APP CREATION 101: STUDY THE COMPETITION

As with most other endeavors, it is not only about being the best but selling the best. There is a world of difference between the best we know and the best there is; it is therefore of paramount importance to be known before you can be considered. About your app, it is not just in telling the world about it, but more about creating a better User Experience. However, some people have gone ahead of you in the bid to do this and without the right approach on your part, you can easily be frustrated. You therefore need to know the climate to take control of it.

Contesting in an already contained market is very challenging, but your patient dog may just be on its merry way to eating the fattest bone. So, if you are creating an app, here are the reasons you should know your competitors;

Similarities

Your competitors are people that are offering apps that provide the same function as the one you intend to provide. You should know your competitors so as to know the extent to which they have gone. This knowledge will help you to set a minimum standard for the app you are creating and that automatically places it at the same level with what is already in the market. Lucky you! But there is more…

Differences

The thing is that you should also read a lot of reviews about your completion. This will tell you in either subtle and aggressive way, their areas of neglect which you most definitely must bank upon to create your app. So, if you do this, what do you think you’ll be coming up with? An app that provides a superior User Experience! Yet, there are more benefits to understanding your competitors

Trends

Most likely, your competitors are not some dumbasses that don’t care about satisfying their clients. For this reason, you should know that they are on their toes to improve their product to better suit their clients. What does this teach you? To go beyond creating a superior app to creating an app that is out of this world. You will need to do more than just completely satisfy your intended users, you should anticipate future problems that may arise from your improvements and further improve upon them. The summary of this is that before your app is in the market, it is two generations ahead of your competitors’. Surely, you get the gist. That is why there is such thing as app update.

The Benjamins

You should know the model that the competition uses to make money. There are many models out there that the competition can use. You should know this as well and integrate such, if it suits you well or a more suitable approach. If it be that the app is to make money in the long run, then you should keep an eye on them. But remember that dough is important and make the best decisions as regards the aspect.

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-web-design/154-app-creation-101-study-the-competition.html

Why You Still Need A Sales Website-Even If You Sell on eBay, Amazon, Or Etsy

If you sell your handcrafted or wholesale products on eBay, Amazon, Etsy, or any other third-party sales site, you should still consider launching your own website. Even if your sales are high on your third-party site, you can drastically increase your sales by working with a WordPress website development company to create a signature website.

Make More Money Per Sale

As convenient as it is to list and sell your products on your third-party sales site, you must pay a fee for each of your sales-both to the sales site and to your payment processor. However, when you sell direct, your profits per sale are significantly increased. In fact, you may be able to sell your products for less on your website and still make more money.

Driving Traffic From Your Third-Party Site To Your WordPress Website

Most third-party sales sites do not allow you to include direct contact information in your profile, but you can certainly include your business card with your direct email and website or print them out on your packing slip. You can further brand and drive traffic to your signature website by naming your third-party sales site the same name as your website as many web-savvy customers will search for you elsewhere. Do the same with your social media profiles.

Expand Your Marketing Options

While you can certainly market your third-party online store, your internet marketing options are limited. However, your signature website can be marketed a variety of ways. It can also be used to build high quality backlinks to and from your website, social profiles, content, and even your third-party sales site.

If you are in need of a clean and modern signature website, the team at Eden P Host is here to deliver the custom WordPress website design you require.

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-web-design/153-why-you-still-need-a-sales-website-even-if-you-sell-on-ebay-amazon-or-etsy.html

Which Search Engines Should You Optimize Your Website For?

In order for your business website to be a success it must be mobile responsive, and optimized to generate organic traffic—but you might be wondering which search engine you should be targeting. Below are a few tips for deciding which search engine to optimize your website for.

Does Google Still Reign Supreme?

Google currently maintains 70% of the search engine market. That being said, trending keywords are pretty much the same from one search engine to the next. Not only that, but Google’s keyword tools are advanced—and make it easy to identify which keywords are trending. However, you can invest in paid keyword tools that will provide you with keywords by search engine—or you can hire an SEO expert to do this for you.

What Is Your Service Area?

In Canada, Google, Bing, Yahoo!, and AOL are the top search engines, but if your client base is global—then you must consider which search engines reign supreme in each country you sell your products and services to. Not only that, but each region or country you serve is likely to have varying keywords that you should use to market your content, and optimize your website.

