Sarah Taylor - RELEVANCE https://www.relevance.com Growth Marketing Agency Fri, 09 Oct 2020 05:20:26 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.relevance.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/cropped-index.png Sarah Taylor - RELEVANCE https://www.relevance.com 32 32 Adopting the Commandments of SEO https://www.relevance.com/adopting-the-commandments-of-seo/ https://www.relevance.com/adopting-the-commandments-of-seo/#respond Fri, 09 Oct 2020 05:20:26 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108783 Everyone who owns a small business or who works in marketing should know their way around the wild and ever-changing world of search-engine optimization (SEO). Once an afterthought and just a small piece of the sales/advertising puzzle, SEO has come into its own as a separate, important business discipline. Its growth in importance is based […]

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Everyone who owns a small business or who works in marketing should know their way around the wild and ever-changing world of search-engine optimization (SEO). Once an afterthought and just a small piece of the sales/advertising puzzle, SEO has come into its own as a separate, important business discipline. Its growth in importance is based on reality. For-profit entities simply cannot thrive unless their websites appear high enough in search results to attract large numbers of visitors. Then, a decent percentage of those visitors will become customers. Eventually, some fraction of new customers will turn into long-term, loyal buyers of your products and services.

But, the first step is all about getting engine algorithms to recognize your site and its content. For example, if you sell miniature imported brass animal sculptures in a brick-and-mortar store, an SEO company will see to it that when seekers go online and hunt for information about any of those terms, they'll see your website listed on the first page of results. Preferably, it will not only be on the first page but high up on the page. There's more to SEO than that, which is why it pays to know the commandments of the discipline.

Update Regularly

Don't let your website stagnate. Visitors hate checking into a site only to discover that no new content or updates have been posted in a while. Make it a point to add new items to your main page and/or blog at least once per week, and preferably twice or three times each week. Additionally, be diligent about telling visitors how often you update. Don't leave them in the dark.

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Hire a Competent Freelancer

Unless you specialize in all things search-engine related, leave the heavy lifting to a professional. Don't rely on your gut instincts or knowledge gained from an article you read last night. And do not fall into the trap of thinking that software will do the trick. It won't. If you hire an SEO freelancer with confidence, there will be no need for software. Allocate a set percentage of the marketing budget to pay for SEO services from a human being who has experience in the field. What can an expert do for your company?

For starters, your pages will start to rank higher. More people will visit your site and read blog articles listed there. Make sure you have good content for them to look at, and after that, your sales should begin to rise, slowly but surely. A talented SEO freelancer is a profit center. Rarely will there be a month in which expense will exceed income. But, don't expect miracles. Even the best of the best pros needs a few weeks to prove their worth.

Use Excellent Links

Be careful not to use broken, outdated, or irrelevant links in content. The whole point of adding a link is so readers will click it. It they hit a dead end, a 404, or an old piece of content, chances are they'll never come back.

Post Interesting, Useful Content

The internet is a sea of words. Most of what is posted is either outdated, duplicated from other sources, based on incorrect information, or boring. Don't let your creations fall into any of those categories. Always take the time, or pay someone else to take the time, to create pieces that deliver value. That means every article posted on your site or as a guest on someone else's should offer worthwhile information to anyone who reads it.

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Avoid Overused Keywords & Stuffing

There are plenty of free keyword tools that will show you exactly how many people are using a given term. Avoid keywords that are overused. Especially as a new company, you're apt to drown in a sea of larger competitors who can afford to post on high-authority sites and beat you to the top every time. Don't stuff keywords into articles. Modern versions of algorithms can detect stuffing. Not only will you miss out on a high ranking, but stuffing might lead to penalties and exceptionally low rankings.

Understand the Power of Speed

Check the speed of your site regularly. Users get frustrated when the click on a website and are forced to wait for graphics and other complex content to load. At least twice per week, see how quickly visitors can get into your website.

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What Your Content Marketing Strategy Should Contain https://www.relevance.com/what-your-content-marketing-strategy-should-contain/ https://www.relevance.com/what-your-content-marketing-strategy-should-contain/#respond Fri, 25 Sep 2020 09:59:14 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108607 With so many pieces of content being delivered daily, it's no surprise that brands are doing all they possibly can to stand out in the crowd. One of the ways in which they do that is by implementing a content marketing strategy. What is content marketing exactly? According to the Content Marketing Institute, it is […]

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With so many pieces of content being delivered daily, it's no surprise that brands are doing all they possibly can to stand out in the crowd. One of the ways in which they do that is by implementing a content marketing strategy.

What is content marketing exactly? According to the Content Marketing Institute, it is "a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience - and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action."

By creating relevant content, brands can reach a high position on Google's first search results page, generating even more organic traffic. After all, that's how Google works - if you have informative content that will help answer questions its users might have, they will reward you with a higher position.

However, content marketing strategy is more than just good content - there are several things that it should include apart from this. So, if you want to find out more about what your content marketing should consist of, all you have to do is keep reading.

Brand Identity Guidelines

If you want your content marketing strategy to be successful, you need to communicate your brand's identity by using the content properly. To understand it better, you should create guidelines that will help you choose a clear direction of what you want the content to look and feel like.

