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How to write a great about us page for your company website

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:23:54 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How to write a great about us page for your company website

Summary

If you're like most business owners, you know that having a great website is essential to your success.

But what many business owners don't realize is that having a great website also requires having a great about us page. This page is one of the most important on your website, as it's the first thing visitors see when they land on your site.

So how can you write an about us page that will make a great impression on potential customers?

You will learn

When you're trying to create an about us page for your company website, the most important thing is honesty. People want to know who they are doing business with and what their values are. They want to be able to connect with the people on the other side of the screen. You don't have to write a novel or share every detail of your life story - just give them a glimpse into who you really are.

The about us page is a crucial part of any company website. But how can you make it great? In this blog post, you will learn how to create the perfect about us page for your business. There are many different things that people want to know when they land on your site so we'll go over them in detail and give you some tips on what makes a great about us page.

What to Include in Your About Us Page

1. Introduce your company and its mission

People want to know where you came from and what you've been up to. This is a great opportunity to share your company's story with your visitors. Share the highs and lows, talk about how you got started, and tell the world why you do what you do.

2. Talk about your team and what they bring to the table

People want to know who is behind the company. Introduce your team and tell them a little bit about each member. This is also a good opportunity to share your company's values and why you chose each team member. Do they have any special skills or qualifications? What do they bring to the table?

3. Talk about your values and why they matter to you

This is a great place to share what your company stands for. What are the values that you want in everyone who comes on board with your business? List them out and explain why they matter. This can be used as an opportunity to promote yourself, but it should always stay true to your brand's voice - never stuff keywords.

4. Talk about what your company does

This is a pretty straightforward section where you tell people what it is that you actually do and how they can become involved with your business. It's also good to use this as an opportunity to link off to some of your other pages or give them any important information about the services that you offer. Highlight your achievements and what makes you stand out from the competition.

5. Finish up by providing contact information and a call to action

This is where your visitors can find out more about your company and how to get in touch with you. It's important not to stuff keywords here, but it's equally as important that people know exactly what they need to do once they land on this page. You should include things like phone numbers, email addresses, website URLs, and social media handles.

10 Tips for writing an about us page for your website

1. Don't use marketing buzzwords

Your about us page is a great opportunity to share some of your company's history and accomplishments with potential customers. However, it's important to avoid sounding too boastful or sales-y. Stick to the facts, and let your readers draw their own conclusions about how awesome you are.

2. Appeal to people's emotions in order to build trust.

One of the best ways to do this is by sharing personal stories about your company and its people. People like reading these types of articles, because they inspire trust and empathy in a way that data-heavy posts can't always achieve on their own.

Make sure everything you write makes sense from an SEO perspective. One important thing to keep in mind when you're writing about yourself is that search engines are constantly crawling your website, and they will index anything on the page. So if there's a typo in your heading tag or meta description, it could hurt your rankings for keywords related to those words.

3. Answer Your Visitors' Questions

People visit your about us page for a variety of reasons - some want to learn more about your company, others are interested in your team or what you're working on. Make sure you cover all of these topics, and that each section is easy to read and well-organized.

4. Include pictures and videos

People are more likely to share your page if it has some eye-catching, interesting visuals. Just make sure you have permission to use any images or videos that you upload, and credit the source whenever possible.

5. Don't forget about social media

Add links to all of your company’s social media pages. This is a great way for new visitors to find you on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - and it ensures that people who prefer reading content in their newsfeeds will still have the opportunity to discover more about your brand.

6. Give your visitors a peek behind the scenes

People love feeling like they have an inside scoop, so don't be afraid to give them a little taste of what goes on behind the scenes at your company. Share photos and stories from team meetings, happy customers or even your office dog. The more personal and down-to-earth you can make your page, the better.

7. Note down any credentials, certifications, awards you may have

These include things like:

-Certified by a certain business bureau

-Awarded "Best Place to Work" by a certain media outlet

-Voted one of the Top 50 Places to Work by a monthly magazine.

8. Look for inspiration from other websites

First, you need to know what’s important to your potential customers. Look at the “about us” pages of other companies in your industry—what information is included there that would be relevant for yours? Then think about how your company is unique, and why people should hire you over all those others.

9. Your about us page should be visually appealing

It should have a clear headline and concise paragraphs. You should also include photos of your team, office, or products/services in action. This gives potential customers a sense of who you are, what you do, and why they should choose you.

10. Update your about us page regularly

Keep it fresh and relevant by adding new information, photos of your team or office, as well as testimonials from happy customers. As a rule of thumb try to update it at least once per month.

Final Thoughts

These are the essentials that you need to include on your company's about us page. Keep in mind that people want to connect with your brand, so be sure to stay true to your voice and write in a way that is engaging and easy to understand. If you can do that, you're well on your way to creating a great about us page.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

How to write a great business profile summary for LinkedIn

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 07 Jan 2022 15:23:47 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How to write a great business profile summary for LinkedIn

Summary

LinkedIn is a very popular social media site for professionals as well as businesses. It's also one of the best ways to find new clients and business opportunities.

Every business owner should know how important it is to have a strong LinkedIn profile. With so many people on the site looking for opportunities, you're going to need a good summary. It should be short and sweet, but still, pack a punch with relevant keywords and information about what you or your business does.

You will learn

A great business profile summary for LinkedIn is essential to get the attention of potential clients. It's important to remember that your profile summary should not be a long-winded story about who you are and what you do; it needs to be brief, concise, and clear.

No one wants to read a long, boring business profile summary. For this reason, you need to write an attention-grabbing introduction that will make your profile stand out from the rest. One way to do this is with "Did You Know?" statements. These are facts about your company or industry that will pique someone's interest and make them want to know more about your business.

Read on to learn how to write a great business profile summary for LinkedIn.

How To Write A Great Linkedin Profile Summary For Your Business

The summary is one of the most important parts of your profile, and it's where you have the opportunity to make a great first impression. You want to make sure that your summary is well-written and attention-grabbing so that potential clients will want to learn more about your business.

Writing a great LinkedIn profile summary for businesses is not as hard as it seems. You just need to follow these steps:

Start by thinking of your most important selling points, and how you can tell them in the best way possible. Make sure they are brief but powerful statements that will hit all the right notes with your target audience, so make each one count.
Once you have written down all your ideas, review them carefully and identify any commonalities among them. These common themes should be at the core of everything else in this section – what makes someone choose your business over another? What things stand out about your company culture or clientele? Keep asking yourself questions like this until you get to something truly unique that will set you apart from the competition.
Next, it's time to start putting your profile summary together. Begin by writing a brief introduction that will introduce your company and what you do in an interesting way. After that, move on to the individual selling points mentioned earlier and flesh them out into complete paragraphs. Make sure every sentence counts – this is no time for filler words or vague descriptions.
Finally, end with a strong call to action that encourages potential clients to get in touch.

Let's dig deeper into these steps.

Start With A Brief Overview Of Your Business

The first sentence of your introduction should be short and catchy while also letting readers know what your business does or offers. It’s best practice to use action verbs in this section since you are trying to attract potential customers instead of just describing yourself passively.

Here is an example: “At IT Pros, we provide high-quality website building services for our clients by working hand in hand with them through every step of the process so they receive the most creative websites no one else can offer today.”

Explain Why You're Passionate About What You Do

People who visit your LinkedIn profile will want to know what you do and why they should choose your business. Your LinkedIn summary is a great place to share this information with them in an engaging way that’s fun for new prospects to read.

Provide value before selling yourself – People reading professional profiles aren’t usually interested in hearing about you from the outset, so use your first sentence as a hook instead of immediately introducing yourself or telling people about your past work.

In other words, give potential customers something interesting and useful right away. You can also start off by asking one or two questions related to their needs if appropriate e.g., “What keeps you up at night?” or “What are your biggest worries as a small business owner?”

Be Specific About What Makes You Unique

What distinguishes you from the competition in your field? What solutions do you provide that are different from the rest? What can clients expect when working with you?

Share your personal story. People like to know who they’re doing business with, so adding a personal touch to your profile is always a good idea. Why did you start your own company? What drives you and keeps you motivated? How has your business evolved over time?

Make It Readable

This should go without saying, but make sure your summary is easy to read by avoiding dense blocks of text. Use short paragraphs, bullets, and lists where possible, and be sure to use the active voice e.g. “We are web developers who specialize in creating mobile-friendly websites”.

Use Keywords And Phrases That Your Ideal Clients Would Search For

This will help people find you when they are looking for businesses like yours, which could lead to increased business opportunities. For example, if you offer social media marketing services, include words such as “social media” and “marketing” in your profile summary. However, don't overdo it—no more than five or six relevant keywords max.

Don't Be Self-Promotional

Don’t just talk about your business in your summary. Instead, focus on what you can do for clients and why they should hire you instead of someone else to get the job done. Remember that people are hiring you, not just your company or services.

Here’s a good example from a business that specializes in software development:

"We’re passionate about solving problems and building things. We work closely with you to explore, design and build solutions that fit your needs."

This does several important things: first, it tells you what they do (they solve problems), second, how they approach those problems (they like working closely with clients) and third, why you should care (because their team members are really good at what they do).

Don't Mention Price

Don't make this an opportunity to list all of your services or prices. It's much better to focus on who you help rather than just mentioning some generic service because one person may need something different from someone else.

Add A Call To Action

You want to make sure that your consumers learn more about your business after reading your summary. Therefore, be clear on what steps they should take next . You can invite them to continue with their learning by telling them to visit your website or get in touch with you.

Remember to Proofread

Make sure your LinkedIn company profile summary is free of spelling and grammatical mistakes. Use simple, straightforward language instead. You'll come across as untrustworthy or unprofessional if you leave your profile summary with errors.

Conclusion

If you want to stand out on LinkedIn your business profile summary must be concise but informative. Describe yourself in a way that captures who you are while also explaining how you can help others achieve their goals. Be confident in your skills and abilities, showcase them with confidence; show off your company's personality by adding some fun facts about your business. You can also insert one of your favourite quotes at the end of your summary.

You may not be able to see it now but this time spent on crafting the perfect business profile summary for LinkedIn could make all the difference when it comes to finding new clients or securing jobs down the road.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

How to write a great personal profile summary for LinkedIn

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Wed, 22 Dec 2021 18:23:02 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How to write a great personal profile summary for LinkedIn

Summary

On LinkedIn, it is important to have a well-written personal profile summary (aka the about section) .

Your profile summary should be a short overview of who you are and what makes you unique.

You want this section to be inviting so people feel compelled enough to click on your name link and learn more about you.

You will learn

A strong personal profile summary will help you stand out from the crowd and get more attention from recruiters, hiring managers, and networking contacts alike. This blog post includes tips on how to write a great LinkedIn personal profile summary so that you can get ahead of the pack.

An Example of a Personal Profile Summary on LinkedIn

Why Do You Need A Good Profile Summary For Linkedin?

Writing an outstanding LinkedIn profile start-to-finish is the simplest method to differentiate yourself from over 700 million other LinkedIn members. Even if you have a great LinkedIn profile photo, a customized headline and filled out your education and work history, you still need a profile summary.

The following reasons explain why it's important to have a great personal profile summary for LinkedIn:

Your Profile Summary Is Your First Impression

Your LinkedIn summary is one of the most important pieces of your profile. This is because it's the first thing that people will see when they search for you. It’s also the part of your profile that will be used in LinkedIn search results. A good profile summary will help you stand out from the competition and will help potential employers or clients learn more about you.

Your Summary is Used for Search Results

The summaries you create for your profile appear in LinkedIn's search results. They can improve your searchability and help you rise above similar candidates, even if they aren't weighted as heavily as your headline or job titles and descriptions in your work experience section.

Your LinkedIn summary may be used to incorporate keywords that a recruiter would type into a search bar including industry terms, job titles or hard skills.

It’s An Opportunity To Say "Hi"

LinkedIn has a higher level of etiquette and professionalism than other social media platforms. This requirement varies by sector; nonetheless, the profile conclusion area is where you have the greatest chance to add some personality to your profile. Your LinkedIn summary is where you can let potential employers get to know you and what matters to you.

How To Write A Great Personal Profile Summary For Linkedin

Start With A Compelling Statement

This statement should capture your personality and highlight your strengths.

LinkedIn gives you a limit of 2000 characters to write your profile summary. Only the first three lines of your profile summary are shown to visitors by default. This is about 300 characters in total. You should therefore be able to pique the reader’s interest and invite them to click on “See More” so that they can learn more about you.

Some questions you can answer to help you come up with a strong opening statement include:

What differentiates you from other people?
What kinds of talents do you use to get your job done?
Why do you enjoy your job?
What have you done that makes you proud?
How do others describe you?