What Methods Are You Using To Market Your Business?

Next up on the list, you must also determine what methods of link building and marketing you will use to drive traffic to your primary website. For example, your approach will be different if you plan on marketing primarily with content or PPC, than if social media marketing is your primary means of marketing.

All-in-all, SEO is a complex skillset that requires the expertise of a seasoned pro. Here at Eden P Host, we are committed to providing you with everything you need to ensure your business website is a success. From social media marketing, SEO, responsive website development, ecommerce—and more!

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-internet-marketing/151-which-search-engines-should-you-optimize-your-website-for.html

Should You Translate Your Website?

Currently 55% of global website content is in English, meaning that you might want to consider translating your website into at least one more language. For example, if you sell your products and services nationwide—translating into French may improve your conversions in Quebec. Below are a few reasons to consider a custom website design that translates your website into more than one language.

You May Be Required To

Before you expand your brick and mortar location to a new region or country, you must check the local linguistic regulations to see if you are required to translate your related website into the local language. Quebec for example requires a French website for local brick and mortar locations.

Target A New Local Market

Even if English is the primary language, research both your target audience and your overall service area to see what the secondary languages are. In fact, this is an excellent method of hyper-targeting your demographic. Odds are that you may be one of few businesses in your industry or service area with a translated website—meaning that you may capture a larger percentage of your non-English speaking locals. 

Drastically Increase Your Online Traffic

There are multiple ways in which translating your website into multiple languages can increase your online traffic:

- Diversify keywords with multiple languages

- Improve page rank by dominating local foreign language search results

- Diversify marketing by targeting secondary languages

- More languages means more pages, more pages means more quality content—and organic traffic

You Don’t Even Need A Second Website

No need to worry about managing a website for each language you want to target. Instead, you can allow your website visitors to select the language they prefer once they arrive—or the country, and therefore desired language your visitor speaks. Your custom website designer will help you to determine the most effective approach.

As long as you select the appropriate languages, translating your website is likely to have an immediate positive impact on your organic search results.

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-web-design/152-should-you-translate-your-website.html

How To Select The Right Products For Your Ecommerce Store

With the ability to dropship, and order wholesale inventory and ship your own products—many everyday individuals are working with an ecommerce website designer to launch an online store. With so many products and product categories to choose from, you may not be sure what it is you want to sell in your new store. Below are a few tips for selecting the right products.

Identify Your Niche

The first place you want to begin is by defining who your target audience is—but you need to be very specific. For example, you may plan on selling to women, but what demographic? What needs are you searching to fulfill? While it might at first seem as though more is better, the more specific a niche you sell to, the easier it is to target your online marketing.

Choose A Product Line You Are Passionate About—Or At Least Familiar With

There are many benefits to selling a product line you are passionate about. For starters, you are more likely to know what is trending without doing research, or what products complement one another. It will also be easier for you to respond to the questions customers have before they place their order. Even if you are not familiar with every single item in your store, you are likely to be more excited about your new online business if you are familiar with what you are selling.

Do Your Research

Even if you select a product niche that you are familiar with, you will still need to do preliminary and ongoing research to ensure that your store is stocked with trending products. This goes beyond general products, but also to the brand, make, model, and even the color that people are currently searching for.

Eden P Host will not only design a stunning ecommerce website for your new online store, but we will ensure it is SEO optimized to generate ample organic traffic. We can even provide your ongoing online marketing!

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-web-design/150-how-to-select-the-right-products-for-your-ecommerce-store.html

Could You Double Your Income With An Ecommerce Store?

If you currently own a brick and mortar business, you might be weighing the pros and cons of launching an e-commerce store. In fact, you may be putting it off because it sounds like more work in your already busy schedule. But would you reconsider if you were able to double your current income by adding an e-commerce store? Or even if you were to increase your income by 25%? It really is possible, here’s how.

Expand Beyond Your Current Service Area

By selling your products or services online, you will be able to reach your target audience beyond Ontario—and even outside of Canada if you wish. The choice is entirely up to you where you sell to, but just imagine the impact if you secured even 20 new regular customers on a monthly basis.

Reduce Your Overhead

While you may need to work a few more hours each day to process your orders and interact with your new online client base, the additional labor is far more flexible than when corresponding with live clients. In fact, you may be able to squeeze in much of your online responsibilities during your slow hours of day. This means that your sales can increase, with a minimal investment in additional labor or overhead. 

