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Is your business’ marketing strategy over-reliant on social media?

Check out these 6 very good reasons why a social-only marketing strategy is no substitute for a business website.

1. You don’t control social media
2. Social media platforms disappear and die
3. Not everyone is on social media…but nearly everyone uses the internet
4. Social media use can decline
5. With social media you’re only renting a space, a website you own.
6. Social media platforms have outages and downtime.

Check out the blog for more on each of these points and to discover how having a website can provide you with a more secure marketing platform.

Why social media can't replace a business website Businesses that are over reliant on social media are vulnerable to outages and declines in platform popularity, whereas a business website lets you take control of your digital marketing.

How to write website content for your target market

If your website content isn't targeted to your customers it's not going to achieve the conversions and sales you need. Follow these steps to create targeted website copy that speaks to your audiences.

1. Create detailed customer personas to give you a clear idea of who your audience is. You should include details like their age, education level, career, family life, goals and priorities.

2. Think and act like your audience - what social media channels are they using, what media (books, tv programmes, magazines, blogs) are they reading, what are their likes and dislikes? How do they speak and what language do they use?

3. Identify your audience's problems and how you can solve them - how will your products make their life easier, happier more enjoyable, more profitable or more successful?

4. Create content that your audience will enjoy - does your audience prefer video, text, images etc?

5. Use the right language and tone of voice for your audience so that they relate to and understand what you are saying.

6. Use marketing strategies aligned to your audience e.g. studies have identified that fear-of-missing-out (FOMO) is a strong motivating factor for Millennials.

For more detail on applying each of these steps to your website content, check out the blog - you'll also find additional steps and tips for writing website content for your target market.

Website copywriting for different audiences and target markets Learn how to write website copy for different audiences and to use copywriting to appeal to your target market. Start writing for your target market today.

We love Exeter! But just how much do you know about the city?

We've rounded up 25 of the most interesting facts, surprising stats, must visit locations, hidden gems and unmissable events of Exeter.

- Did you know that Exeter gets an average of 1747 hours of sunshine a year (nearly 300 more than London)?

- Have you attended the Lammas Fair? An Exeter ceremony dating back over 900 years!

- Have you visited the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, home to over 86,000 items with over 1,000 of them on display to the public?

For all this and much more check out our blog on Essential Exeter!

Our essential Exeter guide - events, destinations, facts & more Learn Exeter facts & discover Exeter Cathedral and Exeter's Underground Passages. Plus Exeter festivals, events and the hidden gems of Exeter.

Discover how to do SEO keyword research in six simple steps. Our blog post sets out:

1. How to identify the words and phrases your customers use

2. How to find additional keywords using a search engine

3. How to use Google's Keyword Planner for keyword research

4. Other keyword research tools you can use, including SE Ranking, Ubersuggest, Google Trends and Answer the Public.

5. How to refine your keyword lists and incorporate them in to your digital marketing strategies

PLUS, download our FREE buyer persona templates to help you with identifying your audiences and selecting the right keywords for them.

Keyword research for SEO & keyword planning tools Discover the different types of keyword including head-term and long-tail keywords and how to use them. Plus our top tips for keyword planning tools.

It’s estimated that by 2040, 95% of all purchases will be made through eCommerce websites (Nasdaq). It’s more important than ever, therefore, that businesses are getting the best from their e-commerce websites.

If your business sells online via an e-commerce website then your site must be well optimised to convert. In the world of e-commerce, a conversion could be:

-A product sale;
-Adding a product to a cart;
-Adding a product to a wishlist; or
-Signing up for a newsletter.

We set out 7 actions you can take to help increase conversions on your e-commerce website, from revamping your homepage to using categories and tags more effectively.

7 actions to increase conversions on your e-commerce website Web design and content play a huge part in the success of your e-commerce website. We guide you through 7 conversion rate optimisation (CRO) actions you can take to make your e-commerce website more appealing to customers and increase conversions.

Conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is about making technical and content changes to your website so that more of your visitors ‘convert’.

Increasing your conversions might mean more sales, more contact form completions or more sign-ups to your newsletter. Whatever your goal, an increase in your conversion rate will help you achieve more of your marketing goals.

