Clients often ask how they can optimize their websites.
We give them the wheel once we’ve built the car so to speak. This gives them more control of their online marketing efforts.
Below we have comprised a list of seven key tools for clients who want to manage their online presence. Of course, we wrap all of this up in a bow by using our favorite Content Management System (CMS), WordPress!
- Content is still King! Fresh, relevant content is necessary to move the needle in terms of both Search Engine Optimization and effective communication. Take advantage of the blogging function on your website and share information about your products, services or upcoming projects with your consumers and clients. The last thing you want to do is squander your investment in a great new website by having it go stale.
- Engage your consumers and clients with Social Media. Devoting time to 2 or 3 Social Media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, etc., will yield results. You don’t have to be on all of them; if your customers aren’t there, you don’t need to be either. The key is to use channels that are most relevant to your audience, share good information (whatever that means to your followers), be regular and transparent.
- Use imagery to improve the aesthetic of your website and become more relatable. Instead of stock photography incorporate personal photos to connect with your customers and clients. Photo editing programs are quite expensive as a whole, but there are online options that are free such as Canva. We love Canva! It is user-friendly and gives you a number of options when it comes to editing photos.
- Maximize your search result possibilities by using a plugin such as Yoast SEO. The Yoast interface is super easy to work with and will give you a green light – literally – when you’ve optimized your page; which, believe us, will make you want to do a little jig — or maybe it’s just us.
- Google Analytics has been around for a long time. By adding a snippet of code to the back-end of your website you can capture all sorts of data to identify how much traffic you’re getting to your website, where it’s coming from and how people are finding you. The information can be a little overwhelming but ultimately it’s packed with great metrics and insight.
- The shift from desktop to tablet/mobile device has arrived and if you don’t have a responsive, mobile-friendly website you will get lost. Google launched an initiative in 2015 to give preference to tablet/mobile-friendly sites when users executed searches from these devices. Fast forward to 2016 and Google has gone a step further and stated that if you have a non-mobile website and someone searches from their tablet or mobile device they most likely will not see a result with your website in it. Check your website now for mobile friendliness at https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/
- MailChimp is a great email service provider (ESP). We have used others in the past and while they are good, we favor MailChimp. The interface is straightforward and easy to navigate. They offer flexible design options and advanced analytics to help you grow your business.
So there you go, a short list (yes, we could go on) of some of our favorite go to plugins, online applications and online marketing tips.
If you see something here and want to know more about it or if you have been putting off that dreaded redesign give us a shout and let us help you create something awesome! Schedule a free consultation using our online calendar.