-and-when-to-grow-your-ppc-campaigns/">optimizing PPC campaigns</a>, it’s easy to get stuck in a routine of researching keywords, <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ppc-ad-copywriting-secrets/">testing new ad copy</a>, and creating new <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/landing-page/">landing pages</a>.</p>
<p>There’s much more you can be doing to improve your campaigns, and a SWOT analysis will help you take your PPC campaigns to the next level.</p>
<h2 id="h.kbiywpscf3hq"><strong>How to Do a SWOT Analysis of Your PPC</strong></h2>
<p>All you need to do is sit down and brainstorm each of your campaign’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. They are typically displayed in a 2×2 grid.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="700" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PPC-SWOT-Analysis-Chart.png" alt="PPC SWOT Analysis Chart" class="wp-image-99060" /></figure>
<p>But you can just make a list below each header if that’s easier.</p>
<p>It can help to have a goal in mind when starting your SWOT analysis.</p>
<p>By focusing on your PPC campaigns, you have already narrowed your focus, but can you get an even clearer picture of what you want to achieve?</p>
<p>Maybe you want to figure out why your PPC campaign isn’t driving as many sales as your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-facebook-advertising/">Facebook ads</a>, for instance. Or find ways to maximize what is already a profitable channel.</p>
<p>It’s best to do a SWOT analysis with more than one person. The more views and opinions you can capture, the more complete a picture you’ll be able to develop. You can brainstorm together or complete the analysis individually, coming together at the end to share your thoughts.</p>
<p>Finally, try to keep things as even as possible when brainstorming. If you have 10 strengths, find 10 weaknesses. Find a threat for every opportunity. You get the picture.</p>
<h3 id="h.ixo1wboi97t4">SWOT Analysis S: <strong>Strengths</strong></h3>
<p>Start by making a list of all the strengths of your PPC campaign. Strengths are all the internal positive factors about your PPC efforts.</p>
<p>For instance, maybe you have an excellent ROI or a high Quality Score. Covering hundreds of relevant keywords could also be a strength, as could your CTR or bounce rate.</p>
<p>Think about the advantages you hold over the competition, too. That could be the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ppc-agency/">PPC agency</a> you partner with, for instance. It could even be the quality of your products or the strength of your brand. There’s no reason to limit your strengths to things that are specific to your PPC campaign.</p>
<p>Don’t be modest, here! Now’s the time to boast if ever there was one.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="700" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PPC-SWOT-Analysis-Strengths.png" alt="PPC SWOT Analysis Strengths" class="wp-image-99063" /></figure>
<h3 id="h.bq8xxaxpbt73">SWOT Analysis W: <strong>Weaknesses</strong></h3>
<p>Next, examine your PPC campaign’s weaknesses. These are things you are in control of that are stopping you from increasing your ROI and generating more revenue. They could also be things your campaign currently lacks, like A/B testing.</p>
<p>But they could also be broader weaknesses like a small budget or a lack of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/consulting">PPC experts</a>.</p>
<p>Remember to only include things you have control over in this category. Having a bigger, better-funded competitor is not a relevant weakness of your campaign. Operating in a very competitive market is, on the other hand. You can’t control your competitor, but you can choose not to compete. Or at least not compete directly.</p>
<p>When in doubt, look at your strengths section and think about the opposite.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="700" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PPC-SWOT-Analysis-Weaknesses.png" alt="PPC SWOT Analysis Weaknesses" class="wp-image-99057" /></figure>
<h3 id="h.v3mxzo5mmf0f">SWOT Analysis O: <strong>Opportunities</strong></h3>
<p>Now consider any external positive factors that could improve your PPC campaigns in the future. You could be launching a new advertising campaign, for instance, that would increase the demand for your product.</p>
<p>Maybe a competitor is on the verge of bankruptcy or is pivoting their business model.</p>
<p>Take into account the time frame of these opportunities. A new marketing campaign may only increase demand for a few months, whereas ongoing market growth (like the acceleration of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/category/ecommerce/">e-commerce</a>) may last for years.</p>
<p>Don’t forget to combine what you’ve done so far by including weaknesses that can be turned into strengths.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="700" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PPC-SWOT-Analysis-Opportunities.png" alt="PPC SWOT Analysis Opportunities" class="wp-image-99056" /></figure>
<h3 id="h.drdrf2acyy58">SWOT Analysis T: <strong>Threats</strong></h3>
<p>Finally, look at threats to your PPC campaign. These are also external factors that you have little to no control over. And this is where you’d list those bigger, better-funded competitors who are constantly outbidding you.</p>
<p>It’s not just your competitors you need to consider, however. What’s the market like for your current product? Are consumers shopping somewhere other than Google? Could anything change that would impact your success, like one of your employees taking a new job?</p>
<p>It can help to think about your company and your industry at a broader level, too. Does your product risk becoming obsolete, for instance? Or could changes to the market weaken demand for your offering?</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="700" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PPC-SWOT-Analysis-Threats.png" alt="PPC SWOT Analysis Threats" class="wp-image-99054" /></figure>
<h2 id="h.jw7rv7ff88k"><strong>Visualizing and Displaying Your SWOT Analysis</strong></h2>
<p>There are several different methods to display your SWOT analysis.</p>
<p>As I have shown above, the most common format of a SWOT analysis is a 2×2 chart. This makes it easy to visualize your analysis as a whole, as every section is displayed in relation to each other.</p>
<p>But it’s not the only way you can display your SWOT analysis.</p>
<p>There are plenty of ways to make your analysis more digestible and visually engaging.</p>
<p>Check out this graphic analysis of a Nike SWOT by <a href="https://bstrategyhub.com/swot-analysis-of-nike-nike-swot-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business Strategy Hub</a>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="536" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Nike-SWOT-Analysis.png" alt="Nike SWOT Analysis" class="wp-image-99064" /></figure>
<p>Or this creative McDonalds SWOT graphic by <a href="https://creately.com/blog/examples/swot-analysis-templates-creately/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Creately</a>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="1408" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/McDonalds-SWOT-Analysis.png" alt="McDonalds SWOT Analysis" class="wp-image-99055" /></figure>
<p>If design isn’t your forte, <a href="https://www.lucidchart.com/pages/what-is-swot-analysis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lucidchart</a> has a SWOT analysis generator you can use instead.</p>
<h2 id="h.lgec4s6mzreu"><strong>Making Your SWOT Analysis Actionable</strong></h2>
<p>One problem with a SWOT is that it doesn’t produce actionable results. It only helps you understand where you currently are.</p>
<p>You need to make your analysis actionable.</p>
<p>Start by looking at the relationship between each section. For instance, ask yourself whether you can use your strengths to create new opportunities, or whether you can remove threats by improving your weaknesses.</p>
<p>Let’s start by looking at how you can turn your strengths into new opportunities. Basically, this means doing more of what you are good at. In the example above, we highlighted landing page creation as a strength.</p>
<p>You could turn this into an opportunity by creating more landing pages for your ad groups. Doing so could improve your quality score, decrease your bounce rate, and increase your conversion rate.</p>
<p>Next, identify how you can turn your weaknesses into strengths. Again, in the example above, I listed a lack of a dedicated PPC account manager as a weakness. Assuming you have the budget to hire a new employee, this is a pretty easy one to fix. Alternatively, you could work with a <a href="http://neilpatel.com/consulting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">digital marketing consultant</a>.</p>
<p>Now let’s look at opportunities. Is there any way you can capitalize on the opportunities you’ve identified? We listed e-commerce growth and new products as opportunities above. One option is to increase our budget to take advantage of the growth in e-commerce. Another would be to create new ads and landing pages for our new products.</p>
<p>Finally, look at the threats. You probably won’t be able to change any of these directly, but you figure out ways to mitigate the threats. For instance, if you have a larger competitor with a bigger budget, you can maximize your ROI as much as possible or target longer tail keywords.</p>
<h2 id="h.2obfjzaefw12"><strong>Examples of SWOT Analysis for PPC Campaigns</strong></h2>
<p>Are you ready to start your own SWOT analysis? Hopefully, you can use my examples as a jumping-off point. But just in case you need more guidance, here are a couple of other examples of SWOT analysis for PPC campaigns.</p>
<p>The first is by <a href="https://www.whitesharkmedia.com/blog/digital-marketing/swot-analysis-how-to/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">White Shark Media</a>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="690" height="551" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/White-Shark-Media-PPC-SWOT-Analysis.jpg" alt="White Shark Media PPC SWOT Analysis" class="wp-image-99061" /></figure>
<p>You can see they get very specific listing ad KPIs in both the strengths and weaknesses columns. They also do an excellent job of balancing strengths with weaknesses and opportunities with threats.</p>
<p>The second is by <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/SEMrush/cutting-edge-tactics-to-spy-on-your-competition/8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">SEMrush and Hanapin Marketing</a>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="623" height="466" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/SEMRush-PPC-SWOT-Analysis.png" alt="SEMRush PPC SWOT Analysis" class="wp-image-99062" /></figure>
<p>This is a much broader approach to PPC SWOT analysis, including things like product prices and availability. They also do a nice job of matching up strengths with weaknesses and opportunities with threats.</p>
<h2 id="h.kpc62qd90yqf"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>A SWOT analysis is a great way to get a different perspective on your PPC campaign. Remember, your campaigns don’t exist in a vacuum, and neither should your optimization efforts.</p>
<p>By thinking about your ads in the context of the broader market and economy, you can optimize your campaigns at a level <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-simple-but-effective-guide-to-keyword-competition-analysis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">your competitors</a> can only dream of.</p>
<p>Why stop at creating new ad copy and running <a href="https://neilpatel.com/ab-testing-calculator/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A/B tests</a> when you can find out ways to capitalize on new consumer sentiment or shifts in the market.</p>
<p><em>What have you uncovered with your SWOT analysis? Let me know in the comments!</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/swot-analysis-ppc/">How to Do SWOT Analysis For PPC</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-84296352300993563532020-11-11T14:00:00.001-08:002020-11-11T14:00:02.813-08:00How to Double Your YouTube Subscribers (Without Buying Them)<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/fans.jpg" alt="how to double your YouTube subscribers without buying them" /></figure>
<p>Every minute, <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/259477/hours-of-video-uploaded-to-youtube-every-minute/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">500 hours</a> of videos are uploaded to YouTube. With that much competition, you might have counted yourself out and accepted that getting enough Youtube subscribers isn’t worth the effort.</p>
<p>But what if you’re making a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnQt_-uwR7g" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media mistake</a>? What if you could break through the noise and become popular on YouTube?</p>
<p>One of the best ways of measuring popularity on YouTube is by looking at the number of subscribers.</p>
<p>The more subscribers you have, the more you can consistently achieve high view counts on your videos.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
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<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wR8IK-fSTM?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
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<p>Not everyone who is uploading a video to YouTube has laid out a strategy that will allow them to increase subscriber numbers, which leads some to buy YouTube subscribers — which is a huge mistake.</p>
<p>When you buy YouTube subscribers, many of those accounts are fake. Even if they are real people, they are unlikely to engage with your content and actually buy what you have to offer.</p>
<p>In short, buying YouTube subscribers is a waste of time.</p>
<p>Instead, work to build a strategy to boost subscriber numbers — then you can join the ranks of companies seeing massive success on YouTube and earn free YouTube subscribers.</p>
<p>In this post, we’ll look at how you can grow your YouTube subscriber count. We’ll analyze a variety of media marketing strategies and show you how to implement them.</p>
<p>By the end, you should have a good sense of how to create a strategy that will allow you to use YouTube to grow your business.</p>
<h2><strong>Give Your Channel a Theme to Gain YouTube Subscribers </strong></h2>
<p>Before you do anything, you need to give your channel a theme.</p>
<p>If you look at many of the top YouTube channels, you’ll notice that many of them stick to a theme.</p>
<p>Take a look at the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SocialTriggers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Derek Halpern</a>‘s channel, for example.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="329" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image259-700x329.png" alt="get more youtube subscribers example" class="wp-image-8144" /></figure>
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<p>Notice how a lot of the YouTube videos he creates are on topics related to business and success.</p>
<p>Having a theme makes it easier to create consistent YouTube content.</p>
<p>On top of that, you can make your channel the ‘go-to’ place for specific content. This is the goal of a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/which-social-accounts-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media platform</a>.</p>
<p>If your channel caters to a specific niche, then people who care deeply about that niche will want to become subscribers.</p>
<p>For example, imagine your videos are all about <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/facebook-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook marketing</a>, and you aim to help business owners.</p>
<p>If a business owner who wants to learn more about Facebook marketing subscribes to your YouTube channel, they’ll get an update any time you post content.</p>
<p>This helps them stay ahead of the curve without having to do a lot of work.</p>
<p>If you’re struggling to come up with a theme for your channel, think about the problems your business solves and who it solves those problems for.</p>
<p>Then, produce videos based on the topics you know will help the people your business serves.</p>
<h2><strong>Post Incredible Content to Gain YouTube Subscribers </strong></h2>
<p>Many marketers agree that <a href="https://www.nextthoughtstudios.com/video-production-blog/2018/3/21/video-converts-better-than-text" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video converts better than other forms of media</a>.</p>
<p>If you want to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/increase-conversions-just-minutes-day/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">drive conversions</a>, you need to learn how to create incredible content on your media platform.</p>
<p>Plus, if you can create incredible content, then a lot of the work related to growing your subscriber count is already done.</p>
<p>When people subscribe to your channel, they’re essentially signing up to get updates whenever a new piece of content is posted.</p>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ingredients-of-great-content/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">If your content is great</a>, people won’t mind hearing from you again because their initial interaction with you and your content was positive.</p>
<p>Whether that’s a learning experience, an entertainment experience, or both — it’s worth watching your videos.</p>
<p>And remember that people take the time to watch great content.</p>
<p>According to Hubspot, <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">54% of people want to see more video content from marketers.</a> This is a good foundation for your media platform that will expand social networks.</p>
<p>If your content is excellent, then you’ll benefit from the fact that <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">54%</a> of senior executives share content with their social networks.</p>
<p>So how do you produce incredible content that makes viewers want to subscribe and share?</p>
<p>Start by focusing on producing content that is relevant to your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/target-audience/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">target audience</a>.</p>
<p>Provided that you’re sticking to a theme, as mentioned before, it shouldn’t be too hard to come up with a way to produce valuable content.</p>
<p>Then, use these tips.</p>
<h3>Look for Popular Keywords on YouTube</h3>
<p>Let’s say that you want to create a channel that covers the topic of ‘pencil drawing.’</p>
<p>One way to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/generate-content-ideas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">develop content ideas</a> is by simply entering the broad keyword of ‘pencil drawing’ into the YouTube search engine.</p>
<p>YouTube is the <a href="https://www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">second-largest search engine</a> globally, so we know there’s going to be some relevant data here.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="653" height="231" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image119.png" alt="get youtube subscribers by posting incredible content " class="wp-image-8131" /></figure>
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<p>When we type in the keyword, we see the suggestions above.</p>
<p>Now, those topics might seem a little broad, so you may want to pick one of those keywords and go through the same process again so that you can generate something more concise.</p>
<p>Let’s add the word ‘tutorial,’ for instance.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="582" height="229" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image596.png" alt="get youtube subscribers search for keyterms " class="wp-image-8178" /></figure>
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<p>By adding the word tutorial, we are now provided with more concise keywords.</p>
<p>The fact that these keywords appear in the suggestions lets us know that people are searching for these videos.</p>
<p>You might argue that there is a lot of competition for such keywords.</p>
<p>And while that may be true, later on in the post, we’ll figure out how we can get people to view our videos, even when there is a lot of competition — so don’t let it be a concern for now.</p>
<p>The great thing about the approach above is that it gives us a place to start.</p>
<p>If we want to produce content for a certain niche, this technique lets us know what kinds of content people will already have an interest in viewing.</p>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">My tool Ubersuggest</a> is another great <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/youtube-algorithm-organic-reach/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube keyword research</a> tool. Simply type in your main key term and click “Keyword ideas” in the right sidebar, and it will deliver more than 400 keywords for you to consider.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="615" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/use-ubersuggest-to-increase-youtube-subscribers-700x615.png" alt="use ubersuggest to increase Youtube subscribers screenshot" class="wp-image-99053" /></figure>
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<p>You can also use the <a href="https://adwords.google.com/KeywordPlanner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Keyword Planner tool</a> to come up with content ideas. That’s because there will be some coherence between Google search results and YouTube search results.</p>
<p>Let’s stick with the topic of ‘pencil drawing.’</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="417" height="499" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image546.png" alt="increase youtube subscribers using Google to search for keyterms" class="wp-image-8173" /></figure>
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<p>In the ‘Your product or service’ box, enter a keyword-based on your business. If I were running a business that taught people how to do a pencil drawing, I’d enter ‘how to do a pencil drawing.’</p>
<p>You want to keep the keyword broad at this stage because it’ll allow for the keyword tool to develop a wide range of ideas for you.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="412" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image318-700x412.png" alt="use google for YouTube keyword research to drive YouTube subscribers " class="wp-image-8150" /></figure>
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<p>Once you’ve entered the keyword, you’ll then see this page. It shows several ‘Ad groups’ of keywords.</p>
<p>Each group of keywords centers around a certain topic.</p>
<p>As you can see, I’ve arranged the groups in terms of ‘Average monthly searches’ and descending order. This gives us a sense of where there might be a lot of competition.</p>
<p>Let’s click on the mid-range group called ‘Drawing Techniques.’</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="414" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image237-700x414.png" alt="increase youtube subscribers using Google for Keyword research " class="wp-image-8142" /></figure>
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<p>I’ve highlighted a few keywords that might represent good YouTube content opportunities.</p>
<p>I chose these keywords because it’s clear to see how you could create a focused, high-value video centered around these keywords.</p>
<p>You might think that these keywords don’t have that many searches and, therefore, aren’t worthy in terms of effort required.</p>
<p>However, remember we’re not just going to post a handful of videos and then be done with it.</p>
<p>Cultivating a YouTube channel so that it eventually has many subscribers often requires posting a lot of content. In fact, the biggest YouTube channel has over <a href="http://www.statsheep.com/pewdiepie" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">4,200</a> videos.</p>
<p>If you want to publish massive amounts of content while keeping it relevant, you need to be able to niche down your content as much as possible, so each video provides value.</p>
<p>If you niche down, it’s only natural that the level of searches per month will go down.</p>
<p>Even if you focus on low volume keywords, they’ll all come together to help you build momentum and establish yourself in a YouTube niche.</p>
<p>You’ll also notice there isn’t a ton of content for those lower volume search terms, which represents an opportunity.</p>
<p>Look at what happens when I type in the ‘Simple drawing techniques’ keyword.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="637" height="672" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image388.png" alt="get more YouTube subscribers example " class="wp-image-8157" /></figure>
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<p>There’s a playlist there, but other than that, there aren’t any fully optimized titles or even videos based solely around the topic of ‘simple drawing techniques.’</p>
<h3><strong>Improve the Production Quality of Your YouTube Videos </strong></h3>
<p>Production quality shouldn’t be a top priority, but it can definitely increase the number of YouTube subscribers after a certain point.</p>
<p>As long as your videos are rich in value and provide the viewer with the information they need, you’re doing a good job.</p>
<p>When the videos start to bring you a return, then you can focus more on production quality.</p>
<p>Here are a few tips.</p>
<p><strong>Ensure what you’re saying can be easily heard. You must speak</strong> clearly and enthusiastically. You’ve got to project your voice.</p>
<p>Otherwise, people might not be able to understand what you’re saying. They might even get bored.</p>
<p>You don’t need to act like an extrovert; just try and prevent your voice from becoming monotonous.</p>
<p>If you’re recording your content using a phone or a laptop, the microphone might not be enough. So, you may want to invest in a quality external microphone.</p>
<p>However, test it to see how things actually sound before you make this investment.</p>
<p><strong>You also need to ensure that your video is easy to watch.</strong></p>
<p>You don’t want to make it hard work for your viewers to see what is going on. This means you need to ensure lighting is adequate.</p>
<p>If you’re recording a talking head style video where you’re talking to the camera, ensure that your face can be clearly seen.</p>
<p>If someone is recording you, then ensure the camera isn’t shaking.</p>
<p>If you’re recording your laptop screen, make sure your actions can be clearly seen and that anything you type can be read.</p>
<h3><strong>Use Video Editing to Improve the Quality of Your YouTube Videos </strong></h3>
<p>When it comes to video editing, you have a couple of solutions. When speaking about video editing, what we’re referring to is improving your videos’ style and not so much about removing minor mistakes.</p>
<p>More often than not, you’re going to make minor mistakes when recording your video. You don’t need to put tons of focus into removing these bits, as they don’t harm your video all that much.</p>
<p>In fact, they might even help your video as they let other people know that they’re dealing with a real person rather than a sly media marketing salesman.</p>
<p>Where editing can come in handy, though, is when you need to create cuts in your video or add a title screen.</p>
<p>If you’re not an accomplished video editor, you could seek someone from <a href="https://www.upwork.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Upwork</a> or perhaps even <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Fiverr</a>.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="127" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image2210-700x127.png" alt="improve YouTube subscribers with video editing " class="wp-image-8141" /></figure>
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<p>Alternatively, you could purchase a video editing suite and learn to do everything yourself.</p>
<p>That method might save you a bit more money, though you might end up spending a lot more time learning how to edit videos on your own. This takes time away from your media marketing.</p>
<p>That might not be the best trade-off, depending on your circumstances.</p>
<p>As mentioned, you don’t want to over-edit your videos, though you want to give them a sense of style that separates you from the crowd.</p>
<p>Often, the easiest way to do this is by having custom intro music and a custom title screen.</p>
<p>Another way that you can post incredible content is by creating videos based on your product being used.</p>
<p>Demonstration videos can go a long way in showcasing your product as something worth buying.</p>
<p>You can even turn some of your blog posts into videos. Nearly <a href="http://www.videobrewery.com/blog/18-video-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">59%</a> of executives would rather watch a video than read a chunk of text.</p>
<p>Okay, so that’s the basics of creating incredible content.</p>
<p>The next point will be essential if you want to ensure that your YouTube subscriber rates grow consistently over time.</p>
<h2><strong>Get More YouTube Views by Posting Often and Consistently</strong></h2>
<p>This is probably the hardest part of growing a YouTube following — though it can also be one of the most important.</p>
<p>The average company posts <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">18 YouTube videos a month</a>. Posting content consistently is a great way for you to compete.</p>
<p>Plus, if you’re constantly posting new content, then people have a reason to become a subscriber and share it on their social networks.</p>
<p>After all, people are less likely to subscribe if you’re not going to post any more content — why should they?</p>
<p>If you use the tips mentioned earlier, then coming up with ideas for posting new content is pretty easy.</p>
<p>You just need to set a schedule and stick to it.</p>
<h3><strong>How Often Should You Post New YouTube Videos? </strong></h3>
<p>If you want to keep things simple, look at what your competition is doing, and then one-up them. If they are posting twice a week, aim for three times a week.</p>
<p>Sometimes, however, the best plan is the one you can stick to.</p>
<p>Consistency in your media marketing campaign is important, as it’ll keep existing subscribers coming back for more. This will result in more YouTube views — and also improve engagement.</p>
<p>Engagement on a video tends to come in the following forms:</p>
<ul>
<li>Thumbs up or Thumbs Down</li>
<li>Social sharing</li>
<li>Subscribing</li>
<li>Commenting</li>
<li>Favoriting</li>
</ul>
<p>Ideally, you want to improve the engagement levels in each of these categories through any social media site.</p>
<p>People like to engage with content on YouTube — did you know that over <a href="http://www.jeffbullas.com/2012/05/23/35-mind-numbing-youtube-facts-figures-and-statistics-infographic/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">100 million people</a> per week take a ‘social action’ on YouTube every week?</p>
<p>Another mind-blowing fact is that <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33423/19-Reasons-You-Should-Include-Visual-Content-in-Your-Marketing-Data.aspx" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">700 videos</a> are shared every minute on Twitter. So while YouTube is not a social media site, it is a valuable tool for any social media marketing platform.</p>
<p>Great engagement will help make the video more visible in the YouTube search engine.</p>
<p>This will expose your video to more people, who can then become subscribers themselves.</p>
<p>If you want to view some statistics in terms of how your videos perform, you can use the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/analytics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube analytics dashboard</a>.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="189" height="504" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image289.png" alt="get more YouTube subscribers analytics " class="wp-image-8147" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You don’t have to be at a computer to post content consistently. That’s because you can use the <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1270709?hl=en#:~:text=Select%20the%20file%20that%20you,Click%20Schedule." target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">scheduling feature provided by Google.</a></p>
<p>To gain access to this feature, you must first turn on monetization for your videos. This means that you are willing to show ads on your videos.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to show ads on your videos, don’t worry. You still have control over which videos are monetized and which ones aren’t.</p>
<p>Let’s take a look at how you can get that done.</p>
<ul>
<li>Sign up for a YouTube account and then go to the ‘Creators Studio’ section.</li>
<li>On the left sidebar, under the ‘Channel’ option, select ‘Monetization.’</li>
</ul>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="197" height="545" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image058.png" alt="image05" class="wp-image-8125" /></figure>
</div>
<ul>
<li>Choose ‘Enable My Account.’</li>
</ul>
<p>Now, you’ll be able to access the scheduling features provided by YouTube to program your media platform.</p>
<p>You’ll also be able to access a lot more in the way of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/youtube-analytics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube analytics</a>.</p>
<p>If you want to schedule a video, click on the ‘Upload’ button.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="34" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image149-700x34.png" alt="get more youtube subscribers by scheduling post screeshot" class="wp-image-8134" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Then click on the dropdown menu and select the ‘Scheduled’ option.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="383" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image428-700x383.png" alt="how to schedule YouTube videos to get more YouTube Subscribers " class="wp-image-8161" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Then drag and drop your video, or click the icon to upload it.</p>
<p>On the next screen, you can adjust the scheduling options.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="155" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image328-700x155.png" alt="get youtube subscribers set schedule date" class="wp-image-8151" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Now enter the date and time you want the video to go live.</p>
<p>If people are subscribed to your channel, they’ll get a message when your video goes live.</p>
<p>Make sure to schedule that date into your social media management platform, if you have one. This will ensure that Tweets, Facebook updates, and LinkedIn posts are sent out simultaneously.</p>
<p>If you have an <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/email-subscribers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">email list</a> relevant to your video, you might even want to send a message out to those folks.</p>
<p>Consider staggering the messages, so you’re not bombarding people on multiple platforms all at once.</p>
<h3><strong>Consider Turning Long Videos into Multiple Short Videos </strong></h3>
<p>If you’re struggling to develop content ideas daily, consider splitting up longer videos into several shorter ones.</p>
<p>In long videos, you likely cover several points about one main topic.</p>
<p>You could edit out certain topics and then create mini videos using those topics. Shorter videos are more convenient for social network sharing.</p>
<p>In fact, Hubspot found that <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-long-should-videos-be-on-instagram-twitter-facebook-youtube" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">2 minutes is the optimal video length on YouTube</a> for their audience.</p>
<p>You’ll notice that the channel ‘<a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi4xh-87QOWzQfdMgmF7sIA" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Inside Quest</a>’ does this a lot. Here’s one of the videos on their channel. Note how it is nearly 49 minutes long:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="210" height="174" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image407.png" alt="get more youtube subscribers example " class="wp-image-8159" /></figure>
</div>
<p>For someone new to the channel, that video length can be pretty intimidating.</p>
<p>So, they have broken down the video into some ‘highlight clips,’ covering interesting points and topics.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="633" height="178" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image096.png" alt="youtube subscribers example of short videos " class="wp-image-8129" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Note how short each of these videos is — just around a minute.</p>
<p>Short videos can be a great way to introduce people to your channel by giving them a taste of your content and building your media marketing campaign.</p>
<h2><strong>Create Evergreen YouTube Videos</strong></h2>
<p>A great way to consistently generate subscribers is by <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/evergreen-content-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creating evergreen content</a>.</p>
<p>These are videos that will relevant whether they are viewed today or five years in the future.</p>
<p>This will apply to some niches more than others.</p>
<p>For example, I spoke earlier about the pencil drawing business, which naturally lends itself to producing a lot of evergreen content. A video about <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/marketers-guide-to-instagram/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram marketing</a>, however, might be out of date in five years.</p>
<p><span style="font-size:inherit;">Take a look at your niche and see if you can create ‘how-to’ videos that will stand the test of time.</span></p>
<p>Even if you’re not looking to create evergreen content, it’s worth creating ‘how-to’ videos to provide value.</p>
<h2>Optimize Your Videos to Increase YouTube Subscribers</h2>
<p><span style="font-size:inherit;">Before anyone can become a subscriber to your channel, they need to first click on your videos.</span></p>
<p>No matter how good your video is, once it is seen in the YouTube search engine or sidebar, it will have some competition in the form of other videos.</p>
<p>So how do you get people to pay attention to and click on your video?</p>
<p>You need to focus on three areas — the headline, the thumbnail, and the description.</p>
<p>These three elements will have the biggest impact on influencing YouTube users to click on your videos. Be sure the meta tag is relevant and includes key points.</p>
<p>This is because they’ll help your rankings in the YouTube search engine. They’ll also improve your videos’ ability to entice users to click on them and share them on social media.</p>
<p>YouTube categories and cards can also drive clicks, so we’ll cover those too.</p>
<h3><strong>How to Create a Good Headline for YouTube Videos</strong></h3>
<p>If your video is based on a certain keyword, then the video’s title must include this keyword.</p>
<p>When you do this, you increase the chances of someone clicking on your video.</p>
<p>If the video’s title matches what they were searching for, they’ll assume that the video covers everything that they need to know about that topic.</p>
<p>Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should be ridiculous in how you’re creating your titles.</p>
<p>‘<a href="https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66358?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Keyword stuffing</a>’ can hurt you much more than it can help you.</p>
<p>One way you can get around this problem is <a href="http://backlinko.com/how-to-rank-youtube-videos" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">by using a colon.</a></p>
<p>For instance, earlier, we identified the keyword — ‘simple drawing techniques.’</p>
<p>If we had a video on that topic, we could write the headline like this — ‘Simple drawing techniques: 5 tips that will make drawing easier.’</p>
<p><strong>Side note:</strong> An interesting experiment might be to split the ‘simple drawing techniques’ title into separate niches. This is a common social media marketing technique for blogs and helps videos too.</p>
<p>For example, ‘simple drawing techniques for cars’ or ‘simple drawing techniques for eyes.’</p>
<p>This is a great example of how you can take a big niche or keyword that is receiving a lot of traffic and identify opportunities within that niche.</p>
<p>As I mentioned, you’ll have to experiment a little when you do things this way. But, there’s no telling what kind of opportunities you might uncover.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="609" height="116" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image048.png" alt="get more youtube subscribes title example " class="wp-image-8124" /></figure>
</div>
<p>As you can see in the example above, the video title uses a colon to separate the text.</p>
<p>You’ll also notice that there are videos where the ‘|’ symbol is being used.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="618" height="127" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image309.png" alt="youtube subscribers title example " class="wp-image-8149" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You’ll have to test which one works better, though it could just be that this symbol serves a similar purpose to what the colon would have done.</p>
<p>When it comes to creating YouTube headlines, you’ll want to follow the rules that already exist for blog posts.</p>
<p>You need to have a mix of something that people are searching for and something that grabs their attention. This is core media marketing that can lead to social network inclusion.</p>
<p>You can do that by using the keyword your video targets in the headline and then including power words in the gaps.</p>
<p>As we’ve discussed, the style of your videos is going to influence the headline. If you have a ‘how-to’ video, then you’ll need to account for that in your headline.</p>
<p>Similar to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-step-by-step-guide-to-writing-powerful-headlines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blog post headlines</a>, numbers also tend to work well in YouTube headlines.</p>
<h3><strong>Use Engaging YouTube Thumbnails </strong></h3>
<p>When it comes to the thumbnail, there are a couple of approaches that you could take.</p>
<p>The first is to show a clear image of whatever the video is about. For example, if you’re talking about a laptop, you’d want to include a picture of a laptop.</p>
<p>Like this:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="621" height="130" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image209.png" alt="youtube subscribers thumbnail example " class="wp-image-8182" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Alternatively, you could just show a picture of a person interacting with whatever the video is about.</p>
<p>Like this example:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="610" height="109" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image0710.png" alt="youtube subscribers thumbnail example " class="wp-image-8127" /></figure>
</div>
