Rebranding and changing visual identity is always a tough step, especially when you have been present for over 12 years and have been recognized by hundreds of customers by your logo. Nevertheless, we decided to take that step. And here is why.
Why was it Time for a Change
We are evolving and growing.When we first got started and our logo was designed, it was obviously the perfect emblematic of what we stood for. But, as we all know no healthy company remains static for too long. AltusHost has grown and evolved drastically over time, with new services, improved products, partnerships, and new goals. That is why we need a new visual identity to follow our growth.
We have changed. Change is something to be celebrated, as it represents the development of our business and team. We felt like our old logo didn’t really fit in with what we, as a company, represent today. We are very proud of what we do, and perceive it very seriously, and want others to perceive us in that way as well.
New Logo / Old Logo
We want to stay relevant over time. Obviously, no serious company changes its visual identity every year. With that in mind, we opted for something simple, fresh and elegant that will look good in the long run as well. We didn’t want to go overboard with something complicated just to stay up to date. As a serious business, we want our visual identity to represent that and want our customers to recognize us for it.
The Process
The first step was easy – deciding that we want to change our visual identity. Steps after that, we admit, were a little tricky. We spent a lot of time searching for the perfect branding agency to do the work. As a responsible business, we wanted someone that is serious, professional, but as well classical and modern at the same time.
After a lot of meetings and brainstorming, we concluded where our company is now and where it will be in the future. And that our visual identity should follow that. You can not imagine the number of logo designs we turned down until we found the perfect match. But, as professionals, we want nothing but the best for us, as we do for our clients.
We are looking forward to future growth, and to offer more capabilities to our customers and partners. Now we have a visual identity that can follow us in our evolution.
Long have gone the days of poorly designed websites and dull user experiences. With 4.8 billion internet users, you have to meet many expectations. The bar gets higher every day.
You must be familiar with all of these claims. And while they’re true, they just aren’t enough. What has been the core of a successful web experience so far, now it’s just a basic element, something you start with.
Remember these standards from the early days of the internet? Source: CNN, a page from the 90s
In today’s article, we’ll assume that you have the basics covered and you need to kick your website up a notch with additional elements.
If your website is new and you have no audience to even test what’s working and what isn’t, then we recommend going through our article about getting traffic to new websites first.
Being impatient is rooted deeply in human psychology. There’s a path between you and the reward. There’s a calculation of the costs incurred if you wait too much…
And there’s a dopamine hit when you get what you wanted. Everything that stands in your way causes frustration. Simple as that.
A tech giant we all depend on, Google, also likes fast websites. It likes them so much that speed is a ranking factor.
If your website loads slowly, aside from losing customers and money, you’re probably losing your precious spot on that famous first page.
Why Does My Website Need to be Beautiful and Pleasant to Use?
Humans are visual creatures. Our sense of sight is the most dominant because it brings multilayered information about our surroundings to our brain (color, nuances, distance from objects…).
Visual inputs from our surroundings cause cravings in our brain, make our pupils dilate from excitement, or help us avoid danger.
It’s safe to assume that visually attractive and fast experiences allure us to spend more time on a certain spot (in this case, a website) and to keep visiting it, in contrast to ugly experiences.
“User experience encompasses all aspects of the end-users interaction with the company, its services, and its products.”
Simply put, UX is what people feel when working and communicating with your brand. You’d most certainly enjoy that people remember you as a business that provides excellence in every aspect?
It’s like looking at two brick-and-mortar stores, side by side, and deciding which one to enter. Do you pick the one with polite salesmen, nice shopping windows, nice Google reviews, and fast service…?
Or the one with bad reviews, dirty windows, frustrated shoppers…?
Here are 6 Things That will Skyrocket UX on Your Website
We agree it’s not easy to be among the best on the internet when it comes to UX, but there are essential factors that could improve your game and make you competitive.
These 6 things can pave a path for further improvement and exploration of how to make things better, faster, and more useful to your customers, visitors, and employees.
And in the end, make you look nice in the eyes of Google.
1. Modern Web Design is a Cornerstone of Good User Experience
This goes without saying. We know that DIY design, done in WordPress Elementor, proves that you’re a capable businessman… But let’s all agree on the fact that your competitors hire web designers who follow all the trends.
And people love trends and pop culture. With Gen Z being the dominant shoppers right now, you better follow their taste.
Some of the things that are all-the-hype today are:
Minimalism
Don’t overload your webpage with too many things because too many choices cause anxiety and analysis paralysis. Try to say much with little. Respect people’s time.
Dark Mode
The light mode used to be popular a lot because it increased readability, but dark more is taking over because it allows other creative elements to pop out.
Aside from that, studies show that dark mode reduces the strain on our eyes by reducing the exposure to blue light and glare. It’s no wonder that this trend is becoming more and more popular.
Inclusivity & Accessibility
It’s not all about fancy features. There’s a lot about allowing everyone to use your website. Many brands are becoming aware of the fact that internet users are diverse in their capabilities.
To improve the accessibility, you might consider:
Choosing the colors carefully (some colors are just impossible to see for many users)
Implementing text-to-speech features (a good content structure certainly helps)
Allowing for easier zooming in or out
To see all the Web Design Trends for 2021, check out this video from Envato:
2. Website Chat Improves UX and Reduces Friction for Users
Adding a website chat is perhaps one of the best ways to engage customers proactively and improve the UX. Why? Because you’re there when people need you and when they’re in the mindset to buy or look for information.
Imagine how much friction you’re reducing by answering questions directly. Your online chat is like that (sometimes boring but oftentimes helpful) salesman in the store.
In the end, your support teams can gather valuable feedback from your customers in the moment of shopping and improve the overall experience.
And we all know how important it is to know what our customers want from us, right?
Starting again with statistics because numbers speak for themselves. 71% of internet users prefer using voice search over typing text. Siri, Cortana, Alexa… All those tools now start making sense, right?
So why is voice search so important?
Your customers want speed. Talking is faster than typing.
Sometimes they have their hands full when they need a quick search. Imagine a mechanic with hands drowned in oil trying to find that one missing part and order it online.
It’s helpful to visually impaired and disabled persons.
A good example of the search function. Source: Qode Magazine
5. Credible Testimonials and Case Studies Help your Business Win that Sale
Just remember how many times have you read through countless reviews on Netflix before deciding what movie to watch. That’s right.
