Category

Small Business

Small Business

Will the Updated Google+ Be a Boon for Businesses?

Are you a Google+ user? If not, then the main reason you may know about Google+ is by using YouTube, which until mid-2015 required a Google+ membership in order to comment on YouTube content. In the past 2 weeks, Google has rolled out a redesigned Google+. The goal of the redesign is to help businesses “collaborate and communicate more effectively.” Let’s take a look at some of Google+’s new and updated features to see how they might help your small business succeed. New home page that enables users to find what they want faster New notifications center that helps users get up-to-date quickly Users can add links and photos to their comments Community owners and moderators can control/approve member posts…
Mike Morris
September 12, 2016
Search Engine OptimizationSmall Business

SEO Tips and Tricks for Small Business Owners

If your business goals include having a popular, well-ranked website, then SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a strategy you will need to learn and employ. The field of SEO is rapidly changing and expanding, so if you are managing your own website, it pays to stay up-to-date. Here are a few of our latest tips and tricks that go beyond the basic on-page SEO tactics. Backlinks – Gaining backlinks, or links back to your website content, is a prize worth having. Many major search engines use the number of times your page has been backlinked in their ranking calculation. Since this is a factor that’s hard to control, it may be in your website’s best interests to agree to a…
Mike Morris
August 15, 2016
Small BusinessWeb Design

5 Questions to Ask Before Redesigning Your Website

When was the last time you looked at your business website and thought: “Awesome”?  If it’s been a while since you felt that way, then this blog is for you. Over time, trends and customer expectations in website evolve. If your business website looks like it was designed even 5 (or more) years ago, then it’s probably time for a change. Here are some key questions to consider before you go for a website redesign: What is your website’s goal? Do you want to sell something? Do you want customers to call you for a service? Is the goal to promote an idea or platform? Without a well-defined goal, and a website designed specifically to meet that goal, your website…
Mike Morris
July 27, 2016
Small BusinessWeb Security

Defending your Small Business from Ransomware

According to Trend Micro, a premier online security expert, incidents of ransomware are exploding in 2016. They’ve declared 2016 “the year of online extortion.” Sounds scary and expensive, especially if you are a small business owner. How do you keep your company’s valuable files and customer data safe and out of the hands of malware attackers? What is Ransomware? Ransomware is a malicious online virus. Once it gains access to your computer, it quickly spreads throughout all files on your server and hard drive and encrypts them, rendering them unusable. Most of the time, the user is completely unable to access their files. After the virus has done it’s dirty work, a pop up or other type of warning will appear…
Mike Morris
June 24, 2016
BlogsMarketingSmall Business

Budget-Friendly Digital Marketing Solutions

When you own a small business, especially during the start-up phase, your budget can be tight. But if you fail to market your business, especially online, your prospects for success will suffer. Even if you can’t hire an outside marketing firm right now, there are plenty of things you can do for little-to-no cost to boost your marketing efforts online. Here’s how to get started: Get the best possible website and online presence you can. Start accounts and build pages on popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+. Submit your business information to online business directories for both your area and your industry. Make sure that your information is accurate and identical for every listing so that…
Mike Morris
June 3, 2016
AutomationSearch Engine OptimizationSmall BusinessWeb Design

What is Google AMP and How Will It Affect Raleigh Websites?

Those who attend marketing, SEO, and programming events cannot escape the talk about Google AMP these days. Google AMP, which stands for Accelerated Mobile Pages, is very new technology that was announced by Google last October. So what is it? Google AMP is an “open source initiative” that aims to solve the problem of slow loading webpages, especially on mobile devices. Through some specific programming tactics, user un-friendly websites are transformed into pages that load quicker than lightning and please the end user almost instantly. Rich graphics load promptly, scrolling is smooth, and responsive design is automatically addressed. With Google AMP, web design is simpler and yields multiple benefits for the end user, which in turn benefits the publisher or…
Mike Morris
April 27, 2016
AutomationAutomationMarketingSmall Business

Is it Time to Add Marketing Automation to your Marketing Toolbox?

Are you interested in Marketing Automation Technology (MAT)? Wondering how it might benefit your small or medium-sized business in Raleigh and the Triangle? Marketing automation technologies have been around for a couple of decades, originating as a way to automatically add customer contact information into a standard letter. In the last 5-6 years, though, Marketing automation technologies have evolved into systems that enable businesses to identify, nurture, and contact leads who show interest online and convert them into buying customers. How do you know it’s time to invest in MAT? According to the Aberdeen group, businesses that use some form of MAT have over 105% higher lead conversion and 40% larger deal-size to boot. Marketing automation technologies consist of software…
Mike Morris
April 18, 2016
BrandingMarketingSmall BusinessWeb Design

How to Build Brand Trustworthiness

Every small business owner wants to succeed and every business has a brand, whether they created one of not. Success and a business’s brand are intimately linked. Consumers’ perception of a company is their brand, and without the perception of trustworthiness, a business will rarely succeed. What steps can small businesses take to further their brand perception of trustworthiness? 1 – “Do what you say you are going to do.” This is the way marketing values expert Robert Ferguson sums it up. When a business follows this advice in all that they do, from interactions with customers to internal decision making, consumers will associate that business with security and trustworthiness. Authenticity also breeds trustworthiness, especially among millennial customers. Most buyers value…
Mike Morris
April 7, 2016
MarketingSmall BusinessWeb Design

5 Proven Methods for Directing Traffic to your Business Website

Leveraging Offline Sources If you have a business website, you already know that you want your customers and potential customers to see it and interact with it. You may already be trying online tactics to drive customers to your website, like social media activity, PPC ads, marketing emails and the like. But did you realize that what you do offline can have a big impact in gaining new customers too? Try these 5 techniques to prompt more customers to find you online: 1 – Promotional Products: Order and distribute promotional products! These can be things like pens, small toys, memory sticks, or t-shirts. I recommend buying the highest quality products that you can afford to give away. If an item…
Mike Morris
March 24, 2016

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