The ABCs of SEO and What You Need to Know About Google Ads

So you’ve done a little research on Paid Ads and are bombarded with acronyms and technical jargon. It’s completely overwhelming at first. That’s why Lafayette Louisiana Website has created this simple guide explaining the ABCs of SEO. Don’t get caught off-guard by the next salesman trying to impress you with mumbo jumbo that they heard in a seminar once. We’ll teach you what you need to know about paid search marketing. In this article, we will list the main terms for Pay-Per-Click advertising.

Pay-Per-Click or PPC

PPC, pay-per-click, is a type of search engine marketing (SEM) that follows a paid advertising model. The beauty of PPC advertising is that you are only paying when people click on your ad. This makes PPC a particularly beneficial form of online marketing.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM)

SEM refers to any form of online marketing that targets Search Engines. Think of it as the umbrella under which all organic (unpaid) and paid advertising operates. Even though Google represents a large share of the search market, Yahoo, Bing, Duck Duck Go, and others can present an excellent opportunity to rank.

Cost-Per-Click (CPC)

CPC is the amount you would pay on each click for your search engine ad. When placing a Cost-Per-Click ad, you set the amount you are willing to pay for a single click on your ad. Naturally, you would assume that the more money you spend. The better placement you’ll get in the CPC auction. It’s more complicated though, as you are also rated based on relevancy and quality of content when bidding.

Ad Rank

Your Ad Rank is the value which decides the position your ad places in the search results page.

Quality Score

Each ad is given a Quality Score based on the clickthrough rate, quality of landing page, the relevance of keywords, and past performance. This quality score significantly impacts the amount you will pay per click.

Maximum Bid

When placing your ad, you can set the amount you are willing to spend on each ad and not to exceed. This can either be done manually, by setting the bid, or enhanced, which is adjusted by the search engines automatically. Enhanced typically changes the bid based on conversions or clicks and overall budget to spend your dollar during peak times better.

Campaign

Each search engine ad requires a Campaign. Your campaign can be comprised of multiple ads, or ad groups, which all fit a certain category or theme with a common goal in mind.

Ad Group

An Ad Group is a series of ads within the campaign that relate to specific keywords. Each Ad Group can have its own Cost Per Click assigned to it.

Keywords

Perhaps the most important part of the equation, Keywords are the targetted words or search terms. You will select which terms you are bidding for to rank whenever someone searches for them.

Ad Text

Ad text is the copy that is written in your ads to entice users to click through to your website. Keywords should be included in your ads that users are likely to search. Remember, the relevance of the keywords to the ad placement will affect your ads Quality Score.

Landing Page

The landing page is the page where users click through from the ad. It is the second half of the equation of your ad strategy. The most effective landing pages are specifically tailored to the audience you are targetting.

Stay on Top of Your Insta-game with These New Features

Instagram Marketing

Nearly ten years ago, a new social media platform entered the scene, entirely geared towards the fast-scrolling, low attention span browsing we’ve all become accustomed to. Ten years later, Instagram is beginning to revolutionize the way people shop online. Giving birth to “Social Influencers” and sponsored ad content, Instagram is an increasingly useful tool for businesses. Instagram, which is now owned by Facebook, is now rolling out new features to help eCommerce shops realize their full potential.

Ensure that your business stays current with these new trends and features rolling out to Instagram in 2019.

Instagram Shopping Carts

What was almost certainly inevitable is the leap from browsing to buying. What was once a delicate process of enticing potential buyers and then directing them off of Instagram and into your shopping cart is now becoming a straightforward process. Slowly rolling out with a few accounts, Instagram is beginning to allow users to complete the check out process within the app itself. In-app purchasing has enormous potential to revolutionize the way influencers sell to their customers. Now instead of having to direct customers to their bios or links in the comments, they can instantly sell to their followers right there in the app. Expect the availability of Shopping Carts on Instagram to expand rapidly in the next year.

Shoppable Tags

On Instagram, there are Creators or Influencers whom brands use to push their products through various sponsorships. These Creators have previously been pigeonholed into linking click-through sites in comments and bio descriptions. Now, Instagram is rolling out Shoppable Tags. Creators can now tag a product in a photo or post and have that tag link directly to the website for purchasing information. Pushing viewers directly through to the site will exponentially decrease purchasing time and increase conversion rates from Instagram.