We depend on social proof. We believe more in something if more of our society members tell us it’s safe.
That’s why credible testimonials are crucial. However, it’s not easy to collect them due to NDAs or people not having enough time to fill in our short surveys after the transaction or collaboration…
The same applies to case studies. People read them, marketers praise them. We love reading stories about other people. Knowing about their success helps us imagine what our success could look like (we’re visual creatures, remember?).
Make sure to incentivize giving testimonials and providing case study material in some way.
Give out vouchers, gift cards, discounts on next purchase…
Explain to your clients that promoting case studies means promoting their business as well (and for free)
Make a dedicated page for your case studies so that both your business and your client’s get a boost in traffic
And of course, add social media sharing/mail/printing buttons, to make them easily shareable and accessible
6. Scrolling Transformations: an Experiment for the Brave Ones
Scrolling transformations on the website are a special type of experience because the website changes dynamically and in real-time as you scroll down the page.
One of our favorites. Source: Webflow
This one might sound like a contradiction to many things we’ve said above because transformations usually mean slowing down your website, challenging the usual user habits, etc…
(And let’s not forget the costs involved in making such a thing)
But where’s the fun if all the websites look the same? Adding a spark of creativity can fill in the gaps and matter more than speed. Because everything valuable enough is worth waiting for.
In the end, imagine delighted users frantically sharing your website. Isn’t that the UX we’re hoping to achieve?
Remember, You’re not Investing in Websites. You’re Investing in Experiences.
That’s something to remember. Because if you’re thinking that plunking down money for fancy features is a waste of budget already in the next season when new trends arrive… You’re better off with your current website.
You won’t be satisfied with results, no matter what you do, and more often than not, you’ll try to cut budgets (and corners).
However, if you start with your users and their experience in mind, all the features you implement and change with the trends would be an investment in future-proofing your business. People feel that and reward you with coming back for more.
Google rewards that and puts you in front of more people.
Most importantly, you feel like you’ve done a lot to improve your business and build a legacy.
At first, it seems too complex, then you start learning about it, and it’s suddenly much easier. Then, you keep learning and you realize it’s way more difficult.
Don’t worry, you are not alone.
Even if you committed your whole life to learn about Google algorithms, and trying to track every single update, you would still feel lost at the end of the day.
Google is constantly updating its algorithms, and trying to ‘hack’ all of them is just a Sisyphean task. Beating your competition is not about trying to break the algorithm…It’s about following the best practices and never losing track of logic and common sense on your path to the first page of Google.
As soon as you take a look at the techniques listed in this article, you’ll realize that they just make sense.
The main thing that Google is trying to do is please people, save their time and energy, and get them what they want in the best possible way.
A decade (or so) ago, it wasn’t really important to have your website mobile optimized. Not because the algorithm hasn’t been updated, but because people weren’t using smartphones as much as they do today.
The algorithm evolves because people and technology evolve.
To help you keep up with the emerging trends, pay attention to the techniques that have proven to be relevant in 2021. Maybe you can’t keep track of all of the updates, but these are the things that you can’t go wrong with.
1. Core Web Vitals, or User Experience First
As of July 2021, Google started rolling out the new update – Core Web Vitals, which is basically a set of user-focused metrics designed to measure the page’s ability to provide a seamless user experience.
User experience is nothing else but making sure that your website visitors are satisfied with the overall experience they have with your website. With this in mind, no wonder that the things that Google will be measuring as a part of this update are:
The average loading time of the main content found on the page
The time from when a user performs an action till the page executes it (like the time from when you click on a link, till a website actually displayed the new page)
Visual stability, which measures how stable the page is during the time of loading. For example, have you noticed how sometimes the images are displaced during the loading process? This may lead to frustrating accidental links, so Google takes this into account when measuring your core web vitals.
If you were wondering how you can measure your website’s performance – no worries, Google has already updated its tools, so you can get a report using Google Search Console, Page Speed Insights, Lighthouse, or Chrome UX.
2. Separate your Passages with Clear and Keyword-Related Subheadings and Rank for Google Passage Ranking
Google Passage Ranking has opened so many ranking opportunities, that no wonder that it quickly became popular.
In a nutshell, this means that if a Google recognizes that the content from your passage (or a single sentence) is a relevant answer to the query, you might rank for a single passage. Even if the article is covering a different topic.
The good news is that it’s relatively easy to rank because it boils down to creating useful, relevant, and easy-to-read content. Your focus should be on creating clear sections that are separated with related subheadings.
This way, each of the sections will act as a blog post within a blog post.
Don’t forget – each of these sections should be relevant to your main topic, but also make sense if they were to stand alone.
3. Rank for PAA Box (People Also Ask)
People Also Ask box turned up as an incredibly useful feature, so now at least a half of search inquiries are showing it.
You have probably had a chance to see it multiple times so far.
It is a SERP feature that answers questions related to the search query. Each answer features a snippet and a link that leads to the full page.
This feature can appear on any position on the page, be it the top or bottom of it.
If we click on one of these answers, Google will offer us more related questions and it may seem that there’s no end to this.
It’s good to know that the same article can appear as an answer to multiple questions, multiplying your chances for visitors to find your content useful.
Not only that you’ll be able to increase the number of website visitors, but you’ll spread awareness about your brand faster.
How to rank for PAA?
There are no clear guidelines when it comes to creating content specifically for PAA boxes, but if there’s anything that we can conclude from the search results, is that the answers are short, concise, and written in plain English.
Besides matching your content with the intent the users have during their search, you can increase your chances of ranking for the PAA box by including the list of questions and answers on your page and help Google recognize your content as a relevant source.
4. Optimize Your Content for Voice Search
It is expected that there will be at least 300 million smart houses around the world by 2024. And close to 55% of smart device users use voice search to ask questions.
As technology improves, voice chatting is becoming increasingly reliable and popular. No wonder that we are facing the growth of social media platforms focused only on audio content, such as Clubhouse.
Voice search has evolved, and it should definitely be a part of your SEO strategy.
But how do voice and text searches differ?
The first thing that we need to understand when optimizing our content for voice search is that the behavior when using a voice search is different from using the text search.
If you are browsing the internet, you are more likely to search for phrases like ‘mona lisa location’, but if you are using a voice search, you’ll probably say: ‘Where is Mona Lisa located?’.
Similar to what we mentioned above, optimizing for voice search also means including questions as your keywords, as well as having concise answers.