Brand identity is formed based on several features. We can divide them into three categories:

  • Visual brand features - as the name suggests, this category includes the visual, such as your brand's colors, typography, logo, style, etc.
  • Brand story features - this includes the main purpose of your brand described through mission, storytelling, and vision.
  • Brand value features - a unique value proposition, something that the potential customers can find only in your offer.

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Defined Target Market and Customer Personas

When creating the content marketing strategy, one of the first things you should consider is your audience - the people you are directing the content to. Who are those people?

To understand that, you should establish your target market - the general demographics of the audience that could either be convinced or interested in purchasing your products and services.

Once you have that, you can go a step further - that is, defining your ideal customer. Where is your customer located, what services are they looking for, what are they actively engaged with on the internet, what do they do in life, do they have enough money to afford what you are offering them, etc. Finding answers to all these questions will allow you to create your 'customer persona' - the ideal customer.

Content marketing is about targeting the audience's interests, values, and common challenges - defining customer personas can definitely help you with that and give you a head start. However, you have to keep in mind that this data changes as time goes by, which is why it is important to update it regularly.

Competitive Research

One of the sections of your content marketing strategy should be devoted to the analysis of your competitors. This will not only help you understand what can make you different from them but also will help you see where your market is still unserved.

However, keep in mind that researching your competitors' content strategy does not mean doing the exact same thing they did. Your brand is unique, which is why your content strategy should be as well. After all, your ideal customer is most probably different from theirs. Use this difference to your advantage.

Documented Content Goals and Objectives

After creating and introducing a content marketing strategy, you probably would want to know how it performs. Setting up goals will help you stay consistent with the content you are creating and help you measure the results.

A very popular way of creating goals is using the SMART framework. What exactly does it mean? Well, each of your goals should be:

  • Specific - you need to know what exactly you are planning on accomplishing
  • Measurable - you should be able to measure it in some way so that you know whether you are on track
  • Achievable - take setting up some more challenging goals, but don't make them impossible - choose the ones you know you will be able to achieve with a little bit of extra work
  • Relevant - make sure the goals you are setting will help you with the marketing strategy
  • Time-bound - establish a specific date or time period by which you want it to be done

The content goals should be aligned with the audience's needs. To do that, first, you need to establish what it is that both sides expect. When creating the customer persona, you most likely established your ideal customer's needs - try relating those needs to your goals.

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Methods of Promotion and Distribution

The purpose of content marketing strategy is to attract more visitors to your website and bring awareness to your brand. Once you have your content, you need to decide how you are going to distribute it. We can divide those tactics into two 'categories':

  • things you'll do for every published piece of content - this should include actions that don't require a lot of effort, but still, bring traffic to the website. A common example is sending an email with updates to your subscribers.
  • things you'll do for more significant pieces of content - since big pieces of content, such as ebooks or webinars, require a lot more research, time, and resources to be produced, you should probably choose promotion and distribution methods that will match the amount of effort you put into creation.

The Bottom Line

As you can see, content marketing strategy is much more complex than just simply writing quality content - while it is without a doubt an integral part of it, it's not the only one. It's more about understanding the market, your potential customers' needs, and properly planning how to introduce the content to them.

It might sound complicated, but once you get the hang of it, you will realize that it's actually not that bad - you just need to know what to do. Good luck with your new content marketing strategy!

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Navigating B2B Sales Changes During COVID-19 https://www.relevance.com/navigating-b2b-sales-changes-during-covid-19/ https://www.relevance.com/navigating-b2b-sales-changes-during-covid-19/#respond Wed, 23 Sep 2020 07:31:17 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108570 B2B, or business-to-business, sales are when a company directly sells products or services to another business rather than to a customer. There are three primary types of B2B sales... Supply Sales Wholesales Service/Software Sales Supply sales are when a seller provides products that support the operation of a business. These sales encourage the allocation of […]

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B2B, or business-to-business, sales are when a company directly sells products or services to another business rather than to a customer. There are three primary types of B2B sales...

  1. Supply Sales
  2. Wholesales
  3. Service/Software Sales

Supply sales are when a seller provides products that support the operation of a business. These sales encourage the allocation of supplies within a business. An example would be the printer, office supplies, or uniform sales.

The difference between B2B sales and your typical business-to-customer sale is the quantity purchased. Supply sales are typically bought in bulk for the entire business, rather than just the sale of one product for an individual.

Wholesales, or distribution sales, are when a seller provides products that will be retailed by others. This means the business buying the product will not be the final buyer. After buying, they will then sell the product themselves through a business-to-customer sale.

An example of a wholesaler could be a fruit company selling their apples to a grocery store in bulk to be then resold at a higher price to customers.

Service and software sales are when a seller provides a service to a business rather than a product. This can take the form of a consultant or new software to increase efficiency.

B2B vs. B2C Sales

Business-to-business sales differ from business-to-customer sales in more ways than one. B2B sales typically have a higher transaction value, longer sales cycles, and multiple stakeholders.

Higher Transaction Value

The number of products exchanged and the price value of B2B sales is remarkably higher than in B2C sales. When a business buys from another business, they are not buying singular items. They buy a larger quantity of products to be either distributed throughout the company or retailed to another customer.

