Content Marketing

Is Your Website Slow? Try These Tips

29 4 月, 2010 作者: Vincent

Nobody online today is slow. Nobody. Everyone wants the quickest experience possible, and if they don’t get it, they opt out. Imagine the last time that you were trying to download a page and it took more than five seconds. Did you freak out? Did you assume that your phone was broken? You probably exited out of the page. That’s what’s to be expected when your website is slow. For many, this is a single factor that leads to negative impact on sales. You’ll lose conversions and sink to the bottom of the internet in no time; so what’s to be done?

When it comes to changing the speed of your website, you need to be on top of several factors. There are plenty of ways to turn your site into The Flash, but we’re going to focus on a select few. In order to maintain a site that’s up to par with Roadrunner, you’re going to need to upgrade your hosting package, optimize your videos and images, and implement a page-caching plugin.

Upgrade

Sometimes, this isn’t an option. We’re sympathetic to the fact that some businesses don’t have the money to spend. However, any website that’s gaining a ton of traffic is going to have the money to do so. If you have that much traffic, we can assume you’re doing okay. If you’re doing okay, there’s virtually no reason to save money on your grid or shared hosting platform. You need to focus on a serious web hosting platform that utilizes the resources necessary to keep your site at top speeds. If you don’t, you’re actually losing the same money in sales that you could be spending on it.

Images/Videos

You need to consider both the size and amount of videos/images that are on your page. When that amount exceeds necessity, you sacrifice speed. To a certain degree, this can actually be the largest factor that attributes to your slow load time. That’s right, pictures can be the main culprit. How do you change this? Well, there are a few aspects that you need to assess.

For one, your images need to be sized accordingly. There’s no reason for you to upload a 4000 pixel x 5000 pixel image if it’s going to be downsized to 400 x 500 on your actual site. Change the file size by changing the actual size. JPG is a fantastic way to do this, as it compresses the image in order to use the least space. PNG is only relevant when transparency is involved. BMP and TIFF are utterly useless in this application. No matter what, when you’re done, compress the photo. The end game is to change the file size, and even if you change the actual size, you can further diminish it with compression. The same goes for videos. The one thing that we recommend for videos is to embed them with a third party platform, like Vimeo.

Last, but not least, limit the amount of media on your page. If you have 100 images, it’s going to impact your page no matter what. Don’t go overboard; be concise.

Caching Plugin

You don’t have the time or experience to lend to your page speed. That’s why there are plenty of plugins that do the work for you (at least the harder parts). With page caching, you can immensely improve your page’s load time. We won’t bother with the details; it’s easier to explain it this way: A cached web page is going to load faster than other web pages. Plugins that cache pages for you are easy to download, especially if you’re a WordPress user. We highly recommend this as a number one strategy.

Byra Can Help

Does any of this sound like a daunting task? We’ve barely gone in depth on any of these processes, and that’s because they’re only a few of the ways to increase your page speed, and there’s much more to each. Byra can easily do this for you, and we highly recommend you give us a call. We’ll make sure that your site is up and running at full capacity, and if not, we’ll get it there in no time. Contact us today, and let’s get started on a brand new speed-oriented website!

Could Your Business Use the Help of Cooperative Marketing?

28 4 月, 2010 作者: Vincent

Benefits of Co-Op Marketing

When money is tight, it’s important to exhaust all possible options for your business. Even if your business thrives, there’s nothing to gain but excellence from implementing smart business practices. Cooperative marketing is a way for manufacturers and their retailers/distributors to form a bond of mutual gain. If your business works with a manufacturer, it’s important to consider this as an option. Depending on your sales, your hookup may be willing to literally “hook you up”. Let’s talk about why.

So, you’re probably wondering, “what mutual gain could I find with my manufacturer other than the already in place factor of them providing me with products and me selling them?” Well, it’s an extension of exactly that. With cooperative advertising, your manufacturer will chip in a portion of advertising costs, whether SEO, PPC, or print, and you’ll both benefit from the increase in sales. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your manufacturer will pay for all of your advertising, but, depending on your relationship, it very well could!

Are There Downsides?

Short answer: Yes. In some instances, you’ll be dealing with a manufacturer that has a restrictive program. Although it’s important to factor co-op marketing into your advertising budget, it’s also important to understand that this could limit the style of your advertisement. It’s also possible that your manufacturer won’t chip in as much as you’d like, but hey, free money is free money. Overall, the positives massively outweigh the negatives, which is why this is a prevalent tactic for most retailers in most industries.

What Are My Best Chances?

Cooperative marketing always goes to the retailers that are diligent and communicative. You need to stay on top of your advertising methods in order for this to happen; let’s discuss a few useful tips. For one, you should always be carefully documenting the amount purchased from your supplier. You want them to know that your relationship is truly symbiotic. That means, if you want to try out a new or risky ad, you need to first ask for approval from your manufacturer.

