Follow the Advice of Content Marketers

Content marketers know their business. That’s why when 86% of them are doing this as part of their content strategy. It pays to consider that ‘it’ worth doing. What are they doing? Blogging! “Businesses with a consistent content or blog strategy receive twice as much email traffic as those without. Plus, more than 55 percent of marketers say they’ve gained new customers just by blogging.” [1]

How Much Work Goes into a Writing a Blog?

Content can be anywhere from 500 to 1200 words on average, depending on your audience and what kind of marketing you are doing. The average blog post takes nearly four hours to complete. What goes into that time?

•     Research
•     Writing
•     SEO Crafting
•     Editing
•     Image Sourcing
•     Final Draft

It can be time-consuming, but it is worth it. A professionally written blog can bring in business and increase name recognition across the web.

SEO Services 

If you include SEO services with your online content, you are doubling down on a marketing masterpiece. With SEO services, your blog can be posted to social media and Google My Business in front of the right audiences at the correct times to increase traffic to your site even more. 

Will it Hurt to Ditch my Blog? It’s Not That Great. 

YES! If you get rid of your existing blog, Google’s algorithms will see a sudden elimination of content from your site. Your site’s SEO will drop like a rock and won’t recover for a long time. 

If you are unhappy with your blog, the best thing you can do is hire an SEO professional to manage it. They can slowly change each post to a new, improved version, keeping the URL intact. That is important since Google likes changes to content (not URLs), but it wants these to be slow changes.

Getting Help 

Then, you can outsource your blog writing to a professional blogger so you can work on your business while they work on your blog. Companies who blog get 97% more links to their websites.[2] Why give that up? At Iceberg Web Design, we produce professionally written SEO content every day for our customers. Contact us today to find out how we can help you. Read our reviews! 

[1] Lin, Ying. “10 Blogging Statistics You Need to Know in 2021 [Infographic].” Oberlo, Oberlo, 26 Feb. 2021, www.oberlo.com/blog/blogging-statistics.

[2] Ouellette, Coral, et al. “Ultimate List of Blogging Statistics and Facts (Updated for 2021).” OptinMonster, 6 Jan. 2021, optinmonster.com/blogging-statistics/.

The post Why Keeping Your Blog is Important appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Your logo serves a similar purpose for your business.

It makes the first impression on your customers, and a lasting one, as well. If you are hungry and spot a giant golden M as you drive down the highway, you know that you can pull off and have some fantastic french fries. If I say Starbucks logo, you can picture it in your head (even though it is pretty bizarre). That’s because these logos are easily recognizable. They are on their company’s buildings and the packaging that holds their products. They can be seen in every ad the company puts out, and these logos are definitely on their websites.

Yours should be, too!

Logos Create Connection

In the mid-80s, Guess Jeans were sweeping the nation. All of the cool girls had them. Most of us in the 6th grade had no idea if they were any better than other brands, but we sure recognized that trademark triangle. It was a coveted logo for a middle-school girl. That logo sold a lot of jeans!

The emotional connection of that logo still takes me back in time. Logos have that power over most consumers. Consider that: [1]

• 80 percent of consumers think that colors boost brand recognition
• 93 percent of purchasing decisions are made based on visual perceptions

Your logo can make an impact on how your customers perceive your business and your products or services.

A Logo Shows Professionalism

Your logo says you are serious about your business. Anything less makes customers wonder, “If they didn’t take the time to create a logo, are they really in this business for the long-haul?” Unless you are a professional designer, you should consult with one about your logo. They can make sure it will transfer well to different mediums, physical and digital.

Do you want your business to stand out from the crowd?

Our professional website development can make that happen. And if you need a logo, we’ve got you covered there, too! Contact us to learn more.

[1] “10 Reasons Why a Small Business Logo Is Important.” FreeLogoServices Blog, 11 Apr. 2019, www.freelogoservices.com/blog/2018/07/23/10-reasons-why-a-small-business-logo-is-important/.

The post Why You Need a Logo appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

How a Comment Section Benefits your Blog

If you have time and love interacting with your audience, perhaps having comments on your blog is the way you want to go. Many people advocate for keeping them. Here are a few reasons why:

•         Comments keep the conversation going.
•         Comments and responses to them can deepen your relationship with your readers
•         They provide social proof of what you are saying in your post
•         When Readers comment, they may also engage with your site in other ways
•         Allowing comments can make visitors feel more welcome.
•         It is an opportunity to network
•         You can get new ideas for fresh blog topics

Why a Blog Comment Section isn’t Worth it

While 90% of your readers will never comment on a blog, 90% of your comments will come from 1% of your readers.[1] That is a disproportionate representation of your audience in your comment section, which could skew the way you see your audience and write for them. Those aren’t the only reasons to cut the comment section.

