Design and Conquer – how web design and SEO combine in a winning online strategy A good-looking website with attractive logos isn’t enough to thrive online today. With tough competition from global business and the fast-paced world of e-commerce, it takes more to stay ahead. What’s crucial in 2019 is an integrated approach and over the two decades that we’ve been at the forefront of the branding and digital industry, we’ve found what works. A strong, well-designed website paired with an up-to-date online advertising strategy can increase sales by up to 35% or more. It all starts with an engaging, user-friendly website and builds to include the full set of tools: SEO, social media and even Google Maps and LinkedIn. Let’s look at how it’s done… Web design and SEO Once you’ve got your website, you’ve got your foundation. From here, you build. SEO or search engine optimisation is the art of getting your website noticed by your target market. Remember that just being online isn’t sufficient – how many users go beyond the first couple of pages of results when they do a Google search? How many users asking Alexa a question or searching on their phone get beyond the first three or four results? You need to come up high in the list of search results. This is achieved using good SEO worked carefully into your site – a combination of applied technical knowledge and cunning craftsmanship from writers and designers. Web design that works across multiple-platforms Gone are the days when everyone connected to the web using a PC. Now, we all use a range of tech to access the internet, from laptops and tablets to different types of mobile phone. Websites today must work just as well for everyone, which means looking great, performing well and being easy to navigate on desktop, iPhoneand Android. Social Media Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have totally changed the way that brands communicate with their target markets in recent years. It’s now a given that companies should be accessible on social media, but what’s not always understood is how important it is to make a company’s social media and website work together. There should be complete continuity from one to the other, and a sense of an active presence behind the page, not just an impersonal, dead space with an occasional post. That means answering questions, replying to comments and doing all the things that show that you care about your followers and customers. https://popplekharlamova.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Pexels-Videos-2768.mp4 Google Maps An online tool often underestimated by businesses is Google Maps. Being visible on Google Maps is important for all companies, not just those with a customer-facing location such as a shop or restaurant. Apart from allowing customers to find you if the need ever arises to come to you in person, there’s something extremely reassuring about being able to say – that’s where so and so is. Conversely, a placeless organisation can put suspicions about the authenticity and sincerity of a business into customers’ minds. LinkedIn LinkedIn is generally seen as a tool for individuals to look for jobs. In fact, it’s far more than that. Every type of business can benefit from having a presence on LinkedIn. As well as providing all the networking opportunities for which it is renowned, LinkedIn provides an inexpensive channel for content marketing; sharing blogs like this one is a straight-forward step that can generate discussion and spread the word about what a company does and the issues it takes an interest in. Bing Advertisements Many companies regard Bing as a totally outmoded search-engine and think that Google is the only one of relevance today. However, Bing remains popular with web users around the age of 70 and above. This is because it is comes pre-installed on many devices and is more accessible to this age group than Google. Depending on a company’s target market, investment in Bing advertisements can be a strong addition to a web design and online advertising strategy. For expert guidance on all of these areas, or for more insights that increase sales, get in touch with us at [email protected]. We are based in York, UK and Zurich, Switzerland.