Internet marketing is a continually evolving field. In recent years, there’s been an increase in the number of internet marketing agencies in the digital space – which has made it more difficult to choose the right one.

Choosing the right internet marketer is a crucial step to achieving business success online (or offline). The wrong one can quickly drain your budget and tarnish your brand’s image.

So, with this in mind, here’s our guideline to hiring a trusted internet marketing agency that can help skyrocket your business in 2019.

1.   Understand your needs and determine your budget

The first – and probably the most important – step to finding the right internet marketing agency for your business is understanding your needs. It’s vital to be able to effectively describe your business needs in terms of website design and functionality, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and advertising. The better you can communicate this to your prospective agencies, the better the conversations and results might be.

Determining what you are willing to spend is also a crucial step. Note that when it comes on to internet marketing, there’s no set price. Your total expenses will depend on your needs, and for some marketers, the amount of time required to carry out the specified tasks. A good marketer should be able to negotiate and work within any reasonable budget and set your expectations accordingly.

2.   Determine the agency’s credibility and experience

There’s quite a number of internet marketing agencies today that can appear credible and experienced to the untrained eye. For that reason, it is important to demand full transparency from potential partners to avoid wasting your time and having a bad experience.

You can ask yourself several questions when checking if the agency is credible:

• Does the agency have a decent website?
• Does the website appear high in search results? (This indicates its SEO acumen.)
• Is there an address, bio, client list, certifications, badges, or any other qualifications you deem important on the website? If not, this agency is likely not a suitable fit.
• After reading through the testimonials on the website, if any, do they seem authentic? And are there reviews on Clutch, Expertise, Yelp or any other popular review site?
• Are its social media pages managed properly and have quality content?

In addition to these questions, ask for client references, including at least one that didn’t go well. Call these references instead of sending emails, and you’ll be surprised by how much information you can obtain.

In terms of experience, ask if the agency has experience in your industry. If yes, take it a step further by asking about those engagements, specifically what went well and what was challenging. If it does not, don’t shut the door just yet. Simply ask how they plan to approach this new industry.

3.   Find out what metrics they use to measure success

Now that you’ve determined the marketing agency’s credibility and experience, you need to know how they will communicate with you and what success metrics, key performance (KPIs), and analytics they will use to justify their fees. Request a sample progress report from them and decide whether or not those KPIs will directly apply to your business.

Basically, you should already know the end goal of your website. Is it to gain more traffic to the site? To encourage more business-to-business interactions? To target a certain audience? By clearly defining your goals, you can better understand the type of internet marketer to work with.

All in all, ensure that you are familiar with the metrics they’ll be using in reporting on your campaign.

4.   Now, it’s on you

Now that know how to evaluate internet marketing agencies and shortened your list to only legitimate contenders, ask yourself what you want from this work relationship. Working with any marketer can become a bit boring, especially if you have no knowledge of the process. So, go with an agency that fits your personality and availability, and is also fun to work with.

Verdict

Finding the right internet marketer for your business is not as easy as it might seem. But all things considered, the decision is exclusively yours. So, make the best possible one by using this guide to compare the value each company brings, and the results they can obtain for your business.

Xplode Marketing is a reputable internet marketing agency with years of experience in the field, and a large portfolio of successful projects. We’ve also been highlighted as a top-rated web design firm in Florida, racking up a 5/5-star rating on Clutch.

Xplode Marketing has been recognized among the Top 5 Florida Social Media Marketing Companies in 2021 by DesignRush.

Get a free quote today, and we’ll help you take your business to the next level.

Website traffic is crucially important for any business with an online presence, but encouraging that traffic to take some specific action is a completely different ball game.

If you already have a working, high-traffic website, it’s important to prompt your visitors to take some form of action, like sign up for your email list, buy a product or a service, or reach out through your contact form. 

But how do you achieve all of this? How can you make changes to your website so that your website traffic actually converts?

Understand your audience, and do it well.

Increasing website conversions starts with knowing and understanding your target audience. After all, how can you provide a solution to your audience before figuring out what their specific problems are?

Knowing your audience helps you decide on the appropriate tone and voice to use when stating their pain points, challenges, goals, and desires so it feels like you’ve literally read their minds.

To turn your traffic into valuable visitors:          

1. Show your audience that you understand their problem or pain.
2. Understand their personalities and the various approaches they use when making decisions.
3. Create content that leads them down a path to solve a specific problem.
4. Take a survey of your existing customers to find out what motivated their purchases, their decision-making process, what expectations they had, their experience and any suggestions. 
5. Include a call to action (CTA) button on every page

CTAs are one of the most powerful conversion boosters around. Why? Because when you directly tell a website visitor what do, they are more likely to do it than if you just hope that they figure it out on their own.  A well-placed CTA can drastically boost your website conversions. Try to make them as clear, concise and straightforward as possible. That way, your visitors can better understand your directions and ultimately make a decision.

