News and Tips from the WebAct Team

Find Your Perfect Match: Best AI Software for Small Businesses

Thu, 04 May 2023 18:56:39 GMT

AI Software for Small Businesses

As a small business owner, you have a lot on your plate. From managing finances to handling day-to-day operations, the last thing you want is to add more tasks to your list. However, what if we told you there's a way to automate some of those tasks and make your life easier? That's where AI software comes in. In this blog, we'll deeply dive into the world of AI tools for small businesses. We'll explore the benefits of using them and give you an overview of critical factors to consider when choosing the right one for your business needs. We'll also provide you with a list of the best AI marketing tools, sales boosters, and customer support optimization tools that are perfect for small businesses. We've also included some free AI tools to help you start without breaking the bank. So sit back, relax, and discover how AI software can help take your small business to the next level!

Introducing AI tools to small businesses can streamline workflows, increase productivity, and provide valuable insights for informed decision-making. However, choosing the right AI software that fits your business needs can be overwhelming. Factors such as cost, ease of use, and compatibility with existing systems must be considered before investing in an AI tool. With so many options available, finding the perfect match for your business can seem daunting. In this blog post, we've compiled a list of the best AI tools for small businesses to help you make an informed decision and stay competitive in today's digital landscape.

Understanding AI Tools for Small Businesses

As technology evolves rapidly, small businesses must adapt to remain competitive. One way they can do so is by incorporating AI tools into their operations. AI software can help automate routine tasks and provide valuable insights for data-driven decision-making. Chatbots, predictive analytics, natural language processing, and machine learning are just a few examples of AI tools available for small businesses. By understanding how these tools work and what they offer, small businesses can improve efficiency and streamline their operations, ultimately leading to increased growth and success.

Benefits of Using AI Tools for Small Businesses

In addition to streamlining workflows and improving productivity, AI tools offer various benefits for small businesses. For instance, chatbots can provide 24/7 customer support, reducing the need for human assistance and allowing businesses to focus on other critical tasks. Predictive analytics can help businesses make informed decisions by analyzing data and providing insights into customer behavior, trends, and preferences. Natural language processing can help small enterprises understand customer feedback and sentiment analysis, improving customer satisfaction. Machine learning can help automate processes such as fraud detection, inventory management, and resource allocation,

Benefits of Using AI Tools for Small Businesses

Small businesses can benefit significantly from using AI tools to streamline operations and improve customer experience. Small business owners can free up valuable time to focus on growing their business by automating routine tasks, such as data entry or scheduling appointments. Personalized recommendations and chatbots also help improve the customer experience by providing tailored support and increasing engagement. Additionally, AI tools can analyze data to provide insights into market trends and consumer behavior, helping small businesses make informed decisions about product development and marketing strategies. Investing in AI software can help small businesses stay competitive and grow in today's rapidly evolving digital landscape.

1. Streamlining Business Processes

Small businesses often struggle with managing their daily operations while trying to innovate and grow. Streamlining business processes is crucial for these businesses to improve efficiency and productivity. However, this can be a daunting task, especially with limited resources. This is where AI tools come in handy. AI can save small businesses time and money by automating repetitive tasks like data entry and customer service. With more time on their hands, employees can focus on strategic planning and innovation, thus boosting the overall growth of the business. Additionally, AI tools provide valuable insights into customer behavior and market trends, enabling data-driven decision-making for small business owners.

2. Personalizing Customer Experience

In today's highly competitive business environment, offering a personalized customer experience is crucial for small businesses looking to stand out. AI tools effectively solve this challenge by analyzing vast amounts of customer data and behavior to provide tailored recommendations and communication. By automating personalized experiences through chatbots or email marketing, small businesses can create a more engaging and satisfying customer journey that leads to increased loyalty and repeat business. Furthermore, AI can help small businesses level the playing field with larger competitors by providing access to sophisticated technology without significant investment.

3. Reducing Costs and Increasing Efficiency

Small businesses are always looking for ways to cut costs while increasing efficiency, and AI tools can be an excellent solution. By automating repetitive tasks, such as data entry or customer service, AI-powered software can reduce the need for human labor and free up time for employees to focus on more critical tasks. This can lead to increased productivity and cost savings over time.

Moreover, using AI tools in small businesses can help optimize operations by streamlining supply chains and improving customer service. By providing valuable insights into consumer behavior and market trends, AI-powered software can also help small businesses make data-driven decisions that are more reliable and accurate than those made based on intuition alone. Overall, incorporating AI into small business operations has the potential to deliver significant benefits, making it a worthwhile investment for companies looking to gain a competitive edge.

4. Analyzing Data Effectively

Data analysis can be a daunting task for small businesses. However, using AI tools to analyze data can provide valuable insights into business operations and customer behavior. By identifying patterns and trends in the data, small businesses can make informed decisions to increase efficiency and higher profits. This is especially important in today's market, where competition is fierce, and every advantage counts. AI tools can help small businesses stay ahead of the curve by providing accurate and reliable data-driven insights that are impossible through intuition alone. With the right tools and approach, analyzing data effectively using AI can be a game-changer for small businesses looking to succeed in the modern world.

Key Factors to Consider When Choosing AI Tools for Small Businesses

When choosing the best AI tools for your small business, several key factors must be considered. One of the most important is affordability. The cost of implementing AI technology can vary widely, so assessing your budget and determining which options are within reach is essential. In addition to price, ease of use and integration should also be considered. Look for a user-friendly AI tool that can integrate smoothly with your existing software and systems. Finally, scalability and security are crucial when selecting an AI tool for your small business.

1. Ease of Use and Integration

Small businesses often struggle with integrating new technologies and software into their existing systems. Ease of use and integration become crucial factors when choosing AI tools. The chosen AI software should be user-friendly and easy to set up without significant disruptions to the current business processes. Customizable features that cater specifically to the unique needs of small businesses are also important. In addition, it's essential to consider the level of technical support and training the vendor provides. Ensuring the AI tool aligns with your overall business strategy and goals can help you reap maximum benefits.

2. Affordability

For small businesses, affordability is a crucial factor to consider when choosing AI tools. With limited budgets, finding an affordable option with the necessary functionality is essential. Look for AI software that offers flexible pricing plans and does not require long-term contracts or commitments. It's also important to consider the return on investment (ROI) and choose an AI tool that can help save time and money in the long run. By comparing the features and capabilities of different AI tools, you can find the best balance between affordability and functionality for your small business needs.

3. Scalability

As small businesses grow, their needs change, and so do their technology requirements. That's why scalability is critical when choosing AI tools for your business. Scalability refers to the software's ability to adjust to changing needs and handle the increased workload without compromising performance. When selecting AI tools, it's essential to think about how seamless it will be to integrate them with other systems you use in the future. Look for software to accommodate growth by offering flexible pricing models and excellent customer support and resources. Doing so will ensure that your business can scale effectively and efficiently.

4. Security

The security of your business and customer data is paramount, making it one of the most critical factors when selecting AI software for your small business. With the rise of cybercrime, you must ensure that your AI tools are secure and meet industry standards and regulations such as GDPR, CCPA, etc. It is also essential to check if the software uses encryption and has specific data storage mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access or data breaches. By choosing a vendor that regularly updates its security features to address any vulnerabilities, you can rest assured that your business is protected from potential cyber threats.

Best AI Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

Introducing AI-powered marketing tools can be a game-changer for small businesses looking to improve their digital presence. These tools can provide valuable insights into customer behavior and help organizations personalize their marketing campaigns to target specific audiences effectively. AI-powered chatbots, for example, can deliver 24/7 customer support, improving engagement and overall customer experience. Additionally, automating repetitive tasks such as email marketing and data entry can free up time that small business owners can use to focus on more critical studies. By streamlining processes, optimizing campaigns, and providing useful insights into target audiences, AI marketing tools offer a significant competitive advantage for small businesses looking to grow in today's digital world.

1. Jasper.ai

As a small business owner, managing customer engagement and generating leads can be daunting. This is where Jasper.ai is the perfect match for your AI needs. With its natural language processing capabilities, this AI-powered chatbot understands customer queries. It provides relevant responses, freeing up more time for you to focus on other essential aspects of your business. It integrates seamlessly with popular messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, making engaging with customers on their preferred channels easier. Jasper.ai's analytics dashboard also provides insights into customer behavior, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategies for increased ROI.

2. Flick

Creating engaging video content is crucial for small businesses to stand out in a crowded market. Flick, an AI-powered video marketing tool, helps companies to achieve professional-quality video content while saving time and money. With its customizable templates and automated video editing feature, Flick simplifies the video creation process for small businesses. Additionally, Flick's AI technology analyzes the performance of your videos and suggests improvements for better engagement and conversion rates. This valuable insight into audience preferences and behavior helps small businesses tailor their marketing efforts to reach their target audience more effectively.

3. GrowthBar

Small businesses often struggle to grow their online presence and optimize their marketing strategies. This is where GrowthBar comes in - an AI marketing tool that provides real-time data and insights to help businesses make informed decisions about their online campaigns. With features such as keyword research, competitor analysis, and backlink tracking, GrowthBar offers small businesses the tools they need to stay ahead of the competition. By integrating with popular platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, GrowthBar ensures seamless tracking and analysis for small business owners. With GrowthBar, small businesses can optimize their online marketing efforts and succeed tremendously in a highly competitive digital landscape.

4. Phrasee

Effective email subject lines are crucial for any small business looking to improve its open rates and conversions. That's where Phrasee comes in – an AI-powered marketing tool that specializes in crafting personalized and engaging subject lines. By using natural language generation and analyzing your brand's tone and voice, Phrasee ensures consistency across all communications. Additionally, it provides real-time insights and optimization suggestions to help you improve your email performance continually. With Phrasee, small businesses can save time and money by automating creation of effective email subject lines, ultimately increasing their ROI.

5. Smartwriter.ai

Creating high-quality content can be time-consuming and challenging for a small business owner. However, with Smartwriter.ai, you can save time and effort while ensuring your content is engaging and effective. Using machine learning algorithms, Smartwriter.ai analyzes your target audience and generates content that resonates with them. The tool can generate various content types, from blog posts to social media updates to email newsletters. Additionally, you can customize your content's tone, style, and voice to match your brand's personality, making it an ideal choice for small businesses looking to optimize their content marketing efforts.

6. Optimove

Small businesses often struggle with customer retention and engagement due to limited resources and manpower. This is where Optimove comes in. As an AI-powered marketing automation platform, Optimove provides personalized recommendations based on customer behavior analysis. It offers real-time data insights, enabling businesses to make informed decisions about their marketing strategies. Optimove is designed for small and medium-sized businesses, making it an affordable and effective option for improving customer experience and boosting sales. With Optimove, small businesses can optimize their marketing campaigns without breaking the bank.

Best AI Tools to Boost Sales for Small Businesses

Small businesses often struggle to keep up with the competition regarding sales. Fortunately, AI tools can provide a much-needed boost in this area. Businesses can target customers at the right time by leveraging predictive analytics and personalized marketing campaigns to increase conversions and revenue. With AI-powered chatbots, small business owners can also provide round-the-clock support, freeing up time for other tasks. Additionally, sales forecasting tools can help businesses make informed decisions about inventory levels and pricing strategies to optimize profits. By incorporating these AI tools into their sales strategy, small businesses can stay competitive and grow their customer base.

1. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a popular AI-powered tool designed to help small businesses improve their sales and marketing strategies. It utilizes machine learning algorithms to analyze customer data and provide personalized recommendations for targeted campaigns. With features like lead scoring, email tracking, and deal forecasting, businesses can streamline their sales process and optimize performance. Additionally, the software is user-friendly and offers a free version with basic features perfect for small businesses on a tight budget. Overall, HubSpot CRM is an excellent option for small businesses leveraging AI technology to maximize their sales potential.

2. Wingman

In today's competitive business world, having an edge over your rivals is critical, and Wingman can help. Wingman is a conversational AI tool designed to assist sales teams in improving their pitches and closing more deals. Analyzing conversations using natural language processing provides real-time feedback to sales reps on how they can enhance their communication skills. With its call transcription and recording features, Wingman makes it easy for sales professionals to focus on building meaningful connections with potential clients while relying on the tool's advanced analysis of key metrics like talk time and objection handling. Overall, this AI-powered tool is an excellent addition to any small business looking to optimize its sales process.

