A website carries your identity and brand through a URL. It’s your own space, which can be used to customise for specialised services and content.

Plus, it gives you a professional look. It makes you look better than a business that operates through social media only.

However…

Before you hire a website designer or developer in Melbourne you may want to lookout for these 6 common mistakes.

Website design can be complex. There are many factors to account for. They include hosting options, aesthetics, and user experience.

But we’ll summarise those accounts into a small list. That is, we’ll look into website design mistakes to avoid.

They’re simple and timeless. They apply now (and will apply for the foreseeable future).

So to start off…

Not Optimising for Mobile.

We’ll start our list with basic SEO.

Any website should work on mobile. Over ½ the internet’s users access the internet through smartphones. And if your website doesn’t work there, then you won’t attract business.

Also, customers view you x2 more often on phone than on other media outlets. That’s the device they’ll contact you through, read your articles, and check your social media (source).

Google Hates Mobile Non-Responsive Sites.

Google’s algorithms will find your website repulsive. And your domain won’t show up in search results as often as you like.

Basically, lack of mobile optimisation hurts your marketing efforts. It also hurts your readers’ experience, forcing them away from your pages.

How to Optimize for Mobile.

Start by using Google’s Mobile Friendly Test (link). It gauges how easy it is to use your site on mobile.

You’ll use that tool after launching your site. And you’ll use it after every adjustment you make (since no website design is final).

Your goal should be an improvement in results with each test.

Next, you’ll need a checklist to go through with each design update. Below is a basic list you can start off with.

• • Avoid non-responsive web designs (pick what scales well from small phones to laptops).

• • Avoid pop-ups (they’re difficult to close on mobile).

• Ensure that buttons are large for user fingers (important for scrolling and navigation).

A large and detailed list can be found on Moz.com (source). You can consult that after major website updates.

Slow Loading Designs.

Mobile optimisation is all about user experience. And the same applies to loading speeds.

People today are impatient. They expect quick rewards for their online searches – else they turn to other brands.

And this applies to your brand too. If your website is slow to load, then expect to lose many of your customers.

Loading Speed Issues in Detail.

We’ll use a 2017 study by Google to showcase some loading speed stats (source).

The opening paragraph shows that most landing pages on mobile load within 22 seconds. It also tells us the average visitor leaves if pages don’t load within 3 seconds.

But to be fair, landing pages are large. They contain slow loading visual content and pop-ups that market the rest of the website.

So what about normal pages on a website?

The same source shows 70% of the analysed pages take 7 seconds to load visual content. That’s over twice as long as your traffic’s patience level.

The Consequences.

Most websites are customer-repulsive. And your website is likely the same.

A slow loading page doesn’t just drive away customers. It kills their interest in your brand.

Unless you offer a service your customer desperately needs, chances are, they’ll look at your competitors.

Another risk is a loss of long-term clients. To keep your business thriving, you need an influx of return clients. And your website should keep them interested.

You need to supply interesting (and fast-loading) content. And if your website is a slow-loading irritation, then people won’t visit your site for updates.

How to Increase Website Loading Speed.

Start with the basics. When setting up your site, pick a good hosting package suitable for a professional business.

If possible, try getting a dedicated server. This’ll boost your loading time, giving you SEO privileges that most sites lack.

After setting up your site, visit Google’s Page Speed Insights (link). This is a tool that lets you check loading speeds for any URL. With each test, the tool highlights problem areas that need changing.

Next, you’ll need a review checklist after every update you make (including posts, new pages, aesthetics, etc.).

The following is a basic list you can follow…

• • Enable caching. Only delete cache after major website edits.

• • Compress visual content (small file sizes load faster).

• • Use asynchronous loading tools (this loads text faster than visuals).

• Check and delete plug-ins that aren’t being used.

Designing Difficult to Read Content.

The previous 2 points discussed navigation, device comfort, and loading speed. Assuming you got those out of the way, it’s time to focus on your writing.

The key to keeping your customers hooked is “updates.” You need new products, interesting announcements (and of course) blog content.

Blog content is easier to update than the previous two. You can write your experience and share insights on your industry.

You can provide user guides to your products. You can even discuss your business’ evolution, turning it into a story worth following!

What Does That Have to Do With Readability?

All the previous ideas are interesting. But those ideas mean nothing if you can’t express them properly.

You need to structure your text in a way that makes it “absorbable.” You need to respect your traffic’s attention span and eye comfort.

There’s a set of rules you should follow to make that a reality. And we’ll list those below…

• • Use H1 and H2 headings in text (this gives your writing better structure).

• • Use 12px font for regular text, more for headings (Google’s SEO values larger font sizes).

• • Don’t use images excessively (use them as memes to summarise a point).

• • Avoid spamming ads in content (it makes your content look bad).

• Stay on topic, and keep your sentences short.

Writing Irrelevant Content.

Your website is all your customers know about your business.

Your content has to be as direct as possible. It should be relevant for the pages you design. And it has to be laid out for easy navigation.

An Example.

Let’s assume that a restaurant is opening a website. And they’re designing their homepage content.

The first question to ask is – what does a customer want to see?

The answer will include the following…

• • Appealing visuals of the food sold.

• • Contact number (for reservations, deliveries, etc.)

• A quick access to the menu.

Other information is important, but they’re a lower priority than the previous list.

For example, that business might be tempted to write the story of their business. After all, it might be a family-owned enterprise with decades of history.

And while that information is interesting – it belongs to a different URL (probably the “About Me” page).

Notes to Keep In-Mind.

Relevance requires structure. And you get that with a visible navigation system.

Your business website should have a bar that shows different categories and subcategories. Each should lead to a page with content only relevant to that section.

Also, when writing web content, always keep the customer’s interest in-mind. Give info that answers questions or solves problems a customer has.

Linking Out to Other Domains.

Many website designs incorporate “social media icons” on their pages.

They’ll show off their FB and Twitter follower counts. They’ll entice viewers to visit those pages. And it’s all at the cost of sales.

Now this isn’t exactly a bad thing but you want to keep visitors on your page. One easy was is to make sure when you link out to these platforms you push them to a new tab. Or, even better let them follow you within your website.

It Should be the Opposite.

Social media should lead back to your site, not the reverse.

Social media is a pool that attracts traffic, eventually converting them to customers (at your website’s checkout pages).

Leading viewers to your social media defeats that purpose. It’s useless, unless you have a way to directly sell products on social media.

Ignoring Cyber Security.

Content aside, let’s look at security.

Most websites get hacked (if not properly secured). In fact, stats show that over 97% of Fortune 500 websites were hacked at some point (source).

So as a small business, your website may get compromised too.

This makes a horrible user experience. Not only do you lose money to hackers. But you also risk giving away information stored about your customers.

Those include IDs, phone numbers, credit card numbers, etc.

How to Secure Your Website.

Start by getting an SSL certification. They aren’t expensive, and are usually offered as extras with most web hosting packages.

Next, we recommend using security plug-ins. They perform a variety of functions, from lowering login attempts, to adding extra verification steps.

Third, we recommend backing up your site. Sometimes, hackers may mess with folders or delete important content that’s otherwise unrecoverable.

In the event of a website compromise, a backup allows you to get back online fast.

Final Recommendation: Hire an Expert.

As a business owner, you have a lot to manage. And creating the optimal website design may be too much to deal with.

We recommend outsourcing the work to an expert. A good website designer will implement the previous checklist. And they’ll recommend subtle tweaks that’ll put your site in top shape!

The post Searching for Website Design in Melbourne? Here’s 6 Mistakes to Lookout For appeared first on Digital Bond.

Got no idea what the hell Local SEO means?

Is your business failing to appear on Google’s first pages? There’s a saying around Digital Marketing circles “the best place to hide a dead body is on page 2 of Google Search”

Need not to worry…

This is the perfect guide for any Melbourne company wanting to increase their visibility on Google SERPS whilst bringing in more traffic, leads and sales.

Firstly:

What Does Local Ranking Mean?

It’s how often you appear to clients in your area.

Most businesses sell their products to local customers. And correctly targeting those customers is key to getting business.

Unfortunately, most businesses do the opposite. They try to increase incoming traffic as much as possible – without aiming for their target market.

Companies routinely reach out to me saying they want to take on the world selling X product. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have ambition. But if you can’t dominate your own small suburb how are you going to take on the world?