Use Keywords Relevant To Your Industry

Doing this will help potential employers or clients can find you easily. Usually, recruiters look for a set of job titles, talents, and other keywords to identify suitable applicants. LinkedIn even shows you some of the search queries that were used to locate your profile. Take a look at the dashboard beneath your summary on your profile. You will see one of the stats as "search appearances."

Keep Your Profile Summary Brief

Your goal is to entice the reader, not give them a wall of text. A great rule of thumb is two paragraphs, each one sentence long.

If you can't explain what your professional background is in two sentences, it's too complicated. Consider splitting the content up into multiple sections to make things easier for the reader to digest.

Describe What You Do In Terms Of Results, Not Job Titles

Don't just list your job titles and duties. Talk about what you accomplished in those roles. For example, "Managed a team of five marketers who improved user engagement on Facebook by 90%." rather than "Managed a team of five marketers." or "Improved user engagement on Facebook."

Or, instead of saying "I'm an accountant," say "I help businesses save money on their taxes.

Think about the types of things someone would want to know when they're deciding whether to connect with you. They might be interested in knowing what your skills are, or what type of work you do. They might also want to know what kind of person you are, so they can decide if they'd be compatible with you.

Your profile summary is an opportunity to show off your best qualities and potential connections know what they can expect if they add you.

Be Specific About Your Skills And Experience

Don't just list general adjectives like "hardworking" or "creative." These are nice but they don't tell the reader anything.

Instead, use specific examples to back up your claim of being hardworking or creative. For example, "Worked with a team of engineers to develop software used by millions of people around the world."

Rather than saying you're an experienced manager who's good at coaching employees and managing budgets, talk about what makes you successful in those roles. Make it clear that these skills make you a great candidate for any company looking to hire someone like you.

Give concrete details when talking about volunteer work or interests on LinkedIn as well. Mentioning that you enjoy cooking tells your reader nothing; mentioning that last year's Thanksgiving feast was catered entirely by your homemade meals is more informative.

Avoid Ending Your summary with a request for recommendations

End your summary with a call to action. For example, "If you would like to learn more about my experience and skills, please contact me." or "I would be happy to answer any questions you may have" This will invite potential connections to reach out to you.

This is where many people go wrong when writing their LinkedIn profile summaries. They end it with a request for recommendations or another sales tactic, instead of leaving the door open for potential connections to get in touch with them.

Make sure your summary ends with a call to action that invites people to contact you if they want to learn more about your skills and experience. This will help you connect with more people on LinkedIn.

Conclusion

LinkedIn is a great way to connect with professionals all over the world, but first, you need an interesting and engaging personal profile summary. This is your opportunity to show off your best qualities and potential connections know what they can expect if they add you.

Your profile summary is also a great place to talk about your passions and interests outside of work. This can help potential connections see how well-rounded you are and give them an idea of what it would be like to work with you.

Remember that less is more when it comes come writing concisely - keep everything brief but informative. Your goal with this part of your LinkedIn profile isn't necessarily trying to give them everything they need to know all at once. Don't forget to proofread your summary for spelling and grammar errors, as these could make you seem unprofessional. Use tools like Grammarly to check it over before publishing.

No one ever got hired because their LinkedIn profile was generic. Make sure your profile is eye-catching and showcases what makes you special. If you can't think of anything to say in your summary, consider using a professional profile writer. They can help capture your unique voice and create a profile that will stand out from the rest.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

Why Small Businesses Are At More Risk of Ransomware Than They Realize.

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 22:33:12 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

Why Small Businesses Are At More Risk of Ransomware Than They Realize

Summary

Small businesses are particularly vulnerable to ransomware which has been on the rise since employees started working from home. They are often targeted because they lack the resources and expertise to implement proper security measures.

In addition, small businesses' ransomware is a silent risk because the media mostly reports stories of attacks on big companies. However, 60% of small businesses go out of business within 6 months after experiencing a cyber attack. The good news is that there are actionable steps to protect your small business that are robust and affordable.

You will learn

What is ransomware?

Ransomware — malware that infects computers (and mobile devices) and restricts their access to files, often threatening permanent data destruction unless a ransom is paid. Source: Global Ransomware Damage Costs Predicted To Reach $20 Billion (USD) By 2021

Today's cyber criminals don't limit themselves to targeting corporate brand names: they go after additional targets wherever they can find them. That means other companies might be or have been your clients. A cyber attack on these companies could consequently result in you becoming the target of a data breach, too, and you will have to deal with the negative consequences this entails for your business and your reputation as an accountant or financial advisor.

“This form of cybercrime is popular in part because it is relatively easy to execute: The most common tactics involve using software to get around security holes, or tricking users into downloading malware by pretending to be a source they trust. (This is known as a phishing scam.)” Source: What’s Driving the Surge in Ransomware Attacks?

Why is ransomware on the rise?

“Ransomware attacks have gotten incredibly easy to execute, and payment methods are now much more friendly to criminals. Meanwhile, businesses are growing increasingly reliant on digital infrastructure and more willing to pay ransoms, thereby increasing the incentive to break in.” Source: What’s Driving the Surge in Ransomware Attacks?

Remote workers will be the focus of cyber criminals through 2021. Source: 7 Cybersecurity Predictions for 2021 .

Does ransomware affect small service businesses?

It was estimated that every 40 seconds a business falls victim to a ransomware attack, in a December 2016 security bulletin posted by the cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, which stated that the number of attacks rose from every two minutes in early 2016.

“Financial services organizations and other firms that are responsible for the security of consumer financial data must remain vigilant in their cybersecurity efforts throughout 2021. The high value of financial data, including Social Security numbers, banking details, and more, makes it a lucrative target for cybercriminals.” source

According to the Cisco 2017 Annual Cybersecurity Report, for example, ransomware is growing at a yearly rate of 350%.

Why Small Businesses Are At More Risk of Ransomware Than They Realize

Information security is a major concern for all sizes of organizations, but types of organizations are at a higher risk. Small Businesses (SMBs) generally have less access to resources than larger organizations do, which can make them more vulnerable to risks such as ransomware.

Smaller businesses typically don't have security staff or even round-the-clock IT support, so they can be more vulnerable to ransomware attacks than larger businesses. Larger organizations typically have the resources available to purchase robust backup data protection solutions and maintain an incident response plan.

The type of data that small businesses may need to protect could also make them more vulnerable to ransomware attacks. For example, small construction businesses could be at risk by targeted malware attacks during a hurricane or other natural disaster.

Smaller organizations may be the most attractive targets for cybercriminals because they can typically be hit with a ransomware demand for less than $10,000. If the ransomware is not particularly sophisticated, SMBs may decide to pay up and move on.

Ransomware attacks on small businesses are becoming more prevalent as criminals realize the potential for these organizations to pay up quickly and easily. Therefore, it's imperative that these organizations take steps such as keeping their software updated, testing their backups, and investing in anti-malware solutions.

By doing so, they can successfully protect themselves against potential ransomware attacks. They are not invincible to these types of threats just because they are smaller companies.

Reasons Why Small Businesses Are At More Risk Of Ransomware

1. Backups are rarely done by small firms, making ransomware assaults simple

It's critical to have a backup because ransomware prevents you from seeing your data. This is why the majority of large firms tend to have backups. However, this practice isn't very common among small businesses, which could make them an easy target for ransomware developers.

2. Ransomware solutions are not within the budgets of many small businesses

Small businesses are often hesitant to invest in ransomware prevention solutions because they believe it's expensive. However, that is no longer the case. With the right provider, you can get affordable solutions that come with effective training and software.

3. Small company owners are not concerned about protecting their business

Small business owners are frequently frustrated by the amount of work and knowledge required to protect their companies. They also believe that the expenses involved are too high. This is the reason why they believe that hiring a specialist in cybersecurity can be unnecessary. However, they are making a huge mistake because cybercriminals are becoming more determined every day. It's really important to protect yourself and your business against potential threats.

4. Many small businesses use a computer for both personal and business use

Using the same computer for work and personal use is also a significant risk because you might lose your data or become a victim of ransomware. For example, if an employee's personal laptop is used for business and shared with their child, the kid may visit a website or download an app that exposes your business to a data breach.

5. Small business owners think that they don't have valuable information to steal from them

Types of data that hackers try to steal include financial information, login details to take over your account and personal information like social security numbers, date of birth, credit card numbers and phone numbers that they can sell to identity thieves.

A lot of small businesses do not understand the importance of protecting their valuable information because they believe that they don't have anything important for hackers, but this is a big mistake. All types of companies need to protect themselves against cyber attacks. If you have sensitive company data then you should be prepared to face the risk of being attacked by hackers.

Digital security is hard enough, but it's even more difficult for SMBs because they have limited resources and a small IT department. As a result, these organizations put themselves at a greater risk for ransomware attacks.

6. Small businesses are only informed about big companies that get hacked.

They are unaware of the smaller businesses that get attacked, so they do not recognize the danger. They also do not know that smaller organizations are becoming more common targets for hackers. It's necessary to educate yourself and other individuals about these types of security issues as soon as possible if you want to protect your company data from cybercriminals.

If you want to keep your business safe and avoid potential cyber problems, then it is recommended to hire a professional cybersecurity company. They will be able to provide you with the necessary information and solutions that will help you protect your business against potential threats.

7. Small businesses don’t know how to protect themselves from cybersecurity risks

It is unfortunate, but small companies lack the knowledge of how to proactively protect themselves against potential cyber-attacks. The majority of them don't know anything about the most popular types of cyber threats (ransomware, malware etc.), they don't know how to protect themselves and what steps they should take if their company gets hacked.

Five Ways Small Businesses Can Avoid Ransomware

Install anti-malware on your computer - If your small business computer is not running security software, it's at risk of ransomware attacks. Consider investing in antivirus or other anti-malware protection—preferably enterprise-grade solutions.
Keep your operating system and software up-to-date with the latest patches. - Make sure that you are installing any Windows updates as soon as they are available. Hackers often use known vulnerabilities to exploit computers; if your computer is up-to-date, it's less likely to be affected by them.
Know what external devices you use with your system - If you use external storage like USB sticks or external hard drives with the system, be careful about connecting them to an unsecured network where they might be vulnerable to cyberattack.
Be aware of email scams - If you're an owner of a small business, your employees may be more open to opening attachments from unknown senders. Be sure everyone knows not to open anything from an unfamiliar sender or with an unusual request. “91 percent of cyberattacks begin with spear-phishing email, which are commonly used to infect organizations with ransomware.” source
Back up your computer regularly - In the event that you do become infected with ransomware, having a backup can help you restore your files to keep your business up and running.

Final Thoughts

The truth is that it isn't hard to fall victim to ransomware. All you need are a few clicks, and the malware can be downloaded onto your system without even realizing what's happening. While some organizations might be more vulnerable to attack than others, small business owners should consider themselves targets just like everyone else. By protecting themselves with proper backup and security solutions, they can minimize the risk of losing their data if they are hit by ransomware.

One of the most important things to do is have a regular backup process in place that can be used if malware does infect your system. You don't want to lose everything you've built because of one mistake, so be sure to have an alternative system in place. More importantly, have a professional scan your system for vulnerability regularly.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

Cyber Security for Accountants

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 18:17:58 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

Cyber Security for Accountants

Summary

It's a scary time to be an accountant. With the recent hacks, breaches, and data leaks of big and small companies around the world, it can seem like everything is at stake. But there are steps you can take to protect yourself and your clients from being hacked or breached in the future.

Cyber Unit Inc. specializes in providing security for businesses by not only securing their networks but also teaching them how to use technology safely so they don't get hacked. Read on for more information about what we do and how we could help you stay protected during this uncertain time!

You will learn

The long-term benefits of having a cyber security solution in place are far greater than the short-term costs. Cyber crime is a very serious issue and it’s estimated that around 2,244 cyberattacks happen globally every day .

When dealing with sensitive data, it is crucial to keep privacy and access control under control – even if malicious parties gain access to information like passwords, social insurance numbers (SIN), credit card numbers, and bank account details, they won't be able to do anything with it if you have gone through the trouble of and adding additional security measures.

What Happens When Your Systems Get hacked

Customer data can be used for spamming activities or identity theft.
Sensitive company information could also fall into the wrong hands and be used against you as well as your clients.
You might lose sensitive client data or get sued due to privacy breaches. If this happens, your reputation is at risk because customers will no longer trust you with their financial affairs which means that even former clients will start looking for an alternative accountant or financial advisor.

Accountants: A good hacker's favourite target?

Depending on how large your client base is, you're probably considered a prime target for cyber criminals. Why is that? Aside from the obvious fact that you handle a lot of critical data, there are several other reasons why accounts make an attractive target for hackers:

You're required to save large amounts of critical data for years on end – in order to meet legal requirements and regulations. This means you have to store this data somewhere safe (your computers). And cyber criminals know that!
Since many accountants run their operations online, they also look particularly vulnerable – especially because it's hard to spot existing infections early on, when they can still be removed relatively easily by a professional security expert.