If we could summarize what your content should look like in one word, it would probably be – conversational.
Additionally, you can follow these practices and make sure that your content is optimized for the voice search:
Create content with a headline that asks a questions
Answer the question in the upper part of your post, while making sure that the answer is concise and compelling.
Use the rest of your content to enrich the topic.
If you are interested in learning more about how you can easily optimize your content for voice search, make sure that you read this article.
5. Link Quality Tells Google who you Like to Hang Out With
How many times have you drawn conclusions about someone based on their circle of friends? It doesn’t have to be a judgmental move. We simply do what we can with the information that we have.
Our brain knows that we can’t be friends with someone whom we never agree to anything. There have to be some similarities.
The same is with Google.
If you are linking your content (or vice versa) to suspicious websites, there are chances that Google will put you in the same basket with them, and your website can end up stuck on pages that visitors never go to.
On other hand, if you get backlinks from reputable sites with DA (domain authority), Google will recognize your website as a trusted source.
Even though this practice is not new, and it probably won’t change, it seems that it’s more important than ever, and it is one of the top three ranking factors in 2021.
To Conclude…
As we said at the beginning, no matter how many updates Google announces, some things will never change. SEO is something that requires a long-term strategy, and no shortcuts can bring the benefits of organic traffic.
If you are ready to create a trustworthy web experience for your customers, bring in more business via organic traffic and reap all the benefits of ranking on the first page of Google, make sure that your website is fast, pleasant, and useful for your visitors.
Let us know how Google updates are affecting your ranking!
There are many reasons for changing your domain name. Perhaps you’re rebranding, working on a change in business model, or just don’t like your current domain name.
Sometimes, the domain we prefer becomes available at some point, and we can’t resist buying it.
Whatever it is, changing your domain can be a pretty exciting move, but also scary. You’ve surely come across multiple articles stating that you shouldn’t be changing your domain name and that you can waste all of the efforts you’ve invested in building and growing your website.
If you have a website and domain that have been running for a few years, changing your domain can be particularly stressful. However, many of the popular websites have changed their domain names, and not only that they didn’t lose their traffic, but they’ve also grown even bigger.
Did you know that Twitter.com was once Twtrr.com? Even Facebook was thefacebook.com once.
In case you were wondering, they still have redirections set up, so even if you go to thefacebook.com, it will redirect you to Facebook (more about that a bit later). So they are still not losing traffic from those domains that changed more than a decade ago.
To be honest, changing your domain name can affect your website traffic, it can ruin it. But only if done incorrectly. For that reason, we are bringing you some of the best practices that will help you save your traffic, and keep growing your website (with your new domain name).
Before changing your domain name, make sure that you’ve chosen a hosting provider that offers website backups.
To ensure that the process of changing your domain goes smoothly, the smartest thing to do is to create a backup of your website, just in case.
If you choose any of our business hosting services, your website will be automatically backed up every single day.
This way, you will rest assured that none of your data will be lost and that your website is fully protected.
Notify Your Customers About the Domain Change
Before making the big switch, notify your website visitors, social media followers, and current customers about the change. You can post a banner on your website and create social media posts that communicate the change.
Not only they will appreciate your move, but you can turn this change into something that your audience will be looking forward to.
If you communicate this change properly, they might spread the word about it.
Even the corporations make sure that they incorporate the announcement of the coming changes into their PR strategy, to prepare their clients and give them time to process it.
In case you decide to keep it as a surprise, your customers might need some time to get used to it, and your progress might slow down.
Once you Change Your Domain, Set Up the 301 Redirects
301 redirection is a way to tell search engines that the link has been permanently moved to another location. This way, whoever clicks on your old link (with your old domain name) will be automatically transferred to the new one.
With this redirection, you can ensure that the value of your links and backlinks from your old domain is being passed to your new domain.
As soon as your old domain expires, your visitors won’t be able to access it. That means that you won’t be able to have 301 redirections because the domain that links are redirected from won’t exist anymore.
Let’s say that your old domain is bluejeans.com, and your new one is reddress.com, with the 301 redirections, anyone who clicks on the bluejeans.com link will be automatically redirected to reddress.com.
In case that you no longer own the bluejeans.com domain, they won’t be able to access it.
How to make sure that my domain won’t expire?
If you’ve purchased your domain from us, we’ll send you regular email notifications before your expiration date, so that you can renew your domain on time.
As you noticed at the beginning of this article, Facebook still owns their previous domain name (thefacebook.com), so no one else can purchase it, and they are still redirecting traffic from the old domain to their existing one.
Update your Google Analytics and Google Webmaster
Google Webmaster
If you want to keep your traffic, you shouldn’t skip the step of notifying Google about your domain change.
Using Google Webmaster, you can change your address (your domain), and allow Google to index your website. This will help Google transfer all of your rankings from the old domain to a new one.
Google Analytics
If you are already using Google Analytics, you know how important is the data you get from there. You can track the visitors’ behavior, their interaction with your website and implement that data to improve their user experience. And improve your rankings.
As soon as you have your 301 redirections set up, don’t forget to update your Google Analytics. Otherwise, your GA will be tracking your old website’s data.
Update your Email Addresses
Even though it doesn’t affect your traffic directly, changing your email addresses is an important step.
Your previous email address is probably matching your old domain name, so when transferring to a new one, don’t forget to create a new email address as well.
Another point to note is that once your old domain expires, you won’t be able to use your email address anymore. That’s why it’s a good idea to notify all the parties you are communicating with that you will be using a new email address.
To be sure that all of your contacts are notified about the change, you can set up the autoresponder, and they will get an automatic reply every time they send an email to your old address.
Change your Domain Without Losing Traffic
Now that you have learned about the measures you can take to save your traffic, and keep your progress streamlined, you can proceed to check if your new domain is available.
Feel free to contact us, and we’ll make sure that your domain change goes as smoothly as possible.
Your pricing page can limit your sales. Even though you managed to drive visitors to your pricing page, that doesn’t mean that they will complete the purchase at any cost. After all, they are just one click away from disappearing for good.
Even though the pricing page is where most conversions happen, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to it.
A pricing page is a landing page, just like any other page, and if it’s not created to get visitors to take any action, it can destroy your conversion rate.
Luckily, there are some proven tactics that you should take into consideration when structuring your pricing page.