On top of that, they seek first page results in super competitive niches. But they don’t pay attention to their “visitor locations” and the possibility of easy conversions.

Your Goal as a Business.

Now that you have worked out what areas you are going to target, lets get onto the strategy..

You need an SEO strategy that ensures you can obtain rankings in your city that has a decent amount of search volume. And this is what we’ll explore today.

We’ll start by explaining how Google determines your local ranking. Following that, we’ll mention 5 tips to help you boost your local presence!

How Google Determines Your Local Ranking.

Google looks at authority, relevance and distance. Those factors make up the bulk of local ranking algorithms.

First – Authority.

It refers to your businesses’ reputation. That is, “how well is your business known online and offline?”

Some places have a prominent offline presence. Google takes that into account, and tries to reflect that authority in its local rankings.

Such businesses include landmark hotels, museums, stores, etc.

But for the most part, Google measures authority based on business’ backlinks. And those backlinks include articles, reviews, and social media shares.

Google review scores (and numbers) are also taken into account. Positive/numerous reviews make you more preferable as a Google search result.

Second – Relevance.

Google won’t show your business to every or any searcher in your city. Your business needs to match what your searcher is looking for.

Are you selling the products that a local customer wants? What about product categories? And what about opening/closing times? Does your website have keywords that people will search for when looking for your product or service?

Your marketing should target customers who want what you offer. You do so by letting Google know every possible detail about the services you offer.

Third – Distance.

Google values proximity. If a business is closer to a customer, it’s more likely to show up in search results.

Note: This applies to search queries that don’t specify location.

Putting those Factors into Practice.

Local SEO is similar to normal SEO. The only difference is in how narrowly you target customers.

Below, we’ll help you with that. We have 5 practices you can apply for better local results.

Those practices include…

Local Keywords.

Most SEO advice tells you to focus on mid-competition “long-tail keywords.” But the focus is a little different for local optimisation.

You still want long-tail keywords. But those keywords must contain a way to signal locality.

Such As?

You can choose to by very specific by picking keywords with “near me/close by” additions. Random examples include…

• • “Gym near me”.

• “Close by petrol station”.

Or, you can be specific, by adding a clear landmark near your address, such as…

• “Cleaning company (insert street/city name)”.

Traffic (with buying intent) often use those search queries. And that tells Google to find the closest possible matches (in terms of distance).

Giving Google Your Business Info.

How does Google match your business with a potential client? It does so by checking their queries against your business info.

Thus, Google needs your business info. It needs your address, phone number, and business pictures (Visit My Business Listing for an in-depth guide).

Location Keywords

For local ranking, Google prefers domains with a location in the URL. This is called an EMD and still does work very well even though Google is starting to crack down on these.

What if my Business Name Lacks an EMD Address?

Then no worries. You never have to change your business name to include an address. You can simply create location pages for example (kingjimbobbaplumbing.com.au/locations/melbourne-emergency-plumber) add the location you are targeting to the URL.

Another Tip: Schema Mark-up.

This is code that you can inject in your contact pages/articles (example). It tells Google more about your business (such as opening hours/exact location, etc.).

Used often, Google will recognise the locality of certain pages. And you stand a better chance of ranking for them!

Another great positive is you can reap the benefits of Schema by marking up reviews and locations which will make your business more prominent on the SERPS.

How to Rank in the Local Map Pack?

When people search on Google, they tend to focus on certain results.

The first result (on the first page) is a common choice. Another is what’s called “the local pack,” which is a piece of Google’s estate that’ll get you many clicks.

What is the Local Pack?

It’s a block that pops up under Google’s maps whenever anyone searches for your industry.

Prior to 2014, there were 7 spots in the local pack. But this has been cut down to 3, making that block a highly competitive marketing spot.

Getting a Local Pack Spot.

The first requirement is to setup a Google Business account. You’ll need to submit your legal business name, address, and phone number.

That’ll be the info issued through search results when someone seeks your services.

It’s preferable if you provide an address/phone number that matches your website’s contact info. It makes you more consistent. And it increases your chances of getting a local pack position.

Second, you need to know how Google picks local pack candidates. And you can do so using Moz’s local search stats (source).

That source shows the top 3 factors as…

• • Google My Business Signals (which is the 2^nd tip – adding location in URL).

• • Backlinks (especially from authority sources).

• Reviews (quantity and frequency seem to matters more than rating).

Writing High-Quality/Long-Form Content.

Now don’t get me wrong, long form articles are great for SEO and getting in front of a very broad audience. They get you more traffic, shares and links internal and external.

With long form content, it’s easier to mention your keyword multiple times. Plus, you get to show off your industry expertise.

However, when it comes to local ranking, those pros can sometimes turn into cons.

How So?

To rank locally, you need local keywords. And writing “long local articles” is a little difficult…

Most long articles discuss the benefits of using a product or using the service.

They discuss advancements in research. They’ll give advice related to your service. And sometimes, they’ll provide stories. But they’ll rarely discuss the location you operate in.

The Fix.

Don’t try to force long local articles. Try make your local articles of high quality but condensed. By doing so you can also increase the frequency of your posts.

Make sure you write highly relevant content. Local articles need to be relevant to the audience you are targeting, where they’ll act as a “newsfeed” to your followers and people searching you.

For ideas, you can write about the following…

• • Events, seminars, and meet-ups in your area.

• • Hot trends/news in your city.

• Nationwide changes that affect your business (and customers).

Try position yourself as an expert and the go to person in your niche.

#5 – Make Your Site Mobile Friendly.

Mobile devices represent a large share of internet users. Approximately 1/2 your customers are on phone. Plus, Google and most social media sites prefer phone.

Google provides higher rankings to sites that are mobile optimised. And social media sites (like FB) cater their ads to mobile users.

Some Stats to Note.

According to a 2013 Google Insight survey, 55% of smartphone users like to make purchases within 1 hour of research.

The “1 hour mark” aside – 93% of mobile research ends up in a complete transaction (source, page 3).

Overall, mobile research has higher conversion rates than computer research. So it’s best if you optimize your presence for smartphones!

How?

You don’t need to create a separate site. You simply need to optimise your website for better user experience.

You want people to navigate your website with ease. There shouldn’t be bugs, loading issues, and bad aesthetics.

The following list should give you an idea on how to approach this job…

• • Start by picking a responsive design. Your design should adapt to both mobile and computer.

• Use mobile-specific keywords. Those tend to be shorter and with lazier grammar.

After every edit, let Google judge your mobile SEO. Google has a tool that checks mobile friendliness (source).

You can use that after each website edit. You can use it to test various pages (static pages, content, and checkout pages).

Now that you have your Local SEO setup, don’t stop there..

Mobile Ad Targeting & Re-Targeting

The best mobile advertising platform is Facebook. We recommend establishing a business page there.

Also, 94% of FB’s revenue comes from mobile marketing (source). So naturally, it has to focus on optimising the mobile advertiser’s experience. And that’s what their platform does.

Their “Facebook Ads Manager” lets you customise your advertising on many levels. You can target your market by age group, education, relationship status, and much more.

Location is included in those choices. So you can effectively distribute mobile ads by address! We have had great success by creating a small radius around the Businesses location.

Make sure you have your Facebook Pixel installed and tracking your potential customers every move. This will be extremely helpful in converting customers that have searched all the competitors in your niche and in your area.

One great retargeting campaign would be to offer a discount or something of value to the person that hasn’t yet converted into purchasing your product or hiring your service.

In Summary

Many businesses fear the concept of local marketing. They assume that localisation means less traffic and customers.

Now, the traffic portion may be true. You might end up with less visits to your website. But, your conversion rates will skyrocket.

You’ll end up accurately targeting your market. And the majority visiting your website have a higher chance of becoming customers.

With the SEO tips above, you can easily optimise for locality. Follow each step, and watch your business become a local authority!

The post 2020 Guide to Ranking Your Business Locally in Melbourne appeared first on Digital Bond.

Are you a startup in Melbourne? Wanting to increase awareness of your brand or service?

It’s 2020. Almost every business today has an online presence. In fact, being online is now a necessity.

And for that reason, you need a solid digital marketing strategy.

Quick Overview.

Whatever strategy relies on an “online channel” is to be considered digital marketing.

These channels include search engines, emails, social media and other websites. And you can set different goals as to how you’ll use each channel.