The sale of a service or technology is also higher in B2B sales because it costs much more to provide a service to an entire company than a singular customer. And yes, we’re talking about thousands, even millions, of dollars compared to a couple hundred.

Longer Sales Cycles

B2B sales are typically not spur-of-the-moment decisions. A lot of thought goes into deciding what is the best software to implement or product to resell before B2B transactions are made.

Usually, a business will research a few different options before settling on a product. This takes a longer amount of time than B2C sales because of the complexities involved and increases the steps taken within the sales cycle.

Multiple Stakeholders

When a business enters the market to find a product or service, there is typically not one singular person in charge of making the final decision. With B2B sales, before a purchase can be finalized, it usually has to climb the hierarchical ladder of company representatives before it reaches a final “yes.”

Creating B2B Sales

After a company has decided it wants to sell a good or service, it must figure out the best way to get its product on the market.

By gaining insights on the market it is trying to enter, targeting a specific type of business, and testing different sales methods, a business is more likely to succeed at creating B2B sales.

Starting out with cold calls and emails is a typical move, as it is easy enough to do by oneself. Often, businesses also reach out with free trials and offers as a way to give their product more exposure.

Sometimes it may be hard for a business to get its ideas up and running. They have a product but still lack sales. This is when hiring a professional, such as Pearl Lemon Sales, may come in handy.

Finding a sales agency that helps increase transactions is one way to grow a business’s sales program. A lot of the time a business will lack the proper knowledge and resources to expand its clientele. Hiring someone else that does can help a business grow.

Just think of it as utilizing B2B sales to create B2B sales.

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How to Use Screen Recording Videos in Your Content https://www.relevance.com/how-to-use-screen-recording-videos-in-your-content/ https://www.relevance.com/how-to-use-screen-recording-videos-in-your-content/#respond Wed, 16 Sep 2020 08:24:31 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108464 A closer look at the content marketing scene clearly reveals that video is the way to boost your digital presence and achieve a better level of engagement. With over 80 percent of all global traffic expected to come from video over the next two years, it is clear that video content is the way ahead. […]

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A closer look at the content marketing scene clearly reveals that video is the way to boost your digital presence and achieve a better level of engagement. With over 80 percent of all global traffic expected to come from video over the next two years, it is clear that video content is the way ahead. Screen recording videos have become a popular way of incorporating videos into your content.

Let’s look at the benefits of using screen recording content before we learn how to use them in the content.

  • Making visual content a core part of your marketing strategy can help attract more visitors to your blogs and web pages
  • Visitors can view these videos in the feed itself as you can post them natively without having to upload them on your YouTube channels.
  • Videos make it easier to explain problems and solutions to your visitors

How to use screen recording video in your content?

Using Demo How-To Videos

Research shows that most customers prefer learning about a product or service through videos. This means that a large percentage of your visitors would love it if you explain your product’s salient features and benefits through a video added to the content. You can use a Windows screen recorder to create such videos.

Introducing a New Product

Reference: EaseUS RecExperts

Are you planning to launch a new product or service? If your brand name is popular, you will have an audience ready and waiting for that announcement. A video can be a great way of sharing information about your new launch instead of using only a screen capture or text to describe what you plan to offer. It is a fact that consumers love to see a product or service in action, especially if they want to make a buying decision.

You can use videos to announce a new brand introduction in creative ways such as:

  • An interestingly created teaser
  • A detailed explanation of the product/service
  • Sharing information about some of its key and unique benefits
  • Providing a demonstration on how to use the brand for best results

A screen recording software can be used to make videos and achieve all of the above and more. The video can not only provide valuable information to users but also create an enticement around the brand in a very subtle manner. The more people understand how a product works, they are more likely to use it. That’s what the screen recording video should do - providing solutions to the queries that customers might have.

Sprucing Up Marketing Campaigns

The reason for creating content is to keep your audience better informed about various aspects of your business and brand such as how it can add value and make life more convenient. Screen recording videos can help marketers boost the campaign impact and drive home the brand message more powerfully. If you have the data on the percentage of your audience preferring visual content, you can structure your campaign in sync with their needs to generate an impressive ROI. This can be done by:

  • Addition of visual content to existing posts to reach those audiences who respond better to such type of media streams
  • Creating a visual strategy that can clear any confusion that your audience might have

Why Adding Screen Recorded Videos To Blogs Is a Great Idea

A Vlog video can add more value to your content and make it more informative. The direct impact of such a move is a noticeable increase in traffic to your blog. It is a simple and rather effortless way of adding more punch to your content and drawing the attention of a larger audience to your brand.

There is a debate on whether every blog should be interspersed with a screen recorded video. That might not be possible because the video must go along with the flow of the existing content and not appear as a jarring bump.  Choose those blogs that allow an easy way of incorporating the video at a prominent point of the content so that it can grab attention.

A Proven Way of Improving Customer Experience

Delivering a great customer experience is imperative for every business. If your blogs and articles are not delivering the kind of results you expect from your marketing campaign, try adding screen recorded videos to your campaign content. It is a simple and proven way of enhancing customer experience as they get the information they are looking for in their preferred format and medium.

