website copy – Iceberg Web Design

Robot.txt Files & Robot Meta Tags

Heather Erickson — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 16:18:24 +0000

Have you ever wondered how Google and other search engines can efficiently organize all the content that ends up on their search engine results pages? They do it with the help of search robots. They aren’t literal robots, but virtual ones that crawl the internet, indexing titles, summaries, and entire contents of websites faster and more completely than human beings ever could. This content includes web pages, PDFs, images, and videos. Then, they rank that information for search queries.

Because of how these virtual crawlers work, many people call these bots spiders, crawling the world wide web. It is their work that allows us to retrieve information so quickly when we search the internet. It’s pretty mind-blowing when you think about it.

Managing Bot Traffic with robots.txt Files

There will be times when you won’t necessarily want everything on your website to be found by everyday people searching the internet. These would be pages meant for employees, thank you pages, and other internal business-use-only pages.

You can usually manage to keep search engine bots out of these pages, at the directory level, by using a robots.txt file. The robots.txt file is just a request. Even though Google’s crawlers are generally respectful of these requests, there is no guarantee that their bots or those belonging to other search engines won’t ignore your request.

Robot Meta Tags

Robot meta tags (also known as robots meta directives), like other meta tags, are pieces of code. They tell the search engine bots that crawl websites how to index web page content. Unlike robots.txt files, these meta tags aren’t suggestions. And rather than trying to keep bots out of your site, they tell crawlers that a page should not be indexed.

Two Kinds of Robot Meta Tags

There are two kinds of robot meta tags:

Directives that are part of the HTML page
Directives that the web server sends as HTTP headers

These directives tell search bots how to crawl and index specific web pages on your site. Even though these are directives (meaning they are orders), bots can still ignore them.

Why Wouldn’t You Want Something Indexed?

To block an element on a page, such as an image or a video, rather than the entire page.
Content not written in HTML, like flash or video, should not be indexed.
If you can’t access the section of a page’s HTML
When you can’t change your site’s global header

Since bots need to crawl your site to read robot meta tags and follow them, having robots.txt files will be counterproductive. The robots.txt file will keep the bots out, so they never see your directive. If you are unsure which one you should use, opt for a meta robots tag with “noindex, follow” parameters over a robots.txt file.

Beware!

Even if you correctly use a robots.txt file or meta tags to allow or disallow search bots from visiting and indexing your website, you will want to get your website set up in Google Search Console. This will let you see what is being indexed. It will also allow you to request that Google remove specific URLs from its search index.

Never count on either of these to keep private information out of the public eye. For that level of security, you will want to keep your data under password protection.

Always be careful when using these files. They have their place, but occasionally, people will inadvertently make their entire site inaccessible to Google’s bots which is no good for your SEO at all.

Your Best Bet with Bots

Iceberg Web Design builds custom websites every day. We also have SEO services available for new and existing sites. Are you looking for your next website-based business solution? Contact us today to see how we can help.

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The Benefits of a Multilingual Website

Heather Erickson — Fri, 16 Jul 2021 21:14:56 +0000

The goal of your website is to reach current and prospective customers. But what if many of those customers don’t speak English? How are you going to connect with them? With your website, of course!

The Benefits of a Multilingual Website

Your Content Will Reach a Wider Audience Worldwide

Worldwide, only 25.9% of internet users are native English speakers.[1] The next three are:

Chinese 19.4%
Spanish 7.9%
Arabic 5.2%

If you have a business that could benefit from a worldwide audience, you must serve a worldwide audience by adding another language to your website.

Your Content Will Reach a Wider Audience in the United States

Even though most people within the United States speak English, many don’t or prefer to use websites in their own language, especially when making purchasing decisions for products or services online.

According to the American Community Survey in 2017, in the U.S., these are the ten most common languages spoken at home by people five years of age or older[2]:

English only – 239 million
Spanish – 41 million
Chinese (including Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien) – 3.5 million
Tagalog (including Filipino) – 1.7 million
Vietnamese – 1.5 million
Arabic – 1.2 million
French – 1.2 million
Korean – 1.1 million
Russian – 0.94 million
German – 0.92 million

Do you live in a Multilingual Region?