<p>However, one of the increasingly powerful ways of creating video thumbnails is by adding text, like this:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="613" height="126" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image378.png" alt="youtube subscribers good thumbnail example with text" class="wp-image-8156" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Don’t just drop some text and call it good. You can also heavily edit the thumbnail image so that it clearly stands out.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="607" height="126" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image197.png" alt="increase youtube subscribers text heavy thumbnail examle " class="wp-image-8139" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Here’s another one:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="612" height="130" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image526.png" alt="get more youtube subscribers thumbnail with text examle " class="wp-image-8171" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you want to create thumbnails like this, you need to <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72431?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">follow these rules</a>.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="214" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image487-700x214.png" alt="youtube subscribers custom thumbnail best practices " class="wp-image-8167" /></figure>
</div>
<h4><strong>How to Create a Custom Thumbnail for YouTube Videos </strong></h4>
<p>You can create a thumbnail using <a href="https://www.canva.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Canva. </a></p>
<p>If you want to <a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/how-to-use-canva" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">learn more about using Canva</a>, going through their initial setup process might be helpful.</p>
<p>They have a YouTube thumbnail template, so use that to get started.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="428" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/youtube-thumbnails-canva-700x428.png" alt="youtube subscribers create custom thumbnail" class="wp-image-99067" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you have some images of your own, you can upload them and then overlay text onto them.</p>
<p>I’ve just gone with the option of creating a basic thumbnail from scratch. Obviously, you can create something much better than this.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="392" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image158.png" alt="example of custom thumbnail to drive YouTube subscribers example " class="wp-image-8135" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you want to upload a custom thumbnail for a video, just go through the normal upload process.</p>
<p>On the page where you can adjust the video information, pick the ‘Custom thumbnail’ option.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="419" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image218-700x419.png" alt="youtube subscribers upload custom thumbnail " class="wp-image-8140" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You’ll then have a custom thumbnail that will be shown around the YouTube platform.</p>
<h3><strong>Create Better YouTube Descriptions </strong></h3>
<p>Creating a description for your YouTube videos could become an entire post in itself. We’re going to cover the basics here.</p>
<p>You need to keep in mind that you have a lot of space here, and YouTube tends to use what you say to rank your content. Don’t ignore the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/why-meta-tags-are-so-important/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">meta tag and its importance</a>.</p>
<p>The first couple of lines on your description should be written so that they are easy to read in the search results.</p>
<p>Here’s a great example.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="682" height="117" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image418.png" alt="get more youtube subscribers with better descriptions example" class="wp-image-8160" /></figure>
</div>
<p>In this section, you may want to use some of the keywords you used in your title. That way, you can ensure that it has some coherence. This will also improve the ranking ability of your video.</p>
<p>When people click on your video, they have the option to click on the ‘Show More’ text.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="29" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image1013-700x29.png" alt="youtube subscribers show more button " class="wp-image-8130" /></figure>
</div>
<p>This will expand the description. You can use this space to insert a ‘subscribe to channel’ link.</p>
<p>If you want to do that, use the following link format —</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=</a></div>
</figure>
<p>Make sure that you enter your channel name after the ‘=.’</p>
<p>So, for Kissmetrics, it would be —</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Kissmetrics" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=Kissmetrics</a></div>
</figure>
<p>When people click on this link, they’ll be taken to your channel page, where a subscribe box will pop-up.</p>
<p>You can also enter some other information, such as your other social media profiles, important links, and even your content posting schedule in the description.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="263" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image517-700x263.png" alt="drive youtube subscribers by adding better descriptions example" class="wp-image-8170" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You can also describe the things that are being discussed in your video, like this —</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="610" height="176" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image129.png" alt="youtube subscribers add links to description example " class="wp-image-8132" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You could even highlight what is discussed at certain time sections in your video like this: 21:48 – How to prevent your website from being penalized by Google.</p>
<p>These timestamps will actually take those who click on them directly to the specified location in the video.</p>
<h3><strong>Add Tags to Increase YouTube Views </strong></h3>
<p>It’s also important to add tags. This will help improve the chances of your video appearing in the YouTube search engine.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="311" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image039-700x311.png" alt="add youtube tags to increase youtube subscribers" class="wp-image-8123" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You don’t want to use anything that is misleading here. Have a mix of some really specific tags that describe your video. Then, add a few broad tags that are still related to the genre.</p>
<p>There’s no harm in using some of the suggested tags provided by YouTube, as long as they align with what your video is actually about.</p>
<h3><strong>Use YouTube Cards </strong></h3>
<p>YouTube Annotations used to be the best way to engage users by directly adding links and other content to your video.</p>
<p>However, annotations were disruptive and were <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/thread/47347328?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">discontinued and then deleted in 2019</a>.</p>
<p>Today, you have the option of <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6140493?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">using YouTube cards</a>. You can add up to five cards to your video with a customized image, text, and call to action.</p>
<p>Here’s how you would go about creating a ‘YouTube card’ for your video.</p>
<p>Select the ‘Video’ option inside of the ‘Video Manager.’ Then click on the ‘Edit’ drop-down menu for the video you want to add a card to.</p>
<p>Then select the ‘Cards’ option.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="310" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image019-700x310.png" alt="drive youtube subscribers with YouTube cards" class="wp-image-8121" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You should then see this screen.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="413" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image614-700x413.png" alt="increase youtube subscribers with youtube cards" class="wp-image-8180" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Click on the ‘Add card’ option and then choose the ‘Channel.’</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="387" height="288" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image0210.png" alt="add youtube cards to increase youtube views " class="wp-image-8122" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Then, enter your channel name and add text.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="536" height="377" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image397.png" alt="add youtube cards example to drive youtube subscribers " class="wp-image-8158" /></figure>
</div>
<p>The teaser text is the text that appears on the little graphic that appears in the video.</p>
<p>Here is how it will look:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="559" height="313" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image1710.png" alt="how youtube cards look " class="wp-image-8137" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you want to adjust when the card displays the ‘teaser text,’ adjust the slider below.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="101" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image458-700x101.png" alt="increase youtube subscribers with youtube cards" class="wp-image-8164" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You’ll notice, however, that the ‘i’ will always be visible in the video.</p>
<p>If people hover their mouse cursor over the ‘i,’ they’ll see the following.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="178" height="273" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image625.png" alt="youtube cards on mobile to drive subscribers " class="wp-image-8181" /></figure>
</div>
<p>This card will also appear at the time that you have chosen above.</p>
<p>Clicking on this will take users straight to your YouTube channel. However, no subscriber box will pop-up.</p>
<h2><strong>Engage Your YouTube Audience </strong></h2>
<p>Another way to boost your YouTube subscriber numbers is by engaging with your audience and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-a-community-using-youtube/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">creating a community</a>.</p>
<p>There are several ways that you can do this.</p>
<h3><strong>Respond to YouTube Viewer Comments</strong></h3>
<p>Responding to comments is a simple — but effective — way to engage users. This will show YouTube viewers that you value their opinion. Plus, the fact that you’re going through this effort might encourage them to subscribe.</p>
<p>You could even argue that this counts as customer service work that improves the customer experience.</p>
<p>When you look at it through that lens, you use the fact that <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerdooley/2012/09/18/complaints/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">22%</a> of people post positive things on social networks about a company after having previously posting something negative — all because they got a response.</p>
<p>If you’re getting any negative comments on your YouTube videos, address them promptly.</p>
<p>This can increase YouTube subscribers because people see this interaction and appreciate the fact that you engage.</p>
<h3><strong>Host a Q&A Session</strong></h3>
<p>You can do this using <a href="https://support.google.com/hangouts/thread/2867748?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google Hangouts on Air</a> or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube Live</a>. You might even just ask at the end of a video for viewers to post their questions in the comments section.</p>
<p>Then, in the next video, you could spend some time going through the questions you received.</p>
<h3><strong>Ask Viewers What They Want </strong></h3>
<p>Another way to engage your audience is by creating videos based on what they want. For example, you could use a survey to ask your audience what they want to see you talk about.</p>
<p>You can then create a video based on a viewer’s suggestions and call them out in the video to say thank you.</p>
<h2>Consider Collaborating With Other YouTube Video Creators</h2>
<p>When it comes to boosting subscriber numbers, you also have the option of doing collaborations with people in your industry.</p>
<p>Collaborations can massively <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/video-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">boost your video marketing efforts.</a></p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="292" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image585-700x292.png" alt="boost youtube subscribers by collaborating " class="wp-image-8177" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you go about things in the right way, you may just end up joining the <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/video-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">18%</a> of companies that regard their video marketing as ‘very successful.’</p>
<p>The best way to go about this is to find channels with a similar audience.</p>
<p>Both of you could then arrange an event where you can both benefit from the interaction.</p>
<p>When you collaborate, you must encourage people to subscribe to your channel.</p>
<p>Also, make sure the videos you publish immediately after the collaboration are amazing, so they want to subscribe.</p>
<h3>Host Interviews to Increase YouTube Subscribers</h3>
<p>Alternatively, consider doing interviews on your channel. If you can find a way to interview the top people in your niche, you’ll be able to attract their audience to your channel.</p>
<p>When your channel has a decent number of subscribers, you’ll have a greater ability to attract these opportunities.</p>
<p>Of course, you shouldn’t let low subscribers be an impediment that stops you from trying.</p>
<p>Email a few people who might be worth having on your channel and ask them if they’d be willing to be a guest.</p>
<p>If they say no, respectfully ask if they’d be willing to do a show when your channel has more subscribers. See if they can provide you with a ballpark figure that they’d be happy with.</p>
<p>You don’t want to be rude, but there’s nothing wrong with asking for a potential future way to make it happen.</p>
<h2><strong>Consider YouTube Ads</strong></h2>
<p>I’ve already spoken extensively about <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-use-youtube-ads-to-grow-your-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">using YouTube Ads</a>.</p>
<p>To get the most out of ads, target keywords your videos are created around.</p>
<p>This will ensure that your videos appear at the top of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/yt/advertise/en-GB/why-it-works.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">search results</a> when people enter that keyword.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/image249-700x420.png" alt="use Youtube ads to increase YouTube subscribers " class="wp-image-8143" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you are just getting started, you might want to get a feel for the platform first. But, if you’ve got a solid YouTube monetization plan, ads can be an effective way to drive subscribers and YouTube views.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p><span style="font-size:inherit;">Ignoring the potential on YouTube is a huge mistake. </span></p>
<p>One of the keys to consistent success on YouTube is increasing your subscriber count — but don’t fall victim to those buy YouTube subscribers scams.</p>
<p>Instead, work to create exceptional content that will keep your audience coming back for more.</p>
<p>Then, make people want to click on your content using brilliant thumbnails and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/write-irresistible-headlines/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">killer headlines</a> that draw them in.</p>
<p>When people finally click on your video, then you can ask for a subscription.</p>
<p>Once you’ve got those fundamentals down, you’re free to experiment with things like collaborations and YouTube Ads.</p>
<p>If you put enough effort in, you’ll see those subscriber numbers start climbing — which can <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/visits-youtube/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lead to website clicks</a> and more.</p>
<p>All you need to do is get started!</p>
<p><em>What have you found to be useful when it comes to boosting subscriber numbers on YouTube?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-real-secret-to-growing-your-youtube-subscribers/">How to Double Your YouTube Subscribers (Without Buying Them)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-21386606218533654872020-11-11T11:29:00.001-08:002020-11-11T11:29:55.153-08:00How to Create an Editorial Style Guide<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/editorial-style-guide.jpg" alt="How to Create an Editorial Style Guide" class="wp-image-99049" /></figure>
<p>As a digital marketer, you know just how important the tone and message of your blog are to the overall success of your business. A cohesive approach to your digital content, especially the content on your blog, is critical to your brand.</p>
<p>The best way to ensure your site is editorially cohesive is with an editorial style guide.</p>
<p>This article will walk you through the basics of an editorial style guide. You’ll learn the steps you need to follow to create your own style guide whether from scratch, with the use of a template, or with help from a freelancer.</p>
<h2 id="h.lqz5i0n33s49"><strong>What is an Editorial Style Guide?</strong></h2>
<p>An editorial style guide is a set of guidelines for the writers and editors on your team. These guidelines will include standards for grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and image use.</p>
<p>The goal of a style guide is to ensure your content stays consistent and high quality no matter who is writing or editing the article.</p>
<h2 id="h.speb4u6mv3aj"><strong>Why Does Your Website Need an Editorial Style Guide?</strong></h2>
<p>More than just a preferred list of grammar rules, an editorial style guide provides your content team with guidelines for the creation of useful, on-brand content. An editorial style guide ensures a standard baseline for quality and consistency. This will become more critical as your in-house editorial team grows.</p>
<p>Perhaps you think your website is too small, or you can always create your content now and flesh out the details later. The truth is, the sooner you can get your editorial style and processes nailed down, the less work for you and your team.</p>
<p>Without clear guidelines in place, your inbox will soon be flooded with questions from your writers and editorial staff. Your editorial staff may think that lack of guidelines gives them free reign over content. This may result in inconsistent and maybe even poor quality work that has your brand name all over it.</p>
<h2 id="h.yqf2g5unh4st"><strong>Elements of a Style Guide</strong></h2>
<p>There are specific elements all style guides should include, such as:</p>
<h3 id="h.mrhrb0az9p7t"><strong>Grammar</strong></h3>
<p>Do you expect your writers to use the Oxford comma? Are there instances where you prefer the semicolon over the em-dash? These are the grammatical rules to call out in your style guide.</p>
<p>Other grammatical elements to take a stand on include where punctuation falls in relation to quotation marks (inside or outside), prepositions at the end of a sentence, and starting sentences with conjunctions.</p>
<h3 id="h.qtfn4ben40go"><strong>Spelling</strong></h3>
<p>A subscription to services like Grammarly takes care of the majority of misspellings. There may be times where a word can be spelled correctly in two or more ways, so which one should your writers choose?</p>
<p>The most common spelling differences are those with American English versus British English variations. Examples include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Center vs. centre</li>
<li>Theater vs. theatre</li>
<li>Color vs. colour</li>
<li>Criticize vs. criticise</li>
<li>Program vs. programme</li>
</ul>
<p>You should consider where the majority of your audience lives when deciding on a spelling “style.” But the most important thing is to choose one style and be consistent.</p>
<h3 id="h.jscmtr1cf1h6"><strong>Voice and Tone</strong></h3>
<p>The voice is the overall expression of your brand, while the tone is how that message is delivered. The tone will vary depending on the medium (e.g. social media post, blog post, newsletter, press release), but the overall brand voice will be your writers’ guiding light.</p>
<p>Is your brand voice considerate and simple like <a href="https://brand.uber.com/guide#tone_of_voice-overview" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Uber</a> or functional and expressive like <a href="https://creative.starbucks.com/voice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Starbucks</a>? Once you have found your brand voice’s sweet spot, it’s time to determine what your tone is and when that may change depending on the medium or circumstances. Perhaps your tone is casual and conversational in blog posts, but witty in social media posts.</p>
<p>You’ll want to include relevant examples here as Uber does in <a href="https://brand.uber.com/guide#tone_of_voice-applications" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">the</a> <em><a href="https://brand.uber.com/guide#tone_of_voice-applications" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Applications</a></em> <a href="https://brand.uber.com/guide#tone_of_voice-applications" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">section</a> of their style guide. These will help to solidify your stance while also giving your writers a handy guide to refer to should they need it.</p>
<h3 id="h.go5xieukqq3a"><strong>Sentence and Paragraph Length</strong></h3>
<p>From witty one-liners to groupings of five to six sentences, there are many valid ways to form a paragraph. Here you want to outline your general preference and when exceptions should be made.</p>
<p>On academic websites, for example, longer sentences and paragraphs are the norm. This is because there is a lot of high-level information that needs to be delivered at once. On recipe or hobby blogs, however, shorter sentences and paragraphs can help to drive a point home.</p>
<h3 id="h.lkaf3kmpxq23"><strong>Links</strong></h3>
<p>This section of your style guide should discuss how links on your blog should be formatted, but also how often to use links and to where (e.g. external versus internal content).</p>
<p>If you’re a medical or academic marketer, for example, you may require that links to outside sources meet a minimum quality standard. If that’s the case, you should provide explicit examples of websites and sources that you trust.</p>
<h3 id="h.ul77csi0ivxp"><strong>Resources</strong></h3>
<p>Your editorial style guide should be in-depth, but if it’s too long it can be difficult for your writers and editors to use effectively. One way to reduce your style guide’s length without compromising content is with resources.</p>
<p>The resource section of your style guide should include links to guides that you have properly vetted. These may include:</p>
<ul>
<li>Academic style guides (e.g. APA or MLA)</li>
<li>Grammatical rules and guidelines</li>
<li>How-to guides and documentation for platforms your writers and editors will use</li>
<li>Database links</li>
</ul>
<p>You want to set up your writers to be self-sufficient. An expansive resource section within your editorial style guide is a great place to start.</p>
<h3 id="h.ij25k886sjqt"><strong>Images and Other Media in an Editorial Style Guide</strong></h3>
<p>If you encourage the use of images and other media in your website content, you’ll need to be explicit about formatting, attribution, content, and more. What do these elements cover?</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Formatting:</strong><strong> </strong>Specify minimum and maximum dimensions, image size requirements, and placement within an article</li>
<li><strong>Attribution:</strong> Outline your expectations for how your writers should attribute content to the creator. This will vary depending on the <a href="https://utexas.instructure.com/courses/1097558/pages/the-basics-of-open-licenses-copyright-and-fair-use?module_item_id=7604286" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">copyright license</a>, but compliance with copyright laws is a must.</li>
<li><strong>Content:</strong> You should call out any limitations or restrictions you have on certain activities within imagery, such as drinking alcohol. Or maybe you have a style preference for feature images, such as overlay shots. This information is useful for your writers and editors.</li>
</ul>
<p>There are very real potential consequences to improperly attributed imagery, so this part of your style guide should be very specific. It’s best to provide examples and even templates for your writers and editors to use.</p>
<h2 id="h.iukyzo2lhak9"><strong>Creating Your Editorial Style Guide</strong></h2>
<p>Now you’re ready to create your own style guide. Where should you begin?</p>
<p>Before you become overwhelmed with the process, let’s discuss three ways you can go about creating your own style guide.</p>
<h3 id="h.z41td9iue4b7"><strong>Hiring a Freelancer to Create Your Editorial Style Guide</strong></h3>
<p>You can hire a freelancer for just about any blog or website-related task, so why not consider hiring a freelancer to create your style guide? Freelancers with experience in writing industry-specific content, including style guides, do exist. If you can find a freelancer with experience creating a style guide in your field, then even better!</p>
<p>There are various freelance recruitment platforms, such as Freelancer and Upwork. You can also reach out to your personal and professional network for recommendations.</p>
<p>An experienced freelancer can walk you through the process of editorial style guide creation. You should come to the table with some information prepared, though. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>Brand voice and tone (Casual? Authoritative? Academic?)</li>
<li>Your preference for tense and point of view</li>
<li>Any strong preferences you have (e.g. oxford comma, text formatting, image formatting)</li>
<li>Industry or company requirements</li>
</ul>
<p>You hired the freelancer for their knowledge and expertise, so don’t forget to utilize it. If your freelancer has created an editorial style guide in your niche, then ask them for recommendations based on their previous work.</p>
<p>You may be surprised at the sections you didn’t even think to add, and others that you can cut. Using this previous experience can boost the quality of your style guide and prevent issues caused by ambiguity.</p>
<h3 id="h.o3bolugyggk3"><strong>Creating an Editorial Style Guide From a Template</strong></h3>
<p>If a freelancer isn’t in your budget, you don’t have to go it alone. There are many style guide templates available for you to work with.</p>
<p>The best place to look for such templates is on marketing, branding, and design blogs.</p>
<p><a href="https://techwhirl.com/style-guide-template/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">TechWhirl</a> offers a Word document template for download, and <a href="https://www.lucidpress.com/pages/templates/ebooks/brand-style-guide-template" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Lucidpress</a> has its own template you can customize using their online editor. You may also have luck with template repositories like this one from <a href="https://templates.office.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Microsoft</a>.</p>
<p>The important thing to remember is a template is a guide, not a rule book. You don’t need to include all of its sections, and you’re free to add any sections you feel necessary.</p>
<h3 id="h.914ys3oj7z2k"><strong>Creating Your Own Editorial Style Guide</strong></h3>
<p>If you prefer to create your own style guide from scratch, then consider the step-by-step process outlined below.</p>
<h4 id="h.hxmvs9f8n3r6"><strong>Start With a Solid Base</strong></h4>
<p>At this stage, it’s time to choose an established style guide as your base.</p>
<p>There are plenty of options as described below, including APA and MLA. By choosing one of these guides as your baseline, you make it easy to create the foundation of your style guide.</p>
<p>These established guides already include rules on grammar, structure, and formatting. You can then build upon those rules to create a robust editorial style guide for your website.</p>
<h4 id="h.6q0jimrb6k0j"><strong>Establish Brand Voice and Set the Tone</strong></h4>
<p>Two critical elements of marketing content are often overlooked: brand voice, and tone. The reason these are so often overlooked isn’t because they’re unimportant, but because they can be difficult to distinguish.</p>
<p>The voice is <a href="https://elementthree.com/blog/best-brand-voice-examples-from-companies/#:~:text=%207%20Examples%20of%20Brand%20Voice%20Masters%20,voice%20is%20best-served%20being%20pleasant%20and...%20More%20" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">your brand’s personality</a>. This remains the same throughout the life of your brand.</p>
<p>Skittles, for example, has a playful and upbeat voice. Their marketing campaigns are slightly fantastical with an eye towards bright colors, loud sounds, and catchy quips.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="392" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Skittles-marketing-campaigns-as-a-proof-of-their-use-of-an-editorial-style-guide.jpg" alt="Skittles marketing campaigns as a proof of their use of an editorial style guide" class="wp-image-99048" /></figure>
<p>The <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/6-content-writing-strategies-thatll-help-you-acquire-more-organic-traffic/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">tone</a> is the inflection on your brand voice that will change depending on the situation. Even if you have an army of writers, you can ensure your blog stays cohesive by <a href="https://www.semrush.com/blog/how-to-define-your-tone-of-voice/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">setting a tone</a> for your writers and editors to abide by.</p>
<h4 id="h.f8e1u817ezim"><strong>Remember the Big Three: Tense, Voice, and Point of View</strong></h4>
<p>Now you know the tone of your content, it’s time to outline the “how-to.” How do you intend for your writers to speak to your audience? The answer will depend on the tense, voice, and point of view you prefer.</p>
<p>Writing tense refers to the three tenses: past, present, and future.</p>
<p>There may be reasons all three tenses are used on your website or blog. You should still pick a dominant tense for your writers to defer to in most circumstances.</p>
<p>Voice refers to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/8-weak-words-you-need-to-edit-out-of-your-next-blog-post/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">active voice versus passive voice</a>. That means putting the subject first (active) or putting the object first (passive). Active voice is the standard for most bloggers and marketers. It offers a more conversational tone readers find compelling.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/what-is-point-of-view" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Point of view</a><strong> </strong>refers to the perspective of the writer: first, second, or third person.</p>
<p>Bloggers and marketers will typically utilize first person (“I” statements) or second person (“You” statements). The point of view you choose will depend largely on your content niche and your overall tone.</p>
<p>It’s best to have a default recommendation for all three of the above. You may include exceptions to the rule, but be sure to provide specific examples if you do so.</p>
<h4 id="h.hx5h335hkldi"><strong>Establish Standard Formatting</strong></h4>
<p>The way your content flows is largely dependent on its formatting. Some basic formatting guidelines to consider are headers and subheaders, bold and italic text, and hyperlinking text.</p>
<p>You may want to consider your content management system and any potential limitations when it comes to header tag guidelines.</p>
<p>If you are heavily relying on a style guide such as the APA, you can utilize their recommendations for text formatting. For example, italicizing terms that have a technical or special meaning.</p>
<h4 id="h.3005xvrdb1nl"><strong>Define Image Requirements</strong></h4>
<p>There are many good reasons to include imagery on your website. However, images can take up precious space, and they come with their own <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/break-the-law-marketing/">copyright risks</a>. This is why you must define image requirements within your style guide.</p>
<p>On the technical side, you should define minimum and maximum <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/blog-post-image-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">image size</a>. This will largely depend on your content platform, and it may vary by image type (featured image versus in-content image). With copyright infringement always being a risk, you also want to provide strict requirements when it comes to including images in content.</p>
<p>If you use a premium image repository, like Shutterstock, you may include account login details in this part of your style guide. You can also link to free image repositories such as Unsplash or Pexels.</p>
<p>Beyond that, you should clearly outline (with examples) the desired format for image references. What should be included, and how should it be formatted? Again, it may be helpful to fall back on your chosen style guide’s standard.</p>
<h4 id="h.811eo02vwilz"><strong>Incorporate Standards of Performance</strong></h4>
<p>How will your writers know when they hit the nail on the head or, conversely, miss the mark? This is where standards of performance come in handy.</p>
<p>Standards of performance are guidelines that your writers and editors can refer to when evaluating their content piece. The more objective your standards of performance, the better.</p>
<p>When it comes to establishing standards of performance, it helps to think of a grading rubric. For each standard, it’s possible to score anywhere from one to five points. What standards can you choose that will be easy to evaluate on a five-point scale? A few examples include:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/keyword-research-smart-way/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Keyword targeting</a></li>
<li>Actionability</li>
<li>Organization</li>
<li>Grammar and mechanics</li>
</ul>
<p>The standards of performance will be beneficial to your writers, as well as your editorial staff.</p>
<h2 id="h.ak2bl431zp4m"><strong>Picking a Preexisting Editorial Style Guide as a Base</strong></h2>
<p>The likelihood is something will inadvertently be left out of your editorial style guide. This is why having a default style guide for your writers and editors to refer to is crucial.</p>
<p>These style guides have typical use cases, though they can be adapted for uses beyond the norm. Let’s look at the four most common style guides.</p>
<h3 id="h.w9mssvuidplq"><strong>Associated Press (AP)</strong></h3>
<p>The <a href="https://www.apstylebook.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Associated Press (AP)</a> style guide is most commonly used by journalists. Its focus is on disseminating information clearly with simple formatting.</p>
<h3 id="h.rcslu8hky1dp"><strong>American Psychological Association (APA)</strong></h3>
<p>The <a href="https://apastyle.apa.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">American Psychological Association (APA)</a> style guide is most commonly used in college in science and social science courses. It has a slightly more formal bent than the MLA, though not so formal as the Chicago Manual of Style.</p>
<p>This style guide is ideal for academic writing, including blogs or websites dedicated to discussing academic subjects.</p>
<h3 id="h.dqd1964n2rms"><strong>Modern Language Association (MLA)</strong></h3>
<p>The <a href="https://style.mla.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Modern Language Association (MLA)</a> style guide is most commonly used in college-level English courses, and it’s also the default for many bloggers, marketers, and content writers. This guide offers a more laid-back approach desirable to writers, editors, and readers alike.</p>
<h3 id="h.xsndf3p12sjc"><strong>Chicago Manual of Style</strong></h3>
<p>The <a href="https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/book/ed17/frontmatter/toc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Chicago Manual of Style</a> is the most rigorous of the style guides. This style guide isn’t a popular choice for most bloggers due to its meticulous nature.</p>
<p>The key differences between the four style guides are largely related to formatting, though there are some grammatical and structural variations as well. There isn’t one style guide better than the other as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The guide you choose will depend largely on preference, ease of use, and familiarity.</p>
<h2 id="h.scm00iaug7q2"><strong>Picking a Platform to Host Your Editorial Style Guide</strong></h2>
<p>You’re ready to create your style guide, but where should you host it? You have a few options, and they each have their pros and cons.</p>
<h3 id="h.j97eekixtfcv"><strong>Microsoft Word</strong></h3>
<p>A word document<strong> </strong>is perhaps the simplest option. The most obvious limitation of word documents is the inability to automatically update the guidelines. You would need to send the updated document out to all writers and editors as additions or changes are made.</p>
<h3 id="h.hl91wvzd61dc"><strong>Google Docs</strong></h3>
<p>If you like the idea of a simple document, then consider Google Docs. You will still have access to the basic content tools offered by a word document, but updates will be reflected live. You can also collaborate with members of your editorial team.</p>
<h3 id="h.c72f5z3dfpq1"><strong>Sharepoint</strong></h3>
<p>Perhaps you want a more secure platform than Google. If that’s the case, then Sharepoint may be for you. Sharepoint is compatible with the Microsoft Suite, including Word. Using Sharepoint, you can upload an already existing Word document or create your own within the platform.</p>
<p>Just like Google Docs, your changes are reflected immediately and you can collaborate with as many team members as needed.</p>
<h3 id="h.mo6debmxexyv"><strong>Confluence</strong></h3>
<p>If more robust collaboration is needed, especially when you’re just beginning to create your editorial style guide, you may prefer a platform like Confluence. This is a wiki-style platform that enables you to create your style guide with your team.</p>
<h2 id="h.iya6kqfeu5jh"><strong>Resources to Create a Quality Editorial Style Guide</strong></h2>
<p>As you create your style guide, you’ll find yourself going down many rabbit holes. With this in mind, we’ve compiled a list of helpful resources to get you started on your research.</p>
<p>To familiarize yourself with institutional style guides, check out these resources on the AP, APA, MLA, and Chicago Manual of Style style guides.</p>
<p>Are you finding yourself needing some inspiration? Take a look at the style guides created by institutions like <a href="https://communications.princeton.edu/guides-tools/princeton-editorial-style-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Princeton</a> and <a href="https://communications.rutgers.edu/resources/editorial-style-guide" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rutgers</a>. Your favorite companies and brands may also have their style guides publicly available, including <a href="https://styleguide.mailchimp.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mailchimp</a>, <a href="https://material.io/design/communication/writing.html?fbclid=IwAR18sxVvU9Yoq87kgnUCz8yJLxjNTH4KFcnur_QvyBFUcSJK5OhcURIfTl4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Google</a>, and <a href="https://atlassian.design/content/writing-style" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atlassian</a>. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="256" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Mailchimps-Editorial-Style-Guide.jpg" alt="Mailchimps Editorial Style Guide" class="wp-image-99050" /></figure>
<h2 id="h.g6o93qujfjgg"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>An editorial style guide ensures there is no ambiguity in your requirements. When utilized correctly, this style guide will help you to maintain a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/blog-post-quality-vs-quantity/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">high standard of quality for your site</a> and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/content-marketing-consulting/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">consistency across your written content</a>.</p>
<p>It can also clear up any confusion or questions from your team and contractors, to cut down on the back and forth questions.</p>
<p><em>What unique elements will you be sure to include in your editorial style guide?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/editorial-style-guide/">How to Create an Editorial Style Guide</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-73616930523899919392020-11-11T08:31:00.001-08:002020-11-11T08:31:12.311-08:00How to Design a Contact Page That Drives Engagement<p><img src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/featured_contact.png" align="left" alt="" width="100%" style="max-width:100%;width:auto;" /> How can your customer reach you? If a client arrives on your website after searching on Google, what can they do to take the next step in a relationship with your brand, <em>without buying anything?</em></p>
<p>One of the primary aims of any website is to drive conversions. However, it usually takes between 5 and 8 touchpoints to generate a <a href="https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2015/04/takes-6-8-touches-generate-viable-sales-lead-heres-why-gp.html">viable sales lead</a>. People don’t want to convert straight away.</p>
<p>Since building a relationship with customers is crucial to success, it makes sense that the contact page would be an essential part of driving results. Unfortunately, a lot of website owners pay virtually no attention to that page. They ask their designer to <a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2015/11/how-to-design-the-perfect-contact-page/">create a page</a> with their address and phone number on – and that’s it.</p>
<p>What many business owners don’t realize, is that the contact page is the door to deeper, more lucrative relationships with potential prospects. The design of this essential website element needs to be fantastic to drive results.</p>
<p>So, where do you start?</p>
<h1>Defining a Well-Designed Contact Page</h1>
<p>Let’s start with the basics, what makes a great contact page?</p>
<p>The complete answer to that question depends on the target audience. Some customers will want to see fun and friendly contact pages, complete with social media sharing buttons. Others will want to see a map that shows them exactly how to reach an office or business.</p>
<p>There are a few golden rules to keep in mind, of course. Contact pages should be:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Easy to find:</b> Don’t hide the link to the contact page on the website footer. Make it easy for customers to find out how they can get in touch.</li>
<li><b>Simple:</b> Don’t put too much content on this page or it will overwhelm your audience. Just let them know where they can go to get answers to various questions.</li>
