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With each passing year, voice search becomes more and more popular as smartphone technology improves and Google’s search algorithms grow more sophisticated. Between voice search on mobile devices, smart speakers such as Alexa, voice-activated televisions, and features such as Siri and Cortana on computers, voice search and voice activation truly is everywhere By 2020, it’s projected that more than half of all online searches will be voice searches. Even now, 65% of 25-49 year olds speak to their voice-enabled devices at least once per day. So, how does this rise of voice search affect your website? How can you optimize for this new type of search to ensure you stay ahead of the curve? We have the tips that can help.

As technology becomes more advanced and AI rises in popularity, many businesses are looking for ways to automate various business processes. Social media is an essential part of a successful online marketing strategy, so, naturally, many businesses wonder if they can find a way to automate it. Is social media automation successful? Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages? We’ve broken it down in the post below.

Your website is arguably one of the most important marketing tools your business has. Because so many people shop and conduct research about their purchases online, it’s imperative to have a quality website that represents your business well. A quality modern-looking website will represent your business as a leader in your industry and someone who stays on top of the current trends. For this reason, it’s essential to work with a good web design company that can create your ideal website with both your needs and the latest web design trends in mind. We’ve compiled a list of tips to help you find the right web design company to build or redesign your business’s website. 

Check Out Their Portfolio

When choosing a web design company, one of the most important steps to take is to view their portfolio. The company you choose should be able to produce an extensive portfolio with multiple successful projects. Not only will a portfolio help verify the abilities and reputation of the web design company, but it will also give you a sense of the styles and applications the company has created for previous clients. If you like the look of most of the websites in the portfolio, there’s a good chance that the company will be able to create a website you’re happy with.

Meet the Designers

When considering a web design company, it’s a good idea to have a sit down with the people who will be designing the site. It’s important to know the people you’ll be working with and to verify that the company does not outsource your work. You will also be able to get a sense of whether the designers will be responsive to your ideas and requests and if you will work well together. Meeting the designers who will be responsible for your website can help you get a sense of the process of building your site and give you confidence in the people you’re trusting with your website.

Ask About Their Process

When choosing a web design company, you should potential companies about their design process. It’s important to know how quickly they will respond to your requests and questions and how often you’ll have contact with them. Do they conduct one meeting and do the rest over the phone? Is the entire process email? Do they ask for weekly in-person meetings? In addition to verifying that the meeting process will work for you, you should find out how long everything will take. How quickly does it take to make changes? How long should the entire project take? Finding out this information will help you choose a web design company that can meet your expectations.

Inquire About Pricing

Although it shouldn’t be the first question you ask, it’s important to know the costs of building a website when selecting a web design. You should choose a company that has reasonable pricing, but does not have costs so low that they are too good to be true. Find out what they charge for and which costs are included. Will the company charge you every time they make a change? Will they charge you additional fees to start your website from scratch? Knowing these costs will help you avoid surprises later and make sure you’re getting the best deal. You should also find out when your payment is due. Many web design companies will charge half the price up front, and ask for the other half when the project is complete. However, others might require the entire cost of front. Knowing these expectations will help you make an informed decision about the right web design company for you.

Ask for References

In addition to looking at a portfolio for a potential web design partner, you should also ask for references. While a portfolio will give you a good sense of the company’s final product, references will help give you insight into the process. If a company has a beautiful portfolio but cannot produce references, there is a chance that they are a difficult company to work with, despite their positive results. It’s important to hire a web design company that can produce a great website and make the process easy for you, so consider asking for references before choosing a company.

Ask If They Offer Training for Clients

Once your website is finished, you’ll want to be able to navigate the editing tools and be able to make small changes yourself. For this reason, it’s important to choose a web design company that ensures you’re capable of making small changes. A quality web design company will offer training on navigating the tools of your website and will be happy to answer any questions you have. Without proper training, you might have to call your web design company to make even a small change, which will be a huge hassle for everyone involved. To avoid this issue, make sure your potential web design partner offers training on navigating your new website.

Content marketing is one of the most successful strategies to promote your website and your business online. However, the success of content marketing isn’t exactly a state secret. Because so many different companies, websites, and agencies attempt content marketing, there is a virtually infinite stream of content on the Internet for any topic you can think of. To be successful in this environment, it’s not enough to simply use content marketing. The most successful businesses create content that can stand out from the endless sea of content on the Internet. How can you create content that will stand out from the crowd? We have the tips that can help!

Personalization is one of the most popular and most talked about trends in content marketing today. A more personalized experience can be very beneficial for your users, but asking for personal information can also make your users suspicious. It’s important to walk that fine line between a personalized experience and an intrusive one. We’ve broken down the pro and cons of personalizing your users’ experience and compiled a list of tips to help you walk the line and improve personalization without being intrusive. Check it out below! 

The Positives of Personalization

Personalizing your content leads to a better experience for your users. It allows you to gain information in order to figure out what they want. Personalization leads to a more relevant experience for your users, which leads to more leads, conversions, and sales. Personalization ensures that users care about the content you’re sharing with them, which increases customer satisfaction. A more personalized experience can lead to a happier, more satisfied user. 

In the earlier days of the Internet, everyone remembers how frustrating pop ups were. You would open a web page and fifty new windows would explode on your page, causing you increased frustration as you closed each one. However, pop ups have evolved over the years. Pop up offers no longer open as a separate window and have become far less intrusive and far more relevant to website visitors. If done correctly, pop up offers can help you capture leads and offer value to your visitors. We’ve broken down the pros and cons of using pop ups and the best practices to keep in mind when using pop ups on your site.

In the digital age, one of the most powerful branding and marketing tools that businesses have is their website. In a time where people live online, your business's online presence and your website truly define your company to the world. For this reason, it's essential to have a well-designed website that looks sleek and modern, represents your business as a leader in your industry, and is completely responsive and easy to use. Anything less than an attractive, fully responsive website can hurt your business's reputation and cost you valuable leads. To achieve the ideal website for your business, it's important to work with a quality web design company that will sit down with you to understand your business, be responsive to your needs, and get you the results you're looking for.

To find the ideal web design company, knowing how web design has developed over the years is useful to ensure that your company is on top of the latest trends. BlueHost has created a handy infographic detailing the development of web design since the beginning of the Internet and how new technology will affect web design in coming years. Check it out to learn about the latest trends and ensure your web design company is up to speed.

In the age of the Internet, thousands of companies vying for the same clients, and large, faceless corporations, one of the best ways to stand out is to show off the human side of your brand. Consumers are becoming increasingly aware of the people behind brands and feel more comfortable doing business with actual humans than faceless companies. Not only will humanizing your brand help grow your business, but it will also encourage more interaction with your content, both on social media and through your blog. To develop a strategy focused on humanizing your brand, check out these tips below.

One of the most coveted positions on Google’s search rankings is in the local search box. This local search box is important for computer searches to help connect searchers with local businesses and because it shows up at the top of Google’s search results. However, it’s even more important on mobile devices, which account for over half of all Google searches, because people are often searching for a local business on the go to visit immediately. To make sure your business ranks for local search, there are some steps you can take to optimize your site. We’ll walk you through these steps to help get your business’s website into Google’s coveted local search box.

Live streaming is a newer feature on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, and it’s exploding. Live streaming is a great way to showcase the more human side of your business, building trust in your brand and promoting relationships with your customers. If your business is considering using live streaming, there are countless benefits such as expanding your reach and providing an opportunity to create a new kind of content. If you’re looking for tips on live streaming on your business’s social media, check out the post below.