If you have a product or a service that anyone can use and are only marketing to people in English, you could miss out on much potential business! This is especially the case in some regional regions where languages other than English are spoken in more significant numbers. For example, if you live in California or Texas, it would be worth considering adding Spanish to your site. If your business is in San Francisco, Chinese would be an excellent language to consider adding. You know your business and the area it serves. Do some research and decide for yourself.

A Multilingual Site Will Also Improve Communication with Customers

It is important to be able to serve your customers beyond the website, as well. You wouldn’t want to have your photography site translated into Russian and have no one at your business who can speak Russian when the customer comes in to get portraits taken. You would need to figure out how you will serve that customer.

One example is Bienvenidos Law. They are specialists in immigration law in Anoka, Minnesota. Clients can read their site in English or Spanish by choosing the language in the menu. When you go to their law office, the people who work their also speak Spanish, so it is a seamless system that serves both English and Spanish speakers well.

https://www.bienvenidoslaw.com/en/opening-doors-united-states/

This is also an obvious example of a business that should have a multilingual site since their client base is usually not native English speaking.

Businesses that Should Consider Adding Languages to their Site

Aside from businesses serving non-English speaking clients, other types of industries that should have a bilingual or multilingual site are:

International Ecommerce
Travel and Tourism Companies
Hotels and other accommodations
Sightseeing and cultural centers
Transportation
Event Organizers
Companies in countries with more than one language

Another business that has a multilingual site is La Perla Tortillas. Because they sell their products in restaurants and grocery stores, English and Spanish speakers alike will be purchasing their products. Customers can choose in which language they would like to read the website’s content. All they need to do is click on the flag of their choice on the upper right-hand side of the page. Go ahead. Open the site and try it for yourself!

Reaching Your Audience

If you need help reaching your audience, contact the experts at Iceberg Web Design. We look forward to talking to you.

[1] Johnson, Joseph. “Internet: Most Common Languages Online 2020.” Statista, 27 Jan. 2021, www.statista.com/statistics/262946/share-of-the-most-common-languages-on-the-internet/.

[2]American FactFinder, Census Bureau, 2020

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Creating the Perfect Contact Page For Your Website

Heather Erickson — Thu, 20 May 2021 14:00:41 +0000

Today we will look at the page on your website that all too often gets treated as an afterthought. That’s right—the contact page. What makes a good one? Read on!

Keep it Simple

The most important job your contact page has is to put your readers in touch with you. That’s the whole point of your website, so in a way, the contact page is the king of pages (Okay, we know that it isn’t, but it’s still essential). By keeping your contact page simple, you will let your audience quickly and easily contact you in a way they feel most comfortable.

Options, Options, Options

There are plenty of options you can offer to website users for reaching you. People often have strong feelings about these options. One person may hate forms while another loves them. Text is becoming a more popular contact method than ever, and it can be set up with an autoresponder outside of business hours. Some business owners are concerned with having an email on their website, thinking they may get a lot of spam. Thankfully, there are ways to ensuring you are being emailed by a person and not a robot.

Special Considerations to Keep in Mind

While offering options to suit most web users is ideal, you also want to consider what fits your business model and lifestyle. If you are a contractor who never checks your email more than once a day, you may want everything to go to your phone number.

Some industries are subject to specific regulations such as HIPPA laws, which affect how and when you can contact someone. Unless you are using a particular server that is secured consistent with HIPPA, providers cannot send outgoing emails. In those cases, collecting a name and phone number via a form may be the best solution, and having your phone number available for people to call your business.

Have Your Contact Information Available

You should include the addresses, phone numbers, and contact emails of your primary location and each satellite location, franchise, or alternative office. Please discuss with your web development company whether each of these locations merits its own page or not.

Having a location map is also a good idea. If there are multiple locations, you may want to add a locator feature that allows visitors to find the location nearest to them.

This contact page from Select Eyecare is a good example that includes multiple locations.

Keep it Consistent with the Rest of Your Site

The thoughtfulness you put into your content and design shouldn’t come to a stop when you hit the contact page. The contact page should be a natural extension of your site, naturally flowing from it, giving your readers confidence to reach out to you. It should reflect the personality and beauty they have seen up to that point. This contact page from the Animal Behavioral Clinic of New Jersey is an excellent example of that.

