Do the words “website content” cause your stress levels to rise? You know that creating compelling content for your digital marketing is important but you are not sure where to start. If you are a business owner or non-profit leader you have a lot on your plate already and thinking about creating content for your website is easy to shove down the to-do list because you have more pressing matters to take care of.

Have you considered the fact that many customers very first impression of you will be through website content?

That’s far too important to keep ignoring and should lead you to the question, “How do I create great website content?”

With time is limited it’s even more important to get it right. You don’t want to waste time creating content that doesn’t attract or connect with the people you want to reach. We put together a list of 10 Keys To Creating Astonishing Website Content designed to help you create content that connects with people and keeps them engaged with your message and brand.

10 Keys To Creating Astonishing Website Content That Attracts Clients

1. Stop Trying To Be The Hero

Great communication begins with an understanding of WHO the communication is for. Spoiler Alert: It’s not you. You communicate to engage, help and persuade others, not just to hear the sound of your own voice or read your own words. This is the biggest mistake that people make when creating content. They make the content all about them and not the people they are trying to talk to. The more you forget about yourself and obsess over your customer the more you will be heard. What are their problems, fears, hopes, and dream? Speak to those things in your message and you will be heard. Constantly remind everyone how awesome you are and how your company was started by your grandfather 100 years ago and prepare to be tuned out.

2. Be Clear

You may have heard the phrase before, “Content is King” but the real truth is that “Clarity Is King”. The Internet is flooded with content and noise. In a cluttered market of ideas, the value of clarity is always going up.
Clarity is what cuts through the noise. Clarity is what causes people to connect with your words. Be clear and specific. What problem are you trying to solve? Who are you trying to help? Who is your product or service for? Who is it NOT for? Ask yourself questions to help define who you are talking to and what problem you are trying to solve for them. Concrete and specific words and descriptions stick in peoples heads better.

If you forget all the other keys but remember to be clear, you will have put yourself at a great advantage.

3. Call People To Action

People want to be led somewhere. Take them on a journey that calls them to action. Don’t just think about what you want people to know. Put thought into what you want to challenge them to do. This doesn’t always have to be guiding them to A Buy Now button or urging them to call your phone number. It may be guiding them to take another step to learn more, downloading a helpful resource or signing up to a newsletter. Think of your communication and marketing as what it is a conversation with an actual person. Kind of like if you were on a date. Don’t ask your clients to marry you on the first date.

4. Define the Problem

Talking about problems sounds negative. It can be tempting to avoid talking about problems and constantly talk about solutions, features, and benefits. If you don’t define the problem in your content, people will tune it out. They think that it must not apply to them because they don’t understand what problem your product or service is trying to solve. When you describe someone’s problem in detail though they engage and connect with your message because they know it’s for them.

5. Address Internal and External Issues

Another common mistake people make when creating content is only focusing on talking about external problems. Most likely your company is heavily focused on solving external problems for your clients. If you are roofer you fix leaking roofs. If you are a dentist you help hurting teeth etc. It’s easy to talk about external problems because they are to put it bluntly, obvious. But external problems are only part of the picture. That client with the leaking roof has internal problems as well. Perhaps they are nervous and uncertain about dealing with an insurance claim because they have never done it before. They feel insecure. Perhaps the dental client is self-conscious about their teeth and worried they will be judged for “not flossing enough”. These are the internal problems that are connected with your client’s external problem. Why is it important to think about internal problems? Because most customer decisions are based off of how they feel about their internal problems not external ones. It’s also the best opportunity you have to separate yourself from your competitors. They are calling a roofer because they have a leaking roof but they are going to hire the company that speaks best to their internal problem.

6. Think From Your Customers Perspective

Do you see a trend here? Thinking from your customers perspective is the giant key that unlocks powerful content and communication. Customers don’t choose the company that talks the most, they choose the company that understands them the most. Thinking from the customers perspective is an easy thing to say and it seems like an obvious thing to do but it’s not easy.
Why is it difficult? If you are a business owner or non-profit leader you typically have a lot of things going on. You are thinking about fires you have to put out with your team, next weeks payroll and perhaps those few clients that seem to really frustrate you. It can be hard to step out of your world and see your company through your clients or potential clients eyes. Try asking some of your better clients questions about how they see your company or organization and why they chose to use your product or service. Try to think about what the hopes, fears, and dreams might be of the typical person you serve. Try to see the world from their eyes, it might change everything for how you communicate.