Conclusion

While content stills rule the roost in digital marketing, the form of content, and the way it is presented is constantly evolving. Actionable content presented in a simple and friendly format delights customers. Screen recorded videos can help marketers enhance the level of audience response and achieve greater conversions.

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Finding Balance: Should Your Landing Pages be CRO-Focused, SEO-Focused, or Both? https://www.relevance.com/finding-balance-should-your-landing-pages-be-cro-focused-seo-focused-or-both/ https://www.relevance.com/finding-balance-should-your-landing-pages-be-cro-focused-seo-focused-or-both/#respond Wed, 09 Sep 2020 11:15:10 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108403 Optimizing your landing pages properly can sometimes make a whole difference between a successful eCommerce business and a nice try. A landing page is one of the key strategic touchpoints that works as an entry point for users coming from search engine results pages, social networks, or online ads. There are two different approaches to […]

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Optimizing your landing pages properly can sometimes make a whole difference between a successful eCommerce business and a nice try. A landing page is one of the key strategic touchpoints that works as an entry point for users coming from search engine results pages, social networks, or online ads.

There are two different approaches to landing page design, one that focuses on earning traffic and one that focuses on conversions. Obviously, in order to sell products, you’ll need both. But the trouble is that these two strategies are often contradictory. Let’s see why that is and what you can do to neutralize the effects of this contradiction.

SEO-focused landing pages

The goal of an SEO-focused landing page is to improve visibility for search engines and drive organic traffic. In general, these pages will have most of the characteristics that any page should have in order to get a boost in rankings. These characteristics are:

  • Use of long-form content that is relevant and engaging for readers. This content should be of top quality so that it could earn more traffic and backlinks.
  • Placing inbound links that point to other pages on your website to reduce the bounce rate.
  • Substantial use of crucial keywords that you’d like to rank for.

A classic example of an SEO-focused landing page is this one by Each night.

Source: eachnight.com

It’s a good quality informational post, which means that converting visitors is not the primary goal. Instead, the page seeks to educate consumers with relevant and helpful information. Ideally, this will attract a lot of links over time to build up the page’s authority. This can then indirectly benefit the site’s more commercial-oriented pages through internal linking.

CRO-focused landing pages

On the other hand, the sole aim of CRO-focused landing pages is to increase conversions and sales. This entails a different approach:

  • No to little keyword targeting.
  • Short, highly-focused content that provides only the most important additional info about a product or service.
  • This content often doesn’t have much value for an unqualified visitor as its main goal is to sell.
  • The copy is directed toward an already qualified audience.
  • No need to work on decreasing the bounce rate, as long as your CTR is high. In other words, if users convert, a CRO-focused landing page has fulfilled its purpose, even if they leave right after they buy.
  • Using a strong and well-positioned CTA.

If you wish to see what a truly CRO-focused landing page looks like, look no further than Muzzle.

Source: muzzleapp.com

This page has basically no content, no additional links, or lengthy explanations that would wear down the user. Just a big CTA button and a short, brilliant demonstration of what their app does.

So where’s the contradiction?

The problem should be more-less obvious by now. Basically, you can get a lot of traffic only if you decide not to go all the way with CRO. On the other hand, if you try to optimize a landing page to sell, you’ll probably damage your chances of earning organic traffic.

Let’s take a look at the first option – you choose to take the SEO path. It means more content, and more content means more distractions for the reader. Already qualified leads are often not interested in this content, and it can even overwhelm and confuse them. Even dropping a field or two from the opt-in form can increase your conversion rate by almost a quarter, so you can imagine just how many people are chased away by lengthy content they find unnecessary and unhelpful.

Moreover, all your SEO efforts need time to produce results. The age of the page is an important search ranking factor. This means that SEO-focused landing pages that promote seasonal offers and discounts are almost useless, as they may need a year, two, or three to become truly visible.

Conversely, CRO-focused landing pages can have a hard time generating organic traffic. And the fact that 75% of users never get past the first page of Google results doesn’t help the cause either.

If you’re going to write copy that’s optimized for conversions, the page will probably not rank well. The content on such a landing page is short, highly focused, avoids certain keywords in order to stay concise and concrete, and probably doesn’t earn many backlinks. Google doesn’t really rate such content. In addition, bounce rates can be high even if the page is fulfilling its purpose, and this is another SEO-killing factor.

Which one should I go for?

You could try combining the two to the point where you’re satisfied with both conversions and traffic. But this can be very tricky. The balance that needs to be achieved is very delicate, and if you do it wrong, you may end up with a page badly optimized for both.

The key factor here seems to be a lead qualification. Both CRO and SEO-focused landing pages can work, but for different audiences. It simply comes down to how interested a person is in your product or your product line or even your brand.

For instance, users who end up at your website by clicking on a product ad somewhere on the internet can often be considered well-qualified and interested. Obviously, the same goes for those who clicked on a PPC ad or performed purchase-focused searches. You’re more-less familiar with the intent of these users; landing them on a CRO-focused page makes a lot of sense.