3. Reply

Introducing Reply, an AI-powered sales acceleration platform for small businesses looking to boost their sales efficiency. By automating email outreach and follow-ups, this tool frees up time for sales reps to focus on more critical tasks. At the same time, machine learning algorithms analyze customer behavior and provide personalized recommendations for effective sales strategies. With features such as personalization, A/B testing, and campaign scheduling, Reply helps businesses optimize their sales results, all while providing valuable analytics and insights to help track progress and make data-driven decisions. By streamlining the sales process and increasing conversion rates, Reply is an excellent option for small businesses looking to improve their bottom line with the help of AI.

4. Seamless.ai

Seamless.ai is an AI-powered sales tool that small businesses can use to boost their lead-generation efforts. It uses machine learning algorithms to analyze and prioritize leads based on various factors such as industry, location, and company size. The tool can also automate finding and reaching out to prospects, saving small business owners time and effort. Additionally, Seamless.ai provides access to a database of over 100 million contacts, making it easier for businesses to expand their outreach. Seamless.ai can help small companies optimize their sales process and achieve higher conversion rates with its features.

5. ContactOut

Small businesses continually look for ways to expand their reach and connect with potential customers. ContactOut is an AI-powered tool that can help achieve this goal by automating the lead generation process. With its machine learning algorithms, ContactOut can identify the most relevant leads and provide accurate contact information for each prospect. This saves time and resources for small businesses and allows them to focus on other vital areas of their business, such as customer engagement or product development.

In addition, ContactOut seamlessly integrates with popular CRM platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot, making it easy to manage leads and track sales progress. Small businesses can improve their sales efficiency and increase revenue with these features. Overall, ContactOut is an excellent option for small businesses looking to optimize their lead generation process using AI-powered tools.

Best AI Tools to Optimize Customer Support for Small Businesses

Providing exceptional customer support is essential for small businesses to maintain their reputation and retain customers. AI technology can optimize the customer support process by providing 24/7 assistance through chatbots and voice assistants, improving response time, and personalizing customer experience through predictive analytics and sentiment analysis. Additionally, virtual assistants can automate tasks like scheduling appointments and allow business owners to focus on growth. By implementing these AI tools, small businesses can enhance their customer support capabilities, improve efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction.

1. Zendesk Support

Small businesses often struggle to provide efficient and effective customer support, leading to dissatisfied customers and lost business. This is where Zendesk Support comes in handy, as it simplifies managing customer inquiries and issues. The AI-powered software uses machine learning algorithms to analyze incoming tickets and categorize them for faster resolution. Additionally, Zendesk Support can automate responses to common inquiries, freeing time for your support team to focus on more complex customer issues. With its seamless omnichannel support experience and valuable reporting and analytics features, Zendesk Support is an ideal solution for small businesses looking to improve their overall customer support strategy.

Best Free AI Tools Ideal for Small Businesses

Small businesses always look for cost-effective ways to improve their operations and increase productivity. Fortunately, there are many free AI tools available that can help them do just that. One such tool is Google Analytics, a popular website analytics platform that provides valuable information on website traffic, user behavior, and more. With this tool, small businesses can gain insights into their audience and optimize their online presence accordingly.

Another valuable tool for small businesses is Canva, an AI-powered graphic design platform that makes it easy to create professional-looking marketing materials even without a background in design. From social media graphics to flyers and presentations, Canva offers various customizable templates and design elements to help small businesses create stunning visuals that stand out.

1. DALL-E 2 - Image Creator

As a small business owner, creating unique and visually appealing marketing materials can be challenging. However, with the introduction of DALL-E 2, an AI-powered image creator, generating eye-catching visuals has become easier than ever. This free tool employs advanced algorithms to generate images based on written descriptions, enabling even non-designers to create professional-looking visuals.

DALL-E 2's customization options and integration with popular design tools like Photoshop and Illustrator make it a versatile choice for small businesses looking to save time and money on graphic design. With DALL-E 2 by your side, you can create custom images that perfectly align with your brand's messaging and aesthetic without breaking the bank or hiring a professional designer.

2. GFP-GAN - Photo Restoration

Sometimes, small businesses may need to work with old or damaged photographs, which can be challenging. That's where GFP-GAN comes in. GFP-GAN is a free AI tool that uses deep learning algorithms to analyze and repair images, restoring missing details and improving their quality. This tool can be handy for small businesses with vintage or historical photographs. With its ease of use and surprisingly accurate results, GFP-GAN is an excellent option for businesses looking to enhance their visual content without breaking the bank.

3. Copy.ai - Copywriter

Generating high-quality content for small businesses can be a challenging and time-consuming task. However, with the advent of AI-powered tools like Copy.ai, creating compelling content has become easier. Using natural language processing and machine learning algorithms, Copy.ai generates copy for social media posts, blogs, ads, and other marketing materials in just a few minutes.

Small business owners often have limited resources and little time to spend on content creation. With Copy.ai's user-friendly interface and extensive template library, businesses can create professional-looking content without coding or technical skills. Whether you're looking to increase engagement on social media or drive traffic to your website, Copy.ai is an excellent option for small businesses to save time and money while generating high-quality content.

4. Lumen5 - Video Creator

Video content has become essential to any digital marketing strategy, but creating engaging videos can be time-consuming and expensive. This is where Lumen5 comes in, a free AI-powered video creator that can help small businesses create high-quality videos quickly and easily. With Lumen5, you don't need any technical skills or experience to create professional-looking videos that grab your audience's attention.

Using AI technology, Lumen5 automatically generates video content from your text or blog posts. The tool offers customization options like adding images, music, and text overlays to make your videos more engaging. Moreover, it provides analytics that helps you track the performance of your videos and improve future content creation based on data-driven insights. Overall, Lumen5 is an excellent choice for small businesses looking to enhance their digital marketing efforts with high-quality video content.

AI tools have become essential to small business operations in today's fast-paced business world. The many benefits of using AI tools include streamlining business processes, personalizing customer experience, reducing costs and increasing efficiency, and analyzing data effectively. When choosing the best AI tools for your small business, it is crucial to consider factors such as ease of use and integration, affordability, scalability, and security. We've compiled a list of the best AI marketing tools, sales boosters, customer support optimizers, and free AI tools that are ideal for small businesses. Check them out and find your perfect match!

Responsive Websites = Success

Wed, 01 Jun 2022 00:00:00 GMT

Whether you’re on your computer, tablet, or phone, more and more companies are starting to focus on creating the best visual experience across different multi-screens in order to provide a custom experience among their customers. The best way they can achieve this is by making their websites “responsive”. A responsive website is one website that is optimized for desktop, tablet, and mobile.With a responsive design you can read, navigate and interact with a website on the device of your choice... Read More Read More

If a company wants success, “responsive” is the way to go!

The trend of responsive web design sites is becoming popular nowadays. Users are more adjusted to view a company’s website or any of their products through multiple screens. A visitor’s first impression of a company’s website is crucial because it is the deciding factor as to whether or not they’ll use your services or products. The majority of a company’s first initial users will use a mobile or tablet device to visit a company’s website due to the convenience since most users will have a mobile or tablet device on hand.

The average person will use multiple screens to accomplish a task or look for information 90% of the time. Here are some of the advantages of having a responsive website:

Isn’t mobile friendly the same as responsive web design?

Unlike responsive, mobile friendly versions aren’t the optimized mobile versions of your site, but actually a completely different site. It’s a separate site companies build to look good solely on your mobile device. Here are some of the disadvantages of using a mobile friendly version:

How do I make a responsive website?

There are two ways to create a responsive website:

Creating a custom design that is responsive requires a solid understanding of code and code-related application, which could be something that a new company doesn’t have the luxury of. An easier way to ensure that your company has the best possible response website is by using a responsive theme. WebAct has a vast number of responsive themes you can use to ensure your company is ahead of the competition. Visit WebAct today and learn more about our responsive theme along with our other services.

We are one of the Top Denver Web Development Companies in Denver according to Design Rush.

How to Get a Higher ROI on Your Advertising

Wed, 18 May 2022 20:24:01 GMT

A solid marketing and advertising plan is always going to come with costs that you need to be willing to pay. The goal is to find an advertising plan that has a high ROI so you can see the fruits of your labor and enjoy increased success because of the ads you create. Every business can harness the power of great advertising if they take the time to optimize their content to meet the needs of their business and increase their ROI to an optimal place.

Test Different Strategies

The great thing about advertising is that there are so many options for you to choose from, and you don’t have to stick to the same one. In fact, you can test out a variety of strategies to see what works for you. The more you are able to experiment and try different things , the easier it will be for you to see your ROI and figure out whether each new strategy is a good fit for you and your target market. Don't be afraid to try new things and let go of the advertising options that aren’t working for you.

Use Targeted Advertising

Large established brands can often use broad advertising to reach their audience, but for small businesses, this isn’t the best approach. With targeted ads, you can reach your audience more effectively and home in on your specific client base. You can target audiences in a variety of different ways, depending on the needs of your company. For instance, geofencing lets you target customers within a geographic area . You can also choose to target people based on the kinds of searches they make and previous purchases.

Learn About Your Audience

You can't effectively target your market if you don’t understand them in the first place. So you need to take time to learn about your audience and what they want and need from a business. The more you know about your customers, the more effective your marketing can be. Doing research will help to set you up for success and make it possible for you to continually move in a positive direction.

Every business has the ability to improve their marketing, if they take the time to learn and grow. Sometimes things will change as you continue to grow and you will have to adjust your marketing. Be open to that possibility so you can improve your marketing and increase your ROI.

Check out this article on the marketing for it companies.

Advertising Methods That Can Be Powerful Drivers of Success

Mon, 16 May 2022 23:42:53 GMT

Most businesses start with a great idea, but even the best ideas will be difficult to earn money off of if you don’t have the proper advertising strategy. How you advertise your business will be essential to your success and is dependent on your ability to make sure that your target market is actually aware of you and what you have to offer. There are tons of advertising methods out there in the world, but you want to make sure to focus your strategy on some of the most effective.

Influerncer Marketing

Many people are hesitant to embark on the journey of using influencer marketing for their business. It is a relatively new marketing strategy , and that can be scary for new businesses and even businesses that have been around for decades. However, influencer marketing has shown great potential for success, especially when the influencer is in the right niche for your business. If you are thinking about using influencer marketing, you should do your research so you can choose the right influencers. Then make sure that you compensate them fairly for their work so you can maintain a positive relationship.

Unpaid Advertising

You have to pay for many of the marketing methods that are available in the business world, but you don’t have to pay for all of them. Learning how to utilize unpaid advertising like word of mouth can help you to continually build your audience without increasing your costs too much. Most of these forms of advertising are based on your reputation and the quality of your products and services. Earned media includes word of mouth, testimonials, and other unpaid advertising methods . It can take time to figure out the best method for your needs, but starting early can get you on the right track.

Content Marketing

Not all of your advertising and marketing needs to be done through distinct ads. In fact, content marketing can be an effective way for you to reach an audience in a more organic way. You want to fill your website with applicable content that will bring in potential customers and start building your rapport with them.

When you are running a business, you need to make sure that potential customers can learn about the great things you offer. Your marketing strategy is the key to making connections with all your potential customers. Incorporating the methods above can help to make your advertising even more effective.

Read this next: Why You Need to Be an Expert in Digital Marketing

What Types of Outdoor Advertising Should You Be Using?

Thu, 17 Mar 2022 21:10:28 GMT

Despite the fact that you are living in the digital age, it is still important to make sure that you incorporate outdoor advertising in your marketing strategy. This is because outdoor advertising remains an effective way to reach customers and bring them into your business. It can be a challenge to figure out what kinds of outdoor advertising to use, but if you master this challenge, it will really pay off for your business.

Billboards

Billboards are one of the most common forms of outdoor advertising and they are essential to the success of your business locally. Having billboards helps to build brand awareness and to connect your business with customers in a particular location. The best billboards are light on text , and any included text should be short and easy to understand. You also want to make sure that your billboards are visually interesting. There are digital and analog billboards available now, and you want to choose the option that will work best for your business.

