Is Your Website Outdated: SEO Houston Pros Explains

June 28, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

5 Signs That You Need To Have With A New Website Design

Your website needs to reflect your brand in the best possible light, especially considering that most likely it is the first place that a prospective customer will learn about and see your business. If your website design is outdated and either is not responsive or looks like it from the 1990’s, then it is definitely time for you to upgrade! When a visitors lands on your website, the individual will determine within a couple of seconds whether they want to leave or stay. Frequently, this decision will be based on the way your website navigates, feels and looks. On your home page, do you have a video or music auto-playing? Is your home page lacking engaging images and full of large blocks of text? Does your site have pop-ups on it? If your answer to any of the questions is yes, then you should definitely consider getting your business website design revamped.

Should Your Website Design Be Updated?

If you are wondering whether or not to hire a professional web design company, then you should consider the following tell-tale signs that your site needs to be re-designed right today!

1. Your Website Is Not Mobile-Friendly

Take your phone out and type your website URL in one of the major search engines. What does your website look like? Is it easy to navigate? Is your site easy to view? Take the time to look around and think about these questions. If you discover that it is slow, time-consuming or difficult to move around the website that you have currently on a tablet or mobile phone, it’s time for something new! Most people who are visiting your website will be coming via a mobile device and those numbers will only continue to grow over time. If people are not able to navigate your website easily on a mobile device, then they will leave immediately and get the information they are looking for from your competitor. So don’t allow this basic conversion to prevent you from getting new customers and leads.

2. An Outdated Appearance

Basically speaking, if your website has an old appearance individuals won’t take the time to really review it and check it out. If your website has an old appearance, that means that it is outdated and most likely it is difficult to navigate. Everybody wants to quickly and easily locate what they are searching for when they land on a website. Your site should have plenty of graphics that point to your major products and services, and the main navigation tabs need to highlight your business’s key areas, and every page of your site needs to have a call to action. As a general rule of thumb, get your website redesigned every three years at least. Given how fast technology changes and consumers needs change, this will help to ensure your website stays current.

3. Slow Loading Speed

One of the major components of website design is usability. Are the images on your home page loading slow? Does it take longer than two seconds for the pages on your site to load? In general, people will leave a web page after they only wait three seconds for the page to load! As a society overall we are going to increasingly become more impatient. However, we have the technology as well to meet those demands – so take advantage of this and use it! There isn’t anything users hate more than when it takes a website forever to load. By having a professional company do a new website design for you, they will make sure the loading speeds for you site meets industry standards.

By getting a new website design done by a professional company, they will ensure these loading speeds stay within industry standards.

4. Your Website Is Not Optimized For Search Engines

If your website pages are not optimized, how can new users find your business? Keep in mind that most new customers will learn about your business online. That means that you need to appear within the search engine listings whenever phrases that are relevant for business are being searched. For example, if you are a Houston real estate agent, the best way that you can be found online is optimizing your web pages for some of the main key phrases like “Houston realtor” through using search engine optimization in Houston. By working on your organic marketing on a consistent basis, you can get your business found on Google for the relevant phrases that are relevant to your business.

5. Your Social Media Accounts Are Not Linked And Integrated

Social media offers a huge opportunity. Getting on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook will allow you to encounter new prospects that you have never met before. If your point is to acquire new prospects and customers, then you need to have your social media accounts integrated and linked with your website. With assistance from an experienced brand management and web design company, you can get easy access to all your social platforms using just a click of one button.

We Are Web Design Experts That Can Help You!

Do any of these concerns relate to your current website? If you are ready for your website to get a new design, then give us a call today! We can provide your business with a customized solution that will improve the website experience for your users.

Making Your Mark With Internet Marketing in Houston

June 27, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

A Powerful Tool For Brand Awareness

It might feel like an elusive goal to build brand awareness. To keep your Houston business running smoothly you have so much work and very limited time. You might be wondering about the best use of your marketing budget. Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.

Here are 7 important tips on the impact of a company blog on your brand.

7 Ways Your Blog Builds Brand Awareness

A company blog is an incredibly powerful tool to help you build your brand. Your company website helps establish your web identity while a blog is responsible for drawing people to you. It is your direct channel of communication with your clients. An opportunity for enduring opportunity. Consider the 7 benefits below of a company blog for your brand:

1. Increasing Website Traffic

The content on your website probably does not change all too often. Chances are that you just have a handful of pages that stay constant over extended periods. This makes sense. Web design is important but you need to think about this: each blog post is a new page for the search engines to pick up. It is another hook in the water for fish to find you. Quality content posted frequently will continue driving traffic to your website.

2. Lead Generation

Blogs are typically not places to sell products. They are a great platform for connecting with clients. However, if you add a call-to-action, each blog post provides a great opportunity for lead generation. Especially if you provide value and high-quality content on topics that your target audience would be interested in. The role of the call-to-action is to prompt the reader to engage with your brand in one way or another. It could be a webinar, free eBook, or just a “Contact Us for additional information.” The call-to-action on your blog will help generate more leads for the sales team.

3. Establishing Your Authority

Consistent valuable content is what distinguishes you as an authority to your clients and in your industry. The more valuable the content, the more it will enhance your authority. Think of the blog as a platform for answering common questions your target audience and clients will love. If you generate valuable content consistently over time you will establish yourself as an authority in your field. Your clients will be coming to you.