Share Posts in Stories

Finally, the feature everyone has been asking for: You are now able to share posts on Instagram in your Story. No more screenshots! This new feature is perfect for businesses owners with an eCom store. Now you can share users posting about your products directly to your Story. All you have to do is select the “Create a story with the post” option from the dropdown menu within the airplane button. And that’s it! Viewers can now tap on your shared post story and be linked directly back to the original user’s post. Your users get publicity, and you get free referrals!

Polling in Stories

Now creating a user poll is easier than ever. With built-in quiz stickers, you can now add multiple choice options to your stories for instant customer feedback. You will now be able to A/B test your customers in real time and see just what their opinions of your products are. Interactivity is endless with this feature. Imagine you’re a boutique which is going to buy clothes at a trade show. You can now instantly poll your customers and see which styles they would prefer.

Donations

With crowdfunding and cause-based marketing becoming more and more popular, Instagram is adding a way to raise money directly in the app. With Donation stickers for stories, you can create a button that directly links viewers to donate. These donations will go right to the designated nonprofit you have selected. There is also the option of viewing how many donations users have given.

Creator Profile

Instagram is now getting into the business page game with Creator Profiles. These profile pages will give analytics on engagement, demographics, and viewing stats allowing businesses to know exactly how their influencer sponsorships are being utilized. Ultimately, this new feature may be the most important in a long time as it will allow businesses to shop for their best CPC advertising dollars when looking into influencers. It will also enable top influencers to charge more accurately with the statistics to back it up. One of the more useful features for Creators will be the DM (or direct message) filtering, which automatically sorts by relevance. Now you will be able to see who is contacting you for what reason without having to sift through unwanted messages.

Hiding Likes

Perhaps the most controversial and game-changing feature is the ability to now hide the number of likes a picture has gotten. The owner can see the running total, but viewers cannot. Hiding likes is all in an attempt to decrease the competitive nature and give way to a more authentic service. The goal is to diminish viewer judgment of photos based on their amount of likes and more on the content of the post.

Whether these changes will dramatically impact the future of Instagram and online marketing remains to be seen. Some of the new features are in beta testing and only on select accounts with 10k+ followers. In the coming months, we will see them be rolled out more widely or adapted as feedback from Creators rolls in. For all the latest Social Media Marketing and for advice in running your campaigns, contact Lafayette LA Website Design at 337-223-3305.

Things to Know Before Launching a Successfully Monetized Website

Flower shop business owner working service

One of the most exciting steps for any new business owner is when their website finally goes live. Having an effective website can make or break your business. Launching the website is only half the battle, turning it into a successful part of your business is another animal. Perhaps the most crucial part of a new site is having a solid content strategy to build your brand authority. These are some of the most critical steps you can take before launching to monetize your website.

Choosing the right Web Developer and Hosting to give you the freedom to modify your website.

At Lafayette Louisiana Website Design, we pride ourselves on giving our clients the tools to succeed. No one knows your business as well as you do. By building websites using WordPress, it allows clients to easily edit and create webpages and blog posts on their own without having to rely on external help. Of course, having a helping hand when you get stuck on the technical side is always important. It’s so user-friendly that over 30% of the internet uses WordPress as their websites content management system (CMS).

We supply you with the tools and methodologies to make changes to your website, but we also make sure everything is to code and won’t penalize you on Google. Some clients don’t want to bother with the technical details of their website. For those clients, we can create pages for you and even have industry-leading content developers for solving your writer’s block.

What is your company’s purpose?

Defining your purpose is the first step in creating a clear marketing plan that is clearly defined. Your marketing strategy should strengthen your company’s brand, and authentically relates to customers’ needs. Through sharing your experiences and beliefs as a company, you establish a personal connection with your audience that shares similar experiences.

Defining your brand is a critical step in developing your Mission Statement, and will make developing a marketing strategy ten times easier. Your brand builds trust with your viewers and will ultimately drive them to become customers. Conveying your purpose through your Mission Statement is the best way to set your company apart from the competition. How does your business affect the lives of your customers? How are you achieving your company’s purpose? These are all things to consider when writing a Mission Statement.

Affiliate marketing is the easiest way to begin monetizing your site.

Wouldn’t it be great to have your website make money for you without having to sell your actual products or services? Well, that’s the beauty of Affiliate marketing! The most common way to begin affiliate marketing is to write about the services and products that you enjoy. If readers of your blog then purchase the services or products through an affiliate link, you get a commission.