Another commonly-advised strategy is to simply have both. You build an SEO-focused page to bring in visitors and then another CRO-focused one down the funnel to encourage conversions. In this case, the former serves as a sort of a filter for the latter and both pages can do what they do best. The issue here, however, is that the SEO page needs some CRO-based features as well since one of its goals indeed is to induce action by the users. In this case, the desired action is not an outright purchase, but a click on a link that will get them to the product page where they can buy. So the goals and means of these two always overlap to an extent, and they can’t be analyzed in isolation.

All things considered, it turns out that proper customization and segmentation are key here. Both approaches are legitimate, but you’ll have to find clever ways to strictly segment the incoming traffic and direct every user to the right place. In general, when it comes to marketing, we’re living in the world of personalization, and we should always have that in mind.

Final thoughts

There’s no more appropriate way to finish this article than with a message about the importance of customization and personalization. You need to tailor your landing pages based on very specific needs, not just of your customers, but also the needs and goals of your company.

Doing this is easier than ever, with all the customer data and the necessary tools right there at your disposal. Your landing page may be the first point of contact between a consumer and your brand. So, don’t miss out on the opportunity to make the first impression just right.

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COVID-19's Impact on 5G https://www.relevance.com/covid-19s-impact-on-5g/ https://www.relevance.com/covid-19s-impact-on-5g/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2020 14:24:53 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108351 5G, the fifth generation of mobile technology or cellular technology, promises to provide a significantly more connected environment, with ultra-low latency, high performance and speed, efficiency, extended bandwidth, and reliability. For users and businesses alike, the standard has been widely lauded, affecting practically every industry, from healthcare to transportation. But as onshore and offshore software […]

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5G, the fifth generation of mobile technology or cellular technology, promises to provide a significantly more connected environment, with ultra-low latency, high performance and speed, efficiency, extended bandwidth, and reliability. For users and businesses alike, the standard has been widely lauded, affecting practically every industry, from healthcare to transportation.

But as onshore and offshore software engineers continued to roll out and leverage 5G, the COVID-19 pandemic struck. The virus has disrupted the entire world - and not in a good way. In fact, some skeptics connected the two phenomena. For example, one conspiracy theory supposes that the eventual coronavirus vaccination will contain tracking chips powered by 5G and that the entire pandemic is the brainchild of the tech gurus of the world to force the adoption of the technology.

As laughable as this is, it’s true that there is a connection between COVID-19 and 5G - if only in the way that the pandemic has affected all facets of life. Coronavirus has made its mark on 5G, just as it has on every niche and industry. So, what exactly is its impact on this cellular technology?

An Increased Need

In some ways, the timing could be fortuitous for 5G. Major providers like AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile began rolling out the technology, largely in metropolitan areas, during 2019. As many countries, states, and cities around the world shut their doors and forced citizens and visitors to stay inside, internet usage has skyrocketed — unsurprisingly. Having whetted the public’s appetite already, the need for 5G has become even more apparent.

Health

In Wuhan, China (the original site of the COVID-19 pandemic), a robot-staff hospital opened in March. The Smart Field Hospital was aimed at protecting and relieving healthcare workers. Many technologies, from AI to the IoT,  got combined to turn this facility into a thing of the future. 5G, of course, also played a role: when patients entered the hospital, 5G thermometers detected people with a fever and notified human staff members.

Business

The healthcare sector isn’t the only field 5G will impact. Now that so many people are working from home - as well as having virtual meetings remotely - reliability and greater connectivity are paramount. 5G offers both of these important qualities, making work more feasible in nearly any industry imaginable.

Entertainment

One casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic is a distinct lack of socialization. In order to protect themselves and their loved ones, people are forced to keep their gatherings extremely small and maintain social distancing protocols. That means many people are turning to other forms of entertainment and ways to pass the time.

Streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, and Hulu have been a favorite wind-down activity for years, but now, viewers are relying on them more than ever before. With greater broadband usage, the need for a high-performance network is clear. 5G is the answer to this demand.

Greater Rollout

While COVID-19 has presented some challenges to 5G - we’ll get to those below - it hasn’t stopped carriers from plugging away at their rollout. In fact, the Swedish company Ericsson recently predicted that twice as many people would have access to 5G than they did around the same time in 2019. These numbers won’t be very high in North America and Europe, but the rollout has been increasing in China.

This comes at the heels of providers across the world offering greater coverage for their services, even to those who can’t afford them, all as the result of the pandemic. The Keep Americans Connected Pledge, which many carriers signed, urged providers to help Americans maintain connectivity by making WIFI hotspots open to anyone who needed to use them, among other measures.

The need for reliability and access, as well as the greater capacity that comes with these qualities, has prompted providers to work toward rolling out 5G more quickly.

Challenges

Of course, as with every aspect of our world, 5G has been adversely affected by COVID-19, too. Some carriers wonder how quickly they can expand their networks. Given how costly the endeavor is, many don’t see it as a priority right now, especially considering the economic impact of the pandemic.

Moreover, the pandemic has slowed operations in many areas, with some supply chains halted entirely. This, too, will cause a lag in the 5G rollout.

As we slowly adapt to new circumstances and a different world, we’ll most likely see 5G become a staple in many countries. Given the need for stronger, faster, more reliable networks, especially at a time when most individuals are counting on the internet to get them through the day, the demand for 5G will become even clearer, and carriers around the world will rise to the challenge to meet it.