Transit Advertising

You can also depend on transit advertising to make sure that your business gets local attention. This can include using advertising on your company vehicles or paying to advertise on public transportation vehicles. If you decide to go with your personal fleet as a means of advertising, you will want to wrap the cars with your company information. A wrap should look professional to catch the attention of the most customers. Having a wrap done professionally will do a lot for your business and turn your fleet into driving advertisements.

Bringing It Together

You want to integrate your outdoor advertising with all the other elements of your brand. This will ensure that your brand is recognizable and that people know what to look for when they are looking for your business. Your logo and color scheme should stay consistent throughout all your forms of advertising. Any changes should be done for a specific reason that helps your business to be more successful. Work with your marketing team to make sure that your outdoor advertising fits with your overall marketing strategy.

Your advertising should work for you and help your business to make more sense to your customers. With outdoor advertising you can make this happen locally and bring attention to your business. Even online businesses can benefit from outdoor advertising if they are looking for a boost to their numbers.

Read this next: Why You Need to Be an Expert in Digital Marketing

How to Become a Better Problem-Solver in Your Business

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 17:19:34 GMT

Business is all doing one thing and one thing alone – solving problems. Whether your business sells goods or services, you are solving a problem for someone else, and solving it so well that they are willing to pay you for your solution. But business isn’t just about solving problems for your clients and customers, if you are employed by a business, your job is also to solve problems for your business. And despite what you might believe, you can learn to be a better problem solver. Here are a few things that you can do to make yourself a better problem solver at your business.

Look at the Full Picture

The most important first step to becoming a better problem solver at your business is to look at the full picture. While there are dozens of short-term solutions that may all have similar outcomes, business is a long-term proposition, requiring long term solutions. Consider the full implications of any decision that your business needs to make to see what the real outcomes may be and find what the best possible outcome really looks like.

Use a Clear Methodology

Another key to becoming the best problem solver possible at your business is to use a clear methodology when trying to solve problems. A lot of people believe that the best way to solve problems is to freestyle it, but a problem-solving method is the most important thing. The 8D problem solving process helps you get down to the root issue by providing a framework that is applicable to almost any problem. Once the heart of the issue is discovered, it becomes much easier to solve it, especially with a little creativity on your part. Give 8D a try next time you are solving a problem.

Evaluate Every Solution

The final step to becoming the most effective problem solver possible at your business is to evaluate every possible solution to your problem. All too often people decline to even consider most solutions to a problem without thoughtful consideration because they sound too outrageous. But sometimes, the craziest solution is the most effective. Make sure that you consider every solution, even the wild ones, to ensure that you find the best possible solution.

Problem solving is not an art, it is a science. And it is a science that anyone can learn and perfect with practice. Consider these three techniques when you are problem solving to become the most effective problem solver you can be.

Read this next: Why You Need to Be an Expert in Digital Marketing

Why You Need to Be an Expert in Digital Marketing

Mon, 14 Feb 2022 23:29:04 GMT

How Local Businesses Can Get the Word Out About Their Brands

Wed, 22 Dec 2021 21:24:54 GMT

With every small business, the chief concern is always how to let customers know that you’re out there. Without new customers businesses will gradually (or not so gradually) lose their competitive edge. In fact, bad marketing tactics are one of the top reasons that small businesses fail.

So how can you make sure that people are hearing about your local small business? Here are a few different ways that you can make sure you’re reaching customers.

Build Your SEO

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) refers to your business’s internet savviness. Basically, how easy is it for your customers (or prospective customers) to find your business online?

SEO is a pretty big deal, because most people don’t scroll past the first two pages of the Google search results.

To make sure that your customers can find you online, make sure you are using good SEO practices . There’s a lot that goes into boosting your search engine rankings, but you’d be surprised—it’s not all complicated and a lot of it can be done faster than you think.

Use Your Vehicle Fleet

If your small business uses a vehicle fleet, you may be sitting on top of a prime advertising opportunity. Try using your fleet for transit advertising, or outfitting your vehicles with your company logo. This can be a great way to advertise your brand locally as your drivers make their way around the city. Potential customers can become familiar with your logo and have a general idea of what your business offers.

And when it comes to the logistics of getting your logo onto the fleet, try using vinyl wrap. It’s cheaper to get a vinyl wrap than to paint an advertisement on your vehicle. Same message, cheaper means!

Attend Local Events

Attending local events such as craft fairs, farmer’s markets, and specialty expos can be a great way for your business to connect with the local community . These can be great opportunities for your customers to see your company as a local asset and a business that plays a positive role in local affairs. It’s also a good time to connect with other business owners and try to make partnerships or cross-promotion agreements.

Brainstorming ways to reach your customers isn’t a goal so much as a process. What will work today won’t always work tomorrow. Remember that it's an evolving market out there and that you’ll need to change with it to be successful.

Read this next: Common Misunderstandings Businesses Have About Marketing

Online Video Platforms Every Business Should Be Using

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Common Misunderstandings Businesses Have About Marketing

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Marketing Strategies You Should Be Using More

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How to Turn Your Leads into Reliable Customers

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How to Achieve a Greater ROI on Your Marketing Campaign

Fri, 02 Jul 2021 23:48:14 GMT

How to Get the Exposure You Need for Your Website

Tue, 15 Jun 2021 18:06:12 GMT

Marketing Channels You Can't Ignore

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How to Earn the Trust of Your Customers

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Tips for Encouraging People to Return to Your Website

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I Have a Business Website—Now What?

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What You Need to Keep in Mind When Building a New Website

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How to Turn Your Law Practice Into a Household Name Locally

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Creative Outdoor Advertising Methods You Shouldn’t Miss Out On

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What Customers Value Most in a Business

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Website Features You Can’t Be Without

Fri, 22 Jan 2021 21:49:49 GMT

Whatever business you’re in, it’s essential that you have a website. This is where customers can find your business and learn more about you. If you want to keep customers engaged, there are several elements you should include in your website.

Contact Information

When creating your website, you should create it with the user in mind. One element that is helpful to users is including contact information . This information can be helpful if they have a question, a problem, or any other feedback. You can include this information in a variety of places including the footer of the website, on a designated contact page or any other relevant page. In your contact information, you should include your name as well as the name of the website. You can even consider adding some “About Me” information. You should also have a phone number, email, address, or any other pertinent form of contact.

Live Chat

Customer service is essential to any business and a live chat can improve customer service on your website. You can use a live chat in two ways. Members of your customer service staff can be available to answer chats or you can use an AI chat. Of course, you can also use a combination of the two. Having a live chat allows your customers to get answers to their questions quickly and it can increase customer satisfaction. An automated chat can also free up your staff to answer more specific questions while the live chat takes care of general questions. Live chat allows you to have effective customer service , even when your business is closed. Most live chats are available 24 hours, so your customers can get help any time they need it.

Clear Navigation

Your website needs to be easy for users to navigate. If they find it too difficult to get to the information they need, they are likely to just click away. To improve your navigation , start by making navigational tools clear. Have a clearly labeled menu or have headings at the top of your page with links to appropriate pages. You should also only include sections that are absolutely necessary. Too many sections can also add to the confusion. You also want to avoid having a lot of subsections. Overall, you should keep your website navigation very simple and obvious.

With so much business taking place online, it’s important that you have a quality website. A high-quality website will keep customers engaged. These elements, and more, will help to improve the quality of your website.

If you are trying to get your website off the ground, let us help you !

How Your Company Can Dominate a Keyword on Google

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Gain Exposure for Your Business with MapQuest Business Listing

Mon, 16 Sep 2019 01:52:58 GMT

MapQuest can help you gain exposure.

You probably know that Yelp and Google My Business help with your local SEO, but if you do not already use MapQuest Business Listings, then read on to learn how it can help drive new customers right to your door. MapQuest Business Listing does more than give exposure to your business. It connects potential customers with your address and telephone number so that they can contact you directly in person or on the phone.

MapQuest for Business

The Business Listing tool from MapQuest can help improve your business by consolidating and streamlining the information about your business. The tool makes it simple to find your business location and to learn about it. You can display a basic information set for free, or purchase a premium listing through MapQuest partner, Yext. A basic listing lets you add your business name, address, phone number and website URL to the mapping data. It also lets you index your business using up to six SIC business categories and displays the location of your business using the latitude and longitude coordinates you provide. The premium account, Yext, lets you add photos and your hours of operation. This puts the information right in front of potential customers when they use MapQuest for directions.

Expose Your Business

MapQuest Business Listing gives your business exposure which helps lead your business to success. MapQuest gives local businesses exposure to one of every six people on the web , helping people find your business using location-enabled geospatial solutions. The business listing service provides a level playing field for companies of all sizes. An entrepreneur can compete with a corporation because the listing allows both to increase efficiency, streamline processes, connect with customers and deliver an improved user experience. The listing service provides its own customer service and technical support, which makes you look better because it helps answer questions about your listing.

Helps Local Businesses

Similar to the function of Google Maps' interactivity with Google My Business, MapQuest tailors to local businesses and targets local search traffic. MapQuest’s Local Business Center lets you update your business information any time you want. You can update hours of operation, phone numbers and other contact details. Your accurate information ensures that MapQuest’s 42 million monthly users have the right information and route to your location. You get the benefits of local SEO plus a geospatial solution to routing customers to your business.

Local SEO Map Tips

You can help MapQuest help you. You need a consistent business name, address, and phone number (NAP) listed in each directory on your MapQuest Business Listing and on your website. Double-check to make sure that not only is the address up to date on all directories and websites but that it appears exactly the same way on each. Something as simple as “Road” on one listing, but “Rd.” on another can hurt your local SEO. This means you need to conduct a search for your business and manually check each page to make sure that your name, address, and phone number all match. Correct any pages that have bad information.

Getting Started with MapQuest Business Listing

You can start using MapQuest Business Listing today . MapQuest made the process simple. Established businesses with a physical address already appear in the mapping service’s data. You follow three simple steps. First, you claim your business. Second, you verify your status as the business owner. Third, you double-check the listed information for the business and correct it if it is wrong. You’ll now have a complete basic business listing in MapQuest, and you’ll be able to update it whenever you need to do so, such as to add holiday business hours or the location of a second location or franchise.

MapQuest Business Listings can help you draw new customers and route your existing customers to new locations that you open. It provides you with direct control over the database information for your business, allowing you to ensure that MapQuest always displays accurate information for your business. You can use it in conjunction with your appearance in other directories and on your website to boost your local SEO. The basic listing costs nothing, so why not get started today?

Want to take better control of how your business is presented on the internet? With our team of designers and marketers, WebAct can develop and integrate your business’ voice, brand, and identity into a new and innovate way to engage with your audience.

Local SEO Best Practices For 2019: 12 Things You MUST Know

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 21:03:35 GMT

Local SEO in 2019: Your Guide To Getting Back To The Basics

It seems everyday that there is a new article, blog post, or algorithm update that makes it that much more difficult to manage SEO effectively. The question I hear from so many potential clients is, "why am I not ranking?" or "how do I get on the first page of Google?"

Luckily, there's hope.

Google and other search engines have given us a glimpse to how they interpret quality and valuable information. If there's one thing that still reigns true in 2019, it's that black hat SEO is not only ineffective, but it can significantly damage your site's reputation and authority in your industry. For many, this used to be the "easy-out" option to search engine optimization.

So let's dig into the best practices and how to manage SEO to its' fullest potential.

1. Quality Content Proves To Be King

And not just the quality of your content, but user-friendly content. This basically tells Google that you are, in fact, a legitimate person putting in the time to provide quality information for user.

Do your site a favor; 1. Create some killer content. 2. update your content frequently and repeat steps 1 through 2.

For location based SEO (Local SEO) each location should present an accurate representation of the area and attributes related to the user in that area. Basically, everyone that visits your page that lives in that location should feel as if the service/product they are inquiring about has a genuine interest in that area and provides valuable info.

Check out our post on creating quality content.

2. Create Compelling Page Titles, Descriptions & Url Tags

Google loves page titles and descriptions. Especially those which accurately describe what is on the page the user is about to click on. It seems all too obvious but the amount of unrelated, spammy information included in page descriptions and titles has raised concern. You should write for humans and optimize for search engines , not purely one or the other.

