Lytron, Author at Lytron Fort Lauderdale Web Design & SEO Agency

Tips to Increase Your Internet Traffic

The primary reason that most businesses have a website is to increase sales. You build a website and then hope that visitors come. But how do you attract visitors? There are multiple solutions, including using pay-per-click and social media paid advertising. Before you spend any money on advertising, you should think about setting aside a portion of your budget for SEO.

Understanding the Basics of SEO

What is SEO? Search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your website to increase search engine rankings. With SEO, you are attempting to gain internet traffic related to specific keywords. This is accomplished in multiple ways. Here are some of the most common methods of SEO:

On-site keyword optimization
Building backlinks to your website
Website restructuring and HTML improvements
Proper use of outbound links

SEO Begins with Keyword Research

One of the first steps in implementing good SEO practices is performing keyword research. This is the process of determining which keywords should be targeted in the content of your website, in links, and throughout your site.

There are two major factors to look at when performing keyword research – competition and search volume. You need to look at the amount of competition for that keyword and the average number of times that internet users search for that keyword each month.

It can be difficult to increase search engine rankings for high-competition. At the same time, low-volume keywords will not provide much of a benefit, if only a handful of people are searching for the term each month. The goal is to find a balance between competition and volume.

Tips to Increase Your Internet Traffic, implementing Keywords with SEO

Once keyword research has been performed, an SEO company then begins optimizing your website for those keywords. How long will it take in order to get results? You may notice an increase in rankings during the first month, but generally you will not see a significant increase in website traffic for 4 to 6 months or longer.

If you are interested in increasing your website traffic, you need to get started with SEO as soon as possible.

SEO Improve Your Search Rankings

What is SEO and how can it help your business? SEO simply stands for Search Engine Optimization. This refers to practices and techniques for ensuring search engines recognize your web pages. SEO is used to increase your search engine rankings in search results. This is the primary method of organically driving traffic to your website.

On-Site Versus Off-Site SEO

As you begin looking for ways to gain more traffic, you may hear the terms On-Site and Off-Site SEO. On-site optimization involves steps that are taken on your web pages. This includes the proper use of keywords, titles, and descriptions, as well as other tasks.

Off-site optimization includes steps that occur away from your site. A few examples of off-site SEO include the building of backlinks through commenting on forums, sharing links on Facebook and other social media platforms, and sending out press releases.

When you hire an SEO business to help drive traffic to your website, they will likely employ both on-site and off-site SEO techniques.

Search Engine Algorithms Determine Rankings

Search engines use algorithms to determine which web pages are most useful for a particular search query. These algorithms are used to rank web pages based on how helpful or relevant they are to a user’s search. But first, search engines must create an index of web pages. In order to build this index, search engines send out crawlers.

These crawlers search the internet, landing on web pages, and following links, and gathering information about each web page that is visited. This gives the search engines details about the use of keywords on your site, external and internal links, and the actual content of your site.

How Can SEO help Your Business?

When you search for a term related to your business, how far do you have to search before coming across a link to your website? Depending on the industry you are involved in, if you do not show up on the first page, then you may need to improve the SEO on your website.

SEO experts can look at the existing structure of your website and come up with solutions to improve optimization. With SEO, you can begin climbing the search engine rankings, without having to pay for additional advertising. This is an organic solution for driving traffic to your website.

Web Design for Your Small Business

Why is web design so essential for your small business? In the modern age, every business needs to have an online presence. When a potential customer or client first hears about your business, they are likely to search for additional information about your products or services. Without a website, you could be losing sales leads and missing out on a large segment of the population.

Find out why you need more than just a Facebook page to promote your small business.

Social Media is Not Enough

When you first start a small business, you may think that creating a Facebook page or a Twitter account will be enough to promote and market your business. While you should still utilize social media as a method of reaching more customers, a website provides the best method of representing your business online.

At the most basic level, a website is an online business card for your business. It provides visitors with contact information and other details. It helps to differentiate you from your competition. Having a website has become standard practice for businesses in the modern world.

Choosing to rely solely on social media will make your business appear less professional or legit – anyone can set up a Facebook page in a matter of minutes. It is difficult for customers to verify that the information provided is correct.

Promote Your Products or Services

Using web design to create a website for your small business also helps you promote your products or services. As mentioned, a website could be as basic as a one-page online business card. Though, you can also create individual pages for your various products or services. These pages can provide detailed information, offering potential customers and clients with informative content about the benefits of your products or services.

Even though you could create a Facebook post containing some of this information, it will not have the same impact as providing a full explanation on your website and then posting a summary through social media – with a link back to your website.

In the end, social media is a useful tool for reaching more customers, but it is most effective when combined with the use of a professionally designed website. If you have not yet created a website for your small business, consider contacting a reputable web design company today.

The Benefits of a Responsive Web Design

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As a business owner, you are probably aware that having a website is an essential part of running a business in the 21^st century. While the web design team that you hire will handle the process of coding your website or setting up a WordPress site, you still have control over the look and feel that you want for the site. After all, the site is a direct representation of your business in the online world.