7. Pay Attention to Details

Every piece of communication in your business or organization sends a message. From a blog post, social media image or even your company voice mail. Details matter. If you want people to assume that your customer service and work is high quality and meticulous, don’t sell yourself short by delivering low-quality communication. Use spell checker and grammar tools to help catch errors that may give off a bad impression. You don’t have to be perfect but it is important to put just as much effort into your communication as you do the work itself.

8. Be Authentic

Don’t try to present yourself or your organization as something you are not. Don’t use buzzwords and overdone phrases. If you or your company is a little quirky and has a sense of humor, embrace it. Don’t feel like you have to present a sterile corporate version of yourself because that is what everyone else is doing. At the same time, if you value being professional and proper don’t try to be quirky and funny because you think that’s what other people want. When you find your own unique voice you may be surprised how many people are eager to hear it.

9. Show What’s At Stake

What is the cost of not hiring your company? What might happen if the problem is ignored? You don’t have to become a fearmonger with your messaging but it is important that you present to people what’s at stake. You want to present to people a clear vision of success and let them know that you can help guide them to that future but the other side of that is showing them a clear vision of what failure looks like.

10. Be Consistent

Have you been guilty of the inspiration trap? You listen to a podcast about social media and for 2 weeks you are posting twice a day and then nothing for months?
Being inspired is great but being consistent is what will cause your content to engage and connect with people.
Be consistent with the way you present yourself and your company. Be consistent with the frequency at which you post on social media and your website.

Set a goal for how often you want to talk to your customers over various mediums, then cut that goal in half and deliver on it!

Summary

Creating astonishing website content that attracts clients really boils down to great communication.
Great communication is an art form that takes practice. This list is far from comprehensive. There is always something new to learn and apply to your communication skills. We hope that this list has given you something that you can apply to your business or non-profit to help create great content that engages people with your cause.

It’s time for key number 3. How will you take action to make your communication better? In a cluttered and noisy environment, you need clarity to cut through the noise and distinguish yourself from competitors.

What will you create? What message will you speak? What problem will you solve?

If you want to learn more about marketing or experience what it’s like to have a team of people working with you to create amazing content that attracts customers get in touch with us to learn more and make sure that your brand’s message is heard through the noise.

The post 10 Keys To Creating Astonishing Website Content That Attracts Clients first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Market Awareness – Understanding Your Target Market

A business without market awareness is like a ship without a rudder. If the wind happens to blow in the right direction, success is possible. The chances of that happening, however, are almost none. In order to succeed in business, we must know our markets.

Multiple Generations/Multiple Strategies

One of the most important ways to analyze our markets is in terms of demographics. Right now, perhaps more than ever, marketers need to consider three distinct generations in our culture. Those generations are usually known as Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millenials.

These three groups are dramatically different in terms of how they buy, how much they buy, how they view money and business, and how they communicate. Therefore, we must market to them with these distinctions in mind. We need multiple strategies for multiple generations.

Generational Marketing

This is the first in a series of blogs on how to market to these three generations. We’ll briefly identify each generational group, and give some insight on how to tailor your marketing strategies for each. Of course, these are not hard lines or hard and fast rules, but benchmarks to help give direction.

Marketing to Baby Boomers

Who are Baby Boomers? Baby Boomers are the ones who still listen to and leave voicemails. They were born between 1946 and 1964, so they grew up in the idealistic post-WWII era. In general, theirs is a rather “white-picket-fence” view of the world.

Though their kids say they are technologically challenged, they are not averse to it. Researchers say that by 2014, over 65% of people ages 50-64 were using social networking sites. In addition, Boomers spend more on technology than any other generation.

Most importantly, this generation is a huge and often untapped market. Though the over-50 crowd accounts for over 50% of all expenditures, we marketers currently only spend 10% of our budgets going after them. Oops! Let’s see how we can correct that. Here are some tips on marketing to Baby Boomers.

1.  Don’t Low-Ball

According to the AARP, US adults over 50 spend $3.2 trillion annually and have accumulated $15 trillion in financial assets! This means that they’re not afraid to spend. They spend more per purchase, more per shopping trip, and more per year than any other group.

Baby-boomers not only aren’t afraid to spend, but they may, in fact, be suspicious of prices that are too low. Their years have taught them that quality matters, and they believe they deserve it. So market premium, full-priced products to Boomers. Just make sure your products are worth the price.