The obvious distinction that Google despises the type of content writing to manipulate search engines happened back in 2011 with the Panda algorithm update. This focuses on "low-quality" content and "spammy" content. Google continually updates this algorithm to weed out the black hat techniques which unfortunately still take place today in search engine optimization.

3. Optimize All Devices... Especially Mobile

In March of 2018, Google rolled out mobile-first indexing. This is a separate Googlebot type which crawls the mobile version of your site to ensure mobile-friendly content. With the increase in voice search and mobile searches alike, Google has begun using the mobile version of your content to rank your site.

4. Use Schema Markup (Structured Data)

If you can help Google do its' job more efficiently, they'll usually return the favor. Creating schema markup is relatively easy with Google's Structured Data Markup Tool which walks you through step by step to creating your own. This data includes information to help search engines understand your content easier and to enhance rich snippets in SERPs.

5. KEYWORDS!!!

Keyword research is perhaps one of the most essential pieces of the puzzle. Ranking for a keyword in your industry is one thing, but what is it worth if no one is searching for that term?

Valuable keyword research is the key here. Along with your primary keywords you should strategically use secondary and related keywords as part of your SEO.

6. Don't Let UX Lag Behind

User experience is becoming a more important factor in SEO each and every year. The ultimate goal here is to keep the user on the page as long as possible. Providing valuble content isn't enough, the page should appeal enough to keep the user engaged with infographics, visual cues, internal linking (which we'll discuss later).

Web design plays a huge part in keeping your users on the page. Check out our article here for 5 recommendations to help with on-page SEO.

Bounce rate is a large ranking factor according to Google RankBrain which also focuses on total keyword concepts with comprehensive content, instead of creating single pages for variants of the same keywords. The more attractive your website the lower your bounce rate will be. Have you ever visited a random site from SERPs and landed on a slow-loading, outdated, unattractive site? Let me guess... you bounced! Yep, it happens all too often and it's a shame these sites still exist for the sake of user experience.

Remember, only YOU can prevent unattractive, non-user friendly sites!

7. Make Sure Every Page Is Secure (HTTPS)

Optimizing your pages for load speed on all devices is a no brainer, right? Unfortunately many forget to make their site secure (HTTPS). Google penalizes sites that are not secure. Reason enough.

Aside from that, your secure connection is a trust symbol for search engines, thus the added potential for better rankings and security for all users that visit your site.

8. Understand What Your Audience Is Searching

Is your business ecommerce? Service-based? Commercial insurance? Whatever you business may be, the key to a well-rounded SEO strategy is understanding your audience and their search intent. Our job is to answer exactly what these users are looking for.

Google Ads and the search console are perfect places to see what users are searching for in your industry at the very least. Search terms are a gold mine when it comes to keyword research and search intent. Instead of targeting only off of assumptions to what your users are searching, really get inside of their heads to understand the type of traffic your business will best benefit from.

Long-tail keywords are becoming more prevalent due to voice search and dynamic queries from those searches. Performing A/B tests with landing pages and keyword combinations can really help you accel in your strategy.

9. Internal Linking

Employing an internal linking strategy is essential in content marketing associated with search engine optimization.

What does an effective internal linking strategy provide?

Ease of website navigation to keep the user engaged
Allows search engines to crawl your site as a connected "web" pointing to relevant pages
Distributes page authority evenly across the whole site for overall ranking power

Example: You offer services that compliment one another but not necessary for your service to thrive if only one is used. Let's say you sell a party service that provides event planning, setup and take down. You also bake cakes for all special events.

Depending on your different services, you can link each type of cake offered for that service on a separate page.

This is where creating a lot of content will benefit you greatly.

After a user scans and learns about your service on one page, make sure to provide a useful link that the user can click on to gain further information on another, and so on. Employ deep linking to keep the user on your site and continue to learn everything about what you offer in the most effortless manner.

10. Use Google Search Console (Webmaster Tools)

Google search console provides valuable information for issues to help your site perform better. Correcting pertinent issues within your site can greatly improve your site speed and function.

Whenever you have a powerful statistic tool (which is also free of charge) USE IT! Your site will thank you.

11. Backlinks (quality ones)

Let's touch back on the black hat techniques discussed earlier. One of the most popular things to do for an SEO was to buy a ton of "backlinks" from non-reputable sources.

This "strategy" spiraled out of control and Google caught on real quick. Focusing on the quality of the backlinks you are building is essential.

First, what constitutes a quality backlink?

A link to your website with a high domain authority that is trusted by Google and other search engines.

Trust has become one of the most valuable ranking signals for websites and quality backlinks or "references" from high domain authority websites only validate that trust.

12. Don't Overthink It

While SEO is a very involved and time-consuming process, it should not be thought of as a mythical creature that requires the sword-in-the-stone type vibe to where you must find the magical combination of every word, image, title, link structure, listing, meta description, etc.

Focus on value and substance. The quality of your content and whether you are providing valuable answers to your users' queries.

From there build and work on the other aspects. BUT FOCUS ON THE BASICS!

There is a lot of hype out there like "On-page SEO, Guaranteed to Drive 20K in Business" or "The ONLY Strategy for SEO That Really Works."

Work on the basics, measure results & adapt!

If you need to build or improve your website, check out our services !

How Information Technology Can Assist with Online Business Success

Fri, 08 Feb 2019 21:07:38 GMT

Here are some tips to help your online business succeed

When you own or manage a business, you'll need to utilize the latest and most advanced tools that are available to increase your outreach and have more success. Information technology is readily available and should be utilized to improve the functionality of your business dealings each day. Here are a few ways that information technology assists with your online business success by improving your marketing and internal productivity.

Make Better Decisions

As B2C explains, information technology offers different tools to solve complex problems, whether you're using video conferences, creating online surveys for customer feedback, or reviewing comments on social media. Microsoft CRM Dynamics and Google Analytics can help you track your advertising ROI and any applications that you've been utilizing. You can begin making informed decisions based on your data and take fewer risks due to the information and data that you obtain in advance.

Improve Growth and Innovation

With a dedicated technology team, you can increase your growth efforts and boost your exposure. Technology can be used to inspire innovation. Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and tech leaders want to strengthen IT's contributions to organizational growth and innovation. And, we're seeing the value of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as one promising strategy for IT to add value. With the use of robotics, you can improve your process of obtaining information and compiling the information, which will prove to be efficient and valuable. RPA is also available to assist with data entry or other repetitive tasks that don't take much thought but can be time-consuming. You'll increase your internal productivity with these tools and can save time during the process.

Cut Costs and Eliminate Waste

Information technology is considered cost-effective because it helps streamline operational and managerial processes. It can allow you to do more with less while still maintaining the high quality and value of your business. It may be expensive once it's first utilized but can save you more money in the long run. For instance, you can use mobile bill payment technology to streamline your billing processes and cut overhead costs. This simple upgrade simplifies the payment process for you and your customers. Convenience is king in the modern business landscape, so take steps to streamline business processes and make buying easier.

Grow With Your Company

As you can see, information technology may just prove essential to growing your business. If you are unsure about how to get started in IT, then you can look at your options for employing software, hiring new team members, and even furthering your own education in this area. Independence University explains that you can learn the fundamentals of computer programming and and web development through online sources and programs. Being in the know about IT and computer programming can give you a solid foundation to grow and innovate within your business.

By understanding how versatile information technology is and how it can be a benefit to your online business, you'll begin to understand the value of the tools available to you. With the use of technology, you can become more efficient and advanced as you work hard to remain competitive in an ever-changing industry.

What to Know Before You Partner with Another Business to Offer Deals

buildmycontent@webact.com (Brian Lewis) — Tue, 25 Sep 2018 16:53:28 GMT

In the United States, there are currently about 30 million registered small businesses, according to Forbes. Within that pool, about 500,000 are start-ups. Of those companies, about one business comes to life every minute. Among the thousands of start-up companies, some end up surviving and even thriving, while others ultimately fail. Many of the companies that do live on want to establish relationships and partnerships with other companies. But choosing the right partner for offering deals is critical, as a good partnership can enhance your business, but a bad one will reflect poorly on you for years to come. If you are in the position of considering a partnership with another business, here are some things to consider before signing the official documents.

Partner With a Business in Your Industry

One of the key aspects to consider when you're looking to partner with a business is how well they know your products and your target clients. Presumably, you're looking to partner with a business that is more experienced or more successful than yours. Therefore, it makes sense to find a partner within your industry. It would not make sense, for instance, for a boutique clothing retailer to partner with a construction company. Business Dictionary recommends doing some research on your own first by looking at the websites of companies that you are interested in partnering with. Getting to “know” them first, and even seeing who they are partners with, can tell you if they're a good fit for your company.

Know Who You're Dealing With

In your personal life, you probably wouldn't tell someone who you just met your top secrets. The same rationale applies to business relationships. Partnering with another business requires forming a close bond and instilling a fair amount of trust in the other entity. Since you won't really get a good sense for the potential partner at your first meeting, it's best to build a relationship with them before committing to an official business partnership. Plus Voucher Code warns, “remember that a good partnership can enhance your business, but a bad one will reflect poorly on you for years to come.” Therefore, it's best to get to know a potential partner and build trust before starting a formal relationship.

Seek Legal Advice

Even in the most well-intentioned business relationships, things can go sour. Therefore, it's in your best interest to hire an attorney to help you manage the legal aspects of a business partnership. An attorney will be knowledgeable about the numerous, and frequently complex, aspects of a business partnership. He or she can help you understand the documents involved in partnership before you sign them. Forbes recommends doing your own research is essential to know what clauses you are agreeing to and what you are making your business partner agree to. An attorney can also help you draft documents that will protect your company in case of a fallout later on.

Have an Exit Strategy

While all business partners hope for the best, the reality is that things don't always go as planned. Bankruptcy, a change in focus or values, and the dynamics of two companies working together can cause a partnership to collapse. Weisberg Law cautions, having an exit strategy in place before you embark on a partnership can also save your company from a PR fiasco in case the partnership dissolves and becomes highly publicized. It's a good idea to hire an attorney to help with the legal and logical aspects of creating the framework for an exit strategy.

Plan for Success

While financial constraints may certainly be an issue, many business partnerships fail because of a lack of communication and a change in management roles, responsibilities, and oversight. To prevent a business partnership failure, you can set up a plan for communication before the partnership begins. Authors at Entrepreneur say that it's a good idea to record (in writing) anything that goes against your initial partnership or operating agreement. This gives you legal strength in case of a future lawsuit, but it also gives you concrete evidence to present at business meetings. Many business partnerships allow for revisions and changes as the partnership develops, but these changes should always be written and signed by all parties. Staying “in touch” with others as the partnership develops is also important. When a partnership develops, it is easy to take a hands-off approach and fail to be in constant communication with employees and management. If this happens, you'll miss potentially telling (and partnership-saving) information that's relayed on a lower level. Staying involved in business affairs also allows you to gain respect from employees and customers.

Embarking on a new business partnership is a new, exciting, and potentially advantageous experience. But in order to make it successful, you must first take some steps towards planning and preparing. One of the most important considerations is taking the time to get to know your prospective partner first, as a good partnership can enhance your business, but a bad one will reflect poorly on you for years to come.

Here’s another article we think you’d like! If you’re looking for help in your website or are thinking of redesigning your web presence, let us help you out !

4 Things That Will Increase The Load Times of Your Website

buildmycontent@webact.com (Brian Lewis) — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 16:29:16 GMT

Everyone loves a fast internet connection. How many times do you back off a site that takes more than a few seconds to load? However, despite the efforts that you make towards having that desirably-fast connectivity, your internet connection could still have snail-slow load times. Even if you have the highest speeds of internet connection, your load times can still be high due to these four main causes.

Video Streaming

Streaming video is one of the most taxing activities, in terms of bandwidth. Live-streaming a video from the internet consumes even higher bandwidths. When the dedicated bandwidth for your internet connection becomes dedicated to streaming a video, it slows down other web pages that use the same bandwidth. Activities such as uploading and downloading large material from the internet generally tend to clog up the bandwidth as well.