If any of your colleagues gets infected with malware or ransomware, confidential client information could be at risk due to unsafe handling practices. That is why it’s important to get a reliable cyber security solution like Cyber Unit.

What is Cyber Unit?

Cyber Unit Inc. is a cyber security solution that takes care of cyber attacks before they happen so you can focus on your business.

Many businesses aren’t equipped against such threats and often don’t even realize they are at risk. Having Antivirus software is helpful but it doesn’t help much either–as it mostly only deals with viruses and malware from days gone by.

Hackers have already shown they can easily bypass antivirus software – even the most sophisticated protection systems. Cyber Unit, based in Vancouver, operates at a more fundamental level than typical anti-virus programs and protects your network using models to distinguish between normal activity and suspicious behaviour.

What Cyber Unit Can Do For You

Establish comprehensive network security by securing your computer systems and online networks from potential attacks, including malware.
Prevent future attacks via proactive detection and remediation of vulnerabilities.
Alert you to the latest cyber risks to your business so you can minimize their impact on operations.
Provide you with actionable threat intelligence at all times that will help inform better decision making.
Help secure critical information across businesses, government agencies, military installations, and industrial control systems at affordable costs.
Constantly monitors all your data flows for cybercriminals’ attempts to infiltrate your network, and immediately terminates any such attacks before they make it into your system.

Secure Your Data across Devices and Networks

Cyber Unit offers:

1. Computer Protection

You can browse the web without worrying about cyber threats. Cyber Unit takes care of it before it gets to you, helping your clients feel safe and confident in your services This also gives them a reason to choose you over your competitors.

2. Mobile Security

Slips happen. One colleague downloading the wrong app can put your business at risk of a cyberattack. Cyber unit provides your employees with protection on every device and network, with their innovative solutions.

3. Email Security

As an accountant, you handle vast amounts of confidential data for years on end. This makes your email system a prime target for cybercriminals. Cyber Unit’s monitoring and AI-powered threat prevention measures lock down your email system against hacking before it happens.

4. Dark Web Monitoring

If you happen to have easy-to-hack passwords or use the same email address everywhere, then you should know: your credentials are most probably on the Dark Web. Your business runs on information, which makes you a juicy target to cyber criminals. With Cyber Unit, you can find out if your credentials have already fallen into the wrong hands with their free Dark Web scan.

How Much Does it Cost?

Cyber Unit offers a range of affordable packages depending on your needs. Monthly payments start from $9 while annual billing starts from $90.

With only $36 monthly or $360 annually, you get full cyber protection . This includes computer, email and mobile security as well as Dark Web monitoring.

Visit Cyber Unit's pricing page for full details.

Conclusion

The importance of having cyber security solutions can never be overstated. The threat of cyber criminals is increasing by the day and they seem to find newer ways and methods to get into your system without you knowing.

When it comes to your company being targeted by cyber criminals, the question is not if it will happen, but when. Prepare yourself and protect your important data today by trying out one of Cyber Unit’s packages. You will not have to worry about losing your files and you can focus on taking care of your crucial business responsibilities.

Disclaimer: If someone signs up with Cyber Unit and mentions my company, I would earn a 15% referral fee (but the choice is yours).

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

What Is An Encrypted Form?

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:48:06 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

What Is An Encrypted Form?

Summary

The importance of protecting your personal information from hackers and identity thieves is obvious. It's not uncommon for people to have their identities stolen, credit cards maxed out, bank accounts drained, etc., but what can you do if you're a business owner? By using an encrypted form to input customer data into your website or app, the potential for cyber attacks is greatly reduced.

This post will go over why it's important to use an encrypted form and how they work.

You will learn

An encrypted form is a type of web-based form that requires data to be submitted through a secure connection. The information submitted will then be sent to the recipient with encryption, which means nobody can intercept and read your messages.

An encrypted form is different from secure forms.

"While a secure HTTPS form encrypts data in transfer, an encrypted form encrypts the stored data on top of that. There is no way to decrypt the stored submission data without the correct private key." Jotform Blog

When Would You Need An Encrypted Form?

You may need an encrypted form if you are sending sensitive information such as credit card numbers or passwords, health information, social insurance numbers, etc.

This way the message cannot be intercepted by hackers who are trying to steal identities or financial information from unsuspecting people on the internet!

An encrypted form is not needed for publicly available information from customers because there's no need to worry about somebody intercepting your messages!

In this case, a secure website form would be enough.

Five Benefits of Using an Encrypted Form

It protects your customer data.
It saves you money since there is no need to hire a programmer or buy an expensive encryption software package.
Encrypted forms can be created in just a few steps with the right service provider.
The user is not distracted by extra fields and boxes (like on shopping carts)
It doesn't require any additional work after it has been created.

Is It Difficult to Use an Encrypted Form?

Not at all! The beauty of it is that encrypted forms are easier to use than ever before because there's usually no need for installing software or downloading files, which means people can send them from their browsers without any complicated steps.

Which Encryption Service Can You Use?

Hushmail is an easy encryption that can help with your security needs. You are provided with an encrypted email account, but you can also pay for extra features such as: forwarding to non-Hushmail addresses; two factor authentication; and more. It sends encrypted emails and allows for digital signatures.

Hushmail also provides a way for people who need to send confidential information securely, such as their social security number or credit card numbers across the internet and have it encrypted before arriving at its destination.

Hushmail does not view any of your messages in unencrypted form and will never be compelled to hand over your messages to a third party.

The next time you need to create an online form for your website, don’t forget about encryption.

Encryption is one of the most important things that can help protect confidential information you collect from clients like tax information, health information, business details, and password details, etc.

I can show you samples from accountants and health professional clients. If you are in Canada, there are options to store the information on servers in Canada (a requirement for some health professionals).

Book a 15-minute Zoom call with me to discuss encrypted forms for your business. I will not solicit your business or send you emails after our call.

You can share the security analysis of Hushmail with your IT company.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person service firm.

What is a Password Manager?

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 17:27:28 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

What is a Password Manager?

Summary

Technology makes our lives easier, but with new applications and sites popping up all the time, most people find it impossible to remember all their login details.

In addition, creating strong passwords is a major challenge and weak passwords are the primary cause of data breaches. Thankfully, there are password managers which take on the responsibility of remembering your passwords and ensure that they're secure!

You will learn

A password manager is an online tool that allows you to store your passwords and login information in a secure place. This way, you don't need to remember every single one of them. Each time you log into a website or application, all the credentials are automatically filled out for you with just a click! It will also alert you if there is ever any suspicious activity on your account.

A password manager can also be used to generate strong, unique passwords for each account you have and store them all behind a single master password. They also keep track of which accounts need updating because of security breaches. Once your settings have been configured, your master password is the only one you need to remember to access all of your accounts. From your password vault, you can retrieve any account password when needed.

This article will discuss the benefits of using a password manager and how it can protect you from hackers!

Benefits of Using a Password Manager

You don't need to memorize your passwords

Use a password manager, and you do not even have to know or remember your passwords. As long as the master password is strong enough, it takes all of the burden away from you and leaves only access to your account in one place.

They can generate strong passwords

A password manager can auto-generate strong, random passwords every time you sign up with a new website or service. It uses alphanumeric codes that are theoretically impossible to guess and provide more protection, making it harder for hackers to access your online information.

They can inform you if a phishing site is attempting to steal your information

Phishing scams are spoofed or faked emails that look like they’re coming from someone you know. They contain a link to a malicious website designed to collect login credentials, but if you use a password manager and it auto-fills your username and password fields, it will not work because the site isn’t associated with the email sender.

They can help your next of kin when you pass away

This is what's known as a digital inheritance. In the event of your death, anyone you designate will have access to your account and password vault.

They save time

Besides just storing passwords, some password managers can also save you time by automatically filling in your name, address, email and phone number in a form when shopping online, for example.

They can sync across different operating systems

If you’re a Windows user at work and a Mac user at home, or you use Android on the weekends and iPhone during the week, you can access all of your passwords regardless of the operating system you are using. The same goes for different types of browsers.

They protect your identity

Using a password manager offers one more layer of protection because it provides you with different usernames and passwords for every website.

Types of Password Managers

A desktop-based password manager stores your passwords locally on your device and keeps them encrypted. When you lose the device, you also lose all the stored passwords. Locally-installed password managers are great for people who want to avoid storing their information in a shared database that could potentially be breached. Some local password managers allow you to create multiple vaults across devices and sync when you connect to the internet, with privacy as a high priority.

Cloud-based password manager stores your passwords on a service provider network; for this reason, they are inherently less secure than if they were contained only on your own personal device. The product benefits of using the cloud-based password managers like Dashlane , 1Password and LastPass , is that you can access your passwords from any system/device as long as you have an Internet connection. Web-based password managers come in different formats—most commonly browser extensions, desktop apps or mobile apps.

Single sign-on (SSO). Instead of using a different password for every account you use, single sign-on (SSO) allows you to use the same password for every application. This is similar to having your passport with you when traveling to another country. Passports are scanned by immigration officials at borders to inform them that citizens from your country are allowed to enter without any hassle, just like SSO does with an online destination or app.

Are Password Managers Safe?

Password managers have been hacked in the past, but they are very effective at holding onto user data when security is of concern.

Great password managers are nearly impossible to hack. They use AES-256 encryption, the "zero-knowledge" technique, and two-factor authentication which means that they're safer than anything else on the market right now.

When it comes to safety, the most important thing is the master password because you need that to get into all your other password-protected sites. Make sure your master password is 12 characters long and contain numbers, letters, capitalisation as well as some special characters like !"#$%&'().

Creating a unique password for each service you sign up for is time-consuming. That’s why it can be helpful to use a free, cross-platform manager like LastPass or Dashlane to keep track of them all.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

Common Password Mistakes You Should Avoid

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 12:55:56 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

Common Password Mistakes You Should Avoid

Summary

A lot of people think they are being safe and secure when creating a password by adding numbers or special characters to the mix.

However, there are some very common mistakes that many people make which can leave you exposed to hackers! For instance, using the same password for all of your accounts is a huge no-no.

It's also not wise to use only numbers or only letters in your password.

You will learn

We all know how vital it is to keep our personal and business networks safe. The number of cyber attacks every year is rising, increasing the demand for cybersecurity.

Cyber security experts recommend that people should have a new password every few months, but surprisingly many online services do not regularly challenge their customers to change their passwords.

Though the cyber world has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years, it's still surprising to know how often certain industries don't follow basic protocols for protecting themselves from hackers.

It might be worth considering changing your own personal password if you haven’t done so recently since this is one of the easiest ways an intruder can get access to your account or secure information on internet-connected devices like phones or computers.

A good way to avoid making the mistakes with your passwords is by following these simple guidelines.

Coming up simple passwords

Passwords are meant to be a secret that only you know, but in some cases they can become public knowledge. If your password is easy for someone else to figure out or even find on the internet then it's not doing much good.

Using personal details like names and birthdays as passwords may seem clever at first glance, but if these things are easily discoverable by an attacker then all of your secrets will be revealed to the world.

Reusing passwords

The most common and prevalent mistake is a person's reusing their password. It starts with the creation of passwords themselves, which usually means that they are short or simple enough for people to remember them easily. Unfortunately, this also makes it easier for hackers to guess.

Passwords can make your life easier, but they also come with a lot of risks. If you reuse the same password for different websites and accounts, then it is possible that one data breach will affect all of them.

When hackers are able to takeover an account this way, not only do they gain access to everything in there like credit cards or medical records; but now those credentials work on other sites as well!

And if any security questions were asked when creating these accounts--well even better for them because you often use our personal info which makes guessing easy.

So what should you do? One solution would be using something called two factor authentication where every time someone logs into their email from another computer they will be required to type in a confirmation code sent to their advice. This helps in proving their identity.

Weak security questions

If you're looking for a way to keep your personal information private, it is crucial that the security questions and answers are as hard as possible. If someone knows what street where you grew up or who your mother was before she got married then they can easily hack into all of your accounts with ease.

Sharing your passwords

Once you share your passwords, they're open to being used by someone else who may not have the best intentions in mind for their use.

This is a serious risk that only gets worse when shared through insecure means such as text messaging or emailing it without encryption- after all, if anyone intercepts these messages then there's no telling where and how far things could go.

Make sure that whoever has access to your password keeps its security tight; otherwise everything from pictures of loved ones on social media to work accounts risk being exposed.

Poor storage of passwords

You may write down your passwords or store them in easily accessible locations. There are two ways you can do this: writing it on a sticky note, paper, or document and saving it to your computer as an email attachment.

Writing the information is tough for anyone else to access without just breaking into your home; but what about storing these important files?

It takes little skill from someone who knows where you keep things like emails and can use their own password login info once they are in — which isn't hard if they have all your personal details too.