<li><b>Professional:</b> Even if you have a friendly brand personality, your contact form still needs to be grammatically correct and well-designed to show a professional edge.</li>
<li><b>Convenient:</b> Make your phone number clickable so customers can use it on Skype. The same can apply for your email address. Provide easy access to social media profiles, and if you have a contact form – keep it short and sweet.</li>
<li><b>Informative:</b> Include <b>all</b> of your contact information in the same place. This may include your address, a map to your location, social media pages, email addresses, and even forums.</li>
<li><b>Accurate:</b> Ensure that the information on your contact page matches the information listed elsewhere. Check directories and Google my Business listings to be sure.</li>
<li><b>Attractive:</b> Yes, a contact page needs to look good too. Plenty of white space will make essential information stand out. A good layout will guide the eye through the page.</li>
<li><b>Consistent:</b> Make sure the contact form on your website matches the brand personality that appears on all of your other pages.</li>
</ul>
<p>Take a look at the <a href="https://www.tune.com/contact-us/">Tune Contact</a> page:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.tune.com/contact-us/"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/tune.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>It’s beautifully laid out, with clear information that’s easy to read. The company shows exactly <em>why</em> customers might want to get in touch and how they can reach out. As you scroll through the page, you’ll find additional office locations, email addresses for different teams (sales and support), and links to social media accounts too.</p>
<h1>How to Drive Engagement on a Contact Us Page</h1>
<p>A good contact page needs to look fantastic, showcase the company’s personality, and capture audience attention. However, there’s a big difference between a contact page that gets the job done, and one that convinces your audience they <em>have</em> to connect with you.</p>
<p>Here are some excellent ways to make your contact us page stand out.</p>
<h2>Step 1: Using Color Correctly</h2>
<p>Color and color psychology have a <a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2019/07/how-color-impacts-ux/">massive impact on user experience</a>.</p>
<p>Studies constantly demonstrate the conversion powers of having the right shades on certain pages throughout your website. For instance, changing a CTA button from red to green can increase <a href="http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/20566/The-Button-Color-A-B-Test-Red-Beats-Green.aspx#sm.0001lp3ugxe2peiey531wmrmf0uru">click-through rates by 27%.</a></p>
<p>However, every audience is different. The colors that drive engagement on a contact page for your company will depend on your target customer. A/B testing color palettes that match your brand personality is a good way to get started.</p>
<p>One interesting example of colors that make the right impact on a Contact Us page <a href="https://www.hubspot.com/company/contact">comes from Hubspot</a>. Here, the brand maintains it’s brand color (orange), but it also introduces some new shades that convey trustworthiness and professionalism.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.hubspot.com/company/contact"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/hubspot.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Blue is the most <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/psychology-of-color-and-conversions/">calming and credible color</a> for any brand, The gradient that Hubspot uses here blends perfectly with its brand identity, allowing for a stunning contact page, with CTA buttons that still stand out.</p>
<p>Experiment with colors that can generate the right emotional response from your audience, but don’t ignore the golden rules of color in web design. You still need to showcase your brand identity, and you still need a way of making crucial information <b>stand out.</b></p>
<h2>Step 2: Humanizing the Customer Service Team</h2>
<p>Some of the customers that arrive at a contact page are interested in your product or inspired by the potential of your service. Other customers will be looking for assistance because they’re frustrated with something or stressed out.</p>
<p>If you’ve ever had a problem with a product and wanted to reach out to the brand about it, you’ve probably noticed how annoying it is to find a blank contact page with nothing but an email address. The lack of effort and humanity in the contact page is enough to convince you that you probably won’t get a response.</p>
<p>But what if you add some happy smiling faces to the page?</p>
<p>Research indicates that <a href="http://science.sciencemag.org/content/314/5796/72.full">brains are fine-tuned</a> to recognize and appreciate human faces. Having a picture of your customer service team, or just any human being on your contact page makes you instantly more approachable. Your customers start to feel like they’re reaching out to a person – not an empty website.</p>
<p>Look at how engaging and personalized <a href="https://ambermccue.com/contact/">this contact page</a> from Amber McCue looks:</p>
<p><a href="https://ambermccue.com/contact/"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/ambermccue.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Although you can show any human face on your contact page and potentially get results, showing your actual agents will be more likely to drive positive results. It’s a great way to showcase the authenticity and humanity of your team.</p>
<h2>Step 3: Making it Easy to Find</h2>
<p>A surprisingly large amount of the time, companies shove their contact information into the footer of their website, forcing customers to spend <em>forever</em> looking for them. However, your audience might not want to spend an age searching for your details if they’re in a hurry to get answers.</p>
<p>Stowing a contact page in a footer is also a problem for those visiting your website via mobile, as they might not be able to see all your footer details and links as well.</p>
<p>A Contact Us page doesn’t have to be a massive part of your website navigation if you don’t want it to be. However, it should be one of the first things your audience can see. Putting the information on the header of your website, or even sticking it to the top of the page as your users scroll is very helpful.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.zendesk.com/">Zendesk</a> makes it easy for customers to get in touch in multiple ways. First, the Contact section of the website is clear at the top of the page. Secondly, if you start scrolling through the Zendesk website, a “Get Help” button pops up, so you don’t have to scroll back to find assistance:</p>
<p><a href="https://www.zendesk.com/"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/zendesk.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Remember, aside from making sure that your contact page appears in the right part of your website, it’s also worth ensuring that it’s easy to understand. Don’t use unusual terms like “Chat”, or “Chill with us”. Stick to tried-and-true options like Help, Contact, or Support.</p>
<h2>Step 4: Making the Experience Relevant</h2>
<p>There’s a reason why it’s practically <em>impossible</em> to find a one-size-fits-all contact page.</p>
<p>It’s because different customers need different things from your brand.</p>
<p>Some customers will be looking for the answer to a question; others will want to discuss something with your sales team. That’s why many companies are using adaptive contact pages that can change to suit the situation.</p>
<p>For instance, you may start by asking customers what they need help with. Zapier takes this approach with <a href="https://zapier.com/app/get-help">its Contact page</a>:</p>
<p><a href="https://zapier.com/app/get-help"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/zapier.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>By asking the client what they need straight away, Zapier can make sure that the visitor finds the right information, and the right number or email address for the appropriate agent. You can even scroll down the help page and look for something in the available help centre, using the search bar. Or you can click on <em>View our experts</em> to hire a Zapier pro.</p>
<p>Creating a dynamic and customized experience like this does a few things. First, it ensures that the customer will reach the right person to help them first-time around. This reduces the number of inappropriate calls your employees have to deal with, and the number of transfers.</p>
<p>Secondly, you deliver a better experience overall for your client, because they don’t have to repeat their issue to multiple people or start a massive email thread. They get the support they need immediately.</p>
<p>Dynamic contact pages can even save you some money and time. If clients decide to solve an issue themselves, using your resources, that’s great for your busy agents.</p>
<h2>Step 5: Direct People to the Right Place</h2>
<p>The central focus of your contact us page needs to be the available contact options. Centralizing the contact options on a page is an excellent way to make sure that they get the right amount of attention. Centralizing also means that your customers can spend less time searching for the contact details that they need, which is great for usability.</p>
<p>The <a href="http://melonfree.com/">Melonfree.com</a> website uses a contact us form that’s centralized to immediately pull attention to the customer’s options for getting help.</p>
<p><a href="http://melonfree.com/"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/melonfree.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>Centralization isn’t the only way of using design principles to guide visitors on a contact page. According to Ray Hyman and Edmund Hick, increasing the number of choices on a page often increases the time it takes for people to <a href="http://blog.usabilla.com/killing-choice-applying-hicks-law-web-design/">make a decision</a>.</p>
<p>When it comes to connecting with a brand, the right option for each customer will depend on the person and the situation they’re trying to overcome. For instance, a customer that needs to reset their password will probably be able to get the solution they need from an FAQ page.</p>
<p>On the other hand, someone who needs help using a new feature might need the guidance of a professional. To help guide customers to the right solution, Basecamp gives customers a <a href="https://basecamp.com/support">variety of steps to follow</a> to get the right solution fast.</p>
<p><a href="https://basecamp.com/support"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/basecamp.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<p>The main purpose of the contact page is to help customers get the right answer with an informative form. <b>However,</b> there are unobtrusive alternative options available too. If all you’re looking for is a way to help yourself fix a problem, you can click on the <b>help guides</b> link before you ever scroll down to the form.</p>
<h2>Step 6: Support the Contact Team Too</h2>
<p>The best <b>contact us</b> pages aren’t just a great way to improve customer experience. Well-designed solutions also help the customer service team to save time and stay productive.</p>
<p>One of the primary metrics that companies consider when evaluating the success of a service team, is the <a href="https://www.helpscout.com/playlists/customer-service-metrics-reports/">number of replies</a> required before an issue is resolved. However, if the initial question from a customer doesn’t contain enough information, this number often increases.</p>
<p>Using the design of the contact form to access the right information helps with:</p>
<ul>
<li><b>Automatically routing people to the right team member:</b> Companies can set up segmentation rules that automatically send certain emails to different employees based on keywords. You might have questions that go to the sales team, and separate queries that you direct straight to the customer service team.</li>
<li><b>Show appropriate support options and FAQs:</b> Remember to give the audience a chance to help themselves before they reach out for extra support. Links to an FAQ page or self-service options can really reduce the pressure on a team. Some companies even add automated chatbots to the mix to help with self-service.</li>
<li><b>Prompt for extra context:</b> Although not every customer will take advantage of an opportunity to add extra information to a form, some will. Adding a box to your contact form for “anything we need to know?” is a great way to generate more information. <a href="https://www.bando.com/pages/contact-us">Ban.do</a> includes a simple “question” box where customers can add as much detail as they like. An option to add screen shots or documents might be a nice touch too.</li>
</ul>
<p><a href="https://www.bando.com/pages/contact-us"><img style="max-width:100%;" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/bando.png" width="650" title="" alt="" /></a></p>
<h1>Building Your Own Contact Us Page</h1>
<p>Every customer has their own specific set of needs. The right contact page for another business might not be the right one for you. That’s why it’s so important to take some time getting to know your customers and speaking to your support team.</p>
<p>When you’re planning your contact page, it helps to ask yourself some basic questions about what you want to achieve. For instance:</p>
<ul>
<li>What kind of channels will our customers want to use to connect with us? Look at things like social media messaging, email, or phone calls. If you’ve got a relatively tech-savvy audience, then they might want to use things like instant messaging with chat bots too.</li>
<li>How can we direct clients to the appropriate channels in as little time as possible? Having a system in place to automatically route your customers to the right agent will reduce the time to resolution for your customers. The faster you solve problems, the better your reputation becomes.</li>
<li>What can we do to set customer expectations and build confidence before they speak to us? Designing a professional-looking contact page will increase customer confidence, while an FAQ section shows that you’re ready to answer common questions.</li>
<li>How can we showcase a unique brand personality without making the page complicated? Everything from using distinct brand colors on a contact page, to adding images and illustrations reminds customers that they’re in the right place.</li>
<li>What can we do to reduce the friction points in a customer’s path to contact? Avoid adding too many input options to a contact form and ensure that it’s easy to reach out when your clients have a problem.</li>
</ul>
<p>Understanding exactly what your audience needs from you, and what they’re looking for when they come to your team for help reduces the effort involved for your client when they reach out for help. Remember, today’s digitally-savvy customers expect their interactions with companies to be as streamlined and simple as possible.</p>
<h1>Make the Most of Your Contact Page</h1>
<p>Contact pages are frequently an afterthought in the website design process. However, they’re one of the most valuable tools your company has. With a good contact page, you ensure that your customers can always reach you when they have problems. What’s more, you boost your chances of people wanting to reach out to the sales team too!</p>
<p>Good luck creating a contact page that encourages engagement from your target audience. Don’t forget to track your results from each design, and A/B test for optimization.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2020/11/how-to-design-a-contact-page-that-drives-engagement/">Source</a></p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-24393570891734768682020-11-10T17:31:00.001-08:002020-11-10T17:31:33.992-08:00How to Write Emails That Actually Drive Results<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/emails.jpg" alt="How to write email for customers, How to Write Killer Emails That Actually Drive Results" /></figure>
<p>Every client that I work with has his or her own unique problems, but they all have one thing in common.</p>
<p>Can you guess what it is?</p>
<p>Regardless of industry, size, or even the person’s position within the company, <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/15-quick-tips-to-persuade-visitors-to-subscribe-to-your-email-list/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">everyone uses email and wants to know how to write email that customers open.</a></p>
<p>Despite the rise of social media, forums, and mobile chat apps, email remains one of the most popular forms of communication in the world.</p>
<p>According to a<u><a href="http://www.radicati.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Email-Statistics-Report-2017-2021-Executive-Summary.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> study from Radicati</a></u>, there are over 3.7 billion email users worldwide, and that number is steadily rising.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Worldwide-Email-Usage-Stats.png" alt="Worldwide Email Usage Stats" /></figure>
<p>If you think that statistic is high, you’ll want to sit down before I tell you the volume of emails being sent.</p>
<p>We’re sending and receiving 269 billion emails every day. It seems impossible to stick out in this crowd.</p>
<p>Yet email remains one of the<u><a href="https://www.emarketer.com/Article/Email-Continues-Deliver-Strong-ROI-Value-Marketers/1014461" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> most effective channels of marketing</a></u>, with a median ROI that’s nearly 5x that of other channels like social media, direct mail, and paid search.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/214049.gif" alt="How to Write Emails That Actually Drive Results " /></figure>
</div>
<p>Adobe even found that half of all consumers <u><a href="http://news.adobe.com/press-release/marketing-cloud/media-alert-adobe-survey-reveals-americans-dependence-email" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">prefer being contacted by brands via email</a></u> over social media and direct mail.</p>
<p>Email newsletters specifically have the <u><a href="https://research.hubspot.com/reports/native-advertising-rises-as-consumers-opt-out" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">highest reported positive experience</a></u> by consumers in a recent survey.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/page12-1.pngt1500352820125width660namepage12-1.png" alt="How to Write Emails That Actually Drive Results" /></figure>
<p>Of course, knowing email is effective and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/11-types-of-cold-emails-that-generate-a-response/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">writing an effective email</a> doesn’t necessarily go hand-in-hand.</p>
<p>If you send the wrong emails, you’ll end up losing customers. In fact, 66% of people unsubscribe from emails because they’re not aligned with their interests.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/page13.pngt1500352820125width660namepage13.png" alt="page13.pngt1500352820125width660namepage13" /></figure>
</div>
<p>You need great emails to keep your customers happy.</p>
<p>That’s the problem I’m going to alleviate for you today.</p>
<p>You know all the reasons why you should be using email, but we’re going to dive into the nitty-gritty details of how to actually write these emails.</p>
<p>The first step is to segment our email lists so we can target our emails to the right audiences.</p>
<h2>How to Write Emails With Proper <strong>Audience Segmentation</strong></h2>
<p>We know email is effective, but we don’t have time to personally email each and every customer on our lists. Each email needs to feel personal, though.</p>
<p>When your customers are properly segmented, it’s easier to send emails that feel more personalized.</p>
<p>Messages will be based on your target customers’ interactions with your company and website. As a result, they won’t feel generic, sporadic, or irrelevant.</p>
<p>A recent survey by Ascend2 found that 51% of marketers consider email list segmentation to be the <a href="http://ascend2.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Ascend2-Email-Marketing-Strategy-Survey-Summary-Report-160908.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">most effective personalization tactic</a>.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/list-segmentation.png" alt="list segmentation" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Did a customer recently make a purchase from you?</p>
<p>A thank-you email explaining the benefits of the purchase can help you keep your brand front-and-center in that customer’s mind.</p>
<p>Perhaps a prospective customer abandoned his or her shopping cart before taking the next step and purchasing a product. Consider sending a discount code to entice that person back.</p>
<p>MailChimp recently <u><a href="https://mailchimp.com/resources/research/effects-of-list-segmentation-on-email-marketing-stats/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">measured 11,000 segmented campaigns</a></u> against non-segmented campaigns from the same customers. It found that the segmented campaigns outperformed their non-segmented counterparts across every metric.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Statistics-about-list-segementation-email-marketing.png" alt="Statistics about list segementation email marketing" /></figure>
</div>
<p>So what are some ways to segment your customer lists?</p>
<p>Basic demographics like age, sex, and location are a great place to start. They’re not always enough, but they’ll help you get started.</p>
<p>You’re likely going to speak differently to a retired veteran than you would to a teenager or recent college grad. Also, men and women may respond differently to the language you use in email marketing.</p>
<p>Of course, this type of personal information may not be available. It’s also not the most effective way to segment audiences.</p>
<p>Marketing automation platform MailChimp offers a variety of <u><a href="https://mailchimp.com/features/segmentation-and-groups/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">popular audience segmentation options</a></u> based on engagement, behavior, and other criteria that you might find useful.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/prebuilt-segments-285211ed.jpg" alt="prebuilt segments 285211ed" /></figure>
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<p>These behavioral triggers are actually much more likely to <u><a href="http://www.emailmonday.com/email-marketing-future" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">predict a customer’s response</a></u> anyway. Recommended purchases, for example, work regardless of age, sex, or location.</p>
<p>Behaviors like buying, canceling, subscribing, and cart abandonment can be easily addressed with personalized emails.</p>
<p>Ideally, you’ll send the right message to the right consumer at the right time. It sounds impossible, but modern marketing technology makes it not only accessible, but also automated.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/5-targeting-options-550x336.png" alt="5 targeting options | How to write emails" /></figure>
<p>Behavior triggers stand out as one of the most effective innovation opportunities for markers. Marketers can analyze behavior triggers among their audiences to find strategies that really work.</p>
<p>If you can set up an email marketing strategy that actually makes consumers eager to open your emails, you stand to enjoy much greater conversion rates.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/email-innovation-future-of-email-2017.jpg" alt="email innovation future of email | how to write emails" /></figure>
<p>As mentioned above, <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-use-email-segmentation-to-increase-your-conversion-rate/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">behavior segmentation</a></u> also makes it easier to automate emails.</p>
<p>Marketing automation is an important part of the sales cycle, and you’re essentially leaving money on the table by not employing it.</p>
<p>Don’t miss out on this opportunity!</p>
<p>Charity: Water, for example, has a great email automation campaign that tracks the progress of your donation to the organization.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/charity-water-email-example-1.pngnoresizet1500337379701width669namecharity-water-email-example-1.png" alt="charity water email example 1.pngnoresizet1500337379701width669namecharity water email example 1" /></figure>
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<p>When we donate money, we rarely get to see how the money is being spent. In fact, it’s one of the key barriers that nonprofits face when attempting to raise funds.</p>
<p>Automated emails that provide useful data provide personalized transparency to the process. Consumers feel like they understand their role in the equation.</p>
<p>Now we have our customer lists segmented into the right groups, and it’s time to craft the right emails for each group.</p>
<p>To do that, we need to decide what our goal for each segment is and work backward from there.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Write Email by Building Backward From the Goal</strong></h2>
<p>It’s important to have a goal for your email campaign. Otherwise, you’re just firing off emails and hoping to resonate with your audience.</p>
<p>Not a good strategy.</p>
<p>There are only <u><a href="https://www.time4writing.com/writing-resources/types-of-essays/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">four basic types of emails</a></u> you can write:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Narrative</strong>: Tell a compelling story.</li>
<li><strong>Descriptive</strong>: Illustrate your product or service with words.</li>
<li><strong>Expository</strong>: Teach your audience how to do something.</li>
<li><strong>Persuasive</strong>: Convince readers to take action.</li>
</ul>
<p>Each type will have a different tone and goal.</p>
<p>Let’s say your goal is to persuade customers to complete a post-purchase survey about their experience.</p>
<p>There needs to be a clear CTA, preferably graphic, that entices users to click. That should be the focus of a short email that concisely explains the benefit of taking the survey.</p>
<p>Here’s an example of a persuasive email from Wayfair.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wayfair-1.pngt1500352820125width645height495namewayfair-1.png" alt="How to write email for customers wayfair " /></figure>
<p>On the other hand, an expository email provides all the facts necessary for a customer to understand a topic.</p>
<p>These are typically newsletters, but not always.</p>
<p>In the case of this GrubHub email, the goal is an order confirmation displaying all the relevant information about your order.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="624" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/grubhub-confirmation-email.pngt1500357625069.png" alt="How to write email for customers grubhub" class="wp-image-99032" /></figure>
<p>Descriptive emails are typically announcements for new products. They allow you to generate buzz (and hopefully a few sales). Here’s a descriptive menu from Cook Smarts.</p>
<p>Plus, descriptive emails give you a chance to show your passion for your products. Here’s a descriptive menu from Cook Smarts.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/cooksmart-email-example.pngnoresizet1500337379701width669namecooksmart-email-example.png" alt="cooksmart email example | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
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<p>And finally, we have the narrative email, which allows you to tell your brand story. Here, Poncho turns an ordinary weather report into a narrative infographic.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter is-resized"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/poncho-email-example.pngnoresizet1500337379701width518height2382nameponcho-email-example.png" alt="poncho email example | How to write email for customers" width="348" height="1600" /></figure>
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<p>Right now we’re going to try an exercise. Think of all the different types of emails you may send to your customers based on their behaviors and other events.</p>
<p>New product releases, leadership changes, sales and promotions, thank-you emails for customers’ order, emails that tell customers you’re sorry to see them go, responses to abandoned carts, and holiday celebrations immediately come to mind.</p>
<p>The next step is to decide the goal for each of these behaviors. What do you want the customer to <em>do</em>?</p>
<p>You typically want a click-through to your website. You can also use a CTA to ask for a purchase or to deliver relevant content.</p>
<p>Creating these templates in advance keeps customers feeling personally connected to your business while you save time and resources.</p>
<h2><strong>5 Steps to Write the Perfect Email</strong></h2>
<p>Now you know why you should be emailing your customers. You’re also familiar with the different types of emails you might send.</p>
<p>What we need to do is nail down a replicable process for writing them.</p>
<p>Of course, you must start with a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/email-subscribers/">list of subscribers</a>. Collect email addresses from your fans and followers so you’re communicating with as many people as possible.</p>
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</figure>
<p>Once you have a list, you can write emails that respond to the behavioral triggers I talked about above.</p>
<p>Here’s where to start.</p>
<h3><strong>1. How to Write Email Subject Line</strong>s</h3>
<p>You only get one chance to make a first impression, and the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-write-email-subject-lines-that-will-increase-your-open-rate-by-203/">subject line is that chance for emails</a>.</p>
<p>The subject line determines whether or not your email is ever read. A recent survey found that <u><a href="https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/subject-line-stats-open-rates-slideshare" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">33% of email recipients open an email</a></u> based on the subject line alone.</p>
<p>You have to nail that first impression if you want your copy to get read.</p>
<p><span style="font-weight:400;">The email marketing specialists at Constant Contact have seen thousands of effective emails. The company offers a few tips for subject lines (along with <a href="https://blogs.constantcontact.com/good-email-subject-lines/">great examples of winning formulas</a>).</span></p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Bisque-Imports-CC-600x541.png" alt="Bisque Imports example | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
<p>It’s important to keep the subject short and snappy. Many email programs cut off long subject lines, which means your subscribers won’t see the whole thing. Above, there’s an example with just a simple acronym from Bisque Imports.</p>
<p>Everyone knows what TGIF means, so it works. However, you can also use other types of language to get your emails read.</p>
<p>A teaser or announcement can provide a great way to entice people to click through and read. People love a mystery or an opportunity, so they’re more likely to check out the email’s body if the subject line arouses their interest.</p>
<p>Check out this example from FluentCity announcing the winners of a recent contest.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Fluent-City-email-600x350.png" alt="Fluent City email 600x350 | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
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<p>Whatever you do, avoid spammy language like “Buy Now.”</p>
<p>You don’t need to be overly promotional. Focus on being informative and entertaining.</p>
<p>In fact, entertaining and/or funny subject lines are a great way to increase the chances of an email being opened.</p>
<p>Check out this gem of a subject line from The Basketry.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Basketry-email.png" alt="The Basketry email | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
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<p>Nice pun, right?</p>
<p>Once you have the right subject, it’s time to move on to the content of the email body.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Keep Emails For Customers Short and Friendly.</strong></h3>
<p>The worst mistake you can make with an email is trying to cram too much information into an email. The document ends up being too long.</p>
<p>Sure, people need to know relevant information, but you can spread out the information over several emails.</p>
<p>Alternatively, you can link to pages on your website so the reader can seek out more details if he or she wants.</p>
<p>Whatever the case, don’t waste your subscribers’ time. That’s the fastest way to the “unsubscribe” button.</p>
<p>A simple teaser with a link to your website is all that’s needed.</p>
<p>Check out this simple example from Postmates, which invites customers to click through for a limited-time offer of lattes on demand.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/free-lattes-concise-email-language.pngnoresizet1500337379701width647namefree-lattes-concise-email-language.png" alt="free lattes concise email language example | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
<p>The company doesn’t waste any time getting to the point. There’s a brief, three-word greeting, and then the company immediately jumps into the point of the offer.</p>
<p>After we get a description of the offer, we’re immediately given a CTA button to click through and take advantage of the offer.</p>
<p>This short, sweet, and to-the-point approach is how every email should be treated. We only spend <u><a href="http://globalnews.ca/news/3395457/this-is-how-much-time-you-spend-on-work-emails-every-day-according-to-a-canadian-survey/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">15-20 seconds reading an email</a></u>, so it shouldn’t resemble a novel.</p>
<p>There’s a lot of information to fit in such a small space, though, so how do we decide what to cut and what to keep?</p>
<p>Let’s explore that.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Write Better Emails by Adding Relevant Information and Calls to Action.</strong></h3>
<p>Journalists are required to find out the who, what, when, where, why, and how of a story before publishing. That’s a standard we’re going to set for our emails.</p>
<p>Each email we send needs to answer these vital questions.</p>
<p>Say we have a weekend sale coming up.</p>
<p>The sale is the what, our store location is the where, our business is the who, the holiday is when, special pricing is why, and showing up is how it’s done.</p>
<p>Without this information, your recipients will be lost.</p>
<p>It’s also vital to have a CTA or <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/buy-now-buttons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">buy it now buttons</a>. Otherwise, how can your customers take action?</p>
<p>These buttons offer great ways to entice clicks, but before using these advanced techniques, make sure your customers can view them on mobile devices.</p>
<p>Nearly half of emails are <u><a href="http://dsim.in/blog/2016/12/19/content-marketing-trends-expect-2017/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">checked on mobile devices</a></u>.</p>
<p>It’s a shame to spend time crafting a brief, compelling email only to experience limited engagement because of mobile incompatibility.</p>
<p>Don’t become that marketer.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/pasted-image-0-489.png" alt="pasted image 0 489" /></figure>
<p>Now we need to make sure each customer feels individually connected to your business.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Personalize each email and use the second-person point of view.</strong></h3>
<p>Nobody wants to feel like they’re just another faceless number.</p>
<p>It’s important to greet each individual using personal language, which becomes an easy feat to accomplish with email template programs.</p>
<p>You also need to write emails in the second person. Focusing on “you” opens a conversation in which the recipient feels important.</p>
<p>Check out this email from The Skimm, which does a great job of using the second person in a personalized email</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/the-skimm-email-example.pngnoresizet1500366839695width649height1060namethe-skimm-email-example.png" alt="the skimm email example | How to write email for customers" /></figure>
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<p>This email makes it clear that the recipient is the center of attention. We all like to feel special, and this is how it’s done.</p>
<p>Now that we have the email together, there’s just one last thing to do.</p>
<h3><strong>5. Proofread and check your grammar multiple times.</strong></h3>
<p>There’s no worse feeling than spending hours designing the perfect email template, sending it out to your contact list, and finding a glaring typographical error.</p>
<p>Typos are the worst, and with emails, they can constitute a sign of spam. It looks unprofessional and may even get your email blocked by spam filters.</p>
<p>Take the time to perform at least two rounds of edits to check for these typos and to make sure everything is polished before you send an email out to your customers.</p>
<p>Now that everything’s grammatically correct, we can finally send our email out and reap the benefits.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Email is one of the most widely-used forms of <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/technology-communication/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">communication in the modern world</a>. More people use email than social media, chat programs, and forums.</p>
<p>In other words, it’s the perfect chance to connect with your audience. But only if you follow best practices and get creative.</p>
<p>Sending <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-write-email-newsletters/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">email newsletters</a> and emails based on triggered actions can increase conversions, build trust, and lead to a healthy ROI.</p>
<p>By creating targeted email templates based on behaviors may be the most important change you make to your digital marketing efforts.</p>
<p><em>Have you found success using email?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/write-emails-that-drive-results/">How to Write Emails That Actually Drive Results</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-7681317047958015492020-11-10T16:29:00.001-08:002020-11-10T16:29:10.831-08:00How to Get Verified on Social Media<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/social-media-verified.jpg" alt="how to get verified on social media " class="wp-image-47595" /></figure>
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<p>Getting verified on social media is one of the first steps to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-social-media-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">building a successful social media marketing strategy.</a></p>
<p>Whether it’s your personal account, your business account, or both, getting that little checkmark next to the profile name is massively important.</p>
<p>And not so that you look like one of the ‘cool kids.’</p>
<p>A verified social media account provides <u><a href="https://www.crazyegg.com/blog/social-proof-can-increase-conversions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">instant social proof</a></u> and credibility when anyone looks up to you or your company online.</p>
<p>Verification can also help with networking and push your company to your industry’s forefront as a trusted option.</p>
<p>Getting verified on social media can be a challenge, and it might take some time, but it is definitely worth it.</p>
<p>But maybe you’ve already tried to become verified, and you were rejected.</p>
<p>Or perhaps you don’t know where to start.</p>
<p>Unless you’ve got a huge following like <u><a href="https://twitter.com/beyonce" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Beyonce</a></u>, becoming a verified account takes some commitment and trial and error.</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="586" height="277" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-580.png" alt="how to get verified on social media Beyoncé example " class="wp-image-43058" /></figure>
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<p>If you’ve tried to become verified before and you’ve been rejected, you’re probably not following the rules closely enough. For some sites, it’s a lot harder than others to show your worth.</p>
<p>But don’t give up.</p>
<p>I’m going to explain why your business isn’t verified on social media.</p>
<p>We’ll then walk through how to become verified on <u><a href="http://www.facebook.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Facebook</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.twitter.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Twitter</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.instagram.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.linkedin.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.youtube.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube</a></u>, <u><a href="http://www.pinterest.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pinterest</a></u>, and <u><a href="http://www.snapchat.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Snapchat</a></u>.</p>
<h2><strong>Why Getting Verified on Social Media Matters</strong></h2>
<p>Twitter was one of the first social media platforms to introduce verification, and it took a while for it to become as important as it is today.</p>
<p>It began as a way for the platform to identify which Twitter accounts belonged to celebrities.</p>
<p>Now, getting verified on social media tells users which accounts belong to brands, companies, and influencers.</p>
<p>Basically, social media verification serves as an instant way to tell other users, “Hey, this account isn’t just your average Joe — pay attention to it!”</p>
<p>This is especially useful for trying to target younger users, who are the prime social-media demographic.</p>
<p><u><a href="http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">About 60%</a></u> of Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 29. Twitter is checked by <u><a href="http://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/01/05/social-media-marketing-statistics" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">81% of Millennials</a></u> every day.</p>
<p>Having that badge of proof means that your account is worth following, paying attention to, and interacting with. It’s how you know <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/neilkpatel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">it’s really me on Facebook</a></u>:</p>
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<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="543" height="110" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-590.png" alt="get verified on social media example neil patel " class="wp-image-43077" /></figure>
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<p>It immediately shows customers that any other accounts with that name are fake.</p>
<p>Which isn’t as huge of a problem for me as it is for mega-brands like Walmart. Check out this fake Walmart YouTube account:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="707" height="144" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-577.png" alt="get verified on social media fake account " class="wp-image-43054" /></figure>