You can use them to reach new customers, connect with old ones, all while growing key metrics.

For an example, look at platforms like Facebook and Google. They host billions of users, and they have a large customer pool to fish from.

Or how about having your own website? You can set up a blog or business website to benefit from Google’s search traffic.

Basically…

You need to have a digital marketing strategy.

Below, we’ll outline 8 steps to make that a reality. Follow them, and enjoy a boom in business!

Be Present on Social Media.

It’s a basic step for all businesses.

Almost every company has a social media presence. In fact, this is a prerequisite to attracting new followers.

Why?

When marketing yourself, you need a “go-to” location for clients to follow you. And that’ll be your business page.

Another thing is branding. Social media platforms house metrics that indicate business trust (such as follow counts, reviews, likes, etc.).

So it’s a good way to invest in building your reputation. From there, you can use your social media status as a launch pad for further marketing activities.

Plus, you need a pool where you can send out ads to your first clients. And there’s no better starting point than a popular platform.

Speaking of Popular…

Avoid new social media channels. Avoid websites that have yet to gain traction.

We recommend sticking to the most popular, (those being Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn).

Popular social media sites have more sophisticated advertising systems. You can better target your audience without paying money for the wrong viewership.

And speaking of social media advertising…

Use the Social Media Ad Service.

It’s one of the most effective ways to advertise your existence.

Social media use makes up a big part of internet use. And if it isn’t used for chatting, then it’s used for collecting information.

Some Stats.

Let’s look at a platform such as FB.

In 2018, 68% of Americans reported getting their news on social media (source).

As for daily use, FB gets 35 minutes of each person’s day (on average) – while YouTube gets 40 minutes (source).

Plus, there’s the accessibility to consider. People use social media anytime and anywhere. They use it on the way to work, hanging out, and while being at home.

The Pros.

Social media ads improve your targeting accuracy.

Facebook advertising is an example. You can send out ads based on country of residence, jobs, education, sex, age groups, and much more.

Then there’s Instagram, which is perfect for visual advertising. You can continuously post pics and memes as a way of showcasing your products.

Try Influencer Advertising.

Influencers are content creators with a large following.

You can pay a sum (making you a sponsor), in exchange for shout-outs, a mention, or a collaborative online effort.

You’ll mostly find influencers on YouTube and Instagram. Those are the platforms that offer lengthy online content with an entertainment/informative value.

Why Influencer Marketing?

Because it’s quick.

It reduces your need to hustle as a startup. Sure, you end paying a sizeable fee for good exposure.

But, you can equate that money to the hours wasted getting your first clients.

Plus, there’s a “trust advantage.”

People who trust your hired influencer are sure to try your product (especially if the influencer themselves like it).

How to Approach Influencer Marketing.

You can have an influencer tell your business’ story (or the story behind why you made your product).

Stories have shown to raise traffic 15 times faster than average advertising approaches (source, page 1).

And when combined with influencer marketing, your business will get traffic fast!

Marketing Campaigns Using E-mails.

Like social media, e-mail is a common digital marketing platform.

But unlike social media, it isn’t for chatting. Nor can you send out frequent posts to for daily views.

Email is for staying in touch with customers – ensuring they return for more.

As a startup, your focus should be on e-mail collection. You need to entice people to sign up to an “email newsletter.” And you can do so by…

• • Providing a free e-book.

• Providing special services to subscribers.

General Tips on Email Creation.

Keep your emails simple, short, and informative. Also, don’t spam marketing gimmicks with every message.

You can hire a professional to plan out a campaign for you. Or, you can do it yourself if you have email writing experience.

Also, don’t send emails too often. You shouldn’t be sending emails more than twice a week (or thrice if you have a big product/sale to launch).

Search Engine Advertising and SEO.

You can use Google to advertise your business (called Google Ads).

Similar to social media advertising, it’s a PPC system (you pay only when someone clicks). You also gain access to keywords tools that hone in on a target market.

It’s a way to build brand awareness if you have a website. Since websites lack the traffic pool that social media has, you’ll rely on good Google SEO to get clients.

Speaking of SEO…

You can’t keep running a business on social media only.

You’ll need to setup a website, which will act as an online store/checkout for your products.

It’ll also act as a blogging section (where you can showcase your industry expertise). It’ll also be the place where you setup your email newsletter (Step #4).

That aside – SEO is what makes a website successful.

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is where you structure content to appease search engine algorithms.

It makes your website more likely to rank on Google’s first page, and higher on said pages.

Start a YouTube Channel.

Don’t want to go through the trouble of starting a blog? If so, use YouTube.

YouTube is one of the best platforms for digital marketing. It’s a source of info and entertainment.

Plus, it’s a place where you can “add a human touch” to your business.

How So?

You can present the content yourself. You can give your traffic a peek into the person behind the business.

You give your viewers an identity to trust. And you make it more likely for people to return.

Plus, making videos is always better than using text content. In fact, using video increases product purchases by 144% (source)!

Content Marketing.

Maybe videos aren’t your forte. If so, stick to writing.

Here, quality is key. Becoming popular online requires you output well-written articles.

Why?

Content writing is the primary skill that powers your digital marketing activities. And good writing translates to good email writing, sales pages, and proper script writing.

Also, good content makes you more noticeable. You will be more unique, and you’ll have value compared to your online competitors.

Plus, SEO is all about adapting good quality content. Because Google tends to devalue content that isn’t written properly.

Mobile Marketing.

People use the internet on their phones daily. In fact, mobile currently accounts for 51-52% of online traffic (source).

And this makes mobile marketing a vital element in marketing.

Plus, it isn’t as “content intensive” as other forms. With mobile marketing, you can get away with good visual content.

Mobile Targeting.

You can do SMS, MMS and in-app marketing.

And unlike social media marketing, you don’t target by demographic. You target by app use.

Pick the apps that are relevant to your business. Also, make sure you pick popular apps to maximise your exposure.

Final Tip: Try Loyalty Programs.

The previous tips get you customers. But you still need ways to keep them around.

Loyalty programs does that job. Through loyalty programs, you provide privileges (in the form of coupon or points) to customers.

Then, you enable customers to trade points/coupons for prizes or discounts.

You can do so through a specialised app. Or, you can setup your online checkout system to accommodate those loyalty programs.

In Summation.

Consider the previous list as a starting point.

Digital marketing is much more complex than what was mentioned. Each of the previous steps can be optimised depending on your industry and business model.

Also…

(Recommendation): Hire a Professional – It Saves You Time.

At minimum, you need a basic understanding of how digital marketing works. Beyond that, let a pro do the job.

You need an expert to take care of the details. Because as a startup, you’re managing much more than digital marketing (finances, staff, product development, etc.)

An expert has the time (and the need) to stay updated with digital marketing trends. Business owners lack that luxury.

They also have the time for laborious aspects of digital marketing (such as scripting content, doing keyword research, find marketing channels).

Would you like to see some fast results?

Now, there’s money to be made by applying the marketing ideas you’ve read about in this post… Lots of money! Seriously…

But, to get that money into your bank account , you’re gonna need to apply AND probably customise these ideas so that they will work in your own unique situation.

If you want to take a shortcut and save yourself some trial and error experimentation in doing that, I can help you get up and running, quickly…

FREE CONSULTATION

If the few ideas I’ve shared with you so far make sense, then I’d like to offer you a FREE consultation so you can see how my practical, results orientated approach can give you an advantage over your competitors, win you more sales and clients and then turn those first time buyers into loyal customers that will bring tens of thousands of dollars in lifetime value.

And, this time, a FREE consultation means exactly that, a free consultation – not a ‘free’ sales pitch.

The world is full of ‘pay-me-then-I’ll-show-you-what-I-can-do’ people … but I’m not one of them. During your free consultation I’ll work with you to identify the very best strategy for you and your business and then show you exactly how to implement the strategy.

I’ll hold nothing back during our consultation.

Frankly, my goal is to impress you.

Why – because, if I can show you how to get better results and make more money from our very first session working together, then you might just want to put me on your team.

And putting me on your team is remarkably easy and affordable.

From as little as one half day per month we could be putting marketing right at the top of your list of priorities, ensuring that you hit your targets and achieve your business goals quickly.

