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Why Small Businesses Need to Embrace Digital Advertising

Why Small Businesses Need to Embrace Digital Advertising

Print advertisements and other traditional forms of advertising are losing effectiveness as the world gets more digital. While print advertising has long been a mainstay for companies, digital advertising has supplanted it as the most effective way to reach consumers. Digital advertising is displacing print advertising for a number of reasons, and small firms must adopt it if they want to remain competitive.

First, compared to print advertising, digital advertising is far more economical. By using digital advertising, businesses can reach a much larger number of people for a small fraction of the cost of a print ad. For small firms, which frequently have constrained advertising resources, this is particularly crucial. Additionally, digital advertising enables more exact targeting, allowing companies to target their specific market.

Second, comparing digital and print advertising, the latter is simpler to quantify. With digital advertising, companies can monitor the effectiveness of their campaigns in real time and make changes as necessary. Companies can’t tell if their print ads are reaching their target audience and having an effect, which makes it hard for them to know if they are working.

Third, digital advertising enables increased client engagement. Real-time interaction between businesses and customers is made possible by social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which can increase brand loyalty and repeat business. Additionally, video advertising enables companies to express their narrative in a more captivating and dynamic manner, which may assist to forge a closer bond with customers.

Small businesses must use digital advertising, including that found on websites, social media, and video, in order to remain competitive. In today’s digital environment, a website is a requirement for any business. Customers can readily find businesses online because to the platform it gives them to advertise their goods and services. For businesses to connect with customers and create communities, social media sites like Facebook and Instagram are also crucial. Businesses can use video advertising to present their goods or services in an exciting style and to convey their narrative in a more compelling way.

Digital advertising is replacing print advertising because it is cheaper, easier to track, and more interesting. Small businesses need to use digital marketing methods like websites, social networking, and video ads to stay competitive. By doing this, businesses will be able to connect with more people, gauge the effectiveness of their efforts, and forge closer relationships with their clients. Silo Hill Media is a digital marketing company in Boise that does all of these things and more. Silo Hill Media also offers a consulting service in the form of coaching to small businesses that prefer to do their own marketing but do not know where to begin.

Why a website is Essential, and keeping it updated is crucial!

Why a website is Essential, and keeping it updated is crucial!

In today’s digital world, having a business website is crucial since it acts as an online representation of a firm and enables enterprises to reach a bigger audience. A website serves as an online storefront, giving visitors access to details about goods and services as well as a means of placing orders or making appointments. A website can also give a platform for growing and interacting with a consumer base, as well as help a company create trust and authority.

But simply having a website is insufficient. To remain relevant with search engines and draw in more clients, businesses must constantly update and maintain their website. Complex algorithms are used by search engines like Google to assess a website’s relevance and authority. These algorithms consider the website’s content, the number of links referring to it, the site’s general design, and the user experience.

Businesses may increase their traffic by constantly updating their websites with new, high-quality content and advertising that content through social media and other channels. This will help them rank better in search engines and gain more backlinks. Additionally, by consistently enhancing the website’s user interface and design, you can make sure that search engines and potential clients will find the site to be relevant and easy to use.

In conclusion, a company website is an essential tool for expanding your audience, establishing your authority and reputation, and attracting and retaining customers. However, in order to remain relevant with search engines and draw in new customers, it is crucial for businesses to regularly update and maintain their website. Businesses may raise their search engine ranks, attract more visitors to their website, and ultimately boost their chances of success by updating their website frequently with new information, advertising that content, and continuously improving the website’s design and user experience.

Yes, Website Design Impacts SEO: Here’s How!

Yes, Website Design Impacts SEO: Here’s How!

Website design matters for many reasons. It helps create first impressions, improve user experience, and enhance your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

First impressions are essential. A well-designed website will make an excellent first impression on visitors, whereas a poorly designed website will turn them away. User experience is also important. A website that is difficult to navigate or doesn’t provide the information visitors are looking for will cause them to leave quickly. 

Good design can help with SEO. A well-designed website that is easy to navigate and contains relevant keywords will rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPs), making visitors more likely to find it.

So, if you want to create a website, make sure to put design at the top of your list of priorities. It will pay off in the long run. To understand better, here are some ways your website design impacts your SEO performance.

Some Web Design Elements and How They Impact Your Site’s SEO Performance

Web design is more important to SEO than most people think. The layout, structure, and overall design of your website can significantly impact your search engine rankings.

Navigation

Your website’s navigation is one of its most critical design aspects. It is the first thing visitors see and defines whether your site is easy to use. How you design your website’s navigation can impact how easily search engine spiders can crawl and index your site’s content. 

If your navigation is designed in a way that makes it difficult for search engine spiders to crawl your site, it can negatively impact your SEO. Moreover, the more accessible users find the content they’re looking for, the more likely they will stay on your site and continue engaging with it. 

If your navigation is confusing or difficult to use, it can cause users to leave your site, hurting your SEO.

Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile responsiveness has become increasingly important for SEO performance. In the past, it was enough to have a browser-friendly website; however, with the rise of mobile search, it’s now necessary to have a mobile-responsive website to rank well in mobile search results.

Google has rolled out mobile-first indexing, which means they will index and rank websites based on their mobile version first. That is a significant change, as previously, the desktop version of a website was used for indexing and ranking. Therefore, if your website is not responsive, it will likely be ranked lower in mobile search results.

Images and Videos

It’s no secret that images and videos can significantly impact SEO performance. In fact, pages with pictures and videos are more likely to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

There are many reasons this is the case. For one, images and videos are more engaging than plain text, so they can help to keep users on your site for longer. They can also help boost your click-through rate (CTR), a key ranking factor. Of course, simply adding images and videos to your site isn’t enough to guarantee better SEO performance. You also need to make sure that they are optimized for search engines by resizing them and placing alt text.

Header Hierarchy

Header hierarchy is one of the most important aspects of on-page SEO. It is a way of organizing the content on your website so that search engines can easily understand the relationships between your pages. 

A good header hierarchy can help improve your SEO in several ways:

  • It can help search engines understand the structure of your website. It is essential because it can influence how your website is indexed and ranked.
  • It can help improve the click-through rate (CTR) from the search engine results pages (SERPs).
  • It can help make your website more user-friendly, which is also crucial for SEO. 

Conclusion

Web design can have a significant impact on SEO performance. A well-designed website can help improve your search engine ranking and visibility. There are many factors to consider when designing your website, including your website’s layout, navigation, and content. By keeping these factors in mind, you can help ensure that your website is designed to maximize its SEO performance.

Your website should be designed to generate more customers and maximize your ROI. If it is not doing that already, we can modify it to meet the correct criteria or design a new site that will do. Silo Hill Media is based in Caldwell, ID, and offers affordable and effective local SEO services that allow all facets of your marketing to work in a symbiotic way. Get in touch with us today.

Why You Should Not Pick “.io” for Your Business Website

Why You Should Not Pick “.io” for Your Business Website

Recently, you might have seen more and more “.io” websites popping up. It might look cool and trendy at first, but you might think twice about setting up such a website for your business. While you might not know it, your website’s domain can actually affect and even hurt your business. Generally, a “.com” is the go-to for any business. In fact, if you can, you should always opt for a “.com” over others. Why is this so? Well, this is the question we’ll tackle in today’s article.

Let’s talk about domains, specifically “.io,” and why you should not pick it for your business:

1. Many “.io” Websites Are Actually Scams

That’s right, the “.io” extension is actually used by those who want to scam others into buying some get-rich-quick scheme or other. This free extension is not regulated by the government and is left open to anyone who wants to use it. Because of this, many fraudsters are taking advantage of this loophole and abusing it.

If you’re running a business, you don’t want to be perceived as a scam because of your domain. This could spell the end of your business. In fact, in Devumi’s own case, it was only after we changed our domain from “.io” to “.com” that we managed to change our business’ reputation for the better.

On the other hand, “.com” domains are regulated by the government. Your “.com” domain is recognized everywhere, and it is also the most popular. This means that if you want to reach the most people with your business, it is best to have a “.com” domain, which is great for SEO. Also, if you want to build a lasting business, you want it to be recognized by everyone.

2. You Can’t Use Social Media with a “.io” Domain

This might be a deal-breaker for those who want to be active on all the major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) because the majority of them are “.com” only. This means that to use them all, you will have to have a “.com” domain. If you don’t, your customers might think your website/business is some kind of scam because of your “.io” domain.

This is a major issue for businesses that are just getting started. Your customers will have to trust you in order to buy your products or services. If your domain is not “.com,” many of them will think you’re some kind of fraud.

3. Using a “.io” Domain Can Be Harmful to Your Business

In fact, if you are running a business of any kind, it is best to have a “.com” domain, because it has the most global appeal.

That doesn’t mean you have to have your own “.com” domain. You can use a website builder to create one for you. This way, you still get access to most of the features a regular “.com” website has, but it won’t cost you much.

Conclusion

If you’re still thinking about getting a “.io” domain and wondering if it could be a great option for your business, you should really reconsider. It is highly debatable whether you really need a “.io” domain or not. The truth is, “.io” domains are often associated with scams. This can damage your reputation and even your business. Also, if you want to be active on social media, you will still have access to most of them with a “.com” domain. 

Silo Hill Media is an internet marketing service provider offering affordable and effective strategies to help businesses grow online effectively. If you are looking for a web development agency to create the perfect website for your business, work with us today!

An Overview on the Key Elements of Excellent Website Design

An Overview on the Key Elements of Excellent Website Design

In a modern world inundated with digital media, it’s obvious that your website’s style, content, and structure influence how consumers view the legitimacy of your business. Users establish a judgment of your website in 50 milliseconds, which is why your website should be created to wow and entice visitors. Read on to discover the key elements of excellent website design.