<p>Looks pretty legit at first glance, right?</p>
<p>There’s an official Walmart logo as the profile picture, and the description even says, “Walmart Official YouTube Channel.”</p>
<p>But upon further inspection, the account only has two video uploads and three subscribers.</p>
<p>So this fake account was probably created to gain followers, create a scam, or even potentially destroy Walmart’s brand by impersonating the company.</p>
<p>Based on the videos on this channel, it was probably created to use the Walmart name to gain subscribers or views:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="452" height="364" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-565.png" alt="un verified on social media account example " class="wp-image-43031" /></figure>
<p>See how much trouble it is to find out if the account is real or not? Since it has no checkmark, we can guess it’s probably not the real deal.</p>
<p>But not every brand or company is verified, including <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Walmart" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Walmart’s official YouTube</a></u> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/Walmart" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">page</a> when I first wrote this article. (Today, they’ve jumped on the verification bandwagon.)</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="174" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-578-700x174.png" alt="walmart unverified social media account example " class="wp-image-43056" /></figure>
<p>So you can’t be sure until you evaluate things like the account’s number of followers and the kind of content on the page.</p>
<p>If it had a checkmark, there would be no guessing or research.</p>
<p>The benefits of verification are pretty easy to identify, and while the process can be easier said than done, it’s pretty painless overall.</p>
<p>The processes for getting verified are unique to each social media platform. So let’s go through the big ones.</p>
<p>Here’s how you can get verified on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat.</p>
<h2><strong>1. How to Get Verified on Facebook</strong></h2>
<p>Facebook’s <u><a href="http://www.facebook.com/help/196050490547892" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">blue verification checkmark</a></u> identifies media organizations, global brands, or public figures (like <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/KhloeKardashian/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Khloe Kardashian</a></u>).</p>
<p>The gray checkmark means that businesses (like <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Starbucks-149196415109135/?ref=br_rs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Starbucks</a></u>) or certain pages in specific locations are authentic.</p>
<h3><strong>Facebook for Influencers</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image is-resized"><img loading="lazy" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-559-700x212.png" alt="get verified on social media facebook example " class="wp-image-43025" width="700" height="212" /></figure>
<p>To verify your personal account to become an influencer in your industry, begin by ensuring that your Facebook page is updated.</p>
<p>Add a recent profile picture and make sure your profile information is all filled out.</p>
<p>If you haven’t been posting regularly (on Facebook or any social media platform), you’ll need to wait until you’ve regularly posted for a consistent amount of time before trying to verify it.</p>
<p>You’ll also need to make sure your account is authentic, unique, complete, and notable, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/1288173394636262?rdrhc" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according to Facebook</a>:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="263" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/get-verified-facebook-700x263.png" alt="get verified on social media facebook requirements" class="wp-image-99028" /></figure>
</div>
<p>If you’ve completed these steps already, head to Facebook’s <u><a href="https://www.facebook.com/help/contact/342509036134712" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Request a Blue Verification Badge form</a></u>.</p>
<p>Select the kind of page you’re looking to verify and complete the form accordingly by providing an email address, official website link, and more:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="655" height="610" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/facebook-verification.png" alt="get verified on social media facebook requirements screenshot" class="wp-image-99029" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Be sure you have a digital copy of your ID since Facebook will use this upload to verify that it’s really you.</p>
<p>Facebook will process the request within a few days, but it could take a few weeks, so be on the lookout for their reply.</p>
<h3><strong>Facebook for Businesses</strong></h3>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="624" height="215" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-568.png" alt="how to get verified on social media fakebook businesses " class="wp-image-43038" /></figure>
</div>
<p><a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2058515294227817?id=180505742745347" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Business verification on Facebook</a> confirms the account actually belongs to the business.</p>
<p>To verify your business’s Facebook account, head to your Business Manager, then look for security settings. Note that not all businesses need to be verified — and you might not be eligible. For example, if you use Monthly Invoicing to pay for ads, you won’t have to submit any documentation.</p>
<p>Once you find Security Settings, click on the Confirm Identity button. Submit a photo ID or upload the requested documentation. Enter your business details, then select your business from the list.</p>
<p>Then, select a phone number you can access from the list provided or select Use Domain Verification button. You can also select to have the verification code delivered by text or email.</p>
<p>Enter the verification code, and hit Submit.</p>
<p>You should expect to hear back from Facebook about verifying a business page within a few days. You will get a notification on your personal Facebook page when it’s been approved.</p>
<h2><strong>2. Get Verified on Twitter</strong></h2>
<p><u><a href="https://support.twitter.com/articles/20174631" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to Twitter</a></u>, verification indicates an “account of public interest. Typically this includes accounts maintained by users in music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, business, and other key interest areas.”</p>
<p>So if your account doesn’t fit into any of these areas, trying to verify it is pointless.</p>
<p>But if you do, Twitter gives some verification tips to increase your chances of getting verified.</p>
<p>For example, you have to have:</p>
<ol>
<li>A verified phone number</li>
<li>A confirmed email address</li>
<li>A bio</li>
<li>A profile photo</li>
<li>A header photo</li>
<li>A website</li>
<li>A birthday (if your account is not a company, brand, or organization accounts)</li>
<li>Tweets set as public in Tweet privacy settings</li>
</ol>
<p>Once you’ve met all these criteria, you can submit a <u><a href="https://verification.twitter.com/request" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">formal verification request</a></u>. (Note: Twitter sometimes puts their verification process on hold. If that happens, you’ll have to try back another time.)</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="694" height="283" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-563.png" alt="get verified on Twitter" class="wp-image-43029" /></figure>
<p>Be sure to fill out the form and include some backstory, in 500 characters or less, about why Twitter should verify your account.</p>
<p>You’ll also have to provide some website links that back up your claims.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="695" height="537" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-596.png" alt="pasted image 0 596" class="wp-image-43086" /></figure>
<p>You can expect to hear back from Twitter within about a week.</p>
<h2><strong>3. Get Verified on</strong> Instagram</h2>
<p>Out of all social media platforms, Instagram is probably the most selective when handing out verified badges.</p>
<p><u><a href="https://help.instagram.com/854227311295302" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">According to Instagram</a></u>, “Accounts representing well-known figures and brands are verified because they have a high likelihood of being impersonated.”</p>
<p>“We want to make sure that people in the Instagram community can easily find the authentic people and brands they want to follow.”</p>
<p>So becoming verified was pretty easy for someone like <u><a href="https://www.instagram.com/justinbieber/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Justin Bieber</a></u>:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="737" height="193" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-566.png" alt="pasted image 0 566" class="wp-image-43034" /></figure>
<p>If you’ve already got a huge following or you’re a mega brand, Instagram will probably go ahead and verify your page without you having to do anything:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="195" height="325" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-592.png" alt="get verified on Instagram " class="wp-image-43080" /></figure>
</div>
<p>But if you’re not, focus on these two key tactics in the meantime:</p>
<ol>
<li>Build your following and post engaging images.</li>
<li>Add as much identity-supporting information as possible to your profile to make it appear, official, even though there’s no checkmark.</li>
</ol>
<p>If you take the time to make your account legitimate without having the official Instagram seal of approval, people will notice.</p>
<p>And hopefully, after a while, Instagram will too.</p>
<h2><strong>4. Get Verified on LinkedIn</strong></h2>
<p>Since LinkedIn is like Facebook of the professional world, you might think that their verification process would be a lot like Facebook’s.</p>
<p>But it’s not. The LinkedIn verification process works a little bit differently.</p>
<p>LinkedIn hands out check marks on the <u><a href="https://mobile.linkedin.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn Lookup app</a></u>.</p>
<p>These checkmarks prove that someone actually <u><a href="https://www.pinterest.com/networkfindercc/linkedin-vs-xing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">works for the company they’ve specified</a></u>.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="346" height="609" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-560.png" alt="get verified on social media LinkedIn example " class="wp-image-43026" /></figure>
</div>
<p>And this checkmark is miraculously easy to get.</p>
<p>All you have to do is request verification from LinkedIn and wait for a four-digit code to land in your business email address.</p>
<p>Then, enter the code into LinkedIn Lookup, and ta-da! You’re verified.</p>
<p>However, if someone doesn’t have a checkmark on LinkedIn, it doesn’t necessarily mean that their profile isn’t legit.</p>
<p>It probably just means they haven’t completed the verification process yet.</p>
<p>Another way to prove your credibility on LinkedIn is to get an invite to its Influencer program, like <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/today/posts/williamhgates" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bill Gates</a></u>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="985" height="426" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-605.png" alt="pasted image 0 605" class="wp-image-43103" /></figure>
<p>Since LinkedIn doesn’t allow people to apply to the Influencer program, your chances of joining the club with Bill Gates aren’t super high.</p>
<p>But, LinkedIn will be more likely to notice you if you start publishing your content on their platform.</p>
<p>You can also get a gold LinkedIn logo by upgrading to <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140902171557-45433604-advantages-of-a-linkedin-premium-subscription" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">a Premium Membership</a></u> <u><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilkpatel/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">as I did</a></u>.</p>
<p class="has-text-align-left"><img loading="lazy" width="759" height="341" class="wp-image-43069" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-586.png" alt="pasted image 0 586" /><br />
Anyone who pays for a Premium Membership gets this logo, but it makes things look a bit more official than those who don’t have it.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
<div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/MiI-O2lSyLA?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
</div>
</figure>
<h2><strong>5. Get Verified on YouTube</strong></h2>
<p>Verifying your YouTube account and verifying your YouTube channel have almost nothing to do with one another, but they’re usually thought of as the same thing.</p>
<p>Here’s the difference between each kind of verification and why they’re both important.</p>
<h3><strong>Step 1. Verifying Your YouTube Account</strong></h3>
<p>Usually, this can be done once you first make a YouTube account.</p>
<p>YouTube will remind you at the top of your video manager page to give a cell phone number to tie to your account.</p>
<p>Once you’ve done this, and you should, YouTube will send you a verification code that you can enter in to prove that your account is real.</p>
<p><a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/171664?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><u>Completing this step is crazy important</u></a> because you’ll get to enjoy these additional features:</p>
<ul>
<li>Uploads longer than 15 minutes</li>
<li>Add customized thumbnails to your videos.</li>
<li>Live stream</li>
<li>Appeal content ID claims</li>
</ul>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="392" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-572-700x392.png" alt="get verified on social media youTube example" class="wp-image-43045" /></figure>
<h3><strong>Step 2. Verify Your YouTube Channel</strong></h3>
<p>This is that the almighty little checkmark is placed next to a <u><a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">YouTube channel name</a></u>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="175" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-582-700x175.png" alt="get verified on social media vox youtube example " class="wp-image-43061" /></figure>
<p>And tons of creators are trying to get it.</p>
<p>To get it, you’ll need at least 100,000 subscribers and then <a href="https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3046484?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">apply for verification</a>.</p>
<p>They’ll look to see if your channel is authentic and complete and give you the badge.</p>
<h2><strong>6. Get a Verified Account on</strong> Pinterest</h2>
<p>Being verified on Pinterest means that users will know that it’s really your company pinning to boards on the platform. It will display a red checkmark and your URL at the top of your page, like this:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="668" height="502" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/verified-on-pinterst.png" alt="get verified on social media pinterest example " class="wp-image-99031" /></figure>
</div>
<p>To start, make sure that the Pinterest account is a business one and not a personal one.</p>
<p>Then, <u><a href="https://help.pinterest.com/en/articles/confirm-your-website" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">confirm your website</a></u>.</p>
<p>Next, include a “<u><a href="https://help.pinterest.com/en/articles/build-save-it-button-your-site" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pin It</a></u>” button on your site.</p>
<p>From there, change your profile picture to your business logo.</p>
<p>To start, select the <u><a href="http://www.likeable.co.nz/how-to-tell-if-you-are-using-a-personal-or-a-business-pinterest-account/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Settings” option</a></u>:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="369" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-587-700x369.png" alt="get verified on social media Pinterest screenshot" class="wp-image-43074" /></figure>
<p>Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you added in your website URL.</p>
<p>You’ll also want to connect your Instagram, Youtube, and Etsy accounts, if you have them.</p>
<p>Then, click the Verify Website button to the right:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="635" height="282" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-570.png" alt="pasted image 0 570" class="wp-image-43041" /></figure>
<p>Click that, and the following instructions will appear.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="615" height="222" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pint-4.jpg" alt="pint 4" class="wp-image-43071" /></figure>
<p>Follow each step accordingly, and Pinterest will notify you in a few days if you’ve been approved.</p>
<h2><strong>7. Get Verified on</strong> S<strong>napchat</strong></h2>
<p>On Snapchat, verified users get something a bit different than the typical check mark.</p>
<p>They get an emoji of their choice.</p>
<p>For example, <u><a href="http://wojdylosocialmedia.com/kim-kardashian-snapchat-peach-emoji/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Kim Kardashian</a></u> owns the <img src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/twemoji/2/72x72/1f351.png" alt="🍑" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> emoji:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="750" height="1000" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-603.png" alt="pasted image 0 603" class="wp-image-43098" /></figure>
<p>This is important because it’s virtually impossible to find a Snapchat user unless you know exactly what their account name is.</p>
<p>But with the use of emojis, finding any “verified” account becomes easy.</p>
<p>You don’t need to know their account name. You can enter their actual name.</p>
<p>Which is perfect for <u><a href="http://www.celebritypix.us/celebrities/celebrity-numbers-justin-bieber-caa49.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">celebrity accounts</a></u> like Justin Bieber or Kylie Jenner, since their account names are “rickthesizzler” and “kylizzlemynizzl.”</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="800" height="667" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-598.png" alt="pasted image 0 598" class="wp-image-43089" /></figure>
<p>Snapchat has recently taken this a step further by <u><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/official-snapchat-accounts-come-with-special-perks-2016-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">providing a list of related accounts</a></u> to follow when you scan a code with your phone’s camera:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="1024" height="908" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-561.png" alt="pasted image 0 561" class="wp-image-43027" /></figure>
<p>It looks like this will be the status quo for verification on Snapchat for awhile.</p>
<p>If you have a <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/the-4-principles-of-successful-snapchat-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">substantial following on the app</a></u>, reach out to Snapchat representatives and find out if your account is worthy of verification.</p>
<p>You’ll have to provide some proof of your identity if you’re lucky enough to get them to agree to verify your account.</p>
<p>If you aren’t a Snapchat VIP, it might not be worth taking these steps to verify your account.</p>
<p>But, you never know if Snapchat will say yes or no, so it doesn’t hurt to just ask.</p>
<p>You can contact Snapchat through their <u><a href="https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/co/twitter-general" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">“Contact Us” web page</a></u>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="731" height="270" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/pasted-image-0-594.png" alt="pasted image 0 594" class="wp-image-43083" /></figure>
<p>If they deny your request, you can always inquire about becoming verified at a later date once you’ve built an even larger following on their platform.</p>
<p>The more followers and connections you have on the app, the better chances you’ll have of Snapchat verifying you on the social media app.</p>
<h2><strong>8. Get Verified on TikTok </strong></h2>
<p>There are two different types of social media verification on TikTok: the blue check, for brands and organizations, and the yellow check, for public figures and famous creators.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="618" height="296" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/tiktok-verified-account-example.png" alt="get verified on tiktok" class="wp-image-99033" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Currently, you cannot apply to be verified by TikTok, but that option may be available soon. If you have any questions, the sites suggest sending an email to verification_feedback@tiktok.com.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Getting verified on social media isn’t a one-size-fits-all task.</p>
<p>It actually isn’t even possible on all social media networks — Reddit, for example, does not verify any accounts.</p>
<p>If you’ve tried to become verified on <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/which-social-accounts-matter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">social media platforms</a> and were rejected, try to follow the platform’s requirements more closely.</p>
<p>Then, submit your request again once you’ve met all of the criteria.</p>
<p>If you do it right, you can get those check-mark credentials that everyone desires to help you <u><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-a-social-media-branding-strategy-from-scratch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">build brand awareness</a></u>.</p>
<p><em>Which social media platforms do you think are most important for verification?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/social-media-verified/">How to Get Verified on Social Media</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-33229569475731203382020-11-09T15:28:00.001-08:002020-11-09T15:28:07.754-08:00Micro Startup Acquisition: The Definitive Guide to Buying and Selling Small Startups<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="423" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/micro-startup-acquisition.jpg" alt="micro startup acquisition" class="wp-image-99011" /></figure>
<p>The problem with selling your startup is the long exit time. Sometimes it can take as long as seven years before you can sell your business and hop on the next idea.</p>
<p>And the investors? They feel the same way.</p>
<p>Who wants to wait almost a decade to buy a startup when the face of tech is evolving at such a rapid pace? Plus, the price tag on those more established businesses often run into the billions.</p>
<p>That’s an expensive mistake if you make the wrong investment.</p>
<p>The solution? Micro startup acquisitions.</p>
<p>From Facebook to Microsoft, there is a massive trend to seek out tiny teams of five or less, buy them, and use the technology and talent to gain a competitive edge.</p>
<p>In this guide, we’ll discuss the benefits of buying and selling a micro startup, the trends changing M&R strategy, and the top tools you can use to sell (or buy) your startup.</p>
<p>But before we dive into that, we need to look into what micro startup acquisitions are and why you need to sit up and take notice.</p>
<h2 id="h.f6euto89qgjv"><strong>Micro Startup Acquisitions: What Are They, and Why Should I Care?</strong></h2>
<p>Micro startup acquisitions are a move away from buying businesses with established products or even proven revenue streams.</p>
<p>Instead, larger tech companies like Twitter and Pinterest are making investments in small startups. These businesses usually consist of 2 to 3 people, and companies are taking bets on their products that aren’t even fully realized yet.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Companies are becoming more proactive and want to acquire complementary products earlier on in their road maps as a way to outwit the competition and obtain the best talent in the industry.</p>
<p>What does this mean for startups?</p>
<p>Your exit strategy timeline is A LOT shorter. Gone are the days of waiting 5, 7, or 10 years to sell, making it more affordable than ever to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/bootstrap-startup/">bootstrap your startup</a>.</p>
<p>Hike Labs was founded in 2014, and by 2015, Pinterest had swooped in and acquired the San Francisco-based mobile publishing startup.</p>
<h2 id="h.vab5g2725xlu"><strong>Micro Startup Acquisition Trends</strong></h2>
<p>Over the last couple of years, there have been clear trends in why big companies are choosing to invest in these small teams and use them as part of their <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/approach-to-building-growth-strategy/">growth strategy</a>.</p>
<p>More deals are about gaining access to new capabilities or markets. While it’s a trend across sectors, it’s picking up steam in tech where companies are looking to deliver more complete solutions to consumers.</p>
<p>These acquisitions, which focus more on scope than scale, accounted for <a href="https://www.bain.com/insights/the-new-realities-of-tech-ma/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">90% of tech deals in 2019</a>, which is a 40% increase from 2015. It’s a clear indicator that businesses want to expand their offerings and capabilities.</p>
<h3 id="h.mpt8gopln7tz"><strong>It’s Harder to Build the Right Product from Scratch</strong></h3>
<p>No one wants to be late to market.</p>
<p>Yes, the tech giants <em>could</em> develop the software these micro startups are making, but by the time it’s ready for market, a competitor might have rolled a similar product out and taken all the glory.</p>
<p>Or you could make the mistake of investing too much in the wrong idea, and there goes money, time, and resources down the toilet. It’s usually much cheaper to acquire a startup that has done the legwork than get an idea internally developed.</p>
<p>By acquiring micro startups, companies can mitigate both risks and reap the rewards.</p>
<p>For example, HR and finance SaaS vendor <a href="https://blog.workday.com/en-us/2019/workday-acquire-scout-rfp-helping-transform-office-procurement.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Workday bought Scout RFP</a> (a San Francisco startup with a team of 8) for $540 million.</p>
<p>The startup built a cloud-based office procurement system that helps customers streamline supplier management. The acquisition is a step in the right direction for Workday to compete as a holistic enterprise resource planning solution.</p>
<h3 id="h.ift8qi9tqfeg"><strong>The Micro Startup Talent Hunger Games</strong></h3>
<p>It’s no secret that <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/attract-top-talent-linkedin-company-page/">attracting top tier talent</a> can take your business to the next level.</p>
<p>These micro startup acquisitions aren’t only about products. Sometimes it’s the talent that attracts the bigger guys. Micro teams can amplify a company’s <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/company-culture-that-increases-employee-productivity/">productivity</a> while getting rid of the learning curve which comes with new hires.</p>
<p>The innovation and ability to push a startup idea into production mean the team has skills and knowledge that is invaluable to an established company.</p>
<p>For example, when <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2013/08/23/instagram-acquires-tech-and-team-of-video-sharing-app-luma-which-will-shut-down/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Instagram bought Luma</a> (its first acquisition), the tiny three-person team was part of the deal. The Luma team’s knowledge in video stabilization technology was critical in launching Instagram’s complementary app, <a href="https://www.wired.com/2014/08/hyperlapse-instagrams-new-app-is-like-a-15000-video-setup-in-your-hand/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hyperlapse</a>.</p>
<h3 id="h.r612p0i7cixw"><strong>The Attractive Price Point of Micro Startups</strong></h3>
<p>A massive advantage of purchasing micro startups is the price.</p>
<p>It’s way cheaper to go small than fund a big, established company with hundreds of employees.</p>
<p>And the risk of it going under? A much softer blow.</p>
<p>If the investment goes the same way as <a href="https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2020/02/10/tidal-jay-z-lost-100-thousand-2018/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Jay-Z’s Tidal music streaming app</a>, it’s a much smaller amount to write off. Plus, you get to keep the team.</p>
<p>For example:</p>
<p>Microsoft spent $200 million to acquire <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2014/12/01/microsoft-buys-email-app-acompli-for-200m-will-still-support-gmail-and-other-competitors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Accompli</a> and only $100 million for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-acquires-sunrise-calendar-app-for-over-100-million-2015-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sunrise</a>. When you compare that to the $7.5 billion they spent on the acquisition of <a href="https://news.microsoft.com/2018/06/04/microsoft-to-acquire-github-for-7-5-billion/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Github</a>, or their purchase of <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2011/05/10/microsoft-acquires-skype/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Skype</a> for $8.5 billion, that’s quite a bargain.</p>
<p>The same goes for Google acquiring Android for a measly $50 million in 2005 with key employees joining the company. As of 2020, the net worth of Android is estimated to be over <a href="https://www.thewealthrecord.com/celebs-bio-wiki-salary-earnings-2019-2020-2021-2022-2023-2024-2025/other/android-net-worth/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$2.5 billion</a>.</p>
<h3 id="h.r3e85lp9tk50"><strong>The Race for Artificial Intelligence With Micro Startups</strong></h3>
<p>Another major trend in micro startup acquisitions is <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/what-marketers-need-to-know-about-artificial-intelligence-and-augmented-reality/">artificial intelligence</a>. Companies in almost every sector are looking to take advantage of machine learning and integrate it into their products.</p>
<p>When you combine this with the <a href="https://www.cbinsights.com/research/report/ai-trends-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">shortage of AI talent</a>, there is a race to scoop up startups and their teams who are in the early stages of funding and research.</p>
<p>In 2019, Facebook quickly snapped up a visual search startup called <a href="https://venturebeat.com/2019/02/08/facebook-acquires-visual-search-startup-grokstyle/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">GrokStyle</a>, who developed an app that can automatically detect decor and home furniture from a photo. When asked about the acquisition, Facebook responded in a statement that “their team and technology will contribute to our AI capabilities”.</p>
<h2 id="h.8poglkaikz7c"><strong>Tools for Acquiring or Selling Micro Startups and Other Businesses</strong></h2>
<p>Want to cash in on the micro acquisition boom? Whether you’re looking to sell or invest in a small business, there are various tools to help you swipe right and find your perfect match.</p>
<h3 id="h.3tvamawizbt"><strong>Micro Acquire</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="345" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/micro-acquire.jpg" alt="micro acquire" class="wp-image-99016" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://microacquire.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Micro Acquire</a> is a marketplace that connects startups to buyers. The platform is free, private, and has no middlemen.</p>
<p>When you sign up, you’ll get instant access to over 10,000 trusted buyers with total anonymity.</p>
<p>The marketplace is designed to cut down on the time you need to sell your business and find startups to invest in. Once you’ve found a buyer or a seller, you’ll get a letter of intent (LOI) in 30 days or less.</p>
<h4 id="h.wcwwhui1ycd5"><strong>Who Is It For?</strong></h4>
<p>Micro Aquire is for startups with an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of less than $500,000. It’s one of the best platforms for serial entrepreneurs to invest in small companies and grow them into booming successes.</p>
<h4 id="h.jeowed2zobr4"><strong>Key Features</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>30-day closing period.</li>
<li>Filter the listings to find a startup that ticks all your boxes.</li>
<li>Sell your startup by following a quick and simple selling process.</li>
<li>Each seller provides key metrics to give buyers an accurate idea about the sustainability of their business.</li>
<li>No middlemen. The sale is direct between the seller and buyer.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.xzd8cjennphh"><strong>What Does It Cost?</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li><strong>Free:</strong> Micro Aquire is free for sellers and buyers with basic features.</li>
<li><strong>Premium:</strong> For $290 per year, you’ll get the newest listings sent straight to your inbox before the other buyers on the free version. It gives you the chance to review, negotiate, and snap up a deal before anyone else. Plus, Micro Acquire won’t charge any commission from the sale.</li>
</ul>
<h3 id="h.h08tdco29b33"><strong>Flippa</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="313" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/flippa.jpg" alt="flippa" class="wp-image-99015" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://flippa.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Flippa</a> is a marketplace for buying and selling websites, apps, domains, and online businesses.</p>
<p>While it helps to streamline the negotiation and transaction process, it does have a history of scam listings.</p>
<p>If you decide to buy on Flippa, do your due diligence and put the listings under a microscope to make sure it’s legit to find those diamonds in the rough.</p>
<h4 id="h.5ugwhb8s0d7u"><strong>Who Is It For?</strong></h4>
<p>Flippa is an ideal marketplace for small to medium-sized businesses. You can find a range of sellers at any price.</p>
<p>You can buy or sell online businesses and products like:</p>
<ul>
<li>Blogs</li>
<li>E-commerce stores</li>
<li>Affiliate sites</li>
<li>SaaS businesses</li>
<li>Apps</li>
<li>Shopify stores</li>
<li>Amazon FBA stores</li>
<li>Domains</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.w0ikeu3rg5f2"><strong>Key Features</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>The easy-to-use site navigation makes it simple to list your business in under 10 minutes.</li>
<li>There are tons of filtering options to help you find a business that meets your needs and budget.</li>
<li>Choose the “Auction” feature to sell your business within 30 days or set it at a fixed price. Fixed price listings usually take 3-5 months to sell.</li>
<li>The “Broker-Matching Service” connects you to a personal broker who will manage the entire sales process from marketing to closing the deal on your behalf. You will need a net annual profit of at least $100,000 to qualify.</li>
<li>The “Self Service” feature gets you a Flippa account manager to help you with the sales process.</li>
<li>Use Flippa’s free Online Valuation Tool to get a sense of how much your business is worth.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.gxzmz1883rn5"><strong>What Does It Cost?</strong></h4>
<p>Flippa’s listing fees depend on what you’re selling:</p>
<ul>
<li>Starter/template websites: $15</li>
<li>Domains: $10</li>
<li>iOS and Android Apps: $15</li>
<li>Established websites: $49</li>
</ul>
<p>There is also a 10% success fee on each sale, and you can upgrade your listing with various packages starting at $295.</p>
<h3 id="h.5x0pmik434sm"><strong>Tiny Capital</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="411" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/tiny-capital.jpg" alt="tiny capital" class="wp-image-99014" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://www.tinycapital.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tiny Capital</a> is a different breed in the micro acquisition space. Unlike some of the other tools mentioned above, it’s a traditional venture capital firm, with a twist.</p>
<p>Instead of buying companies and becoming a micromanaging nightmare, Tiny has a hands-off approach.</p>
<p>Besides the required monthly and quarterly reports, founders rarely have contact with the firm, with some businesses only speaking to Tiny Capital founder, Andrew Wilkinson, once every six months.</p>
<h4 id="h.baymdd540vs"><strong>Who Is It For?</strong></h4>
<p>Tiny Capital seeks to invest in profitable internet businesses within the information technology sectors.</p>
<p>Think your business would be a good fit?</p>
<p>You need to meet the following requirements:</p>
<ul>
<li>3-5 years in business.</li>
<li>A minimum of $500k per year in annual profit.</li>
<li>A high-quality team.</li>
<li>You have a simple online business with high margins that doesn’t require complex technology or large teams</li>
<li>Your business has a competitive advantage.</li>
</ul>
<p>It’s the perfect micro acquisition option for founders who want a quick sales turn around (most deals are complete within 30 days) and an investor who is going to be seen and not heard.</p>
<h4 id="h.v0tagzucdapa"><strong>Key Features</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>There is a simple selling structure where you can get a full or partial cash payment upfront.</li>
<li>Tiny Capital has a simple 30-day sales cycle that includes a 15-day due diligence process.</li>
<li>Founders can stay or go.</li>
<li>No culture change required.</li>
<li>No in-person meetings before or after the sale.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.ly2j2q284oen"><strong>What Does It Cost?</strong></h4>
<p>There are no upfront costs with Tiny. All you need to do is contact the team, and you’ll get a response within 48 hours. If Tiny likes your business, you’ll get an offer within 7 days.</p>
<h3 id="h.krsnmvets9qe"><strong>FE International</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="405" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/fe-international.jpg" alt="fe international" class="wp-image-99013" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://feinternational.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">FE International</a> is an acquisition advisory team for businesses earning five figures or more. With a 94.1% sales success rate, it’s one of the top tools for micro startup acquisitions.</p>
<p>As a full-service M&A (mergers and acquisitions service), the platform has integrated solutions for all the major elements of a successful acquisition. From valuation to exit planning to post-sale considerations, it’s all handled under one roof.</p>
<h4 id="h.x4f608nks0ll"><strong>Who Is It For?</strong></h4>
<p>FE International specializes in selling websites in the SaaS, content, and e-commerce industries. It’s an excellent choice for startups within the 5 to 8 figure range who want top-tier support throughout the sales process.</p>
<h4 id="h.1h13fscpsx4f"><strong>Key Features</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>FE has a high sales success rate compared to its competitors.</li>
<li>It has a vetted investor network of 50,000 people, ensuring only qualified, seasoned professionals view information about your business.</li>
<li>Several brokers are always available to minimize disruptions in the sales process.</li>
<li>To help you get the best possible deal, FE International creates a thorough sales plan and marketing materials to attract qualified buyers.</li>
<li>FE brokers will approach several pre-screened and vetted investors and negotiate the best deal on your behalf.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.2vzt6zd46mru"><strong>What Does It Cost?</strong></h4>
<p>There are no listing fees for sellers or joining fees for investors. Brokers are paid a 15% commission fee on all sales, and there is a buyer transaction fee of 2.5% with a maximum threshold of $1,000.</p>
<h3 id="h.wudkeo3eyuzm"><strong>Empire Flippers</strong></h3>
<figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="303" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/empire-flippers.jpg" alt="empire flippers" class="wp-image-99012" /></figure>
<p>Since opening its doors in 2013, <a href="https://empireflippers.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Empire Flippers</a> has sold over $93,000,000 worth of websites and online businesses with an impressive 88% selling success rate.</p>
<h4 id="h.jc5lwk9jwgqr"><strong>Who Is It For?</strong></h4>
<p>Empire Flippers is interested in websites within the following categories:</p>
<ul>
<li>Google AdSense/Display Advertising Sites</li>
<li>Amazon Affiliate Sites</li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-affiliate-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Affiliate Sites</a></li>
<li>Dropshipping Sites</li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ecommerce-marketing-course/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">E-commerce Stores</a></li>
<li>SaaS Businesses</li>
<li>Lead Generation Sites</li>
<li>Amazon FBA</li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/app-store-optimization/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mobile Apps</a></li>
<li>Productized Services</li>
</ul>
<p>There is an intensive seller vetting process to ensure only quality listings make it onto the marketplace, and there is a dedicated team for each step of the process.</p>
<p><strong>To qualify for a listing on Empire Flippers, you must meet the following requirements:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Your business or website must have a 6-month solid track record of at least $1000 profit per month.</li>
<li>You must be using Google Analytics for the past 6 months.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.73wc3nwiedo4"><strong>Key Features</strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>Empire Flippers has a dedicated migrations team to take care of transferring your new business to you.</li>
<li>Get an estimate on how much your business is worth on Empire Flippers before you start the vetting process.</li>
<li>New listings are sent out via email to a list of over 45,000 people.</li>
<li>If you list with Empire Flippers, you will need to agree to not list your business anywhere else for 2 months. Sellers also need to sign a 3-year non-compete agreement.</li>
</ul>
<h4 id="h.22huqu5o5okc"><strong>What Does It Cost?</strong></h4>
<p>Empire Flippers has a $297 listing fee for first-time sellers. But if your listing is declined, it is 100% refundable.</p>
<p>If you’re a repeat seller, you’ll only pay $97 to list your site.</p>
<p>Potential buyers must pay a refundable 5% deposit fee to gain access to a listings URL, P&L, and <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/google-analytics-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Google Analytics</a>.</p>
<p>There are commission fees ranging from 8% to 15% depending on the final sale price.</p>
<h2 id="h.78qhh37swxnz"><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>The race is on for micro startup acquisitions.</p>
