Collecting information about online visitors is nothing new - businesses have been doing this for many years as a way to learn more about what their customers want, and how best to serve them. What is evolving with new tech, however, are the ways in which that data can be interpreted and channeled in a useful manner. With the big data technologies that are emerging in 2018, small businesses have more power than ever to adopt an online marketing strategy that not only brings in the right customers, but gives those customers an unparalleled personal experience. If you're new to the idea of big data, find it intimidating, or simply don't see how it can help your strategy, here are a couple of key points that will point you in the right direction.
When it comes to generating leads for your website, high traffic is the main goal, right? Not necessarily. Imagine that you run a site aimed toward retirees, and you see that a lot of people are visiting the site, but when you look at your analytics, you discover that most of your visitors are teenagers. That's not going to lead to many sales! While having a high volume of traffic is certainly a good sign, big numbers are not enough to push your conversion rates higher - you want the right people coming to your site, the ones who are in the target market for your product or service. This is where keywords come into play.
LinkedIn's new interface and upcoming changes may not surprise you, but you will notice them. It will happen sometime in 2017. The redesigned website is meant to bring LinkedIn's desktop experience more in line with its mobile app.
The main changes are to the look and feel. It will cleaner and has more responsive and easier to navigate features, including better search features. There are also some features that they are retiring:
According to Google, there are 4 criteria that you need to meet to increase your SEO, searchability, and how your potential customer can find you online.
1. Informative and useful content: what other webpages/profiles are ranking in Google for the keywords you want to rank for? How does the design, look and feel, and SEO of your website compare? What information do those sites have that you may be missing?
2. Credible: ways to build your credibility online are to build relationships and share comments and articles on other credible websites/profiles and display your awards and logos (i.e. BBB or Angie’s List Accredited badges).
3. Write well: do you have typos or incorrect facts and stats? Google does not rank websites that are poorly written.
4. Engaging content: would your target audience want to bookmark your webpage, share it, recommend it, or submit a comment? Think about this or discuss your ideas with a friend, industry expert, and/or business partner for added insight, perspective, and feedback.
Web design is more about how you attract the right visitors than it is about how your website looks and feels. Don’t get me wrong however, the usability and flow of your website IS important. Though, marketing is where you need to focus your efforts, consistently review upcoming trends, and re-invent.
Web marketing is about developing powerful communication strategies using all of the popular social/niche media channels to drive traffic and generate qualified leads. It can include a social media marketing program, search engine optimization, research, integration … even how your business seems to appear and be marketed on LinkedIn.
Who strong is your website marketing? Find out what your score is here: https://website.grader.com/ and let us know.