•         Lots of low-quality, spammy comments are frustrating to deal with
•         Moderating blog comments is time-consuming
•         Comments allow the reader too much control over a conversation that is yours to direct.
•         Comment volume does not correlate with the number of visitors to your site

Options to Consider

Neil Patel has a great article on whether comments help your blog’s SEO. Here are some options:

•         Allow comments. This involves spending more time answering questions and moderating the discussion, but many people find it worth the time.
•         Skip the hassle. If you want more of a one-way conversation with you sharing information with your readers, you don’t need comments. If they aren’t helping you achieve your goals, why bother with them?
•         Move the conversation to social media! You will still have to use your time and energy to keep up with the conversation there, but low-quality social media comments won’t make your website look unprofessional.

Still want social proof?

The best social proof is a high-quality review. Reputation Management Services from Iceberg Web Design can gather all of the web reviews into one place. You can use these reviews on your website and respond (which you should always do when someone reviews your business or product). To learn more, give us a call or fill out our convenient contact form.

[1] Neidlinger, Julie. “10 Reasons You Should Be Using Blog Comments.” CoSchedule Blog, 26 Jan. 2017, coschedule.com/blog/blog-comments/.

The post Blogs- To Comment or Not to Comment appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Everyone is always talking about blogging, this article is a blog, blogging, blog, blog…You get the point, it’s a big deal.

Did you know that a blog on your e-commerce website can increase brand exposure while showcasing your products, customer support, knowledge, and expertise.

Increase Exposure

Companies that blog have 97% more inbound links. Source: Hubspot

It is easy to understand why linking a NEW blog post on your social media site is going to be more exciting than sharing a link to your newest products page.  But the goal isn’t just to make an exciting post, you want your customer to engage in your brand and share that post with their social circle.  The more content you have available to the public the more likely it will be that you connect to and expose potential customer. Not to mention having shareable content that is readily available is automatically going to increase the amount your brand is shared on traditional and nontraditional platforms.  If you don’t have a blog, you most defiantly are not getting any of that exposure.  According to Hubspot, “Companies that published 16+ blog posts per month got almost 3.5X more traffic than companies that published between 0 – 4 monthly posts.”

Showcase your products and customer service

81% of U.S. online consumers trust information and advice from blogs. Source: BlogHer

Your blog can be used to showcase your product specifically or focus in a customer review of the product, or even a frequently asked question about the product.  These types of blogs are going to build trust and be more interesting to share on a social networking pages than a traditional product page with a price tag.  Not to mention by linking blogs like this in your products pages you can allow your customer more exposure to your brand. Because millennials in particular are 44% more likely to trust experts over traditional advertising (Hubspot) your blog can connect this customer base to your brand.

Not only can Iceberg Web Design help you with all your tricky E-commerce website issues; we can also help you with your exposure through proven local search engine results, reputation management, and lead generation.  

The post Why Every E-Commerce Web Site Should Have A Blog appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Finding a topic for your small business to blog about can be tricky. It seems like it’s always the times you set aside to write that writer’s block kicks in. Here are some tips for helping you choose blog content, as well as a list of some great blog topics for various industries to get you started!

What Should I Blog About?

One of the most recent Hubspot How-To Videos is about the same topic as this article. Hubspot is an amazing digital marketing resource that is worth keeping up with for various sides of your business. Give the video a watch when you have 5 minutes to spare – it details many different ways to look at the same topic, and gives a nod to Hubspot’s own blog topic generator. Speaking of blog topic generators, we recommend Build Your Own Blog’s version as well!

What is the competition writing about?

One of our favorite tips when asking yourself “What Should I Blog About?” is scoping out a competitor’s blog. What are they writing about? Can you give it a unique perspective? And perhaps more importantly… what questions go unanswered in the comments section of each blog post? These opportunities are golden. Think of it this way: if you can answer a question a customer is proactively seeking out, you become a resource they may start to rely on. Furthermore, in terms of search, “how to” is the most popular beginning to a query. If you find the right queries to model your blog post on (using questions in comments as inspiration), you can improve your search rankings AND write an awesome blog post.

Got an opinion? Write about it!

Another popular tip is to take a stance on an issue. Don’t stir up controversy for the sake of it, but understand that getting people excited about an issue is a great way to write a blog post with passion and the ability to be shared by many. To avoid controversy, but still take advantage of potential virility, stay on top of industry news and try to be among the first to “break” big stories.