2. Win Their Loyalty

This brings us to the next tip. Baby Boomers tend to be very brand loyal. Once they’re convinced a product is great and they like it, they’re committed. My mother is on her “umpteenth” (that’s the word she would use) new Buick, and she’ll keep buying them because that’s what she buys.

The trick with boomers is often to become “what they buy,” “what they use,” or “who they go to.” If you can become their brand, you can build serious consistency. The key is to make sure your products and services are really great and do a great job convincing them of that fact.

3. Reward Their Loyalty

Consistency and longevity are important to Boomers. One way to communicate that you’ll be around is to set up programs that reward their longevity as a customer. Cash-back programs or loyalty discounts are excellent ways to make these customers stick. To most of them, front-end discounts often mean something is wrong. Loyalty programs do the opposite, adding value instead of taking it away.

4. Go Old-School

Facebook ads just annoy most Boomers. According to research, they use social media to revive old friendships and not much else. Therefore, they will most likely tag your FB ads as spam.

The most effective way to market to this generation is through direct contact. These big-spenders are more likely to buy from a real person than any other way. Call them on the phone (by the way, many of them still have landlines), but just make sure it isn’t during dinner!

If personal sales contacts are not practical for your business, the next best thing is email marketing. Boomers are more likely to read an email than a blog or pop-up ad, especially if it’s brief and professional. Particularly if you’ve already won them as a customer, used wisely, email can be a powerful tool for keeping yourself in front of this generation.

Speaking of blogs, don’t count them out. Boomers do read blogs as long as they are brief. Researchers have found that most people 50 years and up will read a blog if it’s about 300 words or less. The long-form blog that takes forever to get to the point won’t work. However, if you can write concisely and get your message across quickly, Boomers will get it.

5. Always Tell the Truth

This is just good business, and we assume the vast majority of our readers know and practice that. However, if you’re tempted to fudge occasionally, don’t. If you read about the next two generations, you’ll find that this is one of the tips for all three generations. However, the reasons differ slightly for each one.

For Boomers, it’s about trust. Many of them feel that the moral fiber of our culture is eroding. They have been burned by slick salesmen and misleading ads, especially on the internet. In order to gain and keep these loyal customers, you’ll have to prove yourself. You’ll need to establish integrity.

Speaking of integrity, there’s a fact we all need to remember while we’re working to get ahead in business. Author and researcher Tom Stanley surveyed vendors, friends, and family of self-made deca-millionaires (people who had achieved a net worth of $10 million or more) and found they had 38 things in common. The number one thing they all shared was fanatical integrity.

Market Personalities

Maybe you’re already marketing to this generation. Perhaps you see this as uncharted waters. Either way, remember that these guidelines are intended to shed light and open doors, not to draw hard lines.

Every customer will differ slightly, but research shows that in general, these three groups have distinct market personalities. Learning how to approach them can greatly increase your ability to win and keep them as customers. Watch for our next entry in this series, “Generational Marketing Part 2: Generation X.”

Digital Marketing Strategies

At McWilliams Media in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, we are passionate about helping you succeed in today’s market. From branding and overall strategy to web design, video, and social media, we can help you build a marketing strategy to win in the digital age. Contact us today for a free consultation.

The post 5 Unique Strategies to Utilize When Marketing Baby Boomers first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

“If you aim at nothing, you’ll hit it every time.”

If you’ve experienced any business training or been to a motivational event in the past 30 years or so, you’ve probably heard some version of this quote. It’s attributed to Zig Ziglar, sales guru and master of quips and one-liners. And I don’t think there’s anything truer when it comes to website design.

Above all, you must have a clear target when you put your business online. Gone are the days when just putting your name on Main Street or even an Interstate billboard was enough to set you apart. Those things can help, but once your customers are online, the “billboards” are way too numerous. And if you’re lucky (or skilled) enough to get them to your site, your competition, often global, is just a few clicks away at any moment.

How to aim well.

In order to make your website attract your customers and keep them, you have to aim. And you have to aim well. But taking aim is not as simple as it sounds. That’s why professional web design is essential. But in order to make professional web design do its best for you, there are some essential questions you must answer for yourself.