The Best Contact You Can Make

The best contact you can make is with Iceberg Web Design. We’re experts at helping businesses connect with customers. We have a website-based business solution for you! Contact us today. Read Our 5 Star Reviews!

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How Long Will It Take to Build My Website?

Heather Erickson — Mon, 14 Dec 2020 18:36:50 +0000

One of the questions we always get from potential customers is, “How long will it take to build my site?” It can be a tough one to answer until we do some deeper digging. A website is never one-size-fits-all. Some take as little as six weeks, while others take up to 24 months. Today we will look at some of the factors that affect the length of time it takes to get from Kickoff to the day the site goes live.

Subscription vs. Custom Sites

When we build a subscription site, we put content unique to your business on a framework that we have used many times before. It’s similar to how every adult has about 206 bones in their body, laid out the same way, yet we all look different on the outside.

When we build a custom site, many details have to come together in new ways. Often the process can be complicated. Because of this, subscription sites take far less time than custom sites.

The Time it Takes to Write Content

Before we can send your project to the developer, we need to assemble the content. It takes much less time for us to write your content than it does for you to do it. That’s because we do this every day. We’re experts at writing content that converts!

The first thing we do is schedule a content interview. That’s when we ask you about your business and decide how to communicate your passion to your customers. About five days later, we send you the first draft of your website content. You make any changes you would like, and after we edit the content, we go through the process again. After those two revisions, the content goes to design and development.

Some people choose to have us consult rather than write the content. This often means several rounds of revisions, so it takes longer.

The Time it Takes to Gather Assets

Assets are things that will give your site visual appeal, like photographs, logos, and custom graphics. Do you have professional quality photos ready, or do you need to hire a photographer? We have a photographer that can usually get the photos taken and edited within two to three weeks. If you employ -your own, the time it takes will depend on their schedule and speed.

Logos usually take about two weeks since there is a questionnaire, revision, and design consultation. Custom graphics will take more than a week. Of course, these things are done concurrently rather than consecutively.

The Time it Takes to Design and Develop Your Site

The basic design of your site will take about a week. During this time, we create a home page and an interior page. The time it takes beyond that will depend on how complex the design is and how many revisions are needed.

After approval of the mockup, the site will go into development. The development of a basic site without features takes about five to twenty business days.

Other Factors that Affect the Time it Takes to Build Your Website

The overall size of a custom site makes a big difference. If you need twenty pages, it will be more time consuming than a ten-page site.

Features will also add time—especially if we create unique custom features for your site.

E-commerce sites are time-consuming. Just how much time they take will depend on the number of products you want to be listed. Sixty products will take less time than 6,000. A small e-commerce site will typically take at least 6-months.

You have much control over how long it takes to get your site live. Revisions, changes, options, and delivering assets late will cause your project to take longer.

We are Experts at This

Our tried-and-true process will keep your project moving forward while focusing on its unique needs. We’ve built hundreds of websites, and we do it well. If you are looking for a professional web developer, contact us today.

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What’s a Bounce Rate, and how Do I Lower it? | Iceberg Web Design

Heather Erickson — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 17:43:09 +0000

There’s a saying some people use when they need to leave a social situation. “I’ve gotta bounce!” Keeping this in mind makes understanding what a bounce rate is on your website. The bounce rate is what percentage of people go to your website and then leave right away before clicking on anything within your site. This means they aren’t seeing what they were hoping to find. Since Google is all about the customer experience, and a high bounce rate indicates customers aren’t happy with their experience on your site, so they leave right away, that bounce rate could cause you to have a diminished page ranking.

It also means that they didn’t do anything to initiate a relationship with your business. They didn’t buy anything, subscribe, view any ads, etc.

How Do You Know What Your Bounce Rate Is?

Use a tool like Google Analytics, which can it tell you what your bounce rate is overall. It can also break the statistics down by location, source of traffic, medium, mobile vs. desktop, browser, landing page, etc. If you only serve one place, sources from other areas you don’t serve will bounce right away—and that’s okay! They aren’t potential customers, anyway.