After going through hundreds of converting pricing pages, we have noticed some things they have in common, and we’re bringing them to you.
Avoid Having too Many Options
From our early childhood, we start believing that the more choices we have, the better. We want more toys, then more clothes, more subjects at school to choose from, more job offers. It is in our nature to be afraid of not having an option. Because an option means freedom. And there’s no greater feeling than the one of losing freedom.
However, it’s proven that having too many options stress us, and leave us less satisfied.
A lot of businesses want to cater to all of the groups, and thus offer a lot of pricing plans. Because they want everyone to find a plan that’s suitable for them.
So, the first thing to do when deciding on your pricing plans is to stick to 3 or 4 plans.
Most of the businesses have around 3 plans available, but some have even less than that.
Basecamp has one pricing option that works for everyone. And their annual income is measured in millions of dollars.
Another example of a pricing page that has limited options is Sketch.
For a long time, they had only one option (the one you can see on the left), but they’ve recently added the business option as well.
As you might have heard, Sketch has been founded back in 2010, as a native Mac app. And ever since then, they have accumulated more than a million users.
Even though having too many options becomes overwhelming, you don’t have to stick to only one or two options. There are tons of profitable companies out there that prefer having 3 or 4 options. FreshBooks, for example.
Give Special Attention to the Option in the Middle
Maybe you’ve noticed that many businesses mark the certain option as ‘the most popular’,‘recommended’ and so. But what is the reason behind it?
It’s simple – by differentiating your most profitable option – you get more revenue.
Except for appreciating when showing them what to look for, people are more likely to choose an option that’s in the middle.
If you take a look at Asana’s page, you’ll quickly guess which of their options is the most popular (and the most profitable) one.
Use the Anchoring Effect to Make Your Pricing More Appealing
When making decisions, we tend to rely on the first piece of information we receive. In terms of price negotiations, if the first number we hear is low, anything higher than that number will sound extremely expensive, and the opposite.
This is a psychological principle that multiple scientists have covered during the last few decades. You can learn more about it in this article from Harward.
Even though a lot of people don’t know the specific name of this tactic, you probably have a chance to see the example of it at least twice a day.
Every time you see the discounted price, it’s the anchoring effect in action. How often have you decided to complete a purchase, because the old price seemed higher than the discounted one?
Besides announcing a sale, there are other ways of using this tactic on your pricing page.
The lowest price is $119, but when you look at the price of $449…$119 doesn’t seem that much.
But take a look at the Better Proposal’s pricing page. When the plans start from $19, $49 seems quite high.
To conclude – the perception of your price highly depends on the numbers you compare it with. The higher the numbers around your most profitable option, the more attractive that offer appears.
Improve the Buttons on Your Pricing Page
The main issue with Call-To-Actions that we see on most of the pages is that they call for action only, but don’t call to value.
Subscribe, Start Today, Get Started…We can’t say that they don’t work…but the more specific you are, the more reasons your visitors will have to click on that button.
Here are some examples of buttons that people can’t resist clicking:
Add the FAQ to Your Pricing Page
Even though your visitors came to your pricing page, they still have doubts. It is in our nature to seek reassurance every time we need to make a decision.
In case that your visitors have unanswered questions, or they just want to make sure that they are making the right decision, the frequently asked questions will be there to address their doubts.
Add Testimonials
Most of the websites save their testimonials for the home pages only and don’t take the opportunity of sharing them elsewhere.
Testimonials are some of the most important content pieces that you can put on your website. They give the audience that final push they need to perform an action. They establish credibility and foster trust. So why not put in on the most important place on your website – your pricing page?
Extra tip: The content of testimonials should match the content of the page where they are used. If you have testimonials that speak about your pricing model, or the general satisfaction related to the pricing – they can’t find a better place than your pricing page.
A/B Test Everything
Even though adding these elements and following these practices has helped thousands of pricing pages convert better, what works for one audience, might not work for another.
For example, some websites have managed to increase conversions just by changing the CTA button from red to green, while others increased it by switching the green-colored button to a red one.
And this is something that you can’t guess.
If you want your pricing page to generate as much revenue as possible – always be testing.
There’s only One Thing you Don’t Need to Test Out
Even though we just said that you should not blindly stick to any of the practices before testing them, there’s still one thing that you should implement as soon as possible.
Your pricing page will have many elements. It has to be well designed, clean, appealing, and be able to keep all of those elements.
There’s no doubt – if your website is slow, and your pricing page is not loading fast enough, none of your previous efforts will count.
So make sure that your website is fast enough so that the visitor can load your pricing page in less than 2 seconds.
We’ve already covered all the ways speed affects your website, so feel free to check it out.
Conclusion
To sum it up – yes, your pricing page is your golden ticket to higher ROI, and it has the potential a lot of business owners forget to use.
You should be thinking of it just like any other website page. It should have a clear goal, and it should have an easy-to-follow structure.
Even though it may not seem that important to you, the details on your page can limit or increase your page.
We hope that you find this article helpful. If so, feel free to share it with your friends!
If you’ve just finished (and published) your website, you probably always have one eye on your website traffic stats.
We’ve all been there.
In the internet-everything world, websites are our main base of operations, and growing the number of visitors simply means growing a business.
That’s why we are bringing you 6 tips for increasing your website traffic. These tactics have helped us and our clients promote their websites, and there’s no reason not to help you.
The best part – you can implement it right away (without any additional budget).
Before diving into it, let’s just get this straight – More traffic doesn’t mean more revenue. But more qualified traffic means a lot more revenue.
That means that if you are driving to your website a lot of visitors that are not interested in your business, sure, you’ll spread some awareness, but they are less likely to become your clients or customers.
Let’s check some of the ways for increasing the number of qualified visitors to your web page.
Publish the hot topic blog posts
Use ego baits in your content
Use infographics on your blog
Spread your content on Reddit
Create quizzes with share result features
Increase your website speed
1. Publish the hot topic blog posts (before anyone else)
We’re sorry if we are being too harsh, but trying to rank from posts with very hard-to-compete keywords is not the most efficient way to drive traffic. If you are targeting short, generic keywords such as ‘software developer’, ‘car parts’, or ‘clothes shop’, you won’t see any results in the short term.
If you, however, write about the trending topics even before they become hot, you’ll take the scene pretty quickly.
Easier said than done, right?
So how can you spot a hot topic before anyone else does?
