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Search Engine Optimization Trends

Search Engine Optimization an Overview

Studies have shown that 95% of all Web traffic will enter a site that is returned on the first page of an Internet search. This means regardless of how great your site is if search engine optimization (SEO) techniques have not been employed to return your site on the first page of returned searches, you will miss a vast portion of potential visitors.  Several components to SEO have been revamped recently to improve the quality of sites returned highest in searches. This overview will touch on some of them. Continue Reading

Trends Web Design

Understanding the Power of Google Analytics

With a bricks and mortar store front, it is easy to determine how many people come to your shop in a given period and how interested they are in purchasing your offerings. When trying to determine a Website’s success however, it is not as easy since you cannot physically see your clientele and monitor their browsing and purchasing tendencies.

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Enter Google Analytics; a free tool that can be embedded into your Website with a few simple lines of code.

A Powerful Data Miner

Essentially, Google Analytics turns your Website into a veritable data mine. The tool collects information about visitors to your site and collates it, creating detailed reports on how visitors are accessing your site and what they are doing once they get there. Armed with this powerful information, you will be better able to make decisions regarding your Web properties and their management in order to maximize your return on investment.

Information Delivered

Some of the basic information delivered by Google Analytics includes the types of devices being used to access your site, the pages most visited and the amount of time each person spends on your site. With this information, you can easily determine which pages are working on your site and which pages require some work to maintain the users’ attention. In understanding what devices are most commonly used to access your site, you can determine what type of site will work best for your target market.

Google Analytics will also enable you to learn what cities your visitors are hailing from, what search engines they are using to find you and what sites are referring them to your site. This information can help you understand how users are finding your site and what areas are weak and need your attention. This is particularly useful in determining what areas of your social media campaigns are driving the most traffic to your site. For example, if most of your visitors are coming to your site via Facebook, yet your concentration has been on LinkedIn, you can adjust the investment of your time accordingly.

Harnessing the Power of Google Analytics

Although we have only briefly touched on the power of Google Analytics, it should be clear that the information provided by this tool is invaluable to Website owners. Harnessing the power of Google Analytics will enable you to make decisions regarding your site that will help increase traffic, and lengthen the amount of time visitors are spending on your site once they arrive. Not only will that lead to higher conversions, it will also improve your search engine rankings.

Are You Reaching Your Full Potential 

We believe your website should represent who you are and what you do, intersecting great design with user accessibility. We strive to meet the needs of each client no matter how unique. Contact us today to schedule a meeting or just to talk.

Trends Web Design

On the Go With Jefferson City Magazine

Whether at home, at work or at ease, Jefferson City Magazine provides compelling stories and news from around town. Wanting a modern, responsive website design Jefferson City Magazine called upon us to help.

The need for responsive design

With the majority of readers of Jefferson City Magazine on the go, adding a responsive web design was a must, allowing easy viewing on all devices.

Since the launch, an overwhelming majority of visitors have viewed the site from mobile devices, proving websites cannot be made for only one platform. Accompanying the responsive design, custom forms were created, allowing user voting and newsletter signup.

“This project really allowed us to try new things with a magazine website,” said Dak Dillon, creative director at Hub & Spoke. “They really had a blank slate from a web perspective, so we made the site simple and easy to navigate, along with working on all devices.”

Ready to go responsive? Let’s talk.

We believe your website should represent who you are and what you do, intersecting great design with user accessibility. We strive to meet the needs of each client no matter how unique. Contact us today to schedule a meeting or just to talk.

Trends

Explainer Videos

Explainer Videos Provide Maximum Return on Investment

Explainer videos are short online videos created to promote and explain a company, service or product while engaging viewers. Professional videos that are designed with engagement in mind capture an audience’s attention and are more successful at delivering their message than regular word content because humans absorb more information and remain engaged longer when several of their senses are used at one time to process information.

One of the reasons explainer videos have become wildly popular is because they produce high conversion rates. Studies have shown that 85% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service after watching an explainer video because they have a better understanding of what they are buying.  Other studies have shown people will watch an explainer video two or three times when it is done well and will share the video with their peers if they find the information useful.

What Makes a Great Explainer Video?

A great explainer video is comprised of three main components that are designed to stimulate the senses as the information is being delivered: Entertainment, motion and information. By creating a professional video that is able to entertain your audience while delivering the who, what and why of your business, product or service while incorporating motion you will set your explainer video apart from the masses.

More than just relaying information in an entertaining format, great explainer videos will evoke an emotional response in your target audience and influence them to take action. In a survey conducted by Forbes, 52% of high-level executives said they were influenced to make a purchase after watching a great explainer video because they felt they understood the product or service and were compelled to make the purchase.

Benefits Beyond Conversions

High conversion rates are the obvious benefits to great explainer videos but there are others that are not immediately apparent. Websites that include video in their content consistently place higher in search engine rankings. Dated websites that feature endless text and images consistently perform lower in search results than sites that incorporate engaging video content. Videos also help lower your site’s “bounce rate” (viewers that click onto a page in your site and leave immediately) because they tend to hold the viewer’s attention, which also contributes to higher search engine rankings.

A great video will maximize your exposure as people view it and share it across their social media platforms or with people they believe will benefit from seeing it. Think of how many videos you have heard of going viral, meaning an exploded number of views in a very short time period. Those videos have provided immense exposure for the companies that created them.

Finally, explainer videos are an easily measured marketing device. You can quickly determine how many people are interested in your product or service by monitoring the number of views your video receives. Building your marketing platform around these products and services will greatly enhance your sales.

We believe your website should represent who you are and what you do, intersecting great design with user accessibility. We strive to meet the needs of each client no matter how unique. Contact us today to schedule a meeting or just to talk.

© 2013 Web Design, Branding & Marketing Insights from Hub & Spoke.