You’ve nothing to lose. So give me a call today on 03 9068 6905 to book your free consultation. Or you can shoot me through a message here: : https://digitalbond.com.au/strategy/

The post The Ultimate Guide to Marketing a Startup in Melbourne appeared first on Digital Bond.

Please contact us know if we have missed anyone

Please read this if you are wanting to donate:
Here’s how you can help

• Support Your Local Bridgade
• RSPCA Bushfire Appeal
• Help the Koalas

General Pants: 100 per cent of profits on Thursday 9/1/19 donated to The Australian Red Cross and Recovery Fund

Doyoueven: 100 per cent of profits on Friday 10/1/19 donated to the Country Bush fire Appeal.

Kloke: 100 per cent of this weekend’s online sales donated to Country Fire Service Victoria

Daisy TV: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits donated to RSPCA Australia

The Other Bag: 100 per cent of this week’s profits donated to Red Cross Australia

Kindling Clothing: 100 per cent of this week’s profits donated to fire relief services

Nelson Made: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits and 20 per cent of January’s profits donated to fire relief services

Mia Sully: 100 per cent of this weekend’s sales donated to fire relief services

Stolen Prophecy: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits donated to fire relief services

Nowhere Melbourne: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits donated to fire relief services

Snakes and Shanti: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits to fire relief services

Margot Mai: 100 per cent of this week’s sales donated to the Australian Red Cross and RSPCA Bushfire Appeal

The Daily Edited: 100% of proceeds from all online sales on the 6 January will go towards supporting the bushfire relief.

ModelCo: 100% of all profits made in online sales on the 6 January to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service and WIRES Wildlife Rescue.

Restated Vintage: 100% of profits from all sales in January will be donated to the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Bushy Underwear: 100% of profits will be donated towards the Bushfire Disaster Appeal for the ‘foreseeable future’

Atoir: 100% of all profits in January via online sales will go to The Australian Red Cross Disaster Relief.

Mellow Cosmetics: 100% of all profits from the sale on the 6 January of lipsticks will go to Australian Red Cross, WIRES and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

Lil and Emm: 100% of online sales from 6 January will be donated to New South Wales Rural Fire Service and WIRES Wildlife Rescue.

Soho Boutique Bendigo: 100% of profits on 6 January will be donated to Wildlife Victoria and the Celeste Barber Fundraising Trust.

By Brooke: 100% of profits from purchases on 6 January will be donated to the bushfire crisis.

Acler Woman: 100% of profits for Monday 6 January and Tuesday 7 January will be donated to Australian Red Cross.

Margot Mai: 100% sales till 11 Jan will be donated to the Australian Red Cross and RSPCA Bushfire Appeal.

Status Anxiety: 100% of profits from 5 Jan will go towards Australian Red Cross

The Other Bag: 100% of this week’s (ending 12 Jan) profits will be donated to Red Cross Australia.

Frank Body: 100% of A-Beauty Scrub sales will be donated to Wires Wildlife Rescue, Country Fire Service and NSW Rural Fire Service throughout January.

Goldie + Ace: 100% of January’s profits will be donated to emergency services and clothing for affected communities.

Haus of Dizzy: 100% of profits on its Indigenous Pride Stud throughout January are being donated to fire-affected Aboriginal communities.

By Nye Jewels: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will go to the CFA and RSPCA

Decjuba: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will be donated to bushfire relief

Ksubi: 100 per cent of this weekend’s online store profits will be donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service

Suboo: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will be donated to bushfire relief

Pops + Co.: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will be donated to bushfire relief

Tuchuzy: 100 per cent of today’s online store profits will be donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service

With Jéan: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will be donated to the Australian Red Cross and Disaster relief

Clover Accessories: 100 per cent of this weekend’s online sales donated to the St Vincent de Paul Society Fire Appeal

Haus of Dizzy: 100 per cent of profits on its Indigenous Pride Stud throughout January donated to fire-affected Aboriginal communities

Goldie + Ace: 100 per cent of January’s profits donated to emergency services and clothing to affected communities

Amelia Lane Paper: 100 per cent of profits donated to the NSW Rural Fire Service and the Australian Red Cross

Neverland Store: 100 per cent of this weekend’s online sales donated to emergency services

Time IV Change: 100 per cent of this weekend’s profits will be donated to bushfire relief

Avarcas Australia: 100 per cent of online sales donated to emergency services

Please Contact Us if we have missed anyone

The post List of Brands Donating 100% Of Profits To The Bushfire Appeal appeared first on Digital Bond.

In the form of online reviews.

I know what your thinking..

Have I just wasted 2.75 seconds of my life reading this garbage..

Where is the quick fix? The Secret Facebook Ad Manager Cheat..

Or the hack that cracked Google’s Algorithm..

Hear me out…

Research shows that 91 percent of people regularly or occasionally read online reviews, and 84 percent trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. And they make that decision quickly: 68 percent form an opinion after reading between one and six online reviews.

You need to manage how your brand comes off to consumers; you need to stand at the top of the mountain and signal yourself as a trusted business, give them a reason to choose you over your competitor.

And there’s no better way to accomplish that than through reviews!

Why?

Your other options are social media and PR.

While both are long-term strategies, they’re resource-intensive.

For example, social media branding can take a lot of time, money and effort. You’ll need a schedule to release frequent content and have a budget behind the creative.

As for PR marketing, you need a sizeable budget (and a lengthy strategy) to make it a success. Plus, you need specialists in your niche.

So you need a starting point, an affordable (and quick) way to create a brand is through online reviews!

Another Reason – Extra Traffic and Conversions.

The first thing you want searchers to see is a “good reputation.”

With excellent reviews, you immediately signal quality– you can increase the chances of your viewers converting to followers and followers converting into leads and sales!

Over time, this creates a snowball effect. Reviews will start to pile up as you acquire even better ratings!

In a way, 5-Star reviews are how you attract conversions.

Without Further Ado.

Let’s delve into the guide. We’ll show you 7-Steps to growing your online reviews.

Follow them, and reap the rewards of excellent branding!

Find the Correct Platforms.

Fun fact – Google will show review snippets from platforms other than its own.

That is, Google’s search engines show reviews from store sites. They also show reviews from social media websites.

More importantly, they show reviews for map searches, so you can optimise reviews by location!

These are all advantages because now, you don’t have to hyper-focus on a single website.

You can target multiples– getting reviews for each. And this gives you more online ratings to work from!

Sifting Through Each Platform.

Now, picking a platform doesn’t mean you should spread yourself thin.

You want to focus on 4-5 at most.

And you have to manage your profiles on these platforms. You’ll also need to track comments and engagement.

This can be too much if you’re using countless review sites – so be sure to limit yourself to the best available in your niche!

Which Platforms Should I Try?

Besides Google, we recommend major social networks.

Google Reviews and Facebook Reviews are safe starting bets. Their reviews appear ‘almost’ instantly on search engines, so there’s little waiting time.

Beyond those, we recommend seeking “niche-relevant” and “local review sites.”

An example of niche-relevant, look at a website like TripAdvisor – which is a site specifically for traveling.

If your business falls in that industry, then being registered there helps!

Make it Easy to Post Reviews.

Reviews are a cumulative branding tactic.

First, you need to get buying customers. From there, you need to encourage them to leave reviews on your service.

Initially, you are going to have to put in some effort to attract and create a sizeable review pool!

For that reason, you need to streamline the review process as much as possible.

How So?

Make it easier for customers to post reviews.

Post links that take them straight to popular review platforms, and provide a quick breakdown on what’s necessary to rate your service.

One great way to make it as easy as possible for the client or customer to get to your review link is to use a URL shortener like Bitly or Tiny URL

Beyond that, the process is easy. You just need to know the proper placement for each link (or the different ways to market the links).

Speaking of that…

Invite People to Review.

So, where do you place your Google Review links? We’ll answer that below!

(A) Sales Pages.

If you have a website with a shop set up, place the review at the bottom of the page.

Make it a footer staple. If possible, place the link review after the checkout – thus encouraging a true buyer review!

(B) Blog Section.

You don’t have to place a link in every article. Simply select the most important articles, and place the links there!

(C) Email Follow Ups.

Got a newsletter? If so, you’re probably emailing customers on a regular basis.

Take that as an opportunity to send out your review links. And do so especially with “thank you” emails after a purchase!

A Few Tips.

Don’t be pushy. When sending out an email that invites a review, make sure that you don’t ask too much!