First of all, make Google Trends your best friend. It’s a tool that will help you discover trends in user behavior and their search results.
You can search for a certain topic while filtering the location and the search type, or keep the track of the real-time search trends. Soon enough, you’ll start noticing spikes related to some of the topics, and you’ll know what your next blog post will be about.
Moreover, spying on Social Media comes in handy in this case. If you notice people mentioning the same topic more often than before, you should use that information in your favor.
2. Use ego-baits in your content
Did you know that 80% of marketers find influencer marketing more effective than any other strategy?
There’s a simple explanation behind it.
The #1 marketing strategy of all time is word of mouth (WoM). In other words, referrals.
There’s nothing more effective than having a trustworthy person recommending your product or service.
However, influencers can charge A LOT. Prices per post range from $75 to millions of dollars.
So how do you get an influential person to share your content without going bankrupt because of it?
One of the most effective ways to get people to share your content and spread the word about you is using ego bait. It’s a bit of an unfortunate term that casts a manipulative pall over the practice.
However, it doesn’t have to be like that.
Do you have an author, a mentor, or a person you truly admire? Why not include something nice and appreciating about their work in your next blog post?
Thanks to the very basic psychology principle – the law of reciprocity, they might return the favor and share your content with their audience.
Even if they don’t, you still have no regrets because you’ve featured a person that you honestly like.
This ego bait tactic is anything but new. It’s been in use since the dawn of time, and you can rest assured that it will bring traffic to your website.
3. Use infographics on your blog
If you had a chance to read some *really* good (and traffic-generating) blog posts, you’d realize that just a tiny portion of them relies on personal opinions only. They include data, research, and social proof.
An average person deals with more than 34 gigabytes of data every day.
The more information we consume, the more data we absorb, it’s getting harder to make the right decisions. That’s why people prefer consuming reliable, but easy-to-digest information.
One of the ways to present data, concept, or a process in the most pleasing way is to create an infographic.
Here are some tips for creating great infographics:
Keep it focused, don’t mix different topics
Make sure that it has a seamless flow
Group common information together
Don’t use too many different colors
Add some white space (so that it doesn’t look crowded)
Bear in mind that featuring an infographic on your blog won’t make it go viral immediately, but it will cause more people to share it.
4. Spread your content on Reddit
Reddit is one of the most active online communities with more than 1.3 billion users. It is broken into millions of communities called SubReddits.
You can easily find the topic that matches your blog post and join the conversation there.
Most of the people there don’t like the meaningless promotion, so make sure that you are actually participating in the conversation, and sharing the post (or your website link) with someone who will find it valuable.
This is a place that can help you grow your traffic exponentially, so make sure not to skip this step.
5. Create quizzes with share-results features.
There’s a whole science behind sharing content on social media. One of the main reasons is that people want their content to reflect their online identity.
Simply put, we want to tell the world how funny, interesting, clever, rich, or fancy we are. And we are more likely to share content that will create a positive image about ourselves in the public.
One of the ways to help your visitors present themselves in a way they like is to create a quiz. It will have a strong impact not just on your traffic, but on your email list growth.
Here’s an example of a quiz that went viral and millions of people shared it:
There are multiple applications that will help you create a quiz and embed it on your website. Yours is only to come up with the content.
6. Increase your website speed
We cannot skip mentioning that none of the tips are going to be effective if your website is loading slowly. Most users abandon a website that takes more than 2 seconds to load, so it’s crucial to have your speed optimized.
There are multiple reasons why your website is not running fast, such as:
You are hosted on a free website hosting
You are on a low-quality hosting service
Your images are not optimized
You have too many ads on your website
Before jumping into implementing our (proven) tips for increasing your website traffic, make sure that your website speed is fully optimized and ready to welcome your visitors.
If you are not sure whether your website is loading correctly and quickly, you can check your speed here.
We’ve been providing quality web hosting services since 2008 with the fastest servers on the market, so feel free to reach out if you believe you should speed up your website.
That’s all for today, and thank you for your time. If you find this article useful, we would appreciate it if you shared it with your friends.
Imagine being the most annoying guy in the neighborhood. You are always trying to sell something to your neighbors and coming to their houses (uninvited, of course). One day, they decide to lock their doors and not let you in. All of them.
The same can happen to your IP address or your domain. In other words, it gets blacklisted.
In this post, we’ll walk you through what it means to be blacklisted, how to check if your domain’s been blacklisted, and what you need to do to get off the blacklist.
What is a Blacklist?
Did you know that approximately 122.3 billion spam emails are being sent daily? Sent, not delivered.
To protect us from actually receiving billions of these emails, there are bases (lists) with domains and IP addresses that have been flagged as sources of harmful content. They are called Blacklists.
If your domain or an IP address is on one of those lists, email providers will prevent your recipients from getting your email.
Besides emails, browsers can also block people from getting to your website.
How to Check if Your Domain or IP Address was Blacklisted?
If there’s anything worse than being blacklisted, it’s certainly not knowing that you are blacklisted.
You might be splurging your marketing budget without knowing that your emails are not being delivered, or that your customers can’t visit your website.
If you have purchased an email list and have been sending a lot of unwanted emails, you can (almost) be sure that if your domain is not already blacklisted, it will be sooner or later.
However, it’s not always that simple, and to be honest, sometimes it’s not even your fault.
To check whether you are blacklisted or not, you can simply copy your IP address or your domain in this tool, or visit a Google Transparency Report page and enter your URL.
You’ll get results that look like this:
You’ll also be able to see the possible reasons for being on a particular blacklist.
How Can you Remove your Domain or IP Address from a Blacklist?
If you’ve found yourself listed on some of these blacklists – don’t panic.
We know it might sound terrifying knowing that your brand has been marked as harmful, or not safe, but there’s a way to get yourself off the list.
If your IP address has been blacklisted, you can contact your hosting provider, and they’ll help you get a new IP address. What’s more, even your hosting provider can help you get off the blacklist.
Another option is to contact the blacklist owner and ask for removal. Most of the time, they will walk you through a few steps and advise you to fix the problems that got you on the list in the first place. Finally, they will remove your domain or your IP address from their list.
Bear in mind that even though it might be a piece of cake to remove yourself from the blacklist for the first time, they are not so gentle with repeat offenders.
With that in mind, let’s answer the question…
What Causes Brands to be Blacklisted?