Plug-Ins

Plug-ins are micro-software and applications that are normally added to websites to boost their functionality. Like any other web applications, plug-ins normally require web resources including the internet to keep them running. Most plug-ins that affect a website’s internet connectivity and loading speeds function by performing database queries. For instance, plug-ins that track web page users or relay live feeds from comments generally tend to have a high number of database requests which can slow the loading speeds.

Slow Host

The host that you choose for your website can have a big impact on how fast visitors will be able to navigate it. For example, if you have a relatively small site with a small traffic flow, then most cheap hosting packages can handle that at a reasonable speed. But if you have a larger site with lots of traffic, you'll need a more expensive (and specialized) hosting package to prevent things from slowing down to a crawl. Shared servers are generally the slowest, while cloud hosting and dedicated servers are faster.

Browser in Use

Web browsers act as intermediaries between web content and the user. They decode the website’s coding language and present the data accurately. All browsers are typically updated to ensure compatibility with new web coding techniques rolled out in the market. Failure to update your web browser will slow down the loading speeds of the website since the browser could have incompatibility issues with website codes and it won’t be running as efficiently.

With all other factors held constant, a webpage can still load slower due to technical issues as pointed out above. To appropriately diagnose the cause of high loading times for a web page, you can test and compare the loading speeds of a given website with another. When experiencing such a problem, it is good to check your website for effects of any of the above outlined common causes of high load times.

If you need to build or improve your website, check out our services !

References:

5 SaaS Companies Your Business Should Know About

Fri, 17 Aug 2018 18:45:18 GMT

The software as a service platform is changing the way we do business. Most employees use 8 or more SaaS apps for their job.The future is in an integrated ecosystem where countless software structures work in tandem with each other. But with so many SaaS companies on the market, it can be hard to find the one that's right for you. Here are five of the best.

Slack

Founded by Cal Henderson and Stewart Butterfield

If it seems like every modern business has integrated Slack into their workplace, there's a good reason for that. What may on the surface appear to be a basic chat service, not altogether different from the messaging apps of old, is in actuality a slick interface for facilitating every layer of your business' communications. The easy methodology for creating new channels keeps your communications segregated and uncluttered, and Slack is unparalleled when it comes to integrating with other SaaS platforms. There are few better tools to use when you're looking for a landing dock for your interoffice interactions.

Womply

Founded by Toby Scammell

Running a modern business means more robust engagement with your customers, and the Womply platform provides you with all the tools you need for meaningful outreach. This customer relationship management platform consolidates reputation, customer, and business management all in one place and helps you maintain the loyalty of your customers once you've reeled them in.

Hotjar

Founded by David Darmanin

Creating a sense of loyalty with your customers is excellent, but if you're looking for a comprehensive understanding of how your customers interact with your website, you're going to want to add Hotjar to your toolkit. This neat little platform lets you see how your users engage with your site through a unique heat map of each of your pages. You can see what gets the most clicks and where the mouse lingers so you can more effectively create a site that draws your visitors in.

Calendly

Founded by Tope Awotona

While Google Calendar may be a great personal tool, it's simply not powerful enough to meet the demands of full-scale businesses. That's where Calendly comes in. The bright and streamlined calendar interface conceals a surprisingly robust scheduling tool that adapts incredibly well to the needs of any kind of business and integrates seamlessly with major platforms like Zapier and SalesForce.

Patriot

Founded by Mike Kappel

There's no need to rely on complicated spreadsheets and traditional software to oversee your payroll and accounting when you have Patriot. This money management platform tracks all of your vital financial records and automates the complicated stuff. You can trust that your taxes are in order, and your staff can rest easy knowing they'll receive accurate checks on time every time.

If you’re looking to expand your reach or improve your website , send us a message ! We want to help you and your business grow and become successful. Let’s grow together!

Why Java is the Language to Learn for Digital Marketers

buildmycontent@webact.com (Brian Lewis) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 23:49:52 GMT

There are plenty of jobs out there for marketers and PR specialists, so you might think that computer education might not be on the top of your priority list. But learning a programming language might be more beneficial than you think. Java is a general purpose language that was released in 1995 by Sun Microsystems. The main logic behind the design of Java was to enable developers to have the ability to write a program only once and still be able to run it anywhere. As of today, there are many websites and applications will not work unless you have Java installed. Because of this, digital marketing, primarily working on the world wide web, Java is going to be one of those languages you shouldn’t pass up learning.

A Little Extra is Advantageous

It is essential to start by pointing out the importance of knowing how to code. We live in a world dominated by computer technology. As a result, most of our day to day activities are conducted through web-based platforms. Digital marketing is no exception, as it requires extensive knowledge in the formulation of content that can meet your goals and give you an edge about others in the market. So many digital marketers often pair up with other developers, and can be costly. Imagine being able to take care of those aspects of the job yourself? It’s a huge advantage.

Java can Function Across Many Devices

One of the benefits of using Java over other language is that unlike other languages, Java can work in many operating systems used in the very many computers related devices. For example, Java application performance monitoring can be done using both computer and mobile phones. Additionally, Java can be operated in Mac, Windows, iOS, Android and other related operating systems. Since you’re going to want to reach a variety of possible clientele, one can rest assured that Java will be compatible with many devices and reach a wide audience.

It Has Stability

Java is a language that is considered to be older and established. As a result, programming through Java will guarantee that your content is not distorted throughout time, or changed up radically, or dropped suddenly. It’s a safe program to tackle, and is in demand. This has been covered about, but it bears repeating: it’s a widely used program, and therefore you will not be inhabiting a niche when you decide to learn it. Additionally, there are many support tools out there for this language, such as monitoring tools, and a robust community willing to help you learn and improve.

Quality Development Tools

The other benefit of using Java is the range of development tools associated with the programming language. For instance, Eclipse SDK and NetBeans tools found in Java, are some of the dominant development tools used for debugging. Marketers here might not find too much use for these nifty tools, but they can be quite useful to know! And if you ever need a career change, well, you can fall back on some very viable skills you’ve learned.

References:

The Most Practical Programming Languages for Digital Marketers | Ichanical

Benefits of Java over Other Programming Languages | Invensis

C# vs. Java: Which General Purpose Programming Language Is Best for You? | Upwork

Monitoring for Java Applications | Solar Winds

How To Make Content Your Customers Will Be Excited To Read

buildmycontent@webact.com (Brian Lewis) — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 20:53:02 GMT

Featured image courtesy of MicrobeFormulas.com

Knowing how to make good content is an art form. To make good content, you first have to understand who your audience is, what kind of content they like, and on which social media platforms they consume content .

It’s not enough to have a good idea. Converting that idea into interesting content and giving it to your dedicated audience is what’s important. While a lot of work must be invested into the process of creating good content, all of that work will be wasted unless you make an effort to spread and share that content. You can learn how to make content your customers will be excited to read and how to spread it on different platforms so it will be enjoyed. Keeping reading to find out how.

Know Who You’re Talking To: Be Relevant

Speaking to the right audience is important. This is also more complicated than it seems.

Begin by asking yourself what your audience actually wants. What are the pain points, the needs, the wants of your target audience? How do your services or products solve a specific problem that your audience has? When you can thoroughly answer questions like these, you can develop a message that resonates with your audience. You won’t be selling yourself out, but you will be building a content process that’s designed to connect with real people and the needs or interests they have. Using webchats or other online platforms to communicate with customers or even potential customers is crucial to your success. It is part of being relevant and establishing credibility.

From there, it is important to collect actual data on your audience. Nail down the finer details of the demographics you serve, particularly their online habits--which platforms they like best, for example

Use Structure To Support Your Ideas

After defining your audience and the message you want to send to them, it's time to actually sit down and write.

Begin with a structured outline. Structure allows you to create content that people are naturally drawn to. We know that online readers often skim documents to better find what they need or to see if the page is what they’re looking for. This is where structure comes in. The structure of your content should follow a simple outline each time. This outline will look something like this:

Title: The title is where you grab your reader’s attention. You do so with a headline that says everything your article is about, how it relates to the reader, and what they’re likely to get by reading it. This may sound daunting at first glance, but you can master it in time. You’re given a split second to provide readers with this information. Titles must tantalize a reader's curiosity by teasing the answer to a question they have.

The Introduction: The introduction brings the promises of the headline to the forefront of the article. This is where you tell readers that they’ve found what they’re looking for, how the article will help, and what’s to be expected. Be clear and concise. Give them what they need. Any keywords you have should also be included here.

Subheadings: Subheadings are headlines that you can have scattered throughout the body of your post. Each section helps the reader to look for the exact information that they need. Other roles that subheadings play include keyword variations for the search engines. They confirm to readers that they’ve found the content they’ll need to answer the questions they have.

A Bulleted List: A bulleted list allows you to convey a great amount of data in the simplest form. You add these lists in order to open up your text. Readers can be discouraged from reading when your writing is congested. You can break up the flow of your content by adding a simple bulleted list.

The Conclusion: The conclusion is important because it revisits the key points that were covered within your content. You can also add a call to action as long as you retouch important points and work with the reader to achieve their goals.

Find Supporting Facts

As much as we love to speak without being held accountable, you won’t create intriguing content if all you do is share your opinions and ideas. You need to support those ideas with real, tangible facts. We all love information. Don’t hold back when sharing case studies, infographics, and exciting research.

The more of this you provide, the better, yet use that data to support your claims. This happens as often as your writing space can afford it. Simply support what you say by providing your credentials or using a link to show readers the broader perspective in your message. But don’t just regurgitate data. Be sure to connect with real people in the end.

Visual Appeals

Visuals are crucial to grabbing attention and to communicating information. Not to mention, you will win a few brownie points with Google by providing images and video content. Video content is highly shareable. Consider a few of these visual inputs that you can use to boost your presence and content online:

Infographics: Infographics provide readers with in-depth data that they often can’t find elsewhere. The power of infographics is in how they display data in a visual manner, showing relationships between data points that otherwise would be difficult to explain in words. You can create these displays with the same structure as you do your content.

Images: Images are a great feature, but they have to match the content you’re creating in subject matter and in the tone. Using bad-quality images with your content is sure to lower your credibility with readers.

Layout: The design of your website and the layout of your content is very important. Don't crowd or clutter the page. Remember to spread your text out, and sprinkle images or videos in between so that your content to breathe. Space everything in a logical order, so that the reader can easily find the content they are looking for. Ensure that there are no restrictions in navigating your posts.

Master the Art Form, and You Master Your Audience

It takes a great deal of detail to master the art of great content. The rewards are all worth it. Take the steps above, and continue to learn more about your audience. Give them the content they need. Don't forget to monitor the response you get from your audience on social media. It's important to always track the progress of your posts in order to refine your content and your ideas to your audience's needs and tastes. This will peak your conversions and excel your online brand.

References:

4 Rules For Creating Awesome Content Your Audience Will Love | CoSchedule Blog

Why Your Blog Posts Need Structure – and How to Get it Right | Writers in Charge

7 Ways to Add Visual Interest to Blogs & Books | Published and Profitable
Webchat - Turn Website Clicks Into Customers | Podium

5 Tips For Making Your Business Virtual

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 21:20:02 GMT

Nowadays it is easy to operate a full-fledged business from the comfort of your home. Building a working website to run a business is more accessible than ever. Technology has come a long way to help entrepreneurs take their virtual business to new fronts hitherto never explored. It is easy to run any business, be it marketing consulting for small and big companies and make considerable profits out of it.

For instance, you can decide to have people work for you from anywhere on a contract basis instead of payroll. Simply put, running a virtual business can see you get different people working for you from different parts of the world. However, there are important aspects you have to be aware of when you want to make your business virtual. They are helpful in ensuring a smooth flow of your virtual operations.