4. Supporting Various Social Media Initiatives

Frequent quality content is the key to a successful social media marketing strategy. You can draw from other sources but a blog will provide a steady flow of content to share. Each blog post you share on social media will point readers back to you and not just them but also everyone that they share it with too. It is an opportunity that you would not like to miss.

5. Connecting with Customers

A blog can be considered a way to add a human touch to the business. You can use it to touch people’s hearts, make them laugh, and even engage their minds. You can address the issues that your clients are concerned about. You can use it to give clients an inside look into your company values and culture. A blog can give your company a voice and personality and will make you more approachable.

6. Building Long-Term Relationships with the Community and Clients

Your clients will appreciate the content that you provide over time and will start looking to you as a leader in your community. You will facilitate ongoing conversations and the clients will participate if you offer them the chance. Pay attention to comments to your posts and respond to them. Make an effort to know your clients and allow your brand to connect with the target audience.

7. Gaining Insight Into the Target Audience

Blog analytics can provide valuable insight into the interests of the target audience. You can note popular topics, track readers, keeping an eye on comments and shares, and recording click-throughs. You can use the data to find out what makes the target audience tick and will guide future marketing decisions and blog topics.

A Word of Caution

You might be tempted to use blog posts as written commercials but you shouldn’t do it. The goal is for the target audience to decide to read the content you provide. You can be sure that they are not interested in reading sales material. Provide them with valuable content, which is interesting, funny, or heart-warming and they will keep coming for more.

One Blog at a Time

Brand awareness is a critical part of a long-term Houston internet marketing strategy. A blog is one of the best tools available to you when it comes to building brand awareness. Do not miss this opportunity for connecting with the target audience. Consider starting a blog. We are your resource for digital marketing, branding, and generating high-quality content. If you would like to learn more about digital marketing or to get started with your business blog, contact us.

SEO Houston Pros Helps You Manage Your Online Reviews

June 27, 2017 By SEO Houston Pros Leave a Comment

3 Simple Steps To Managing Your Online Reviews

Are you aware of what people online are saying about your brand? You probably are aware if you are like many of the small to medium-sized business managers or owners in Houston. It is possible that you have come across a few negative reviews of your business. Negative reviews are often the worst nightmare for a Houston business owner. You work hard to build a brand that people know they can trust and negative reviews online can ruin a reputation that has taken years to build in just one day.

The question is, how do you make a comeback once the negative reviews have been posted online?

Types of Reviews

It is important to understand the different types of reviews online. Many people have heard about Facebook reviews, Google reviews, and Yelp! However, there are many other platforms where clients can post reviews. Which platforms are popular in your industry? Think about the different websites that make recommendations for service providers in your industry. Chances are that such websites provide a way to rate and review providers.If you wish to manage the online reviews of your brand online, you need to find out where your clients are posting both negative and positive feedback.

How Do Reviews Affect Your Business?

Many Houston business owners wonder how reviews affect their business. Whether the reviews are posted by ‘trolls’ that treat posting negative reviews as a hobby or by clients that genuinely feel that they had an undesirable experience with your brand, reviews are important.

Just think about the number of times you have undertaken a Google search for “____ reviews.” Restaurant reviews. Product reviews. Movie reviews. You should be getting the picture. You often don’t have a previous relationship with the product or business in question. You thus rely heavily on the opinions of others to make the most informed choice possible for the most desirable outcome. How many stars must a service or product have before you decide to do business with the company? The answer is at least 4 or 5 for most people.

3 Easy Ways to Take Charge of Online Reviews

If you are reading this, chances are that you have had a negative experience with online reviews. You probably realize already that you need to take charge of your reputation online and find a way to manage the reviews. You might have even skipped the introduction to this blog post and come directly to this section.

Here are a few easy steps to help you get started from the experts in online marketing Houston.

1. Responding to the Reviews

It is perfectly okay to feel defensive and angry after receiving one or several negative reviews. You need to shake off that feeling and go into customer service mode. What would you have to say to such people if they were right in front of you in your store? How would you handle the situation? This is usually a double whammy in an online environment. The person that left the review will not only see that you care about resolving the issue but so will anyone else who has ever thought about doing business with you.

Upon considering the message and tone that should be conveyed, respond to the reviewer quickly to try to resolve the situation. If necessary, offer to take the conversation offline by providing a phone number or email where you can be reached. You must not allow “empty air” to send an unintentional message. A better approach would be to go for a polite response instead.

2. Establishing Relationships

Social media marketing can be an effective tool for building brand loyalty and inbound traffic. Use interesting, fun, and useful content to attract and engage people on social media platforms. Establish yourself as an authority in your industry and have fun while you do it. Show the personality of your brand and build trust by giving your company a face through social interaction with consumers. Give the audience a powerful experience with your brand that they feel the need to provide positive feedback.

3. Asking Existing Customers for Positive Reviews Online

It is still important to ask for the review even if the customer experience you provide is top notch. In this information age, many consumers will probably not leave a review unless you request for it. Take note of the clients or customers of the most positive experiences with your business then ask them to leave reviews online. Avoid making them search for you. Whether you would like to be reviewed on Facebook, Google, Yelp, or on any other platform, make it easy by providing a link that leads straight to the page where they can leave the review. The higher the number of positive reviews, the more the “watered-down” the negative reviews will become and the lower the impact they will have on the overall score.

Learn More

Online brand management is made up of many parts required for proper functioning that make it a complex system. Learning to manage reviews online is a step in the right direction. However, there are still many other parts required for the most favorable outcome. Contact us or call today and learn more about how to get and stay ahead in a highly competitive marketplace from the experts in online marketing Houston.