When it comes to search engine optimization for Squarespace sites, SEOs are divided. Some think it’s the worst thing in the world: While others think it’s good enough: What is the truth? To answer this question, we decided to run…
The post Squarespace SEO vs. WordPress: 3.6M Domains Studied appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
To find the marketing strategies that are working in ecommerce today, I decided to do something different. I polled marketing experts in three Facebook groups, including our customers-only group, Ahrefs Insider. I jumped on a call with my friend, Babak…
The post 6 Proven Ecommerce Marketing Strategies (As Recommended by Experts) appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
Website design is a complex task that requires both skill and artistry. A site must perform up to user expectations while still looking great and stay functional. Mistakes and design issues can come back to haunt you later. Here’s a look at some of the most common mistakes that might alienate your audience and increase bounce rates:
1. Slow to Load
Research conducted by Google suggests that 47% of users expect a website to load in less than 2 seconds. If the site takes 5 seconds or more to load, the chances of a bounce increase by 90%. People aren’t hesitant to press the back button if the platform doesn’t give them a satisfactory experience. Several factors can contribute towards website speed but the hosting service has the biggest influence. Choose a VPS service over shared hosting for the best performance.
2. Cluttered Design
The last thing a user wants is to be bombarded with images and information as soon as they click on a site. Make sure every page on your platform is well-organized, clean, and minimalist. Ensure there’s plenty for white space on the page because that can help mobile users browse. Don’t overwhelm people with large blocks of text or multiple images. It is best to be concise while being informative.
3. Not Stating the Purpose on the First Page
Modern consumers tend to make snap decisions as soon as the website loads. They look at the homepage content for a few seconds to understand the website’s purpose. If they don’t understand that the site is for, they’ll leave immediately. This is especially true for B2B businesses. Nearly half of the consumers will leave your website if its purpose isn’t clear. Provide information on different products or services, add information about awards or certifications, and include confidence-building elements like testimonials.
4. Bad Font Choice
Website fonts can make or break. It is best to stay away from stylistic and obscure fonts for your page. Choose a Sans Serif style of 14pts or more for the best results. This style is compatible with different kinds of readers and devices, which means everyone can read your content without issues. You can use stylistic fonts on logos, graphics, or content but not in the website copy. It is also important to make sure there’s a good contrast between the text and the background. A/B test the website copy to ensure it is readable.
5. Unpredictable Design
Everyone wants to stand out and be unique, but sometimes unusual design choices can do more harm than good. Most users expect certain things from the site. For example, they know every site has the most important products and services listed on dropdown menus underneath the header. Most also know all the company information like FAQs, contact data, location, etc., are placed at the bottom of the page. You can make a site unique without comprising on its logic or flow. Focus on branding and appearance while maintaining a streamlined structure.
6. No H1 and H2 Headings
Almost everyone skims through content. They look at the headlines, subheadings, bullet points, etc. You need to make sure every page has H1 and H2 headings. The H1 heading should grab attention and be bold while the H2 line should elaborate on it. These taglines state the purpose of the site and provide precise information, which improves the overall user experience.
7. Not Secure
Have you ever noticed that websites with HTTPS are listed as ‘Secure’ in the address bar? This shows the website has security certification and is reliable. Users trust sites with the certificate and are more likely to trust their products or services as well. Pages without the HTTPS tag have a higher bounce rates and don’t have the best reputation online. The security tag is the first step in establishing a strong brand presence.
8. You Have Links that Open in Other Browser Tabs
It is best to let users decide how they want to access linked pages. Most prefer to open them on the same page, some prefer to open in another tab. If your website automatically opens links in another tab, it can affect the user experience. Make sure the default setting for most links is to open on the same page. You can reserve the setting to open in a new tab only if it is needed.
9. The Design is Outdated
Keep the latest design trends in mind while planning the website. Modern users prefer a clean, minimalist aesthetic. It looks great on all kinds of screens, including mobile and tablet. Make sure the design represents your brand well by adding carefully chosen colors, logos, and graphics. The site should tell a story and convey the right message to the target audience.
10. The Mobile Performance is Poor
A significant portion of the website traffic comes from the mobile platform. It is important to make sure your site is optimized for it. The responsive framework will ensure the site adjusts efficiently to different screen sizes. All menus should be accessible and all links should be easy to click, regardless of the type of device. Good mobile performance will also help you rank higher on the search engine results pages. A website is one of your most important assets in this modern business environment. A great site can help establish a good reputation and increase revenue. It will also help you build a strong customer base in the industry.
The post Website Design Mistakes That Will Come Back To Haunt You appeared first on YourSocialStrategy.com.