Useful Tips

You can best work with contractors from different parts of the world as a way of attracting more customers to your business. With management software like Citrix, you can share files and publish anything on the Worldwide Web. Here are the tips:

Stick to your strengths
You should stick to what your virtual business is good at delivering. The exceptional service that you intend to render through your business should be your core strategy of winning business. This is what makes your virtual company unique.
Remain true
Make sure you respond to your customers
Technology is essential in this venture, but do not overlook the human element. For instance, management software like Citrix gives you a chance to teleconference with your contractors to monitor any project and whatever that needs to be achieved.
Take contractors as your staff
You have to treat every contractor like your staff. This applies to compensation, realistic and workable deadlines, and motivation.
Leave little or no room for mistakes
Outsource product manufacturing. Opting for contract manufacturing makes it easy for businesses to find a service with industry-specific expertise. This is particularly important when your business needs to comply with certain standards, such as nutraceuticals.
If you want to make your business virtual, you have to exercise the highest level of precision. This will prevent your project from giving unintended results that are irreversible.
Stay on top of things

It is crucial to document anything that is important and adhere to the predefined procedures. This is helpful especially if one of the founders or a vendor decides to walk away, and as such, you will not be starting from ground zero. It is also important to make sure that your time at work is completely dedicated to work. If you have a hard time concentrating at home, it may be helpful to find somewhere else to work. You don't need to rent a whole office though. There are plenty of spaces available for entrepreneurs and small businesses that don't have the same overhead costs as a regular office.

A virtual business with excellent print management software will be able to monitor anything related to network infrastructure, print management strategy, hardware fleet optimization and so on. All these are meant to make your virtual business flourish. Virtual business does not necessarily have to be operated from a central office. You can work from anywhere especially with a virtual desktop. The management of virtual desktops happens at one data center, and this reduces the cost of IT staffing. If you were looking to incorporate virtual desktops, print, and management software like Citrix in your business, it would be better to consult professionals. With print management software, small companies can track individual projects, update, and store their information. They can generate reports as well as email integration.

Thanks to technology, it is easy to set up and run a profitable online business. Identifying the strongest selling point for your virtual business is crucial. Just like any other business, it requires discipline. Virtual business best operates with a lean team that can achieve maximum results. Offer the best service, stay energized and strengthen all the operations and the company will remain strong. Small businesses, whether or not they are virtual, have to perform or bail out. The use of project management systems is crucial in ensuring that they increase their chances of success.

References:

Are Virtual Desktops Right For Your Business | White Hat

Five Ways To Build A Virtual Company | Forbes

Citrix Printing | PrinterLogic

Advantages of Collaborating with a Local Nutraceutical Manufacturer | MBi

What is a Shared Office Space? | Davinci Meeting & Coworking

Set Up Google My Business | Podium

How Aged Domains Rank Within Search Engines

buildmycontent@webact.com (Brian Lewis) — Sat, 26 May 2018 13:06:13 GMT

Domain age is one of many SEO factors that search engines use to determine the page rank of a specific page. An older domain creates a sense of trust, reliability, and integrity. It's not uncommon for SEO experts to seek out older domains when buying from an online marketplace. There are several reasons why older is better when it comes to domains. The following information should be applied if you're ever in the position to purchase an expired or expiring domain.

Age Matters!

To put it bluntly, domain age is underrated. The older a domain is, the more trustworthy it appears. Moreover, an aged domain has more potential for backlinks. In fact, most SEO experts buy aged domains solely for backlinks.

One of the easiest ways to check the age of a domain is to use one of the many freely available

tools online to check domain age . These allow you to quickly figure out just how authoritative the age of a site is.

Look for Backlinks

Search engines love quality backlinks . The more other sites are talking about your domain, the higher your chances will be to rank high. An older site with a high number of backlinks is SEO gold.

If you're able to take advantage of SEO work done on the domain in the past, there's no reason not to. It may cost a bit more to grab one of these domains, but it will save you money in the long run as you won't have to spend as much on paid campaigns to increase exposure and traffic.

Look for Traffic

Exposure is valuable. Determining the rate of traffic to a domain is one of the best ways to reveal its value . Most metrics are in the form of unique monthly views. An older, established domain will more than likely already have a bit of traffic coming to it.

Again, this may increase the investment required to obtain it, but if it comes with an established flow of traffic, it's well worth the cost.

Look for Bad Reputations

Black Hat SEO tactics are techniques that break the community guidelines of most major search engines. There have always been SEO experts who've exploited flaws or weaknesses in search engine algorithms to gain an unfair advantage. While it may seem trivial, these techniques undermine hundreds of hours of ethical work put in by millions. They threaten the livelihood of honest workers worldwide.

It's possible that the domain could be blacklisted on major search engines. In this case, all the SEO work in the world wouldn't make the domain worth the money you paid to get it.

In closing, it's vital to do your homework before purchasing a domain just for its age. An older domain can be profitable, but it can also bite you in the end if you're not careful. Exercising caution during the buying process will keep you out of trouble. If you have a site, or are thinking about getting one, be sure to contact the best to guarantee you get a website that works for you.

How Customer Service Touches Every Aspect of Your Business

Wed, 23 May 2018 21:24:19 GMT

Many companies view customer service as another division or department within a company. But service is a business opportunity for companies, not only to market and increase sales, but to identify areas to improve their operations. Here is how your customer service affects your business operations and what you can do to improve your own customer service methods.

Communications Efforts

If a company has been notified by customers about a particular problem, they will likely consult management. In doing so, they actively pursue ways to improve the customer experience. Once they have cleared up the issue, a company may want to convey new messaging to customers. This highlights the fact that they have a highly responsive department committed to improving the service experience. When customers can see a clear communication effort they are more likely to return or have a positive impression.

Better customer service also means better communication in general. You’ll have to open more direct lines, whether online, over instant chat options, or through call centers, making your business available is a part of having good customer service. In our modern age of convenient communication practices, it's important to have chat and text options available. Text messaging is emerging as a great way to interact with customers directly, at their convenience. Having a third party manage these kinds of communication can be a great boon to businesses as it can mean after-hours service at all times.

Training and Business

The customer experience influences major aspects of training business provide their staff. If there are a lot of complaints about representatives fielding inquiries, customers will want you to know. Calls that are transferred from department to department unnecessarily may be a frustrating for customers. Receiving two conflicting accounts on what should take place when a customer performs this particular task can highlight unawareness. Companies who experience problems like these benefit from better training. Training practices can be revisited to improve the customer experience.

Collecting Feedback

Collecting feedback is an important task that is often changed and influenced by customer service. Companies may implement an outreach effort to better communicate with customers and often include a follow up communication with customers who have had problems. The end result could be retention or possibly escalating the matter. Taking steps to resolve the customer complaint is something all businesses should aspire to do when challenges are brought to light. Operations may want to develop an outreach team as an extension of the customer service department to improve the experience.

Hiring Practices

Customer service ratings are often available online. Some companies share collected feedback internally among their employees. Some of these challenges may effectuate a different approach to hiring altogether. If you are receiving low ratings and are concerned about a competitor’s performance in an area, your hiring practices may reflect that. If you require more expertise in this particular area, your hiring practices may be altered to address those very challenges. These ratings may also affect hiring practices by isolating desirable attributes and skill sets that could place a business in a place of advantage.

People often think of customer service as a silo, but it’s much more. A company can use the customer service extension of its business to transform practices and performance across multiple areas. Thinking of customer service in terms of how it can be leveraged as a resource for identifying areas for improvement is advantageous for businesses.

Resources:

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/best-ways-to-get-feedback/

https://www.shopify.com/blog/hiring-for-customer-service

https://roicallcentersolutions.com/service/overflow-afterhours-247/

https://www.webact.com/business-website-features

https://www.blytzpay.com/payment/

https://www.podium.com/webchat/

https://www.preemploymentassessments.com/

5 Ways Your Business Data is at Risk

Wed, 18 Apr 2018 18:09:07 GMT

Today’s world is filled with technology, and every business thus has weaknesses in their networks somewhere. Depending on your business, there are five different ways you are at risk. Take a look at these risk factors below and take action to protect yourself against attacks.

Paper

With all the talk about cyber threats today, one of the ways you are actually most vulnerable is confidential paper left in the printer. According to Printer Logic , anyone can get banking information or private customer information from sensitive papers irresponsibly left in the printer tray. Always shred documents after using, even if it doesn’t seem like they are crucial at the time.

Certificates

Having no SSL certificate is a sure way to be more vulnerable to attacks. SSL technology verifies that the networks you are connecting to are valid. If you don’t have one, it could mean that you’re getting tricked into connecting with a hacker’s website instead of your internal site, for instance. Certificates are relatively cheap and available so don’t skimp on this aspect security.

Javascript

Much of the interactive design of the web today is thanks to Javascript. It allows users to have images, videos, and sound all in one pretty package. However, Javascript also has several weaknesses that can be exploited. To protect against hackers using Javascript as an access point to your information, block certain kinds of scripts with software available for free.

Network

Your internal network at the office is what is most valuable to an attacker. With access to this network, they can move throughout your system and steal your information without you noticing. That is, of course, unless you are visualizing your network and have response mechanisms in place. Put a team of engineers on this issue to monitor your network for strange activity.

Phishing

While the networks and computers you use every day are the access points for many attacks online, there is something else that puts your business data at risk: people. Through advanced phishing methods, hackers can send fake emails seeming to be from executives or other officials. If an employee clicks on the link, it hijacks the whole system. Train your workers not to click on anything suspicious and report odd emails.

If you have a company that you are responsible for, then security should be top of mind. The only way to prevent risks of getting hacked is to understand what you’re facing. The items above all present places where you need to deploy the right resources and prevent attacks before they happen. That way you can protect your data and company future.

5 Ways Your Web Design Impacts Your SEO

Wed, 17 Jan 2018 00:00:00 GMT

It is easy for web developers to conclude that the parts of their sites they can see and interact with don’t have quite as much to do with search engine optimization as the data in their articles, pages, and lists do. After all, according to the conventional wisdom, search engines only look at keywords and keyphrases.

Those same developers, and even a few site owners and webmasters might be surprised to learn there is a lot more to search engines than keywords and keyphrases. While it is true the data on your site matters for SEO purposes, where that information appears and how it relates to the rest of your site is equally important and in some cases more important.

So where should you start looking if you’re interested in what parts of your design might be positively or negatively affecting your SEO efforts?

Title

For most web pages, the information in the title is of primary importance when it comes to how search engines present the data in the search results. The appearance and makeup of a search engine results page or SERP should be a priority for developers. The reasons are obvious when the behavior and perception of those searching for your site are taken into account. It is much easier for the average user to determine what something is than what it means, especially when the average search engine user’s attention span is often only a few seconds.

Access

Getting a new visitor to your website can require considerable effort. Keeping them around long enough for your website to have any effect on your relationship with that potential new customer or reader requires your site to provide them with whatever they are looking for as fast as possible.

For example, if you are running a restaurant site, your menu should be prominently placed so any guest can find it. If it is not placed well, new visitors may leave quickly, which will signal search engines that your site might not belong in the highest search results. The same goes for important information like location, directions, hours, any special offers and so forth.

Simplicity

Anything that causes a user to hesitate or be unable to find the “next step,” so to speak, is likely to cause problems for search optimization. The reason is the same as the access issue. Users need to be able to find important information easily. The route, however, from here to there also has to be clear and unambiguous. This is one of the many reasons sites often have a line of links across the top edge of every page that function very much like an application menu.

This is vital for any site that isn’t a simple brochure. If a user goes “exploring” on your e-commerce site, for example, the last thing you want is for them to end up lost and unable to get back to the homepage. A good exploration experience increases time-on-site, which will make your site more competitive in search.

Responsive Design

The fastest way to get someone to leave a website today is to show them a huge page filled with words in a tiny font size. This is exactly what your guests see if you haven’t optimized your pages for mobile devices. For the significant portion of your current and future user base that browses the web on their phones or tablets, this is all but a guaranteed deal-breaker. Although it won’t damage your SEO efforts on desktops, it will negatively affect your mobile SERP placements.

Content Management

Most search engines expect all but the simplest sites to have some form of content management system or CMS running on their server. A CMS is usually the combination of a database and a set of middleware that allows sites to completely separate the presentation of their pages from the data in them. This was one of the original goals of cascading style sheets, or CSS, which is one reason CMS architectures rely heavily on style sheets for consistency. Using a CMS gives search engines conventional points of reference and allows your site to be indexed faster and more efficiently, which leads to better results.

Search optimization is practically guaranteed to be a continuous need for almost every website. If you are considering building or updating your site, it is vital that you think about the effects your design decisions will have in addition to the information you present.