Example Blog Topic

Now that you’ve have a few different ways to think of topics on a broad scale, let’s break it down into more specific industries. Here are some sample blog topics:

Retail Businesses 

Some great example blog topics for Retail Businesses include:

• The Top 10 Summer Clothing Trends (According to Recent Sales)
• What You Need to Throw the Best Fourth of July Party
• Stop By For __% Discount This Week!
• Must-Haves for the Holiday Dinner Table

“Business to Consumer” businesses

Business to Consumer (B2C) businesses are those that provide services directly to consumers, or the general public. Landscaping companies, home remodelers, and family law attorneys are just a few examples of B2C businesses. Here are some example blog posts that these types of business could write:

• The Best Lawns on the Block – Customers Share Success Stories
• What Tools You Need to Maintain a Beautiful Garden
• Spring Cleaning: 10 jobs to tackle first
• DIY posts – How to Fix a Leaky Pipe, How to Program Your Thermostat, etc.
• The Seven Pieces of Furniture That Will Transform Your Home
• From Barely-Usable to Beautiful: Bathroom Transformations
• The First Three Questions You Should Ask Your Divorce Attorney

“Business to Business” (B2B)

 Business to Business companies are those that provide products and services to other businesses. Business attorneys, website developers, content writers, printing companies, and accountants are examples of these types of businesses. Here are a few blog topics that you could consider when writing for your B2B company:

• Freshbooks or Quickbooks? An In-Depth Analysis of Online Accounting Tools
• SOX Sucks: How to Stay Compliant in an Ever-Changing World
• How Can An Attorney Get You the Best Settlement?
• Business Law: What You Need to Know to Start a Business
• What Promotional Pieces Make the Biggest Impact?
• How Can a Mobile-Friendly Website Get You More Sales?
• What does an E-Commerce Website Need to Get the Most Sales Possible?

Now that you’ve answered the question of “What Should I Blog About?”, you’re going to need an awesome blog design to host it. Contact Iceberg Web Design to learn more about what we have to offer!

The post Blog Topic Ideas for Small Business appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Our team at Iceberg Web Design works with small businesses right across the country that want to make sense of it all.

Thankfully, we have put together seven simple SEO tips for small businesses in this post.

No “geek speak” here – just simple, straightforward strategies you can use to improve your SEO.

They’re quick, they’re easy, and they will help more people find your content on Google, Bing and Yahoo.

Offer to Contribute a Guest Post

If you’re already publishing new blog posts each month, why not produce one extra post and offer it to a blogger in a similar niche? Offer the post at no charge, but ask the receiving blogger to add a link to your website. These are referred to as a “backlinks” and Google prefers websites with plenty of them.

Interview an Influencer

Whether it is an audio recording, a video recording, or a written questionnaire, ask an expert in your industry to answer five to seven questions. Post the results of the interview to your website or blog. He or she will appreciate the exposure, and may even link to your content.

Focus on a Keyword

Before writing a new blog post, use a keyword research tool to identify a relevant phrase that people actually search for online. Include this phrase in your blog post title, in the opening paragraph, in a subheading, and as the alt tag for your featured image. Just make sure you use a different keyword on every page and post! A complete Keyword Research Report will also help you choose the right words for your post.

Update Regularly

Whether it is updating the copy on your homepage, adding a new image, or publishing a new blog post, search engines love to see fresh content. Find excuses to add new material to your website – just keep it clean and clutter-free!

Improve Load Times

Google favors websites that load quickly. Fast load times are indicative of a positive user experience, which is what SEO is really all about. You can do this by shrinking or compressing images. If you use WordPress, you can also do this by caching content through a plugin.

Comment on Other Blogs

Make a list of a dozen or so blogs in your niche and make a point to comment on one of their posts every week or so. When leaving a comment on a blog, you will generally be permitted to enter your website URL. Although this is considered a “nofollow” link – meaning it is not recognized by search engines – it will get the attention of the blog owner. He or she may visit your blog and share your content, thus resulting in boosted social signals.

Decrease Bounce Rate

Bounce rate refers to the percentage of people that visit your website and then click ‘back’ in their browser – or close the window – without visiting a second page. Aside from your menu or sidebar, be sure to link to additional relevant content from your website on every post or page. This may include linking to your services, contact page, or testimonials.

Are These Simple SEO Tips for Small Businesses… Well, Not so Simple?

It is okay if the worlds of SEO and search engine marketing (SEM) are a little out of your element. After all, your job is to run your business.

Why not leave the more complicated stuff to the professionals?

At Iceberg Web Design, we pride ourselves in not only building really great websites… but also in helping small business owners to boost their search engine visibility.

Why don’t we have a chat to discuss your particular objectives?

Contact our web design company for a free consultation, or call 763-350-8762 to get started. We also have a contact form you can use.

The post 7 Simple SEO Tips for Small Businesses appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Creating a website for your business provides аn online platform from which to tо sell tо оr otherwise engage people. While a professionally developed website is absolutely essential for your brand, simply having an online presence for your customers to view is not enough any more. In today’s world of digital marketing, creating a website without a blog is putting in 80% of the work and investment (setting up your website), and only utilizing 20% of the value. You’re missing out on a large audience by not taking advantage of the ability to easliy add content and attract more business.