With a growing number of consumers using their mobile devices for browsing the internet, responsive web design has become increasingly beneficial.

No Need for Two Separate Websites

In the past, a web design company would create one website for desktop viewing and another website for mobile viewing. Responsive web design eliminates the need for two sites, by allowing the elements on the page to adjust based on the width of the user’s screen.

Improve the User Experience

Using responsive web design can actually increase the overall user experience. If a visitor has difficulty reading text on a mobile device, they will likely leave the website and find another business. By having a website design that works with any device, you will not have to worry about visitors having trouble finding or viewing information on your website.

Increase Search Engine Rankings

Search engine optimization is a lot of work, but having a responsive web design can give your SEO a boost. Google prefers websites that use responsive web design. One of the latest changes to the Google search engine ranking algorithm increased the importance of having a mobile-friendly website. Since you will not be displaying the same content on two separate websites, you will also not have to deal with double content penalties.

WordPress is one of the most popular platforms for the development of quality websites. There are thousands of themes available that can be tailored to fit the needs of your business. When looking for themes, narrow your search to themes that use responsive web design.

Online Grocery Shopping Booming

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As people become accustomed to getting the products and services they need via their smartphones and mobile devices, they are beginning to turn to eCommerce for even the most routine purchases, such as grocery shopping.

According to a new survey conducted by the group 72 Point Inc. on behalf of online organic grocer Door to Door Organics, the number of consumers who shop online for groceries increased 29 percent in 2015. And 19 percent of those surveyed said they did all of their weekly food shopping online.

Virtual Grocery Cart

Grocery shopping is one of the last holdouts for online commerce. That’s probably because many consumers prefer to physically see the food products they are buying to feed their families — especially meats, produce, and dairy products. Don’t you always open the egg container to see if any are broken?

But given the convenience of online shopping, these attitudes are slowly changing. According to the survey, 13 percent of people said that they used a single grocery provider for all of their weekly purchases, but 34 percent said they used more than one. And 53 percent said they visit three or four online and offline stores each week for their food shopping.

Produce Holdouts

Most are still using online services to shop for everything except produce and other fresh grocery items. And of those people who have bought produce online, more than half — 57 percent — told the pollsters that they were disappointed with the quality and freshness of the fruit and vegetables they received.

Most consumers — 58 percent 00 said the would be more likely to buy produce online if websites included information about where the products were picked and packaged. And 51 percent said they would like to be more willing to buy produce online if they knew that it came from local farms.

The survey reveals that attitudes towards eCommerce are continuing to evolve.

Inspire Creativity with Your Workspace

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Having a workstation that promotes creativity and success is important if you have a job in which creative thinking skills are important, such as a graphic designer or web design professional.

But regardless of your job, most people spend a lot of time at work, so you might as well have an environment that is comfortable and puts you in a good mood so you can be more productive.

Get Some Boxes

Start transforming your workstation by getting a few storage boxes you can use to organize your office and clear out the clutter.

Buy plastic or cardboard boxes at any office supply or home improvement store or get some boxes for free from your local grocery store or other retail business.

Get Rid of the Clutter

The first step is to clean everything off the surface of your desk, other than your computer and telephone. As you are removing each item, ask yourself this question: “Have I touched this particular report/paperwork/other type of clutter in the past week?” If the answer is “yes”, put it into one pile. If the answer is “no”, put it into another.

Most of the items in your “no” pile can be stored away or thrown out. This is especially true if they are printed duplicates of reports or paperwork you already have stored in your computer or can access online.

The majority of the items in your “yes” pile also can be stored or tossed. Unless a particular report or paperwork or other item is something you absolutely need to have access to today, right now, then it has no business being on your desk.

Lighting Your Way

Lighting is an area that is often overlooked but actually can have a profound effect on both the appearance and productivity of your workspace.

You should have two separate sources of light into your room: One from an overhead lighting fixture — or, even better, from a natural light sources such as a window — and the second should come from a task light.

Have a Focal Point

Having a focal point in your workspace directs your attention so that you can more easily keep on task. For many people, this is the laptop or PC at your workstation, but it also can be something like a calendar, a to-do list or something else that keeps you on track.

3 Design Elements that Can Increase Your Website’s Profitability

Everyone visits websites every day. But not all websites convert: That is, actually get visitors to spend money.

Here are three fast and simple things you can add to your website to make them more profitable:

Members Only Area

Exclusivity is a time-honored sales technique. It’s human nature for people to want to be part of the elite group, whether it’s a country club membership, getting into the hottest velvet rope nightclub … or being allowed into the “Members Only” are of your website.

Allow visitors to qualify for this upgrade if they provide you with contact information like an email address or phone number. They’ll be happy because they gained VIP status and you can use their contact information for future marketing campaigns.

3 Design Elements that Can Increase Your Website’s Profitability – Urgent Calls to Action

In action movies, a common trope to create a sense of urgency is a countdown clock. Whether it’s a ticking time-bomb or the countdown to a missile launch, audiences will always cheer for the hero when there is a sense of urgency.