Here are our top five actions to increase your conversion rate:

1. Use A/B testing to identify what converts.

2. Simplify your homepage design.

3. Use website personalisation.

4. Focus on website speed and security.

5. Prioritise your calls-to-actions.

For more details on implementing each of these actions and to read our full list of 9 actions to increase your conversion rate, check out our blog.

Conversion Rate Optimisation: increasing your conversion rate Conversion rate optimisation can help to increase your sales, leads and business prospects. We highlight 9 essential conversion rate optimisation actions to help you increase your website's conversion rate.

Too many businesses fail to properly plan for a new website. The result is that they often end up with a website that doesn't meet theirs or their customers needs.

Properly planning your new website will save you time and money when it comes to the build and leave you with a more effective end product.

Our 12-step guide will walk you through how to plan a website including:

- goal setting,
- defining your audience,
- competitor reviews,
- key messages & USPs,
- SEO & keywords,
- domain registration,
- creating a sitemap,
- content planning,
- website design,
- calls-to-action (CTAs),
- hosting, and more!

Plus, you can download our FREE B2C and B2B buyer persona templates to help you define your audience.

Visit the blog now for our in-depth guide to planning a website.

12 website planning tips that will save you time and money! Planning your new website will help you to create a website that meets business & customer needs and will save you time and money when it comes to the build.

For smaller businesses, it can be difficult to compete when it comes to paid search ads. This is particularly true in high value industries like law, insurance etc.

However, brands in these sectors and in this position can still use search ads to gain a competitive advantage.

We set out some PPC campaign strategies for smaller businesses to follow.

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How to run competitive PPC campaigns on a budget and reduce your cost-per-click PPC and paid search are effective tools for gaining new customers. But industries with a high average cost-per-click can be hard to compete in. We take a look at how to compete on a smaller budget with the right PPC strategy.

Download our FREE web design brief template now...

A web design brief is an essential document if you're using an agency or freelancer to build your new website.

The design brief will help you to define what you need, want and expect from your new website. For the agency, it will become the scope that they need to deliver against and give them an understanding of your business and priorities.

We've created a design brief template to help you . It's divided in to four parts and the accompanying blog post will guide you through what to include in each section.

The brief covers:
1. You and your business
2. Inspiration and aesthetics
3. Content and structure
4. Technical details

Once you've completed your design brief you can send this to your web design agency and use it as the basis for any initial meetings you have and it'll help them to develop a quote.

To download your FREE template and to get started simply visit our blog.

Get a free web design brief template for your new website project Our web design brief template and step-by-step guide will help you to create a stellar web design agency brief for your new website project.

If you have a company website, you'll want to check out our list of 28 essentials that every business owner needs to know.

From design to SEO and digital marketing our bite-size list will help you make changes to your website that will improve your web discoverability and get more traffic to your site.

Get started today by visiting our blog.

28 website essentials that every business owner needs to know Covering design, functionality, SEO, content, and sales and marketing; we run through 28 essentials that all business website owners need to know.

Earlier this year, Google updated their algorithm with a 'helpful content update.' It's been just over two months now and we've noticed some significant changes to rankings of websites we follow.

If you're not yet up to speed on what the update means for your business or you've noticed some changes in your ranking performance that you can't explain, then our blog post could help.

Key changes from the update are that..

1. A signal is now applied to websites where content is found to be unhelpful / written for search engines.

2. This signal is one of many factors that Google uses to determine search engine rankings - but it does have an impact.

3. The signal is weighted. In Google’s words ‘sites with lots of unhelpful content may notice a stronger effect.’ So, the more unhelpful pages, the bigger the impact.

In short, if Google considers you to be creating content more for SEO and search engines than for people, your search ranking performance will likely suffer.

BUT...business owners will be able to turn things around if they’re not going well. The update to the algorithm will run continuously. Therefore, if you remove the low-grade content and more of your website’s content is found to be helpful, you should notice your position improving again.

It's also important to remember that SEO is important and Google isn’t suggesting you abandon good SEO practices. However, your content should be aimed at people, with SEO as a secondary objective.

This is a really important update and so we've written an extended blog post about it. To read more about the update, what it means to you, how Google might assess what is helpful content and to discover what actions you should take on your website, check out our blog post.

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Google’s ‘helpful content update’ – what it means for businesses Discover what Google's helpful content update means for your website design and SEO strategies and how to stop your website slipping down the rankings.