In Google Analytics, you can look at your bounce rate overall or from within any or all of these other parameters to draw your conclusions about your bounce rate. If your rate is higher than those listed below, work to lower it.

Here are some general guidelines

Retail Sites 20%-40%

Simple Landing Page 70%-90%

Portal Sites 10%-30%

FAQ Sites 10%-30%

High Content Sites 40%-60%

Lead Generation Sites 60%-70%

Increase your Load Time

People bounce when a site takes a long time to load. By ramping up your load time, you will retain visitors longer. 47% of people expect a page to load within two seconds, while 40% will leave if it takes longer than three seconds to load. To learn how long your visitors are waiting for your site to load, go to Google Page Speed Insights to run a speed test. Be sure to test both mobile and desktop speeds. If your rate is below 70, there is room for improvement. They will let you know what to focus on. It is often pretty technical, so you may want to talk to your developer about making some changes to speed things up.

Consider What People are Coming to Your Site to See- and Showcase it Right Away.

If visitors don’t see what they are looking for right away, they will bounce and go back to the search engine results page to see if another site will have what they are looking for. That’s why your home page or landing page (and even your Google listing) should match whatever they clicked on to get there. If there is a disconnect, you will want to make some changes to match them more accurately. People don’t like to sift through many images, information, or opt-ins to find what they are looking for.

This also happens when they arrive at your site from a source that tells them they will be finding out about something, and then visitors get to your site, and it isn’t anything like what they expected. Not only do they bounce, but they also feel like your business is shady. You don’t want to get that reputation.

No matter what, your page should be clear about what you offer, what you do, and why readers should keep reading.

Make Your Pages Easy to Read

This means black text on a white background and a more minimalistic design. And of course, you must optimize the mobile pages, where half of the people do their searching. By the way, Georgia and Arial, set at 14-18 pt. fonts are the easiest to read on mobile. Set your line-height at 150%. Have clear links with stylized buttons to help visitors keep searching your site. Use headers and sub-headers to organize your post. This makes it easier to help your reader find what they are looking for. Also, when possible, make a list post. They have the lowest bounce rate. Incorporate bullets when it makes sense to help these key points stand out.

Minimalism Doesn’t Mean You Shouldn’t Have Images.

Whether you use images, video, or audio files, they will break up the text, making the page more visually appealing. They will also offer your visitors another way to learn about the topic or product you are showcasing. Also, videos will keep visitors on your site much longer. Just don’t set your video to autoplay and be sure to find a nice thumbnail. The brain processes visual information much easier than text. Utilize this!

Cross-Link

Once you sprinkle your site with links that can take your reader to other pages relevant to them, you increase the chances that the visitor will continue to look at your site and may even make it a go-to reference for their needs. This creates the ideal user experience. Give your visitors a holistic experience around the thing they have come to your site to get. Have FAQs, engaging content, video, audio, great images, etc. This will meet them where they are at.

Use Caution with Pop-ups

People tend to get annoyed with pop-ups. They have their place but be sure to use them with caution. Exit pop-ups, on the other hand, can be helpful. These show up when the site sees that you are moving your cursor toward the back or exit button. At that time, the pop-up will appear to allow your visitor to rethink whether they are going to leave or not. It is at this time when you can effectively use a lead generator.

What if your bounce rate is super low?

A bounce rate of less than 20% can indicate an improper analytics set-up. While this low bounce rate might make you feel great for a while until you figure it out, it is a false sense of security and won’t help your traffic or ranking in the long run. So, look into it.

At Iceberg, we would love to create a site for you that will connect to your customers. We can maximize the effectiveness of your site and lead generation efforts. Contact us today to find out how!

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Duplicate Content and SEO

iceberg — Mon, 02 Mar 2020 14:00:34 +0000

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a complex topic. The rules seem to constantly be changing and it can be hard to keep up. Misinformation abounds, and this includes the issue of duplicate content. What is it? Will Google penalize your site for having it? How can you prevent duplicate content’s negative consequences to your site’s SEO?

What is duplicate content?

Google says:

“Duplicate content generally refers to substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely match other content or are appreciably similar.”

You’ve probably heard that duplicate content, whether duplicated within your site or across different sites isn’t a good thing. That’s true, but there is a lot more to it than that.