In fact, this should be a general guideline for customer interactions. Try not to ask excessively on landing pages or blogs too.

As a rule, an appreciative customer will leave a good review by themselves– you won’t have to nudge them for a review.

They might even leave reviews with every purchase they make!

And you can lose all that with excess pushiness that might impact your service negatively. You might provoke negative reviews by customers that despise too much pushy marketing!

Analyse Analytics Data.

So now you’ve got your website choices down. You’ve also positioned your links, and are getting reviews on different sites.

It’s time to sift and select the review sites that get you clicks.

Google Analytics is perfect for this job. It shows you what’s worth focusing on, and what you should set aside!

Apply Only for Less Popular Review Sites.

Consider Facebook Reviews and Google Reviews as absolute staples to work on.

As for the rest, subject them to Google Analytics.

Check to see which websites work best, and focus your energy there!

Leave Responses.

Reviews are an excellent chance to show off your customer service skills.

You can show that your business consistently engages with its clients. It makes you more caring in the eyes of people reading your reviews!

What Response Should I Leave?

Leave a thank you response, keep it informative too!

However, you should avoid being promotional in comments. After all, you don’t want to be perceived as an opportunist!

Don’t Forget Negative Reviews.

You need to manage the bad feedback too.

You can’t risk being ignorant of dissatisfied clients. After all, readers will fixate more on negative feedback than positive.

If you see a bad review, communicate with the client. Offer them a fix, in addition to compensation!

Also, make sure that your response is fast. You don’t want to appear negligent, so you need a way to track your bad reviews.

For that, we recommend Google Alert. This tool notifies you when a new review pops in, thus keeping you on track!

And speaking of negative reviews…

Collect Feedback.

Beyond amassing reviews, you want your rating to be as high as possible.

You shouldn’t settle for anything less than 4.5/5 (or a 90% rating). Achieving that mark is a sign of excellence that ‘normally’ puts you ahead of the competition.

And this leads us to a problem…

A single negative review can drop your ratings by a lot – especially if that negative review is a flat 0/5.

So you need to pay extra attention to dissatisfied customers, and you need to fix the problems they mention at their core.

For Example…

Are your negative reviews caused by a product defect? Or are they due to unfulfilled promises?

Maybe bad customer service is the issue? Maybe your customers didn’t like the way they were treated for inquiries?

Whatever the issue may be, take note of the problems. Try to fix them, thus preventing the possibility of amassing more negative reviews!

And after you fix the problem, don’t forget to kindly ask your negative critics (privately) to modify the reviews… only if you have resolved the problem of course.

Don’t Offer Incentives.

You can always opt to pay for a review, but that’s not recommended.

You can get penalised by Google for fake reviews..

So we recommend leaving out that option.

Instead, follow the safe route, and don’t put your business at risk.

You need to grow your reviews in an organic way. You’ll need to ask actual buyers for reviews, and in a convincing manner!

How to Convince.

We mentioned in point #3 that you need to invite people to leave reviews. But you can’t do so using rewards.

Instead, we recommend listing the benefits of leaving a review– discuss how it reflects well on your business.

Mention how your business can grow (throw in a little mission statement).

Also, discuss how reviews are a chance for you to evaluate mistakes and upgrade your business.

And finally, emphasise that you will always listen to your customers’ opinions!

Building reviews are a vital part of your online reputation. Even though it’s a long process, you can’t ignore it.

There’s nothing more to wait for. Setup your review profiles now, and get started!

The post The Most Powerful Form of Advertising… appeared first on Digital Bond.

Are your SEO efforts leading you nowhere?

Tired of keywords that don’t boost search traffic (and even worse) bringing in low conversions?

If yes, keep reading. Because today, we’ll discuss “keyword intent,” which is an often forgotten principle in the world of SEO!

What’s Keyword Intent?

It’s a way of classifying keywords.

Most people classify keywords by competitiveness or search counts. And the previous two metrics look at analytic stats.

But keyword intent is different. Here, you’re looking at buyer behaviour, and specifically the buyer’s cycle.

Keyword intent looks at the reasons why people enter certain search queries and how far they are from a purchase.

People Use Search Engines for Different Reasons.

Some people’s user search queries with the intent to buy. Others are simply looking for more information on a service.

There are many reason why buyers use certain keywords. And you have to find the keyword that match the goals of your content!

Types of Keyword Intent.

Generally, search engine specialists classify keyword intent into 4 categories – those being…

• • Informational.

• • Navigational.

• • Commercial.

• Transactional.

Each category represents a different stage of the buyer cycle. And knowing which keywords go on which pages is vital for high conversions.

Below, we’ll look at each category – giving you more information to help you formulate an SEO strategy!

First – Informational Keywords.

Those keywords represent the start of the buyer cycle. And here, you’re looking at phrases that indicate curiosity.

Those will mostly be questions with the desire to learn more about a certain topic – or to find solutions for a certain problem.

Informational keywords tend to represent an overwhelming majority of high-volume searches (about 80% according to statistics). In fact, they represent the majority of keywords!

So you’re likely to come across a fair share in your research phase, and you’ll have to sift in accordance to what your traffic’s looking for.

Where to Use Them.

Informational keywords are mostly used on blogs, wikis, and any database that provides detailed information.

They’re the keywords you’ll use to optimize an article or piece of content (that doesn’t focus on selling a product).

But do note, the content you write has to match the intent of the keyword. And the content you write must be very specific.

Example.

If you’re writing a weight loss article, you cannot afford to jam in multiple informational keywords for high rankings.

Instead, you want to hone in on a specific issue, while trying to solve that in an article. That may be something like “how to adjust macro ratios for a Keto diet.”

Why Hone in On Specific Issues?

You do so for traffic retention.

Informational intent searchers want “relevant information” and fast. They don’t want redundant content that doesn’t resonate with their needs.

Giving that to them ensures they stay to view more of your content – thus increasing the likelihood of a conversion!

What Do Informational Keywords Look Like?

Any content title that clearly solves an issue counts as an informational keyword.

You can check out the list of modifiers below to get an idea…

• • How to…

• • Best way…

• • The guide to…

• • Why…

• • …Tips…

• Should I – Do I Need to – How Often?

Now do note, the previous modifiers are not the keywords themselves. They’re simply common modifiers to informational keywords.

You see, all informational keywords are long-tail. They’re mostly questions or walkthroughs that target specific issues.

So don’t expect to find a 2-3 informational keyword. Those phrases tend to extend past the 5 word mark!

Second – Navigational Keywords.

This is the second-step of the buyer cycle.

Here, your traffic already knows about your brand. But they’re often searching for your website (or a certain product) to learn more.

Many people count navigational keywords as a “sub-category” of informational keywords. And the reason is, there isn’t a clear desire to buy at that stage.

But still – for your traffic to know about your brand is a big leap from “pure information searches.”

How So?

When people search for information, they don’t necessarily care about a “specific brand.”

They just want the information. And they’re looking for pages that accurately and clearly answer their questions.

Now, if your brand’s website happens to do that job, then kudos to you. And if it doesn’t, then a competitor will.

The point is, with “informational intent,” your traffic isn’t looking for a brand. But when it comes to navigation – your clients know about your business.

And what that means is – keyword research won’t work at this stage.

Why?

Most of your navigational keywords will focus on including a “specific product” or your “business name” in your content.

So if your business name is ABC Enterprises – that’ll be the keyword. And if your product name is similarly specialized, that’s what navigational intent will search.

Where Do Navigational Keywords Go?

As a rule, they go on product pages and static pages.

On static pages, you want keywords that mention your business name. Those will be your homepage, about, contact, and whatever show up on a navigation bar.

As for product pages, you simply want to include the product name. Make sure it’s in the title and product description for best results.

Important: Optimising On-Site Searching.

This point matters for both navigation intent and commercial intent (which is our next point).

Sometimes, potential visitors might already by on your site. And they’re trying to navigate for a certain page (without jumping off to Google).

They’ll use the drop-down menus you provide – in addition to any search bars available.

So if you don’t have an on-site search bar, be sure to install one (in a visible location)!

Third – Commercial Keywords.

At this stage of the buyer cycle, the searcher knows about your brand. They also see your products as potentially what they need.

But still, the buyer hasn’t made a purchase decision yet. Instead, they’re focused on learning more about your products.