CTA Tips:

• Button CTAs can boost clicks by up to 45% compared to links.
• Give your CTA buttons a 3D effect to make the page pop.
• Use clear directions. For example, “Sign up now for your free consultation!”
• Add a feedback effect when someone hovers over it.  
• Make your website mobile-friendly

According to Statista, “In 2018, 52.2% of all website traffic worldwide was generated through mobile phones…” Better yet, that number is expected to reach 63.4% in 2019.

That should be enough reason to optimize your website for mobile; Else, some or most of your visitors will likely abandon your site.

Web design websites like Xplode Marketing can help you create a seamless mobile experience for your visitors. Check them out!

Experiment with design elements

You may have noticed a significant drop in conversions, but until you test every design element on your site and measure the results, you won’t know what works and what doesn’t.

You can compare different elements such as:

• Page layouts
• Fonts
• Images
• Videos
• Background colors
• CTA buttons

A/B test these variables and compare them against each other to determine which ones work better.

Use strong, informative headlines

As soon as a visitor lands on your page, they should be able to skim through the site and still learn what you’re about.

To make your site skim-friendly:

• Write shorter paragraphs and include images and list;
• Avoid large chunks of complex text at all costs;
• Make the headlines as informative and compelling as you can.

Verdict

Now that you know the five ways to fine tune your website to increase conversions, don’t hesitate to implement them and stay on top of your game. Good luck!

But in this day and age, it is practically useless to target these young adults through traditional forms of marketing. After all, they’ve grown up completely around technology, and have more options than ever before in terms of how and where they spend their money.

Today’s young buyers are extremely savvy. They demand instant access to information, chase after the latest trends and seek greater control over the information they consume. Because of this, you need to integrate creative and unique tactics in your Instagram strategy to connect with this digital generation.

Marketing to young consumers is never an easy task, but following these tips can help increase the odds.

1.   Use more video

Video is one of the hottest trends on Instagram these days. With features like Instagram Live, Stories, and IGTV, you can grab the attention of Gen Z consumers and connect with them like never before.

According to studies, Gen Z watches an average of 68 videos every day on five different platforms. To capitalize on this viewership, you should invest in the most effective video distribution platforms. This way, you can create a young persona for your brand, educate your audiences and tell a story that resonates with your target customers.

When it comes to video, try to make a lasting impression within the first 10 – 20 seconds. That way, your viewers will be more likely to stick around until the end and eventually interact with your content.

For live video streaming, use Instagram Stickers to encourage engagement. You can try things like Question stickers, Countdown Stickers, Poll stickers, Music Stickers, and Mention stickers, just to name a few.

Finally, avoid salesy, infomercial-type video demonstrations. The younger generation loves to see the creative processes behind brands and their products. So, why not show your product being used in ways that appeal to them?

2.   Use Instagram ads

If you are trying to get in front of young buyers, using television and magazine ads are just a waste of time and money. This generation spends the majority of their time online, particularly on social media. Whatever they see there aids their decision-making process. So, get your products on their feeds with carefully crafted and engaging content. You’ll be more likely to secure a few purchases and start seeing impressive results.

3.   Leverage Instagram influencers

If you can find an “influencer” to prove your product’s worth to a large audience, you’ll be well on your way. An influencer is an individual who has established credibility and an online audience by virtue of their authenticity, trustworthiness, and ability to persuade. By sharing your brand, product or service with their fans, they can influence their followers to purchase your offerings.

And because influencers aren’t necessarily wildly rich and famous celebrities like those in Hollywood, Gen Z can more relate to these real people and are more likely to show their support.

Verdict

As the younger generation continues to dominate the social media arena, the question isn’t whether they’ll hear your message, but if they’ll listen. Follow the tips above to increase your chances of capturing the attention of Gen Z consumers in 2019.

Here are six reasons why it’s worth having a professionally designed website that caters to your specific needs:

1.     Inspire trust

Your website is the face of your business. It helps your visitors decide whether to continue browsing your site or close the tab and move on. With a professionally designed website, you can easily instill trust in your visitors.

You want your visitors to browse your site and get to know who you are. Having a website that is professionally design provides something special for them to cherish – trust. As a result, they are more likely to work with you (someone they can rely on) or purchase your product or service using their credit or debit cards without hesitation.

