Rei Albano
Having a website for your business is not optional these days. It is now mandatory to have a site, no matter how small you are, if you want your brand to grow.
But there are many considerations you must remember when creating your site, and these include having a mobile-ready website, curating excellent content, and having user-friendly buttons that can make it easy for people to share your posts.
However, when you look at sites, many site owners commit mistakes that are easily avoidable. These errors may seem trivial, but they contribute a lot to making or breaking the integrity of your brand.
What are website building mistakes you must avoid? Here are common mistakes many entrepreneurs are guilty of:
1. Your fonts are either too large or too small
When building your site, you must always have the reader in mind. When you come across websites with fonts too large or too small, most likely you want to leave the site for good.
The reason why you’re putting up a website is that you want to show to the world what your brand is capable of. You want others to know of your products and services. However, if you cannot showcase the best you’ve got, then you are not contributing to the improvement of your company’s integrity.
If you choose to publish with the wrong font size, you are losing customers in the process because website design and layout all contribute to improving your brand’s integrity. No matter how great your content is, if you don’t get to deliver the way people would want to read your posts, then you are not doing your company a favor.
The recommended font size is 16px for desktop and tablet. You may want to apply this font size to your website and see how the audience responds.
2. Your website is not mobile-ready
A few years ago, having a mobile version of your site was optional. However, these days, with more people using their smartphones to browse the internet, it is mandatory for every website owner to have a mobile-friendly version of their sites.
On some web building platforms, creating a mobile site would require you to build a new site just for mobile. On other site building platforms, such as WordPress, the mobile site is created automatically for you when you create the desktop site. For some, building another mobile site is better because they get to choose a customized layout just for mobile use. However, for some, they like the automatic creation of a mobile site because the website turns out responsive.
Whatever you choose, whether you build the mobile site from scratch or you want it automatically created for you, the crucial thing is you must have a mobile-friendly website, along with a desktop-ready one.
3. You publish poorly written content
Let’s say you now have a mobile-optimized and excellently built website. It is going great so far. However, if you only focus on the visuals and not on content, then you are setting yourself up for failure. The reason being people also value excellent content. They cannot deal with crappy content, posts that are poorly written and edited, and posts that do not provide any value.
Along with publishing a reader-friendly website, you must also focus on creating excellent content. You must make sure that your current and potential customers do not lose their trust in you just because of simple oversights such as the interchange of “your” and “you’re,” and “stars” and “star’s.”
While building a website is now a standard for all enterprises, you should make sure that the site you publish is worth visiting by current and potential customers. Avoid these mistakes to improve your company’s integrity and brand name further.
Rei Albano
Wix is a website building platform that has started with the drag-and-drop feature, making it easy even for starters to build their websites. There are a lot of templates to choose from, and editing site layouts are straightforward even if you’re not adept at coding and website building.
Wix is different from WordPress in that Wix is a visual platform that allows you to build and maintain websites even if you haven’t tried building sites before. Wix claims that it is the most user-friendly building platform, giving people the opportunity to start their websites without having to go through the hassles of learning programming.
Lately, we have seen more businesses using Wix to build their sites. The idea of building sites using visual drag-and-drop tools is appealing to many people, especially starting entrepreneurs and bloggers.
It is free to set up your site with Wix as long as you are okay with .wix.com attached to your domain. However, if you are publishing a company website, it is but imperative for you to get your domain because this is one of the many ways by which you can cement your brand’s integrity.
But while Wix has pulled in many starting entrepreneurs and bloggers, there are also many current and past customers complaining about its service. Is Wix an excellent platform for building company websites? Or is Wix only for hobby bloggers?
Platform restrictions
For one, Wix may be easy to use, but the platform has many limitations. You cannot set up SEO tools, input advanced programming codes, and change layouts. You also cannot integrate plugins that are commonly present in other web building platforms, such as in WordPress.
Even if you pay for additional plugins, the items to choose from are limited compared to what’s available in other web building platforms. You also have to pay extra for SEO tools that are already integrated on the WordPress.org platform.
Pricing
While Wix.com has affordable starter packages, it can be expensive as you go up the ladder. But don’t get fooled by the prices because you can’t get rid of the Wix banner advertisement unless you commit to upgrading to the Unlimited plan which is priced at $12.50 a month. This is a high price to pay because storage is only up to 10 GB. And this price does not include private hosting just yet.