In a sense, they’re researching the products in-depth. And instead of seeking answers to specific questions – they’re looking for concrete info on your services.

What That Includes.

This includes your product specifications, and how it shapes up compared to competition.

It also includes intensive research on your brand. Here, many buyers will try to learn about your history, quality, and credentials.

It’s an intensive research stage – but it’s done with a serious consideration to buy.

Where Do Such Keywords Go?

Commercial keywords go on product pages, sales pages, and review sections.

Product pages are obvious. But when it comes to reviews, you might struggle on how to optimize those…

Our recommendation is to write review articles. You can design articles that market your products, by explaining how they benefit users.

You can even take the chance to include “in-depth information” that is otherwise too much to put on a product page!

What Do Commercial Keywords Look Like?

You want keywords that showcase product and brand quality. And those include words such as “top/best/quality.”

Other markers include words that signal additional benefits – such as guarantee, discounts, and special offers.

In fact, going back to the review articles idea, you can design list articles that compare different brands to your product.

Use that to satisfy the commercial intent. Your clients will greatly appreciate it, and it’ll increase the chances of an immediate purchase!

Extra Tip: Use Commercial Keywords for Backlink Keywords.

If you’re doing backlink marketing, you’re posting affiliate content on other websites. You’re then linking back to your own products.

We recommend using commercial keywords as backlink anchors. That way, the affiliate content has a higher chance of ranking for commercial search intent.

So you hit two birds with one stone. The backlinks increase your search engine ranking. And, those researching for commercial intent find a good marketing article!

Fourth – Transactional Keywords.

The last stage of the buyer cycle.

Those are keywords buyers search when they’re heading straight to a product page, or your checkout cart.

Your clients do not do research here. Instead, their aim is to immediately buy. So the keywords are straightforward.

You want to focus on ranking for your website name and product names, instead of high volume keywords.

Low Volume Sells.

At this point, you’re not trying to attract traffic. You’re actually trying to convert that traffic into long-term buyers.

So you’re not relying on appealing to search engines. Instead, most of your product marketing at this stage is done through backlinks and sales posts/emails.

When finding the best transactional keywords, pay less attention to volume. And the reason is, the conversion rates on those keywords are high.

Final Note.

As we’ve outlined early on in the article, most of your keyword efforts go to informational intent. And the rest is easy to outline.

From there, understand that keyword intent is a matter of “positioning.” It has less to do with finding the right keywords, and more with putting keywords on the right pages.

You want informational keywords on “how to” content, commercial keyword on “product reviews,” and so forth.

Done right, you can enjoy higher conversions.

Even if you end up getting less overall traffic, the percentage (and amount) of converted clients will be higher if you’re not misplacing keywords!

The post What is Keyword Intent? – How to Convert Low Volume into High Return appeared first on Digital Bond.

Thinking what the hell is going on with my instagram account?

That’s what we’ll answer today.

Instagram has announced a testing phase where it’s eliminating the like feature in many of its users’ countries – and Australia is on that list.

It’s an odd move for a social media platform, especially one owned by Facebook. And it’s a controversial one too.

After all, it’s a new idea. There hasn’t been a social platform thus far that doesn’t use likes.

Plus, taking away the “like feature” seems to go against everything that social media is – which is a status signalling platform.

But we’ll look at this development in-depth.

We’ll give for/against arguments on this move. This should give you a perspective on the feasibility of the idea!

The “For” Argument.

It’s an attempt to create an inclusive environment from many users. It’s a move to actually improve the experience, and depressurises Instagram!

Targeting The Everyday User

All social media platforms have “hierarchies,” and Instagram is no exception.

Some accounts get more likes, these are seen as more popular, and are followed heavily by users. And others don’t…

And this can create a sense of isolation for many posters – especially those trying to establish themselves on the platform.

With the removal of “likes,” there is a levelling of the playfield so to speak.

Both major influencers and unknown personalities can share their posts, without bias resulting from follower counts!

Encouraging Independent Evaluations

Herd mentality is prevalent on social media platforms.

Basically, if the majority like one post, then you’re more likely to like it too – simply because it feels like an obligation.

Or, you might feel afraid of standing out and showing what you truly think.

With the removal of likes, users can now “think” before evaluating a post. They’re freer to share their opinions, and without being influenced by majority opinion.

Creating a Focus on the Comments Section

If you can’t like a post, how can you tell its popularity?

The answer is the comments section. Users must now scroll down to see what the majority think.

And this is an advantage. Because if you read comments, you’re more likely to post your own – and this creates “engagement.”

You’ll have debates, back and forth conversations, and full analysis. And it’ll make the comments section livelier.

Plus, users are more likely to find intellectual stimulation too.

Through the comments section, users can enjoy hours of reading – which drops the bounce rates for many pages.

Businesses can use this development to their advantages. By focusing less on likes and more on comments, they can get users hooked on their brands.

They’re more likely to create a long-lasting imprint, rather than grabbing short attention through likes and flashy posts.

Oh – and speaking of comments sections…

Meaningful Posts Now Matter.

The new changes force businesses and influencers to focus on “engagement.” And to do that, you need good content.

You need to post meaningful pictures – whether they be immaculate selfies, or soulful memes.

So now, a page has to think about its content. It can’t post fluff, otherwise it risks wasting time for lack of engagement.

And this is a positive for Instagram followers.

Because now, a follower doesn’t have to post through a feed of bad content. They can find good content to feed their minds.

They won’t have to scroll endlessly through posts that are shabby and lack depth. And overall, this creates a better and smarter user community.

The “Against” Argument.

Removing likes won’t turn social media into a rosy utopic world, filled with intellectual stimulation and fairness.

In fact, it may end up driving away from a large portion of online users! And to give you some perspective…

Repelling Businesses.

Instagram isn’t just a place to share content. It’s a place to build a brand.

Many businesses rely on Instagram to show off their level of popularity. And that’s how they gain committed customers.

Now, likes are a vital branding metric. And with that gone, businesses might be discouraged from using Instagram.

It might drive them to other platforms, such as YouTube or Twitter.

Repelling Users.

Let’s be honest. Not all users want meaningful content and intellectual stimulation.

The majority of online users are just content using Instagram as a social gathering place. And here, they don’t care much for meaning…

They simply care for what is trendy/popular.

And that’ll be hard to evaluate when likes are removed. It’ll now be difficult to tell what’s hot and what’s worth following.

This detracts from Instagram as a trend-feeding platform. And it lets competition take over that job!

Over the Top Content.

We mentioned meaningful content as a “positive” for removing the like button. But what if the opposite happens?

That’s always a possibility. Businesses and influencers may resort to posting unethical and destructive content to get followers.

That is, they’ll raise controversy for the sake of it. They’ll do so to stand out from the rest of the crowd in post feeds.

This isn’t healthy – and in fact, it’s counterintuitive to what the new changes are attempting to do.

This form of content may eventually turn into a trend of bullying, racism, and hostile behaviour. And that can lead to the fall of Instagram.

What Do You Think?

Instagram is testing out new but interesting changes. And they’re changes that completely redefine what a social media platform is.

As a result, the consequences are uncertain – and they give us two contrasting scenarios…

On the one hand, Instagram might turn into a meaningful content platform, instead of a popular social network.

And on the other, it may push even harder into popularity politics – to the point where people might post inappropriate content for attention.

What’s Your Opinion?

Where do you feel the scales will tip? Will Instagram move in a positive or a negative direction?

Share your opinion below, and let us know!

The post Instagram Removes Likes For Australian Users appeared first on Digital Bond.

Having trouble deciphering between a massive pool of endless offers and promises.

Bottom Line:

We all know that the value of having a website in the digital age we now live in. The opportunities to engage a larger audience are much larger when you have a website and a domain name that is appealing and easy to remember. The problem is that some people don’t take any considerations when they choose their hosting provider, this can lead to a number of issues.

Today, we are going to talk about what you should be looking for and what you should avoid when searching for a hosting company for your website.

What to look for

A secure server

Security is a major problem that many website owners face due to bad server configurations that are not properly protected. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to make sure that you can use a secure server in order to avoid any attacks. Compromised data can be a devastating problem for a business.

Security has turned into one of the biggest issues and concerns for a large number of companies all over the world. This is definitely not a problem that anyone should be taking lightly. Cyber-attacks are responsible for ruining many business ventures.