How Google handles duplicate content

Google will attempt to determine the original source of the content and only display that source, filtering out any duplicates from the search results. While a less than desirable version of the content could end up on the SERP, Google is usually pretty good at finding the right site to display.

Plagiarism

The worst-case scenarios are the rare times Google’s algorithm happens to select the URL from a site that is posting your content without your permission. You did the work, but they are getting your traffic. While there are many bloggers who don’t mind this, others do—especially if they don’t give you the byline or the links. This isn’t curated content, it’s plagiarism.

If this happens to you, Google recommends that you contact the site’s host and ask them to remove the duplicate content. If they don’t comply, you can ask Google to remove the infringing page from their search results by filing a request under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The process is easy and only takes a few moments.

Will your site be penalized for duplicate content?

That depends. People rarely put duplicate content on their site with malicious intent (more about that, later). And you certainly won’t incur a penalty in those situations. Unfortunately, deceptive duplications do happen. This is usually done in order to manipulate traffic and rankings, resulting in poor user experience. And, user experience is the most important factor in Google’s ranking algorithms. Every single metric in those algorithms has the goal of giving users the best experience possible. This includes avoiding duplicate content. After all, it’s frustrating to visit multiple sites and find the same content each time.

If Google suspects that the duplicate content on your site is being used to manipulate the rankings and deceive users, they will make adjustments in the indexing and ranking of the sites involved. They may even completely remove the site from the Google index. At that point, it would no longer appear in search results.

No problem. I never create duplicate content!

Most people don’t, but one page can be read by search crawlers in several different ways. Take your homepage, for example:

http://www.yourhomepage.com

https://www. yourhomepage.com

http:// yourhomepage.com

http:// yourhomepage/index.php

http:// yourhomepage.com/index.php?r…

All of these URLs lead to the same page, but to search engines like Google’s, they look like multiple pages. When they are each crawled and Google sees the same content, it appears to be duplicate content. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Many content management systems automatically add tags and allow multiple paths to the same content. Your site may also have a “regular” and “printer” version of each article. Your site may have thousands of duplicate URLs without you even knowing.

Should I just block duplicate content on my site?

By blocking the bots from freely crawling your site, you are also preventing them from properly consolidating the signals. Google then has to treat them as separate, unique pages. If your site contains multiple pages with mostly identical content, there are better ways you can direct search engines to your preferred URL. Mark duplicates by creating a canonical tag using the rel=”canonical” link element.

301 redirects are another method of canonicalization. They are the easiest way to fix duplicate content issues on your site. So if you found a bunch of duplicate content pages on your site, you would redirect them back to the original.

Avoid creating duplicate content

There are ways to control similar content within your site, such as looking for pages that can be consolidated into the same page, or lengthened and expounded upon to differentiate them from one another.

If you have a large chunk of content that you add to the bottom of every page, you can instead, include a brief summary and link to a page with all of the details. This also makes it easier to change those details if you need to, rather than having to do it on every page and/or post.

If you syndicate your content on other sites, include a link back to your original article from each site on which your content is syndicated. You could also ask the site on which you are guest posting to use the noindex meta tag to prevent search engines from indexing their version of the content. This is something you will want to discuss prior to agreeing to write on their site.

Duplicate content can seem complicated

The professionals at Iceberg Web Design are experts at coding, design, marketing, and so much more. They can ensure that your site is created in a way that search engines and people will want to see. Contact us today to find out how!

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How to Write a Compelling About Page (Hint: It Isn’t a Bio)

Brenna Miles — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 21:13:41 +0000

Let’s start this out with a bold claim: your resume isn’t what potential customers want from your About page. Sure, your work history and experience matter to what you do in your business. But they’re not always the deciding factor for whether your potential customers decide to work with you.

That’s why your About page shouldn’t be your bio.

If It’s Not a Bio, What Is an About Page?

Just like every part of your website, your About page is not about you: it’s for your customer. An About page should communicate what it is you do and why you do it. In addition, it should explain why all of that matters to your customers and how you’ll help them solve their problems.

