As 2016 comes to an end, it’s a good idea for businesses to review their current digital strategy and start planning for the new year.
Website Refresh
When it comes to your website, there are various aspects that should be refreshed before the new year.
- Has it been awhile since you gave your site a good hard look?
- Do you have old promotions or outdated information on your homepage?
- Have you changed your images or videos lately?
When reviewing your website, it’s important that all of your contact information, news, and updates are correct and properly reflect your brand. If your content hasn’t been updated in the past year, you have little to no text, or your site looks like a impenetrable wall of text, this is the perfect time to make some updates.
Are you consistently adding new images or videos to your website? An image speaks a thousand words, this is especially true if you are selling products. Having a good balance between graphics and text will make your site more visually appealing and give customers an opportunity to learn more about your company.
Learn more about website content do’s and don’ts here.
Website Security
More than 30,000 websites get hacked every single day. Regardless of whether your company is big or small, the experience of having your website hacked can be devastating and ultimately disastrous.
To protect yourself and your customers against malicious attacks, it’s important that you keep your website up-to-date. If you use a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, it’s imperative that you keep it, and web-based software, up-to-date with security patches and bux fixes. Hackers can easily gain access to websites through outdated software, upload malware and Trojan, and wreak havoc on customer’s computers and devices.
In addition, we recommend replacing weak passwords with passwords that contain a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. Change your passwords frequently for added security.
Regular maintenance should be performed at least once a month to ensure that your site is current and any threats are eliminated. This is also a great time to backup all of your information, check onsite efficiency, optimize performance, and troubleshoot any reported issues.
Learn more about website security here.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of discovering what potential clients are searching for and creatively placing that information on the website to attract search engines and visitors. If your company isn’t currently achieving optimal rankings from search engines, this should be part of your digital marketing strategy for the new year.
Keywords should be used throughout your website, including blog posts, and off-site, such as social media. If you’re unsure of which keywords are best suited for your business, Blindspot can help you identify and implement the most effective keywords.
Read more about SEO best practices here.
Responsive Web Design
According to Comscore, more than 75% of all Americans who use the internet now access digital content on both desktop and mobile devices. Because a staggering amount of people use mobile devices to access the web, responsive web design is extremely important for businesses.
Responsive web pages respond effectively by resizing themselves based on the type of device they are being used on. It’s important to cater to and support multi-device users, allowing them to have the same great experience with your site and your company, regardless of the device they are using.
As a bonus, Google supports and recommends responsive web design. As of 2015, they now reward mobile-friendly sites by raising them in search engine rankings.
If you aren’t utilizing responsive web design, you are potentially missing out on connecting with thousands of customers. If you don’t have a mobile-friendly site, this should be at the top of your list for 2017.
Read more about the benefits of responsive web design here.
Blogging
Blogging is an invaluable tool regardless of whether you’re a brand new company or you’ve had an online presence for years. If you don’t currently have a blog on your website, consider making this part of your digital marketing strategy for 2017.
If you’re frequently updating a blog, fresh content is being added to your website, and search engines love new content. Blogging also gives you endless opportunities to insert important keywords and place in-site links, further enhancing your visibility on search results. Just be careful to keep your blogs interesting and readable, inserting too many keywords can make blog posts difficult to read.
If you’re looking to expand your reach on social media, blogs are the perfect way to share relevant information that is both useful and interesting for current and potential customers. Sharing blogs gives people direct access to your website, and there’s a good chance they will stick around and browse once they are there.
Lastly, people like to know they are dealing with experts. Having a blog allows you to showcase your expertise by providing reliable and accurate information people know they can depend on. People also like dealing with humans, so this is a place for you to let your personality shine through and let your visitors know you care about them and their opinions.
To learn more about the benefits of having a company blog, click here.
Social Media Marketing
If your company hasn’t taken advantage of social media marketing, this is the time. If you want to expand your reach and get your name out there, social media is one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your brand. Social media platforms not only allow you to share content, updates, and promotions, but it’s a simple way to drive traffic back to your website.
Facebook alone has more than 1.6 billion active users every month. Imagine how many potential you could reach just by being active on this one platform. If you’re new to social media marketing, you can read about the top 4 social media platforms here.
The majority of millennials are on social media, so if you’re hoping to recruit new talent, social media is arguably the best place to reach up and coming superstars. Posting job openings on platforms like LinkedIn will allow you to reach a larger audience and show potential employees that your company is a great place to work.
Need help with your digital strategy? Blindspot Advisors can assist you with every aspect of your digital marketing plan. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you accomplish your goals.