Chatbots for Small Business  Siri and Alexa’s not–so–distant cousin – the chatbot – could be the team member you need. Often seen at the bottom of a webpage as a pop-up window or on a company’s contact page, chatbots conduct online convos with customers. Unlike us humans, bots are ready to go day and night, rest-free to provide solutions to customer problems. Small businesses are increasingly implementing the reliable form of artificial intelligence (AI) and often, consumers are pleased…

The Importance of Video Content for Small Businesses Would you rather read an ad explaining how a product works or watch a demo video showing exactly how it’s done? If you’re like most consumers, video wins. With an overwhelming 72% of us preferring videos to learn about a company’s products and services, having video content is no longer an option for successful small businesses, it’s a must.  While moments worth sharing is a must-have,…

It’s always a good time to revise and revitalize local SEO efforts, but with consumers staying close to home this year, what better moment than now? Today, 76% of people searching for a nearby business to suit their needs visit the location within 24 hours, and 28% of these searches result in a sale. With COVID-19 still in our midst, it’s crucial to fortify your small business in every way possible. Revisiting how…

COVID-19 has forever changed the ways of the World Wide Web. It’s no surprise that we’ve seen a spike in screen time since the start of the pandemic and the digital space is seeing an increase in activity and personal information. Just as we’re spending more time on the web, hackers have taken advantage of new opportunities for cybercrime. Phishing threats have skyrocketed since March, and companies are experiencing as many as 1,185 attacks per month….

Many companies believe that simply getting users to visit their website is the most important goal. In actuality, a more important (and sometimes more difficult) goal to achieve is getting users to stay on the website. There are many reasons a user may prematurely leave a site, but one of the easiest to avoid is…

Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO, is a marketing buzzword that seems to come up frequently but is still very misunderstood. Clients often come to us asking for “SEO services” to make their website rank as the number one site for a particular word or phrase. There are a number of tactics we can…

Update 10/24/18: Though I wrote this blog post some three years ago, these fundamentals of writing for websites are just as important today. There is something to be said about the aesthetics of a site (who doesn’t like a cool design?) but it should never be forgotten that a site’s content does a lot of heavy…

“I want a new website, and I want it cheap.” Trust me, many people do.  Plus who doesn’t like a bargain deal?  But, maybe there’s a reason why cheap isn’t always better. Maybe you’re a new company, or perhaps an existing company — but you’ve realized you need a new website.  When thinking of the cost and…

Imagine you’re the customer. You search Google or even Facebook for a local bike repair shop and come across some options. Which are you more likely to click on: a blurry photo of a broken bicycle with grainy text designed across the top promoting a 10% off deal, or a bright, high quality image of…

I am always interested in how the world’s marketing and digital marketing leaders are breaking new ground online. A particular web design article caught my attention this week as it profiled Coca-Cola‘s recent corporate website re-design effort. Coke’s new website looks more like a news portal than a corporate brochure. The upper area of the…