<p>Companies who understand <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-an-online-marketing-plan-that-will-grow-nearly-any-business/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the benefits of expanding their scope</a> by adding complementary products and talent to their portfolio will reap the rewards.</p>
<p>Companies who forgo adding micro acquisitions as part of their mergers and acquisitions strategy are going to get left in the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/spy-competition/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">dust by competitors</a> and struggle to find top-tier talent.</p>
<p>In short, there is no better time to be a desirable tiny startup.</p>
<p><em>Have you ever sold or acquired a micro startup? What has been your experience?</em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/micro-startups/">Micro Startup Acquisition: The Definitive Guide to Buying and Selling Small Startups</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-64817024060846264512020-11-09T13:27:00.001-08:002020-11-09T13:27:44.361-08:007 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/eye-tracking.jpg" alt="7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-99010" /></figure>
<p>With the ability to take a lot of guesswork out of conversion rate optimization, eye-tracking software and heat maps can reveal some startling insights into increasing conversions (and avoiding sales killers) that can benefit every business.</p>
<p>Here are 7 important eye-tracking studies that give a sneak peek into common browsing patterns and elements of human behavior that all marketers need to know.</p>
<h2><strong>1. Eye Tracking Shows We Must Avoid “Dead Weight” Visuals</strong></h2>
<p>You don’t have to be an expert in UX (user experience) to understand the importance of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Fitts’s law</a>.</p>
<p>While seemingly complicated at first glance, one of the fundamental lessons Fitts’s law communicates is that object “weight” (in the visual hierarchy) is a big determinant in what attracts eyes and mouse clicks.</p>
<p>Consider this recent <a href="http://www.techwyse.com/blog/website-conversion/using-heat-maps-for-improved-landing-page-conversion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">case study</a> from TechWyse that examined the homepage of a truck service with a heat map:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="549" height="254" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/2-towing-trucks.jpg" alt="tow truck case study 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20904" /></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/3-towing-truck-eye-tracking-study.jpg" alt="eyes all over the place | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20905" /></figure>
</div>
<p>As you can see from the first test, the non-clickable “NO FEES” button was hogging a lot of attention, but it is not <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/c-o-n-v-e-r-t-s/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a call-to-action</a> and its information isn’t the most important on the page.</p>
<p>That’s no good.</p>
<p>Also, it is right next to one of the most important <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-ctas-increase-conversions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">CTAs</a> on the page (the phone number) and it stands out <i>so much</i> that it actually is drawing people away from other more important elements.</p>
<p>Take a look at the changes they made to alleviate this problem.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="549" height="263" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/4-towing-truck.jpg" alt="tow truck case study improvement | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20906" /></figure>
</div>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/5-tower.jpg" alt="tower | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20907" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Much better!</p>
<p>The <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/buy-now-buttons/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">“Call Now” button</a> clearly is getting a lot of attention over every other section on the page, which is great because it is how customers get started contacting the business!</p>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> When you are assembling a persuasive landing page, be sure the elements that “pop” are the ones that matter, and that you aren’t giving too much weight to visuals that don’t encourage customers to take action.</p>
<h2><strong>2. Eye Tracking Shows The Effect of Video on Search Results</strong></h2>
<p>Most marketers have seen those SERP (search engine results page) heat maps that show the top 3 rankings hogging all of the action… But what role do visual elements play in holding visitor attention?</p>
<p>In an interesting heat map study published on <a href="http://moz.com/blog/eyetracking-google-serps" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Moz</a>, videos were shown to be particularly powerful in capturing eyeballs through eye tracking, even when they weren’t the #1 result.</p>
<p>As you can see below, both <i>direct</i> video results (such as a hosted YouTube video) and <i>embedded</i> video results (videos embedded on a webpage) commanded more attention than a regular search listing, especially if they were near the top of the results.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/6-direct-video.jpg" alt="direct video | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20908" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Why video?</p>
<p>Video is usually is interpreted as a product video. However, instead of assuming, <i>test</i> to see if it impacts your search traffic for top keywords.</p>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> If you want to stand out at the top of some competitive search results, you may want to test an embedded video rather than authorship for product pages.</p>
<h2>3. The Power of Directional Cues’ Eye Tracking</h2>
<p>Using visual cues to guide visitors to key areas of your site is nothing new, but just how effective is it?</p>
<p>According to studies such as the aptly named <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22512343" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><i>Eye Gaze Cannot be Ignored</i></a>, it is incredibly effective. Human beings have a natural tendency to follow the gaze of others, and we have been coached since birth to follow arrows directing us to where we should be looking and going.</p>
<p>Consider the following eye tracking heat map example that included a page with a baby and a compelling headline for taking care of the baby’s skin.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/7-baby-face.jpg" alt="baby face website study | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20909" /></figure>
</div>
<p>It’s obvious that the baby’s face is drawing a lot of attention. (As a matter of fact, faces of babies and pretty women <a href="http://unbounce.com/conversion-rate-optimization/images-and-conversion-rates/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">draw the longest gazes from all visitors.</a>)</p>
<p>Unfortunately, from a marketing standpoint, this is a problem because the copy isn’t commanding enough attention.</p>
<p>Now look at the browsing patterns when an image of the baby facing the text was used.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/8-baby-face-eye-tracking.jpg" alt="baby face eye tracking | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20910" /></figure>
</div>
<p>As you can see from the eye tracking heat map, users focused on the baby’s face again (from the side) and directly followed the baby’s line of sight to the headline and opening copy. Even the area of text that the baby’s chin was pointing to was read more!</p>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> Visuals are an important part of a site’s overall design, but most pages can be optimized by including images that serve as visual cues for where visitors should look next.</p>
<h2><strong>4. Eye Tracking Studies Show The F-Pattern Works Across the Board</strong></h2>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.nngroup.com/articles/f-shaped-pattern-reading-web-content/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this study</a> from the Nielsen Group, all across articles, e-commerce sites, and search engine results, people almost always browse in an F-shaped pattern that heavily favors the left side of the screen.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/9-f-pattern.jpg" alt="F pattern website reading | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20911" /></figure>
</div>
<p>This coincides with <a href="http://www.nngroup.com/articles/horizontal-attention-leans-left/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">additional research</a> that shows people tend to view the left side of the screen overall far more than the right.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/10-pixels-from-left-edge.jpg" alt="pixels from left edge | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20912" /></figure>
</div>
<p>It is important to note all of these studies were conducted with English speaking (and reading) participants. The <b>opposite</b> was true for those users whose languages read from right to left.</p>
<p>Is it any wonder that some of the most tested websites in the world (like Amazon) have placed a clear priority on the left sides of their homepages?</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/11-amazon-on-the-left.jpg" alt="amazon on the left | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20913" /></figure>
</div>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> Web users tend to browse sites based on their reading habits. For English speaking people (and languages with similar reading patterns), the left side of the screen is heavily favored, and <i>all</i> sites tend to be browsed in an F-pattern.</p>
<h2><strong>5. Eye Tracking Shows “The Fold” isn’t <i>That</i> Important</strong></h2>
<p>Relying on the screen above “the fold” to do all of the heavy lifting is one of the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/7-usability-mistakes/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">biggest usability mistakes</a> you can make. The idea that it is the only place web users will browse is <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/why-the-fold-is-a-myth/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a complete myth</a>.</p>
<p>Multiple tests (including <a href="http://blog.clicktale.com/2006/12/23/unfolding-the-fold/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this one</a> and <a href="https://www.cxpartners.co.uk/our-thinking/the_myth_of_the_page_fold_evidence_from_user_testing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">this other one</a>) have shown that users have <i>no problem</i> scrolling down below the fold. Surprisingly, they will browse even further down if the length of the page is longer.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="550" height="406" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/12-the-fold-isnt-that-important.jpg" alt="1the fold isnt that important | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20914" /></figure>
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<p>KISSmetrics conducted an <a href="http://www.quicksprout.com/2012/12/20/the-science-behind-long-copy-how-more-content-increases-rankings-and-conversions/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">interesting A/B test</a> on his homepage and found that a page with 1,292 words <b>beat</b> a page with 488 words by 7.6%. And it didn’t end there. The leads from the long-form version of the page were higher in quality than the leads from the variation.</p>
<p>Another <a href="http://contentverve.com/how-moving-the-call-to-action-below-the-fold-generated-a-304-lift/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">great test</a> from the folks at ContentVerve showed that moving the call-to-action far below the fold actually <i>boosted</i> conversions by 304 percent.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="667" height="621" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/13-moving-call-to-action.jpg" alt="moving call to action | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20915" /></figure>
</div>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> Although it’s dependent on the page you are testing, you shouldn’t be afraid of placing important elements below the fold (and testing them there), because it gives people time to read your copy before they take action.</p>
<h2><strong>6. Eye Tracking Proves That Newsletters Should Be Short and Sweet</strong></h2>
<p>Who’d have thought that eye tracking <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/email-marketing-lessons-obama/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">and email marketing</a> could be best of friends?</p>
<p>According to <a href="http://www.nngroup.com/articles/email-newsletters-inbox-congestion/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">this eye tracking study</a> conducted by the Nielsen Group, people scan emails <b>very</b> quickly, and the only areas they give any appreciable amount of time to at all are the initial copy and headlines.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/14-webby-awards.jpg" alt="keep newsletters short | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20916" /></figure>
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<p>From the study:</p>
<p>Users are extremely fast at both processing their inboxes and reading newsletters. The average time allocated to a newsletter after opening it was only <b>51 seconds</b>.</p>
<p>This means that you need to get to the point in your emails in under a minute. The message should be as compelling as that of an online article, but you don’t have as much time to capture attention as you might in an article.</p>
<p>This coincides with <a href="http://sherpablog.marketingsherpa.com/email-marketing/aweber-subject-line-test/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">a study from MarketingSherpa</a> that shows people prefer short, clear, and un-creative headlines for their emails. (Creative headlines can seem mysterious, and mystery in an inbox may equal spam.)</p>
<p>Truly a situation where the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">KISS principle</a> applies!</p>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> Once you’ve earned the right to appear in a prospect’s inbox, be sure to keep that privilege by crafting emails that are clear and get to the point quickly. You don’t have as much time to broadcast your message as you would in an online article.</p>
<h2><strong>7. Eye Tracking Proves The Power of Pre-Sale Prices</strong></h2>
<p>If you’ve ever seen this video by Dan Ariely, you know that sometimes seemingly “useless” price points actually are quite <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/5-psychological-studies/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">important for increasing conversions</a>.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio">
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<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/9X68dm92HVI?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
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</figure>
<p>One common pricing element that fits the bill here is the “pre-sale” price. It isn’t literally used by customers because they don’t pay that price… But is it still “used” to evaluate the new price?</p>
<p>In an effort to answer this question, Robert Stevens of THiNK Eye Tracking <a href="http://archive.today/2013.01.08-094403/http://thinkeyetracking.com/2009/10/behavioural-economics-and-eye-tracking/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">conducted a test</a> that examined how people look at prices and products on shelves.</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="560" height="322" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/15-price-products-on-shelves.jpg" alt="price products on shelves | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20917" /></figure>
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<p>In the initial test, results weren’t too surprising. Most people spent time looking at prices and product packaging.</p>
<p>But if the pre-sale price was included, would people look at it?</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="560" height="358" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/16-pre-sale-price-included.jpg" alt="pre sale price included | 7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies" class="wp-image-20918" /></figure>
</div>
<p>They did!</p>
<p>Better yet, Stevens also tested perception of the sale price to see if viewing the pre-sale price played a role.</p>
<p>These were his findings:</p>
<p>After consumers selected the smoothie of their choice, I asked them if their purchase was a good value for the money on a 7 point “like” scale (with 1 being very good value for the money and 7 being not very good value for the money).</p>
<p>Consumers who saw only the promotional item gave a mean score of 2.4. Consumers who saw the promotional item next to a full-price premium offer gave it 1.7, even though they purchased the same item!</p>
<p>Basically, humans are pretty bad at evaluating price without contextual clues (as argued by <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9X68dm92HVI" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ariely in this TED talk</a>). We find it much easier to make decisions when we have something to base them on.</p>
<p>That’s why people often view a sale price as a better value when they can see what they really are saving. Without that contextual clue, the sale price is hard to evaluate because they don’t know what the product usually sells for.</p>
<p><b>Lesson learned:</b> Sometimes “useless” prices like pre-sale prices can be used by customers to evaluate the value of a potential purchase.</p>
<p><b>About the Author:</b> Gregory Ciotti is the marketing strategist for Help Scout, a <a href="https://www.helpscout.net/zendesk-alternative/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Zendesk alternative</a> made for small businesses that want help desk software with a personal touch. Get more data-driven content from Greg by downloading his <a href="https://www.helpscout.net/resources/10-ways-to-convert-more-customers/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">free guide on converting more customers (with psychology)</a>.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/eye-tracking-studies/">7 Marketing Lessons from Eye-Tracking Studies</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-88324478964449892162020-11-09T04:28:00.001-08:002020-11-09T04:28:55.124-08:00So, You’Ve Won An Exciting Redesign…What Now?<p><img src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/featured_nowwhat-scaled.jpg" align="left" alt="" width="100%" style="max-width:100%;width:auto;" /> The transitioning of power is fraught with difficulties. Different teams have different values, different experience, different expertise, different priorities, and that leads to different tooling, and different methodologies.</p>
<p>It’s tempting to think of web design as an end-to-end process, starting with research and concluding with metrics. The reality is that most designers and developers join projects part-way through an ongoing process.</p>
<p>That leaves us with a difficult choice: do we try and meet the client’s expectations with our own toolset, or adapt to the tools and processes that are already in place?</p>
<p>For anyone who’s taking over a web project from a different designer/developer/agency (D/D/A), here’s a practical guide to help you make a success of the transition.</p>
<h1>Step 1: Find Out What Went Wrong</h1>
<p>99.99% of the time, something broke down in the previous client-D/D/A relationship.</p>
<p>In my experience it’s almost never about money. Most clients are willing to pay above the basic market rate if they believe they’re receiving a good return on their investment. A client that tells you the previous D/D/A is simply too expensive is anticipating negotiating <em>your</em> fees.</p>
<div class="simplePullQuote right">
<p>happy clients don’t shop around</p>
</div>
<p>Occasionally you’ll find that a freelance designer has been headhunted by an agency, and is no longer available. Occasionally the company outgrows a D/D/A, moving into areas that the D/D/A doesn’t support. But these situations are rare, happy clients — even moderately content clients — don’t shop around. If they’re speaking to you, something motivated them to do so.</p>
<p>It is alarmingly common that a D/D/A simply goes AWOL. It’s most common at the lower end of the market where the sums of money involved are less likely to prompt a legal dispute. Frequently, an unreputable D/D/A will ghost a client in favour of a better, newer opportunity.</p>
<p>Sometimes the client hires a new manager, and the new manager ushers in revised expectations that the previous D/D/A can’t meet.</p>
<p>Most commonly, the previous D/D/A has dropped the ball one too many times — mistakes happen, and reasonable clients will tolerate them provided they are rectified promptly, but everyone has their limits.</p>
<p>Most clients will be more than happy to explain what went wrong in the previous relationship; it will inevitably be a one-sided explanation, but it will help you to understand the client’s expectations.</p>
<p>Be extremely wary of a client who doesn’t know what went wrong. Be even more wary of a client who talks about “upgrading” their outsourcing — they’re trying to flatter you. In these cases the client may well be hiding something — like their failure to pay invoices.</p>
<p>Remember: at some point the previous D/D/A was new, and excited about having a new client, was optimistic about the project, and it didn’t end well. The best way to not repeat mistakes is to learn from them, and to do that you need to know what they were.</p>
<h1>Step 2: Carry Out a Comprehensive Audit</h1>
<p>We’re often so eager to secure new work, that we rush to have the client sign on the dotted line, expecting to be able to tackle any problems later.</p>
<p>It is imperative that as a professional, you keep your promises. Before you make those promises, take your time to understand the project and related business. If a client is invested enough to sign a contract with you they won’t mind you doing due diligence first.</p>
<h2>Is There Still a Relationship With the Previous Designer/Developer/Agency?</h2>
<p>Clients rarely have a full picture of their project — they’re not web professionals, if they were they’d be building their own sites. Your best source of information is the previous D/D/A.</p>
<p>Before you contact the previous D/D/A check with your client; it’s possible they don’t know they’re being replaced yet. If your client is fine with it, then reach out.</p>
<p>When you speak to the previous D/D/A be sensitive to the fact that you’re taking money out of their pocket. Certainly the previous D/D/A may tell you where to go, they may ignore you altogether, but most will be pragmatic about handing over a project if only to ensure their final invoice to their now ex-client is paid promptly.</p>
<p>Every site has its idiosyncrasies, if you can establish a friendly rapport with the previous D/D/A then the transition will be considerably less bumpy.</p>
<h2>Who Controls the Domain Name(s)?</h2>
<p>In my opinion a company’s domain name(s) should always be held by the company; it’s such an essential business asset that it should be guarded as jealously as the company’s bank accounts.</p>
<p>Unfortunately there are businesses that outsource everything to do with the web. If the break with the previous D/D/A is acrimonious then securing the domain name could be problematic.</p>
<p>It’s not your job to secure the domain name — you have no leverage, the client does. It is your job to impress upon the client how mission-critical the domain name(s) is.</p>
<h2>Who Controls the Hosting?</h2>
<p>Hosting arrangements vary from project to project. It’s not uncommon, nor unreasonable, for the previous D/D/A to be hosting the client’s site on their own space. If that is the case, be prepared to migrate it quickly either to your own server, or a dedicated space.</p>
<p>If you’re migrating onto a new space pay particular attention to the email provision. Taking over a project usually means taking over a live project, and that usually means email accounts.</p>
<p>In any case, you need full access to the hosting space. You certainly need FTP access, you probably need SSH access.</p>
<p>In addition to hosting, check if your client’s site uses a CDN, and if it does, who has control of it.</p>
<h2>Backend Source Code</h2>
<p>Once you have FTP access to the hosting server you can probably grab all backend code from the server.</p>
<p>The benefit of grabbing the code from the server — as opposed to accepting files from the previous D/D/A — is that you can be absolutely certain you’re getting the current (working) code.</p>
<p>If the client has broken with the previous D/D/A because they were unable to deliver on a particular task, you do not want to be working with files that have been partially modified.</p>
<p><strong>Fresh Installs</strong></p>
<p>If you’re working with something like a CMS, it’s often a good idea to run a fresh install on your server, and then copy across any templates, plugins, and migrate the database.</p>
<h2>Frontend Source Code</h2>
<p>When it comes to acquiring source code, frontend code is far more problematic than backend.</p>
<div class="simplePullQuote right">
<p>frontend code is far more problematic than backend</p>
</div>
<p>If the previous D/D/A is even part-way competent then the CSS and JavaScript on the web space is minified. Minified CSS is not too problematic and can be unminified fairly easily, but you do not want to be unpicking a minified JavaScript file — I once had a project in which a developer had minified his own code in the same file with all of his dependencies, including both Vue and jQuery [yes, I <em>know</em>].</p>
<p>Dealing with frontend source code can take on an additional dimension if you discover that the previous D/D/A used techniques you don’t — using Less instead of Sass, or writing scripts in TypeScript.</p>
<p><strong>Unminifying CSS & JavaScript</strong></p>
<p>Unminifying (or <em>beautifying</em>, or <em>prettifying</em>) code is reasonably easy. There are tools online that will help, including <a href="https://unminify.com/">Unminify</a>, <a href="https://www.freeformatter.com/">Online CSS Unminifier</a>, <a href="https://www.freeformatter.com/">FreeFormatter</a>, <a href="https://onlinetoolkit.net/js-minify-unminify/">JS Minify Unminify</a>, and more. You’ll also find plenty of extensions for code editors including <a href="https://packagecontrol.io/packages/HTML-CSS-JS%20Prettify">HTML-CSS-JS Prettify</a> for Sublime Text, and <a href="https://atom.io/packages/atom-beautify">Atom-Beautify</a> for Atom. You’ll find that some editors have the functionality built in.</p>
<p>A word of warning: code beautification does not restore comments, and in the case of JavaScript, does not unobfuscate variable names. Beautifying code is no substitute for a copy of the original, unminified source code.</p>
<p><strong>Emergency Measures</strong></p>
<p>If unminifying the source code isn’t possible for any reason, or more likely, the unminified JavaScript still looks like minified code — albeit nicely formatted minified code — then your last resort is to import the code and override it where necessary.</p>
<p>The first thing to do in this case is to explain the situation to your client. Make sure they understand this is a temporary patch that you’ll iron-out as you rebuild parts of the project.</p>
<p>Then, copy and paste the old minified code into a fresh project setup. For CSS that probably means creating a <em>legacy.scss</em> file, including the old CSS, and importing it into your own Sass. For JavaScript, create a <em>legacy.js</em> file, add all the old JS, and import that.</p>
<p>This will result in a much bigger set of files than necessary, you may end up using <em>!important</em> in your style declarations [yuck], and you’ll trigger lots of Lighthouse warnings about surplus code.</p>
<p>However, in the likely event that your client has a long list of changes they wanted live yesterday, this dirty hack will give you a working site that you can then rebuild piece by piece over time.</p>
<h2>Assets</h2>
<p>Assets normally means images, and images can normally be grabbed via FTP.</p>
<p>Occasionally — although less occasionally now image files rarely contain text — you’ll need the source files to make changes to images.</p>
<p>Whether or not the client has them, or if the previous D/D/A will hand them over, depends largely on the agreement between the client and the previous D/D/A.</p>
<p>Most businesses are reasonably aware of the importance of brand assets, so you’ll probably find they at least have a copy of their logo; whether it’s an SVG or a JPG is another matter entirely. Impress upon them the importance of locating those files for you.</p>
<h2>Third Party Code</h2>
<p>It is rare to receive a project that doesn’t rely on third party code. That third party code is probably entwined in the custom source code, and unpicking it is a time-consuming job.</p>
<p>It is very likely the previous D/D/A used a library or framework, and given the increasing number of them, it’s even more likely that the library or framework they used is not the one you prefer.</p>
<p>Whether you choose to unpick the code and swap out the previous D/D/A’s dependencies for your own preferences (usually faster in the long term), or whether you choose to work with what you’re given (usually faster in the short term) is entirely up to you.</p>
<p>In my experience it’s no hardship to pick up another CSS library; switching from one JavaScript framework to another is a substantially bigger job involving not just syntax but core concepts.</p>
<h2>Beware Build Environments</h2>
<p>Everyone has their own way of doing things. Some D/D/As embrace build environments, some do not. Some build environments are simple to use, some are not. Some build environments are adaptable to your process, some are not.</p>
<div class="simplePullQuote right">
<p>Unlike adopting a library, or even a framework, adopting a new build process is rarely a good idea</p>
</div>
<p>Build environments are numerous — Gulp, Grunt, and Webpack are all popular — and D/D/As are <em>almost</em> as opinionated about them as they are about CMS.</p>
<p>In lieu of raw files, it’s not uncommon for the previous D/D/A to tell you to “just run such-and-such CLI” command, to match up your local environment to theirs. Unlike adopting a library, or even a framework, adopting a new build process is rarely a good idea because you’re relegating yourself from expert to novice at a time when you’ve yet to earn your new client’s trust.</p>
<p>Stand your ground. Their approach failed, that’s why you’ve been brought in. You do you.</p>
<h2>Who is Licensed?</h2>
<p>Any third part code that has been paid for is licensed. Always check who holds these licenses. As well as being legally required, valid licenses are normally required for updates, bug fixes, and in some cases support.</p>
<p>Common pitfalls include: font licenses (which may be licensed under the previous D/D/A’s Creative Cloud, Fontstand, Monotype, etc. account); stock image licenses (which may be licensed for use by the previous D/D/A alone); and plugins (which are frequently bulk-licensed to D/D/As in bundles).</p>
<p>It’s depressingly common to find clients using unlicensed assets. On more than one occasion I’ve had to explain to a client the potential consequences of using pirated fonts.</p>
<p>Fortunately it’s increasingly common for third party providers to attach a licence to a specified domain, which means you may be able to claim the licence on behalf of your client. Major suppliers like CMS and ecommerce solutions frequently have an option for the previous developer to release a licence and allow you to claim it.</p>
<p>In the case of licensing, if you’re unsure, do not be afraid to reach out to the third party provider and check with them if your client is licensed once they break ties with their previous D/D/A.</p>
<p>The only thing that sours a client relationship faster than telling them they need to buy a license they thought they’d already paid for, is telling them they’re being sued for copyright infringement.</p>
<p>Protect your client, and protect yourself, by making sure everything is licensed properly. If you can get something in writing to that effect from the previous D/D/A, do.</p>
<h2>Who Has the Research and Analytics?</h2>
<p>One of the major benefits of taking over a site, as opposed to building from scratch, is that you have a measurable set of site-specific data to guide your decision making.</p>
<p>This only applies if you have the data, so ask to be added to the client’s analytics account.</p>
<p>There’s a strong chance that the design research carried out by the previous D/D/A is considered an internal document, not a deliverable, by the previous D/D/A. Check with your client: if they paid for the research (is it specified on an invoice?) then they’re entitled to a copy.</p>
<h2>We Have a Blog Too…</h2>
<p>Clients have a tendency to use the term “website” as a catch-all term for everything digital.</p>
<p>When you take responsibility for a website, you’re almost always expected to take responsibility for any digital service the client uses. That means, newsletter services like Mailchimp, customer service accounts like Intercom, and 227,000 page WordPress blogs that they forgot to mention in the initial brief.</p>
<p>Repeat the whole of <em>Step 2</em> for every additional app, micro-site, blog, and anything else the client has, unless you are expressly told by the client not to.</p>
<h1>Step 3: The Point of No Return</h1>
<p>Up until now, you haven’t asked the client to sign on the dotted line. This whole process is part of your due diligence.</p>
<p>By checking these things you can identify unforeseen problems, and potential costs. Are you tied to an obscure build process? Do you need to relicense the CMS? Do you need to recreate all of the site assets?</p>
<div class="simplePullQuote right">
<p>Some of these conversations are hard to have, but the time to have them is now</p>
</div>
<p>If there is any question of the project being more complex than anticipated, have an honest conversation with your client — they will appreciate your transparency, and they’ll appreciate being kept informed. Any client who doesn’t value a clear picture of what they’re paying you for, isn’t a client you want.</p>
<p>Some of these conversations are hard to have, but the time to have them is now, not three months down the line.</p>
<p>This is the point of no return. From this point on, any problems aren’t the previous D/D/A’s, they’re yours.</p>
<h2>Change the Passwords</h2>
<p>For every service you have, from the newsletter login, to the CMS login, to the FTP details, change the password. (Make sure you notify the client.)</p>
<h2>Set Up a Staging Site</h2>
<p>You’re going to need a staging site so your new client can preview the work you’ve done for them.</p>
<p>Set the staging site up immediately, before you’ve made any changes to the code. In doing so you’ll discover early on if there are files missing, or issues with the files you do have.</p>
<h1>Successfully Transitioning a Project</h1>
<p>When a client commissions a site from scratch they are filled with expectation. The fact that they are leaving their previous D/D/A and seeking you out demonstrates that their experience fell short of their hopes.</p>
<p>You now have a client with realistic — perhaps even pessimistic — expectations. You have a benchmark against which your work can be objectively measured.</p>
<p>When problems arise, as they invariably will, never try to blame the previous D/D/A; it was your job to assess the state of play before you started work. If there is an issue with legacy assets, you should have brought it to your client’s attention early on.</p>
<p>If you learn from the previous D/D/A’s mistakes, you won’t be handing the project on to someone else any time soon.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><em>Featured image <a href="https://unsplash.com/@madebyvadim?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText">via Unsplash</a>.</em></p>
<p><a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2020/11/so-youve-won-an-exciting-redesignwhat-now/">Source</a></p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-63001102792222998982020-11-08T03:27:00.001-08:002020-11-08T03:27:35.252-08:00Popular Design News of the Week: November 2, 2020 – November 8, 2020<p><img src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/featured-1.jpg" align="left" alt="" width="100%" style="max-width:100%;width:auto;" /> Every week users submit a lot of interesting stuff on our sister site Webdesigner News, highlighting great content from around the web that can be of interest to web designers.</p>
<p>The best way to keep track of all the great stories and news being posted is simply to check out the <a href="http://www.webdesignernews.com/">Webdesigner News</a> site, however, in case you missed some here’s a quick and useful compilation of the most popular designer news that we curated from the past week.</p>
<h1>Gmail’s New Logo is a Mess – This Amateur Designer Fixed it</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3514888" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/gmail.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>GitHub Source Code Leak</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3516050" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/github.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>What’s the Average Web Designer’s Salary? A Deep Dive into 2020</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3514973" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/salary.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>All the Resources You Need for Front End Development</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3511655" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/frontend.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Flat Illustrations – 100 Neat Illustrations for Websites and Apps</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3510521" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/illustrations.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>15 WordPress Plugins Every Content Creator Needs</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3509051" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/plugins.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>9 Essential Elements of a Modern Website Design</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3514061" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/modern.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>30 Classic Ideas that Serve as Logo Design Inspirations in 2020</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3511658" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/classicideas.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Color Contrast Mistakes that Weaken Button Hierarchy</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3515116" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/contrast.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>How to Improve Conversions Using Color Psychology</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3515114" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/conversions.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>20+ Free Design Resources for Developers</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3513688" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/20resources.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>CSS Grid Layout Module Level 3</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3502426" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/gridlayout.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>25 Striking Logo Color Schemes to Inspire your Branding</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3514715" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/striking.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Cirrus V0.6 – A Component Centric CSS Framework for Fast Prototyping</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3511542" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/cirrus.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>What is the Best Digital Marketing Strategy?</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3511901" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/marketing.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>What Should I Build? – Project Ideas for People Who are Learning Web Development</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3513162" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/build.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Introducing the 1st Design-to-Development Platform</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3503329" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/platform.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Free Typography Logo Maker</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3516856" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/logomaker.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>The Caretaker – A Pure CSS Horror/Puzzle Game</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3507943" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/caretaker.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Getting the WordPress Block Editor to Look like the Front End Design</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3515308" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/blockeditor.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Copying is the Way Design Works</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3511573" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/copying.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Six Principles of System Design</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3512509" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/systemdesign.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Apple Silicon Mac Event Announced</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3512339" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/silicon.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>4 Types of Sales Visuals that Increase Conversions</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3508343" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/visuals.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<h1>Chasing the Pixel-Perfect Dream</h1>
<p><a class="post-title" href="https://www.webdesignernews.com/redirect/id/3512758" rel="nofollow"><img style="max-width:100%;" class="image-border" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/11/pixelperfect.jpg" alt="" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p><strong><em>Want more? No problem! Keep track of top design news from around the web with <a href="http://www.webdesignernews.com/">Webdesigner News</a>.</em></strong></p>
<p><a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2020/11/popular-design-news-of-the-week-november-2-2020-november-8-2020/">Source</a></p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-12582980289656966892020-11-07T10:27:00.001-08:002020-11-07T10:27:11.360-08:00The 5 Best Email Marketing Companies of 2020<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NP_digital__Content_Marketing__SEO___Paid_Media_Agency___Neil_Patel_Digital-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-97254" /></figure>
<p>Almost everyone uses email. </p>