Your About page should include elements such as:

The audience you serve
Your processes
The things that separate you from your competition
Your benefit statements

5 Tips for Writing a Compelling About Page for Your Website

Your About page should connect with your ideal customer and compel them to reach out to you. Here are some of our best tips to do just that.

1. Tell a Story

The best way to connect with your audience is to tell them a story. For example, tell the story (the short version of course) of how your company began. Or, explain in narrative form what inspires you to do what you do each day.

Your About page is a great place to really showcase your unique personality. Take advantage of it.

2. Highlight Your Values

Your business values are the foundational beliefs that guide your business. And did you know that 63% of surveyed consumers prefer to purchase products and services from companies that stand for a purpose that reflects their own values and beliefs?

Telling your potential customers what you believe in furthers the connection between you and your audience. Weave your values throughout your About page.

3. Communicate Your USP

Your USP is your unique selling proposition. It’s what makes your business stand out from the rest. Your About page should clearly communicate your USP to your audience, whether in the form of a statement or throughout your copy.

4. Harness the Power of Testimonials

A whopping 95% of consumers read online reviews and testimonials before making a purchase. Without testimonials, you run the risk of losing valuable conversions. Harness the power of the testimonial by placing them throughout your About page copy.

5. Don’t Forget to Add the Call to Action

What’s a compelling About page without a next step? What do you want to compel your audience to do? Be sure to add a call to action (CTA) that tells your audience exactly what to do next. This can be giving you a call, reaching out via email, filling out your contact form or downloading a free resource.

Website Content Not Connecting With Your Audience?

Even with a new About page, are you still not receiving hot, fresh leads? It might be a lack of connection in the content in other areas of your website. To learn more about your About page or creating copy that connects, send us a message.

The post How to Write a Compelling About Page (Hint: It Isn’t a Bio) appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

The Basic Anatomy of a Blog Post

iceberg — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 17:29:44 +0000

If your website doesn’t have a blog, you’re missing out. On average, companies with blogs produce 67% more leads per month than those without.

Are you ignoring the benefits of blogging due to thinking you’re no good at writing?

Do you think blogging takes too much time?

By understanding their basic anatomy, you can write blog posts the right way, simply.

Understanding Simple Blog Post Structure

Although many factors go into creating a great blog post, you must grasp the importance of proper structure first. Most blog posts follow a simple structure that includes:

A headline: The initial headline is an attention-grabbing title that explains what your blog post is about and what your readers can expect.
An introduction: The introduction is typically the first few sentences or the first paragraph that entices visitors to keep reading.
Body copy: This where the magic happens. Complete with sub-headings, the body copy is the place to deliver the information you promised in your headline.
A call to action: A call to action (CTA) inspires your readers to act. For example, you may ask your readers to give you a call, download a freebie or something else.

Put It All Together to Write the Perfect Blog Post

Each separate component includes its own best practices to follow to create high-quality content for your website. Let’s jump right in.

Headline

The headlines you create for your blog posts should compel your audience to click. After all, 8 out of 10 people will read headline copy without reading the rest. When writing headlines:

Stay informative: Make sure your headline describes exactly what information your reader will gain after reading the blog. Don’t be vague.
Keep it simple: Keep your headlines simple and on the shorter side. Consider where your blog post will appear and write headlines accordingly. For example, headlines between 8-12 words get the most shares on Twitter and headlines under 70 characters aren’t cut off in search engine results.
Optimize for search: If you can, try to optimize your headline by adding in a focus keyword your audience might search for to find your blog post.
Make it pop: Use your power words to evoke curiosity. Or, use your headline to ask a question. Experiment to see what works when it comes to your specific audience.

Introduction

After the headline, your introduction will make or break your blog post. Here, it’s important that you “hook” the reader into wanting to learn more. This doesn’t mean that you give away all the value in the first few sentences. Instead, hit your reader with an interesting statistic, a quick story or a question that inspires them to move forward.

Body Copy

Your body copy is the meat of your blog post, the place where your reader receives the most information and value. When writing the body copy for your blog post:

Add in sub-headings: Most readers tend to skim blog posts for the information they need most. Use sub-headings to break up your copy into easy-to-skim sections.
Use padded bulleted lists: For lists, use padded bullets to break up blocks of text.
Use short paragraphs and sentences: Write paragraphs that are no longer than 3-4 sentences and sentences no longer than 20 words. If the sentence is too long, split it in half.
Write until your thought is complete: Many experts argue over the perfect blog post length. Make it your goal to write until the thought is complete and until you’ve given your readers everything they need to understand the topic at hand.