A huge issue, and we cannot stress this enough, is to not tough this out alone. Advertising is an industry in and of itself for a reason; you need professionals to help you. Without their help, you risk utilizing poor tactics and dealing with the fallout. Hot tip: Always keep your business’s name as the focal point of your advertisement. You’re not trying to sell your manufacturer’s products as much as you are your own brand. That way, people will come to your brand for your manufacturer’s products, and the win-win of cooperative marketing will be standing right before your eyes.

If your manufacturer doesn’t have any sort of co-op program, that’s no reason to back away. You can still pitch your campaign; many businesses will be receptive to the idea of further sales. In a way, they’ll still be paying for their own advertising through your business, so don’t hesitate to ask. Lastly, always follow up. Make sure that they know you’re serious about your business; they’ll be less inclined to dish out money to anyone who isn’t actively trying to acquire their help.

What Could I Use It For?

Well, the obvious use would be towards your advertising and any creative expenses. It’s important to consider this an actual factor in your entire marketing plan; you should be including the expenses that you’ll gain through cooperative marketing (when you know what they are) when making advertising decisions.

An obvious choice would be to dive into a hard-hitting SEO or PPC campaign, but that’s not the only option. If you’re considering putting up a billboard, why not find out if your manufacturer will pay for it? Looking to post an ad in a magazine? Contact your supplier. The beauty of co-op advertising is that it’s incredibly versatile, helpful, and will absolutely increase your sales for a smaller price.

Need Help?

Maybe you’re already aware of the benefits of cooperative marketing, but you don’t exactly know where you’d like to put your money. Byra is a digital agency that operates on success, and we’d like to bring that success directly to your business. A fantastic way to spend your suppliers offer is on an aggressive SEO campaign. Once you’ve climbed the ranks in organic search results, you and your manufacturer will see the rise in sales. Byra has the best SEO experts around, as well as content writers that can craft the beautifully written language to promote your brand.

We don’t just focus on SEO; you can utilize us for PPC or even email marketing. No matter what you’re looking to do, Byra works with all things eCommerce. Use our writers to draft a beautiful social media or email campaign, or utilize our PPC experts to drive your products all over the internet through AdWords. With Byra, the possibilities are endless, and with cooperative advertising, all your options just got a lot cheaper! If you’re interested in boosting your sales, contact Byra today.

Calling All Spa Professionals: We Want to Hear Your Stories

28 3 月, 2010 作者: Vincent

4 Tips To Make Your eCommerce Site More Trustworthy

28 3 月, 2010 作者: Vincent

Many factors go into making a successful eCommerce site. One of those factors is making sure that your targeted customers view your site as trustworthy. If people do not trust your website, then they are less likely to buy your products.

If you search online for how to make your eCommerce website more trustworthy, you’ll come across many different articles and websites with ongoing lists about all of the steps you need to take. In this article, however, I’m going to cut through all of those steps and give you four tips to make your site a more trustworthy eCommerce site.

Design

Think of your eCommerce site as the face of your business. It’s the first thing people see when they search for your business and your brand. If your website’s design is outdated and not up to par, it could mean losing potential customers. In addition to the look of your website, navigation and usability are key. With roughly 5 seconds to capture their attention, if a consumer lands on your website and has a hard time finding what they are searching for, they will bounce and head directly to a competitor’s site.

Mission

If you can’t initially grow your business by word of mouth, how are you going to get people to invest in what you are trying to sell? The answer: your mission statement, about us page, story, etc. No matter what you call it, having an informative and open ‘About Us’ page, ‘Story,’ or ‘Mission Statement’ will give consumers insight into who you are, what you are selling, and your reasoning behind it. Many people tend to skip over this part of building a website, dedicating more time to other aspects and leaving this section with the bare minimum. However, if you want to build a successful eCommerce website that people deem trustworthy, personalization and background is the way to go.

Reviews

Ratings, reviews, testimonials, you name it. The number one thing to convert consumers into customers, besides design, mission, and your actual products, is customer reviews. New companies and businesses that don’t have a huge customer base need to rely on actual customer testimonials and reviews in order to build their reputation. Incorporate these customer testimonials, ratings, and reviews on your product pages, ‘About Us’ page, email campaigns, and more. Potential buyers will be much more receptive to the positive experiences of your customers rather than the claims you make about your own business.

Policies and FAQs

Last, but most certainly not least, policies, badges, and FAQs. Before displaying your badges and implementing your policies and FAQs, the first step you should take to make your eCommerce site more trustworthy is utilizing an SSL certificate. After this, you should implement your policies and create a FAQs page. This will give people an idea of the kind of business you are running and should answer their questions about ordering, shipping, paying, returning, etc. It’s also a good idea to display any certificates and badges you may have that would assist in instilling trust in potential buyers.

In conclusion, the four most important steps you should take to make your SSL certified website more trustworthy to consumers are stellar design and a great user experience, an informative and personalized “About Us’ page and mission statement, highlighted customer reviews and testimonials, and an easy to find policies and FAQ’s page. Consumers won’t put their personal information on a website they can’t immediately see is secure and they won’t waste their time searching for products on a messy and outdated website.