by Francois Muscat | Feb 3, 2020 | Website Design
Once your web design is completed, you’ll need to focus on choosing a web hosting service to house your website. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of four key aspects you’ll need to consider when choosing a web host.
How to Choose a Web Hosting Service to House Your Web Design:
There are plenty of web hosting services to choose from. Settling on the correct one extends beyond picking a host simply because they have the cheapest plans. Think about the kind of website you have designed and compare the different web hosting services based on these aspects:
Security
Will the host be able to protect your website against cyber-attacks and server crashes? Reputable web hosting services offer multiple layers of security to protect their clients against attacks from hackers and, therefore, this should be the first aspect you research. If your website is not secure, attackers can gain access to client information, spread malware to visitors and cause your website to crash. With the increased awareness of the potential risks of an unsecured website, many governing bodies require a certain degree of security from businesses relating to their websites. If your website causes a security breach, you may even be liable for a fine or penalty.
Client Service and Technical Support
Another important aspect to consider is the type and level of support the web host provides. You are not only looking for prompt service from the customer liaison team to get quick replies on your queries, but also a knowledgeable technical team to give you guidance when you are experiencing issues. Does the web host offer support on different channels such as email, chat and phone calls? Is the web host situated locally or will a time-zone difference delay communication? The questions to these answers will help you to determine which web host is right for you.
Speed and Downtime
A slow website can be the downfall of your business. So, you want a web host that allows multiple users to access your website simultaneously without delay. The bandwidth (or the amount of data uploaded or downloaded from a website) that a host provides may depend on the plan you choose from the specific web host. It is, therefore, important to pay close attention to the difference in bandwidth allowance for each plan on offer.
You also need to consider the amount of downtime for your web host. If the host has an uptime percentage over 95%, you should not experience many issues with the server for your website being down and your website being inaccessible.
Flexibility
Many web hosts offer flexible plans to accommodate growing websites. You’ll need to understand how far your web host and chosen plan can grow with your business before you’ll need to upgrade your plan to accommodate more visitors to your site. The last thing you want to do when your business experiences a growth spurt is to have to spend time looking for a new web host and then transfer your website files to the new host.
Take time to research potential web hosting services, read online reviews from existing clients and compare all the available options in your price range to find the best web host to house your website.
If you need a digital marketing agency to take care of your web design, SEO and content marketing, contact WSI OMS to find out more about our offerings.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 23, 2020 | Instagram, Social Media Marketing
Instagram’s introduction of its Checkout feature added a new tool that online retailers can use to monetise their hordes of followers on the popular social platform. If you’ve yet to put the feature to use, this blog is a gentle introduction to its range of benefits.
Enables Consumers to Complete Purchases Without Leaving the App
Checkout on Instagram enables consumers to complete purchases in the app, without having to be redirected to the seller’s website. This would promote Instagram from a social media platform to a centralised online marketplace where an unlimited number of brands can make sales quickly and easily – on the spot.
When a user taps to view a product that interests them, the “Checkout on Instagram” button comes up, and they can complete the transaction right there if they choose. Not only will payment take place within Instagram, but also after-sales services such as tracking of orders. First-time users will have to enter billing and delivery information, much as they would on any other shopping site. These details are then saved for later use, regardless of the number and variety of sellers they buy from.
Lower Traffic to Your Site Is Offset By Quicker Conversions
This may present both good and bad possibilities for you as an online business operator. On the one hand, it could mean a reduction in traffic going through to your website from Instagram. But, on the other hand, it would make for quicker conversions – and thus possibly even an increase in conversions over time. It cuts out all intermediate steps, meaning you get a more immediate sale.
According to Instagram’s stats, 60% of users discover new products on the platform, making it a very useful promotional method. It now goes one step further, because it not only promotes the product, it can close the sale too.
The service is currently in closed beta testing, rolled out to a select few brands earmarked by Instagram. Once it rolls out of beta in general use, it is not certain what the cost of the service will be to retailers. But, it seems likely to be worth the expense. We’ll be sure to keep you posted.