The best part? It doesn’t cost anything to get started! Businesses everywhere want you to write about and recommend their products. It’s a genuine and low effort way for them to advertise. Some companies are willing to pay big money for those endorsements. We spoke about your company’s purpose. Keep in mind the purpose of the company you are affiliating with to align with their brand values.

Affiliate marketing income can be earned without having to work hard to make the sale. All you need is to have a decent following and convince them of why a product is worth buying. As you grow your audience, so will the income you earn on the purchases they make. Just be sure to keep reliable records of your click-throughs and viewer numbers.

Email Marketing is a delicate balancing act, but getting it right can yield great results.

Typically, email marketing is a way for businesses to turn their viewers into frequent returning customers. It’s the perfect way to launch a new product or promote sales to drive more customers to your website. Before email marketing can work for you, you have to build up a subscriber list. There are numerous ways to begin building your list. You could advertise with a newsletter link in the footer of your website, a popup when they first view your blog, promotional giveaways and free giveaways upon signup.

Giving your subscribers useful and relevant information is the best way to build your brand loyalty. You will slowly begin to convert casual readers into loyal followers who trust your expertise.

Startups have to have a growth model if they want to level up to monetizing their site. With these critical factors in mind, you can develop a strategy to earn money through the content you write. Have an end goal in mind. Prepare for your inevitable following by being ready to implement the conversion methods mentioned above. These steps will ultimately lead to success in reaching your long term monetization goals.

Social Media Management’s Increasing Popularity and How It Can Help Your Business Grow

Peopl with social media concept

Social Media has taken over the way people interact with one another. It’s gone beyond just a fad for young children and has become the catalyst for reconnecting and staying connected with friends. As the world becomes more social online, so will the demand for companies to be present and available to their customers. It is projected that social media management will increase in the labor force 10% in the next five years.

Social media is a lot to manage. Even with the vast field of platforms out there, new ones are popping up daily. Staying current requires an ever-evolving social media strategy with conversion marketing. Because it is so difficult to measure the success of social media activity, it’s hard to put a price on exactly how much you need to invest in your strategy. Without a precise dollar figure to their efforts, most companies relegate Social Media to an intern or people without expertise in the field. Without the proper marketing experience, these Social Media Managers aren’t equipped with the knowledge to lead a successful marketing campaign.

The best social media accounts provide a professional, branded look that their customers expect and appreciate. It is essential that all the imagery and content is reflective of your company’s identity and message. Social Media can be both an introduction to and a reminder of your services to your customers. There are several key skills that go into perfect Social Media Management. Let’s dive into the most important skills that you need.

Copywriting

Headlines should be the cornerstone of your social media. They grab the reader’s attention, promote, and inform all at the same time. It’s important to adapt the content to each platform. Instagram is typically more relaxed and informal, while LinkedIn’s audience is business related, and should be more professional. Copywriting is important because it represents your company. Generic and plagiarized content is damaging to your brand. It’s important to maintain a similar message throughout all of your social media. Social media is a conversation with your customers; it’s essential that the person having the conversation with them is the best equipt to represent your company.

Media

Some of the most popular Social Media platforms are now entirely visual. With Instagram and Snapchat, it’s imperative to have a solid design background when managing a company’s social media account. The most effective social media utilizes graphics or video to relay their message to their customers. In the world of constant-scrolling, having an impactful image that a viewer stops on is key. Statistics show that posts with a visual component perform on average 50% more than posts without.

News Curating

A small percentage of your Social Media needs to be relevant information that your customers appreciate. We recommend mixing unique original content with shared informative content for an impactful social media account. This requires someone with the knowledge to be able to find relevant information that will stay ahead of industry trends. Your Social Media Manager should be aware of the latest trending topics and news stories so you can capitalize on high-traffic hashtags and keywords. Your Social Media is an extension of your Public Relations. If someone without training is sharing articles, they could potentially damage your brand and worse, alienate your customers.

Customer Service

One of the key components of any Social Media account is the ability to talk to customers and quickly resolve or minimize any negative comments. This skill comes with proper customer service training. It’s possible that your customers will ask your social media questions or give complaints about their service, and your Social Media Manager needs to be prepared to best answer each scenario. If properly managed, your reviews and comments on your social media accounts can lead to customers choosing you over your competitors.

Drive Traffic

One of the main benefits of Social Media is to drive traffic to your website. With a solid strategy, you can quickly convert new followers into new customers. Think of Social Media as the beginning of your conversation and your website as the sales manager. The more effectively you can push people from your social media to your website, the easier you will convert sales.