Changing passwords too often

Some employers require users to change their passwords regularly. However, the truth is that this does not make them any less hackable than someone who changes their password once every six months.

This is because chances are that they will not put much thought into it and end up creating passwords with predictable patterns like changing a 2 to @, changing the order of numbers, or deleting or including a special letter.

This makes it much easier for a hacker to do their job because once they know a particular password, they can easily guess the next one without a challenge.

Not changing passwords at all

It’s not a good idea to change your passwords too often because they become easier to guess. However, you should look through the ones you haven’t changed in years and update them. Just remember to make them stronger.

Summary

Creating a unique password may seem difficult, but there are several ways to make the task easier. For example, instead of coming up with one that is just 8 or 10 characters long and easy enough for someone else to guess easily, you can use a passphrase that will make the guessing game difficult.

If remembering many different passwords becomes tedious then try using a password manager program: when creating an account use something very complicated (but easy to remember) as well as two factor authentication if available.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

The Easiest and Best Way to Collect and Display Testimonials

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 18:39:20 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

The Easiest and Best Way to Collect and Display Testimonials

Summary

Gathering customer testimonials can sometimes be a time-consuming process. This job can be simplified with the use of a platform that automates the entire testimonial collection, publishing and display process—plus it looks great.

You will learn

Have you mastered the collection of social proof for your business?

If not, you’re missing out on a golden chance to use social proof that will help increase your brand’s visibility and ultimately make more sales! Social proof can be defined as a psychological and social phenomenon wherein people copy the actions of others in an attempt to undertake behaviour in a given situation.

When you browse a web page and see a testimonial from someone who has used and enjoyed the product or service, that’s social proof. When you check out a pricing page and you see that an industry expert is using that tool, that’s social proof. When you sign up for a free demo because the product solved the same problem for your competitor, that’s social proof.

At first, gathering social proof can seem a bit challenging but it’s not that difficult. In any case, if your customers are happy with their purchase and the service you provided, they will gladly write a testimonial that you can add to your website.

This article is going to show you the easiest way to collect and display testimonials on your website, using an automated tool called Endorsal .

What can Endorsal do for you?

This is a 3-minute overview about Endorsal.

Endorsal is a tool that fully automates your testimonial collection and display process so that you can receive higher-quality endorsements while saving you time and money.

The software simplifies the whole process by fully automating it. You can choose the information you want to collect from your customers and customize the collection forms to suit your business needs.

Endorsal also allows you to integrate your current feedback and provide your customers with a pre-filled form to give them a smooth experience while writing their testimonials.

How to Set Up Endorsal

You first need to create an account which is risk-free with their 14-day free trial.

Once logged in with your new account, the software will load your dashboard and instruct you how to get your account up and running with your website.

Basically, you will be required to add a tracking code to your website and a code where you would like the testimonials to be displayed.

The basic setup takes only 10 minutes to complete.

Main Features

Endorsal is broken down into four activities which have some very powerful features. When combined they enable you to fully automate your testimonials. Let’s have a look at them in more detail:

1. Collecting Testimonials

EndoForms : This is the first form that your customers will encounter. You can edit the content and customize the logo and colours on the form.

The EndoForm helps businesses escape the hurdle of collecting reviews and also increase conversions. On your EndoForm, you can set up Incentivised Request, a feature that allows you to reward your customers for leaving a testimonial and it works well at increasing conversions.

You can set up your testimonial collection form (EndoForm) on your own domain like this example.

Auto requests : You can generate testimonials automatically by sending an automated testimonial request to your customers via email or SMS. You can use their high-converting templates or create your own. Sometimes you might be too busy to ask your customers for testimonials. But with Endorsal’s auto-request feature, you don’t have to worry about that. Learn how to get more testimonials using automated requests.

Super Links : This feature makes your customers’ lives easier using pre-filled forms.

2. Displaying Testimonials

Review HQ : This feature allows you to display your testimonials on any page of any website.

Widgets : They are a great way of displaying a testimonial on your web page in your preferred style. The best part is, you don’t need any coding language whatsoever to use these widgets.

All you need to do is choose a theme, customize it to match your brand and copy the provided embed code. Learn more about how Endorsal widgets work .

Widgets let you style your testimonials and then place individual or grouped testimonials on a webpage.

Wall of love : This is one of the most popular features of Endorsal, that helps you create a page to display all your stunning testimonials. It works as an effective tool for increasing conversions and it’s a great way to quickly show potential customers how amazing your business is.

An Example of testimonials displayed automatically using the "wall of love" feature.

FOMO Popups : FOMO popups activate our natural Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and give customers that extra push to buy a product. These are small social proof notifications that appear at random intervals on your website.

They contain snippets of testimonials that can be expanded to read more. FOMO popups are especially useful for boosting conversion rates.

An example of a FOMO Popup.

3. Integrating Testimonials

Importing from other platforms: when it comes to online testimonials from your social media pages, this is where Endorsal comes into play. The tool lets you automatically pull in testimonials by integrating your Facebook page and Google. Once you ask your customers to leave feedback on these platforms, they will be automatically published to your website, and you can forget about the tedious copy and paste process. Other platforms Endorsal supports include Yelp and Tripadvisor.

To make things better, you can include additional rules to the Endorsal system, so that it only publishes the best reviews. For example, you can set it to publish reviews that have 4-star ratings and above. Testimonials with lower ratings can be reviewed manually before displaying them on your website.

4. Sharing Testimonials

Review Marketing: This feature automatically posts your favourite testimonials to other social networks. It allows you to download high-resolution images of your testimonials that you can add to your email campaigns, advertisements, print and any other marketing collateral.

Endorsal provides you with the following powerful features:

Publish to other platforms : Your customers will be able to publish their feedback to platforms such as your Facebook page, Yelp and Google My Business.
Smart Avatars : Faces add more credibility to your testimonials. This feature lets your customers add their picture via a one-click import of their photo from their social accounts or Endorsal’s fast image uploader.
Add or import templates : If you already have a collection of testimonials, you can add them via your dashboard or import them using a CSV file.

What if you already have a collection of testimonials externally?

If you have a collection of offline testimonials or on other review sites, they can be easily uploaded into Endorsal very easily. You can upload them from a CSV file.

What the Testimonials Will Look Like

The result is amazing, and the testimonials are displayed professionally on your page. They fit in with your website impeccably and they are responsive.

Pricing

Endorsal has four packages: Starter, Essential, Professional and Advanced.

The pricing for these packages starts from $39 if billed monthly and $29 if billed annually. Here is a breakdown of the 4 packages on offer.

If you’re just starting out or want to test the tool, you can try their free plan which also comes with all the main features .

A Worthwhile Investment

Endorsal is bound to make your testimonial collection process easier, eliminating the need to go hunting for customer testimonials manually. Set it up in just ten minutes and you are good to go.

The best part about all this is that you do not need coding skills to work with this tool. Once your customers write and publish their testimonials, Endorsal will do the rest.

Ledgers Branding is an affiliate of Endorsal.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

How to Set Up A No-Fail System to Collect Customer Testimonials

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 14 May 2021 15:36:26 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How To Set Up A No Fail System To Collect Customer Testimonials

Summary

As an experienced business owner, you know that gathering and using customer testimonials is a valuable step in the customer journey.

Collecting testimonials can be a game-changer for your business, but maybe you are struggling with the entire process or maybe you do not know where to start. Find out how you can easily ask for and collect testimonials in the easiest and most efficient ways

You will learn

Customer testimonials position your business as a trusted service provider and help prospects reduce their risk in talking to someone they don’t know. They also improve your reputation and play a big role in promoting your brand to prospects. Testimonials are effective in boosting your brand’s online presence, but they can be a challenge to collect.

You might not have the time or resources to dedicate to collecting testimonials. But what if you could create a system that collects testimonials automatically? When set up correctly, you can collect testimonials automatically around the clock.

How to Set Up A System to Collect Testimonials Automatically

To create an automated system for collecting testimonials, you will need to:

Create a space where your customers can submit testimonials such as a form or a landing page.
Ask your customers for testimonials by using tools such as email automation software
Display testimonials on your website and social media pages
Launch your system

If you have existing tools that work for your business such as email marketing tools or form builders, you can use them. Alternatively, you can try out other tools that are specifically designed to collect testimonials such as Boast .

Once you have your tools ready, follow these guidelines for building your testimonial collection system.

1. Create a form and landing page

A dedicated landing page for testimonials will enable customers to write and submit testimonials without your help.

You can simply provide instructions to your customers about what you want them to do, add questions for them to answer and maybe information about rewards for sending their testimonials. A landing page also makes it easy for you to create a URL your customers can easily remember when they want to submit a testimonial.

Remember to review the testimonials before you approve them to be published on your website.

Some things to include on your landing page are:

Simple instructions on how to submit testimonials.
Specific questions you would like them to answer.
A form for customers to fill in details such as their names or job titles.
A notice requesting their permission to use the testimonials.

2. Ask for testimonials automatically

If your customers don’t know that you want testimonials, then you will probably not get them regardless of how many loyal customers you have. You can reach out to them in the following ways:

Email campaigns: Use email automation software like MailChimp or Constant Contact to ask for testimonials.

In-store signage: Post signage around your shop where customers can see such as the check-out line. Include the URL or a barcode that directs them to the testimonial landing page.

Post-purchase email: Send follow-up/thank you emails for customers who make a purchase and include a link to your testimonial page so they can provide details about their experience.

3. Post testimonials on your website and social pages

The next step after collecting testimonials is to post them on your website and social media pages so that your prospects can see them. This step requires you to review testimonials before they are published, even if you are using automation tools to post your testimonials.

4. Launch your testimonial system

Once your landing page, automated emails and display process are ready, all you need to do is turn all these functions on and watch your testimonials come in.

You don’t need to monitor them every day, but it’s good to set aside some time every week just to ensure the process is running smoothly. Review the testimonials you have collected and approve or reject them.

Other ways you can use your testimonials

Besides your website and social media channels, you can use your testimonials in marketing collateral such as brochures, advertisements, posters and more. Make sure you have your customers’ consent before posting their testimonials anywhere.

It Pays to Have A System for Collecting Customers

If you wait for testimonials to come on their own or if you just ask your customers for them and sit there praying for the best, you will probably get nothing. However, if you develop a streamlined process for collecting testimonials, you are more likely to get a positive response and ultimately increase your conversion rate.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

How to Get Powerful Testimonials That Help You Close More Deals

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 14 May 2021 15:35:48 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How to Get Powerful Testimonials That Help You Close More Deals

Summary

How do you sell to prospects who don’t know if they can trust you? A key factor is including trust indicators on your website such as testimonials.

Real, genuine testimonials on your website and marketing materials improve your chances that a prospect will reach out to you but how do you go about getting them?

You will learn

Why do you need testimonials?

Testimonials are an integral part of any business. They build a sense of trust and have the potential of converting prospects to customers.

Every great website has a testimonial page containing persuasive quotes from current customers. Effective testimonials make a service or product attractive to your ideal clients.

A powerful testimonial tells your prospects that not only is your business genuine, but your services also deliver as promised. Studies have shown that 92% of customers read online reviews before making a purchase decision .

If you don’t have a testimonial page on your website, how should you go about it?

All you need to do is either use existing reviews or simply ask your customers to write reviews for you.

Read on to learn how you can encourage your customers to write testimonials for you.

Essential Things to Consider When Getting Testimonials

Be proactive. You must ask your current customers for testimonials. Failing to do so will only get you a slice of the testimonials you could have obtained if you asked.

Get the testimonials in writing. To prevent any privacy or legal problems, ensure that you get your customers’ permission to display their testimonials on your website or other public information material.

Create a sense of urgency. It’s natural for people to procrastinate. When asking your customers for testimonials, add a sentence that says something like, “If you can do this within the next two days, that would be great.”

Give examples. Sometimes clients can get writer’s block when trying to write a testimonial. Provide them with sample testimonials from other clients to guide them on how to write one.

Transcribe a testimonial based on previous emails or conversations. You might email the client and ask their permission to write a testimonial using the praise they gave you on a project. You reassure them that you are only writing up the words they used from your conversation.

Use both names. Displaying your customer’s first and last name will increase the authenticity of a testimonial. If privacy is an issue, you can use their first name and the first letter of their surname.

Add a headshot. Putting a face to your customer’s testimonial boosts authenticity. You can get a photo from their social media profiles but be sure to ask them which photo you can use.

Should you offer an enticement or incentive for a review?

I would avoid offering an enticement for a review. Google Support states, “Reviews are most valuable when they’re honest and unbiased. For example, business owners shouldn't offer incentives to customers in exchange for reviews.”

How to Ask Your Customers for Testimonials

1. Ask them immediately:

Ask for testimonials directly after you have made a sale or when they start seeing the value of your product or business. If you delivered excellent service and value, your customers would be happy to write you a testimonial.