Compared to WordPress, you get 10 GB for the basic plan of $2 per month, and that’s with private hosting already.
On Wix, you also have to pay extra for plugins that are already integrated into other website platforms as you pay for plans.
Loading speed
Current customers complain that Wix websites load slower than sites built with other platforms like WordPress and Squarespace. It may be because of the small storage allocation for all plans, and the restriction of hosting your site on your server.
Conclusion
Wix may be easy to set up with drag-and-drop tools available as you build your site. However, there are many restrictions as to how you maintain and improve your site. You have to pay extra for SEO tools and plugins, and you pay more for fewer features.
If you are a starting business or blogger, you may want to consider using other website platforms such as WordPress and Squarespace because they offer more features for less the cost. For the long-term, it is best not to go with Wix.
Rei Albano
WordPress powers as much as 40% of the world’s internet sites, and that says a lot about its influence. There is no doubt that the WordPress website development platform is a favorite of many bloggers and entrepreneurs. Can you believe it that companies as large as Forbes, Business Insider, and Time use WordPress to run their sites?
So, if you are an aspiring blogger, it is an exciting venture to think that when you use WordPress, you are sharing the same platform with those large enterprises, as well. It says a lot about the power and possibilities of WordPress, and it indeed is one of the most trusted website platforms currently available in the market.
If you are starting with your website setup, you will quickly realize that there are two kinds of WordPress: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. What is the difference between the two, and is there any reason for you to choose one over the other?
It can be confusing since both sites carry the same brand. You must know the advantages and disadvantages before signing up for your account since going with one over the other makes a big difference on your website’s future.
But, first off, how do you know which one is the better for your business? To answer this question, you must look within your enterprise and identify your short and long-term goals so you get an idea of what you must sign up with.
Ask yourself the following, so you get a better assessment of which WordPress platform to use:
1. What are my short and long-term goals?
To begin with, ask yourself as to what you want to use WordPress for. Are you just finding a way to hone your writing skills? Are you only finding a way to publish your previous journal articles?
If your goal is to transform your blog into an extension of your journal, then WordPress.com works just fine. It is because WordPress.com does not give you permission to put affiliate links on your website. Therefore, you cannot sign up for advertising options with other companies. Your monetary compensation is minimal unless you already are a successful writer, gamer, or entrepreneur.
However, if your goal is to monetize your blog, WordPress.org is the way to go. You will have the freedom to customize your blog, put on marketing banners, affiliate links, and integrate plug-ins like Mail Chimp and SEO tools. You can also input as many codes as you want, without being limited by the restrictions of the WordPress.com platform.
2. What is my budget?
If you are limited by your budget, WordPress.com certainly costs a lot less than WordPress.org. You can start with this platform; then, when you are ready to take your blogging to the next level, you can change to WordPress.org.
You shouldn’t worry about data transfer though because WordPress.com can be easily exported to WordPress.org. There is an “export” feature that lets you transfer data in just one click.
For WordPress.com, all you have to pay for is your domain, private hosting, and personalized email, which all-in-all does not exceed $50. However, for WordPress.org, you have to pay for your server and all the other tools that will get you started. It is not cheap, so you must be ready for all the expenses especially if you are not entirely adept at building and running a website. If you are a novice, you must consider hiring a professional website designer.
There is a massive difference between the strengths of WordPress.com and WordPress.org. Consider your options and make it a point to be consistent with your goals so you would know which platform to choose.
Rei Albano
Online marketing does not have to be expensive. First of all, the internet has made it more affordable for everyone to market their business. Before, only big companies can afford to advertise. Due to the leveling field of the internet, today, even small businesses can afford to purchase advertisement slots online.
But truth to be told, many online marketing strategies are expensive when you look at it from a long-term perspective. There are many things to consider when choosing the best advertising option for you; however, it can be difficult to sift through the wide array of choices online.
There are red flags that you should be cautious about when choosing the best advertising tool for your business. You must be ready to sift through the real and bogus online marketing tactics that may either increase or undermine your success. Being affordable does not have to have bad quality, in much the same way as being expensive is expected to offer the best service. The price should not dictate how you expect each marketing service’s quality, and the most efficient way to decide which set of strategies is best for you is through trial and error.