2.     A more professional overall look of your website

An unattractive website can negatively affect even the most streamlined businesses. Your site is the most visual part of your company, so it’s important that you maintain a high level of professionalism and organization in your website design. Also, be mindful that your website plays a significant role in your advertising efforts. A website with a masterful design appeals to more to visitors and attract more paying customers.

3.     Higher search engine rankings

In this day and age, a poorly coded website can decrease your site’s ranking in search engine results. It’s important that your site is optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) to stand out among your competitors and make it easier for people to find your website online. A professionally designed website usually includes the latest technologies and features to help maximize search engine rankings. Thus, boosting your online presence.

4.     More time on your hands

Don’t spend your precious time learning to code your website. Leave that to the experts. A professional website design will give you more time for the things that matter the most. Spend your time working on growing your company or take a trip to the Tropical Islands, not trying to find that bug that crashes your site every time it loads. Besides, hiring a professional makes it easier to receive high-quality design services.

5.     Stand out from your competitors

Average websites just aren’t good enough anymore. In any industry, you’ll find that most websites look the same (or almost). Yes, they convey their message, the design is okay, but they don’t show why they are different from each other. With a professionally designed website, you can combine your selling points into a unique visual message, which can help overshadow your rivals.

6.     Achieve a consistent brand identity

Look at the bigger picture. Instead of using five different visual languages across different contexts, why not just develop a consistent brand identity that will leave a more memorable impression in the minds of your visitors? Everything from your website, logo and business cards to your social media profiles come together to form your brand.  A professional can help you find and implement the perfect combination of colors, shades, logos and the like, to help people immediately recognize your brand.

Verdict

A professionally designed website is an asset to any business. A site that is designed based on your requirements give you control over the direction you want your business to take in the online world.  If done properly, it can help build trust within your visitors, increase your online visibility, save time, and help you develop a consistent brand identity; hence building a more profitable business.

Content Is King…

There are many things that have evolved through the years since the first website was ever published on the World Wide Web. However, one part of websites that have always been important, and that will most likely continue to be for years to come, is content. As they say, content is king, and when it comes to having a successful website that will probably never change. The trick however, is that your website shouldn’t contain lots of irrelevant information just to have words on each page. In other words, you cannot just have content, it has to be great content – stuff that makes people want to go to your website again and again. Search engines like good content, especially the kind that contains relevant keywords. Something else search engines really like is content that gets updated on a regular basis, and one great way to do this is to add a blog to your website. As you can see, this blog hasn’t been updated in a few months and it’s probably hurting our search engines ranking.

Metadata is a Must

Metadata is what gets used to describe each page of your website. This information is vital for search engines as this is what gets used to determine what each page is about. There are three components to metadata. These include: page title, Meta description, and keywords. The page title for your website is what gets displayed in the search engine results. It should include the name of your business and a keyword that describes it. The page title should contain between 50 to 60 characters as Google displays only the first 55 characters. The Meta description is exactly what it sounds like – a description of your page title. Using relevant keywords, the Meta description should describe what each web page is about. It should be between 150 and 160 characters long. Finally, keywords are the words that visitors to your website used in Google, or other search engines, to find out information. The keywords are not listed on the search engine results page, instead they can be found on the page source. In this day and age, keywords are almost not a factor and you’ll want to ensure that you’ve included your keywords in the page title, meta description and throughout your website. The goal is to ensure that they’re naturally placed and not stuffed everywhere as this could hurt you.

Don’t Forget Your High Quality Links

Something else search engines really like are links, which they use to find and “crawl” your website. While it is super important not to forget to link, that’s not all there is to it. To improve your SERP rankings, your website should contain high quality links. There are a couple of key ways to do this. First, don’t just use “click here” as your anchor text. This text should describe the page your visitor will go to when they click on the link. Equally important when it comes to linking, is making sure that the page your visitor gets taken to, is an authoritative one. That’s where all your hard work in writing great content comes in. Also be sure that you’re not getting links from spam sites or over using keywords in your anchor text. Again you want your link strategy to look natural for google and other websites typically use your business name or url.

One last note you’ll want to keep in mind as I wrap this post up. Be sure to link within your website to other relevant articles or service pages. Inner linking is a great way your readers and search engines can find other great content on your website. It can generate a sale or increase your rankings for those keywords! Contact us if you have any questions or if you would like to discuss our SEO services! <– See what i did there

Responsive Design and Dynamic Serving

Responsive web design is essential to stay in favor with the new update. Responsive websites save Google’s bots time when crawling the site. Crawling is efficient, and Google’s bots can index content faster to keep the site fresh. Responsive website also help Google accurately assign indexing properties to each page of the website. With no redirection, load time is less for users. Additionally, users can easily share and link content with a single URL.