2. Make it easy for them:

Instead of asking for a testimonial, guide the clients, so they don’t feel nervous trying to write a good testimonial. Ask clients how their experience is so far with your product or service. When they reply positively, you can ask for more details such as what kind of results they are getting. Summarise their response and ask them if you can use it as a testimonial.

3. Follow up politely:

Once you find a moment when your customers are happy and feeling grateful for your business, you can send them an email and ask them for a testimonial politely. Don’t nag them though. If they don’t respond, you can ask again in future if they make another purchase.

4. Make sure it helps you sell:

This means that you should ensure the testimonials cover the benefits and results of using your product or service. Fundamental to an effective testimonial is a transformation for the client. For example, if a customer never got any leads from their website but after the website redesign, they got an average of 12 new leads/month, that is a transformation.

5. Ask at the right time:

The best time to ask is when your customer has successfully used your product. If you don’t ask, you don’t get that vital feedback that your business needs.

6. Create a process for compiling testimonials:

The most effective way of getting testimonials is gathering them way before you need them. You, therefore, need to develop a method of how your business will look for, capture and organize testimonials.

Whatever that process looks like, be sure to engage your sales and support teams. After all, they are the ones who interact with customers the most by directly communicating with them. Clearly outline the process and empower them to participate in finding these testimonials.

Testimonial questions to ask your customers

Which features made you buy this product or service?
What made you happiest about working with us?
Where did your search for our product/service begin?
What made us stand out from other brands?
What have you achieved since using our product or service?
What obstacle almost stopped you from buying our product?
What’s the main reason for recommending us to your friends and family?
Is there anything we could do differently?
What would you tell someone who is considering buying from us?
Do you have any other comments or suggestions about our offers or business?
What about us surprised you the most?

Are you scared of asking customers for testimonials?

Don’t be!

The most challenging part of getting powerful customer testimonials for your business is asking them.

However, you can leave all your fears behind now that you have learnt simple ways to get those testimonials and sample questions to ask your clients.

So, it’s just up to you to make a move and ask.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

How to Discover Your Customers’ Biggest Pain Points

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Sat, 01 May 2021 14:27:02 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

How to Discover Your Customers’ Biggest Pain Points

Summary

The success of your business revolves around how much you know and understand your customers’ needs. With this knowledge, you are in a better position to create relevant products or services and convince prospective or existing customers that you are the best choice in the market.

Be relentless about finding out everything you can about them, including how they measure success, what makes them tick, what their main pain points are and how your business will make their lives easier.

Know your customers, keep them happy and you will retain them.

You will learn

What do you know about your customers?

Knowing your customers well will go a long way in helping you develop a relevant website for your business, as well as more effective sales and marketing strategies. Put in the effort and find out who they are, what they like/buy and why they like/ buy it.

If you are a B2B company, you need to find out which individuals in your target companies are responsible for buying decisions. These are the people you will target in your marketing.

For example, if you’re in the business of developing banking software, your ideal customer would be senior level executives in banks, such as bank managers and CEOs. You would not achieve much trying to market your service to frontline staff like bank tellers.

You will only be able to drive sales once you emphasize the benefits of your product or service to your prospects. If you understand the problems that face them, then it will be easier to provide them with solutions.

It’s also important to continue paying attention to future developments in your industry and customers’ lives. Being up to date with industry trends that will affect your customers will help you establish their future needs and offer those solutions the moment the need arises.

So, What Exactly Are Customer Pain Points?

Pain points are specific challenges that your prospective customers are experiencing. Think of them as problems that need to be solved.

Pain points are just as diverse as your prospects themselves, and not all prospects will know their pain points.

This makes it quite difficult to market to such individuals because you need to help them realize that they have a problem and convince them that your product or service is the answer to that problem.

There are four major categories of pain points:

Process pain points: Your prospects are trying to create or improve efficient internal processes.
Financial pain points: Your prospective customers are finding ways in which they can reduce their spend on their current vendors.
Support pain points: Your prospects are not getting enough support during vital phases of the customer journey.
Productivity pain points: Your prospects are not using their time efficiently with their current vendors.

Use these categories to think about how to position your business as the answer to your prospects’ challenges.

For example, if your prospects’ pain points are mainly financial you could focus on features of your product that address low cost options such as choosing a lower subscription plan, or point out feedback from existing customers who have reported a high ROI after using your product or service.

How to Identify Your Customers’ Pain Points

Now that you know what pain points are and why you need to know them, you need to figure out how to identify them.

It’s highly likely that your prospects experience similar pain points. The diversity comes in the root cause of these pain points. That’s why carrying out research is a vital part of discovering customer pain points.

Qualitative research is the preferred method of identifying your customer pain points. It focuses on more detailed, personalized answers to open-ended questions.

Quantitative research focuses on standardized questions and representative sample sizes and would not provide as much detail as possible.

Even if five customers have the same challenge, the root cause of that challenge could vary significantly from one customer to another.

Two primary sources of information you need to discover your customers’ pain points are:

Your customers: Ask them about their struggles, concerns, and worries.
Your sales, marketing and support teams: review sales interactions and use SEO research tools to help you identify opportunities for content development.

5 Tips to Help You Understand Your Customers’ Pain Points

1. Use Smart Customer Engagement

Advanced technology has made it easier to interact with customers. There are several tools that work effectively as customer service channels. Other tools allow you to communicate with your customers while they browse your website or encourage them to share their opinions, for example, through customer satisfaction surveys .

All these channels are tools for collecting customer insights. All the data you get from interacting with your customers will help you gain a deeper understanding of them. Review interactions with your customer service teams, look for patterns, and react to the insights you discover.

2. Develop More Detailed Buyer Personas

Creating generic demographics for your buyer personas will not provide enough data to develop messaging that resonates with your target market on an emotional level.

One way you can delve deeper into your customers’ needs is through Google Analytics . With the help of the Acquisitions tab you can see which blogs, forums and social media platforms your website traffic comes from. Use this data for your personas to know when and where to reach them.

3. Gather Data from Customer Analytics

The moment a customer visits your website, you can get plenty of valuable insights about how they spend time on the site. All their actions including clicking on links, reading through web pages, the time they spend on your site go a long way in helping you understand their behaviour.

Tools like Google Analytics are fantastic for tracking your customers’ interaction with your website. The data you collect should help you understand what your prospects like or don’t like or what they don’t understand, and what you need to improve to create a more robust website experience.

If you discovered a particular page that your visitors spend the most time, analyze it to see what’s attracting them. On the flip side, if you notice a high bounce rate on a specific page, try to figure out what’s making people turn away.

4. Plan for the Future

Besides your current plan for customer engagement, also create one for the future. This will prepare your customer service teams in responding to customers, especially during difficult situations.

You can take advantage of predictive analytics software to identify trends and patterns that can provide insight into decision making.

Backlinks that will help improve your site's ranking.
Increasing the time visitors spend on your site.
Answering specific questions your customers ask.

5. Navigate Your Customers’ Path

Empathise with your customer to understand the customer buying journey.

Companies use customer journey mapping, a technique whereby a detailed, graphical representation of the customer journey is created. It is based on the major touchpoints and interactions between your brand and your customer before, during, and after buying.

Bottom Line

No matter how good your product or service is, no one will buy it if they are not interested in it or convinced that they don’t need it. In addition, you cannot persuade someone to buy what you’re offering unless you have a deep understanding of what they really want.

Take some time to know your customers because they are the only ones who can help grow your business. Once you understand their pain points, you will offer them the best products/services and in return build strong customer relationships.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

Why Isn’t Anyone Coming to My Website?

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Thu, 22 Apr 2021 17:15:36 GMT

Why isn't anyone coming to my website?

Why isn't anyone visiting your website?

Summary

Website visitors are the life force of any website. Without them, you can’t get customers, and this translates to zero sales. Have you ever wondered why no one seems to find your website despite having attractive web pages and amazing content?

Well, there are several reasons you’re not getting website traffic. To figure out why no one is visiting your website, you need to understand the different factors that are responsible for boosting website traffic which have been addressed here.

You will learn

Why Isn’t Anyone Coming to My Website?

One of the best tools you should have in your marketing toolbox is a website. Nowadays, having a website is a requirement for your business because everyone is online and checking out websites of their favourite companies, shops, and service providers.

However, you need to have a website that your target market wants to visit. So why aren’t they coming to your website? Maybe you’re struggling to generate traffic, or you used to have plenty of website visitors, and now you only get a handful per day. There are reasons for this, and we will help you understand your lack of website visitors.

It starts with a strong SEO game

Any website design professional will tell you that generating website traffic starts with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). SEO is all about getting found using certain keywords that relate to your business.

It starts when someone types in words like “ how to increase traffic to my website ” into Google. If you optimize your website for Google’s web crawlers to find your site, your business will appear on the first two pages.

If your website isn’t optimized, it will be shoved all the way back on page 10. Why is this bad for your website? Because people rarely go beyond the first couple of pages of Google search results.

Lack of SEO could be where your website traffic problems are stemming from.

You will rank high on Google if your business is good at answering people’s questions. Your prospects go to Google when they are searching for solutions to their problems.

Does your website provide these solutions to your clients?

I f yes, Google will shoot some traffic your way. If not, your website will remain as it is, just a website and not a lead-generating machine.

Does your website have a good design?

Your website is a reflection of your brand.

It is among the first things your target audience will look at to get to know you, and therefore you need to ensure that you make an excellent first impression so that you can nurture your leads and increase the number of conversions.

According to SWEOR's First Impression's Report, “57% of internet users say that they would not recommend a business with a poorly designed website on mobile and 38% of people will stop engaging with a website if the content or layout is unattractive”.

This means that if your website is not optimized to work on smartphones and other mobile devices and if the layout and content is not appealing, you will basically be chasing your visitors away.

To ensure that you have a properly designed website, have a look at the following web design elements that should be in sync with your brand identity and used consistently.

Colour

If you already have a brand guideline outlining your brand colours, then you should use them on your website. If you’re just starting out, use this guide to help you choose the right colours for your brand.

Layout

Your web layout should be clean and simple. Make sure it draws attention to the most important aspects of your business.

Typography and Fonts

The number one rule for choosing a font is that it should be easy to read and 100% visible against your web pages’ background colour. Your font should also be guided by your brand personality. For example, are you formal, fun, youthful?

Accessibility

Your website should be designed in a way that anyone, including people with disabilities, can browse through it without trouble.

Navigation

The main goal of your website’s visitors is to find the information they want in the shortest time possible. Your website design should make this process seamless.

The more user-friendly your website is, the higher the chances people will stay longer, engage with your content and click on those Call-to-Action buttons .

What if you have excellent content and you still aren’t getting traffic?

So, you have carefully planned, optimized, and launched your website, and still, no one is visiting it. Why?

Google can be very picking when choosing websites to send their clients. They use an algorithm (selection criteria) to help them decide which website gets traffic and which one gets left out.

To boost traffic to your website, you need to get a deeper understanding of how Google’s search algorithms work and provide a wonderful experience to customers.

How to Drive More Traffic to Your Website

Boosting website traffic is just one thing. Getting qualified leads (people who are truly interested in your products or services) is another. It’s never too late to create a strategy to drive more qualified traffic to your website.

Here are 6 tips to help you get more visitors to your website.

1. Ensure your website is compatible with multiple devices

People browse the internet using desktops, smartphones, iPads, and many other smart devices. It is therefore important to make sure that your website works seamlessly with all these devices.

Your customers expect a smooth browsing experience regardless of the device they use. How your website appears and its user experience on multiple devices will have a great impact in the long run.

Businesses that provide a flawless experience to their website visitors generate more leads and sales.

2. Your website should download lightning fast

Most internet users expect a website to load in less than 2 seconds. Over the years, the loading times of websites have become a vital pillar in what makes an excellent website.

G oogle also knows this and factors in loading speed as one of the direct ranking factors for search results .

You might be confident about the loading speed of your website because you have seen how quickly it downloads.

However, watching it download is not the best test because once you load a website on your computer, a cached version (memory) of it is stored and it will load faster the next time you open it.

To know how fast your website loads, drop me an email with your URL and I’ll send you accurate results.

3. Give your visitors an exceptional experience

People who visit your website want to enjoy browsing it regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Some visitors may have colour blindness, shaky hands, or poor vision.

If your web pages are too complex to maneuver, visitors will wander off to look for friendlier websites. Keep it straightforward and easy to find things. Your website should get straight to the point without wasting users’ time.

Research has shown that the average internet user spends about 45 seconds to 2 minutes on a website. So, make every second count.

4. Create relevant content for your ideal customer

In this digitally driven world, businesses are competing now more than ever.

T hey are creating relevant content for their audience and this eventually generates more leads for their business.