A reliable server

The server is also going to need to be reliable and not just safe. A safe server is great to avoid attacks, but if the configurations for performance are bad, you are going to be facing slowdown issues and even downtime for your website. The last thing you want is to have downtime that could translate to the loss of sales.

Downtime can cost a business hundreds and even thousands of dollars even if it just happens for an hour. The stability of your server is also going to have a serious influence on the loading speed of the site. Considering that many website visitors don’t wait for more than 3 to 5 seconds for a page to load, this is something you want to consider.

Efficient customer service

You also need to make sure that you can find a company that is going to provide an efficient level of customer service when you need their assistance. There are thousands of website hosts out there, but finding one with a truly efficient team of people is going to be extremely difficult. When a hosting provider has great customer service, you feel like you have a team that supports you when you need help.

Unlimited emails

You should make sure that your host allows you to have an unlimited number of emails for your site. This is going to be extremely important if you have a large number of employees that need their own emails assigned to them in the business.

Email accounts for business are very important because this gives you an extra layer of professionalism when dealing with clients. You don’t want to be using free email accounts with your business name upfront.

E-commerce solutions

Your host should have a great number of applications that can help you make the process of starting an e-commerce business easy. This is extremely important because it will give you the opportunity to sell your products or services online without having to invest in any expensive e-commerce solutions that might not be ideal for your needs and way above your budget.

Being able to sell products online is very important and it gives any business an extra layer of profitability to be able to find customer son the web.

Content Management Options

There are several CMS option available, but the one that we consider essential is WordPress without a doubt. Make sure that your host has a simple one-click installation solution for your WordPress needs. This is extremely essential for any host to have, so if you find one without this feature, you should avoid using this kind of host at all. Even if you don’t plan to use WordPress, this is too basic for any business not to have it available on their options.

Automatic backups

You should be able to gain access to automatic backups of your website at least on a weekly basis. Some hosts will make thee backups for you on a daily basis if you request this service. In some cases, there will be a cost to this, but it is worth having this sort of backup if you are dealing with a large website that has too much valuable information.

Domain parking abilities

You should be able to park any extra domains you purchase on your hosting plan. This is always useful when you want to buy more names and extensions for your business. You should also be able to create subdomains for any kind of practical use you might have for them.

Analytics

There should be some kind of analytics software available on your hosting control panel. This is always important when you are looking to monitor your activity. While there are external options that can be useful such as Google analytics. You want to be sure that you are getting a competent analytics option that is included in your hosting plan.

Don’t forget that tracking your progress with your website is going to be essential once you start your digital marketing campaigns. Being able to know how your visitors are behaving is crucial in order to tweak your efforts for better engagement and conversions.

The option to upgrade to a dedicated server

Most people start their web hosting journey with a shared server for their website. This is not an issue in most cases, but once your business starts becoming popular, you might want to avoid using a shared server. Investing in a dedicated server guarantees that your website is the only site that is going to be using that particular server. This makes it much more secure because you are in complete control of everything that is happening within the server.

Be aware of the price difference between shared and dedicated because it will be quite different. When you switch to dedicated server options, you will be paying a much higher monthly or yearly price, but it’s an essential step for extra security.

What to avoid

Confusing terms of service

Some companies have very unreliable and mixed up terms of service that seem to be more trouble than they are worth. It’s important for you to read the terms of service in order to see if you should be asking any questions or you should avoid the company altogether. We know it can be a pain to have to read every line of terms of service, but it’s always important when you are paying money for this purpose.

Hosts with many negative reviews

They might look good on paper, but their customer feedback could be quite bad. If you find a host that has a lot of complaints from customers, this could be a red flag that is going to serve as a warning for you to avoid this particular host and look for something else.

Reviews are becoming a major influence in the decision making the process for any service available online. This makes sense because customers are the ones that will usually have a more honest opinion of the service they received.

Lack of phone support

When a company is only reachable via email, you might have to wait 24 to 48 hours in most cases to get any kind of reply from them. This is not good at all, and you always have to be very careful when you hire any hosting service provider. You don’t want to be dealing with an emergency that needs urgent help, only to have to wait one or two days to get a reply.

Consider the fact that email inquiries don’t force the customer service departments to be active. They can decide not to reply until the stipulated timeframe has passed and this is bad for your business when you have any kind of emergency.

Always take your time

Even if you feel like you need to get your website up and running as soon as possible it’s always better to take your time and ensure that you can get the best results for your needs. This is going to allow you to start your journey into digital marketing with a solid foundation. Some website hosts are just not good enough to meet your needs, while others could end up being a little too expensive and featuring advantages that you might not need.

This is the main reason why it’s so important to be able to keep things in balance. Do not spend more than you should, but do not spend less than you should either.

Final thoughts

Deciding what kind of hosting plan you want for your business website is not something that you should ever be taking lightly. This decision is going to play a major role in the performance your site offers to your visitors and this is crucial for a successful business. Just remember Pages that load within two seconds have an average bounce rate of 9%, while pages that take five seconds to load have a bounce rate of 38%” web hosting plays the largest role in page speed. (Unbounce) So, make sure you choose wisely.

If you need any help deciding which company to go with feel free to reach out.

The post Australian Web Hosting Tips: What to Look for and What to Avoid appeared first on Digital Bond.

Oral health is essential, and finding a dentist sometime can be a hassle. As a dentist or Orthodontists, optimising your online presence can go a long way in attracting clients. Informing and ensuring that patients reach out to you with ease, it’s something you shouldn’t ignore. Similarly, with the need to attract more clientele to your facility, dental SEO marketing would be crucial.

Below is an SEO Guide for the dental market in Australia that can set your practice apart from the pack and help your website rank first on Google. Stick around and allow me to walk you through. 

Why should you invest in SEO?

• For fast acurate results

Patients want fast and credible information whenever they type in their keyword or phrase. For instance, a patient may key in “dentists near me.” From the results that come up, a patient is most likely to inquire the first two pages they see. If your page ranks poorly, the possibilities of a patient looking into your page would be limited. 

Similarly, search engines have mechanisms (crawling, indexing, and ranking) that they use to know which pages offer conclusive and credible results. As a result, Google ranks pages they believe would provide searchers with all the information at the top. Whenever your website has effectively optimised SEO, chances are you’d benefit by being listed fast.

• To create free traffic 

For an excellent online presence, drawing free traffic to your site is one way you’re likely to have more patients coming to your facility and save on advertisement costs. Dental SEO is arguably the best way to market your business. However, it’s worthwhile noting that there are paid SEO strategies that can be used to achieve a high SEO ranking.

Here are four ways to create free traffic and increase your visibility on Search Engines.

Keyword research

Keyword search is the first step to ranking best on a search result. Right off the bat, list services your dental hospital or clinic in Australia offers to patients. Your services may include teeth cleaning, crowning, filling, and, orthodontics.

Inside Google AdWords’ platform, enter each of your services individually into the keyword or phrase planner tool. This search would help you identify the keywords that patients are using whenever searching for dental services. 

There are two types of keywords you should be more focused to apply. They include:

• High intent keywords 

Results for top ranking keywords are what would possibly inform patients in your area that you’re a typical dentist out to serve individuals with teeth issues. As a result, patients would then click to your page and possibly schedule an appointment. Always strive to optimise your homepage for search results, and you will be on your way to having more clients seeking your services.

• High search intent keywords

This search focus would primarily be geared towards offering information. For instance, a patient keying in “cleaning teeth at home” would not necessarily be seeking to hire a dentist. They possibly want to learn additional tweaks of improving their teeth cleaning process while at their abodes.

Search intent keywords are beneficial. They double up as hiring tactics and dental SEO ranking strategies. However, as a general thump of rules, as a dentist, focus more on optimising your service page for hire as this is arguably your key intent for having your website. 

Keyword optimisation

Here, there are two pages you’d possibly focus on optimising:

• Business page optimisation

On a business page, it’s where you show the map directions to your Australian clinic to searchers. An optimised business page is likely to have a competitive edge to your practice and may draw in patients. Similarly, with Google maps appearing at the top of search results, optimising yours would make clients find you easily.

Some of the tips that you’d use to ensure your business page ranks first are:

Verification:  All you’d need to do is log in into your dashboard, locate the checkmark, and check whether your page is verified, and if not, follow the prompts to have it done.