The post Ready, Aim, Design! 7 Key Questions to Help “Aim” Your New Website first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Chrome Users Warned About Non-SSL Sites

Google is making a bold move beginning in July. They have always worked to “nudge” website traffic away from unencrypted (HTTP) sites. This has been accomplished by displaying a green padlock icon and a “Secure” sign whenever Chrome users visit encrypted (HTTPS) sites. And in 2015, Google began down-ranking unencrypted sites.

However, starting in just a few days, all Chrome users will see an extra warning when visiting any HTTP site. The browser will now mark all HTTP sites as “not secure” rather than simply marking HTTPS sites as secure. This is bad news for any site that does not have an SSL certificate.

SSL Basics

For those of you who may be a little lost right now, here’s a primer on what an SSL certificate is. First, and most simply, if your site has a current SSL certificate, it becomes an HTTPS site. That means that the letter “S” for “Secure” is displayed at the beginning of your web address. This lets the user know their connection to your site is being encrypted.

That encryption is what makes sure their information is not visible to anyone else on the web. When a customer connects to your website, their information passes through connecting computers in order to get to your server. If the connection is not encrypted, those computers can read your customer’s username & password, credit card numbers, and any other information being passed.

What is an SSL Certificate?

The SSL certificate is what assures that your customers’ connection to your site is secure. Having an active SSL certificate gives you a way to keep others from spying on what people are doing on your site. And it helps you take care of your company’s information as well as your customers’.

In a technical sense, an SSL certificate is a small data file. This file digitally binds an encryption key to your site’s details. This cryptographic information acts as a padlock. This activates HTTPS protocol and allows secure connections between your customers’ browser and your site.

Customers Driven AWAY From Your Site?

As a website owner, you want your customers’ information to be secure, as well as your own. And starting in July, if you don’t have an SSL certificate, all Google Chrome users will be warned NOT to visit your site. That could significantly drive users AWAY from your site!

We’ve got you covered.

Good news. If you signed up on any of our hosting packages from 2019 on, you already have an SSL certificate. That means you’re secure, and your visitors won’t receive any warnings on your site. But if you are on an older hosting plan, we have options .

Hosting Options for SSL

First, you can upgrade to our silver, gold or platinum hosting plan. These plans not only include free SSL but many other advanced features that could significantly enhance your site’s potential. But if our basic plans is still best for you, you can also purchase an SSL plan separately.

SSL Add-on

We also offer an SSL add-on. This service provides a complete SSL certificate set-up for your site for a one-time fee of $175. Then just pay an annual maintenance fee of $100 to keep your certificate current and active.

At McWilliams Media, we are passionate about your success! And one of the most important elements to your success is website security. If you do not have a current SSL certificate or have questions about securing your site, contact us today!

The post Google & SSL: How Chrome is Pushing Owners to Secure Their Sites NOW first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

If you are in the sales industry and you have salesmen on your team; before you put out all the money, energy, and effort it takes to hire additional team members or replace lost ones, let us take a look at your website.

Is your website a salesman for you?

If you’re consistently spending money every month to keep your site current and up to date, it needs to be doing something for you in return. Let us look at your site and see how we can make it a valuable salesman for your company. There are numerous ways that we can help you generate leads, communicate with clients, and connect with potential clients.

Before you spend all the time, energy, and effort it takes to find another salesman, let’s make your website a salesman for your company. If you have any questions, contact us anytime at Mcwilliams Media. We’ll be happy to take a look at your website and see what can do to help you start making more money.

The post Make Your Website a Salesman first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

A Common Mistake

If you’re in business today, you need a great website. A website should give prospects a clear picture of who you are. And it should facilitate productive interaction between you and your customers. Depending on your business, you may also need an online store.

One of the most important factors in making all that happen is web hosting. And the truth is, a great website is not a great website without the right hosting services behind it. That’s a fact that’s commonly overlooked. Don’t make that mistake.

What is Web Hosting?

Web hosting is a service that provides space for all of the files included in your website, and access online to your site. All the files associated with your site are stored on powerful computers called “servers.” These servers are connected to the internet on a high-speed network.

One way to explain this is to think of your website as an internet version of your company. Your company needs a place to operate, to keep all your inventory, have meetings, etc. So you have an office, a store, or a building. Your web hosting is the internet version of that office, store, or building. It’s where your website actually “lives.”

Why is the Right Web Hosting Important?