Resources
https://digitalfireflymarketing.com/our-blog/impact-web-design-seo/
https://searchengineland.com/seo-website-design-everything-need-know-272899
https://www.nngroup.com/articles/top-10-mistakes-web-design/
https://www.stlseoco.com/
https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_responsive.asp

The Battle of The Ads: Google vs Bing!

Mon, 11 Sep 2017 18:20:00 GMT

Organizations, business & entrepreneurs these days have to find different ways to attract a consistent string of buyers and customers. Due to the popularity and every day necessity of the internet, the most effective way they can seek, attract & keep their potential clientele is through online advertising. Google and Bing have cemented themselves as the best advertising platforms to promote your products / services on. Bing provides their advertising platform through Microsoft while Google has developed their own advertising... Read More Read More

The two search engines use an online advertising system known as “Pay-Per-Click” (PPC). PPC uses an effective method of advertising where each time an advertiser’s ad is clicked on by a user, the advertiser pays the website. The more the advertiser pays, the more clicks they had received which in turn can become more conversions. Even though their functionality is similar, these type of ads are different. The question is in terms of Google Ads vs. Bing Ads: Which advertising platform is the best option for you?

Round 1: Cost Comparison

To an up-and-coming business or a long running organization who needs a fresh perspective in gaining new customers or buyers, the cost of their online advertising is key. This online advertising cost is known as “Cost-Per-Click” (CPC) in which an advertiser would pay a publisher (typically a website owner or a network of websites) each time the ad is clicked, but in this Google Ads vs. Bing Ads battle, it’s important to understand which CPC works for you. For a new business or a small Mom & Pop shop that has to save money in any way possible, running lower, cost effective CPC ads would fare better on Bing. The CPC will be lower as your online advertising would have lag time between user clicks, allowing you to reach the potential clients that you need to without sacrificing your budget. If you’re a well established, popular company, they would fare better with Google as their platform is used on a very high consistency as well as by a variety of people everyday. This means that you’re CPC will be understandably higher as your online advertising would have less lag time between user clicks. If you need assistance in determining which advertising platform is a better cost effective option for you, contact WebAct today .

Round 2: Market Share

Market share is represented as the percentage of an industry or it’s total sales earned over a specified time period. These shares can be measured by value which is based on the total share of a company out of total segment sales. In the case of online advertising, the more market share value an industry has, the more likely customers will view have a chance to view your ads. For companies looking to have their online advertising reach a higher number of views, Google Ads are the way to go. Bing has a solid market share of 21%, but it’s no match compared to the staggering 64% of Google’s market share. In terms of which company has the better market share value, the victor in this battle between Google Ads vs. Bing Ads is obviously Google.

Round 3: Conversion Ability

Conversions are the ultimate goal when it comes to online advertising! In the world of e-commerce, conversion marketing is the act of converting users who are visiting your website through online advertising into paying buyers and customers. Having a high conversion ability from your online advertising is key to the growth of your business. In a logical sense of seeing conversion ability, this round in the battle of Google Ads vs. Bing Ads seems to be Google. This is due to the high popularity and notoriety of Google, even the name Google itself is enough for some people to disregard Bing in a heartbeat. But don’t count Bing down for the count just yet! Just because your ad is running on a popular search engine, doesn’t mean conversions are going to start pouring in. The ability to convert an advertisement to an actual sale depends on a number of factors such the advertisement itself, the season, the type of industry, etc. Many people underestimate the fact that in many ways Bing Ads can be much more successful for their business. Our professionals here at WebAct use their years of experience and knowledge to help asses which advertising platform will be more successful for your business.

Winner: It’s A Toss-Up

The truth is there is no definitive champion when it comes to Google Ads vs. Bing Ads. The internet is always changing and so are the tactics for online advertising. Whatever platform seems to be on top now, but in two or three years you never know. That is why it is always important to keep an open and logical mind when it comes to online advertising. Since 2012, WebAct has provided as well as developed the proper online advertisement tools to help organizations, business & entrepreneurs grow beyond their goals. Contact WebAct today to see how we can help you grow.

How Effective Is Live Chat On Your Website?

Tue, 08 Aug 2017 19:48:00 GMT

We all know that the online market is growing by leaps and bounds. The brick and mortar store has been replaced due to the fact that people now find it convenient to shop online, but there is a major drawback. As great as it is to find the abundance of products or services you’re looking for, there is no one to help you around help you find the right item for you. This is where the installment of live chat becomes effective. Live chat is a tool that is present on many websites that can help resolve the queries of buyer in real time as they not only help customers navigate through the website, but they solve the inconvenience of customers waiting for a long period to get their answers via phone call or email.

Though the premise of call centers are to resolve problems in a timely manner, they still take a considerate amount of time due to the high volume of calling, especially on holidays or sales. A live chat is like a call center, but the big difference is the chat is online and it is faster as it tackles the approach of a text message where there is constant communication back and forth on the website itself. Live chat is beneficial as it not only answers the queries but can also help increase the conversion rate of a website. With live chat the possibility of getting a solution to your problem is higher.

Often if an online buyer has a doubt about a purchase that want to ask about, but has to call or be redirected to an email chat that can take up to 3 – 5 business days to respond. Without a faster option to replay, the customer will most likely leave the website and go to another. This can result in a high bounce rate and a lower conversion rate. To avoid this, live chat can be installed on your website, allowing the ability to assist a customer in that process in a short period of time.

Even though live chat for a website is highly recommended, what is important to remember is that quality of the live chat must be high and intelligent. If the quality of the live chat isn’t high quality as well as properly maintained, then this feature can backfire and lead to a reduction in sales. When a website claims that it has a live chat available then the chat agent should be available 24/7 as well as prepared to handle any customer requests. Nothing can be more frustrating to a customer than a live chat that is either always offline or has a chat agent that can’t help resolve their issue.

Live chat is important feature that is not being utilized as much as it should. It is on the fore front to be the most important feature to increase the satisfaction between customer and business communication. WebAct recognizes the importance of live chat and has implemented it in several websites that have increased their customer satisfaction, including our own website. Visit WebAct today and learn how effective live chat can be for your business.

Website Personalization and Why Is It So Important!

Wed, 12 Jul 2017 22:30:00 GMT

The internet has become so competitive nowadays with everyone using online methods to sell products or advertise their services now. Because the demands and needs of every customer is different, making, finding & keeping customers is a rather difficult task, especially since you’re one company amongst thousands or even millions. In such a cut throat market, it’s important that you know how to make individual mark stand out from the rest as well as always stay a step ahead of... Read More Read More

What is website personalization?

Now I know a lot of you are asking, what is website personalization? Website personalization is the process of dividing your customer base into different segments and providing personalized experiences for different visitors. In today’s world, just having your products or services online is not enough. Research suggests an online perspective visiting your website loses interest in a matter of 10 – 20 seconds if they can’t find what they’re looking for or if the website is too mundane. By providing your own individual spin on a visitor’s experience to your website, you not only engage the visitor, but you peak their interest in learning more about your products or services.

There are many reasons why website personalization is important to the growth of your business. One reason is that website personalization can avoid a common problem that visitors face on a daily basis, “Information Overload”. Information overload is when as online prospects visits a website and is overload with random information that they can’t navigate and find the proper information they were looking for so they leave. With website personalization you can create features that will essentially point the visitor in the right direction on your website. This can lead to an increase in sales for products or customer contact for business services.

Another reason why website personalization is needed is to make the content on your website unique to suit the customer. It makes no sense to create content if it is not of any use to a consumer in any way. Through website personalization the site can recognize its repeated customers and show them exactly what they are looking for.

Probably the most important reason why you need website personalization it to not only make the visitor feel welcome, but give them an individual experience they won’t find anywhere else. In fact if the website is personalized creatively, it can get a person addicted to a website. If the customer likes the interface he is bound to go to the website again and again. Word of mouth is still one of the major reasons for websites to gain popularity. If you can impress a visitor with website personalization, then you can definitely gain the traffic you’re looking for so get your thinking caps on and create something to get your customers hooked!

If you don’t know where to start or how to create website personalization, then you’re in the right place! WebAct is a premier web design and digital marketing firm located in Denver, Colorado. We believe in creating the best professional, user-friendly websites through unparalleled, modern designs. With a unique website builder platform , we can develop and integrate your business’ voice, brand, and identity into a new and innovate way to engage with your audience. Visit WebAct and let us create the best website personalization for your business.

Why Email Marketing Is Still Important

Tue, 27 Dec 2016 20:29:00 GMT

Marketing contains hundreds of tools to help grow your business to the monumental powerhouse it should be. Among one of the more important marketing tools that you wouldn’t expect is none other than email marketing. Since the dawn of AOL, email has always been the one of the most popular forms of online communication and connection. Now, the use of email has been incorporated into marketing due to it’s effectiveness for intra-company communications, marketing purposes, and coordinating with business partners,... Read More Read More

Why Should My Business Have An Email?

A personalized email address will further your business’ identity among consumers and prospects. It will help them associate your business with a specific brand, service, or product. Having an email extension will help your business look more established, increasing the amount of responses to your emails. It is also one of the most effective ways to keep your consumers consistently informed without investing everything you have into new technology or software. With 2.5 billion users, emails aren’t disappearing anytime soon.

How Can Email Marketing Help My Business’ Brand?

In email marketing, personalization is key. Email marketing can be tailored to your target customers’ interest and can communicate relevant topics such as promotions, specials, events…the list is virtually endless. Email marketing is important for building trust and loyalty among prospects, current or past customers, and potential leads because it gives you a chance to speak directly to them in an easy going and convenient manner.

How Do I Know If It’s Working?

It’s actually very easy! Most email services such as Constant Contact offers the ability to track your email campaign. Tracking your email campaign gives your a greater understanding of how your email marketing campaigns are working. Combining information such as delivery rates, bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, click through rates, and open rates, your business can see which email campaigns are successes, failures, or need a little bit of tweaking. It’s the most important aspect of email marketing as it can help ensure your business’ marketing effectiveness among consumers and prospects is at it’s full potential.

How Inexpensive is Email Marketing?

Email marketing can reach a large number of consumers and prospects for less than most forms of marketing. The cost per a possible conversion is so low that every company that isn’t participate and engage in it is missing out on endless possibilities to increase their marketing effectiveness. Want to know how much email marketing would cost your business? Visit WebAct to get a quote and get started with your email marketing campaign today!

Is WordPress Really The Best For Your Business?

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 21:33:00 GMT

Everyone knows about or has heard of WordPress. It is one of the most known website building system with 26% of the internet powered by it. From high end boutiques to adventure seeking bloggers, WordPress has allowed its users to choose from a wide range of themes and customize it to fit their brand’s vision. As amazing and versatile as WordPress seems, it still might not be the best choice for everyone. Doesn’t WordPress offer affordable plans, including a free... Read More Read More

Doesn’t WordPress offer affordable plans, including a free plan?

WordPress does offer affordable plans that can seem to relieve financial strain on businesses, specifically start ups or small – medium sized businesses, but eventually things add up and the end cost will not be pretty. When creating a website on WordPress that will increase your marketing and bring attention, even profit, to your business, no matter the plan, you will face expenses such as:

The Elegant Themes blog states that, “After everything is added together, it can cost as much as $33,162.18 per year to run a WordPress site.” While you’re probably less likely to spend 33,000 a year on a WordPress website, you’re more likely be spending no less than $800 a year on it with the cost only increasing the longer you keep your site. Yes WordPress does offer a plan where you can create website is free, but you risk your website being limited with a certain numbers of themes with little or no ability for customization, a chosen WordPress subdomain, no marketing benefits, and having your website overrun with WordPress.com Ads.

Since it’s free, shouldn’t WordPress have amazing support?

Even with amazing strides in technological innovations, things still have their own glitches including WordPress. Doing the slightest adjustments such as updating themes or plugins, even WordPress itself, can wipe out an entire website, leaving you with what some of the WP community call “The White Screen of Death”. Since WordPress offers a free plan, support is limited to those with actually paid plans, leaving those with glitches to searching for less reliable community support via the online forum. This has left people frustrated and with no other choice, but to delete their website and start from scratch.

Isn’t it super easy to create a website on WordPress?