Therefore, each piece of content that you create for your website should focus on addressing the needs of your customers.

Creating content that aligns with your customers' needs comes with benefits such as:

Backlinks that will help improve your site's ranking.
Increasing the time visitors spend on your site.
Answering specific questions your customers ask.

5. Make your website accessible

To attract as many visitors as possible, you need to ensure that your website can be used by anyone.

T o do this, you just need to understand the main issues that can make it difficult for people to use a website.

Once you do, take the necessary steps to avoid making those mistakes and make your site more appealing to visitors.

Also, if your website is not easily accessible, then Google cannot understand your website, ultimately resulting in failure to send traffic your way. A great place to learn more about web accessibility is WebAim.

Don't fall into the trap of purchasing software tools that make your website accessible. They may look like a simple way out, but most of them don't work effectively.

The best way to do this is to learn about accessibility , or at least get a professional web designer who understands it and can build your website from the foundation up using appropriate web standards.

6. Get out there and network

One primary key to a successful business is interacting with your clients. Find the social media platforms where they like to hang out and get to know them.

Learn about their challenges and help them find solutions to their problems.

W hile at it, create a great business profile to capture their interest, and that will eventually lead them to your website.

Wrapping Up

You can get yourself into trouble by thinking that your job is done the moment you launch your website, but you need to do more than that to get traffic flowing to your site.

It can be difficult in the beginning, but with some hard work, you will gain momentum .

F ollow the great tips above and explore the resources provided, and you will be on the right path to increasing traffic to your website—not only any traffic but the type of visitors you want to attract.

You don’t have to go it alone.

Send me a question you are struggling with and I’ll get back to you with an answer.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Lead Generation Through SEO: What You Really Need to Know

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:59:37 GMT

Lead Generation Through SEO: What You Really Need to Know

Summary

SEO is simply about making it easy for Google to find your site when Google users search for information that is in your site.

You will learn

Lead Generation—an Overview

There are very many ways of generating leads or simply, bringing people to your website. Out of all the lead generation methods available today, SEO (search engine optimization) stands out as the best/most effective method.

The reason for this is simple. Search engines such as Google control over 90% of all internet traffic.

Gone are the days when people had to memorize website addresses and input them manually to be able to visit websites.

Google made it possible to find websites as well as any kind of information online easily by using search terms which are popularly known as keywords or keyword phrases. Today, every single internet user depends on search engines to find information online.

Website owners can’t therefore afford to ignore search engines if they are keen on getting traffic to their sites. It is however important to note that search engines have rules that must be followed for sites to be ranked. Having a website won’t guarantee you visibility on search engines.

Your website must be made in a search engine-friendly way for it to appear on Google search results. SEO is simply about making it easy for Google to find your site when Google users search for information that is in your site.

The easier it is for Google to find your site online, the higher your rank will be on search results (or simply put, the better the SEO, the higher the ranking).

It’s that simple.

It is however important to note that since most people care about page one search engine results only, you can’t afford to do half backed SEO if you are keen on capitalizing on search traffic.

The key is optimizing your site in such a way that your site appears on page one search results for the search terms you have optimized for.

We will talk about optimizing for search terms (keywords/keyword phrases) later in this article. The most important thing to note now is that SEO must be done perfectly for it to generate leads effectively.

The ultimate goal is to appear on page one search results and Google gives SEO guidelines which must be followed for websites to enjoy page one Google ranking. These guidelines are public knowledge however, very few people get it right. Why is this the case?

Lead Generation through SEO Starts with Learning Customer Problems

Contrary to popular belief, SEO starts way before the actual process. Many website owners are guilty of jumping into SEO blindly without understanding the key to effective SEO which is; understanding the problems of your potential customers.

It doesn’t really matter how many keywords you put in your site if you won’t offer a solution when potential customers land on your site.

It’s worth noting that leads are of no good to you if they won’t convert.

Offering solutions to problems is what turns site leads into buying customers.

A s a result, don’t jump into SEO before you find out exactly what your potential customers are looking for. To do this effectively, you’ll need to;

Find out What Sends Your Potential Customers to Google

The best way of generating useful leads via search engines is finding out what your target customer is looking for when they go to Google. Depending on your niche, this could be anything from a specific product/service to general information, advice etc.

Once you find out what sends your potential customer to Google, purpose to optimize your website based on that information. In a nutshell, everything about your website (from the design to the content) should be focused on solving the problems of your potential consumer.

If your clients go to Google to find a product you are selling, you should have adequate information about that product on your site.

You However Need to Find What Your Potential Clients Are Typing on Google. How Do You Do That?

Fortunately, there are many ways of finding out what your potential site customers want.

You can use tools such as Google AdWords to conduct thorough keyword and keyword phrase research aimed at finding out the words (keywords) and phrases (keyword phrases) people like using when looking for certain information online.

Every niche has popular keywords and keyword phrases.

For instance, if your site is about smartphones, popular Smartphone brands i.e. Samsung phone, LG phone, iPhone etc. are obvious keywords that people will have to type on Google to land on your site.

Keyword research tools such as AdWords help you find the best keywords to use on your site depending on factors such as your site niche.

AdWords already knows what keywords and keyword phrases people like using on Google to find a site like yours. It is therefore advisable to use such tools instead of guessing what people are most likely to type on Google to land on your site.

AdWords aside, you can find suitable keywords/keyword phrases by speaking directly to your consumers or engaging with your sales and customer support staff since these are the people who engage directly with your existing and potential customers.

Such individuals have great insights about the problems your existing/target consumer are facing, what they want/are looking for etc.

When you base your website design i.e. content creation on solving your clients’ problems, you won’t have a problem generating leads through SEO.

Furthermore, search engines favour websites which offer valuable information i.e. those with content that users are looking for.

If people just visit your site once and leave immediately simply because you had the right keywords in your site but no useful information/solutions, you won’t get far.

S earch engines consider bounce rates when ranking sites. The higher the bounce rate, the worse your ranking will be.

Summary

Understanding your existing and potential customers is the first and most important step to effective lead generation through SEO.

It’s the key to finding the best/most popular keywords and/or keyword phrases. It’s also the key to ensuring you solve the problems of your existing and potential clients effectively.

It’s important to note that the most successful sites are those that strive to offer their visitors exactly what they want/are looking for.

Generating leads through search engine optimization must therefore starts with learning consumer problems.

Once you do this, everything else will fall in place. You will be able to identify the most important factors to consider when you want to do effective SEO i.e. the best website design templates to use, the best keywords/keyword phrases to use in your site, the best content that solves the problems of your existing/potential site visitors among other important SEO information.

Although title tags, page speed, meta descriptions are all part of effective SEO, you should start by focusing on solving your clients problems using your site if you are keen on doing the most effective lead generation through SEO.

E verything else should come second.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

What Are Curated Newsletters and How Can They Help Your Business?

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Mon, 29 Mar 2021 17:59:37 GMT

What Are Curated Newsletters and How Can They Help Your Business?

Summary

Curate is a word used to describe the process of selecting, organizing and presenting online content, information, merchandise etc. using expert or professional knowledge.

You will learn

Curated Newsletters—an Overview

Does the word "curate" scare you? If yes, don’t worry. You're not alone! The most important thing to note is that almost everyone today is a curator.

If you have a social media account/profile which you use to post pictures, videos, status updates, tweets among other types of content that you find useful to yourself and your friends or those following you, you are definitely a curator.

The only difference is; you haven’t been conscious about being a curator!

"A factor that still influences the purchase decision is brand awareness." from Importance of Brand Awareness and Brand Loyalty in assessing Purchase Intentions of Consumer by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Ehsan Malik

What Does Curate Mean?

Curate is a word used to describe the process of selecting, organizing and presenting online content, information, merchandise etc. using expert or professional knowledge.

What Are Curated Newsletters?

Curated email newsletters popularly referred to as curated newsletters are simply newsletters which contain a selection of popular, interesting or otherwise noteworthy content.

T he newsletters are usually emailed to opt-in lists or subscribers of the newsletter on a regular basis i.e. daily, weekly or monthly.

Typical curated newsletters contain lists of interesting titles/topics and links. Some curated newsletters may also offer a summary of content, a commentary as well as related images.

Curated newsletters allow small business owners to keep top-of-mind-awareness (TOMA) with their customers without the demands of creating original content.

Why Have Curated Newsletters Become so Important?

With this age of social media, apps, forums and new websites every day, there is so much information available online at any given time most of which isn’t useful and/or accurate. The internet has made everyone an author.

As a result, there is so much inaccurate content out there. Audiences find it very appealing to have experts sort out content and deliver the best/most valuable/popular content to their inboxes.

T his is basis of curated newsletters and the main reason behind their ongoing success.

Curated newsletters have attempted to solve the information "overload" problem by utilizing professionals to sift through content in their fields and present the best of that content (articles/links) in an organized format i.e. as a newsletter.

A curated newsletter therefore saves readers the time they would have otherwise wasted going through inaccurate content and/or content that doesn’t add any real value.

There are many other reasons why curated newsletters are important. For instance, they are a more formal and effective way of marketing than social media marketing in some aspects. Curated newsletters also give businesses an unmatched ability to personalize as well as segment lists for more effectiveness. Social media posts don’t offer this benefit.

Curated newsletters also allow businesses to ''pump up'' emails. If you struggle to come up with content for your email subscribers, curated newsletters are a great way to offer more without compromising on quality.

Types of Curated Newsletters

There are many types of curated email newsletters depending on many factors such as the intention of the newsletter, the author of the newsletter, the intended audience among other factors.

T he most popular types of curated newsletters include;

1. Personally curated newsletter: This type of curated newsletter is prepared by an industry expert, thought leader or individual who enjoys hand-picking each individual link or piece of information.

Personally curated newsletters are created by experts who know and understand their subscribers very well.

This type of curated newsletter is among the most powerful since subscribers are 100% on board and are always excited to read whatever is sent to them.

2. Reactivation newsletter: As the name suggests, this type of curated email newsletter is prepared to achieve one goal only i.e bringing back customers who have visited a website but never completed any transactions.

3. Internal team news newsletter: This type of curated newsletter focuses on internal teams as the name suggests.

The newsletter focuses on delivering the most important news pertinent to specific departments in an organization.

The newsletter contains company blog posts, updates, whatever is going on in the company, industry news etc.

4. Blog post curated newsletter: This type of newsletter contains a collection of published content/posts and acts as a roundup.

This newsletter can easily qualify as the easiest type of curated newsletter to build given the fact that the content is already available and vetted.

5. E-commerce curated newsletter: This type of curated newsletter is meant to promote the products/services being sold on a website.

The newsletter can also contain company news, top product/service reviews among other promotional content i.e. discounts, upcoming sales etc.

There are many other types of curated newsletters i.e. those that combine two or more types of curated newsletters. The above types are however the most important.

Curating Your Email Newsletter

Curated newsletters simply take email marketing to the next level. Instead of sending your email subscribers typical newsletters, you can offer more value and achieve much more in terms of marketing and sensitization.

Furthermore, you’ve already taken the first leap into becoming a curator by the mere fact that you are on social media. It’s easy to create curated newsletters. Below are some of the most important steps to follow when you want to create outstanding curated email newsletters.

Step 1: Choose a Topic

This is the first and most important step to consider when you want to create an outstanding curated newsletter. This is assuming you already have a subscriber list. Since curated newsletters are marketing as well as informational tools, the topic you choose should be within your audiences' line of interest.

The topic also needs to connect perfectly with the products and/or services sold by the business publishing the curated newsletter. It’s easy to know what will capture your audience’s attention. You can check past feedback, social media posts and platforms like Disqus to see what your subscribers’ interests are.

Step 2: Gather Content

Once you have chosen a topic of interest to focus on, the next step is gathering content. It’s advisable to use tools like Evernote and Pocket to note down all the interesting content you come across that you may want to share with your email subscribers.

Goodbits is another great tool for gathering content for newsletters. Goodbits’ browser extension helps to collect and queue content links which are then added to newsletters later. You can connect Goodbits to Buffer or Slack for more functionality. The applications pull gathered content making future curation easy.

Step 3: Send

This is the last step to curating your email newsletter. You can send curated email newsletters in many ways.

The most popular is via MailChimp which is an email marketing software that offers very simple yet effective options for designing, sending as well as saving email templates. Goodbits can also send email newsletters.

To get the best outcome after sending your curated newsletter, it’s important to send your newsletter the same day and time weekly or monthly.

This tip is important because subscribers tend to become more loyal and engaged when they fall into the habit of expecting content.

Examples of Popular Curated Newsletters

There are quite a number of curated newsletters available today.

The most popular include:

1. HackerNews : A weekly curated newsletter that highlights the best technology articles touching on startups, programming etc.

2. SaaS Weekly : This is a weekly curated newsletter highlighting the most useful content/links for anyone interested in SaaS businesses.