All web hosting is not the same. The available space and processing power of the servers along with network speed and bandwidth are important factors. Depending on how large your site is, you may need more or less space. And depending on the function of your site and the amount of traffic, some web hosting services may not provide sufficient processing power, bandwidth or network speed.

In addition, while the smallest and simplest websites may do fine with basic services, larger and more involved sites require expert management. As your business grows and evolves, so does your website. It’s crucial that your hosting services grow and evolve as well. You need expert guidance to keep your site in sync with your business and your goals.

Digital Media Services

At McWilliams Media in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, we are experts in all aspects of digital media. We can help you create your brand and communicate to your customers and prospects. We can produce great videos and design powerful social media marketing strategies. And we can design and build a great website for your business.

But at the end of the day, we know that one of our most important jobs is helping you choose the right hosting package for your website. So we’ve taken time below to explain our primary hosting packages. Remember, you may need a different package now than you will down the road. So we are always here to answer your questions and help you know when to adjust your hosting to fit your needs.

Choosing the Right Hosting Package

1. Silver

If your website includes videos or multiple images, you may need more storage space and more network speed and bandwidth. Especially if your site includes a simple online store or shopping cart, you may need our Silver package. As your business grows, your website will grow as well. You may need the additional speed and power of our Silver package:

• Hosted on DV Server
• Faster Speed and more Bandwidth
• Ideal for sites with images, videos, shopping carts and multiple functions
• Software Updates
• Costs only $40 per month

 2. Gold

If your website is an important part of your business, you want to make sure it is managed properly. With additional services like security monitoring and monthly backups, the Gold package gives you peace of mind. In addition, your site will need periodic maintenance and software updating. With the Gold package, you know that as you run your business, we’re taking care of these basic functions for you. What you get with our Gold package:

• Hosted on DV Server
• Faster Speed and more Bandwidth
• Ideal for sites with images, videos, shopping carts and websites with various functions
• Monthly Backups
• Security Monitoring
• Software Updates
• Basic Maintenance
• Costs only $55 per month

3. Platinum

At McWilliams Media, we are passionate about making our entrepreneurs successful. So we designed the Platinum package with that passion for success in mind. In addition to security and maintenance services, but we include some of our most valuable services as well. Graphics, content changes, page modifications, blog posting, and more. With our highest bandwidth and speed and hosting on a DV server, you know you’re getting the best of the best. And for the security of your customers’ data, financial information, etc., we’ve included a FREE SSL certificate. The Platinum package includes:

• 1 Hour of Site Work Every Month including graphics, content changes, page modifications, blog posting, etc.
• Website hosted on DV Server
• Faster Speed and Higher Bandwidth
• Ideal for sites with images, videos, shopping carts and websites with various functions
• Monthly Backups
• Security Monitoring
• Software Updates
• Basic Maintenance
• Free SSL certificate
• Costs only $75 per month

Digital Media in Tulsa and Broken Arrow

In today’s digital commerce climate, your website is often the heartbeat of your business. At McWilliams Media in Broken Arrow, we want to help you get the most out of your digital marketing dollars. From branding and web design to social media and video production, we are here for you. And that includes helping you choose the right hosting package for your needs. Contact us today and let us partner with you on your journey to success!

The post Web Hosting: How to Get What You Really Need first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

If you’ve had a website for any length of time, you have probably heard of SEO. Some of you may have hired someone to do it. Almost all of you have likely at least said, “yeah, I should probably do that.” But what exactly is SEO? And why is it so important?

1. What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. No, that doesn’t mean making the search engines on your computer work better (that’s not really a thing). But it does mean making search engines work to your advantage.

Search engines, like Google or Bing, are web functionalities that help people find things on the internet. If you’re in business, this is really important. You want people to find you.

What search engines do

When a customer searches for businesses like yours, they see a list of choices. Search engines direct people to websites. But they also rank these results. They use hundreds of factors to perform these functions. However, they can be distilled into two ideas; relevance and popularity.

How relevant your site is to a search will affect your site’s query ranking. But popularity is also important. Search engines work on the idea that popularity corresponds to accuracy. So if a site is more popular, it is more likely to be of a higher quality.

What SEO does

So SEO helps you make sure your site appears in the correct search queries (relevance). Then it helps you push your site to the top of those queries (relevance & popularity). In short, SEO is how you get seen online. If Google is a field of billboards, SEO makes your billboard taller than anyone else’s.