<p>But here’s the sweet part.</p>
<p>The people you’re trying to reach or retain already have active email addresses. Heck, most of them used or would use one to sign-up for your service or product.</p>
<p>If you can get into (and stay) in people’s inbox, you can make a ton of money. Data shows companies can <a href="https://cdn.emailmonday.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/National-client-email-2015-DMA.pdf">generate $38 for every $1</a> email investment. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, getting into an inbox is not a stroll in the park. </p>
<p>Now that’s where the best email marketing companies come in. </p>
<p>These companies will help you to strategize, collect relevant email addresses, create, and manage email marketing campaigns that drive business growth. </p>
<p>How do I know this?</p>
<p>Our team at <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">Neil Patel Digital</a> vetted hundreds of email marketing companies based on their brand reputation, client portfolio, ratings, and their areas of expertise. </p>
<p>The result? </p>
<p>The very top email agencies you can trust. Not only would they get you into the inbox of your ideal customers, but these companies can keep you in there till you turn prospects into brand advocates. </p>
<h2><strong>The 5 Top Email Marketing Companies in The World</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#Neil">Neil Patel Digital</a> – Best for email content</li>
<li><a href="#Inbox">Inbox Army</a> – Best for full-service email management</li>
<li><a href="#Fix">Fix My Churn</a> – Best for SaaS onboarding email and churn</li>
<li><a href="#Action">Action Rocket</a> – Best for custom HTML & CSS enterprise email</li>
<li><a href="#Smart">SmartMail</a> – Best for ecommerce email marketing</li>
</ol>
<p>I’m confident the best email marketing companies listed above and reviewed below are reliable because of their proven track records. </p>
<p>Hire any of them, according to your needs, and they’ll help you to turn email marketing into a growth channel for your business.</p>
<p>Without further ado, let’s explore each of these companies and see for yourself why we consider them the very best. </p>
<h3 id="Neil"><strong>#1 Neil Patel Digital – Best For Email Content</strong></h3>
<p>Email marketing is effective, no doubt. But it has its downside too. </p>
<p>According to two different studies, between <a href="https://www.getresponse.com/resources/reports/email-marketing-benchmarks.html">0.19%</a> and 0.52% of your email subscribers would unsubscribe per email you send.</p>
<p>Now, guess what was one of the top <a href="https://www.cio.com/article/2901255/top-7-reasons-people-unsubscribe-from-your-email-list.html">three reasons found Jilt</a>, an email marketing software, responsible for why people unsubscribe from emails?</p>
<p>Bad content!</p>
<p>In other words, irrespective of how excellent your email marketing strategy is, <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/write-emails-that-drive-results/">writing killer emails that resonate</a> with your prospects and keeps you in their inbox requires excellent content. </p>
<p>And that’s where we, <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/">Neil Patel Digital</a>, come in. It is also why clients, from startups to enterprise brands, love working with us.</p>
<p>Email is also an excellent channel for content distribution. </p>
<p>However, he quality of content has to be amazing. If not, your unsubscribes will tank the ROI of your email campaigns. </p>
<p>Again, this is one area we stand out from the crowd. </p>
<p>At <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">Neil Patel Digital</a>, our email content service starts by producing engaging content your customers and prospects will love. </p>
<p>Then, we use email marketing as one of the channels to promote it: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Content_Marketing_-_NP_Digital__Helping_You_Succeed_Through_Online_Marketing-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98572" /></figure>
<p>You can check out Neil Patel Digital’s content services <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/"><strong>here</strong><strong><em>.</em></strong></a><strong><em> </em></strong></p>
<h3 id="Inbox"><strong>#2 InboxArmy – best for full-service email management</strong></h3>
<p>For in-house teams looking for rapid email marketing turn around, <a href="https://www.inboxarmy.com/">InboxArmy</a> comes highly recommended. </p>
<p>As a full-service email management company, InboxArmy offers a spectrum of services, including email templates’ design, custom coding, and 360-degree email marketing management:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Innovative_Full_Service_Email_Marketing_Agency_-_InboxArmy.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98576" /></figure>
<p>This agency offers volume-based pricing for companies and white label services for fellow digital marketing agencies, which goes to prove their experience. </p>
<p>And they serve clients from government agencies like Texas Health Resources, to companies such as LandCentral, Airbnb, Jockey, and several others. </p>
<h3 id="Fix"><strong>#3 Fix My Churn – best for SaaS onboarding email and churn</strong></h3>
<p>When it comes to email marketing, Software as a Service (SaaS) brands have special needs. </p>
<p>First, when new trial users sign-up, they need excellent <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/sauce-to-reducing-saas-churn/">email onboarding sequences</a> to convert them into happy, paying customers. </p>
<p>And if an existing customer stops using your product or wants to churn, you can retain them with <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/7-ways-to-lower-churn/">relevant churn email</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://fixmychurn.com/">Fix My Churn</a> specializes in these two areas: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Fix_My_Churn_%C2%B7_reduce_SaaS_and_eCommerce_churn.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98575" /></figure>
<p><a href="https://fixmychurn.com/">Fix My Churn</a> collaborates with tech companies with a monthly subscription business model. </p>
<p>The company applies top-notch SaaS copywriting skills to craft relationship-based email sequences to keep customers happy.</p>
<h3 id="Action"><strong>#4 Action Rocket – best for custom HTML & CSS enterprise email</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.actionrocket.co/">Action Rocket</a> needs no introduction in the enterprise email marketing sector. </p>
<p>This company even partners with the top email marketing software brands like MailChimp, Litmus, and Campaign Monitor to drive innovation in the email space. </p>
<p>Action Rocket has years of experience strategizing and executing custom HTML and CSS email and CRM development programs for enterprise companies: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Email_Marketing_Creative_Agency___Action_Rocket.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98574" /></figure>
<p>Founded in 2011, the company works with a knit-team of experienced developers who are excellent at strategy, design, and coding of complex and customized email programs. </p>
<p>And their clientele speaks for themselves, including the BBC, Marks & Spencer, Global Radio, and many others.</p>
<h3 id="Smart"><strong>#5 SmartMail – Best for eCommerce email marketing</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.smartmail.io/">SmartMail</a> is the Done For You (DFY) email marketing company that comes highly recommended by ecommerce businesses. </p>
<p>This company handles everything ecommerce email marketing for online stores. And excel most at launching campaigns based on automated triggers. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/eCommerce_Email_Marketing__Automate___Personalize_Campaigns_For_ROI.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98573" /></figure>
<p>Across the customer lifetime cycle, SmartMail is exceptional at strategizing and executing optimized email marketing campaigns for ecommerce businesses.</p>
<p>And they have a track record and excellent results to show. </p>
<p>SmartMail has generated <a href="https://www.smartmail.io/">over $187 million</a> in revenues for ecommerce brands via email, sent billions of emails, and serve over 87 businesses, including Skechers, French Connection, Cotton:On, and others.</p>
<h2><strong>5 Characteristics That Make a Great Email Marketing Company</strong></h2>
<p>What characteristics make an email marketing company great? </p>
<p>They are as follows. </p>
<h3><strong>1. Well-versed in content creation</strong></h3>
<p>Most companies get buried in strategizing and outlining plans for email marketing. </p>
<p>What they wrongly relegate to the backseat? </p>
<p><a href="https://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/">Content creation</a>!</p>
<p>The quality of your email’s content goes a long way in determining how effective your email marketing campaigns would be. </p>
<p>A fundamental characteristic of the top email marketing company is to focus on creating engaging content to power your email campaigns.</p>
<p>And a world-class email company will help you blent top-tier content with amazing promotions to also get the conversions that you need. Great companies blend the two seamlessly.</p>
<h3><strong>2. An Impressive Portfolio</strong></h3>
<p>An email marketing company that claims to be among the best must have something to back that claim up. </p>
<p>One of such things is their client portfolio. </p>
<p>Who have they implemented a series of email marketing campaigns for? Were those campaigns successful? </p>
<p>Anyway, you don’t even need to ask a top email marketing company those questions, as you’ll find the answers in their clients’ portfolio. </p>
<p>And looking out for this portfolio-displaying characteristic in top email marketing also does you good. </p>
<p>It helps you to see who they have helped and to decide if they’ll be a good fit for your company. </p>
<p>At Neil Patel Digital, we <a href="https://npdigital.com/work/">have a clients you may recognize</a>.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Thought Leadership </strong></h3>
<p>In its 40 years of existence, email marketing has evolved tremendously. </p>
<p>What worked yesterday may not work today. And even if it does work, it may require a different approach. </p>
<p>Due to the always-evolving nature of trends and modern strategies applicable to email marketing, top companies must keep pace with these changes to deliver the best work.</p>
<p>Thought-leadership is how the top email marketing brands keep such needed pace with the industry. </p>
<p>And they do this by sharing new learnings, experiments, emerging strategies, and tactics publicly to retain brand reputation among other professionals. </p>
<p>So, you should do some research and look out for this characteristic, as it is an excellent way to spot a top email marketing company.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Real Life Testimonials</strong></h3>
<p>Anyone can claim to be the best, but it is what others say about them shows their competence most.</p>
<p>In the business setting, you’ll find how past and existing clients feel and say of a company’s work <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/customer-testimonials/">in the testimonials</a> they leave behind. </p>
<p>The truth is executing a successful email campaign that drives growth for a company is hard. </p>
<p>A notable characteristic of the top email marketing company is the real-life <a href="https://npdigital.com/work/">testimonials they receive from clients</a> for their work publicly.</p>
<h3><strong>5. A Diversified Team of Experts</strong></h3>
<p>A lot of thought goes into a successful email marketing campaign. </p>
<p>From strategy to the acquisition of email addresses, selection of email marketing software, email copywriting, and campaign management, they all require some different kind of expertise.</p>
<p>Established email marketing brands are never a one-person show. It is usually a team of experts, collaborating to drive results. </p>
<p>And that’s one characteristic of top email marketing companies: Displaying <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">the entire team</a> that works to plan, execute, manage, and optimize email campaigns: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Neil_Patel_Digital__People___LinkedIn.png" alt="" class="wp-image-96083" /></figure>
<h2><strong>What to Expect from a Great Email Marketing Company </strong></h2>
<p>Ultimately, an exceptional email marketing company to help you turn email into a real business growth channel that: </p>
<ul>
<li>Nurture prospects into customers</li>
<li>Facilitates customer relationship management </li>
<li>Turns email marketing into a reliable content medium. </li>
</ul>
<p>But to get to these benefits, there are steps to expect before you start working with one. Some of the most notable ones are what follows. </p>
<h3><strong>1. A discovery session</strong></h3>
<p>As you saw in the review and categorization of the best email marketing companies based on their areas of expertise above, not all can serve all clients across all industries. </p>
<p>To determine if they can solve your specific problems, excellent email marketing companies start by getting to fill an inquiry form. </p>
<p>Filling this inquiry form allows you to share your challenges and business goals related to email marketing.</p>
<p>After filling this form, expect a discovery session where an expert would talk one-on-one with you to understand your needs better.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Research & strategy recommendations</strong></h3>
<p>A discovery call allows the company to gain more clarity and context about your business needs relevant to email. But, don’t expect them to propose a solution right off the bat. </p>
<p>Top email marketing brands would typically use what you shared with them to delve into research. </p>
<p>From there, they can make sense of how to tackle your challenges and identify the best possible strategies they can deploy to work with you. </p>
<p>Expect to receive a summary of their research and recommendations via email or another call, which usually ends with deciding if you’re fit to work together. </p>
<h3><strong>3. A contract with project deliverables</strong></h3>
<p>If everything goes well up to this point, and you like their recommendations, expect a contract that outlines what a top email marketing company would do, and what it’ll cost to work with you. </p>
<p>This contract also outlines project timelines and deliverables, legal requirements to work together, and your expected investment.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Client onboarding</strong></h3>
<p>If the contract, project scope, deliverables, pricing, and others look good, exceptional email marketing companies would have a custom onboarding process to initiate the process of working with your company. </p>
<p>This onboarding process will help you and the company to establish an understanding of how to manage your product, and any other thing necessary for a smooth working relationship. </p>
<h2><strong>Start Email Marketing from Day One</strong></h2>
<p>Don’t make the mistake of starting email marketing later on.</p>
<p>Most businesses recognize the need for social media, SEO, content marketing, and others early on, but they leave emails to the backseat because it is not trending. </p>
<p>Well, you shouldn’t. </p>
<p>A few reasons to take start email marketing from day one are: </p>
<p>Marketers who used email marketing to segment their audience said they saw <a href="https://www.campaignmonitor.com/resources/guides/email-marketing-new-rules/">a 760% increase</a> in revenue. </p>
<p>That’s unreal.</p>
<p>Whether you do email yourself and get help from one of the top email companies, get started today.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/email-marketing-companies/">The 5 Best Email Marketing Companies of 2020</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-73080590635240905362020-11-06T15:27:00.001-08:002020-11-06T15:27:41.434-08:00How to Choose The Right Amazon Marketing Agency<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image7-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98732" /></figure>
<p>Choosing the right Amazon marketing agency can be the difference between becoming a thriving seller on Amazon or one that flops.</p>
<p>Do you know why I say so? </p>
<p>A pool of <a href="https://www.marketplacepulse.com/amazon/number-of-sellers">more than 2.5 million sellers</a> fights for the attention of Amazon’s customers. Out of this, only 10% generate annual sales of more than $100,000.</p>
<p>Only a few sellers make a great income on the platform. </p>
<p>Are you a seller struggling to attract buyers on Amazon? Would you like to increase your store’s reach and drive more revenues?</p>
<p>By partnering with a top Amazon marketing agency, you can improve the visibility of your store, reach more buyers, and drive sales.</p>
<p>Below, you’ll find my recommended steps on how to choose a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/amazon-marketing-companies">top Amazon marketing company</a> to grow your store business on the platform.</p>
<h2><strong>Know Your Goals and Desired Outcomes</strong></h2>
<p>A marketing agency won’t re-invent your store on Amazon. </p>
<p>They’ll work with you to achieve your goals and realize your business outcomes. </p>
<p>If you, the store owner, fail to define what those goals and outcomes are, how can a marketing agency perform magic and turn you into an overnight success on Amazon?</p>
<p>It doesn’t work that way. </p>
<p>To help you get started, let’s explore some scenarios when you should hire an Amazon marketing agency. </p>
<h3><strong>Example #1: Rank your products higher in Amazon search</strong></h3>
<p>I’ve already mentioned that Amazon has over 2.5 million sellers. </p>
<p>But that’s nothing close to the number of products vying for your potential customers attention and credit cards on the e-commerce site. </p>
<p>According to Retail Touchpoints, <a href="https://retailtouchpoints.com/resources/how-many-products-does-amazon-carry">more than 353 million</a> different products for sale on Amazon. </p>
<p>With so many stores and products, your store basically doesn’t exist unless it ranks well in Amazon’s search. </p>
<p>Let’s assume you sell belly button rings and someone goes on Amazon to search for it:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image2-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98733" /></figure>
<p>This search term alone produced over 96 different products on Amazon’s first search results page that included about 12 stores.</p>
<p>What if your store isn’t one of them?</p>
<p>Your goal should be to <a href="https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2018/05/17/amazon-seo">improve Amazon SEO</a>. </p>
<p>The higher your rankings, the more visibility you have with Amazon’s customers. And more visibility equals more sales. </p>
<p>As you see in the screenshot above, an excellent way to achieve this is to ensure your store and product descriptions are optimized with relevant keywords. </p>
<p>Is this why you’re looking for an Amazon marketing agency?</p>
<p>Then, consider one with a battle-tested <a href="http://npdigital.com/services/search-engine-optimization/">SEO-driven content marketing program</a>, as both store and product descriptions are forms of well-targeted content creation.</p>
<h3><strong>Example #2: Promote your Amazon products on Amazon</strong></h3>
<p>Let’s keep using our belly button ring example. </p>
<p>This time, assume you’ve optimized your store and product descriptions, adhering to all Amazon SEO requirements.</p>
<p>Despite this, it’s possible to still have other sellers with similar products on Amazon rank higher than you. You can expect this because Amazon has <a href="https://sellics.com/blog-amazon-seo/">several ranking factors</a>.</p>
<p>For instance, see the first product listed for the belly button ring we searched earlier:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image4-4.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98734" /></figure>
<p>This product was promoted to the very first position on Amazon search results page. The store spent money to get their ad to the top of the list. It’s pay to play. </p>
<p>That’s why it has a <em>“Sponsored”</em> label. </p>
<p>This scenario shows that you can promote your products on Amazon to reach targeted buyers based on different criteria like search terms, locations, age range, etc. </p>
<p>If this is your goal, the outcome would be to skip the queue and reach potential buyers on Amazon. </p>
<p>Amazon has an entire ad network that you can now access. Like any ad network, it requires a ton of setup and lots of ongoing attention if you want to make a decent profit.</p>
<p>An Amazon marketing agency is ideal for this type of work. You already have your store and products, you just want an experienced team to run your ads for you.</p>
<p>Will an agency add to your total costs instead of running the ads yourself? Yes. But the ads will also perform a lot better. The agency will easily pay for itself.</p>
<p>So if you have either of these two goals, I highly recommend working with an Amazon marketing agency.</p>
<p>So, what characteristics should you look out for when choosing one?</p>
<h2><strong>6 Characteristics That Make a Great Amazon Marketing Agency</strong> </h2>
<p>Below are six characteristics you’ll find in exceptional Amazon marketing agencies. </p>
<h3><strong>1. Demonstrated knowledge of the Amazon marketplace</strong></h3>
<p>Marketing your store and products on Amazon has its best practices. </p>
<p>It also has its dos and don’ts. </p>
<p>To determine if an Amazon marketing agency knows and puts them into practice, check if they have practical knowledge of how the Amazon marketplace works. </p>
<p>Exceptional Amazon agencies share these best practices in the form of how-to guides and training resources, showing <a href="https://neilpatel.com/training/ecommerce-unlocked/amazon/">how to drive more sales on Amazon</a>: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/How_to_Increase_Sales_With_Amazon_-_Neil_Patel.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98568" /></figure>
<h3><strong>2. A team of experts</strong> </h3>
<p>Marketing, on its own, won’t do all the heavy lifting required to turn your Amazon store into a thriving business. </p>
<p>Other essential things like proper store setup, products’ listing optimization, brand-specific creatives, PPC management, and others must go into the equation. </p>
<p>And you won’t achieve all that with a one-person team. </p>
<p>Hence, a characteristic of great Amazon marketing agencies is that they work with a diverse team of experts.</p>
<h3><strong>3. A process for implementing their core service</strong> </h3>
<p>In the agency world, a battle-tested process makes all the difference. It’s the only way to deliver reliable results with new clients.</p>
<p>Without a solid process, working with an agency is like rolling the dice. Sometimes it works, sometimes… it doesn’t. </p>
<p>Successful agencies will customize processes based on your unique needs but they should have a solid core with a proven track record. </p>
<p>For my team at Neil Patel Digital, we’ve developed a comprehensive program to help Amazon sellers drive traffic to their stores and product pages.</p>
<h3><strong>4. An impressive clients’ portfolio</strong></h3>
<p>Before you choose an agency, it’s important to examine who they’ve worked with in the past. </p>
<p>You’ll find this in their clients’ portfolio. </p>
<p>This is also a critical characteristic to check for, as it gives you a sense of the type of companies the agency typically works with. </p>
<p>Great Amazon marketing agencies take it one step by having an impressive portfolio of clients.</p>
<h3><strong>5. Great company culture</strong></h3>
<p>When choosing an agency, most people omit the company culture of an agency they want to partner with. </p>
<p>You shouldn’t!</p>
<p>Working with an Amazon marketing agency is usually a long-term partnership. If your beliefs are not aligned, you face the possibility of running into problems in the future. </p>
<p>To avoid this, choose an agency with a great company culture with similar values as your own.</p>
<h3><strong>6. Customer testimonials</strong></h3>
<p>Before you choose an Amazon marketing agency, take a moment to look out for testimonials they’ve received from past and present clients. </p>
<p>This gives you an idea of what <a href="https://npdigital.com/work/">people think and feel</a> about their services. It also helps you to see if what the agency offers is worth the fee.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Work With an Amazon Marketing Agency</strong></h2>
<p>Working with an Amazon marketing agency follows a series of steps. And you should adhere to them to ensure a smooth partnership. </p>
<p>For great agencies, expect go through the following steps: </p>
<h3><strong>1. You’ll fill an inquiry form</strong></h3>
<p>When you visit the agency’s website, the first step is to fill their inquiry or contact form. </p>
<p>There’s usually forms for basic information about your business.</p>
<p>It’s also the first opportunity to share what your needs are and how you want them to help you.</p>
<p>For any well-run agency, you should hear back from them within 24 hours. If it takes longer than that, proceed with caution.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Discovery session</strong></h3>
<p>Experienced Amazon marketing agencies will want to do a one-on-one consultation session.</p>
<p>You should expect this, as it gives you the opportunity to share your needs and talk directly with a marketing expert.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Research and strategic recommendations</strong></h3>
<p>No two business cases are 100% identical. </p>
<p>Great agencies take what you share with them from the first call and perform in depth research to come up with recommendations unique to your Amazon store.</p>
<p>Usually, a second call will get scheduled to go through everything. </p>
<h3><strong>4. A Proposal and contract </strong></h3>
<p>By going through the recommendations delivered to you by an agency, you’ll gain more clarity if working with them is a good fit. </p>
<p>Right after this, you’ll usually receive a proposal and contract that sets the terms for working together. </p>
<h3><strong>5. Official client onboarding</strong></h3>
<p>Project management plays a very essential role when working with an Amazon marketing agency. </p>
<p>To ensure both parties have an understanding of who does what and when, excellent agencies would take you through an official client onboarding process.</p>
<p>Over this process, you’ll get to know who is your account manager (the expert overseeing your project) and get a full scope of the project, deliverables, and timelines.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Find The Right Amazon Marketing Agency For You</strong></h2>
<p>So far, I’ve walked you through the characteristics and steps to working with an Amazon marketing agency. </p>
<p>But one question remains, how do you find an agency that is right for you?</p>
<p>The first step is to always know your goals. </p>
<p>The next step is to choose an agency with expertise in the area you need help with. </p>
<p>To help you, we profiled the top Amazon marketing companies and what they excel most at. </p>
<h2><strong>The 5 Top Amazon Marketing Agencies</strong> </h2>
<h3><strong>#1 Neil Patel Digital — Best for Store and Product Content Marketing </strong></h3>
<p>With <a href="http://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/">SEO-driven content marketing</a>, you can score higher Amazon SEO points by optimizing your store and product descriptions. </p>
<p>In turn, your store and products will become more discoverable with higher rankings when potential customers search on Amazon, as you saw in the example above.</p>
<p>It’s been ages since you could get away with one good photo and a basic product description. These days, you need a host of professional photos, videos, optimized descriptions and titles, comparison tables, FAQs, and detailed descriptions that address every objection in the market.</p>
<p>This is a core part of the offering at Neil Patel Digital:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NP_digital__Content_Marketing__SEO___Paid_Media_Agency___Neil_Patel_Digital-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-97474" /></figure>
<p>Companies from across the world, from startups to enterprise brands, trust Neil Patel Digital.</p>
<h3><strong>#2 Thrive Agency — Best for Amazon PPC</strong></h3>
<p>When potential buyers research products or services on Amazon, a whopping <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/amazon-search-engine-ranking-algorithm-explained/265173/">64% of them don’t</a> click beyond the 1st three results. </p>
<p>To get your store and products in those top positions, you may need to use sponsored posts on Amazon. </p>
<p>Another name for this is Amazon PPC. </p>
<p><a href="https://thriveagency.com/digital-marketing-services/amazon-ppc/">Thrive Agency</a> is a company with over a decade of experience in this area:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Amazon_PPC_Services___Thrive_Internet_Marketing.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98564" /></figure>
<p>This company has over 150 five-star reviews across Google, Facebook, and Clutch with Amazon-specific case studies.</p>
<h3><strong>#3 Vertical Rail — Best for Amazon Account Management</strong></h3>
<p>Your Amazon store account health, product deactivations, shipping performance, intellectual property violations, and several others have a direct impact on how well your marketing performs on Amazon. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.verticalrail.com/amazon-account-management-seller-central-vendor-central/">Vertical Rail</a> is the agency I recommend to ensure you’re 100% compliant on Amazon and reach your marketing goals:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Amazon_Account_Management_-_Seller_Central___Vendor_Central.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98565" /></figure>
<p>This agency has great case studies on how to run your Amazon store more efficiently.</p>
<h3><strong>#4 Voice SEO – Best for Amazon Echo and Voice Search Optimization </strong></h3>
<p>In the US, <a href="https://www.emarketer.com/content/us-voice-assistant-users-2019">more than 111 million people</a> used a voice-assisted device. And <a href="https://feedvisor.com/resources/amazon-marketing-advertising-strategies/brands-amazon-insights-opportunities-and-concerns-in-the-age-of-e-commerce/">two-thirds of consumers</a> with voice-enabled devices said they considered using them to place orders. </p>
<p>This trend could be the next big marketing opportunity. And with big marketing opportunities like this, you can make a bundle if you get in early. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.voiceseo.com/alexa/">Voice SEO</a> is the agency you can turn to for this: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Alexa_SEO_-_VoiceSEO.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98566" /></figure>
<p>TopSEOs, an agency ranking domain, ranked Voice SEO as <a href="https://www.topseos.com/rankings-of-best-voice-seo-companies">its number one company</a> for voice search optimization, and they have accreditations to demonstrate their expertise.</p>
<h3><strong>#5 Voy Media – Best for Amazon Social Media Marketing</strong></h3>
<p>Most successful Amazon sellers turn to social media to engage their target audience with the ultimate goal of driving traffic to their store and product pages. </p>
<p>If you want to take advantage of social media to drive sales for your Amazon store, <a href="https://voymedia.com/amazon-marketing-agency/">Voy Media</a> is great for that: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Facebook_Ads_Agency___Facebook_Advertising_Agency___Facebook_Marketing_Agency.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98567" /></figure>
<p>This agency combines strategy and creativity to help Amazon sellers drive sales on Amazon via various social media platforms.</p>
<h2><strong>Do You Really Need to Hire An Amazon Marketing Agency?</strong></h2>
<p>Yes, and I’ll tell you why. </p>
<p>To give your business a chance, standout from the crowd, and get found on Amazon when potential customers search for things you sell, you’ll need marketing. </p>
<p>And that’s where hiring an Amazon marketing agency comes in.</p>
<p>Whether you want higher rankings or want to run profitable Amazon PPC ads, get an expert that knows what they’re doing. There’s too much competition on Amazon to do it all yourself.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/amazon-marketing-agency/">How to Choose The Right Amazon Marketing Agency</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-5433593561889884872020-11-06T11:27:00.007-08:002020-11-06T11:27:42.273-08:009 Ways To Boost Your Domain Authority<p><img src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/cdn-origin/uploads/2020/10/featured_seo-1-scaled.jpg" align="left" alt="" width="100%" style="max-width:100%;width:auto;" /></p>
<p class="p1">Domain Authority (DA) is a ranking metric that predicts how well a site will rank online. It goes by a scale of 1 to 100 — the closer you are to 100, the better your odds of ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs), thus giving you more clicks.</p>
<p class="p1">To see how your site currently ranks, visit Moz’s free <a href="https://analytics.moz.com/pro/link-explorer/home">Link Explorer</a> to test your DA. Just type your website URL in the search bar and click “Analyze”. Just remember: don’t kick yourself if your DA is smaller than 30 to 50. If you follow these 9 tips today, you’ll most definitely see your DA score improve.</p>
<h1>1. Domain Name Age</h1>
<p class="p1">You know that old saying, right? Wisdom comes with age. Well, guess what? The same is true for your domain name. If your domain name doesn’t have an ‘old’ age, then it’ll rank lower, and users online might not see your site as legitimate.</p>
<p class="p1">But with an older domain name, not only will users see your site as more legitimate, but it’ll also have a much higher DA score than younger domain names. In other words, every time you change your domain, you might be doing more harm than good to it, since you’re actually knocking down the credibility you’ve built up over the years by starting from scratch.</p>
<p class="p1">Therefore, pick an easy-to-remember domain name that’s not only relevant to your niche, but it’s also something that you’re willing to keep for a very long time.</p>
<h1>2. On-Page Optimization</h1>
<p class="p1">Then, it’s time to optimize all the following on your pages:</p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">Code;</li>
<li class="li1">Content;</li>
<li class="li1">Site structure;</li>
<li class="li1">Metatags;</li>
<li class="li1">Other on-page elements (<span class="s3">H1,</span> Title tags, Image alt tag, Site architecture, etc.).</li>
</ul>
<p class="p1">Improving your DA with optimization can make your site be more search-engine-friendly.</p>
<h1>3. Create Great Content</h1>
<p class="p1">Want to attract high-quality links from multiple domains in your niche? Good news! More attraction to your site comes from creating high-quality content that appeals to your target audience. Otherwise, poor-quality content will only scare people away.</p>
<p class="p1">So, in providing the best content possible, that will definitely help you improve your DA score (and even give you many additional SEO benefits).</p>
<h1>4. Internal Link Improvement</h1>
<p class="p1">Why worry about earning external links when your internal links need the most attention? Yes, focusing too much on external links can make you lose sight of linking internally.</p>
<p class="p1">So, why internal links? These links help nudge visitors to what they’re trying to look for on your website. In that way, visitors are getting the best user experience, while you reap the rewards of having an increased DA score.</p>
<h1>5. Link Profile Clean-Up</h1>
<p class="p1">Having a clean link profile is essential, since it helps you obtain and maintain a great DA score. So, to clean up your link profile, you must remove the bad links from it.</p>
<p class="p1">In this process, you can use tools like:</p>
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1"><a href="https://moz.com/">Moz Explore</a>;</li>
<li class="li1"><a href="https://ahrefs.com/backlink-checker">Ahrefs Backlink Checker</a>;</li>
<li class="li1"><a href="https://www.semrush.com/features/backlink-audit-tool/">SEMrush Backlink Audit Tool</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p1">These tools help you figure out any inappropriate or unwanted links.</p>
<p class="p1">After the link audit is complete, contact the website owners to have them either delete the link or add the “nofollow tag” (devalues the link). If this doesn’t work, use the Google Disavow tool to remove said links from your profile.</p>
<h1>6. Know Your Niche</h1>
<p class="p1">When running a site, it’s important for you to be the expert in what you have to offer online – and your DA is no exception to this. Becoming an authoritative figure in your niche allows you to gain the confidence of readers, while providing expert advice to the community.</p>
<p class="p1">If you have amazing content (i.e. guest blogs on industry-related forums) and clever ways to engage your target audience, then people will see you as an authority to your niche. This not only enhances your brand, but also increases your DA score.</p>
<h1>7. Be Mobile-Friendly</h1>
<p class="p1">Nowadays, people are on their phones, tablets, etc. Whatever device that they can use on the go, they’ll use. In other words, mobile isn’t just the way of the future – it’s happening right now, outpacing laptops since 2014. So, if your website isn’t mobile-friendly yet, then now is the time to fix that!</p>
<p class="p1">If your website hasn’t been optimized for mobile use yet, not only will it hurt your search rankings (since Google favors mobile-friendly sites), but you’ll also lose out on users visiting your site to begin with.</p>
<p class="p1">So, go to <a href="https://search.google.com/test/mobile-friendly">Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test</a>, and then run a test for your domain. Afterwards, Google will give you a detailed report of how mobile-friendly your site is, and what you can do to improve it.</p>
<h1>8. Improve Page Speed</h1>
<p class="p1">Let’s face it: No one likes to wait for a webpage to load; they want quick results. So, if your site isn’t loading fast enough, then users will get frustrated and most likely go to another site. So, why not improve your page speed?</p>
<p class="p1">First, find the cause of your website running slower than it should. You can do this by running your website through <a href="https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/">Google’s PageSpeed Insights</a>; it’ll analyze the speed of your site. And then, it will identify some effective ways for you to make your site faster and consequently improve your DA score.</p>
<h1>9. Utilize Social Media</h1>
<p class="p1">Finally, it’s important to increase your social signals, when it comes to gaining more authority with your domain. While search engines like Google won’t insist that sites make social signals a priority to increase their rankings, site runners must still take advantage of social media to do the following:</p>
<ul class="ul1 tight_list">
<li class="li1">Promote their sites;</li>
<li class="li1">Promote their products and services;</li>
<li class="li1">Tell people about any events and contests.</li>
</ul>
<p class="p1">As a result, sites are more likely to get likes, shares, and tweets through social media, versus going solo in search engines.</p>
<h1 class="p1">Conclusion</h1>
<p class="p1">Domain authority is extremely important for your site. First, DA allows you to analyze how well your website does in the search space. Plus, it allows you to compare the performance of your website with that of your rival sites, thus showing you where you stand in search engine results.</p>
<p class="p1">So, why not get your site thriving today by improving and maintaining your DA score today? Your site will thank you for it!</p>
<p> </p>
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<p><a href="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/2020/11/9-ways-to-boost-your-domain-authority/">Source</a></p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-68460609156324969482020-11-06T11:27:00.005-08:002020-11-06T11:27:41.160-08:00The 5 Best Link Building Companies of 2020<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image2-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98680" /></figure>
<p>What are backlinks to search engine optimization? </p>
<p>Short version: They’re signals Google uses to determine if your website is a reputable resource worthy of citation. </p>
<p>The long and sweet version?</p>
<p>The <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/backlink-quality-vs-quantity/">more quality backlinks</a> pointing to your website, the higher your chances of ranking for profitable keywords and competitive search queries that drive sales. </p>
<p>You’ll generate more targeted traffic, leads, and customers. </p>
<p>TThe SEO research tool, SEMrush, <a href="https://www.semrush.com/ranking-factors/">revealed backlinks</a> account for <strong><em>as much as five</em></strong> SEO top 10 ranking factors: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/17_Most_Prominent_Google_Ranking_Factors__Data-Driven_Study_by_SEMrush.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98679" /></figure>
<p>Due to how essential links are to rankings and traffic, you’ll find a host of companies promising to help you generate backlinks at the click of a button. </p>
<p>If only it were that easy!</p>
<p>Acquiring <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-high-quality-backlinks-in-a-scalable-way/">top-quality backlinks</a> isn’t a stroll in the park. </p>
<p><a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">Our team at Neil Patel Digital</a> reviewed and listed the top companies for building links.</p>
<h2><strong>The 5 Top Link-Building Companies in the World</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="#Neil">Neil Patel Digital</a> – Best for Linkable Content Marketing</li>
<li><a href="#FAT">FATJOE</a> – Best for Blogger Outreach</li>
<li><a href="#Page">Page One Power</a> – Best for Strategic Links</li>
<li><a href="#HOTH">The HOTH</a> – Best for Guest Posting</li>
<li><a href="#Rhino">RhinoRank</a> – Best for Curated Link Building</li>
</ol>
<h3 id="Neil"><strong>1. Neil Patel Digital – Best For Linkable Content Marketing</strong></h3>
<p>The creation and distribution of linkable assets is the most reliable way to get people linking back to your website. </p>
<p>Called <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/no-link-building-strategy-is-complete-without-these-12-tactics/">editorial links</a>, Google and other search engines prioritize such links. </p>
<p>The reason for this? </p>
<p>They’re natural, and indeed a vote of confidence other sites show for the content resources on your own website. </p>
<p>Another name for this type of link-building strategy is linkable content marketing. </p>
<p>And <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/">Neil Patel Digital</a> excels at this. </p>
<p>I’ve amassed <a href="https://app.neilpatel.com/en/traffic_analyzer/overview?lang=en&locId=2840&domain=neilpatel.com">millions of backlinks</a> to this blog: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image2-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98680" /></figure>
<p>That’s <a href="https://app.neilpatel.com/en/traffic_analyzer/overview?lang=en&locId=2840&domain=neilpatel.com">over 3 million backlinks</a>. </p>