3. Really Good Emails : This is a curated newsletter about really good newsletters.

4. Farnam Street : A list of interesting reads typically include philosophy, psychology, and human behaviour.

Summary of Top Benefits of Curated Newsletters: Why You Should Prepare Curated Email Newsletters

1. Curated emails are very helpful for small businesses which lack full-scale marketing departments. With curated content, small businesses don’t have to struggle anymore to find content for emails.

2. Curated email newsletters are among the fastest/most effective forms of online marketing today given the fact that people take emails more seriously than social media notifications.

3. Curated newsletters are cheap/cost effective: It is free to reach your email subscribers. You have to pay to reach all your target audience with almost every other online marketing method.

4. Curated email newsletters give you a perfect opportunity to position yourself as an industry/expert leader by sharing valuable information.

5. Curated emails ensure you give your audience access to valuable information while conserving their time.

A curated newsletter: Recommended stories from around the web, hand-picked by "you—or your team" to share with your audience.

Conclusion

Contrary to popular belief, email marketing isn’t dead. The increasing popularity of curated newsletters has proven that email marketing is here to stay. Curated newsletters have many benefits to businesses as well as customers (email subscribers).

After going through the above information, you shouldn’t have a problem adopting curated newsletters into your online marketing strategies.

A lthough it's possible to create curated newsletters on your own, it's advisable to seek the services of a professional curated newsletter expert to get the best out of your curated newsletters.

~~~~ The End ~~~~

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

The Best Solution to Generating High Value Customers

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:41:11 GMT

The Best Solution to Generating High Value Customers

Summary

Content marketing is a form of online marketing that focuses on the creation and distribution of relevant and valuable content with the aim of attracting, acquiring and engaging a clearly defined/understood target audience.

You will learn

Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.

What is content marketing?

In simple terms, content marketing is all about creating website content that will attract website visitors as well as make them perform desired actions on your site/blog i.e. subscribe, buy something etc.

To be able to do this, the content you make must include some elements. For instance, the site content you create and post must be of high quality. This should go without saying since nobody wants to read site content which is full of typos, grammar errors, tense errors etc.

The content you create also needs to be interesting. It’s one thing having high quality website content and another totally different thing to have catchy interesting content. To make your site content interesting, you must consider using engaging titles, pictures, videos etc.

Website content also needs to have all the relevant keywords for it to attract visitors. This is where Search engine optimization (SEO) comes in handy. We will cover SEO later in this article.

All you need to know now is; SEO is the key to getting plenty of website visitors from search engines like Google. Have you ever wondered why some websites get more traffic from Google than others? If yes, don’t worry, you’ll find out shortly.

What is Website Content?

In online marketing terms, content refers to anything posted online on websites and blogs. Content ranges from website/blog articles to pictures and videos. Written content is however the most popular/important kind of content for obvious reasons i.e. every website needs written content to fill up website pages.

Blog content, product/service content and news & timely content top the list of most important types of website content. This can be attributed to the fact that these types of content have the most significant impact on search ranking provided the content is created and posted perfectly.

Perfectly crafted blog content has a lot of benefits the most notable being boosting organic search ranking. Perfectly crafted product/service content offers adequate/engaging information about products/services prompting website visitors to take a desired action like buying products/services.

Perfectly crafted news and timely website content updates website visitors on new products/services among other important updates that are bound to have a positive effect on business.

Overview of the Importance of Content Marketing

The above overview gives you an idea of what content marketing is as well as how to make great content. Let’s shift our focus a bit to another very important question surrounding content marketing i.e. why is content marketing so important?

For your site to remain relevant and maintain a high ranking on search engines like Google, you need to work on the content frequently. Unless you are willing to spend a fortune marketing your site/blog via online ads, you need content marketing more than any other form of internet marketing.

Furthermore, content marketing is more effective than most (if not all) other forms of internet marketing. Forms of content marketing such as search engine optimization (popularly referred to as SEO) are the most effective when you want your website to rank highly on search engines like Google.

Before we discuss the importance of content marketing further, it’s important to understand the important role Google plays in content marketing.

Why Is Google an Important Part of Content Marketing?

Over 92% of all people who use the internet find information using search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. The remaining 8% just bump into information online by chance or through subscriptions, via emails, social media etc.

Google is the most important search engine since most people use Google to find information online. According to the latest statistics from StatsCounter , Google has a 90.05% search engine market share of the North American market. Bing is a distant 2nd place with a 5.17% market share followed by Yahoo and DuckDuckGo which have a market share of 2.55% and 1.86% respectively.

In a nutshell, your search engine marketing efforts should be concentrated on Google if you’re keen on getting as much search engine traffic as possible. The process of making your website or blog friendly to search engines is called search engine optimization or SEO. (Making your site friendly to search engines simply means making it easy for search engines to find your website online).

What Is Search Engine Marketing or Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

To understand why content marketing is so important, you need to understand SEO in-depth. You already know that most internet users use Google to find information online.

The next step is knowing how to make your website rank high on Google. Ranking high on Google is crucial because most people looking for information online using Google rarely leave the 1st search page results.

According to the Search Engine Journal, 75% of users never scroll past the first page of search results. If you’ve used Google to look for information online, you know this to be true.

Page one search results are the most important and the higher you rank on the 1st page, the better. It is therefore paramount for your website to be found high up on the 1st page of search results if you are keen on getting a lot of search traffic to your website.

How to Rank High on Search Engines?

It’s important to note that search engines use algorithms to rank websites. These algorithms look for specific elements in web content. For instance, your website content needs to have competitive keywords i.e. keywords which people are likely to type on Google when looking for information that is in your site.

Search engines also look at things like keyword placement (where keywords are placed in site content. Hint; keywords placed on titles attract better ranking).

Search engines also consider keyword density (the number of times a certain keyword appears in a specific piece of content like an article on your site. Hint: You shouldn’t put too many keywords in any piece of content). Search engine algorithms also consider the quality of content (judged based on the popularity of content) etc.

A content marketing expert can help you do all this perfectly. Let’s discuss content marketing elements briefly before we discuss the importance of content marketing in-depth.

This discussion should help you discover what it means to create great website content.

The main elements of an effective content marketing strategy.

For you to do effective content marketing, a lot of factors must come into play. Below is a detailed discussion of the main elements of an effective content marketing strategy.

1. High Quality Content

As mentioned above, high quality content is an integral part of an effective content marketing strategy for obvious reasons. It doesn’t really matter how much you market your website if you don’t have high quality website content.

This is precisely why it’s so important to hire a professional writer if you aren’t one. High quality site/blog content portrays professionalism. Your website/blog visitors will have a hard time trusting you if your content is full of fluff, typos and other kinds of content errors i.e. grammatical errors.

2. Interesting/Engaging Content

An effective content marketing strategy also strives to make content interesting/engaging. It’s important to note that you can have high quality content which isn’t interesting or engaging. If you don’t know how to create content that engages your website visitors, you are better off outsourcing the task to professionals.

The best content writers know exactly what website visitors want to read. They can craft interesting articles which act like link bait i.e. your website visitors can’t resist clicking on them and performing desired actions like sharing the content.

3. Keyword Optimization

Once you have high quality and interesting content, the next step is ensuring your content has the right keywords placed perfectly i.e. on titles, sub headings without keyword stuffing (including so many keywords). Google has specific keyword guidelines that must be followed for a site to enjoy high ranking.

As a result, including a keyword or keywords in your site content won’t get you ranked high on the 1st page of Google search results. You need to do many things.

First and foremost, you must find the perfect keywords for your site content by doing keyword research using tools like Google AdWords. You also need to know where to place those keywords on your site content.

It’s important to note that you get the best content marketing results when you have a keyword on a main title, page URL (if possible), one of more subheadings and the Meta description (the description that appears with the search results).

The main keyword also needs to be placed in the first paragraph, a few times in the middle and in the last paragraph. All this should be done without including the keyword/s too many times. A keyword density of 2-4% is recommended.

If you’re not an expert on keyword optimization, getting this important content marketing element is impossible. This explains why many website owners who don’t use professional content writing services never enjoy 1st page ranking on Google search results for popular keywords.

Considering keywords are the most important words in any site/blog content (since it’s what internet users type on Google to find information in your site), you can’t afford to do keyword optimization if you aren’t an expert. Keyword research and placement isn’t as easy as it sounds.

4. Image Optimization

A good content marketing strategy should also include optimized images i.e. images with alt tags featuring the target keyword or keyword phrase. Image optimization makes it easy to rank your images as well as the site content with those images.

5. Social Media Optimization

A good content marketing strategy will also include social media optimization which is all about making your site content shareable on social media. To do this, you need to create site content with ideal-sized pictures, catchy titles with the right number of words etc.

Your website also needs to be social media friendly i.e. have ideal social media plugins to make it easier for your website visitors to share your content on their social media profiles. If you don’t know anything about social media content preferences, you will need the services of a professional content marketer.

6. Readability

This is also an important part of an effective content marketing strategy. Your content can be high quality and interesting but challenging to read i.e. you may have included many long sentences that make it hard to read the content. The best content writers are able to prepare content that passes the best readability tests i.e. the Flesch Kincaid readability tests.

7. Regular Posting

Effective content marketing also involves regular posting. Search engine algorithms factor-in the frequency of fresh content in sites. It’s therefore important to keep posting fresh content if you are keen on maintaining a high ranking on Google.

Why Content Marketing Is so Important?

1. Most Effective but Least Costly Form of Online Marketing

Buying content writing packages is way cheaper than paying for online ads as well as traditional ads such as TV, radio and magazine ads. Furthermore, content marketing has been tested and proven to be the most effective form of online marketing considering most internet user use search engines to find information online.

2. Increases/Create Awareness

Creating site content regularly keeps your site visitors aware of everything that is going on in your online business. For instance, new product descriptions posted on your social media page let your website visitors know that you have some new products to offer. Also, without site content, search engines wouldn’t be able to find your site. New highly optimized content is also bound to increase search ranking.

3. Builds Trust

You build trust online by engaging your website visitors. Trust is a very important ingredient for online business success since it’s what makes your website visitors want to perform a favourable action i.e. buy your products when they visit your site. When you create high quality and useful content on a regular basis, you shouldn’t have a problem building trust with your website visitors.

4. Offers Amazing SEO Benefits

As discussed above, content marketing allows you to rank high on search engines through the main elements of an effective content marketing strategy. As long as you create high quality content that is engaging, readable, optimized perfectly (social media, image and keyword optimization), you shouldn’t have a problem ranking your site high on Google for popular keywords in your site niche.

5. Has Long Lasting Benefits

Content marketing offers unmatched long lasting marketing benefits unlike expensive ads which last as long as you are spending money. Once you make great content, you enjoy SEO benefits for years. You continue to attract traffic years after you have made and posted the content on your site or blog.

Summary

The above information highlights everything you need to know about content marketing from the definition to effective content marketing strategies as well as the main benefits.

After going through the above information, you shouldn’t have a problem crafting a perfect content marketing strategy for your online business, website or blog. It is however important to note that content marketing should be done by an expert for you to get the best results.

If you don’t have the expertise and time to implement a perfect content marketing strategy with all the elements discussed above, you are better off seeking professional content writing services.

Furthermore, the cost of seeking such services is cheaper than the cost of online ads and the cost of getting it all wrong when you try it on your own.

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Does Your Business Want More Customers? Look to Twitter

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:41:11 GMT

How Twitter Delivers a Pipeline of Customers to Your Website

Summary

Twitter is such a powerful social media site/tool since it allows its users (both people and businesses) to reach their target audience regardless of their location or what they are doing since twitter is composed of 80% mobile users.

You will learn

Does Your Business Want More Customers? Look to Twitter

To be able to understand what Twitter is and its benefits to businesses, it’s important to define social media. Social media refers to websites and applications that allow users to create as well as share content or participate in social networking. Let’s face it!

Social media has overtaken most (if not all) forms of online marketing today. Social media websites like Facebook have over 1 billion active users on a daily basis.

Twitter boasts of over 320 million active users monthly. There are many other social media sites and apps with an equally impressive user base.

When you consider the fact that most internet users today access the internet via mobile devices and social media sites lead the pack as the most mobile-friendly websites in the web today, it’s easy to see why social media can’t be ignored by businesses keen on crafting effective online strategies.