Our Minneapolis Web Design Company Can Help You Build Engaging Websites

Maintaining a website without fresh content іѕ lіkе running a соffее ѕhор in the basement of a shopping mall without any advertising оr signs for people to find you. It’ѕ thеrе, it mау bе a grеаt service, but nо оnе іѕ еvеr gоіng tо fіnd or use іt. This is what regular blogging on your website асhіеvеs:

Increased traction – hоw often hаvе you been tо a wеbѕіtе, gоt thе іnfоrmаtіоn уоu nееdеd, but ѕtауеd bесаuѕе уоu ѕаw something else оf interest? Publishing information on your website helps get people in the door. Once they are there, they will continue to look around.

Buіldѕ truѕt – people whо visit a wеbѕіtе rеgulаrlу fоr information аnd content, by dеfіnіtіоn, hаvе some lеvеl оf trust іn thе соntеnt рrоvіdеrѕ. Thіѕ саn trаnѕlаtе іntо revenue dоwn thе lіnе.

Showcase knowledge & еxреrtіѕе – you dоn’t hаvе to give away trade secrets, but реорlе bеnеfіtіng frоm уоur blоg саn often dесіdе that уоu аrе thе gо-tо person іf thеу ever nееd X. Whеrе X іѕ whаtеvеr it is уоu dо.

Increase trаffіс frоm ѕеаrсh еngіnеѕ – Gооglе аnd оthеr ѕеаrсh еngіnеѕ love nеw content. Thеу’ll vіѕіt уоur site mоrе often іf they know thеrе is something nеw tо іndеx. You’ll hаvе more chance оf арреаrіng in ѕеаrсh results the mоrе уоu build uр a rеѕеrvоіr of content.

Bеttеr іntеgrаtіоn – a blog can hеlр to integrate you іntо the fаbrіс of thе Wеb, bу аllоwіng people to follow уоu vіа RSS, Twitter, Faebook аnd other mеdіumѕ. Thіѕ hеlрѕ to bооѕt your visibility vіа ѕосіаl mеаnѕ.

Enhanced SEO – bу іnсrеаѕіng your rеаdеrѕhір іt is possible to іnсrеаѕе уоur Pаgе Rank bесаuѕе реорlе саn start lеаvіng comments (mоrе content) аnd linking bасk to уоu (рurе gold).

Gеnеrаtе аddіtіоnаl rеvеnuе – іf уоur blog does become рорulаr thеrе’ѕ nо reason you саn’t begin to trеаt іt аѕ іtѕ оwn ѕоurсе оf revenue.

Thе lіѕt gоеѕ on – but thаt ѕhоuld bе enough tо convince you to gеt gоіng. I knоw thаt lоtѕ of реорlе аrе hеѕіtаnt оr рut оff bу thе idea bесаuѕе thеу are wоrrіеd thаt thеу don’t knоw enough аbоut writing wеb еnhаnсеd, SEO fосuѕеd content. Don’t wоrrу. Write аbоut tорісѕ rеlаtеd to уоur wеbѕіtе іn a clear and соnсіѕе wау and the mаgіс wіll hарреn аll by itself.

The post The Incredible Importance Of Blogging For Business appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

 Write like a person, not a computer!

Since blogs are more personal and detailed, you want to sound like yourself or your business. Write your blog in a friendly and inviting tone so readers feel like they are talking to you or your business personally. Nobody wants to read a long blog with boring content!

Write about valuable industry information

Blogs are a great way to talk about your company, success stories, your products, and industry related information. Summarize the latest news on related industry trends and don’t be afraid to link them to your blog. You’re technically sending your readers away from your site but they will remember the valuable and honest information you provided.

Provide information that is of interest to your visitors

It’s important to target some of your blogs to certain industries or lifestyles of your visitors. If you’re a hair stylist, blog about the newest hair trends for fall season. If you’re in the food industry, blog about adventure travel. You don’t want to always blog about specific industries or lifestyles, but it’s nice to reach out to certain ones every now and then.

Create dialogue!

One of the great things about blogs in general is that your readers are allowed to leave comments. If someone comments on your blog post, talk to them! Create friendly dialogue, that’s one of the main points of your blog. Plus, your readers will be interested in reading your conversation with another fellow blog reader.

Blog at least two times per month

We recommend that you update your business blog at least two times per month. If you’re able to set aside time to blog more than that than go for it! Search engines pay more attention to websites that have fresh content regularly so the more well written blogs- the better!

Include a CTA

By including a call to action at the end of your blog, you’re allowing readers who had an interest in your topic to get in touch with you. This could be anything from “contact us today” to “click here for additional information”. You want your readers to be able to easily access any additional information they may want or need.

Writing your business blog can take a lot of time and thought, if you’re having trouble with creating content for your business blog- contact us today at 763-301-0442 and leave it to the pros to help you and your business grow!

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