If you are very tech savvy or know how to manage a website, then yes, but most people without the proper understanding of the in’s and out’s of WordPress will struggle at the slightest little snag. It’s not as simple as A,B,C when creating a new website on WordPress, you have to have knowledge such as:

Another part of the learning curve that most people find the hardest part about creating a website on WordPress is the actual designing of it. Although WordPress has page builders than can make it seem like it was done by a true web designer, without knowing how to manipulate the page builder’s color and images to make your website a true visual representation of your business, than your website can look like any basic website and could fail to connect with your audience.

What’s a better alternative to WordPress?

There are many great choices to WordPress’ website building system that will not only be affordable many businesses, new or old, but is easy to customize and offers great support. WebAct uses the dynamic website builder by Duda that uses an easy drag-and-drop system with tons of great features including pop ups, photo galleries, click-to-buttons, and built-in blogs that are fully customizable at a affordable price. Every one of our websites is multi-device optimized so your visitors will always get the best experience whether by desktop, tablet, or mobile. Plus, it comes with automatic software updates for when new technology comes out, backups so you will never lose your content, and even an undo button in case you make a mistake. We also offer email and live chat support for any issue you might come across.

WebAct is also a certified advertising partners on the internet’s top networks which allows us to place ads for your business nearly anywhere on the web. Our goal is to maximize your company’s ROI by constantly optimizing your ads in the ever-changing world of digital marketing. We also have Domain Registration, business email, and can even handle all social media pages. If your looking to create an amazing profitable website at an affordable price, check out WebAct today!

The Importance of Social Media for your Business

Wed, 17 Aug 2016 15:58:00 GMT

Social media is the new way of connecting your business with the world. Without social media, it’s hard to communicate your business’ voice, brand, products/services, and much more. It has taken over the marketing world by storm and has opened doors for marketers that they didn’t even know existed. Social media is a powerful marketing tool that can help keep a company engaged with their customers every day. Adding social media to your marketing strategy is a huge potential to... Read More Read More

How can social media help increase your company’s growth?

Social media is used by millions of people around the world to connect with friends, family, bands, events, companies, and so much more. In 2016 alone, 78% of U.S. Americans admitting to having a social network profile, increasing at least 5% compared to the previous year. In recent years, social media has developed a reputation amongst company marketing strategies. Social media has many marketing advantages for companies such as:

How does social media increase my inbound traffic and engagement?

Without social media, your marketing reach is limited to customers who already know your company as well as hinders your ranking on keyword searches. If you’re a start-up or small company, it would be very difficult for any potential customers to find your business without social media. Among the social media platforms:

Adding a social media profile creates a path that leads back to your site with every piece of content you present on these profiles, potentially attracting new visitors. The more quality content you present on social media, the more you will engage with customers as well as increase inbound traffic your company generates.

Percentage of U.S. population with a social network profile from 2008 to 2016.

What about brand recognition and brand loyalty?

Having a strong stand alone brand is what separates your company from its competition, but without social media your customers have no way of really distinguishing your company from the rest. With a social media profile, your company can emphasize the characteristics of your brand as well as your content, bringing a visual personality your customers can engage with. It creates a recognizable and familiar tone, improving trust and increasing your brand’s loyalty among existing customers. A study published by Convince & Convert found that 53% of Americans who follow a company’s brand on social media are more loyal to those brands.

Does it really increase my search engine rankings?

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the best way to bring customers to your website. Without it, it would be very hard for potential customers to find your company on Google, Bing, or any other search engine because your ranking wouldn’t be high enough to put your company in a position to be seen by potential customers. Having a social media presence allows you to double your SEO due to the fact social networks themselves have their own type of search engines inside their platform, which is then used by larger search engines such as Google to calculate your ranking. Sustaining an active social media presence allows search engines to determine whether your brand is legitimate, credible, and trustworthy. For example, Facebook alone shares the greatest influence on Google search rankings in the U.S.

Does social medial really generate higher conversion rates?

Involving social media in your marketing strategy results in higher conversion rates in a few ways. Studies have shown that social media has 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing. Having a social media presences allows you to create a humanization element among your customers. Keeping engaged with your customers and interacting with them as any other normal person would creates “social proof” that your company is full regular, real people improving trust and credibility among your customers, increasing conversion rates.

Social media can help decrease marketing costs!

According to Hubspot, 84% of marketers found as little as 6 hours of effort on social media marketing increases traffic significantly. Such an investment in developing your company’s content through social media can lead to immediate results in inbound traffic. An effective Facebook presence can do more to retain customers and increase traffic to your store, website and blog, for less than with any other form of paid advertisements. A social media presence with day-to-day interaction with your customers allows for more immediate feedback from ads, promotions, and sales.

Create a social media presence for your company today!

Everyone around the world uses some type of social media platform every day. Having a social media presence allows a company to attract more potential customers and keep existing customers updated on any new ads, specials, promotions, and much more. If your company doesn’t have a social media presence or lacks the skills to create larger online presence, look to WebAct to help with increasing your online marketing.

Google AdWords vs. Facebook Ads

Mon, 25 Jul 2016 19:24:00 GMT

It’s been a debate for years, Facebook Ads or Google Adwords? Which one is better for your business? They each have their own benefits depending a couple of different factors. Google Adwords is more beneficial for immediate sales, where as, Facebook Ads is best used for lead generation and brand awareness. Here’s Why. Reach There are about 3 billion internet users in the world. One of the main advantages of using Google Adwords is its immense reach. Google Adwords can... Read More Read More

They each have their own benefits depending a couple of different factors. Google Adwords is more beneficial for immediate sales, where as, Facebook Ads is best used for lead generation and brand awareness. Here’s Why.

Reach

There are about 3 billion internet users in the world. One of the main advantages of using Google Adwords is its immense reach. Google Adwords can reach over 2.6 billion searchers every month, with the potential to reach 90% of all internet users. Facebook also has a very large reach with 1.5 billion monthly active users, however unlike Google, rather then showing ads to their entire audience, Facebook targets their users who are most likely to be interested in the ad, which makes their potential reach a little less then 50% of all internet users.

Targeting Options

While both of these popular digital advertising platforms allow you to target your ads by location and demographics, they each have their own set of targeting options with different benefits. Facebook Ads lets you target your audience by behaviors, based on previous actions such as Likes and devices used, interests based on Page Likes, lookalike, which targets future prospects based on similarities to current Fans, customers, and website visitors, and lastly, website custom audiences which allows you to target to bounced traffic from your website or landing pages. Google Adwords has targeting options that include language, keywords used in search, negative keywords that are not relevant to your business, and device that you prefer your ad to show up on.

Return on Investment

The ROI for Facebook Ads and Google Adwords varies only slightly. The average cost-per-click for Google Adwords is between $0.35 and $5 and Facebook Ads is under a $1. The CPM for Google Adwords is $2.75 and Facebook Ads is between $0.80 and $1. The average click-though-rate for Google Adwords is 2% where as Facebook Ads is between 0.27% and .91% depending on the industry of the ad being shown. Google Adword’s average conversion rate is 2.35% and Facebook Ad’s average conversion rate is between 1% and 2%. The cost-per-conversion varies for Google Adwords because CPA bidding allows you to set your own CPA, the average cost-per-conversion for Facebook Ads is between $0.34 and $1.57.

So the debate ends here. The question is not which one is better or which one is best for my business because any smart business owner knows that utilizing both of the popular digital advertising platforms is will allow them to reach the most people while also targeting potential customers.

Personalize Your Website and Increase Your Business with inSite

Thu, 21 Jul 2016 18:16:00 GMT

Personalizing your website is what separates you from your competition. It defines the voice, attitude, and spirit of your company to all potential clients. Due to the rapid increase of connected devices, a customer attention span shortens when visiting certain websites. They require the information they seek within a few clicks and are less willing to search for it. An inSite can put the most relevant content front ¢ter for a visitor, giving them all the information they need. inSite is a powerful website personalization tool available inside our Dynamic Website Builder. It enables you to extend the customer service past a simple website and cater to each visitor. Having a feature like inSite can be the perfect tool to use on your website to gain a bigger audience by increasing conversions and visitor interactions with one-on-one experiences every time they visit your website. This in-turn distinguishes yourself from your competitors, and gives you an advantage when potential clients are looking for the type of services you provide.

How do inSites work?

An inSite is a feature that works on a system of triggers and actions. When a trigger’s individual needs are met, an action occurs that personalizes itself for that visitor. A trigger can be activated either individual or a combination of things such as:

What actions can be triggered?

Triggers activate actions which then presents an inSite that a visitor will see on your website. The amount of actions that can be used after being triggered are endless. Some of the actions you can activate are:

Will inSites make my site load slower?

Not one bit! When you add your content to your website with inSite, it is completed through JavaScript after your page has loaded, meaning that the inSite is only triggered after all of your primary content has been loaded.

inSites are an innovative way to draw in potential clients looking for services your business provides. They’re created to help you personalize your website for your clients. Take advantage of the knowledge of client base and put it into a personalized tool such as inSite and maximize your business’ customer conversion in no time. To learn more about personalizing your website, head to WebAct.com today.

A Video Review by Laura Belgrave

Sun, 17 Jul 2016 17:15:00 GMT

Check out this video testimonial from one of our customers. As an entrepreneur with a small business—two, actually—I had spent countless hours trying to develop two websites I needed. I found pretty designs, and after struggling through templates that looked easy but weren’t, or some that had limitations, I finally bit the bullet and handed off both websites to WebAct to do them for me. Turned out to be less expensive, fast, and affordable. And once more, I could return... Read More Read More

Check out this video testimonial from one of our customers.

This really hits the nail on the head! As a business owner, why waste time on things that are not your expertise? Contact us today and we’ll take care of all of your website and web presence needs.

Domain Names 101

Thu, 14 Jul 2016 17:42:00 GMT

Welcome to the first WebAct blog! Today’s topic is going to be about website domain names! If you are a business owner who sells any type of product or service you know that the name of these products or services is not just a name, and it is the same for website domain names. Here are four lessons on domain names that you need to know when choosing your next website domain name. Lesson #1: All Domains are not created... Read More Read More

Welcome to the first WebAct blog! Today’s topic is going to be about website domain names! If you are a business owner who sells any type of product or service you know that the name of these products or services is not just a name, and it is the same for website domain names. Here are four lessons on domain names that you need to know when choosing your next website domain name.

Lesson #1: All Domains are not created equal.

Choosing the right website domain name for your business is key for your long-term marketing goals. You definitely want to choose something that is relevant to your company, however the name might not always be the best choice. For example say you own a Bundt Cake Company, while BobsBundtCakes.com would make sense using something like bundtcakes.com is more memorable. Short, generic, and descriptive domain names are typically the ones that are the most successful on the web. A good domain name is equivalent to owning a store in a popular location, it brings people to your business. You wouldn’t change where your business is located without some serious thought, so why would you do it for your website domain name?

Lesson #2: Create Premium Domain Names

There are many characteristics to creating a premium domain name for your website. First, it should include a keyword. This helps people searching the web quickly find your website in their search results. Your domain name should also be short so that it is easier for your users to type it into the search bar. Generic domain names are typically more successful because when people search for things online it is usually not as specific. That does not mean your domain name should not be descriptive, try to be as descriptive as possible. When creating a premium domain name, you want to make sure that you are using proper names, spelling, and grammar. If you only offer products or services to a specific location, including the geographic information in your domain name could be very helpful. Premium domain names are industry-wide so that everyone looking for something in your industry will find your website. The most important aspect of premium domain names is that they are memorable and brandable so that it is easier for your customers to come back to your website again and again. It also helps to have a top-level domain type which include .com, .net, and .org as well as the country codes .ca, .in, and .eu. It’s not a bad idea to own your website in all of the top-level domain types.

Lesson #3: Location, Location, Location!

Good locations on the web are at a premium, out of the 138 million domain names, only between 5 and 10% of them are meaningful generic websites. This means that the owners of these meaningful, generic websites are selling the names for millions of dollars. Last year, Social.com sold for over $2.5 million! Domain names are basically virtual real estate and the market is hot right now!

Lesson #4: Domain Names are an investment in your brand.

The website domain that your choose is 100% unique to your business. Once you own it, no one else can, and if you don’t own it, someone else can. The difference between a great domain name and other marketing expenses is that you are investing in a permanent, valuable, and potentially resalable brand which helps future customers define you.