The Lasting First Impression

A customer’s initial impression of your company is formed within seconds of entering your website. Because of this, it’s important to make a good, lasting impression. Note that a terrible website is more likely to be remembered by your customers than a good one.

To make a good first impression, make sure your website is appealing, user-friendly, responsive, and speedy. Making your website more visually appealing should be your primary priority, as 38% of consumers would abandon a website due to poor content or design.

The Rate of Useability

A well-designed website should also be useful. According to one poll, 86% of website visitors want information on products or services, 66% want contact information, and 52% want an “About Us” page. Users may feel irritated and visit a competitor’s site if these items are not easily accessible. Simple features like showing important services in the main navigation bar and your phone number in the upper right-hand corner will help your clients effortlessly navigate your website.

The Navigational Convenience

Hick’s Law states that the time necessary to make a decision is proportionate to the number of options offered. That is, the more choices you present to potential customers, the longer it will take for them to make a purchasing decision. When creating a website, keep in mind that your website’s design should be simple, with a maximum of seven precise options available to users. Remember to simplify your navigation so that visitors may easily discover what they need.

The Conversion

A conversion succeeds when a website visitor responds to your call to action (CTA), be it a purchase, a newsletter subscription, or simply a call. There are several approaches to optimizing your website’s visual design for conversion. Perhaps you may use contrasting colors and styles to highlight important information on even the busiest sites.

As a general rule, you can achieve conversions by moving your audience’s attention to key actions on your website. You can do this by improving the visitor experience, which enhances conversion rates.

The Influence and Credibility

According to one study, website design influences 75% of believability judgments. Furthermore, it was observed that 46% of users estimate the legitimacy of a website based on its visual appeal. Keeping this in mind, make certain that your logo, colors, typefaces, and overall design match one another.

The Mobile-first Strategy

Mobile devices account for more than 60% of all online searches, and thus, adults expect a mobile website to be as nice as its desktop counterpart. In today’s mobile-friendly market and Google’s promotion of the mobile-first strategy, having an accessible website viewable on all devices is critical.

Conclusion

It’s all about adapting to this fast-paced environment and competitive online market. So when creating your page, work with a web designer who can help you turn visitors into customers by executing a one-of-a-kind online experience. With this, you can easily distribute your content to your target audience and watch your leads grow in number and quality!

Are you looking for a digital marketing agency for small businesses? Silo Hill Media creates tailored marketing strategies for your internet presence. For a reasonable fee, we may assess all aspects of your marketing and advertising activity. Leave the work to us and contact us today!

4 Reasons Why Having a Facebook Business Page is NOT Enough

4 Reasons Why Having a Facebook Business Page is NOT Enough

If you have a business, you need to also have a Facebook page. Facebook is the #1 social media platform in the world! Having a page, and using it correctly, means you can get in front of many potential customers. Not only that, but you can keep building long-term relationships with your existing clientele. Facebook has great page insights that allow you to really dig deep into your post analytics. It is also a huge money saver when starting out. The positives far outweigh the negatives. If you do not have a Facebook page yet, go get one now and then come back to this article to find out why it is not all that you should be doing!

1. Audience LImitations

Even though Facebook boasts over 2.7 billion active users, not all of these are your potential customers unless you are selling something as common as water. Thankfully, Facebook does allow you to focus your ads on specific
demographics to narrow in on your clients, but not everyone is on Facebook. In fact, many are giving up Facebook to lessen the stronghold it has on their lives. Also, it is estimated that roughly 30-45% of internet users do not use
Facebook at all.

Do not get me wrong, social media is here to stay. It is a great source for pushing your business information and advertisements. But Facebook is still limited.

2. Hard to Find All the Info

Have you ever gone to a Facebook business page to look and see what they offered, and couldn’t quite find it? Granted, you can scroll and scroll and scroll and may come to a post that tells you exactly what you are looking for but many do not have that much patience. I know I do not! I will look around for a short time and if I do not find it, I will look for the link to their website. This brings me to #3.

3. Websites Are Not Going Away

The worldwide web has changed quite significantly over the past couple of decades, but one thing is for certain, websites are not going away. If a business wants customers, it is imperative for any, regardless of the size, to
have a website. A website can be whatever a business wants it to be, from a large business card giving basic information to a full-on product catalog and e-commerce store. The sky is really the limit to what can be done on websites but the same cannot be said about a Facebook business page.

4. It is not your page!

Just because you are the one who may have started your Facebook business page, and the page may have your business name on it, it is not yours. If you get removed from Facebook (or remove yourself) your page goes away too. Also, your page must adhere to their community standards. If it does not, they will remove it.

In Conclusion

I do not want this information to keep you from using your Facebook business page as much as possible. It is a solid place to keep in contact with your customers and find new ones. It should be included in your broader marketing strategy. But do not let it keep you from exploring your other much-needed options as well. Make sure you budget for having a custom website built and getting it to the top of the search engines. Also, do not forget the other social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram. These must be included in your broader marketing strategy as well, and must all be kept up-to-date.