<p>And they came from organic keywords (<a href="https://app.neilpatel.com/en/traffic_analyzer/overview?lang=en&locId=2840&domain=neilpatel.com">over 1.7 million</a>), generating <a href="https://app.neilpatel.com/en/traffic_analyzer/overview?lang=en&locId=2840&domain=neilpatel.com">more than 3.4 million monthly</a> organic traffic in the process. </p>
<p>The Neil Patel Digital experience <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">spans over five decades</a> to help you get similar results. </p>
<p>And we leveraged this experience and vast expertise to develop a holistic, battle-tested content marketing program that helps our customers generate high-quality backlinks. </p>
<p>It starts with auditing, optimizing, and creating new, high-quality content people would love to link to. </p>
<p>Then, promotion, so even influencers can find and reference them.</p>
<p>This proven program powers us to create and distribute content marketing assets that get high-quality backlinks, higher rankings, and qualified traffic. </p>
<p>In short, this is why our customers, from startup to grow-stage and enterprise companies, love <a href="https://npdigital.com/work/">working with Neil Patel Digital</a>.</p>
<h3 id="FAT"><strong>2. FATJOE – Best for Blogger Outreach</strong></h3>
<p>You may have linkable content resources on your site. What if other websites or bloggers don’t know those assets exist? No one would link to them, right?</p>
<p>Yup, that’s a problem.</p>
<p>To make people, especially bloggers, aware of your content, you need what <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/guide-to-blogger-outreach/">SEOs call blogger outreach</a>. </p>
<p>And this is what <a href="https://fatjoe.com/blogger-outreach/">FATJOE excels at doing</a>. They’re a reliable blogger outreach service even other agencies rely on for generating backlinks: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image3-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98681" /></figure>
<p>The experienced SEO expert, Joe Taylor, founded FATJOE. And they’ve been in business since 2012, helping over 5,000 clients worldwide get backlink placements via blogger outreach. </p>
<p>About 97% of those 5k plus customers rate FATJOE a 4.5/5.</p>
<p>However, FATJOE is best for acquiring links from websites with domain authority between DA10 and DA50. And prices per link placement range from $45 to $465.</p>
<h3 id="Page"><strong>3. Page One Power – Best for Strategic Links</strong></h3>
<p>Getting backlinks from higher domain websites (DA60+) needs a combination of linkable assets, outreach, and high-level strategy. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.pageonepower.com/">Page One Power</a>, although more expensive and not a productized service like FATJOE, excels at this. </p>
<p>Yearly, this company is behind the acquisition of more than 15,000 strategic backlinks on average to its clients from higher domain websites. </p>
<p>And Page One Power achieves this, leveraging its 10 years of experience and 982 active partners: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image5-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98682" /></figure>
<p>If you have the budget that starts at $550 per link, with more for a monthly retainer, you should turn to Page One Power for their consistent, strategic link-building expertise. </p>
<p>And can you make this turn, knowing other businesses, such as QuickBooks, Healthline, BOTTSTICH, and several others, trust Page One Power’s strategic link acquisition services, too.</p>
<h3 id="HOTH"><strong>4. The HOTH – Best for Guest Posting</strong> </h3>
<p>What if you’ve done everything possible, yet people still won’t link to your site?</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thehoth.com/">The HOTH</a>, a company successful for its guest posting services, can help, and they come highly recommended:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image4-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98684" /></figure>
<p>The HOTH’s guest post, backlinking service covers everything from manual outreach, securing guest post slots, and creating the guest content piece with links to your site. </p>
<p>Their industry experience and expertise have seen them work with or get mentioned on reputable websites such as Forbes, Inc. 5000 fastest-growing companies, Salesforce’s Dreamforce, and others.</p>
<p>The HOTH is a productized link-building service like FATJOE, allows you to purchase guest posts and backlinks with a few clicks. </p>
<p>With this company, you can get backlinks from websites with domain authority ranging <a href="https://www.thehoth.com/">from DA10-DA50</a>. And prices are <a href="https://www.thehoth.com/">between $100-$500</a>, depending on the quality of website you want links from.</p>
<h3 id="Rhino"><strong>5. RhinoRank – Best for Curated Link-building</strong></h3>
<p>Sometimes, other websites already have published content pieces with info relevant to assets on your own site. </p>
<p>In such a case, reach out to the webmasters of those sites and ask for a link, otherwise called <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-100-quality-links-without-writing-fresh-content/">curated link-building</a>. </p>
<p>Based on our review, <a href="https://www.rhinorank.io/curated-links/">RhinoRank</a> is the go-to company for this type of link acquisition tactic. They do all the hard labor, reaching out to several webmasters to secure backlinks for its clients in existing content on those webmasters’ domains:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/image6-3.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98683" /></figure>
<p>Not only will RhinoRank reach out to webmasters, they’ll take it a step further by ensuring those links are weaved naturally with the right anchor text. </p>
<p>RhinoRank serves over 200 companies and SEO agencies globally. </p>
<p>The price of each curated link generated for customers by RhinoRank starts from $35.</p>
<h2><strong>5 Characteristics that Make a Great Link-Building Company </strong></h2>
<p>For each link-building strategy and company recommended above, you’ll find hundreds, if not thousands, of others promising the same things. </p>
<p>So, what characteristics make a great link-building company if you wanted to find an ideal company to work with and do your own due diligence?</p>
<p>Let’s look at the most significant ones. </p>
<h3><strong>1. A Holistic SEO Implementation Process that Includes Link-Building</strong></h3>
<p>Link-building is a crucial part of SEO, but it is not a silver bullet. On its own, it won’t drive traffic and help you generate leads. </p>
<p>You can amass links, but if the search engines don’t trust those links or the content being linked to, those efforts amount to nothing. </p>
<p>Thus, an essential characteristic of great link-building companies is to have a <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/search-engine-optimization/">holistic SEO program</a> with all the bolts and nuts, including content creation, promotion, and link acquisition.</p>
<h3><strong>2. An Impressive Client Portfolio</strong></h3>
<p>An excellent way to judge the processes and expertise of a company is via its client portfolio.</p>
<p>Thus, as other companies with hands-on experience would do, the top link-building companies have the characteristic of displaying their ability to generate backlinks by showing off a portfolio of clients they’ve helped to get backlinks.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Thought leadership</strong></h3>
<p>The best link-building companies aren’t just great at acquiring backlinks. </p>
<p>They also have the characteristic of sharing all their learnings on their way to helping themselves and other companies <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-high-quality-backlinks-in-a-scalable-way/">generate high-quality backlinks.</a> </p>
<p>You want a team that knows the best strategies and tactics that work <em>today</em>.</p>
<p>For example, if you Google “link-building Neil Patel,” you’ll find my in-depth guides. </p>
<h3><strong>4. Real Life Testimonials</strong></h3>
<p>A good criterion for determining if a link-building company is among the very best is to look at their customer testimonials. </p>
<p>Thus, a characteristic you’ll find with the top link-building companies in the world are real-life testimonials, highlighting what customers say about working with them.</p>
<h3><strong>5. A Diversified Team</strong></h3>
<p>One person can write a guest post and send you a few links. But you’ll need a diversified team of experts to execute more strategic and extensive link-building campaigns. </p>
<p>As we’ve shown you, the best link-building companies excel at planning and executing these bigger, more effective link acquisition strategies. </p>
<p>And to do that, they usually work with a <a href="https://npdigital.com/about/">team of diversified experts</a>, which you can look up to as one of their characteristics: </p>
<h2><strong>What to Expect from a Great Link-Building Company </strong></h2>
<p>If you take on the services of a link-building company, you judge them by their ability to get you links. It’s that simple. </p>
<p>However, there’s a wide gap between contacting a company and getting those juicy links. </p>
<p>So, what should you expect if you decide to work with any of the link-building companies reviewed above?</p>
<h3><strong>1. A discovery session</strong></h3>
<p>Your business needs are different from those of others, and so would your link-building needs. Thus, the link acquisition strategies that worked for one site won’t work for yours automatically.</p>
<p>The best link-building companies have experience generating links for different organizations. Thus, they don’t jump straight into sending you proposals.</p>
<p>Instead, they start the process of helping to customize a strategy for your business by allowing you to share your exact business needs over a discovery session.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Research & strategic recommendations</strong></h3>
<p>Once you’ve booked and discussed your business needs with a link-building company, the best ones take what you tell them and leverage their experience to conduct in-depth research. </p>
<p>After this research, you should receive a host of strategic link-building recommendations most suited to your business. Most companies would share this with you via email or over another discovery call.</p>
<h3><strong>3. A contract with project deliverables</strong></h3>
<p>Once everyone decides that the project is a good fit, it’s time to get a contract in place.</p>
<p>Deliverables, deadlines, resources required, and budget should all clearly be outlined in detail.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Client onboarding</strong></h3>
<p>The next thing to expect from a top link-building is an onboarding process. It sets the stage for working with you to achieve your link acquisition and related business goals. </p>
<p>Depending on your work scope, you’ll need to bring on your in-house staff and share your website, blog, analytics, etc. with the company. </p>
<p>This onboarding process also establishes an understanding of how the company would manage your project. </p>
<h2><strong>Link-Building Isn’t a One-Time Activity</strong></h2>
<p>Unfortunately, link building isn’t a one-off project. I wish it was.</p>
<p>But links decay, pages decay, and Google’s always looking for freshness.</p>
<p>You’ll need ongoing links to keep your site at the top of the rankings.</p>
<p>This is the main reason why companies try to get help. It’s exhausting trying to do it yourself all the time.</p>
<p>However you decide to do it, treat link-building as an ongoing, long-term activity that’s a core part of your SEO strategy.</p>
<p>Doing this is how you’ll get maximum results.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/link-building-companies/">The 5 Best Link Building Companies of 2020</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-7474674734022672362020-11-06T11:27:00.003-08:002020-11-06T11:27:39.640-08:00What is App Store Optimization?<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98858" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/app-store-optimization-guide.jpg" alt="guide to ASO " width="700" height="420" /></p>
<p>With over 4 million mobile apps in the major app stores, getting your app discovered is one of the biggest issues facing mobile app publishers today. This is why understanding app store optimization is so crucial.</p>
<p>But what is app store optimization, and how can you make the most of it? Here’s what you need to know to help your app rank well.</p>
<h2><strong>What is App Store Optimization (ASO)? </strong></h2>
<p>App store optimization is the process of optimizing mobile apps to rank higher in an app store’s search results. The higher your app ranks in an app store’s search results, the more visible it is to potential customers.</p>
<p>That increased visibility tends to translate into more traffic to your app’s page in the app store.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The goal of ASO is to drive more traffic to your app’s page in the app store, so searchers can take a specific action: <b>download your app.</b></p>
</blockquote>
<p>The ASO process also requires a crucial understanding of your target customer base, including the keywords your potential customers are using to find apps similar to yours.</p>
<p>When you learn more about which keywords are being used, you will better understand your potential customers’ language so you can hone in on the best keywords to use.</p>
<h2>Why is ASO Important?</h2>
<p>According to Forrester, <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/17/forrester-app-discovery-report/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">63% of apps are discovered through app store</a> <a href="http://techcrunch.com/2013/04/17/forrester-app-discovery-report/">searches</a>. This makes search in the app store the most used method for discovering and downloading new apps.</p>
<p>Recently, at Google I/O, Ankit Jain reported that “<a href="http://www.adweek.com/digital/google-discloses-how-search-for-google-play-works-for-the-first-time-12-percent-of-dau-search-for-apps-daily/">For the average app, search actually makes up the vast majority of installs.</a>” Simply put, this means that:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>If you’re not using ASO to increase your app’s search ranking, you’re missing out on the largest discovery channel available to your app.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>With hundreds of thousands of apps in each app store vying to rank above one another, the amazing reality is that most publishers are not investing in app store optimization.</p>
<p>So here’s my gift to you: ASO is your secret weapon. Spend time every week improving your ASO, and you will meaningfully impact your app’s ranking and overall success.</p>
<h2><strong>How to Help Your App Rank: The Basics of ASO </strong></h2>
<p>Much of what I’m about to explain is going to be SEO basics.</p>
<p>If you’re already familiar with these for web searches, there are still a few key differences within the App Store.</p>
<p>Let’s start by breaking down the various components that can affect your ASO:</p>
<h3><strong>Main ASO Factors:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Title</b>: The keyword placed in the title should be the one with the heaviest search traffic. Spend time researching which keyword that is, because changing your title too often can be detrimental. As your app begins to rank higher and gain more reviews, your app’s news will begin to spread by word of mouth. Changing the title can make it difficult for word to spread about your app.</li>
<li><b>Keywords:</b> To improve your search rankings, you need to know which keywords are relevant and used most often by your target audience. It is helpful to monitor competitors to realize how you compare week to week.</li>
</ul>
<p>Besides being the most important ASO factor, the title and keywords can be modified easily to optimize them regularly.</p>
<h3><strong>Secondary ASO Factors:</strong></h3>
<ul>
<li><b>Total # of Downloads:</b> Your number of downloads are significant to ASO, but you don’t have complete control over them.</li>
<li><b>Ratings and Reviews:</b> Also important and difficult to control. However, there are ways to <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/increase-mobile-app-reviews/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">incentivize happy users to rate and review</a></li>
</ul>
<p>Here’s a complete breakdown of all the factors to keep in mind when optimizing your app for better rankings.</p>
<h3><strong>Title</strong></h3>
<p>The title is our first impression online. It’s what drew you to read this post, and it’s what will draw users to your app.</p>
<p>Optimizing with a keyword in the title <u><a href="https://www.meatti.com/blog/app-store-optimization-tips/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">increases search ranking</a></u> for that title by 10.3%!</p>
<p>Obviously, some limitations apply, as the App Store is very regulated.</p>
<p>You’re given only 30 characters for a <u><a href="https://developer.apple.com/app-store/product-page/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">title in iOS 11</a></u>, and keyword stuffing is a surefire way to risk being banned.</p>
<p>Users are also wary of downloading shady-looking apps for privacy concerns.</p>
<p>Think about it — would you rather have “Evernote” or “Note Taking Note App for Notes” on your smartphone?</p>
<p>Be smart about how you optimize.</p>
<p>Pandora, for example, does everything right.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98859 size-full" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/pandora-ASO-example.png" alt="Pandora ASO example " width="675" height="237" /></p>
<p>Its icon is sleek and simple, and with a short name, it was able to fit in three essential keywords.</p>
<p>When searching the App Store for “free,” “music,” or “radio,” you’ll find Pandora at or near the top.</p>
<h3><strong>Description</strong></h3>
<p>Here’s where things get a bit murky. Technically the App Store algorithm ignores the description.</p>
<p>Users, however, are a different story.</p>
<p>Rather than <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-seo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">optimizing for SEO</a>, focus on explaining the features and benefits of your product.</p>
<p>And, while it seems like you have a lot of space to do this, you actually don’t.</p>
<p>Truncated snippets are shown on your product page, and a few readers will ever click “more” to read beyond what you see here.</p>
<p>You have 252 characters to make your pitch and convince someone you’re worth downloading.</p>
<p>There’s no room for fluff, and you may need to A/B test several iterations to find what works best.</p>
<h3><strong>Keyword Metadata</strong></h3>
<p>iOS 11 provides you with 100 characters to enter keywords separated by commas.</p>
<p>These help your app get discovered through search and related content.</p>
<p>There’s no need to duplicate efforts here, so choose keywords you haven’t already used in the title.</p>
<p>Some in-depth keyword analysis can be done using <u><a href="https://app.searchads.apple.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">Apple Search Ads</a></u>.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-98861" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/apple-search-ads-keywords-700x344.png" alt="apple search for ASO" width="700" height="344" /></p>
<p>This feature is only available to iOS app developers and is an essential tool for listing any project.</p>
<p>You can also use a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">keyword research tool like Ubersuggest</a> to find common key terms and test them.</p>
<h3><strong>Subtitle</strong></h3>
<p>You’re given a subtitle below the title in search results. This is also limited to 30 characters.</p>
<p>It gives you another chance to use more descriptive keywords.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98862" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/typeshift-ASO-example.png" alt="ASO example " width="431" height="660" /></p>
<p>TypeShift, for example, uses the space to input its SEO.</p>
<p>This is a cleaner look and can work well.</p>
<p>I would’ve still taken the opportunity to use some keywords in the title, but that’s out of my control.</p>
<p>Which is a great segue to my next topic.</p>
<h3><strong>App Reviews and Ratings</strong></h3>
<p>Customer reviews and ratings are an important consideration for users, especially those unfamiliar with an app brand.</p>
<p>Apps with higher ratings also ranked higher. This raises a tricky dilemma: you want more ratings and reviews, but not if they are negative. So, you need a way to connect with your customers inside your app, giving them a place to vent and talk directly to the developer.</p>
<p>On the flip side, you want to guide happy customers to leave positive reviews for you.</p>
<p>The average rating of the top 100 free apps in the App Store is 4 stars!</p>
<p>Quality clearly matters.</p>
<p>The lower your rating, the fewer consumers who will be willing to consider downloading it.</p>
<p>Think about it. When was the last time you downloaded a one-star app?</p>
<p>You may have rated an app one star, but it was likely rated 3 or more stars when you downloaded it.</p>
<p>Ratings also affect conversions.</p>
<p>Maintaining a high rating is often easier than raising one from 2 to 4 stars.</p>
<p>That’s why it’s important to solicit reviews from customers within the app.</p>
<p>One time is all that’s necessary, and it needs to be done within the first 72 hours.</p>
<p>That’s how long <u><a href="http://www.androidauthority.com/77-percent-users-dont-use-an-app-after-three-days-678107/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">77% of users</a></u> will use an app before never again turning it on.</p>
<p>It’s also important to wait until after the customer has a chance to use the app.</p>
<p>Instead of basing it on a timer, consider a push notification when the customer completes certain actions.</p>
<p>Examples of great times to do this are after the first level of a game or after a customer sends their first message through your encrypted messaging app.</p>
<p>Try not to be too spammy, though, and keep in mind your app’s performance can affect its rating.</p>
<p>Ultimately, you want a page full of glowing reviews.</p>
<p>And don’t be shy about <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-respond-criticism-online/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">replying to negative reviews</a>.</p>
<p>It’s possible a bad customer experience happened due to an error or glitch that’s since been corrected.</p>
<p>Thank users for their reviews whenever possible, good or bad, and correct issues brought up. This is your time to gather valuable user feedback.</p>
<p>This is your time to gather valuable user feedback.</p>
<h3><strong>Downloads</strong></h3>
<p>Ultimately it’s a download that matters.</p>
<p>An app preview video and screenshots help convert indecisive users.</p>
<p>Both the App and Google Play stores use the number of times an app has been downloaded to determine ranking.</p>
<p>More specifically, it’s the current download rate.</p>
<p>For example, while an app may have 1 million overall downloads, a newer app can beat it by getting more downloads this month.</p>
<p>The preview video and images can be a major factor in this.</p>
<p>The majority of top apps in the App Store use app previews to increase customer conversions.</p>
<p>Once you have a user, however, you’ll need to keep them.</p>
<p>It’s harder than it sounds, and Apple is paying attention.</p>
<p>What can you do to get more downloads for your app?</p>
<p>Improving your ASO is a great place to start. Beyond that, work on marketing your brand and app to improve recognition, awareness, and appeal, from app store description to images, ratings/reviews, and social media presence.</p>
<h3><strong>Retention Impacts ASO </strong></h3>
<p>Retention rates are important for mobile device rankings, but the bar isn’t set very high.</p>
<p>The average app has only a <u><a href="http://info.localytics.com/blog/mobile-apps-whats-a-good-retention-rate" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">36% retention rate</a></u> in the first month.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-98863" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/ASO-average-rentention-rate-700x317.png" alt="ASO average retention rate" width="700" height="317" /></p>
<p>Further breaking things down, we can look at the retention rates by industry.</p>
<p>Media/Entertainment, Lifestyle/Travel, and eCommerce/Retail apps have the best three-month retention rates.</p>
<p>There are so many apps available in the App Store that users download plenty to never use them.</p>
<p>A study found Americans use an average of <u><a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/04/report-smartphone-owners-are-using-9-apps-per-day-30-per-month/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="audioeye_new_window_message">30 apps each month</a></u> out of the roughly 90 they have installed.</p>
<p>This means even if your app is downloaded, it’s unlikely it’ll ever be used beyond the first 72 hours.</p>
<p>How long your app stays installed and how many times it’s used while installed can help App Store search rankings.</p>
<p>Now that you understand how the search rankings work, it’s time to explore best practices for publishing an app to ensure it’s seen and downloaded.</p>
<h2>Do Apps with Higher Ratings Rank Higher in Search Results?</h2>
<p>This test was done by taking a random sampling of keywords and categorizing them by difficulty related to rankings. </p>
<p>An “easy” keyword results in fewer than 25 apps trying to rank for that keyword. “Medium” keywords are included in 25-100 apps, and “competitive” keywords are those in 100+ apps.</p>
<p><img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-20950" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/RatingsRankings.png" alt="How app ratings correlate to search rankings" /></p>
<p>Based on this test, there is a clear trend showing that apps with higher ratings also rank higher for keyword difficulty.</p>
<p>Do apps with better ratings rank higher? <b>Yes</b>.</p>
<p>(But don’t beg for them; earn <a href="http://www.apptentive.com/blog/better-ratings-for-your-applications/">better ratings for your apps</a> the right way.)</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion </strong></h2>
<p>ASO is a process that needs to be monitored and constantly tweaked over a period of time. Your optimal set of keywords rarely is the set that you first opt to put in the app store.</p>
<p>In most cases, little or no <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/keyword-research/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">research on keyword searches</a> occurs before the app submission, leaving most apps hidden, and the likelihood of discovery quite low.</p>
<p>To reap the rewards of ASO, you need to invest time and effort. If you do, you’ll have a consistent channel <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/inbound-app-marketing-guide/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">driving traffic to your app</a>.</p>
<p>Being found is one of the most difficult challenges for mobile apps, but it is a problem you can actively solve with the tips above.</p>
<p><em>Have you found success with ASO? What has helped your app rank better? </em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/app-store-optimization/">What is App Store Optimization?</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-59362515131877900712020-11-06T11:27:00.001-08:002020-11-06T11:27:38.039-08:00A Guide to Behavioral Segmentation Marketing<p><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-98939 aligncenter" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/behavioral-marketing.jpg" alt="behavioral marketing " width="700" height="420" /></p>
<p>Behavioral marketing has changed the way we market. But what should you know about it, and how do you get started? Let’s take a closer look.</p>
<p>In the past, marketing to consumers based on actions, like how many pages they visited on a site, were rudimentary at best. These could tell you, broadly, what a customer might be interested in, but didn’t provide in-depth details.</p>
<p>It was a lot like trying to guess what kind of picture a puzzle might make when you only have a couple of the pieces.</p>
<p>Today, behavioral marketing makes it easier to carefully target users based on the incredibly specific actions they’ve taken.</p>
<h2><strong>What is Behavioral Segmentation Marketing?</strong></h2>
<p>Behavioral marketing is the strategy of targeting leads or customers based on specific actions they take on a website, rather than just the pages they view. Then, marketers use behavioral segmentation to target specific consumers based on the actions they take.</p>
<p>Rather than throwing a bunch of ads at consumers and hope some of the marketing message sticks, behavioral marketing takes information like browsing and search history, IPs, and cookies and uses this information to build a definitive profile of the user, and then tailor marketing messages accordingly.</p>
<p>As the consumer visits pages, browses products, or lingers on certain coupons, offers become more targeted and precise. The more information an ad network has, the better they can define an ad’s behavioral segmentation to reach the right people at the right time.</p>
<p>Ingenious, right?</p>
<p>Actually <em>seeing</em> behavioral marketing in practice can really stoke the fire in terms of generating new ideas. Rather than provide a few examples, however, I will also share the best tools you can use to get started in behavioral marketing.</p>
<h2><strong>Types of Behavioral Segmentation Marketing (with Examples) </strong></h2>
<p>Behavioral marketing encompasses a wide range of marketing strategies, including retargeting (also known as remarketing), <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/beginners-guide-email-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">email marketing</a>, product suggestions, and much more.</p>
<p>All of these are facets of behaviorally-based targeting and can be used as standalone strategies or coupled together for even greater effect on your target audience.</p>
<h3><strong>Retargeting</strong></h3>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><iframe class='youtube-player' width='700' height='394' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/2uk_fXZ_xnI?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en&autohide=2&wmode=transparent' allowfullscreen='true' style='border:0;' sandbox='allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation'></iframe></div>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-remarketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Retargeting</a> and remarketing consider the pages and products you’ve viewed, and then show them again even if you’re not on the original website. Both Google and Facebook offer retargeting options in their respective advertising platforms.</p>
<p>You’ll need to think about which segment of your audience you want to retarget and what kind of offer you want to present.</p>
<h4><strong>How to Set Up Ad-Based Retargeting in Google </strong></h4>
<ol>
<li>Sign in to your Google Ads account</li>
<li>Click on Campaigns and click the +Campaign button.</li>
<li>Choose your campaign goal.</li>
<li>Select “Display” (<a href="https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/2701222" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">click here</a> if you want to set up a remarketing campaign for the Search network)</li>
<li>Name your campaign and specify location, language, etc.</li>
<li>Click Save and Continue</li>
<li>Enter your ad group name and bid</li>
<li>Under the option “Choose how to target your ads,” click “interests and remarketing.”</li>
<li>In targeting, choose “Remarketing Lists” and then click Set Up Remarketing.<br />
At this point, Adwords will create a remarketing tag for you. You can send it to yourself or your developer along with instructions on how to add it to your website. If you have Google Analytics running, there’s a checkbox to “use the tracking code that’s already on your website” instead.</li>
<li>Then click Save and Continue to start creating your ads, or Skip ad creation to do so later. It’s a good idea to create both text and image ads in various sizes so that you’ll have an ad ready to show no matter what other pages your ideal customer visits.</li>
</ol>
<h4><strong>How To Set Up Retargeting on Facebook</strong></h4>
<ol>
<li>Login to your Facebook Ad Center and go to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/micro_site/url/?click_creative_path[0]=cta_link&click_from_context_menu=true&country=US&destination=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Furl%2F%3Fhref%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.facebook.com%252Fad_campaign%252Flanding.php%253Fcampaign_id%253D163681540489385%2526creative%2526placement%253D%25252Fbusiness%25252Fhelp%25252F144576119557578%2526url%253Dhttps%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.facebook.com%25252Fbusiness%25252Fhelp%25252Fredirect%25252F%26cmsid%3D144576119557578%26creative%3Dcta_link%26creative_detail%26create_type%3Dads%26destination_cms_id%26orig_http_referrer%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F%26search_session_id&event_type=click&last_nav_impression_id=0FvxFbsSdBOViyPyY&max_percent_page_viewed=47&max_viewport_height_px=657&max_viewport_width_px=1366&orig_http_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&orig_request_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F144576119557578&primary_cmsid=144576119557578&primary_content_locale=en_US&region=noam&scrolled=true&session_id=1gYT90pS9S61A1ho9&site=fb4b&extra_data[view_type]=v3_initial_view&extra_data[site_section]=help&extra_data[placement]=%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2F144576119557578&extra_data[create_type]=ads&extra_data[create_type_detail]=&extra_data[target]=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fbusiness%2Fhelp%2Fredirect%2F" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Ad Creation</a>.</li>
<li>Click on Create Audience and choose Custom Audience. For this example, we’ll retarget people who have already visited your site.</li>
<li>Under “How do you want to create this audience?” choose “Retarget ads to people who interacted with your products on and off Facebook.”</li>
<li>Choose your target audience from the dropdown menu. You can target a wide range of users, including:<br />
Anyone who visits your site<br />
People who visit certain pages<br />
People who visit certain pages but not others<br />
People who haven’t visited after a set amount of time<br />
A custom combination of your own choosing</li>
<li>Then, you’ll get your pixel code, and you’re ready to start retargeting.<br />
As a side note, if you don’t yet have a Facebook pixel code, you’ll need one to accurately track visitors for Facebook retargeting. Here’s a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/business/help/952192354843755" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">step by step guide from Facebook</a> on how to do this.</li>
</ol>
<p>To get the most momentum out of your retargeted Adwords and Facebook ads, you’ll want to plan your campaign accordingly. Who do you want to target? Create an ad that appeals to that specific segment. For example, people who looked at a specific product and possibly added it to their cart but didn’t make a purchase may benefit from a retargeted ad offering a discount or free shipping.</p>
<p>Here are a few behavioral marketing examples to inspire your next campaign:</p>
<h4><strong>Wonderbly</strong></h4>
<p>This retargeted ad on Facebook targets parents who are unable to see grandparents often with a personalized book. It ran during the COVID lockdown when many families were unable to travel.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98957" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/wonderby-behavioral-marketing-example.png" alt="wonderbly behavioral marketing example" width="488" height="514" /></p>
<h4><strong>Best Buy</strong></h4>
<p>This retargeted Best Buy ad lets you know you have items in your cart and helps ease any reluctance by reminding you of their Price Match Guarantee, free in-store pick up, and free shipping.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98952 size-full" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/ready-to-check-out-best-buy-behavorial-marketing.jpg" alt="best buy behavioral marketing example" width="569" height="296" /></p>
<h4><strong>Expedia</strong></h4>
<p>This behavioral ad from Expedia targets last-minute shoppers looking for a great travel deal.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98949" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/expedia-facebook-ad-behavioral-targeting.jpg" alt="expedia behavioral targeting ad example " width="477" height="427" /></p>
<h3><strong>Behavioral Segmentation Email Marketing</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/behavioral-email-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Behaviorally-targeted email</a> is another example of behavioral marketing. Instead of using the pages that users visited or the actions they took on those pages, behavioral targeting via email targets users based on their status or actions with the site (whether they’re subscribed, added an item to their cart, and so on).</p>
<h4><strong>Nordstrom</strong></h4>
<p>Nordstrom shows you the item(s) in your cart and lets you view your bag directly. However, this <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/cart-recovery-email-strategies/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cart recovery</a> ad could still be improved by linking to a method of contacting support or live chat so the user can get answers to any questions that might be holding them back from converting.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98948 size-full" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/nordstrom-triggered-email-behavorial-marketing.jpg" alt="Nordstrom cart recovery behavioral marketing example " width="651" height="534" /></p>
<h4><strong>Birchbox</strong></h4>
<p>Here’s an example retention email sent to users who unsubscribed from the Birchbox service with a 20% off discount for rejoining the subscription service.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98947 size-large" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/birchbox-behavorial-marketing-example-700x419.jpg" alt="behavioral marketing example birchbox triggered email " width="700" height="419" /></p>
<p>If you’re looking for more examples, we have <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/behaviorally-targeted-emails-examples/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">29 examples of behaviorally-targeted emails</a>.</p>
<h3><strong>Demographic Targeting</strong></h3>
<p>This is one of the most common types of behavioral targeting and looks at things like gender, age range, education level, geographic location, race, and other traits to “paint a picture” of a user based on their browsing habits.</p>
<p>You may not think that something as simple as the websites you visit can reveal anything about you on a physical level, but <a href="https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/140378?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">you’d be surprised</a>.</p>
<p>Of course, advertisers are keen to leverage these differences and often repackage and rebrand their products accordingly.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-98946" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/venus-behavorial-marketing-example.png" alt="pink razors behavoiral marketing example " width="455" height="459" /></p>
<p><strong>Note:</strong> There has been pushback against extremely gendered packaging, <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2012/08/30/bic-for-her-what-they-were-actually-thinking-as-told-by-a-man-who-worked-on-tampons/?sh=508e08e33ab8" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">like Bic for Her,</a> a pen marketed specifically for women. Be careful not to over target and push your audience away.</p>
<p>Even when you’re not online, demographically-targeted ad examples are all around you.</p>
<h4><strong>Toyota</strong></h4>
<p>An ad promoting the fuel efficiency of the Toyota Prius targets consumers looking for ways to reduce their impact on the environment.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98945 size-full" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/toyota-prius-ad-1.jpg" alt="Toyota Prius behavioral marketing example " width="623" height="807" /></p>
<h4><strong>Pepsi</strong></h4>
<p>A “skinny” can of diet Pepsi targeted women trying to watch their calorie intake.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98944 size-full" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/pepsi-ad-skinny-can-1.jpg" alt="pepsi behavioral marketing example " width="470" height="635" />Not surprisingly, you can target your behavioral marketing ads to users’ specific demographics, right down to their professed interests. Facebook has turned this kind of targeted advertising into a fine art.</p>
<h3><strong>Suggested Selling</strong></h3>
<p>Suggested selling pairs additional (or larger/better) items based on things you’ve already bought. Common examples of suggested selling are up-sells and cross-sells. You can think of a cross-sell as ordering a burger and being asked, “Do you want fries with that?”</p>
<p>Whereas an upsell to your burger would be the offer to “make it a meal with fries and a drink for $X.” Suggested selling is often used on sites like Amazon, where buying certain items will tell you not just what others bought, but what they bought <em>together</em>.</p>
<h4><strong>Amazon</strong></h4>
<p>An Amazon behaviorally-marketed suggested sell with the current item, as well as accessories that users often buy in addition to the original.<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98943 size-large" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/amazon-suggested-selling-behavioral-marketing-700x257.png" alt="amazon behavioral marketing example " width="700" height="257" /></p>
<h4><strong>Godiva</strong></h4>
<p>You’ll often see suggested selling used on flower and gift websites, where upsells can include everything from chocolates to popcorn.</p>
<p><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-98942 size-large" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/godiva-suggested-selling-godiva-behavioral-marketing-700x322.png" alt="godiva behavioral marketing example" width="700" height="322" /></p>
<p>This is an extension of behavioral marketing in that it doesn’t dissuade the customer from their current order but rather suggests other relevant products based on their current purchase behavior.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion</strong></h2>
<p>Now that we’ve explored some behavioral marketing examples and looked at tools to make it more effective, the next step is to try it out for yourself!</p>
<p>Make a marketing plan, then try out some of the suggestions above. Use <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/ab-testing-introduction/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">A/B testing</a> on different behavioral segmentation to see what customers respond to. You may be surprised at the money you’re leaving on the table by not including behavioral marketing as part of your <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-create-an-online-marketing-plan-that-will-grow-nearly-any-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">digital marketing strategy</a>!</p>