2. How does SEO work?

But how is this accomplished? Well, for starters, keywords. These are the words that are most relevant to your business.You need the right keywords on your site. And you need them to occur often. This is the simplest function of SEO.

Search engine bots accomplish this by scanning your sites content. They make sure your keywords match your business. They make sure your keywords match your market. And they make sure your site follows the rules of the search engines.

Beyond keywords

But keywords are just the beginning. In the old days, search engines only looked for words. Therefore, search results were often of little value. But now search engines are much better and much smarter. But this also makes them much, much more complex.

Search engines now look at hundreds of factors to determine the rank and relevance of your site. Knowing which of these factors is most important to your business is a major function of good SEO. This helps keep your site from blending into the noise of the internet.

SEO experts

The algorithms used to do this are complex and constantly changing. For that reason, SEO has become an industry in itself. SEO experts work hard to keep up with the changing metrics of the major engines. They analyze search engine rules and site content. Then they make them work well together.

3. Why do you need SEO?

I think we sometimes have the idea that putting a website online suddenly gives us an online presence. But it doesn’t always work that way. The internet is huge. After all, it’s called the “world-wide-web” for a reason. So when someone searches for “Mufflers Tulsa, Oklahoma,” they might not find your Tulsa muffler shop at all.

Avoid Search failure

Who’s had an experience like this? You’re looking for–say–ok, mufflers. You type in “Mufflers Tulsa Oklahoma” and you see several that look familiar. Scrolling down a bit, you see one that catches your eye, Tony’s Muffler Shop.

You click on the website. You chat online with an expert. Nice site! Great experience! You might even book an appointment. Then you find out they’re in Munsey, Indiana! (or some other random location) How did this happen!?

The top few on the list were most likely local. But you, like many others, rarely choose the top result unless it’s the specific name you were searching for. So you scrolled past the obvious choices. And not far down the list, you found your Munsey muffler shop with the great site.

Why was he there? Well, there are a lot of possible reasons. But more importantly, why did so many Tulsa, Oklahoma muffler shops not get seen in that search? SEO. Or rather, the lack of good quality SEO.

Get seen.

Without good SEO, you have no idea who will see your site, or if anyone ever will!  You work hard to make your business the best. And you probably paid good money for your site. So you need to make sure that site doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.

SEO helps you make sure your site meets the complex criteria for search engine rankings. You need to know that when someone searches for a business like yours, you at least have a chance! SEO gives you the peace of mind to know you’re not invisible.

Get seen by the right people.

Expert SEO not only makes you visible online but also makes you visible to the right people. You need to know that you’re showing up in search queries. But you also need to know you’re showing up in the right search queries.

By fine-tuning keywords, link structure, and other key elements, professional SEO targets your customers. You wouldn’t spend your money on a magazine advertisement in a place you can’t do business, would you? Well, without good SEO, you might be doing just that. The internet is huge, and good SEO helps shrink it down to size.

Tulsa & Broken Arrow SEO

At McWilliams Media in Broken Arrow and Tulsa, Oklahoma, we specialize in professional, customized SEO for your business. Call us today to see how we can maximize your website’s impact! We will work with you to make sure your business gets seen–and that it gets seen by the right people!

Our team are experts in all phases of digital marketing. From web design and branding to videography and social media, we are here to help you succeed! We are passionate about helping our entrepreneurs build their dreams! Call us for a free consultation today!

Photo by Alex Knight on Unsplash

The post SEO-What it is and Why you need it first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

The Google-net

How did this happen? Seems like Google owns the internet! I thought the whole idea of this thing was that no one could ever do that, but here we are! I know, technically, the internet is still free and owned by everyone. However, sometimes it feels like it’s the “Google-net.”

Part of that is the “Kleenex factor.” Even when people are searching on Bing or AOL (yes, that’s still a thing…I just looked it up!), they say they’re “Googling” something. So other search engines do exist. But the reality is that if you’re going to get seen by the most people possible on the internet, you have to be seen on Google.

But Google’s dominance is not just helping them, it’s helping us, too! Their analytics, AdWords programs, and other goodies can be invaluable tools to grow the exposure of any business! And one of the best tools out there is Google reviews.

Why Your Business Needs More Google Reviews

Well, the most obvious part of the answer is just that. We live in the age of Google. But what does a Google review do for you exactly? The first is simple: it’s a review from an actual customer.

