Should You Build Your Own Website?

Many of Canada’s brightest small business owners have a natural tendency to tackle new projects. However, even the most talented of entrepreneurs must know when to leave a project in the hands of a skilled professional.

You Can Build Your Own, But You Will Be Limited

Yes, WordPress, Square, and many other DIY “drop and drag” website builders are there for you to use. While they all enable you to build your own website, the site will be limited. Drag and drop features aside, every website needs some custom code to ensure that it has all the features and functions you require. Coding is a highly technical skill, and is a constantly evolving skill—which is why you need a pro.

You Are Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

Without a doubt, there is a sense of accomplishment when you teach yourself how to do something new. However, as a business owner, the best place to invest your time—is in building your business, and tending to your clients. Learning how to build a website is likely to take several weeks—or more. This goes beyond determining a layout, but to curating the web content, designing a logo, adding photos and videos, and selecting your web pages. A professional can give you a much better turnaround time, and deliver the exact website you desire.

You Need More Than Just A Website

It’s not enough to just “have” a website, but your website layout must be user-friendly, the design modern, and the SEO built-in. Since web design trends and search engine algorithms change constantly, you need a professional website designer to ensure that your website is optimized, responsive, and modern.

Websites Need To Be Secure

Another benefit of working with a website designer, is that they will listen to your specific needs—and build your website accordingly. All websites required secure hosting, e commerce websites require additional security, and every website needs to be backed-up. Your designer will talk you through your options, and ensure all bases are covered.

There Are A Few Things You Can Learn

If you are in need of an e-commerce website, you will certainly have to learn a few things about your website’s back of house. You will need to learn how to process orders, and many website owners also learn how to post some of their own blog posts.

So yes, you can build your own website—but that certainly does not mean that you should.  I mean, you could give yourself a root cannel, but should you? The pros of hiring a professional website designer outweigh the cons by a landslide.

Will Apps And Internet Replace TV?

Between Netflix, HBONow, AmazonPrime, and Hulu it is possible to watch just about any movie or show you love on your preferred electronic device—even when on-the-go. Combine that with the award-winning streamed shows found on these online-only movie and sitcom apps, and more people are ditching their satellites and cable.

Convenience Is Key

One of the reasons that streaming apps are so popular, is because they are convenient. Not only can you watch the shows you want on your device of choice, but you can watch them at any time of day or night. You also have access to a mix of both current and timeless classics. Avid fans of sitcom series enjoy watching their favorite shows without commercials, or backtracking and watching the series from the beginning.

The Price Is Right

Prices vary by carrier, and by your local service area—but cable has become quite expensive. The annual price for all of the streaming channels above, is the equivalent to about 4 months of a mid-level cable package. That is essentially like having the remaining 8 months for free. And you can share your streaming with multiple members of your family.

What Does This Shift Mean For You?

As an Internet marketing company serving Toronto, we keep a close eye on all emerging opportunities for marketing your business on the web. One of the many “perks” of streaming, is that streaming is commercial-free. TV commercials are a huge source of revenue for TV stations, so as more viewers ditch cable—it is inevitable that new methods of online/mobile advertising will continue to evolve.

While streaming may remain commercial-free, we expect to see more in-app ads placed on streaming apps— or more partnership ad opportunities. Since online advertising is less expensive than most offline marketing, the emerging methods of marketing and mobile development may fit easily into your marketing budget.

Popular Types Of Online Marketing Defined

Just as with offline marketing, there are a multitude of options when it comes to how you can market your business online. While there are too many types of online marketing to define in one quick post, there are a few types of marketing you should familiarize yourself with.

Email Marketing

Email marketing goes beyond sending group emails to your customers. Make things easy by adding an an opt-in box to your website so that you can quickly and easily manage your mailing list. If you have an e-commerce store, also add an opt-in email option during the checkout process.

Video Marketing

One of the great things about video marketing, is that there are so many fun ways you can use video to market your product or services. From candid videos, to Vines, instructional videos, product demos, and even mini commercials. You can shoot your video yourself, or invest in animated videos.

Social Media Marketing

You have many options when it comes to social media marketing. From posting daily in an effort to connect and engage, to investing in paid social marketing campaigns. As a social media marketing company serving Toronto, Canada—we can take all aspects of your online marketing off your plate.

Content Marketing

Content marketing takes on many forms. This includes blogging, posting articles on LinkedIn, investing in sponsored posts in online publications, or posting articles on community blogs—all in hopes of creating more links to and from your primary website.

Paid Ads

Just as with offline marketing, you can place paid ads in multiple places on the web. This includes fairly traditional ads, as well as PPC ads, mobile ads, and programmatic ad exchanges.

You don’t have to be an internet marketer to successfully market your business online, but for best results—turn to tenured online marketing company Eden P Host!

Driving Organic Traffic To Your Website

While every Toronto business owner must invest in online marketing, you must also capitalize on your organic traffic. There are a few small yet meaningful changes that you can make that will increase your organic traffic.

Locally Optimized Content

Whether speaking of your website content, blog posts, social media, or external articles—make sure that you capitalize on local optimization. If you are unsure of where to begin, Eden P Host offers local SEO services designed to get your content up-to-date. This includes optimizing for your city, surrounding service area, and even optimizing for local trends, events, and phrases.

Get Social

Social media plays a vital role in creating organic backlinks to and from your website and social profiles. Invest in our SMO services to setup new social profiles, or to optimize current profiles. Also, don’t be shy about asking your customers to follow you on Facebook. Keep things fun, by finding ways to drive engagement—such as hosting contests or offering online-only promotions.

Create An Email Opt-In

Your regular customers want to know what you are up to, and they want to be the first to hear about your sales and promotions. As long as you don’t overdo it with frequent emails and sales-heavy content—your customers will continue to read your emails. Increase opt-ins by offering something free, such as a coupon code or a free e-book.

Don’t Be Shy—Tell Your Customers About Your Online Profiles

Don’t be shy about spreading the word about your website and social media profiles. If you operate a brick and mortar location, tell your customers about your social profiles. If you operate an online-only business, add your website and social media URLs to your flyers, business cards, invoices, packing slips, and any print marketing materials. Add your URL to your email signature, social media profiles, offline marketing, and any places you post online.

Internal And External Links

Every blog you post should include one or two internal links. Internal links are the highlighted links that direct back to another page on your website—or when relevant, another blog post. When relevant, add links to “official sources”, such as linking back to the research that supports the statistics or facts you blog about. External links were mentioned above, but this goes beyond simply posting your website URL—and to linking to relevant pages and posts on your website. When it comes to link building, periodically audit your website for bad links which can negatively impact your search engine results.

While all of the tips above will help you to drive the maximum amount of organic traffic to your website, investing in online marketing and local SEO services is the best way to drive a steady stream of traffic to your website and online platforms. 

The Art Of Mobile Advertising

Mobile advertising is simply too important to ignore. As you rethink your marketing mix, you may be wondering just how much you should invest in mobile. While investing in mobile is a must, it is how you rely on mobile that matters most. Our local SEO services include a range of online and mobile advertising options

Mobile Marketing Is Still Fairly New

Mobile marketing is still fairly new and is drastically different than general online marketing. In order to be effective, your ads must stand out yet blend in. They must be placed in relevant mobile locations, but be unobtrusive. You must test and explore new keywords, but also consider a secondary set of mobile keywords that are more common when using voice search. Last but not least, you must test different methods of mobile marketing to determine which ones are most relevant and deliver the best results for your brand.