Before you delve into online marketing tactics, understand that it is time-consuming to do and takes a lot of effort and patience. You cannot expect to apply the marketing strategies and then have impressive results straight away. You must wait patiently and proactively keep on updating your marketing tactics. That is the beauty with SEO. Although it does not have to cost much, smartly doing it is the most cost-effective strategy to do it.
What are the affordable online marketing techniques that you should know about? There are a lot of available options available, but there are only a few which are considered useful. Here are the most efficient ones:
1. Using social media to boost your brand’s popularity
Social media has quickly moved from being just a way to connect with friends, to now one of the favorite channels of both businesses and consumers to reach out to each other. The top social media sites include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Tumblr. If you can push through with putting on creative and memorable ways to market your brand, then for sure you will expect people to take notice of you. But you can’t do your marketing sporadically. You must be proactive in seeking marketing opportunities for your company, so make the most of these free tools available online.
Many small to large enterprises now use social media to boost their ratings. They also now use social media as a customer service support outlet where they can connect with current and potential clients. Social media can do wonders for your brand, so make the most of this free marketing tool.
2. Optimizing your website for mobile use
Having a mobile-friendly website has once been an option; however, these days, it is mandatory for you to customize a site just for mobile use. It is because more people are now using their phones instead of their desktops to check websites. If you choose not to have a mobile-friendly option, you are undermining your success because you are shooing people away as soon as they see a hard-to-navigate website. And no one wants to view a desktop-ready site on a smartphone. It can be difficult to read and confusing to use.
These tips may sound basic, but you will be surprised to find that many entrepreneurs overlook them thinking that they are not important. Having well-updated social media channels and a sleek mobile site are crucial elements to helping your business succeed. You may want to look into them and put in all the effort to improve on these two factors.
Rei Albano
Hootsuite was first introduced back in 2008 as a platform to make it easier to manage social media. With the rise of many social media channels such as Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, and YouTube, Hootsuite allows you to control all your pages with just one account. Other accounts that can also be controlled are MailChimp, Marketo, Reddit, and Storify.
Hootsuite has become widely popular because of its ease of use especially for businesses that manage many social media sites. Social media has definitely defied misconceptions on its efficacy. As of today, the platform has over 15 million users in different countries around the world.
Why is it the best option for you to use Hootsuite when managing your social media pages? Here are the reasons why:
1. Hootsuite works like a one-stop shop
With just one platform, you can manage different social media sites and post, edit, and schedule your publications. It is very easy to use and doesn’t have to take a highly technical person to be able to understand it. If you need to publish one same post across all social media channels, you can just go to Hootsuite and control everything from that one site. If you also need to edit that one post, you can easily do it through Hootsuite and have it published on all sites. And if you need to schedule posts for different days, you can also do it on just this one platform.
The platform has access to many sites including Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, MailChimp, Marketo, Mixi, Reddit, Storify, Tumblr, Twitter, WordPress, and YouTube among others. Mind you, there are over 100 apps that you can access with Hootsuite!
2. Hootsuite has a Streams feature
The Streams feature allows users gets to have the same level of control on the features of each social media site. For example, a Facebook Stream lets a user have control over the timeline, posts, and messages. So, on just one platform, a lot can be done and navigated on social media sites.
This feature proves useful when you have to juggle different site functionalities. For example, when you have to interact with guests’ comments and messages as much as you have to update your site, you can do all that with Hootsuite. Also, when you have different marketing approaches on your different sites, then the Streams feature is helpful in keeping your uniqueness for every channel.
3. Hootsuite is affordable
Hootsuite starts at $9.99 a month for one user, so if you are a small business owner, you can save a lot of time and effort in having to move through different accounts just to manage your social media channels. It is affordable, yes, but if you add in too many users, your monthly bill can go up to as much as $100 a month. So, before giving access to other users, you should give some thought as to the need of adding in so many users. Usually, you only need one to two social media managers who can do the publishing and editing for you.
Hootsuite is a social media manager platform that gives you control over your social media channels all under one roof. At $9.99 a month per user, it’s not bad for the time and energy that you can save with the convenience the platform provides. It continues to garner great reviews. You can consider using it for the first month and see if it works for your business.