Reviews, in general, are the most powerful type of advertising available. Which would you rather have, a postcard in someone’s mailbox, or a neighbor telling them how great you are? Of course, you’d rather people hear about you from someone with personal experience! That’s the power of reviews. Online reviews are no different.

Online customer reviews are the new neighbor conversations. Your customers go online and “tell their neighbors” about you. And it really, really works! Here’s what current research says about your prospects and online reviews.

• Up to 90% read online reviews before visiting a business.
• About 88% trust them as much as personal recommendations.
• They spend about 31% more on businesses with “excellent” reviews.
• Over 90% will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating.
• Over 70% will take action ONLY if they find positive reviews

Getting Google Reviews

Online customer reviews are now one of the most powerful tools we have for converting prospects to customers. Over 70%…that’s the number of people who WILL NOT click through, call, or visit unless they read a positive review! So how do you get reviews on Google? And how do you keep them fresh and positive?

According to Google my Business Help,

“Reviews on Google provide valuable information about your business to both you and your customers. Business reviews appear next to your listing in Maps and Search, and can help your business stand out on Google.”

How to Keep the Reviews Coming

Encourage your customers to spread the word about your business. Here are some tips on how to get them sharing!

• Verify your business so your information is eligible to appear on Maps, Search, and other Google services. Only verified businesses can respond to reviews. Learn how to verify your business
• Remind your customers to leave reviews. Let them know that it’s quick and easy to leave business reviews on mobile devices or computers.
• Show them How! Yes, in the digital age, there are still lots of people who don’t know how to leave reviews. Become an expert at it and help your customers get started. Learn how to leave Google reviews
• Create and share a link that customers can click to leave a review.
• Reply to reviews to build your customers’ trust. Your customers will notice that your business values their input, and possibly leave more reviews in the future. Learn how to read and reply to reviews

What You Shouldn’t Do

According to Google, “Reviews are only valuable when they are honest and unbiased. (For example, business owners shouldn’t offer incentives to customers in exchange for reviews.) Read more in our review posting guidelines.”

While you don’t want to violate their policies, and you certainly don’t want to be dishonest, you can do some things to protect yourself from negative reviews.

How to Keep the Reviews Positive

• Read all your reviews. Or have someone do it for you, at least once a week if not more! This may not be a good practice for an actor, but it’s indispensable for a business owner. You must know what your customers are saying.
• Remove inappropriate reviews. If you see a review that’s inappropriate or that violates Google’s policies, you can flag it for removal.
• Reply to reviews to build your customers’ trust. Your customers will notice that your business values their input, and possibly leave more reviews in the future.
• Respond immediately if a review is negative! We all make mistakes, and sometimes customers just aren’t happy for some reason or another. Responding quickly to a negative review is the best way to correct the situation. Learn how to read and reply to reviews

So let’s get going! Whether it’s managing reviews, social media, SEO, or website design and hosting, McWilliams Media is here for you! We are passionate about helping entrepreneurs grow their businesses! Our expert team can give you everything you need to thrive in the online marketplace! Contact us today for a free consultation!

The post Getting Google Reviews: Why & How? first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Never Having to Say “I’m Sorry, We’re Closed”

It’s February, the month of love! In this season, I am reminded of a strange old saying: “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Well, I’m not sure how I feel about that one. However, here’s one I know is true and I’m sure you’ll agree; in business, love means never having to say “I’m Sorry, We’re Closed!”

Because business now takes place not only face-to-face but also in the digital world, you never have to close! You can always have access to your customers and prospects. More importantly, they can always have access to you! 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, you can be always open!

So with all this access, you’d think success in business would be easy, right? Not so. Although the internet is an incredibly rich marketplace, its sheer size makes it a challenging one. If you really want to be “always open,” it’s not enough just to have a website. You have to have the right website and the tools to go along with it.

Businesses That Never Close

To make your digital presence effective, to actually “never close,” here are some things you must have.

1. A Great Website

Your Personality
Design your website around who you are and who your prospects and customers are. That’s the personality of your business. Get this right, and you’ll naturally stand out in the marketplace.

Your Functionality
Create a site that does what you need it to do. Make it interactive. Make it sell. Make it easy for your target audience.

Free website consultation
Even if you have to hang a sign in the window occasionally, your business can always be open if you have a great website! Just because you’re not at work doesn’t mean that your website isn’t at work for you. Call us for a free consultation on what a new site can do for your business!

