Smart Marketing Blog

How SEO Results In More Than Just Web Traffic

In the beginning of search engine marketing, marketers stuffed their websites with keywords and links, attempting to convince Google to place them at the top of the search engine results page (SERP). Traditional search engine optimization (SEO) goals consisted of getting found online and getting clicks. Traffic was key, and lead generation was an afterthought. A decade ago, the creation and manipulation of content on a web page was based on what Google wanted to see, not necessarily what readers wanted to see.

7 Best Practices for Using Imagery on Your Website

The biggest web challenge today is designing for a dwindling human attention span. Thanks to smart phones, the average human attention span has dropped from 12 seconds to 8 seconds from 2000 to 2015 -- according to a study by Microsoft. The effective use of graphics on your website can immediately grab users attention, communicate to your audience what you stand for, and present your company’s personality. In addition, imagery SEO (search engine optimization) done right can boost your search engine rank and actually attract new organic visits to your website.

What to Expect During a Website Redesign

You've finally decided to bite the bullet and redesign your website and you're ready to dive right in and get it done. The last time you updated your site (10 years or more ago), it was a fairly simple task. Pick a WordPress template, hire your nephew who's in college to develop it, purchase a domain from Go Daddy, slap up a few pictures and voila -- your new site was live in a matter of weeks. Easy peasy!

Measuring Website Performance Through Web Analytics

If your website is a valuable, 24-hour-a-day employee in your marketing organization, you can’t just let it perform on autopilot. You need to keep track of your web metrics and analytics and spend time analyzing what these metrics mean. Before making any changes to your site's content, navigation or design, you want to dig into your analytics to measure how well your site is performing and identify areas you could improve to give users a better experience.

Avoid a Website Redesign Fail

We like to say that developing your website strategy before redesigning your website is like having an architect draw up a blueprint before building a house. You need to fully understand the detailed requirements you have and to lay a solid foundation before you begin building it.  Your website plan should work in the same way.

5 Questions to Ask  Before You Buy a Web Content Management System

Unlike print collateral, your website is a living document that requires frequent attention and updates to successfully meet your marketing and business goals.

Live Webinar: 7 Steps to Creating a Winning B2B Website

Your company's website is a hub for your marketing and sales strategy and should work as a complete lead generation platform that moves buyers through your pipeline. It has the unique ability to communicate your brand image, and keep prospects interested in learning more about your company, products and services.

Checklist for Selecting a Website Redesign Agency

Your website has the power to fill your pipeline with leads as it drives visitors through the buyer's journey. Our latest research shows that 60% of the technical buying process happens online. If your website isn't designed and optimized for technical buyers, you're missing out on business. It may be time to redesign your website.

Pillar Pages: Where Your Content and SEO Live

Topic clusters have become the latest trend in both search engine optimization (SEO) and content marketing. HubSpot added topic clusters into its content strategy offerings this past fall and then eliminated their keyword strategy tool earlier this year. We’ve said it before, but keywords are waning and topic clusters are in.

Web Kit: Top Resources for Your B2B Technical Website Redesign

Research shows that your company's website has major impact on how your brand is perceived by visiting customers. This means that your website needs to fully optimized and designed to showcase your brand and expertise to technical buyers.