One of the best perks of using WordPress for your business website is that this platform allows for straightforward setup and endless customization. If your plugins don’t give you what you need for your business, you could be missing out on revenue, traffic, and new customers. Take a look at these WordPress plugins you need now to make your website better than ever.

Yoast

Yoast SEO is one of the most popular WordPress plugin of all time.

There’s a reason this plugin is at the top of every good web designer’s list. It’s ideal for implementing search engine optimization (SEO) best practices on any website, and you’ll need it if you want to help your website rise to the top of the search page. Out of all the WordPress SEO plugins, Yoast offers the most comprehensive solution with all the features and tools that you need to improve your on-page SEO.

** Note that while Yoast SEO is easy to install and set up, you’ll need a mid-level understanding of SEO to make the most of it.

It helps you to:

• Add Meta Data
• Generate Sitemaps
• Noindex Pages
• Optimize your sitemaps to include the page-types, post-types, and archives that you want to be indexed by Google’s crawlers
• Connect your site to Google Search Console
• Optimize your website for social media
• Add Schema Code
• and more!

Gravity Forms

With more nearly two decades in the industry, we have tried all types of forms for our clients on WordPress, and Gravity Forms is BY FAR the best solution for form submission on a website.

With Gravity forms, you can create custom forms on WordPress, which is great because you can configure your form, set up thank you pages to use as goal completions in Analytics, and choose the fields you want based on your business needs – It’s the easiest-to-use, secure, and reliable WordPress form builder plugin for your website.

Schema Pro

Creating a schema markup is no longer a task! Using the Premium version of Schema Pro, with a simple click and select interface you can set up a markup in minutes. All the markup configurations you will set are automatically applied to all selected pages & posts.

• Reviews. Perfect if you review Products, Movies, Books, Music, etc on your website.
• Local Business. Are you a local business? This is a must have Schema on your website.
• Article. Perfect for news & blogs to get enhances appearance in Google search results.
• Service. Provide any services? Let Google specifically know by implementing this Schema.
• Product. Let Google provide detailed information about your products in rich Search results.
• Course. Let your prospective students find you by marking up your course lists with Schema.
• Recipe. Let your recipes appear as rich card in Google when someone is searching for it.
• Person. Let Google know specific information about person with this Schema.
• Job Postings. Add structured data to the Job Posting page to get more relevant applicants.
• Software Application. Show off your software applications with star ratings in search results.
• Book. Make books on your website more discoverable in Google search.
• Event. Let more people discover your events through Google Search and Maps with this Schema.
• Video Object. Mark up your video content with structured data to make better search result.
• FAQ. Let users quickly access your FAQs and their answers in Google search results.
• How-to. Markup your how-to pages to be eligible to have a rich result.

Securi

Security should be a top priority for all online business owners. Sucuri offers a WordPress security plugin and web application firewall that is probably one of the best protection you can get for your site.

They monitor and protect your site from DDoS, malware threats, XSS attacks, brute force attacks, and basically every other type of attack. If you don’t have a firewall on your website, then you need to add one today.

WooCommerce

In 2015, Automattic (the company that owns WordPress) acquired WooCommerce and continues to improve it for its customers. This makes it one of the best e-commerce plugins for WordPress sites. WooCommerce has inventory management, has support for popular payment options like PayPal, and works for digital or physical goods. It’s a great tool whether you’re a small local business or international seller.

Smush

Great for image optimization and compression!

We use Smush to optimize images, turn on lazy load, resize, compress and improve Google Page Speed with this incredibly powerful and 100% free WordPress image smusher tool.

Click to download here.

iThemes Exchange

Not only does iThemes Exchange work with physical and digital goods, but it also has a subscription option for companies that sell memberships. This plugin is known for its quick setup and usability, though it lacks the strong developer community that WooCommerce has. However, if you have a small operation and don’t have need for many bells and whistles, this option could be for you.