<p><em>Are you using behavioral marketing tactics as part of your advertising and promotions? What strategy has been the most effective for you? </em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/behavioral-marketing/">A Guide to Behavioral Segmentation Marketing</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-82870046718481149892020-11-05T15:27:00.001-08:002020-11-05T15:27:28.548-08:00How to Choose The Right Marketing Automation Agency<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Marketo_Engage.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98739" /></figure>
<p>If you visit the websites of Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot other top marketing automation tools, what would you see? </p>
<p>Lofty promises to grow revenue, get more leads, and make your prospects happier.</p>
<p>I wish it was that simple.</p>
<p>These tools have a ton of power but no one gets that benefit right after they sign up. It takes a ton of work to set up and manage these tools correctly.</p>
<p>Having the right agency to help you wield that power to set up a lead generation machine for your business. </p>
<p>Choosing the right marketing automation agency partner will save you a ton of time and get you a lot more leads.</p>
<p>That’s exactly what I’ll walk you through in this article.</p>
<p>So how do you know if a marketing automation agency is a good idea?</p>
<h2><strong>Know Your Goals & Desired Outcomes</strong></h2>
<p>One of the best ways to avoid marketing automation failures is to plan ahead of time. </p>
<p>What do you want to achieve with marketing automation? </p>
<p>By setting a good goal, you’ll have a much easier time picking the right agency. And they’ll be more successful.</p>
<p>Let’s explore some examples. </p>
<h3><strong>Example #1: Get the right content to the right people</strong></h3>
<p>Imagine for a moment that you visit the pricing page of a software product after clicking through from a content piece sent to you via email. </p>
<p>Five minutes in, you’re scrolling through the various pricing tiers, not sure what plan to purchase. </p>
<p>Still confused and undecided, you decide to take your leave. But just when you wanted to exit the page, a pop-up covers the pricing page. </p>
<p>It has a message that reads: </p>
<p><em>“Don’t know which plan to choose? Read our FREE guide on what each plan gets you.” </em></p>
<p>You go ahead and open the guide, read it, and finally decide on what plan to choose. However, other events take your time and you forget to complete your purchase at that time. </p>
<p>The next day, you receive an email notification from that company. It reads: </p>
<p><em>“Hey [insert your name], ready to choose a plan now? See how [a competitor in your same industry] used our tool to increase sales by 31%.”</em></p>
<p>You loved what you read, and go on to finally make that purchase. </p>
<p>That’s an example of marketing automation using great content to <em>pull</em> people down the funnel instead of pushing them.</p>
<p>At each step, the exact right content hits the prospect at the exact right time. And it happens automatically without anyone of your team triggering it.</p>
<p>Setting up campaigns like this can have a dramatic impact on moving prospects down your funnel.</p>
<h3><strong>Example #2: Keeping your data clean for consistent follow-up</strong></h3>
<p>Let’s say your business keeps growing.</p>
<p>Now you’re getting leads from everywhere. Phone calls, email, demo request forms, social media, events, partners, it goes on and on.</p>
<p>Even worse, leads from the same company start coming in on different places.</p>
<p>Without the right tool and data management, different sales reps will follow up with different people. That’s a recipe for losing a deal unless your team stays coordinated.</p>
<p>The right marketing automation tool with the right setup will help you maintain control. It’s the only way to keep your close rates high.</p>
<p>But even when you know what you’re after, you’ll still find dozens of agencies vying for your business. </p>
<p>So, what characteristics should you look out for when choosing one?</p>
<h2><strong>6 Characteristics That Make a Great Marketing Automation Agency</strong></h2>
<h3><strong>1. Do they have an area of specialization?</strong></h3>
<p>Exceptional marketing automation agencies usually have an area of expertise.</p>
<p>As you saw in the second example above, some only partner with companies to install, implement, or optimize automation on Marketo Cloud, Salesforce, and others. </p>
<p>Others can hack different tech stacks together for companies on a budget. </p>
<p>You’ll also find some specializing in training and working closely with in-house marketing teams to achieve set marketing automation goals. </p>
<p>Who you choose to work with depends on your needs, so an essential characteristic to look out for is whether the agency specializes in that area. </p>
<p>For instance, at Neil Patel Digital, <a href="https://npdigital.com/services/content-marketing/">content marketing drives</a> our automation programs. </p>
<p>We start by getting the engaging content to the right people at the right time.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Do they have in-house, diversified experts?</strong></h3>
<p>Marketing automation requires a ton of different skills in order to do right.</p>
<p>At the very least, you’ll need:</p>
<ul>
<li>Deep experience with the tools themselves</li>
<li>Lead generation</li>
<li>Copywriting</li>
<li>Content marketing</li>
<li>Specific channel expertise (social, events, paid, SEO, etc)</li>
<li>Sales operations knowledge for smooth handoffs</li>
<li>Funnel design</li>
<li>Lead nurturing </li>
</ul>
<p>And that’s just the beginning. Whoever you’re working with, make sure they have strong enough skills in all these areas.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Do they offer relevant, related services?</strong></h3>
<p>Marketing automation isn’t a growth silver bullet. </p>
<p>It makes a huge impact when it plugs seamlessly into all your other marketing channels and campaigns.</p>
<p>If you really need serious results from your marketing automation, I’d look at agencies that have deep experience beyond marketing automation itself.</p>
<p>Take my agency, Neil Patel Digital, for instance. </p>
<p>Although we help clients with marketing automation, we offer related services like programmatic marketing, data analytics, and others. In addition to the core marketing services you’d expect from a top-tier online marketing agency.</p>
<p>Why is this helpful?</p>
<p>Getting your entire funnel and brand to work consistently across every touchpoint has massive leverage.</p>
<h3><strong>4. Do they have clients’ portfolio(s)?</strong></h3>
<p>This one needs no explanation. </p>
<p>All experienced marketing automation agencies have a host of past and existing clients in their portfolio. </p>
<p>Look for similar clients to yourself in order to decide whether the agency is a good fit.</p>
<h3><strong>5. Do they have real customer testimonials?</strong></h3>
<p>How past clients feel about working with a marketing automation agency is an essential characteristic to look for before you partner with one. </p>
<p>And you’ll find this in their customer testimonials. </p>
<p>Just by going through the testimonials and case studies on an agency’s site, you can tell if they’re worth the fee.</p>
<h3><strong>6. Do they have a great company culture?</strong></h3>
<p>Most companies omit this characteristic when ticking the criteria for choosing an agency of any kind. </p>
<p>You shouldn’t!</p>
<p>It is important that you work with an agency whose company culture aligns with your business values, as most marketing automation partnerships are usually long-term.</p>
<p>This ensures that the marketing automation systems, funnels, and campaigns will align with the way you do business. Then you won’t have to rip everything out later.</p>
<p>When marketing agency projects truly fail, it’s usually a culture mismatch with the client.</p>
<h2><strong>How to work with a Marketing Automation Company</strong> </h2>
<p>Let’s look at the steps you can take to ensure a smooth working relationship with any agency you choose. </p>
<h3><strong>1. Filling an inquiry form</strong></h3>
<p>Filling an inquiry form is usually the first step towards showing your interest to work with a marketing automation agency. </p>
<p>It’s usually really easy to find on the agency’s website.</p>
<h3><strong>2. Prepare for a discovery call</strong></h3>
<p>Expect the discovery call to be much more detailed than calls for other marketing projects.</p>
<p>Marketing automation serves as the backbone to your lead funnel. It touches every campaign, multiple divisions in your company, and isn’t easy to see form the outside.</p>
<p>So any good marketing automation agency will want to spend a lot of time here to understand where you’re currently at.</p>
<p>Only then will they have any chance at helping you get to your future goals.</p>
<h3><strong>3. Expect unique, strategic recommendations</strong></h3>
<p>Excellent marketing automation companies take what you told them when filling their inquiry form and over the discovery call as the foundation for conducting further research. </p>
<p>The goal of this research is usually to gain more clarity about your needs and to make strategic marketing automation recommendations unique to your needs. </p>
<p>Most companies would send these recommendations via email or hop on another call to discuss it over with you. </p>
<h3><strong>4. A proposal or work contract </strong></h3>
<p>Followed by the unique, strategic MA recommendations you should expect in the process of partnering with an agency is a proposal or contract. </p>
<p>This document outlines and details what your company would get working with them. It also states the cost implications and other requirements for working together. </p>
<h3><strong>5. Official client onboarding</strong></h3>
<p>A lot of mutual understanding is needed to ensure you get the most out of a working relationship with a marketing automation agency. </p>
<p>You may need to invest in tech stacks, re-examine your business and marketing strategy, or retrain your staff. </p>
<p>To ensure both parties are aligned on the job to be done and the responsibilities each party must perform to ensure everything works out well, prepare your team for an official client onboarding. </p>
<h3>What You Get From a Great Right Marketing Automation Agency</h3>
<p>When you choose a marketing automation agency, you’ll:</p>
<ul>
<li>Align your marketing processes with your marketing strategy </li>
<li>Pick the right marketing tech stack </li>
<li>Generate more leads and move leads down your funnel more efficiently</li>
<li>Have the data you need to optimize your funnel for better conversions </li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>The 5 Best Marketing Automation Companies</strong></h2>
<p>We reviewed and profiled the top marketing automation companies based on their areas of specialization. </p>
<h3><strong>#1 Neil Patel Digital – Best for Content Marketing Automation</strong></h3>
<p>A core goal of marketing automation is to deliver the right content to the right people just when they need it, whether that is on social media or email sequence.</p>
<p>Irrespective of your MA set up, content is the foundation for so many parts of your funnel. At every stage, buyers are looking for helpful content in order to make better decisions.</p>
<p>Not only must you create excellent content, you also need to deliver the right content to the right person at the right time.. </p>
<p>For my team at <a href="https://npdigital.com/">Neil Patel Digital</a>, that’s our specialty: </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/NP_digital__Content_Marketing__SEO___Paid_Media_Agency___Neil_Patel_Digital-2.png" alt="" class="wp-image-97474" /></figure>
<p>As you know, I practice what I preach. </p>
<p>I’ve built and managed enormous content machines for countless businesses over the years. And the majority of them have been automated. My team and I know exactly how to get the most out of every piece of content for every step of a funnel.</p>
<p>AYou can talk to my team about content marketing automation <a href="https://npdigital.com/contact/">here</a>. </p>
<h3><strong>#2 LeadMD – Best for Tech Stack Integration</strong></h3>
<p>For marketing automation to free you and your team from mundane tasks, you must integrate the right tech stack. </p>
<p>And this is one area <a href="https://www.leadmd.com/services/integration/">LeadMD</a> comes highly recommended due to their expertise of setting up complicated marketing infrastructure and aligning it to your strategy, </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/2__New_Messages_.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98737" /></figure>
<p>. </p>
<p>LeadMD is one of the most reputable marketing automation companies. And their integration expertise has earned clients like IBM and eBay.</p>
<h3><strong>#3 CS2 Marketing – Best for Marketing Data Operations</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.cs2marketing.com/">Cs2 Marketing</a> earns its place on our top list of marketing automation because of its experience, leveraging the power of data to power essential automated marketing campaigns.</p>
<p>And dozens of the top tech brands trust CS2 Marketing for its expertise, using data operations to drive automated marketing processes and business.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/1__New_Message_.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98740" /></figure>
<p>CS2 Marketing has generated more than $1 billion in pipeline revenue for its clients.</p>
<h3><strong>#4 Bluewolf – Best for Salesforce Automation</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://www.bluewolf.com/results">Bluewolf</a> is our recommended marketing automation agency for marketing automation on Salesforce:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/bluewolf.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98741" /></figure>
<p>Marketing automation isn’t just about your MA tool, everything has to work perfectly with your CRM. You’ll need experts that know how to integrate the two. </p>
<p>Bluewolf’s clients include T-Mobile, IBM, Autodesk, and others.</p>
<h3><strong>#5 Perkuto – Best for Marketo Automation</strong></h3>
<p><a href="https://perkuto.com/">Perkuto</a> is the leading agency for Marketo. If you need to get ultra fancy with your Marketo implementation, reach out to them.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/PERKUTO____Marketo__CRM__and_Marketing_Automation_Consulting.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98742" /></figure>
<p>Perkuto’s team of over 50 automation strategists, marketers, and hardcore engineers help companies make the most of their Marketo implementation.</p>
<p>Reach out to specialists like Perkuto if:</p>
<ul>
<li>You have an extremely complicated funnel to implement</li>
<li>Internal teams or agencies have botched a previous install that you need to untangle</li>
<li>Other agencies have previously failed at wrangling your funnels</li>
</ul>
<h2><strong>What’s most important when choosing a marketing automation agency?</strong></h2>
<p>It depends on your needs.</p>
<p>Do you need help implementing or optimizing your marketing automation tech stack?</p>
<p>Choose an agency with experience in working with your tech stack of choice. </p>
<p>Do you have challenges making sense of your marketing touchpoints?</p>
<p>Then go with a marketing automation agency specializing in data operations. </p>
<p>Do you want to get the absolute best ROI from every dollar invested into marketing automation?</p>
<p>Then work with an agency that has deep experience across marketing channels, knows how to get the entire marketing funnel working together, and will use marketing automation to accelerate the marketing KPIs for your entire company.</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/marketing-automation-agency/">How to Choose The Right Marketing Automation Agency</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-21651153078111611112020-11-05T12:27:00.001-08:002020-11-05T12:27:09.874-08:00How to Create a Customer Journey Map (Even if You Have No Idea Who Your Customers Really Are)<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/how-to-create-a-buyer-persona.jpg" alt="How to Create a Customer Journey Map (Even if You Have No Idea Who Your Customers Really Are)" class="wp-image-98881" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Creating a customer journey map is enough to make even the best marketer freeze in their tracks and realize how little they really know about their prospects.</p>
<p>If this sounds like you, don’t worry.</p>
<p>Even if you’ve never <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/create-reinforce-buyer-personas/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">created a buyer persona</a> before, I’ll help you make sense of the process by giving you a sort of “map” to help you better understand who your customers are and what they want.</p>
<p>Let’s take a closer look.</p>
<h2><strong>Starting Fresh: The Basics of the Customer Journey Map </strong></h2>
<p>A customer journey map is a diagram that illustrates each step in the buyer journey, including who the customer is, what their needs are, and what objections they face.</p>
<p>This map makes it easier for sales, marketing, and executives to make more informed decisions and humanize your audience.</p>
<p>The very first step in a customer journey map is the core demographic information about your customers, such as:</p>
<ul>
<li>Gender</li>
<li>Age range</li>
<li>Job title</li>
<li>Job responsibilities</li>
<li>Salary</li>
<li>Region</li>
<li>Company size</li>
</ul>
<p>You’ll likely find most of this data in your CRM. If not, a survey can give you a clear picture of who your audience is and what they do.</p>
<p>I also recommend “humanizing” the persona by giving them a name and image. This brings out more of our emotional, empathetic side, versus looking at the potential customer as a number to slot somewhere in a sales funnel like a puzzle piece.</p>
<p>Now that you have the basics let’s look at an example of a customer journey.</p>
<h2>A <strong>Customer Journey Map Example </strong></h2>
<p>For our example here, we’ve chosen to work with Lucy, a marketing director in her late 40s.</p>
<p>Her job primarily entails lead generation, sales management, and gathering competitive intelligence.</p>
<p>She organizes and prioritizes campaigns. She’s a pro at gathering competitive intelligence and uses it wisely to reinforce the brand while <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/pillars-to-earn-customer-loyalty/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">cementing customer loyalty</a> in a very competitive marketplace.</p>
<p>Because of the <a href="https://neilpatel.com/what-is-social-media-marketing/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">huge growth in social media</a>, Lucy’s looking to streamline the interaction process on social media without losing the “personability” of the brand.</p>
<p>She’s in the market for a solution and wants to make a confident decision quickly.</p>
<p>So with this in mind, our persona map is going to look something like this so far:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="607" height="191" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/customer-journey-map.jpg" alt="customer journey map " class="wp-image-98883" /></figure>
</div>
<p>To stick with the map concept, this is our starting point. Next, it’s time to look at the journey.</p>
<p>Our first stop along the map is the buyer’s needs<strong>.</strong></p>
<p>She has the basic research to know what’s out there. If we were looking at this from a <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-build-a-conversion-funnel-that-will-triple-your-profits/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">traditional sales funnel point of view</a>, she’s at the “comparison shopping” stage.</p>
<p>She’ll be looking to make a decision soon.</p>
<h3><strong>Understanding the Buyer’s Needs</strong></h3>
<p>Buyers are eager to tell you what they need. All you have to do is ask.</p>
<p>Basic <a href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/how-to-nurture-your-organic-leads/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">lead follow-up and nurturing questions</a> can reveal quite a bit. Simple polls and surveys can often reveal a great deal about where the buyer actually is in the process (and whether they have an urgent need for your product or service versus basic curiosity).</p>
<p>Even if we don’t know specifically what they need, we can make a few general statements that apply them to our persona.</p>
<p>What would someone in this job typically need from our solution?</p>
<p>For starters, the buyer likely needs the product to be well documented. She’ll be managing dozens, perhaps hundreds of staff members – some of whom (based on age) may be more technically savvy than she is.</p>
<p>Some of the staff may pick it up quickly; others may need more time. We’ll add the needs and the persona’s place in the decision-making process (one persona can have multiple roles in the decision process — they can be a user and initiator, for example)</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="607" height="391" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/buyer-persona-map-example.png" alt="customer journey map example lucy" class="wp-image-98884" /></figure>
</div>
<p>There’s also the fact that whatever solution needs to be adaptive and flexible to accommodate existing platforms and tools.</p>
<p>The company likely has certain procedures and requirements that will be added to the mix, like cloud-based access and specific security protocols.</p>
<p>These factors can influence and even conflict with what the primary buyer wants. The committee often makes decisions like these, which lengthens the time needed and the requested features.</p>
<h3><strong>Dealing with Common Objections in Customer Journey Maps </strong></h3>
<p>Like all maps, there will be roadblocks that prevent your customer from taking action. You’ll want to outline those in your customer journey map.</p>
<p>There are constraints and concerns, frustrations, and issues that will affect their decision. You can brainstorm these obstacles and add them to your customer journey map to ensure that sales know how to address the most common objections before becoming major pain points.</p>
<p>You also have to decide where this buyer falls on the scale of decision-making.</p>
<p>Will they be using the product? Influencing the decision-maker? Initiating contact with the company? A mix of all of these?</p>
<p>Make a note of these objections and the buyer persona’s place in the decision-making cycle on your map.</p>
<p>Following our example, we end up with something like this:</p>
<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="480" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/customer-journey-map-example-2-700x480.png" alt="customer journey map example " class="wp-image-98885" /></figure>
</div>
<p>Here, we’ve managed to discover (and brainstorm) the buyer’s potential:</p>
<ul>
<li>Needs</li>
<li>Concerns</li>
<li>Frustrations</li>
<li>Urgency/Timeframe to Buy</li>
<li>Place in the buying cycle</li>
<li>Requirements</li>
</ul>
<p>All the kinds of sales-propelling information needed to acknowledge objections, concerns, and frustrations while concentrating on needs, requirements, and urgency.</p>
<p>We’ve learned core demographics about our buyer and key information that may be preventing them from taking action or details that could move a sale into the next stage.</p>
<p>Our customer journey map is less of a neatly-organized, bulleted list, and more like a mind-map that’s always being adjusted and revised. It may not be as tidy, but our customer journey map is closer to the actual customer experience — and therefore far more useful.</p>
<p>Think about the last time your company made a major purchase. It’s seldom a “beginning to end” one-time shot, right?</p>
<p>There are many details to hammer out, presentations to sit through, and suggestions and sign-offs to gather.</p>
<p>It’s a big process, and a fancy list of bullets just doesn’t cut it anymore – not in today’s two-way communication world.</p>
<h2><strong>Create a Customer Journey Map for Each Type of Customer </strong></h2>
<p>Now, you need to go through this entire process with every type of buyer your company encounters. Each type of customer will have a different buyer path, objections, and challenges.</p>
<p>For example, if retail, you’ve got suppliers, wholesalers, resellers, and a whole avalanche of personas out there. Each buyer you have must be addressed individually.</p>
<h2><strong>Conclusion </strong></h2>
<p>Don’t panic, prioritize. Focus on your most profitable customers first and find the unifying threads that tie them together, then build on that persona. Once you have those down, start working down the list until you have all your customer journies mapped.</p>
<p>And remember that buyers are multi-faceted human beings.</p>
<p>Sometimes they make decisions that go against the grain of even the most well-developed persona. It happens.</p>
<p>Remember, the journey is just as important as the destination, and the easier you make that journey, the more receptive the buyer will be to taking the action you want them to take.</p>
<p><em>Are you planning to create a customer journey map? What is holding you back? </em></p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/buyer-persona-map/">How to Create a Customer Journey Map (Even if You Have No Idea Who Your Customers Really Are)</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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Wilmington Internet Marketinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08453497763853884109noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2794793768932695661.post-31950235282450983022020-11-05T10:27:00.001-08:002020-11-05T10:27:20.845-08:00Best Shared Hosting Companies<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image6-17.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98583" /></figure>
<p style="color:#707378;font-size:12px;">Disclosure: This content is reader-supported, which means if you click on some of our links that we may earn a commission.</p>
<p>Web hosting comes in all different shapes and sizes. As a whole, these plans can be segmented into four main categories—shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated.</p>
<p>Shared hosting is essentially the entry-level web hosting category. </p>
<p>It’s ideal for new websites and smaller websites that don’t have a ton of traffic just yet. Since shared hosting is the first tier of hosting options, it’s always the most cost-effective way to host your website. </p>
<p>For those of you starting a new website from scratch, shared hosting will be the best option 99% of the time. These are the top hosting companies for shared plans:</p>
<h2><strong>The Top 6 Options For Shared Hosting Companies</strong></h2>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0186/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Bluehost</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0187/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">A2 Hosting</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0188/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">TMDHosting</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0189/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Hostinger</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0190/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">DreamHost</a></li>
<li><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0191/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">GreenGeeks</a></li>
</ol>
<h2><strong>How to Choose the Best Shared Hosting Company For You</strong></h2>
<p>As you’re shopping around and evaluating different shared hosting companies, there are certain factors that you need to keep an eye out for. Make sure you take the following elements into consideration:</p>
<h3><strong>Speed</strong></h3>
<p>With shared web hosting, your site will be sharing server resources with other websites on the same server (that’s where the name “shared” comes from).</p>
<p>This ultimately impacts the performance of your website, including the site speed. Your site won’t be as fast as it would if you were on a VPS (virtual private server) or dedicated hosting plan. But that’s fine; most new websites don’t need top-of-the-line performance. </p>
<p>With that said, some web hosting providers are faster than others. If your loading times are too slow, it will cause visitors to bounce and ultimately create a negative experience for people on your website. </p>
<h3><strong>Uptime</strong></h3>
<p>Uptime is another crucial factor to consider when discussing site performance. If people can’t access your site, it’s going to be detrimental to your success. </p>
<p>Generally speaking, some downtime is bound to happen. Certain providers will guarantee uptime rates, like 99.9%, but those typically come with all different types of contingencies. For example, planned outages wouldn’t qualify for the guarantee. </p>
<p>Read some reviews from current customers to see if they are experiencing outages and downtime.</p>
<h3><strong>Traffic</strong></h3>
<p>Make sure you choose a plan within the shared hosting category that can accommodate the traffic you’re expecting. </p>
<p>For example, some plans won’t be able to accommodate more than 10,000 monthly visits. You might need to choose a tier that supports 25,000 or 50,000 monthly visitors. Once you get beyond these numbers (and it will probably take a while), then it might be time to consider moving away from shared hosting to a VPS or cloud hosting plan. </p>
<p>But for not, there are plenty of shared hosting providers out there offering plans to accommodate the traffic for new websites. </p>
<h3><strong>Security</strong></h3>
<p>At a minimum, your web hosting provider should be giving you a free SSL certificate. </p>
<p>But beyond that, some providers will go the extra mile to help protect your website from things like malware, brute force attacks, and more. So keep an eye out for packages and promotions that will protect your website from malicious attacks. </p>
<p>Some hosts will include these extras in your plan, while others will charge you extra to add-on a security package. </p>
<h3><strong>Limitations</strong></h3>
<p>The vast majority of shared hosting plans will have some restrictions for your bandwidth and storage. </p>
<p>Your bandwidth essentially restricts the amount of data that gets transferred from your site at any given moment. The more traffic you have, the more bandwidth you’ll need to accommodate that traffic.</p>
<p>This is especially true for websites with lots of videos, images, or dynamic content (all of these require additional bandwidth).</p>
<p>Although many hosts will advertise unmetered or unlimited bandwidth, that’s really never actually the case. So double-check your contract before making a commitment. </p>
<p>Storage can also be referred to as disk space. This is the amount of space your website can occupy on the shared server. Images, videos, files, databases, scripts, code, and more all eat into your disk space limits. </p>
<p>Similar to bandwidth, be wary of hosts promoting unlimited disk space—that doesn’t actually exist. </p>
<h3><strong>Support</strong></h3>
<p>If you’re new to the world of web hosting, you’re going to have some questions. It might not be today or next week, but eventually, you’ll need assistance. </p>
<p>Make sure you choose a web hosting provider that will be there to help you out. This is crucial in times when your site goes down, or you need a time-sensitive reply. If your site crashes on Friday afternoon, waiting until Monday at 9:00 AM EST isn’t really a viable option.</p>
<p>The best web hosting providers offer 24/7/365 support.</p>
<h2><strong>The Different Types of Shared Hosting Companies</strong></h2>
<p>Earlier I mentioned the different types of web hosting (shared, VPS, cloud, and dedicated). But there are further segmentations within the shared hosting category itself. Before we dive into the company reviews, I want to quickly explain the differences between the following shared hosting types:</p>
<h3><strong>Linux Hosting</strong></h3>
<p>Generally speaking, Linux servers are the default option for shared hosting. Unless you’re super technical and need to run specific applications at the server level, you shouldn’t have to think twice about this— Linux servers will be just fine. </p>
<h3><strong>Windows Hosting</strong></h3>
<p>Some hosting providers let you choose your OS. So if you don’t want a Linux server, you might have the option to select a Windows server instead. This is really only necessary if you’re running custom server-side applications written in .NET or SQL servers—both of these need a windows hosting plan. But the vast majority of you don’t need to worry about this. </p>
<h3><strong>WordPress Hosting</strong></h3>
<p>As the name implies, WordPress hosting is designed specifically for WordPress websites. These plans will include features like one-click WordPress installations, automatic WordPress updates, security optimized for WordPress, and more.</p>
<p>If you’re running a WordPress site, it’s definitely a good idea to consider WordPress hosting. But with that said, you can still host your WordPress site without a WordPress-specific plan. </p>
<h3><strong>Managed Web Hosting</strong></h3>
<p>Managed hosting will be a bit more expensive than traditional shared plans. That’s because managed providers allow you to stay hands-off.</p>
<p>If you don’t want to worry about security, backups, updates, and other technical aspects of hosting your website, a managed hosting provider can handle all of these things for you. You’ll pay a little extra, but you really won’t have to do anything beyond running the site itself. Everything behind the scenes will be managed for you.</p>
<h3><strong>Domain Registrars</strong></h3>
<p>Lots of domain registrars also double as web hosting providers. Avoid these. </p>
<p>There are certain instances when you can bundle web hosting and domain registration, but I’d only recommend that from a hosting provider. You should never get web hosting from a domain registrar—period. </p>
<h3><strong>Website Builders</strong></h3>
<p>Similar to domain registrars, lots of website builders also offer web hosting plans. Again, stay away from these. Even if you’re using a site builder to create your website, you should still get your hosting plan from a traditional hosting company. </p>
<h2><strong>#1 – Bluehost — The Best Shared Hosting For WordPress</strong></h2>
<p>More than two million sites worldwide are powered by <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0186/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Bluehost</a>. This is one of the most popular and reputable shared hosting solutions on the market today.</p>
<p>I also like Bluehost because they’ve been on WordPress’ list of recommended web hosts for 15+ years. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image1-23.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98578" /></figure>
<p>In addition to the WordPress hosting plans, there are plenty of other great reasons to choose Bluehost. Here’s why they rank so high on my list:</p>
<ul>
<li>Free SSL certificate included with your shared plan</li>
<li>Free domain name for the first year</li>
<li>One-click WordPress installation</li>
<li>24/7 customer support</li>
<li>30-day money-back guarantee</li>
<li>$200 in marketing credits</li>
</ul>
<p>Bluehost makes it easy for your site to scale as well. As the site grows and you need more resources, upgrading your plan accordingly is a breeze. They also advanced extras like Cloudflare CDN, domain privacy & protection, spam protection, SiteLock, CodeGuard, and multi-server management. </p>
<p>Plans start as low as $3.95 per month. </p>
<h2><strong>#2 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best Hosting Company For Speed</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0187/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">A2 Hosting</a> is another well-known name in the web hosting world. If you want fast loading times and outstanding performance on a shared plan, this will be a top choice to consider.</p>
<p>Certain plans come with turbo boost servers that are up to 20x faster than traditional shared plans. Here’s a closer look at those plans:</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image5-18.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98582" /></figure>
<p>Sites of all sizes can rely on A2 Hosting for optimized performance. Other top features, benefits, and highlights of the shared plans included:</p>
<ul>
<li>Free and simple site migrations</li>
<li>Free automated backups</li>
<li>99.9% uptime guarantee</li>
<li>Speed and performance optimized for WordPress</li>
<li>Free SSL certificate</li>
<li>Guru support available 24/7/365</li>
</ul>
<p>A2 Hosting is a great option for new websites, as well as existing websites looking to switch hosting providers. They offer WordPress hosting as well. </p>
<p>You can sign up for A2 Hosting risk-free. All plans are backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. </p>
<h2><strong>#3 – TMDHosting — The Best Fully Managed Plans</strong></h2>
<p>If you’re looking for a hands-off hosting solution, I highly recommend <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0188/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">TMDHosting</a>. </p>
<p>While this might not be the most recognizable name in the industry, these managed shared hosting plans are second to none. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image4-20.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98581" /></figure>
<p>For new websites and existing websites alike, TMDHosting has solutions to accommodate your needs. Let’s take a closer look at the noteworthy highlights from this hosting company:</p>
<ul>
<li>24/7/365 premium support</li>
<li>Global data centers</li>
<li>Military-grade security</li>
<li>Optimized for open-source platforms (WordPress, OpenCart, Drupal, PrestaShop, etc.)</li>
<li>Free application installation with 1,300+ apps</li>
<li>Free components installation</li>
<li>Free template installation</li>
<li>Up to 16x faster page loading speeds</li>
<li>Live malware protection</li>
<li>Free domain</li>
<li>Linux and Windows servers available</li>
<li>Free daily backups</li>
<li>99.999% uptime guarantee</li>
</ul>
<p>As you can see, managed plans from TMDHosting definitely come packed with features and benefits. If you’re migrating over from another host, TMDHosting will transfer your site files and databases for free. They’ll also compensate you for unused months on your other contract. </p>
<p>Shared hosting starts at just $2.95 per month. All plans are backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. </p>
<h2><strong>#4 – Hostinger Review — Best Cheap Shared Hosting Plans</strong></h2>
<p>If you’re on a tight budget and don’t want to spend a fortune on web hosting, you should definitely check out <a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0189/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">Hostinger</a>.</p>
<p>With shared plans starting at just $0.99 per month, this is roughly 25% of the price compared to entry-level plans from other providers.</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image6-17.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98583" /></figure>
<p>Even at such a low introductory rate, you really aren’t sacrificing too much quality with a shared plan from Hostinger. Aside from the rock-bottom pricing, there are still plenty of reasons why Hostinger ranks so high on my list:</p>
<ul>
<li>24/7/365 live chat support</li>
<li>Automatic one-click WordPress installations</li>
<li>Strong uptimes rates and loading speeds</li>
<li>Easy to set up whether you’re creating a new site or migrating an existing site</li>
<li>Free SSL certificate</li>
<li>Simple, intuitive, and user-friendly control panel</li>
<li>Flexible and built to scale</li>
</ul>
<p>It’s worth noting that you’ll need to lock-in a 48-month contract to get the lowest possible rate. Since you have to pay for this contract upfront and in-full, it’s actually going to cost you more than just $1 today. </p>
<p>Hostinger offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can sign up risk-free. </p>
<h2><strong>#5 – DreamHost Review — The Best Shared Hosting Features</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0190/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">DreamHost</a> is one of the most reliable and reputable hosting solutions on the market today. They offer a wide range of hosting solutions, including feature-rich shared plans. </p>
<p>Plans start as low as $2.59 per month. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image2-21.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98579" /></figure>
<p>Why should you consider DreamHost? Let’s take a closer look to see what these shared plans have to offer.</p>
<ul>
<li>24/7 support</li>
<li>WordPress hosting</li>
<li>Free domain name</li>
<li>Fast SSD storage and email hosting</li>
<li>Anti-spam protection and free WHOIS privacy</li>
<li>100% uptime guarantee</li>
<li>One-click WordPress installs</li>
<li>Unlimited traffic</li>
<li>Automated WordPress migrations</li>
<li>Automated backups</li>
</ul>
<p>Some of the advanced features include canned CGI scripts, Crontab access, full Unix Shell, unlimited SFTP users, unlimited MySQL databases, and more. So if you’re a developer or a technical user, these will definitely come in handy. </p>
<p>It’s no surprise that 1.5+ million websites rely on DreamHost for web hosting. All plans are backed by an industry-leading 97-day guarantee. </p>
<h2><strong>#6 – GreenGeeks Review — Best Eco-Friendly Hosting Company</strong></h2>
<p><a href="https://neilpatel.com/go/npnm0191/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow">GreenGeeks</a> is a bit unique compared to some of the other providers on our list. It’s definitely not the most popular or most recognized name in the hosting world.</p>
<p>But as the name implies, this provider offers eco-friendly hosting, which is extremely important in today’s day and age. </p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" width="700" height="420" src="https://neilpatel.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/image3-20.png" alt="" class="wp-image-98580" /></figure>
<p>If you want to limit your carbon footprint and help protect the environment, GreenGeeks will be the best option for you to consider. Aside from this unique differentiator, here are some other reasons why 45,000+ websites rely on GreenGeeks:</p>
<ul>
<li>Free nightly backups</li>
<li>Free SSL certificate</li>
<li>Free domain for first year</li>
<li>Free CDN</li>
<li>Unlimited email accounts</li>
<li>LSCache included with plans</li>
<li>Free site transfers</li>
<li>24/7 tech support (chat, ticket, or phone)</li>
<li>Developer-friendly tools and features</li>
<li>Real-time security scanning and proactive server monitoring</li>
<li>Built for speed and scalability</li>
</ul>
<p>When you sign up for a GreenGeeks shared hosting plan, you can sleep well at night knowing that your site is stable and you’re making a difference in the world. Plans start at $2.95 per month, and they’re backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. </p>
<h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2>
<p>Every website needs a hosting plan to be live on the Internet. </p>
<p>If you’re starting a new site from scratch or currently running a small website, shared hosting will be the best option for you. But which hosting company is the best?</p>
<p>Use the recommended providers and buying guide explained above to find the best shared plan for your website. </p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com/blog/best-shared-hosting/">Best Shared Hosting Companies</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="https://neilpatel.com">Neil Patel</a>.</p>
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