2. Great SEO

Effective SEO
Search engines can be your best friend or your worst enemy. Effective SEO keeps you at the top of the list as much as possible. This may be the most valuable service we offer.

Dynamic SEO
Just saying you have SEO may not be enough. Engines constantly change and update their rules, so your SEO has to be able to keep up. Make sure your SEO is dynamic, that it is performed regularly and stays up-to-date!

Get 3 Months SEO—FREE!
Once you have a great site, you need to make sure it gets seen! This month, for qualifying new website sales, you get three months of SEO (or 3 months of Facebook posting) FREE! Call us today!

3. A Great Social Media Strategy

Engaging
Make sure you’re posting content that gets people responding to you or better yet, talking to their friends about you!

Targeted
Design your posts around who you want to talk to, not just what you want to sell. Target your audience!

Consistent
It’s important to post often enough to keep people thinking and talking about you and your products and services. Posting that is too frequent or sporadic tends to be much less effective.

Get 3 Months Facebook Posting—FREE!
Because over 70% of the population is on Facebook, that means 70% of your potential clients are there too- that’s why you need a strong presence on Facebook. Get 3 months of Facebook posting (or 3 months free SEO) FREE with any qualifying website purchase during February.

At McWilliams media, we specializing in helping businesses “never close” by creating great websites, performing great SEO, and providing great social media strategies. Call us today and take advantage of these special FREE offers this February!

The post Never Having to Say “I’m Sorry, We’re Closed” first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Every website on the Internet, from Google to Amazon, is “hosted”; even smaller sites like yours. This means that the website sits on a special server so it can be seen all around the web. When someone types in your URL, a request is sent to your server to view the site. Your server then sends back a copy of the webpage to be viewed.

Sounds complex, right? But it all happens in just milliseconds.

However, sometimes these requests are malicious and meant for harm. Hacking attempts are often well-disguised and unexpected. And some servers are much easier to hack into than others. How do you stop these hackers from getting to your site?

It’s important to be aware of the dangers of insecure hosting, as well as how these attacks can happen and how you can prevent them.

Why Would Someone Want to Hack Into My Site?

Contrary to popular belief, most hacking attempts aren’t for things you’d consider important, such as personal information or to shut down your website. Many of them have the intention of using your email server to send out spam emails, which can be harmful for your business and your website.

Nonetheless, with the right protection for your website, you can stay secure from these attacks.

There are several web hosting services out there; many encourage business owners to host their own site and be their own webmaster. This might sound like a simple way to save a few bucks and cut out a middle man, but using a secure hosting service versus a cheap one might actually save you a lot of trouble in the long run. Plus, using a top-of-the-line, secure hosting service might not have the price tag you’d expect.

How to Prevent Hacking Attempts

If you feel comfortable hosting your own website, there are several steps you can take to help the security of your site.

Updating your plugins on a weekly basis is a simple way to increase the security of your website. Each time hackers figure out new tactics to hack into plugins, the developers of these plugins develop new security measures and issue updates to them to keep your site safe.

If your site uses third party plugins, keep track of their updates and ensure that these are updated on time as well. Often, many sites include plugins that fall into disuse over time. Clean out your website of any unused, old and non-updated plugins — they are sitting ducks for hackers to be used as a gateway to enter your site and wreak havoc on it.

A web application firewall is another efficient way to increase security. Firewalls can be software or hardware based; they divide your website server and the data connection and read every bit of data passing through.  Most modern firewalls are cloud based and provided as a plug-and-play service, for a modest monthly subscription fee. Basically, the cloud service is deployed in front of your server, where it serves as a gateway for all incoming traffic. Once installed, web application firewalls provide complete peace of mind by blocking all hacking attempts and also filtering out other types of unwanted traffic, like spammers and malicious bots.

As a site owner it’s your job to ensure that every piece of software you run is up to date.

Providers like WordPress work around the clock trying to plug any holes in their systems and release regular patches and updates that make their software less vulnerable to attacks. Ensure that you run these updates and have the latest version supporting your site at any given time.

Hacking is a common and ever-present problem in the world of websites. Don’t let down your guard, assuming that your website is off-limits to hackers. Implementing these basic security measures to your site is simple and makes your site a less enticing target for hackers.

The post Stay Safe Out There: Protect Your Site From Hackers first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.