Address and phone number: Include an official address and local phone number into your site. Addresses are what Google maps and patients would use to find your location quickly. Try to be consistent with this information in all your website’s pages to avoid confusing clients. In the same vein, provide categories, descriptions, working hours, and images of your services.

• Website optimisation

On your website, your primary focus would be to make your home and service pages match up your keywords. Similarly, you’d need to optimise the homepage, service pages, and content pages. Ensure you’ve included title tags, Meta descriptions, headers, and body copies that are relevant to your dental market in Australia.

Citation and Links

Citations are mentions of a practice’s address, name, and phone number. You could achieve this by requesting patients to give their view on your services on platforms that conduct surveys or on the comment section of your website. Nonetheless, you’d also get citations from having your expertise listed on significant business or industry-specific directories.

On the other hand, link your pages with external websites. This kind of links are called inbound links and are arguable a strategic way of improving the credibility of a site and increasing your dental SEO ranking. 

So, how would you build inbound links? Jumping-off, ensure you use white links to avoid being penalised by Google. You can request citations with links to your homepage from websites in your field of practice. Alternatively, you can have your articles posted on other websites as guest posts and include links on the writings siting to your website.  This way, everyone reading your guest article would possibly be prompted to your site whenever they click them.

On the same breath, provided writings and survives are scalable; researches may also site your website on various issues and broaden your likelihood of increasing your clientele and ranking.

Tracking

Tracking is critical to the success of dental SEO ranking efforts. Trailing would be achieved by following-up the stats on your website to see how effectively it’s fairing among your competitors’. Ensure you check the stats often to get an insight on whether you’d need to improve on specific areas in your website.  

Would you like to see some fast results?

Now, there’s money to be made by applying the marketing ideas you’ve read about in this post… Lots of money! Seriously…

But, to get that money into your bank account , you’re gonna need to apply AND probably customise these ideas so that they will work in your own unique situation.

If you want to take a shortcut and save yourself some trial and error experimentation in doing that, I can help you get up and running, quickly…

FREE CONSULTATION

If the few ideas I’ve shared with you so far make sense, then I’d like to offer you a FREE consultation so you can see how my practical, results orientated approach can give you an advantage over your competitors, win you more sales and clients and then turn those first time buyers into loyal customers that will bring tens of thousands of dollars in lifetime value.

And, this time, a FREE consultation means exactly that, a free consultation – not a ‘free’ sales pitch.

The world is full of ‘pay-me-then-I’ll-show-you-what-I-can-do’ people … but I’m not one of them. During your free consultation I’ll work with you to identify the very best strategy for you and your business and then show you exactly how to implement the strategy.

I’ll hold nothing back during our consultation.

Frankly, my goal is to impress you.

Why – because, if I can show you how to get better results and make more money from our very first session working together, then you might just want to put me on your team.

And putting me on your team is remarkably easy and affordable.

From as little as one half day per month we could be putting marketing right at the top of your list of priorities, ensuring that you hit your targets and achieve your business goals quickly.

You’ve nothing to lose. So give me a call today on 03 9068 6905 to book your free consultation. Or you can shoot me through a message here: : https://digitalbond.com.au/strategy/

The post Guide to SEO for Australian Dentists appeared first on Digital Bond.

It’s June. And you know what that means… It’s time for an “end of year sale.” You need it for a final boost to your profit margin, especially before taxman arrives and takes his slice of the pie…

Today, we’ll help you set up that sale. We’ll provide a guide that discusses 5 tips on setting up your sale.

Read the list, and put it to action!

Define Your Goals

What’s the purpose of your sale?

Is it to get rid of excess stock? Maybe you’re doing so to finance newer or trendier products in your niche.

Maybe you’re selling for quick profits? If so, you’re targeting tight-budgeters and bargainers who might be interested in your offers.

Or are you using that sale to market yourself?

The 3rd Option Works Best.

Selling to get rid of excess stock is a sign of desperation. It’s a sign of bad business decision-making…

Plus, getting rid of excess stock means dumping products onto the market, and for pennies. This’ll make your business look bad.

In fact, it’ll attract the wrong type of customer.

The same applies to selling for quick profit. You don’t want to get into the habit of making “frequent discounts” just to get sales.

That way, you’ll struggle to sell at your original prices.

Use Sales to Market Yourself.

It’s an opportunity to differentiate yourself from competition.

With a proper sales structure, you can attract the ideal customers who’ll see value in what you offer.

Define Your Target Market.

Are you doing this sale to “attract new customers”? Or, is this sale for “long-term clients”?

Defining your market is important, since it defines what you sell end of year.

The Principle.

If you’re marketing to long-term clients, you’re usually selling “quality/value pieces” but for lower prices.

The reason is, long-term clients are more familiar with your products. So they can tell quality items from shabby ones.

As for newer clients – they’re more likely to seek a bargain. Here, you can offer a wide range of products, and for larger discounts.

Example.

Maybe you run a fashion store. If so, you might have different “shirt fabrics” on sale.

Some shirts might be made of synthetic fabrics. Those tend to be cheaper. And they’ll appease bargain hunters. But they won’t appease quality buyers…

As for something slightly pricier (like fine cotton), you can choose to launch a sale for long-term clients.

Another Reason to Define Your Market.

It helps you make the necessary preparations before launching a sale.

It helps you select the “correct marketing channels” to advertise your clearance sales.

For example, you’ll market to long-term clients using email and your social media page. As for newer traffic, you might want a PPC advertising strategy.

Both strategies require time to plan. With email and social media marketing, you’re designing posts and emails to send to clients.

Plus, you’re also designing coupons to hand out for your sales.

As for PPC advertising, you need to research both local and seasonal keywords for your ads.

Remember, your current PPC budget most likely won’t cut it at this time of the year… Make sure you adjust to the market demand and competition.

Define Your Products.

This ties into the previous tip. Your target market defines the products you should put on sale.

However, there are other “product choice rules” to note. To start…

Don’t Put New Products on Sale.

New releases, or trendy products shouldn’t be in a clearance sale.

Sure, you can lower their prices slightly. But to launch them with a “major discount” is a sign of desperation.

Plus – you get your buyers used to waiting for large discounts on new releases. This is not good for business.

Don’t Sell New Season Items.

Back to the fashion example.

If summer’s coming in, you shouldn’t put summer items on sale. After all, the season is still on-going, and you’re likely to get buyers for normal prices.

Instead put “autumn” or “spring” fashion on sale.

Also, you might want to save old “non-sold collections” aside if they belong to the current season.

You might have a better chance of selling them at a normal price, than through a heavily discounted offer.

Define Your Marketing Schedule

First, you need to define the time period of your clearance sale.

Will it last a week? Or maybe you’re doing it for a month, specifically for upcoming holidays?

Define the timeframe where the offers are applicable. And make sure your clients are aware of that timeframe.

Marketing Frequencies.

How often are you sending out emails (to regular clients)?

Are you doing so weekly? Or maybe you’re sending emails every 3-4 days – just to keep your audience reminded?

Also, what about the frequency of your posts and ad purchases?

Defining frequency matters. You want to advertise without spam. But at the same time, you want to remind viewers of your presence.

Define Your Delivery Structure

It should be obvious by now that “clearance sales” are for physical products – not digital ones.

And with physical products, you need a location to sell/deliver items. So you have to define those before your sale.

Delivery Times.

If you’re a local business, delivery times should be short. They need not be more than 3 days.

Any longer, and you’re probably delivering city-wide, even out of state.

Define your delivery time to your audience. Over deliver when it comes to shipping times.

Also, make sure that a “tracking system” is in place.

Why?

On a clearance sale, expect bulk buyers. And this means lots of money spent per purchase.

So naturally, buyers will worry about their shipments. They’ll want to track their purchases, which may be in the “hundreds to thousands of dollars.”

Second – Do You Have a Store?

If you do, then advertising your location is a must.

You need to provide your target market easy access to maps and photos for reference.

A page should be available on your website that showcases and describes location. You can link to it from “PPC ads” or “email/posts on social media.”

Final Tip – Be Appealing.

The previous points add structure to your end of year clearance sales. They ensure clearly defined goals that gain client trust.

From there – your focus should be on aesthetics.

Make sure you find a Digital Marketing Expert to make creative and appealing ads. You want ads that are memorable to customers, especially in graphic form!

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