Although there are very many social media websites and apps today, our focus here will be on twitter and how business owners stand to benefit from using the site.

Twitter is undoubtedly one of the most effective but commonly overlooked social media site for promoting businesses.

M ost business owners today (especially owners of small to medium-sized businesses) haven’t realized the potential of Twitter in bringing in new business. This can be attributed to many things most of which are misconceptions.

For instance, many people think twitter is hard to use. Some people don’t even understand what Twitter is.

This article will strive to let you understand what twitter is and how you can use it to generate business. If you thought it wasn’t worth investing in Twitter as a business owner, think again!

Let’s begin by defining Twitter.

What Is Twitter?

Twitter can be defined as a real-time information network where users discover what is happening (around them and globally in real-time) while sharing information instantly as well as connecting with people and businesses globally.

This leads us to a very important question; how can you use Twitter for business? Before answering this question, it’s important to understand the landscape of Twitter i.e. the building blocks.

Twitter Building Blocks

To be able to understand how to use Twitter for business, it’s crucial to understand Twitter’s landscape.

One of the most important elements of Twitter’s landscape are the terminologies i.e. the language/words used to interact on the platform.

The most important terminologies are discussed below to help you get started;

1. Tweet: A Tweet is simply a message posted on Twitter. A Tweet contains 140 characters or less. It can also contain photos, links and/or videos. Although you can Tweet about anything, it’s important to post useful tweets that add value to your existing and potential clients. A Tweet can be posted for a variety of reasons from driving/creating awareness to connecting with influencers and generating leads.

2. Reply: Twitter users click on ''reply'' to respond to Tweets. Replying to Tweets is a great way of joining conversations, responding to customer queries as well as building a strong relationships with your Twitter followers (your direct audience on Twitter). Your Twitter followers are simply those who are interested in you/your business.

3. Retweet: A Retweet is simply a Tweet that is taken from another Twitter user and sent (twitted) to your own Twitter followers. You Retweet a Tweet that you think engages/adds value to your followers.

4. Like: As the name suggests, a like is simply a way of liking (acknowledging/showing appreciation) for a Tweet.

5. Hashtag: In Twitter, a hashtag refers to any word/s or phrase/s without spaces, beginning with the hashtag symbol (#). Twitter users use Hashtags to organize conversations as well as make it easier to find information/content on a specific topic.

6. Handle: A Twitter handle is simply a username. Twitter handles begin with the @ symbol followed by any characters you choose. Like any other username, a Twitter handle is used to uniquely identify every Twitter user.

7. Mention: A mention is simply a way of bringing a Tweet to another Twitter user's attention by including their username (handle) in you Tweet. You can also use a mention to ask a Twitter user a question, thank them or simply highlight your content to them.

With the above information, you shouldn’t have a problem kick starting your Twitter user experience. Let’s however focus on a better way of using Twitter i.e. using Twitter to promote your business.

How Can You Use Twitter for Business?

Many large businesses have found value in Twitter. Small businesses are however lagging behind. Not anymore!

T here are very many ways your small business stands to derive value from twitter. The most notable ways are discussed below.

You can use Twitter to;

A. Listen and Learn

Twitter is a great platform for businesses to listen to their existing/potential customers as well as learn from them.

As a small business owner, you can use tools such as Twitter search to listen to valuable conversations taking place within your industry and use such conversations to learn your existing/potential customers (followers) better.

This will in turn put you in a better position to craft more effective future marketing strategies.

B. Drive Awareness

Twitter is also a great platform for businesses to raise their profiles as well as increase marketing impacts.

Twitter has great features for small businesses i.e. tweets and Twitter ads that allow effective communication with potential and existing customers.

These features allow business owners to drive awareness on any issue effortlessly.

C. Provide Unmatched Customer Service

73% of all small to medium business Twitter users find Twitter to be the fastest way of responding to customer service issues.

Considering today’s consumers want fast responses/action on issues, you couldn’t ask for a better customer service tool.

Every business owner should consider using Twitter since it allows for the quickest and easiest responses to customer queries.

Twitter also helps businesses forge stronger relationships with customers on top of helping businesses develop a solid reputation.

D. Connect with Influencers

Twitter has also broken down the barriers of communicating with influencers better than any other platform available today.

Twitter allows you and your business to connect with top brands/influencers which is a great way to raise your business’s profile as well as start important discussions and build valuable connections.

All you need to do is include handles of top influencers on your Tweets.

E. Generate Leads/Business

When you are able to listen and learn from your existing/potential customers, drive awareness, provide unmatched customer service and connect with influences, your business’s potential to generate leads becomes unmatched.

Furthermore, Twitter has many special features that allow businesses to generate leads faster than any other platform. For instance, tweets are a great tool for generating leads as long as they are crafted with special elements i.e. hashtags and handles that increase their exposure.

Twitter ads also help businesses target specific markets/clientele better which translates to plenty of useful leads.

Summary

The above information summarizes what Twitter is, its building blocks, why it’s such an important promotional tool for businesses today and lastly, how business owners can use Twitter to promote their businesses.

After going through the above information, it shouldn’t be a problem convincing you to set up a Twitter profile for your business. It is however important to note that there is more to Twitter than what is discussed above.

For instance, you need to understand Twitter, all its features and tools in-depth for you to be able to get the best out of Twitter for your business.

Twitter has many great features and tools that allow businesses to thrive. There are many Twitter secrets that allow some businesses to thrive on Twitter better than others.

To discover these secrets, you need to devote a lot of time and energy to learning how to effectively use Twitter for business.

Alternatively, you could seek the services of a Twitter-for-business expert to help you get ahead faster. All in all, it’s really worthy investing in Twitter as a business owner.

Make no mistake: Twitter brings customers to small businesses.

Why Isn't Your Website at the Top of the Search Results?

tricia@thesimpleweb.ca (Tricia Littlefield) — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 14:41:11 GMT

Why Isn't Your Website at the Top of the Search Results?

Summary

SEO (search engine optimization) is an online marketing discipline that focuses on increasing visibility in organic/non-paid search engine results.

You will learn

What Is SEO and Why Is It Important to You?

SEO (search engine optimization) is an online marketing discipline that focuses on increasing visibility in organic/non-paid search engine results. SEO encompasses everything that can be done to a site/blog to drive traffic, improve ranking as well as increase awareness in search engines.

It is however important to note that SEO isn’t just about building sites/blogs which are search engine-friendly. Although SEO has many technical tasks i.e. making sure your site has the right keywords, SEO also demands that you build your site with your audience in mind i.e. creating high quality website content, ensuring your site is responsive (can be viewed properly on mobile devices) etc.

Focusing on your audience is an important aspect of SEO since search engines consider related factors i.e. popularity of site content when ranking.

Focusing on giving your website visitors a great experience on your site is therefore as important as handling technical aspects of SEO such as making sure you include the right keywords at the right places in the right quantity (keyword optimization).

Why Your Website Needs SEO

Since you already know what SEO is by now, let’s focus on 3 main reasons why your site needs SEO.

1. Search Engines Are the #1 Source of Traffic Online

This is undoubtedly the most important reason for performing SEO. Search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo control most of the internet traffic. What this simply means is that people are more likely to find information online using search engines than using any other sites.

As a result, you need search engines to get traffic on your website. Although you can also get traffic via social media sites, search engines are the number one source of organic/non-paid traffic online.

This is a fact regardless of the kind of website. Google controls 80% of all search traffic. Yahoo and Bing are a distant 2nd and 3rd place with a 9.5% and 8.5% search engine market share respectively.

Considering most people look for information online via Google, you can’t afford to ignore SEO if you are keen on getting any website traffic. In fact, there’s absolutely no reason for having a website or blog which doesn’t get traffic. SEO is therefore inevitable if you have a website.

2. Search Terms (Keywords) Have Extraordinary Value

Although search engines have complex algorithms which factor in very many things before ranking websites, search engines are built around search terms/keywords or simply; the words that search engine users are most likely to type on the search box when looking for information online.

Without SEO, your website can never have the right keywords. As a result, it would be impossible to find your site online via search engines regardless of the site having high quality content.

Keywords help website owners get targeted traffic i.e. website visitors who are actually interested in your products/services. There’s absolutely no need of getting plenty of traffic from people who aren’t interested in what your site has to offer. The importance of keyword optimization as a part of SEO can’t therefore be overlooked.

Keyword optimization is the best way of getting valuable search engine traffic which in turn results in higher conversion rates. Without SEO, your site can never have the right keywords. SEO through keyword optimization also ensures proper keyword placement and keyword density which are vital for making it easier for search engines to find your site online.

It’s important to note that including the right keywords isn’t enough. You must place those keywords in the right place on your site. You also need to ensure the keywords are in the right quantity since search engines penalize keyword stuffing (including too many keywords).

There’s more to keyword optimization. This is precisely why this task should be left to experts. If you aren’t an SEO expert, it’s better to outsource this task to an expert since search engines penalize bad SEO efforts.

3. Search Engines Need Help

Although search engines are really smart, they still need help. Google continuously improves search engine technology in an effort to improve search results. There is however a limit to how search engines operate.

Although the right SEO efforts can guarantee you lots of traffic, the wrong SEO moves can bury your website deep compromising visibility. SEO strives to make it extremely easy for your site to be found and ranked highly on search engine results. Without SEO, a great website (in every other aspect) can be rendered useless even when that’s no entirely the case.

In a nutshell, as long as search engines like Google control online traffic, SEO is an inevitable task/process for all website/blog owners keen on gaining competitive advantage.

The internet has become very competitive and website owners performing SEO perfectly are enjoying an outright advantage. Don’t be left behind. Learn how to do SEO (if you have the time, patience and technical capabilities) or find someone who can do it for you perfectly!

My SEO Services Included with the Website Design:

The Extra Work I Do

So you’ve discovered the importance of SEO and you want to hire an expert, how do you proceed?

First and foremost, I would never advocate for anyone to do their own SEO if you aren’t an expert. This is simply because the effects of bad SEO are detrimental. Google penalizes and even bans websites with bad SEO. It’s therefore advisable to hire an expert to be on the safe side.

With that said, it is important to note that SEO companies/experts are usually vague when discussing what they will do for you. Part of the reason for this is because they don’t really do much to be honest.

I do way more than your typical web designer and I have the proof and a long list of satisfied clients to show for it.

All the extra work I put into SEO helps almost all my customers show up on the first page of Google. Being on the first page of Google means more traffic to your business.

Below is a sneak peek into the extra SEO work I do for my web design clients who are interested in SEO services;

1. I do thorough research: I utilize every single resource at my disposal to choose the best URLs, keywords, research on the business, industry and competition. For instance, I go ahead and take the time to research the kind of articles and content that should be created to gain traction with our chosen keyword phrases.

2. I create better URLs for my customers

Unlike most SEO experts online today, I utilize URL SEO strategies which result in better SEO results. For instance, on top of doing basic SEO, I go ahead and match old URLs to new URLs and then I use 301 redirects to inform Google that site pages have been permanently moved to a new location. This ensures that the ranking factor that the site already had with Google is maintained. It’s a lot of work and time but I still do it.

3. I monitor the health of my clients’ websites constantly

I utilize tools like Google Webmaster tools to get reports about the health of my clients’ sites. This allows me to discover and act on any issues arising promptly. I am able to do this using robot files (robot.txt files) which I create and upload to Google and Google Webmaster.

4. I guide Google on what to consider when ranking websites

I don’t just do basic SEO and leave everything up to Google. I submit the sitemap.xml document to Google so that Google knows what to index on the website. I also go ahead and tell Google to ignore certain low content pages so that the overall ranking of the website is not lowered. Most SEO experts don’t do this which is why they don’t deliver exemplary results i.e. 1st page Google ranking.

5. I optimize all website content perfectly

SEO is a very complex process which needs a foolproof content strategy. Unlike most SEO experts, I don’t offer a half baked content strategies. For instance, I markup all content perfectly with meta-descriptions, title tags, heading tags, alt tags etc. to ensure Google doesn’t have any problem finding the content and indexing it properly to reach targeted visitors. I also go ahead and ensure all meta tags are included in the code of all pages.

As part of my social media content strategy, I also put in open graph tags for many customers who want Facebook to read and display their pages with the proper images. I also create internal links on all content pages within the content document to help customers find information as well as tell Google where to find our pages.

The above information just gives you a sneak peek of what I do for my clients. My clients definitely get more value for their money.

Speak to your audience

You know your audience better than anyone else, so keep them in mind as you write your blog posts. Write about things they care about. If you have a company Facebook page, look here to find topics to write about

Take a few moments to plan your post

Once you have a great idea for a post, write the first draft. Some people like to start with the title and then work on the paragraphs. Other people like to start with subtitles and go from there. Choose the method that works for you.

Don’t forget to add images

Be sure to include a few high-quality images in your blog. Images break up the text and make it more readable. They can also convey emotions or ideas that are hard to put into words.

Edit carefully before posting

Once you’re happy with the text, put it aside for a day or two, and then re-read it. You’ll probably find a few things you want to add, and a couple more that you want to remove. Have a friend or colleague look it over to make sure there are no mistakes. When your post is error-free, set it up in your blog and publish.

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Hi, I'm Tricia Littlefield and I'll like to help with you gets lead for your 1 - 3 person professional service firm.