As mentioned before, there are 100+ billion spam emails sent daily. Most of the domains that got blacklisted have either received a lot of spam complaints or have hit a spam trap.
What is an Acceptable Spam Complaint Rate?
The normal spam complaint rate is around 0.1%. Everything above that is considered a high rate. That means if you receive 2 spam complaints out of 1000 emails sent, you might end up blacklisted.
There are multiple reasons why people would mark your email as spam, but in most cases – the unsubscribe button is not visible enough.
People like having an option, and if those who decided to unsubscribe can’t see the button immediately, they will report it as spam.
What are Spam Traps?
Inbox providers (e.g. Gmail) use a very clever way to detect those who are buying email addresses or scraping them from the internet.
They create specific email addresses (that look just like the normal ones) and post them online in places where only email scraping apps will find them.
By collecting and emailing them, inbox providers know exactly who these spammers are.
How to Prevent Your Domain or IP Address from being Blacklisted?
When it comes to keeping your brand off the blacklist and avoid being marked as spam, there are more don’ts than dos.
Here are the most important ones:
Don’t link to disreputable websites. Links are probably the most crucial part of your content. As the name suggests, when you are linking your content to websites with a poor reputation, you link your brand to their reputation. If you’re not sure whether a website publishes safe content or not, make sure that you check their URL using the Google Transparency Report.
Never buy an email list – Just like we mentioned before, besides having the risk of recipients marking you as spam, you might easily fall into a spam trap.
Don’t use link shorteners in your emails – This technique has been used by spammers to mask suspicious URLs. As a result, even if you shorten the most reputable link (like Wikipedia), it will be considered spam.
Remove inactive subscribers. – Cleaning up your list once or twice a year will improve your deliverability and open rates, ensuring that your brand is considered reputable.
Be mindful of your content. You may want to take a look at your content and make sure you are following the best practices for avoiding spam. Here’s what you shouldn’t be doing:
Have too many images
Write in ALL CAPS
Mention (too many times) money, currencies, or currency symbols ($)
Use spammy words (mostly related to health, pharmaceutical products, etc.)
Not leave an option for unsubscribing.
Emails can be a lifeline of your business, so you certainly don’t want to have your lifeline suddenly cut off. We hope that this article’s helped you learn about the best practices, as well as how to stay off the email blacklist.
We would appreciate it if you could help us spread the word by sharing this article with your friends. In the meantime, if you have any other questions, we will be more than happy to answer.
Are you dealing with unhappy customers on a daily basis? Well, we hate to break this to you: it’s you, not them. But, we have a few ideas on how to fix it.
Have you ever gone to the opposite side of town just to shop in that one store where you always feel welcome? Chances are, more than once. And you’re not the only one who does that.
Customer service may be the single most important factor that can differentiate your brand in a sea of competition. Brands that constantly respond to the challenge of providing extraordinary customer experiences for their consumers are more likely to prosper. At the same time, the future of those that fail to meet at least the basic expectations from their customers doesn’t look very bright.
And these aren’t just empty words: statistics back it up. Did you know that for 90% of Americans customer service is a vital factor when choosing a company to do business with? More than half of them will give up on your brand if they’re not happy with how they’re treated, while more than 85% of consumers will buy from you again if they received excellent customer service.
So, how will you know if you’re doing it wrong? Look for these seven signs, and if you happen to recognize them in your customer service, worry not. We’re also providing you with seven ideas on how to do things better.
1. You Don’t Pay Much Attention to the Welcome
First impressions last. That’s your chance to win your new customers over and make them want to return. But if you don’t welcome your customers properly, you probably won’t see them again.
Many surveys show that customer acquisition costs are much higher than what you’d spend on a good customer retention strategy. In fact, they can be five to 25 times higher. Nevertheless, 44% of companies worldwide still focus on customer acquisition strategies rather than nurturing their existing ones.
So, what should you do then?
If you do your best to make a customer’s first experience with you memorable, or at least very pleasant, they’ll be more likely to purchase from you again, recommend you to their friends and family, or try your new products.
With that in mind, ensure that you have welcoming staff who do their job efficiently.
Show your customers that you also value their time, and not only their money. So no fluff, get straight to the point.
Friendly faces should go without saying, but we’ll mention it anyway.
Don’t forget to ditch the patronizing tone, as it’s easy to slip into it, especially if you’re dealing with customers who know little about your product or service.
Photo Source: Freepik.com
2. You Receive Lots of Complaints
Yes, there are clients who are pretty hard to please. They’ll be unhappy no matter what you do. But, if you keep receiving complaints about your service day after day, there must be something that’s not working well.
Did you get a few bad reviews on Facebook or Google? The worst thing you could do is ignore them or start a discussion. Instead, apologize and offer a solution. Always keep a professional tone.
However, it’s even more important to address the complaint in reality and try to solve the issue to avoid complaints in the future.
3. Your Customers Usually don’t Come Back
In 2020, 86% of consumers said that they would pay more for a product or service if they were happy with the customer experience.
So, it’s not about your prices. The answer lies in how you make your customers feel. Even if you have a pretty good sales volume, you may want to check how many recurring customers you have.
Very few? It may be due to poor customer service.
Did you know that almost 80% of respondents in a survey would do business with a company that made a mistake, in case their customer experience was extraordinary?
So, even if you mess something up the first time, you have a chance to make it up to your customer by providing great customer service. How about a loyalty program or discounts for regular customers?
That may give them a reason to come back.
4. You’re Aiming at Making Every Interaction as Quickly as Possible
Of course, people don’t like wasting their time and will probably complain about waiting for too long to be served. Or if you keep transferring them from one department to another. They want a quick fix for their problem. But when we’re talking about customer service, in some cases fast doesn’t mean satisfactory.
How so? Your consumers don’t want to feel like they’re just another number. They want a personalized experience. If you interact with them on a more personal level, they will feel more welcome and more comfortable. And when you create a comfortable environment for your consumers, they will feel more comfortable with spending money, as well as returning.
Photo Source: Freepik.com
5. You Only Care About Vanity Metrics
Having millions of followers on social media sure sounds cool, but it doesn’t mean anything when it comes to your brand – or sales. Building a community has much more value for any company because people who trust you and whose values resonate with yours are those who buy from you.
That’s why social media isn’t only about creating nice visuals and writing witty copy. Today, it’s a huge part of the customer experience since many consumers will engage with brands on social media before they make a purchase. That happens because a customer is more likely to form an emotional connection to your brand, and emotions sell better than any other strategy.