Thinking of adding Instagram to your suite of social media marketing platforms? The platform’s new Checkout feature, which is still in beta, is one of many features that appeal to online marketers. Contact WSI OMS today to learn how you can put Instagram’s powerful marketing features to use.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 18, 2020 | E-mail Marketing
Email marketing has consistently outperformed every new marketing channel that’s come out. And every marketer knows how reliable email is as a marketing tool – if you can avoid landing in the dreaded spam folder. Below we share tips on how to avoid the spam folder, boost engagement and reduce your bounce rates.
Use Double Opt-Ins to Ensure the People Subscribing to Your Mailing List Wants to Be There
The worst thing you can do is send emails to people who don’t want to hear from you. The best way to avoid this is to get a double opt-in. This is how to go about it:
- Firstly, only send emails to people who have signed up for it on the form on your website.
- Then, once you have sent your first email, send a follow-up or include a link in your email asking recipients to confirm that they do indeed want to hear from you.
This will not only keep you off the blacklists, but will also ensure that you’re reaching a receptive audience.
Update Spam Filters Regularly While Avoiding Spammy Language in Your Messaging
Spam filters are there to root out emails that look like spam. This means you need to make sure that your mails are free of all the red flags that will trigger the filters. You can’t simply trust that this is an intuitive process; nor is it a set of one-time-only checks. Spam tactics change all the time, so spam filters need to be constantly updated accordingly. You can use tools such as mail-tester.com to test your emails and ensure that they are cleared for the Inbox.
Shun the Practice of Buying Mailing Lists
We would hope that no-one does this any more! But, there are still those who do. It’s a waste of time to buy email lists or acquire them in any other way. You may think you’re gaining access to a massive market. However, this is not how it works out in reality. Sending to any recipients that didn’t ask you to is a sure way to land in the spam folder, get bounced and blacklisted.
Emails Thin on Text Content Normally Get Filtered As Spam. Avoid Them!
Spam filters hate emails that are image-heavy, especially if there is a corresponding lack of text. Focus on your copy and keep the images to a minimum, choosing one or two strong ones that support the text.
For the brands that use it responsibly, email is a marketing channel that keeps on giving. Contact WSI OMS today to learn how we can help you design high-converting email marketing campaigns.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 15, 2020 | SEO
The primary goal for people providing SEO services has for a long time been to target and rank for head or short tail keywords, presumably for the large traffic volumes they attract. But, because they are so coveted, everyone else, including the big brands target them. And with such fierce competition, these keywords are almost impossible to rank for if you’re a small business with a limited budget. For this and other reasons we will discuss, long tail keywords represent a goldmine of an opportunity.
Long Tail Keywords Are More Specific and Bring Qualified Traffic
Long tail keywords enable you to tailor search items specific to your business, as opposed to those that would be common across your industry. For example, say you have a business that sells gourmet doughnuts. If you use a keyword like “doughnuts,” you are unlikely to get anywhere near the top of a search result list.
However, if you focus on a speciality, say “air-fried doughnuts” or “Banting doughnuts” or “custard-filled doughnuts in Cape Town,” you have now not only created a long tail keyword, but you have also placed yourself into a far narrower search bracket. The word “doughnut” may have a search volume numbering in the millions, while any of the others may be searched less than 100 times in the same period. By using these keywords, you push yourself above your competitors in the rankings.
Long Tail Keywords Are a Powerful Differentiation Tool that Improves Your Marketing
Long tail keywords essentially come down to the principle of focusing on your unique selling point (USP), an old idea in marketing. The concept of the long tail keyword takes the USP into the digital realm, enabling not only powerful differentiation, but also competitive marketing. It requires you to think deeper about your business and refine your offerings, an effort that is sure to be rewarded with higher search engine rankings.
WSI OMS specialises in creating SEO campaigns that pull in the right, qualified traffic for your business. We will help you optimise your SEO campaign around your business’ marketing goals. Contact us today for a free consultation.