You can do the same thing by adding urgency to the Calls to Action (CTAs) on your web pages by including a countdown to an expiration for an offer or limiting special pricing or offers at a certain number of people. This is often all “window shoppers” often need to be pushed into a buying decision.

3 Design Elements that Can Increase Your Website’s Profitability – Encourage Comments – Ecommerce – Marketing

The Comments section of your blog or web page offers an opportunity for people to interact with your brand, company or products. Always encourage visitors to leave comments and make sure you respond in a timely mannner and ask a follow-up question so they can interact with your web page again.

High comment counts are one of the things Google and other search engines consider when ranking your pags. So make sure you add a “Subscribe to Comments” option as well.

For Your Next Web Design project, Think Mobile

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Today, more people than ever use their mobile devices as the primary way to search for the information, entertainment, product and services they want.

So if you are focusing your energy optimizing your website design for use on PCs and laptops, you could be wasting your valuable time and effort.

Benefits of Mobile Design

The way websites appear on smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are different than how they look on computer monitors. For one thing, the screen smaller, so you have less room to create an effective package with your content and images.

Websites also load differently on mobile devices than they do on PCs. So if your website isn’t using a mobile-optimized platform, it could take longer for your site to load on people’s smartphones — putting you at risk of being dumped for one of your competitors.

For Your Next Web Design project, Think Mobile – Building a Better Mobile-Optimized Website

Creating a mobile optimized website for your business website lets you tap into the growing number of customers who are using their mobile devices as their primary web-access tool.

It also lets you convert more “window shoppers” into paying customers. Plus, it can increase your customer retention rate so you can achieve more repeat sales and develop loyal, long-term customers.

For Your Next Web Design project, Think Mobile – Get the Most from Your Marketing Budget in mobile

By focusing on mobile design for your website, you can optimize your web design budget by achieving a higher return on investment.

Mobile-friendly pages engage customers instantly and encourage them to act on whatever action your website is targeting: Buying a product, becoming a subscriber, clicking through to another page, or whatever your goal is.

Mobile-optimized websites can automatically direct mobile customers who click on your web link or type in your domain name to your mobile site. There they will find better screen definition, faster loading times, and user-friendly navigation.

Rocket Your Website to the Top of the Charts

When it comes to attracting new customers and new business online, SEO isn’t everything … it’s the ONLY thing!

Search engine optimization involves using techniques to make your website or web pages more attractive to the most popular search engines — especially Google, Bing, and Yahoo.

Why Be Popular?

Popularity is something everybody has to worry about, but especially website owners. Why? Because if search engines don’t “like” your web pages, there’s a very good chance that the customers you want and need will never find them.

Here’s why: When people search online for the businesses, products, and services they want, they usually will go to the search engine on their phone, tablet, laptop or computer and type in the keywords that best describe what they are looking for.

For example, somebody needing a muffler repair in Florida might type in “Florida muffler repair”.

Rocket Your Website to the Top of the Charts – Search Engines Rank Websites

The search engine will instantly search through the billions of websites online to find those that contain these keywords. It will then return results to the search according to an intricate ranking process that is based on such factors as where in the content these websites are located and how many times they are repeated.

Search engines stay in business by giving their users the best results for the searches they want. So they also will consider such things as how many social approval signals a website has — such as Facebook “Likes”, how many times people have shared the site’s link on Twitter, and so on.

They also will look at how many other sites link back to the website, giving additional weight to those that are considered “authoritative sites”, or sites that most people would go to in order to find answers to questions they have. Examples include Wikipedia, About.com, and websites maintained by academic institutions and governmental bodies.

Is Email Dead as a Marketing Technique?

Customer Recognition Programs Pay Huge Dividends

Email has a bad reputation in marketing circles. Given that there are so many other ways to reach potential customers — including text messages, social media, and mobile apps — email has been marginalized by many companies.

Big mistake. If you need proof that email is still a highly effective way to reach people, consider this simple question: When was the last time you checked your email account? Was it this morning? An hour ago? Just before you opened this blog?

Most People Still Use Email … A Lot

Email isn’t dead as a marketing platform. While there are other ways to reach customers that are faster, better, and easier, most people still cling to their email accounts in the same way they keep paying for landlines for their home telephone service or relying on the postal service for daily mail delivery.

While times have changed, old habits are hard to break.

Startling Statistics Regarding Email Marketing

Need more proof that email is alive and well as a marketing tool? Consider this:

44% of people who receive email made a minimum of one purchase in the past year based on a marketing email they received.
33% of people say they open an email based solely on the subject line.
About half of the people on any business’s email list still open or click on the emails the business sends regularly.
70% of people say they used a coupon or discount code they received via email in the past week.
Monday is the best day to send out an email because emails sent on the first day of the week have the highest revenue per email.
27% of people said they wished their favorite businesses sent them more emails.

Email is far from dead as a marketing platform. If you want to keep attracting new customers, the road to their hearts is through their email inbox.