If you're struggling to keep your business blog fresh and interesting, check out our top 10 content presentation ideas. From infographics to surveys and interviews, we highlight innovative content creation ideas to keep your blog current.

Check out the blog and get inspired to start creating different types of content today!

Top 10 content presentation ideas for your business blog If you're struggling to keep your business blog fresh and interesting, check out our top 10 content presentation ideas. From infographics to surveys and interviews, we highlight innovative content creation ideas to keep your blog current.

If you're thinking of working with a web design agency for your next website project make sure you read our blog post first!

We've set out some of the most common mistakes we see businesses making when working with agencies, including...

1. Not knowing what you want. If you can’t explain what you want then no matter how good your developer is they won’t be able to deliver it.

2. Not reviewing the agency’s portfolio. Most agencies have their own style (corporate, traditional, playful etc) and if this doesn’t align with your needs the result may be disappointing.

3. Not considering SEO. SEO is about more than keywords in your content. Your website will need to meet technical specifications to ensure it ranks well and this will need to be handled during the build.

4. Not prioritising content. Content is often overlooked or left to the last minute and quality can suffer as a result, despite it being one of the most important elements of your website..for our full list of mistakes and how to avoid them - check out our blog post.

Avoid these 10 mistakes when hiring a web design agency These 10 mistakes could cost you time and money when hiring a web designer or developer - discover what they are and how to avoid them!

A web design brief is an essential document if you're using an agency or freelancer to build your new website.

The design brief will help you to define what you need, want and expect from your new website. For the agency, it will become the scope that they need to deliver against and give them an understanding of your business and priorities.

We've created a design brief template to help you . It's divided in to four parts and the accompanying blog post will guide you through what to include in each section.

The brief covers:

1. You and your business
2. Inspiration and aesthetics
3. Content and structure
4. Technical details

Once you've completed your design brief you can send this to your web design agency and use it as the basis for any initial meetings you have and it'll help them to develop a quote.

To download your FREE template and to get started simply visit our blog.

Get a free web design brief template for your new website project Our web design brief template and step-by-step guide will help you to create a stellar web design agency brief for your new website project.

Discover our top tips on creating the perfect call-to-action.

By combining engaging copywriting and effective web design you can create a CTA that can't be ignored. Your CTAs should grab a website visitor's attention and compel them to act.

From using action words to including a value proposition, discover how you can create CTAs that convert!

10 tips to create a winning call-to-action (CTA) Discover our top tips on creating the perfect call-to-action. With the right blend of engaging copywriting and effective web design, you can create CTAs that convert!

Keeping visitors on your website longer could help you to increase conversions and improve your search engine rankings.

In our recent blog, we run through some essential web design and copywriting actions to increase your dwell time.

Discover how to...
+ Quickly establish trust and authority,
+ Reduce page load times,
+ Use exit intent pop-ups, and much more!

Check out the blog for more detail.

How to Increase Dwell Time & Keep Visitors on Your Website Longer Keeping visitors on your website longer could help you to increase conversions and improve your search engine rankings. Discover essential web design and copywriting actions to increase your dwell time.

Do you find it hard to source quality free images, videos and icons for your blog or website? If so, help is at hand!

We've compiled a list of our favourite free stock media websites. For each website we've listed the types of media you'll find there and what we love about that particular website.

From Canva to Vecteezy, come check out our list!

7 free stock media websites for images, videos & icons A list of free stock media websites to find images, videos, vectors, illustrations and more to use in your web design, email marketing, blogging and social media projects.

Last week, Google updated their algorithm with a 'helpful content update.' So, what does this mean for your business, your SEO strategy and your search performance?

1. The update will lead to a signal being applied to websites where content is found to be unhelpful / written for search engines.

2. This signal is one of many factors that Google uses to determine search engine rankings - but it will have an impact.

3. The signal is weighted. In Google’s words ‘sites with lots of unhelpful content may notice a stronger effect.’ So, the more unhelpful pages, the bigger the impact.

In short, if Google considers you to be creating content more for SEO and search engines than for people, your search ranking performance will likely suffer.

BUT...business owners will be able to turn things around if they’re not going well. The update to the algorithm will run continuously. Therefore, if you remove the low-grade content and more of your website’s content is found to be helpful, you should notice your position improving again.