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Why Link Building Has Never Been More Important https://www.relevance.com/why-link-building-has-never-been-more-important/ https://www.relevance.com/why-link-building-has-never-been-more-important/#respond Tue, 01 Sep 2020 14:08:03 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108315 Linking building is a tried and tested practice used over the years to improve the search rank of new and established sites alike. While there are a bevy of more modern SEO strategies that have evolved since its inception, link building remains as relevant today as it ever was in the past. Here is a […]

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Linking building is a tried and tested practice used over the years to improve the search rank of new and established sites alike.

While there are a bevy of more modern SEO strategies that have evolved since its inception, link building remains as relevant today as it ever was in the past. Here is a quick look at why it is still so widely used.

A good search rank still relies on link building

While lots of factors are taken into account when search engines determine the quality and relevance of pages, the reputation of a site is still largely contingent on the number of high quality inbound links it receives.

This means that if you want to scale to the heady heights of SERPs in an organic and sustainable way, implementing a link building offering is essential to help your websites rank. If you don’t want to handle this yourself, companies like LinkBuilder.io offer a white label solution,  which removes the time intensive work required to actually build high quality links to your websites.

Indeed it is increasingly necessary to build a solid link building strategy which nets you the most valuable links on reputable third party sites without falling foul of the ever-watchful search algorithms. There are still plenty of pitfalls to avoid, which is why getting expert assistance makes sense.

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Link building occurs whether you want it to or not

If you run a website then the likelihood is that it will begin to be linked to elsewhere online. While this can be a positive thing so long as the other sites are of a high quality themselves, if you ignore the fact that links of a lower quality exist then you could get penalised even if you are not directly responsible.

As such it is better to be proactive rather than passive about link building so that you can mitigate the risks you face, improve your backlink profile and tackle any troublesome issues which have as yet been left unaddressed.

Organic audience growth can be achieved

The right link on the right site can not only appease search algorithms and boost your rank, but should also bring your brand to the attention of more people.

You will need to pick the right third party sites to achieve this of course, but if your content gets shared in the right context then your site will start to spread by word of mouth, which will also help its overall reputation, search rank and marketability.

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Trust can be established

Just as link building can make your site and content more shareable, it can also allow your brand name to get out there and begin to gain traction with the kinds of customers you are hoping to attract.

Given the extent of the security threats that face modern consumers, there is a lot of caution surrounding new brands which have yet to gain the confidence of their prospective fans. The simple act of getting your name out there through link building is crucial to establishing this familiarity that eventually breeds trust.

In short, if you handle link building correctly, it can be one of the best ways to help your business flourish in uncertain times.

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The Top 10 Tips To Build An App For Your Business https://www.relevance.com/the-top-10-tips-to-build-an-app-for-your-business/ https://www.relevance.com/the-top-10-tips-to-build-an-app-for-your-business/#respond Thu, 27 Aug 2020 04:39:03 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108264 Digital media has become an indispensable part of everyone’s life today.  It has also become a critical component of every type of business regardless of the size, type, and industry it operates. The benefits of building a mobile application for your business are manifold. One of the key benefits is ensuring customer loyalty. An app […]

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Digital media has become an indispensable part of everyone’s life today.  It has also become a critical component of every type of business regardless of the size, type, and industry it operates.

The benefits of building a mobile application for your business are manifold. One of the key benefits is ensuring customer loyalty. An app helps you connect and communicate directly with customers. In-app ads, promotions, and purchases can create a greater impact on the customers when compared to other traditional and digital forms of marketing.

According to Emma Crowe, Senior Vice President of Client Strategy at Somo, “The adoption rate of mobile is twice that of the internet, three times that of social media, and 10 times faster than PCs.”

This is a reason good enough for you to consider getting a mobile app for your business but there are many other equally good reasons too. With a mobile app for your business, you can:

  • Deliver greater value to customers
  • Build a stronger brand
  • Establish a direct communication channel
  • Drive sales and profits

However, developing and launching a mobile app for your business is not easy. For every successful app that makes it big, there are literally hundreds that fall flat and disappear into thin space. That’s why you need to spend a lot of time, effort, and resources to build an app. You will obviously need to connect with one of the leading mobile application development services to get the job done right.

These tips will go a long way in creating a robust mobile application for your business that can deliver your customers a stellar experience.

1. Brainstorming the App Idea

Getting started is often the most difficult leg of the app development journey. What is the purpose of developing the business app? What problems do you intend to address with the app? Consult a reputed mobile app development service for guidance before you embark on the journey.

Once you have identified the problems that can be resolved better with an app, work towards developing the app with a clear focus on getting those problems out of the way. Your app should provide practical solutions while making the life of the customer much easier. It should create a sense of amazement among users. Your app need not be designed to deliver complex solutions. It must help find a simple way of resolving the complex areas of your business processes.

2. Justifying the App Idea

Speed is of course an important element of any business. The first-mover advantage is not merely a slogan. When the idea of an app strikes you, make sure you move fast. In an insanely competitive world, sometimes doing a task faster than someone else could probably be the only advantage you have.