Convenience Increases Sales From Your Local Consumers

While your original goal in working with an ecommerce website designer is to reach a new audience base, the convenience of online orders or pre-ordering through an app is likely to increase the frequency in which your current customers place orders with you. Combine that with local SEO, and you will attract even more customers in your local service area—both online, and those who find you online and head in to your store to shop in person.

Even if your sales do not double, transitioning from a standard website to an ecommerce website design stands to significantly boost your business!

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-web-design/149-could-you-double-your-income-with-an-e-commerce-store.html

Are You An Accidental Cyber Stalker?

The ability to instantly Google, friend request, or follow anyone whose first and last name you know, or who you have a mutual friend with on Facebook—makes it easy to connect. But where is the fine line between connecting and curiosity, and cyberstalking?  If not cyber stalking, is it unhealthy behavior? Below are a few signs you may have crossed the line. 

Have You Ever Caught Yourself Talking To A Stranger About Information You Obtained About Them Online?

Even if you are “friends” online, and their social profile is public, or you obtained their information from their business website—it is a bit presumptuous to discuss what you have learned about someone you don’t know, as though it is common knowledge. 

Do You Try to Find Common Interests From Online Information?

So maybe you have a first date with someone you barely know. So what do you do? You friend request them, then scroll through posts and pics for some common topics for discussion. This is normal right? If you plan your entire date or conversation around the information you learn, you lose out on the opportunity to organically connect and find mutual interests. 

Do You Feel As If You “Know” Someone You Really Don’t Know?

Have you ever caught yourself speaking about someone you barely know, but feel as though you know them from their social media posts—or their online information? While you might discover that you have some common ground, don’t forget that online information is not actual engagement, and that their photos and posts aren’t always an accurate reflection of their interests. Do you really want to take your date to their favorite restaurant with their ex?  

Have You Ever Set Up A Fake Account Or Showed Up At An Event Because You Found Out Online That Someone You Want To Know Better Will Be There?

This is where it really starts to cross the line. While most of us are guilty of occasionally “researching” a bit longer than we should, but when you take your interest from online to live—there may be reason for concern. Or if you have attempted to deceive a person by setting up a fake online persona to engage with them, your deceptiveness is concerning. 

The statistics vary, but many experts show that cyberstalking has increased by 30% or more with the invention of the Internet. Research also shows that emotionally recovering from a breakup can be significantly delayed by the temptation to research online. If you have spent more time researching someone online than you have spent with them in person in the recent times, it’s probably time to reign it in a bit.

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-internet-marketing/148-are-you-an-accidental-cyber-stalker.html

Increase Your Productivity At Work

Do you find that your productivity has recently decreased, or that there simply isn’t enough time in the day? As communication methods continue to evolve, and your Toronto business expands to a global clientele—it has never been more difficult to manage time. The tips below will help you to make the most of your workday, without sacrificing balance in your personal schedule.

Make A List And Tackle Your Largest Project First:

Keep an electronic to-do list that, if needed, can be shared with your colleagues. Start each day out by chipping away at your largest project, or at the project you like the least—that way you get the hard part out of the way. Check your email and voice mail first thing each day to see if you need to add, remove, or update your list in any way.

Delegate Or Outsource Tasks That Don’t Require Your Expertise:

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean that you should. Make a list of your weekly and monthly tasks to identify recurring tasks that can be delegated or outsourced. For example, your intern or assistant can be the one to input the data required for you to analyze your weekly PNL. When it comes to outsourcing, take the items off your plate that someone with a specialized skill set can perform for you—often with a greater ROI. For example, outsource your social media optimization to a Toronto-based SEO company.

Schedule Distraction-Free Blocks Of Time:

Multitasking in our electronically driven world is harder than ever. The constant electronic distractions can make it challenging to focus on the task at hand. While it might seem as though you are getting more done by responding instantly to all emails, and taking all incoming calls, you are likely to be 25% more productive if you can schedule some distraction-free blocks of time each day. Aim for at least two 1-hour blocks each day, or one 2-hour block of time.

If you are looking to take online, mobile, and social media marketing off your plate—the team at Eden P Host is at your service!

Here’s to your increased productivity!

Source: http://www.edenphost.ca/basic-internet-marketing/147-increase-your-productivity-at-work.html