Utilize dynamic serving. This setup allows the server to respond with different HTML and CSS on the same URL. Use the vary HTTP header to signal changes. It will enable you to detect user-agent strings correctly.

Avoid Blocking Javascript, CSS and Images

To accomplish blocking Javascript, CSS and images, Google advises taking some basic steps. Check and test your robots.txt in the Webmaster Tools. Ensure that the Google bots can crawl Javascript, CSS and images by utilizing the “Fetch as Google” feature in the Google Webmaster Tools. Run a test for mobile compatibility through Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. It’s an effective gauge. If you’re using separate URLs for mobile pages, test both the mobile URL and the desktop URL. This will confirm that the redirect is crawlable and recognizable.

Get Rid of Unplayable Content

Unplayable content in a no-no with Google’s new mobile algorithm. Be sure to use video embedding that’s playable on all devices. Use HTML5 animations to provide the user with the best experience. Have a transcript of the video available. Google will reward you for making your site accessible to those using assertive browsing technologies.

Use Mobile-Only 404s

Some site content is visible to desktop users for a URL while it shows an error message to mobile users. If using dynamic serving, make sure the user-agent detection is correctly configured. And if a page doesn’t have a smartphone equivalent or show 404, keep users on the homepage rather than directing them to the smartphone’s homepage.

Mobile Site Design

When creating a mobile site design, don’t use flash. This plug-in may not be available on the user’s phone. If you want to create special effects, opt for HTML5 instead. And forget about those pop-ups. Not only are pop-ups frustrating for users, it will likely lead to a high bounce rate. Keep in mind that there is less screen space on a mobile phone. Be sure to concisely optimize titles and meta descriptions to show off great work on the SERPS. Use rich snippets to stand out.

Follow these tips, and your site will be mobile-friendly and ready for Google’s new algorithm roll-out on April 21^st.

But many entrepreneurs are actually intimidated by the whole spectrum of online marketing. The following are some internet marketing basics to give you a head start:

An Excellent Website

Your website represents your business in the cyber sphere, which is why web design is of immense importance. Poorly designed websites can seriously hinder your efforts of reaching your target audience and meeting business goals, resulting in a loss of leads and revenue. If you already have a website but it’s not generating any leads. then you should consider improving the current design. Incorporate clear call to action, and up-to-date content.

Search Engine Optimization

SEO simply means getting your brand to the top of search engine results. The top spot on Google or Yahoo! is what every business is searching for, and so optimization should be a top priority. Contrary to what most people think, SEO doesn’t require technical expertise, but rather knowledge of keywords and quality link-building. You should spend some time familiarizing yourself with Google updates like Penguin and Panda to learn about the most effective techniques of getting your website to the top. Or if you’re like most business owners or managers, you’ll hire a team like Xplode Marketing to do it. 🙂

Social Media Marketing

Having a well-designed and well-optimized website is not enough. You need to leave your mark on the social network as well. If your business isn’t on any social networking websites, then, forget about finding new leads. Remember that your target audience hanging out on Facebook, Twitter, StumbleUpon, and Digg, and so an effective social media presence is necessary. Social media produces almost double the marketing leads of trade shows and telemarketing. This is amazing stuff. So if you are not already there, start planning your social media marketing strategy today.

Videos and Infographics

Finally, do not forget infographics and videos when executing your online marketing strategy. YouTube receives more than one billion monthly visitors, and people mostly prefer viewing inforgraphics or videos over textual content. The best part is that these multimedia presentations do not cost a fortune and we at Xplode Marketing have a company that specializes in just that.. A simple yet entertaining video of your business can create a buzz that will resound for many weeks to come! Check it out by going to Media Whale

Content is Still King

Nothing beats quality content, but new marketers need to be aware of Google’s two major updates – Panda and Penguin – that have changed the emphasis for high rankings.

Technicalities aside, the motivating factor behind all these developments stays the same: Be it blog posts, videos or info graphics, content should always entertain, educate, and enlighten. This is how search engines rank websites nowadays.

Increase in Mobile Internet Usage

Internet usage on handheld devices is growing by the day. In the next 5 years, it is estimated that 68% of America’s population will be using a smartphone. So any marketing strategy that neglects this market segment will always lose out. If you are creating a new website, make sure it is optimized for all major smartphone screen sizes. Unless users get the same experience on their mobile devices, you will find it difficult to achieve brand loyalty. (Check out our last post on Responsive Design)

Web Design Matters

This follows from the previous point. Simply having a business website is not for greater importance is placed on design and usability. And in the near future, only websites optimized for the mobile experience will be able to attract traffic consistently.