However, validating the concept before going ahead with the idea is a vital step.  The validity and viability of your idea are the first indicators of your app’s success. Finding the best market-fit product is half the job done. Know your audience first, understand their expectations and needs from your business, and then go ahead with the development part.

Documenting demographic metrics plays an important role in drawing up a marketing strategy for your business app.

3. Identifying the Must-Have Features

The first version of your app must be launched as a minimum viable product and must consist of the core value of your app. The other non-core but important features can be planned for a later update. Keep your targeted demographic in focus while planning the must-have features. This is a vital step in the app development process.

4. Designing the Interface and UX

Next comes the creation of the visual blueprint that outlines the app’s framework. Don’t go fancy with the wireframes and prototypes. You can start with basic sketching or go for the friendly prototyping tools available on the market.

Please note that the UX design is perhaps the most vital component of the app as it determines the experience users will have. The best mobile app development technologies must be used for delivering great results. The user experience can be significantly enhanced with an aesthetically pleasing design.

5. Developing the App

When you get the prototyping right, the development handout becomes easier. It creates a sense of clarity about the app and its future path. Make sure you get the best mobile app developers to do the job.  However, you will still be at the helm of making crucial front-end and back-end decisions. The design and development of the mobile app for business are two of the most crucial steps in the whole process. Getting the right team together to give shape to the project is critical for the success of the app. Look for the best mobile app development services to guide you in the right direction.

6. Launching the App

Deployment is also a key step in the mobile app journey. It’s an overcrowded market out there. You can succeed only if you find a way of standing apart from the crowd. Thousands of apps fail every year because they remain undiscovered by users. The trick lies in getting your ASO or App Store Optimization right. By using the relevant keywords, you can ensure that the target audience reaches out to your app on the app store.

7. Marketing the App

Promoting and marketing your app must begin early. You must find a way to create a major buzz around the app so that it comes under the spotlight and grabs the attention of potential users. When it comes to app promotion, go the whole hog. Use every possible resource to reach out to the targeted audience.

8. Getting Feedback from Early Users

The early adopters of your app can be a very valuable resource for some honest feedback. It is a very crucial step as the insights from the actual user base will provide you with the direction for including specific features in the next update.

9. Examining the Analytics

Mobile app analytics can help you figure out the delightful and not-so-good features based on user feedback. The analytics provide the direction for the various revisions and additions that are an imperative element of the mobile app development process. It can also provide vital information about downloads and other metrics associated with performance and engagement.

10 . Ensuring Better User Engagement

When your download stats are more than good and you have managed to get the attention of users, the next step is not to rest on your laurels but work even harder. Keeping users engaged is a huge challenge that most business apps face. Most of the fail spectacularly in this aspect. So, put on your thinking hat and find the best ways of getting users hooked on your app.

In Conclusion

Developing a business mobile app is easy but ensuring its success and making the app add value to your business can be a hugely challenging task. Follow the above-mentioned tips and you can ensure the success of your mobile business app venture.

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How Mattress Businesses Are Firming Up Strategies To Sell Their Brands Online https://www.relevance.com/how-mattress-businesses-are-firming-up-strategies-to-sell-their-brands-online/ https://www.relevance.com/how-mattress-businesses-are-firming-up-strategies-to-sell-their-brands-online/#respond Fri, 21 Aug 2020 16:45:12 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108198 Consumers planning to buy mattresses have two options. They can either go to the nearest store famous for selling quality mattresses of the best brands or go shopping online. The latter option is gaining popularity with a large number of customers as it offers a string of benefits. The most obvious benefit is that they […]

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Consumers planning to buy mattresses have two options. They can either go to the nearest store famous for selling quality mattresses of the best brands or go shopping online.

The latter option is gaining popularity with a large number of customers as it offers a string of benefits. The most obvious benefit is that they can now look for and choose from a wider range of choices without having to step out of their homes.

With digital marketing and eCommerce dominating the preferences of global consumers, it is now possible to buy literally anything online, mattresses included. Mattress businesses are also keen to sell their products online and are probably selling more through e-commerce than their retail outlets.

Mattress selling is conventionally seen as more brick-and-mortar but the trend is changing dramatically. There are many marketing strategies that mattress businesses are adopting to gain a dominating online presence.

1. Establishing An Online Presence

By using SEO strategies, mattress businesses are creating a strong online presence. They are targeting the most relevant and popular search terms being used by mattress buyers to make it easy for them to find and connect with top brands online.

2. Using Content To Reach Customers

Companies are using their websites, social media channels, and blogs to provide valuable information to their customers about various aspects of their products. This can include information about how a soft mattress helps relieve back pain or what to look for while placing orders for mattresses online.

Leading brands are assuring buyers that there is nothing wrong with buying mattresses – a typically touch-and-feel product – through eCommerce stores. Many are also offering an extended period of guarantee which has helped alleviate the fear of making such purchases online.

3. Creating a Buzz on Social Media Channels

With nearly every person from the generation next having a social media account, this is one of the online resources that brands simply cannot ignore. Leading brands are using social media to let users know about the superiority of their products. Customer reviews and testimonials are heavily encouraged in their marketing strategy. By using social proofs, brands are able to highlight their USPs to their audience. It is also an effective business strategy for convincing customers to order mattresses online.