Call to Action

Finally, a call to action inspires your readers to interact with you even more. Some websites ask readers to leave comments while others ask them to reach out for more information. You can also use a call to action to ask readers to download a lead magnet that requires their email address.

Remember to only use one call to action on your blog post so you don’t inflict your audience with decision fatigue. Make your CTA stand out by giving it a separate heading.

Don’t Forget Your Images & Links

Your blog post should include a featured image that includes the title of your blog post as well as a visual that goes well with your topic. Don’t forget to add internal links (to pages on your website) and external links (to outside content) to relevant content in your body copy. This will give your audience a chance to gather even more information for added value.

Quality Blog Posts Generate Important Traffic for Your Website

Don’t sweep blogging under the rug. After all, quality content generates important traffic for your website.

Although writing a blog post may seem difficult at first, it becomes easier with practice. To learn more about blogging and best practices, send us a message.

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The Absolute Basics of Optimizing Your Website Content

iceberg — Thu, 27 Jun 2019 17:02:54 +0000

It’s no secret that search engine optimization (SEO) is highly technical. There are on-page and off-page, keyword research, white hat, black hat… The list goes on.

So how do you rummage through the jargon? By taking it back to the basics and focusing on your website content.

Why Is SEO Such a Big Deal?

Google, the search engine that has 90.46% of the search engine market, receives 63,000 new searches per second. For each new search, Google must deliver the best content available online to users. It uses over 200 factors to choose which content should rise to the top. To help satisfy these factors, we use SEO or search engine optimization.

Through SEO, you’re able to deliver your content to potential customers, thus generating qualified leads for your business. In fact, 57% of B2B marketers say that SEO generates more leads than any other marketing initiative. But, when 75% of people never scroll past the first page of the search engine, we must help our websites gain critical visibility. That’s where SEO comes in.

Back to Basics: 3 Things You Must Do to Optimize Your Website Content

You must optimize for search each piece of content you create for your website such as service pages, blogs or articles. Whether you’re an SEO beginner or seasoned expert, there are three things you should always consider first.

1. Understand the “Why” Behind the Search

When a user visits a search engine and enters a query, they’re searching for a specific type of content. For example, “best cat food” and “best cat food for kittens” are similar, yet totally different in their intent. Use this intent—the “why” behind the user’s search—to optimize your website copy.

Think about the keywords you want your website to rank for. Next, consider what a user might want to find in the search results after entering those keywords. Finally, create content that fits. Using our cat food example, a user searching for “best cat food” is probably looking for reviews of the best cat food available on the market.

2. Place Keywords in Specific Places

Speaking of keywords, you must use them in the correct places. In the past, it was common for website owners to flood their copy with keywords to try and gain higher ranks. Now, search engines think of keywords as clues to the copy on the page, not the whole. Start by placing your target keywords in:

Your title: Whether a web page or a blog, always add your target keyword into the title.
Your meta descriptions: A meta description summarizes the web page’s content for the reader and the search engine. Make sure to add in your target keyword.
Your H1 headings: The H1 heading often appears on a web page or blog post as the title of the page or the most important text. Add your keyword here for emphasis.

3. Focus on Quality & Readability

While technical SEO tactics work, they’re no substitute for high-quality content that’s easy to read and understand. To write the best content for your website:

Discover what your audience wants: It’s important to write all website content for your audience specifically. Do some research using social media or customer surveys to discover the content your audience wants.
Solve a problem or share your insight: During your research, if you discover common questions or concerns about what you offer, write about them. Solve a problem for your reader or offer your insight about a topic that matters to them. This helps build trust between you and the reader, inspiring them to come back for more.
Focus on readability: Use short sentences of no more than 20 words and paragraphs of no more than 3-4 sentences. Use readability tools such as Hemingway to keep readability scores at or below an 8^th-grade reading level. Also, use headings and bullets to create scannable content your audience can consume quickly.