How Social Media Management Can Positively Impact Your Company

Social Media can be the face of your company before your potential customers even reach your website. As such, it’s important to have a competent and reaching social media strategy. Do not leave your company’s first impression in the hands of someone inexperienced with Online Marketing. Contact Lafayette Louisiana Website Design today to develop your company’s Social Media Strategy today! 337-223-3305

Why a Landing Page is One of the Most Effective Ways to Market Online

Shopping Online Concept

So you want to run an ad campaign but aren’t sure of the best way to achieve results. It’s not as simple as a button press on a website and paying for an Ad. The Ad itself is only half of the battle. If you want to really convert those clicks into leads, you need a page on your site that targets your specific audience. That’s where a Landing Page comes in.

What exactly is a Landing Page?

In its simplest form, a Landing Page is a page on your website that you directly link your customers toward. Whether its a Social Media post, an E-mail Blast or a Search Ad, all advertising can benefit from the effectiveness of a reliable Landing Page. While it may seem simple, there’s a science to perfecting this powerful tool. There is an infinite number of different types of Landing pages. We have gathered the most popular and most effective types to walk you through.

Squeeze Page

One of the most common applications for Landing Pages is in Email Marketing. In order to acquire new customer e-mails, the best method for capturing them is with… you guessed it! A Landing Page. A Squeeze Page is a Landing Page that’s primary purpose is to gather customer e-mail addresses for remarketing. Usually, this is most effectively achieved by protecting content for subscribers only, offering a special coupon or quality content. The Squeeze Page should be short, sweet, and to the point. After all, they are only giving you their e-mail address as a means to get back to the relevant content they really want

Splash Page

A splash page is a go-between page that shows an ad before the content the user is attempting to reach. Often times it is accompanied by a countdown to when the Ad is over, and the user will be redirected to the website. A Splash Page might also take the opportunity to gather more information about a user, such as relevant interests, language preferences, e-mail capturing, etc…

Lead Capture Page

While a Squeeze Page is used to capture e-mail addresses, a Lead Capture Page gathers as much information as possible from the viewers. Typically a Lead Capture should only occur after a customer is ready to use your services. It should be at the very end of your marketing stream since it will take the most time to fill out and requires more determination.

Click-Through Page

A Click-Through Page is often used to pique your customer’s interest before going in for the sale. Commonly they will ask customers to begin a Free Trial period. The goal of the Click-Through page is to get your viewers to commit to learning more about your project. They will often lead to another Landing Page that gathers enough information to begin the Trial, such as payment information and pricing details. Think of the Click-Through as your pre-sale warm up.

Get Started Page

The Get Started Page gives the reader all of the information they need within the first section of the page they see. Followed, of course, by a button to “Get Started.” They are short, to the point and are used to grab a users attention right off the bat before they bounce off of the page.

Paid Advertising Landing Page

If you are running Ads and are not capitalizing on a Landing Page, you are throwing your money away. You need to market to the audience you are targeting specifically. Usually, you are looking for lead generating pages before you advertise a product with the option to buy.

Which page is right for your campaign?

Each campaign is different, but generally, you need to ask yourself what your ultimate goal is. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes. Are they already informed on your product? Are they looking for products or services already? All of these factors and more are used to determine the perfect Landing Page to utilize your Advertising Budget best.

Do you need help starting an online Ad Campaign or creating your new Landing Page? Contact Lafayette Lousiana Website today to get started! 337-223-3305

The 10 Biggest Website Blunders

Multi ethnic business people

People ask me all the time, what should I change on my website? Because of this, I have compiled what I believe to be the ten biggest blunders your website is currently making. 1. Lack of Social Media strategy. You may not realize this but your website and social media should go hand in hand. […]

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How a Website Company in Lafayette Keeps Sites Responsibly Responsive

Castille Mortgage Company Website Design

For Lafayette Louisiana Web Developers, and developers around the world, the web is changing. A Website Company in Lafayette needs to be just as innovative as those around the globe when it comes to keeping up with the latest trends. With Google’s new algorithm taking mobile sites into account, it’s now more essential than ever for websites […]

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Happy Thanksgiving from Lafayette LA Web Design!

Gearing up for Black Friday sales? Is your website doing enough to bring holiday shoppers to your store? Now’s the perfect time to consider a redesign. In the busiest retail season of the year, it’s more important than ever to have a strong online presence.

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