In 2015, my friends and I started a breakdancing blog (now defunct). Despite knowing nothing about blogging or SEO, we managed to hit 3,000 organic visitors per month at our peak. Today, I work at Ahrefs, where our blog has grown to…
The post 17 Blogging Tips For Beginners (That Actually Work) appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
This is why robots.txt misconfigurations are extremely common—even amongst experienced SEO professionals. In this guide, you’ll learn: What a robots.txt file is What robots.txt looks like Robots.txt user-agents and directives Whether you need a robots.txt file How to find your…
The post Robots.txt and SEO: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
For example, these words link to YouTube, so they now have a backlink from us. In this guide, you’ll learn: Why backlinks are important; What makes a good backlink; How to check backlinks (to any website); How to get more backlinks…
The post What is a Backlink? How to Get More Backlinks appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
That’s what robots meta tags and the x‑robots-tag HTTP header are for. Let’s get one thing straight from the beginning. You can’t control indexation with robots.txt. That’s a common misconception. The noindex rule in robots.txt was never officially supported by…
The post Robots Meta Tag & X‑Robots-Tag: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
Modern marketing is a complex system that involves several distinct strategies. Businesses aim to approach clients from multiple directions to increase conversion rates and earn more profits. There are dozens of strategies available today, and most companies attempt to use them all to gain audience attention. However, some techniques are more effective than others and deliver stellar results consistently. Here’s a look at some marketing techniques that you should be thankful or:
1. Content Marketing
Content marketing is one of the most effective and versatile marketing strategies available today. It doesn’t just help convert visitors to customers but also enables you to establish a strong customer base. Content marketing offers several benefits, and some of them are:
These are just some of the many advantages of content marketing. It is one of the most critical strategies because it allows you to connect with your customers on a more personal level.
2. Social Media Marketing
Social media is a highly influential platform. It has an impact on a customer’s buying decision and can even encourage them to explore new brands. A brand that becomes popular or ‘viral’ on social media often sees a boost in sales. If you play your cards right, social media can make your company very successful and help you establish a strong presence.
Social media is also a versatile platform, and you can engage your customers in many different ways. For example, you can create long-form content to post on Facebook and LinkedIn. You can use Twitter as a customer service platform and answer their questions. Instagram is the perfect platform to provide the behind-the-scenes insight into your business and its processes, which can help you establish a deeper connection with your audience. Other marketing channels don’t offer these opportunities to develop a strong brand presence.
3. Paid Advertising
Paid marketing is the simplest and most straightforward strategy. You create an advertisement, post it on different platforms, pay for the clicks, and get all the visibility you need. It is possible to post ads on search engine results pages, Google affiliated websites, and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have highly sophisticated advertisement tools that allow you to target people based on their gender, age, education, location, likes, interests, etc. Paid adverting is a quick way to get your brand image and name out there. Unlike other strategies like SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, etc. paid advertising provides immediate results. You start seeing a flow of traffic to your website as soon as the ad is live.
4. Video Marketing
People always find visual content appealing, which is why video marketing is a great way to sell a product or service. However, this strategy has evolved considerably since the introduction of YouTube, video streaming platforms, and social media. Here’s a brief look at what you can do:
As you can see, there are many ways to use video marketing to get the audience’s attention. You can use this content on online platforms like YouTube and social media or traditional platforms like television.
5. Branding
The business environment is highly competitive, and it is difficult to become successful if you don’t have a strong identity. Branding strategies can help you establish this identity, and it involves several sophisticated techniques. Here’s a look at how branding helps:
Most modern marketing strategies require a strong brand presence. If you have a unique and interesting voice, you will have more customers.
6. Recycling Old Content
Creating new content is one of the biggest challenges in the modern oversaturated market. Professionals and business owners struggle to find something unique and interesting to help them get more visibility. That’s where recycling old content comes in, and it is a very effective strategy. You can upgrade an article that has old facts and numbers, add new information, correct misinformation, and then post it again.
Recycling old content reduces the workload, keeps your website dynamic, and also helps your users because they have access to the latest information.
If you use these strategies in your campaign, you will be able to keep up with big companies and their big marketing budgets. Small to mid-sized businesses have a lot to be thankful for because these strategies have made marketing accessible to all, even companies with small budgets.
The post Marketing Tactics To Be Super Thankful For appeared first on YourSocialStrategy.com.
The bad news: Several things could be preventing you from showing up in Google. The good news: Many of them are easy to fix. Below, we explore nine possible reasons why you’re not showing up in Google and how to…
The post 9 Reasons Your Website Isn’t Showing Up On Google (and How to Fix It) appeared first on SEO Blog by Ahrefs.