The primary goal for people providing SEO services has for a long time been to target and rank for head or short tail keywords, presumably for the large traffic volumes they attract. But, because they are so coveted, everyone else, including the big brands target them. And with such fierce competition, these keywords are almost impossible to rank for if you’re a small business with a limited budget. For this and other reasons we will discuss, long tail keywords represent a goldmine of an opportunity.
Long Tail Keywords Are More Specific and Bring Qualified Traffic
Long tail keywords enable you to tailor search items specific to your business, as opposed to those that would be common across your industry. For example, say you have a business that sells gourmet doughnuts. If you use a keyword like “doughnuts,” you are unlikely to get anywhere near the top of a search result list.
However, if you focus on a speciality, say “air-fried doughnuts” or “Banting doughnuts” or “custard-filled doughnuts in Cape Town,” you have now not only created a long tail keyword, but you have also placed yourself into a far narrower search bracket. The word “doughnut” may have a search volume numbering in the millions, while any of the others may be searched less than 100 times in the same period. By using these keywords, you push yourself above your competitors in the rankings.
Long Tail Keywords Are a Powerful Differentiation Tool that Improves Your Marketing
Long tail keywords essentially come down to the principle of focusing on your unique selling point (USP), an old idea in marketing. The concept of the long tail keyword takes the USP into the digital realm, enabling not only powerful differentiation, but also competitive marketing. It requires you to think deeper about your business and refine your offerings, an effort that is sure to be rewarded with higher search engine rankings.
WSI OMS specialises in creating SEO campaigns that pull in the right, qualified traffic for your business. We will help you optimise your SEO campaign around your business’ marketing goals. Contact us today for a free consultation.
by Francois Muscat | Jan 13, 2020 | Inbound Marketing, SEO
Because inbound marketing is all about creating connections that provide your audience with valuable content that solves their problems, it makes sense that local SEO plays a large role in inbound marketing. When businesses can reach local audiences, they create valuable interactions that benefit both the client and business equally.
Why Local SEO Should Be Your Inbound Marketing Focus for 2020:
It is more important than ever to be within reach of local audiences, and the key to visibility is local SEO. Different studies estimate the percentage of searches for local businesses to be around 46%, and since 2018, searches containing the words “near me” have more than doubled. Here are four reasons why local SEO should be a major focus for your business in 2020:
Local Is the New Global
There has been a significant shift towards sustainable consumerism in the last decade, bringing local businesses to the forefront. As audiences are becoming more aware of the environmental impact of their purchases, businesses are seeing an upswing in support from local communities. Instead of desiring globally produced items, consumers are seeking local alternatives to alleviate their impact on the environment while satisfying their buying needs.
Google’s Algorithm
Instead of driving traffic to websites based purely on their ad spend, Google will rank businesses based on a blended algorithm. This algorithm looks at your web results (including content, website design and link building), reviews from customers and proximity to the search query. Businesses with good quality content, higher engagement rates and better reviews get higher rankings in localised searches. This means that building authentic connections with local audiences should be taking precedence over massive budgets spent on pushing PPC ads towards audiences.
Local Is Valuable
Your business needs to feature on local directory sites because directory listings are ranked second only to Map Pack results in search engine rankings. This means that Google will firstly show results on the local map, and then feature directories like TripAdvisor, Snupit and Yellow Pages that include businesses related to a specific keyword.
Best SEO practices are still very relevant for local SEO with some SEO experts estimating that 92% of customers will pick a business to support from the first page of local results. In order to benefit from local directories, you will need to appear fairly high in the organic results to attract their attention.
Different Types of Searches
Search engines are allowing people to search in different ways. Google now allows longer search terms for voice searches and completes geo modifiers for their customers. This means that customers can merely type in what they are looking for instead of adding a location. Benign terms are also being used more frequently, and Google will connect these terms (like coffee or dog walker) to highly-rated local businesses without users asking for these products and services in a specific location.
Don’t get left behind in the local SEO rankings, contact WSIOMS today for help with your SEO and inbound marketing strategy.