In addition, users do not want websites that load slowly. A delay of even a few seconds can cost you a sale. In fact, research shows that the average internet user doesn’t wait longer than 35 seconds for the page to load.

Video Marketing

YouTube is largely responsible for making videos a focal point of online marketing. More than a billion unique users visit YouTube each month. Internet users are watching more video than ever and they’re demanding more. Search engines like Google are also considering videos in the search results. These can include simply product information, demos, and even creative presentations. The logic is simple: people will always prefer watching videos over reading text. So videos always work. (Check out our Explainer Animation Videos at Media Whale)

Social Media Integration

Finally, social media presents a huge opportunity for small businesses to grow an audience with no location barriers. Integrating social media buttons on your content helps you find a wider audience that will “like” and “tweet” about your business.

These were just few of the major trends that define internet marketing today.

Blogs
Previously, the concept of blogs was very different and they were thought of as public journals in which people recorded their thoughts and experiences that were visible to everyone. This concept has now transformed entirely as people have gradually started to realize the strength of blogs. Businesses are now using blogs to enhance brand awareness and to build a close connection with their target market. Moreover, blogging helps them increase their online presence and generate more leads online.

A recent study by HubSpot Inc., an internet marketing company, discovered that businesses that post blogs once or twice a month are able to generate as much as 70% more leads than companies that do not blog.

Whitepapers and eBooks
Downloadable documents such as whitepapers and eBooks play an essential role in generating leads to your website. The main reason for their effectiveness is that these documents contain a wealth of relevant information that is very helpful for their target audience.

Firms can limit the downloading option of these documents to only those who enter their e-mail address or other useful contact information. This way, the firm is able to develop a dynamic tool for lead generation as the company will now be able to collect important data of potential customers.

Webinars
Videos are an engaging form of communication. People will be drawn to your website if it contains informative and helpful videos that have fresh and original content in it. Visual content has the power to connect to the audience on a personal level making it a valuable tool for lead generation.

Video Marketing
Videos are able to catch and hold the attention of the viewer for a longer time than a written document. Firms can create interesting and captivating videos that highlight the benefits and uses of their products and services and communicate important and useful information to the target market. Tthey can then release these engaging videos on to video distribution websites like YouTube. This is a very effective and low cost method of lead generation.

Email Marketing
With so many other ways to connect with the target audience, companies must not dismiss the importance of email marketing. Even though it is a little difficult to believe, but even today, email remains the most preferred and the most popular tool for promotion of businesses online and to generate leads.

Even though a little difficult, these techniques can help businesses generate leads effectively. These are low cost methods with the help of which businesses can increase their online presence and drive more traffic to their website. These highly effective tools are extremely beneficial for businesses in the long run.

With the immense amount of traffic, it is very difficult to compete for attention in the world of internet and many websites therefore, use Search Engine Optimization or SEO content I order to rank higher on the search engines. Below are a few tips on writing SEO friendly content on your website in order to rank it higher on popular search engines.

Understand Keywords
Most people use specific keywords to search for information on particular topics. Search engines use these keywords to provide the best and most relevant results to the user. You should first know all the keywords that are relevant to the information on your website and understand them in order to incorporate them properly in your content. The keywords should be scattered throughout your content liberally.

Create Content worth Reading
Rather than trying hard to beat other websites by employing different tips and tricks to appear higher on the search engine, you should try to create content that is useful to readers. Your website should contain information that is helpful and easy to understand. Having informative and useful content will fulfill your purpose of driving traffic to your website in a better way. If your content is worth reading, you will not need to use unnecessary ways of getting people to visit your website.

Back Link Your Content
Back liking is extremely essential and builds trust in your readers. The information on your website should contain back links that link your website to other credible websites that have similar information. The reader can then be directed to these websites as well through your website and get hold of more information on the same topic.

Duplication Alert!
It is very important that the content of your website is fresh and original. People are in search of new information every day and will not be interested in reading the same things over and over again. Even if you do some research before creating your content, be sure not to plagiarize or duplicate any content from the source of the information. You can present the same information in a different manner with a different tone and writing style. This way, your content will be unique and different from others.

Effective Title Tags
Title tags are extremely important as search engines use them for calculating the ranking of websites. You title tag should be relevant to your topic and should be unique and captivating. Good title tags will allow your website to rank higher in the search results and be accessible to a greater number of people searching for information that your website contains.

These effective tips will help you rank higher on search engines and will enable you to drive more traffic to your website.