4. Making Ordering Easy

Top mattress businesses are focused on making the online ordering process simple and easy, a strategy that benefits both the seller and the customer. They can view the various choices in terms of size, color, materials, finish, and design and place their orders conveniently. By offering easy (or even free) shipping options to select destinations and customers, they can offer more reasons for consumers to order mattresses online.

Understandably, most people are hesitant to make a significant purchase, such as a mattress, online. Brands are making it easy for consumers to make online buying decisions by tempting them with offers that they are unlikely to enjoy when they buy from a traditional outlet.

5. Enticing With Offers

Some of the tricks of the trade include offering a warranty of a few years, a longer trial period (some brands are offering 100-day trial offers), free delivery, easy returns, exchange offers, and more. Besides, buying online also saves customers a tidy sum as they can avail of hefty discounts and affordable prices. Some brands run special campaigns at specific times of the year and entice customers by offering incredible discounts through flash sales and other similar strategies.

6. Using Social Influencers

This is another online selling strategy that mattress businesses are using to sell their products and it's turning out to be extremely successful for top brands. They can boost engagement, visibility, and sales through a single tweet or a passing reference by top celebrities and leading personalities on most social media channels and blogs.

If you are a mattress business looking to explore the online marketplace, you can explore the above-mentioned strategies or create an innovative approach of your own to achieve your marketing goals and objectives.

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8 Factors to Consider in User Interface Design https://www.relevance.com/8-factors-to-consider-in-user-interface-design/ https://www.relevance.com/8-factors-to-consider-in-user-interface-design/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2020 05:23:09 +0000 https://www.relevance.com/?p=108109 Those in UI Design help companies reach their goals, whether it be creating a product, promoting a business, or attracting more customers. The goal of a user interface that they create is to contribute to a product’s success. However, in order to create a UI that is truly useful and attractive to users, you need […]

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Those in UI Design help companies reach their goals, whether it be creating a product, promoting a business, or attracting more customers. The goal of a user interface that they create is to contribute to a product’s success.

However, in order to create a UI that is truly useful and attractive to users, you need to consider certain factors. Professional UX/UI design agencies have discovered them through trial and error. Keep them in mind if you want to develop a successful user interface.

Top factors to keep in mind when designing UI

These have been claimed by UI designers as the most important factors when designing user interfaces. Consider using them in your projects if you want to succeed.

1. Goal-focused design

Remember that design is not about beauty or showcasing your skills as a designer. Any interface is just a tool that brings benefits to a particular audience and, consequently, to the startup or company that created it. The design solution should be based on research-proven data about customer expectations and other digital products in this or that niche.

2. Human-oriented design

Every product has a goal to make the world better in some way. The designer should understand how a product they are working on can do that in the most efficient way. The solution is created not for the team or the client, but for the end-user. Their perspective is the most important factor to consider when making a design choice. This requires a thorough knowledge of end-user psychology as well as their desires, pains, and expectations.

3. Inter-cultural design

While there are some things that are perceived by the majority of people around the globe the same way, you have to be aware of culture-specific traits. For example, Islamic culture has a different understanding of what it means for content to be appropriate. There is nothing wrong with the banners of models in a bikini when we are talking about e-commerce websites localized in the United States, but the reaction will be different in the United Arab Emirates. You have to keep an eye on such things and always test the product on the end-users before releasing it to the market of a foreign country.

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4. Use of negative space

Focusing on what else to add: what content blocks, images, and other things we forget that sometimes it is better to add nothing. Studies show that by adding more space to the website or mobile app and by making the interface more concise, we actually attract users. Such pages are easier to perceive, as they do not overload the human brain with too many details. Therefore, negative space is the UI designer’s best friend in the majority of cases.

5. Colors transfer meaning

Colors cause certain associations and by choosing them wisely you can create the right idea about your customer’s brand. Use the brand book to get inspiration and conduct A/B testing to see how different color pallets affect the perception of your product.

6. Placement and length of content

Putting a long read on the main page is a suicide, even if it is very well-written. The content should be portioned and placed in areas where the user expects to find it. By adding images, you provide opportunities for easier understanding and you save the visitor from reading a lot - they will appreciate it.

7. Templates: to use or not to use?

Sometimes the temptation is huge: not to address a professional designer and make everything yourself using a ready-made template. Even some designers prefer to find a ready-made solution on the Internet and customize it. However, a product tailored to someone else’s needs will never be as good as the one you design by having all the requirements in mind for a particular customer. A ready-made template is always a compromise on quality.

8. Adding responsivity

If you are designing a website then adding a mobile-friendly version is a must. More than half of users prefer to use their mobile devices for Internet surfing. However, it is really annoying to keep zooming in on small details or not being able to find the right button. Do not motivate the users to leave before they even get to know you - make your mobile website design responsive.

Summing up

The user interface is what the customer sees when they first interact with the product. It depends on whether it will motivate them to stay and keep exploring the product or go away to find out what your competitors have to offer. Hopefully, you will now consider these eight important factors to help you design better interfaces.

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