WP eCommerce

WP eCommerce has been helping businesses since 2006, though some users are moving toward other plugins like WooCommerce to manage their online orders. Like WooCommerce, WP eCommerce is free and adds a shopping cart features to your WordPress site. The main advantage of WP eCommerce is that it offers PayPal Standard and PayPal Pro for payment gateways, along with other options in its extensions.

Cart66 Cloud

Cart66 Cloud is the only paid plugin on this list (available for $95 per year), but its functionality makes it worth it for many business owners. Other plugins have free options but then charge the customer for premium features and extensions. Cart66 Cloud offers them all to customers who pay for their service. You might end up paying the same amount by the time you have the extension you want.

Elementor

Whether you’re selling products or services, landing pages are essential. With a plugin like Elementor, you can quickly and easily create landing pages that showcase your products and services, drive conversions, and generate sales. Use the plugin’s tried-and-true templates or get creative and make the ideal page for your audience. Since Elementor fits seamlessly with your WordPress theme, you don’t have to worry about changing designs or reconfiguring landing pages every time you update your site, either.

BackUpBreeze

When your website is the face of your business, you have to make sure it’s always on. Hacking problems and website fails can happen at any time, but if you back up your website regularly, you can get it up and running again in no time. BackUpBreeze makes website backups easy since you can quickly save essential files to your preferred cloud storage service.

Best Plugins for Lead Generation Websites

The best websites turn new visitors into returning customers. If your landings pages are making people bounce, check out these four WordPress plugins for improving lead generation.

OptinMonster

One of the main benefits of OptinMonster is its flexibility. You can easily create multiple lead generation forms for various campaigns and then organize them clearly for your sales team. If you’re unsure what type of call-to-action will work, use an A/B test to try out your forms against each other to see which ones work the best. You can also easily create forms with the drag and drop feature. OptinMonster isn’t free and has plans starting at $9 per month.

Sumo

More than 30,000 websites currently use Sumo including Airbnb, Canva, and BarkPost. When the top names trust a plugin to perform, you can too. No coding experience is needed to use this plugin, and its creators boast you can get its system running in 37 seconds. Sumo has tools to better capture leads and keep customers on your website longer.

HubSpot Marketing Free

The best way to market to your website visitors and turn them into customers is to learn who they are and what they want. To solve this, HubSpot created a free marketing suite with tools like lead generation forms, activity trackers, and analytics. This will give you more insight into how your audience ticks.

Scroll Triggered Boxes

Scroll Triggered Boxes has more than 9,000 active installs and has a five-star review on WordPress. The premise of this plugin is simple: after your customer has scrolled to a set point on the page, the plugin shares an opt-in banner to encourage them to sign up and receive more great content.

866-999-4736

The post Best SEO & Web Design WordPress Plugins for Your Website appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

In today’s digital landscape, nearly anyone can design and run a website, but not everyone succeeds at making their website truly effective. A website is much more than just pretty pictures and text—it requires strategic planning, well-crafted content, and seamless functionality to stand out from the competition, especially for industries like law firms where professionalism and clarity are paramount.

Ultimately, the success of a website hinges on how user-friendly it is. This guide will walk you through the key elements of a user-friendly website and how to win over your audience with a website homepage that excels in law firm website design and beyond.

What Should Be on the Home Page of a Website?

The homepage is often the first interaction users have with your website, making it the most crucial page to get right. Whether you’re focusing on law firm website design or another industry, your homepage should immediately communicate who you are, what you do, and how users can benefit from your services. Here are the essential components that every website homepage should include:

• Clear Value Proposition: Your homepage should clearly state what your business offers within seconds of landing on your page. This is especially important in law firm website design, where clarity and professionalism are key.

• Easy-to-Find Navigation: The main navigation menu should be intuitive and accessible, guiding users effortlessly to the information they seek. User-friendly website navigation is critical to keeping visitors engaged.

• Engaging Visuals: Use high-quality images and graphics that align with your brand’s message. Avoid clutter, but ensure the page is visually appealing.