It's also important to remember that SEO is important and Google isn’t suggesting you abandon good SEO practices. However, your content should be aimed at people, with SEO as a secondary objective.

This is a really important update and so we've written an extended blog post about it. To read more about the update, what it means to you, how Google might assess what is helpful content and to discover what actions you should take on your website, check out our blog post.

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Google’s ‘helpful content update’ – what it means for businesses Discover what Google's helpful content update means for your website design and SEO strategies and how to stop your website slipping down the rankings.

It may surprise you, but the humble FAQ page can be a major winner when it comes to boosting SEO and conversions.

A Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page) answers key questions your customers may have. It focuses on customer needs and is designed to help them convert.

An FAQ page can help with your SEO because it naturally uses a lot of your keywords – your products, services and geographical area etc. It also uses lots of H2 headings and phrases questions like search terms e.g. ‘Does my business need a website?’ – these work well for boosting your SEO.

FAQ pages also improve customers’ journeys by answering their queries and removing obstacles like concerns over delivery and returns etc. without having to contact you.

If you’re considering creating an FAQ page for your website, be sure to visit our blog. You'll discover even more benefits and you can also download a free FAQ page checklist.

The 9-point checklist has been put together by our web design and copywriting experts to help you to create a first-rate FAQ page - so what are you waiting for? Check out the blog now!

Why your website needs an FAQ page Adding an FAQ page can help you improve your SEO and customer journey, resulting in increased conversions and ranking higher in search listings.

Keeping visitors on your website longer could help you to increase conversions and improve your search engine rankings.

In our latest blog, we run through some essential web design and copywriting actions to increase your dwell time.

Discover how to...
+ Quickly establish trust and authority,
+ Reduce page load times,
+ Use exit intent pop-ups,
and much more!

Check out the blog for more detail.

How to Increase Dwell Time & Keep Visitors on Your Website Longer Keeping visitors on your website longer could help you to increase conversions and improve your search engine rankings. Discover essential web design and copywriting actions to increase your dwell time.

Social media - we all use it, but are you using it to its full effect for your business?

Adopting a strategic approach to social media will help you connect with audiences more and should increase engagement.

Follow our 8 step guide to creating a social media strategy.

8 steps to create a social media strategy for 2022 Developing a social media strategy will help you to post consistently on social media in a way that benefits your business. We walk through 8 simple steps to creating a social media strategy for your business.

Do you find it hard to source quality free images, videos and icons for your blog or website? If so, help is at hand!

We've compiled a list of our favourite free stock media websites. For each website we've listed the types of media you'll find there and what we love about that particular website.

From Canva to Vecteezy, come check out our list!

7 free stock media websites for images, videos & icons A list of free stock media websites to find images, videos, vectors, illustrations and more to use in your web design, email marketing, blogging and social media projects.

If you have a website, you'll want to check out our list of 28 essentials that every business owner needs to know.

From design to SEO and digital marketing our bite-size list will help you make changes to your website that will improve your web discoverability and get more traffic to your site.

Get started today by visiting our blog.

28 website essentials that every business owner needs to know Covering design, functionality, SEO, content, and sales and marketing; we run through 28 essentials that all business website owners need to know.

Make sure your website copywriting is making the best first impression by avoiding these common copywriting mistakes.

Become a copywriting ace by learning how to write with your audience in mind, getting your keyword density right and more!

Avoid these common website copywriting mistakes Make sure your website copywriting is making the best first impression by avoiding these common copywriting mistakes. Become a copywriting ace by learning how to write with your audience in mind, getting your keyword density right and more.

Dwell time and bounce rate are both measures of website user behaviour...but do you know the difference?

Dwell time measures the time between a user clicking on a link in a page of search listings (e.g. on Google) and when they return from that website to the search listings. Dwell time, therefore, reflects the total time away from search listings on a website (across however many pages a user visits).

Bounce rate measures how quickly a user navigates away from a website after visiting a single page.

The QuayClick blog is full of useful articles on web design, marketing and content creation for small business owners.

Our aim is to help small businesses navigate the crowded world of marketing, web and technology and pick up essential tips to help them market their business and increase website traffic.

Our recent articles include features on blogging, brand identity, website copywriting, e-commerce, web design and conversion rate optimisation.

Check out the blog today at https://www.quayclick.co.uk/blog