6. You’re not Very Responsive
Why do you think Facebook informs users of how long a brand typically takes to respond to a message? Because it’s an important factor that affects how people will feel about you.
Research conducted last year showed that almost 80% of people expect you to reply in less than a day, while 40% of respondents said they’d like an answer within an hour after they’ve reached out.
Many of the messages you’ll receive will be product or service-related. Why is that so? Because today, a big part of your customer journey will happen online – before a customer even enters your store or office. They’ll do thorough research on what they need and if they choose to reach out to you on social media, chances are that they’re almost ready to make a purchase.
So, what happens if you don’t reply to your followers’ comments and messages for days? They become less likely to buy from you.
Why waste such opportunities? Hiring a social media manager or at least monitoring your social media channels more often can easily fix the problem.
7. You Lack Flexibility
It’s not always possible to meet every need your customers have. If a prospect lives too far from your cosmetic salon, there’s nothing you can do. But, if they live too far from your language school, why not offer online lessons?
Even if you’re not used to these, you might give it a try.
Sticking to your rules and schedules too strictly can only harm your reputation. People appreciate it when you go out of your way to help them and make their customer experience positive.
More than 60% of consumers value brands that can anticipate their unique needs, and even B2B buyers expect it. To build brand loyalty and provide great customer service, you should try to accommodate your consumers whenever possible. They’re likely in a constant rush and need someone whose flexibility they can count on.
Photo Source: Freepik.com
Easy Fixes for Significant Improvements
See how easily you can make poor customer service better?
If you keep in mind that your customers want to feel heard and valued, it shouldn’t be too hard to apply the tips we’ve given you. Flexibility, responsiveness, and showing that you care about your customers can truly go a long way.
It’s vital not to underestimate the power of top-quality customer service. If you want your business to grow, begin by implementing one or two ideas from this article. You’ll be amazed by the difference it can make.
There are quite a few reasons why many companies choose to do just that. These can be very reliable storages for your data and other services. At the same time, they’re usually flexible when it comes to payment, and save your time as you don’t need to develop and maintain internal infrastructure to keep your data.
If you’ve decided to join General Electric, eBay, Fitbit, and other companies that enjoy the perks of using cloud computing, you’re just one step away from making the switch.
The question is – which cloud hosting provider should you choose?
This article may help you make a decision.
1. Data Security
The first thing you want to ensure is data security. If you’re using a third-party company to collect, organize, structure, and store your data, you must have a DPA in place to protect you from potential legal issues in case of a data breach.
When choosing a cloud hosting provider, you should ensure that they strictly follow data security standards.
Pay special attention to where the server you pick is located. In case you have particular requirements regarding data storage or processing, server location may be a deal-breaker even if you’re happy with the rest of the conditions.
There are different laws in different parts of the world, so you should make sure you’re aware of any regulations that may apply to the place where the provider will process or store your data.
If encryption of your data is necessary, make sure the chosen cloud hosting provider can offer this service, especially if you handle sensitive data. The same goes for data backup and retention – make sure to discuss it with your potential cloud hosting provider.
If there are any changes on the server that affect your data, you should be informed about it timely. No changes should be made to your data without your approval.
Finally, although any cloud hosting provider should be absolutely transparent about how they operate, it’s still your responsibility to make sure all your requests are met before you sign a contract.
(Photo Source: Freepik.com)
2. Reliable Performance
How can a cloud hosting provider guarantee reliable performance? It’s an important factor when choosing a suitable provider because too much downtime may hurt your business. However, be prepared that you’ll experience some regardless of how good the provider is – it’s necessary to maintain and update the server for it to function well.
The best way to ensure your potential hosting provider offers extraordinary service is to check their documentation and SLAs. If they’re not available publicly, you can ask for them. Any company that does business transparently will have no objections to showing them to you.
Check what happens in case there’s a service issue – ask about the company’s disaster recovery processes. You may never experience it, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared.
Some cloud hosting providers also offer additional risk insurance. If you’re working with extra sensitive or important data, you may consider this option, too.
3. Software Integrations and Technologies
Take a look at your processes as a whole. What kind of tools do you use every day? You may be using different marketing automation tools, CRM programs, analytics, etc. Will your potential cloud hosting provider be able to manage your data from all these channels?
In most cases, you’ll benefit from choosing a provider that’s a part of a larger ecosystem so you can upgrade your current service with new ones as your business grows or your needs change.
Another thing to consider when it comes to integrations is how reliable the company’s partners are. You should be safe if they all have the necessary certifications and meet the standards you’ve set for your potential collaboration.
Your chosen cloud hosting provider should also have cloud architectures that match your requirements. Do they offer customization options? You may also need to do some re-coding before you start using their service. Determine if it’s worth it before you make your final decision.
(Photo Source: Freepik.com)
4. Support
Other elements may seem more relevant, but what do you do when you encounter an unexpected issue? You reach out to customer support. And that doesn’t only refer to having customer support reps, but all administration support.
SLA: Before signing a contract, make sure you consider their Service Level Agreement. Does it fit your needs? Don’t forget that you can negotiate them in case the basic service level doesn’t suit you completely. Make sure you ask for any necessary explanations if you don’t quite understand all the technical jargon that SLAs may contain.
Accounting: Look for providers who have automated billing. It’s less likely that an unexpected error will happen and that you’ll suffer unpredicted costs. You should be able to monitor your spending and reach out to an accountant in case you need live support.
Reporting: You’ll want a provider who can create performance reports for you. Your agreement can include monthly or quarterly reports, so you can monitor your data and performance more straightforwardly.
5. Business Health
Having to switch to another provider after a year would be an inconvenience for your business. That’s why business health isn’t something you should neglect when choosing a cloud hosting provider. Usually, you can’t go wrong with a company with no history of legal issues and a stable reputation.
The company you decide to trust with your data needs to be in a healthy position when it comes to finances, as well. Do they have enough capital to operate for years? Find out about the provider’s risk management policies.
If they have these in place, chances are they deserve your trust. Learning about the company’s partnerships can tell you a lot about who they are and what their level of expertise is.
And don’t forget that the provider you choose should also understand how your business works. Ensure they have the necessary tools and knowledge to meet your needs.