• Call to Action (CTA): Encourage users to take the next step with prominent, strategically placed CTAs. This could be scheduling a consultation for a law firm or exploring services.

• Social Proof: Include testimonials, reviews, or client logos to build trust and credibility with new visitors. Social proof is an important element of a good website, particularly in industries that rely on reputation.

5 Important Elements of a User-Friendly Website

Many businesses, including law firms, make the mistake of prioritizing aesthetics or content over usability. However, user-friendly websites prioritize the user experience, making it easy for visitors to find what they need and take action. Below are the elements of a good website that are critical to user-friendly design.

1. Simple Website Navigation

A well-planned and easy-to-navigate website is crucial for user-friendliness. Clear, concise page titles and a logically organized menu bar are essential. Overcrowding the menu or burying important information can frustrate users and increase bounce rates. For law firm website design, it’s important to ensure that key information like practice areas, attorney profiles, and contact information are easy to find.

2. Aesthetic Appeal

While aesthetic appeal isn’t everything, it plays a significant role in user experience. A visually appealing website with professional, high-quality images and a clean layout can enhance usability. Consistent branding across your website strengthens your brand identity and makes your website more recognizable and trustworthy. This is particularly true in law firm website design, where a professional appearance can set the tone for client trust.

3. Responsive / Mobile Compatibility

With the majority of users accessing websites from mobile devices, mobile compatibility is non-negotiable. A responsive website adjusts seamlessly to different screen sizes, ensuring a smooth user experience regardless of the device. Test your site with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to ensure it meets mobile usability standards. Designing user-friendly web design that works well on mobile devices is crucial, especially for industries like law, where clients may be searching for legal services on the go.

4. Simple, Scannable Content

In today’s fast-paced world, users don’t have the time or patience for long blocks of text. Most users skim content, looking for key information. Make your content easy to scan by using clear, bold headings, subheadings, and bullet points. This approach helps users quickly find the information they need, improving the overall user experience. This is a critical aspect of creating a user-friendly website.

5. Quick Loading Time

A slow website can deter visitors and harm your search engine rankings. In fact, if your page takes longer than 6 seconds to load, you risk losing potential customers. Optimize your website’s speed by compressing images, minimizing the use of heavy scripts, and utilizing fast hosting solutions. A faster website not only enhances user experience but also boosts SEO performance. This is a key aspect of user-friendly website design.

Additional Resources for Creating a User-Friendly Website

Creating a user-friendly website involves understanding both your audience and the technical aspects of web design. Below are some additional resources that can help you refine your website:

• Google PageSpeed Insights: Analyze and optimize your website’s speed to ensure a user-friendly experience.

• Mobile-Friendly Test by Google: Ensure your website performs well on mobile devices.

• Yoast SEO: Improve your on-page SEO, making your site more accessible to search engines.

• Hotjar: Gain insights into user behavior on your website to make data-driven improvements.

Indicators of Website Success

Success in web design isn’t just about aesthetics or content; it’s about how well your site performs with its intended audience. Key indicators of a successful, user-friendly website include:

• Low Bounce Rate: Users engage with your content and explore multiple pages.

• High Conversion Rate: Visitors are taking the desired actions, whether it’s scheduling a consultation, filling out a contact form, or subscribing to a newsletter.

• Positive User Feedback: Consistent, positive feedback from users suggests that your website is meeting their needs.

• Search Engine Ranking: A user-friendly website often ranks higher on search engines due to better usability and optimized content.

The Importance of Social Proof

Incorporating social proof into your website design is a powerful way to build credibility. Whether through client testimonials, case studies, or user reviews, showing that others trust your services can significantly influence new visitors. This is especially important in law firm website design, where trust is a crucial factor in converting visitors into clients.

The Benefits of a User-Friendly Website

Investing in a user-friendly website offers numerous benefits:

• Improved User Experience: Easier navigation and faster load times create a more enjoyable experience for your visitors.

• Higher Search Engine Rankings: Search engines favor websites that provide a good user experience, which can boost your rankings.