It’s Time to Help Your Audience Find You Online

High-quality and intentional content mixed with a bit of keyword placement is a great place to start, but there’s much more you can do to help boost your website in search. To learn more about SEO and content optimization, send us a message.

The post The Absolute Basics of Optimizing Your Website Content appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.

Writing Your Own Website Copy? Get It Done With These Tips

Brenna Miles — Tue, 21 May 2019 15:40:05 +0000

You’ve discussed scope and design and now your web development project is underway. Now, your web developer is asking you to provide the website copy for the pages on your website. You have two options: hire a professional copywriter or do it yourself.

If you choose to write your website copy yourself, it’s important to understand that time is of the essence. Your web development project depends on the timely delivery of your copy. It’s time to get to work.

Common Web Writing Hurdles & How to Get Over Them

Uh-oh. It’s that dreaded blinking cursor. That, along with the following, can cause hurdles that may seem insurmountable at first.

Have no fear—we have some solid tips to help you get past the top web writing hurdles that often get in the way of our clients completing their projects.

1. Web Copy That Sounds Nothing Like You

When you’re so close to your business, it’s easy to start overthinking everything—even the words on your website. You may start trying too hard, resulting in detached copy that sounds nothing like you. Don’t worry, though; it’s fixable!

Lose the jargon. Even though you’re an expert in your field, you don’t have to use industry jargon to solidify that fact. Plus, your audience won’t connect with words they don’t understand. Keep it simple instead.
Write like you talk. Your web copy should be conversational. Write the way you talk to ensure your authentic and unique voice shines through.
See your audience as your friend. How do you talk to a trusted friend? Your audience will better connect with copy that feels like it’s coming from someone they already know and like. Don’t be stuffy, be relatable.

2. Fear of Writing About Yourself

It’s common to struggle when it comes to talking or writing about yourself. Here’s a little secret that may help you get past this one: Your site’s not about you. Your web copy is for your audience. Although it’s your business, look at your copy through the eyes of your customer.

What do they need to know? What answers do they need? Taking this perspective will remove the pressure, allowing you to focus on serving your audience.

3. The Big Lie of “No Time”

We often trick ourselves into believing we don’t have time to do the things we need to do because we simply don’t want to do them. But for your website to move forward, writing copy is a must. That’s why it’s important to make the time.

Set goals. Chances are there’s a deadline for your copy if you’re working with a web developer. Take some time to set actionable and attainable daily and weekly goals to help you finish your copy. Don’t forget to reward yourself, too! Incentives can go a long way in helping you complete projects like these.
Schedule time for writing. Treat writing time each day as an appointment and schedule it like you would other tasks or meetings. Try your best to carve out an hour or two each day to complete your project.
Set an alarm, reminder or notification. After you schedule your writing time, go ahead and set an alarm on your phone or schedule an email reminder to ensure you’re pulled in on time—and that you stop on time.

How to Beat Writer’s Block & Get Back to Writing

Even business owners who jump the big hurdles deal with the occasional writer’s block. It’s best to keep a few tips up your sleeve for when you need a quick dose of inspiration as you write your copy.

Eliminate distractions. It’s hard to focus on writing when your phone is chiming, or your email is growing right in front of your eyes. As you write, eliminate your distractions by closing your browser and silencing your phone.
Stay inspired. What inspires you? Whether it’s a photo of your kids, soft music, or the outdoors, surround yourself with what inspires you. Inspiration always jumpstarts creative thinking—the enemy of writer’s block.
Change your environment. Try going to your favorite coffee shop or take your writing outside. Changing your environment breaks the cycle you’re in, often breaking thoughts free.
Take a breather. If you’re struggling, it’s okay to take a break. Take a walk around the block or sit and do a few deep breathing exercises.

Great Websites Depend on Compelling Copy

As you sit down to write the copy for your website, you may experience some hurdles that look too big to jump over. After all, “you’re not a writer.”

The truth is, though, you don’t have to be an award-winning writer to create compelling copy for your website. All you need is some good advice and a solid plan of action.

To learn more about the importance of website copy or for help writing yours, send us a message.

The post Writing Your Own Website Copy? Get It Done With These Tips appeared first on Iceberg Web Design.