(Photo Source: Freepik.com)
Take Your Time
Choosing a cloud service provider is a serious matter and you shouldn’t make such a decision in a hurry. Take your time to consider your options so that you can be sure you’ve made the right choice. Ask the provider any questions that may occur to you so you have all the relevant information and can compare different services and finally pick the best.
If you bear the criteria we’ve described in mind, we’re sure you’ll pick the right cloud hosting provider that’ll help you achieve your business goals.
Gaining new clients, winning new projects, expanding your prospect base every day is an adrenaline rush almost every new business owner likes. Nothing better than sending tons of invoices at the end of the month, then hopping to another project.
However, this shiny world of endless new projects begins to crumble as soon as you realize that:
You can’t effectively plan out your budget for the next quarter because there’s no sustainable and consistent income
Your employees go into burnout mode because they spend too much time on onboarding on top of everyday tasks
The quality of your work suffers because there are only 24 hours per day and there’s a limit to getting to know every client and his needs
At that moment, you begin to wonder if there’s a way out of this vicious cycle. You wonder if there’s a proven formula that brings peace of mind and stability into a company.
There is and we’ll tell you what it is.
But first, let’s talk about short-term and long-term thinking.
First, You have to Decide Whether You’re a Company that Thinks Long-Term or Short-Term
In the lifecycle of every company comes the turning point where you have to decide whether
you’re going to keep chasing down every possible lead every single day and sacrifice your ongoing clients, employees, nerves… (short-term thinking)
Or you’re going to nurture your existing client relationships while sacrificing a huge number of shiny, potentially lucrative deals. (long-term thinking)
Sounds like a no-brainer. In the end, more clients mean more profit.
Even though you burn out and it’s impossible to serve everyone all the time, that’s the only way. To hustle your way up to the top, right?
Wrong.
And it’s not just our opinion. If we look at the numbers, it’s pretty obvious that companies that think long-term win the day.
Deloitte Research found that companies who tracked customer retention, set loyalty goals, and made efforts to exceed their loyalty goals, were 60% more profitable than those manufacturers who made no efforts to track customer loyalty.
Still, thinking about winning a new client instead of nurturing your existing ones?
In this article, you’ll find out the key benefits of shifting your internal strategy to investing in customer retention.
You’ll discover why your dearest, long-term clients are your goldmine that will keep your business running for decades.
In the end, you’ll learn just how you can start building your long-term relationships today and use them to grow.
1. Exponential High-Quality Lead and Client Base Growth
Yes, long-term partnerships foster sales and bring your more clients in the long run, without forcing you to do more marketing – because great relationships foster the best marketing strategy ever, and that is – The Word of Mouth.
If the collaboration is satisfying for both sides and lasts for years, that will eventually lead to referrals. People like to share things they’re amazed by.
Now, let’s say your client recommends you to 3 of their partners. You strike a deal, commit to long-term cooperation, strive every day to overdeliver… And then each of those 3 new clients refers you to 3 of their partners.
The math is simple.
Your client base grows exponentially – 3 x 3 x 3…
Since you like the client, chances are you’ll like his referrals, which means greater job satisfaction
Your reputation grows stronger because you deliver high-quality services to high-quality clients
2. Long-Term Partnerships Save Money and Time
Chasing down clients often assume unbillable hours spent on negotiations, preparing contracts, sending proposals… With repeat customers, you save time to provide more output and thus more profits.
Aside from that:
You save money that you could further invest into improving your customer relationships or getting new leads.
Marketing to your existing clients is far easier than to cold audience (and selling as well)
Administration becomes stress-free since you don’t have to learn over and over again how the new client operates
Most companies suggest Retention over Acquisition: investing 80% of your time and resources into keeping your current customers happy while spending 20% to gather new leads.
3. Budget Predictability and a Safety Net
Having repeat business gives you certainty and a safety net, especially in times of crisis like this. At least you know that you’ll be able to pay your workers and cover operational costs.
First of all, being able to predict the budget in the next 6 months relieves stress, doesn’t it?
Second, a safety net allows you to make a viable business strategy and know just how much risk you can take at the moment
Third and most important, you can focus on improving your offer and your services or products
Here’s the illustration of business revenue when focusing on one-off projects and repeat business (retainers). The graph on the right shows stability and steady growth. The left one shows sudden bursts of revenue and growth, but great volatility.
4. Repeat Business Does Increase Sales and Reduce CAC in the Long Run
People who buy from you repeatedly bring in more profits than first-time shoppers. Consistently and predictably. There’s always an opportunity to scale up the profits by upselling and adding new things to existing packages.
A study conducted by Bain & Company found that a 5% increase in retention rate can lead to an increase in profit between 25% to 95%.
5. Long-Term Customers Become your External R&D Team
In the world of a customer-centric economy, knowing the needs of your audience and meeting them is crucial. Most businesses (at least the successful ones) strive to improve their products and services over time.
Making that investment is however very expensive and not many companies can afford it. That’s why many decide to sacrifice research and experiment directly on the market.
Make-profits-or-die-trying tactic.
While this is a viable tactic and the market gives you many insights, it’s risky and can also drain your budget fast leaving you without any useful data.
That’s right. Your long-term clients are the driving force that gives you valuable insights.
Since you have close relationships and great results together, you can ask for feedback any time you want. Make sure to provide incentives and rewards, of course. After all, they’re actively helping you.
You know their day-to-day struggles, so you’ll know what to ask, and how to measure improvements.
Your long-term clients are the external research department that gives you feedback and insights needed to improve, grow, and earn more.
How to Establish Long-Term Client Relationships
There are many strategies for building satisfying collaborations and long-term partnerships, but most of them revolve around these three:
Invest in customer service
Always there for you shouldn’t be just a vague tagline on your website. Especially if you know that 89% of customers will make another purchase if they had a positive experience with the customer service.
Give discounts to people who participate in interviews
Use focus groups
Finally, use that data to find out where you’re the best, and where you could improve. That will make your customers feel appreciated, valued, and happier.
To Conclude
Running a profitable business is a long struggle to find a balance between bringing in new clients and keeping the existing ones happy. If we were to bet on a successful strategy, we’d put all of our money on 80% retention – 20% acquisition.
Hopefully, you’ve learned the nuts and bolts of a customer retention strategy. If you liked it and would like to help your business partners shift their mindset, please share this article with them on social media.
If you have any feedback, share it with us in the comments below, we’d like to hear from you!