• Increased Conversions: A well-designed website that’s easy to use encourages more visitors to convert into clients.

• Enhanced Brand Reputation: A professional, user-friendly website strengthens your brand’s reputation, making it more appealing to potential customers.

Looking For Professional Website Design?

If you’re in need of a user-friendly website that stands out in today’s competitive digital landscape, Exults is your go-to partner for internet success. Whether you need a website overhaul or a completely new design, our team has the expertise to take your project from concept to completion.

Ready to Elevate Your Online Presence?

Learn more about our mobile compatibility web design services and how we can help you create a user-friendly website that not only looks great but also drives results. Contact Exults today for a consultation.

The post Key Elements Every User-Friendly Website Should Have appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

4.2 billion people are active internet users. With that many potential eyes on your work, you have to make sure your web designs are modern and relevant. As we step into the new year, we must also step up our design game and learning design trends is a great way to do just that.

Here are 5 design trends you should know about as we head into 2019.

Asymmetrical Layouts

2019 website trends aren’t just about thinking outside the box, they’re actively breaking it.

Unless you’ve been living under a poorly designed rock, you’ll know about the grid system. A layout guide that’s been used for decades to help us maintain consistency, balance, and alignment in our designs.

Well, 2019 is breaking the grid. Asymmetrical layouts are easy to mess up. A great trend doesn’t make up for bad UX. But when applied with skill, asymmetrical layouts are an excellent way to add interest and depth to your designs.

Just remember to be consistent with your asymmetry. Establish your hierarchy and use repetition to ensure your users can navigate the page.

Animated Visuals

No, we’re not talking video, though that’s also a must-have when designing for the new generation of internet users. When we talk animated visuals, we’re discussing gifs and cinemagraphs.

If you’ve stepped foot onto any social media platform in the last decade, you’ll already know what a gif is. But what about cinemagraphs?

Cinemagraphs are static images that contain a single animated element. For example, a picture might show a coffee cup sitting on a table with the steam rising from the cup dynamically animated.

Gifs and cinemagraphs are both great ways to catch your audience’s attention without overwhelming them. The internet is a visually loud place — sometimes a well-placed whisper will get more attention than a bullhorn.

3D Photos

Facebook teased this new feature earlier this year and it quickly captured the interest of us web designers.

Through clever use of modern phone cameras and a cutting-edge algorithm, we’re now able to build a 3D map of the everyday images we take.

3D photos allow for innate, immersive interaction with images. When a user scrolls past them or tilts their phone, the photos respond like the image is a window into a diorama. It’s a great way to grab a user’s attention and keep them on your page.

Minimalism

Yep, it’s back. As the online world gets busier, the saying “less is more” is becoming more and more relevant.

Minimalistic websites make a massive impact on user behavior. Rather than being overwhelmed with stimuli, the audience is given clear, concise direction. 2019 will be the year we perfect this trend, shaving our content down to reduce load times and improve conversions.

Bring on the whitespace.

Mobile First

Responsive designs have been a mainstay for a while now, but earlier this year Google took our mass mobile migration a step further. Their indexing algorithm will now consider the mobile content of your site, rather than the desktop.

Modern web design mustn’t just incorporate mobile usability, it should actively prioritize it.

Be Savvy About Web Design Trends

The web design industry moves fast so you should too. Staying on top of current design trends is essential for industry success.

Employing asymmetrical layouts, animated visuals, cutting-edge tech, and tried and tested techniques will help you keep your designs relevant, modern, and effective. And what better way to ring in the new year?

Want to learn from the year behind us? Here are the top 4 standout SEO trends of 2018.

The post Facing Forward: 5 Web Design Trends to Use in 2023 appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Don’t let how it sounds scare you; An API simply means an Application Programming Interface. So, a Google Map API is an already programmed app software that allows you to display maps on your website, and that’s all there is to it. Let’s take a brief look at the four primary functions a Google API does;

1. It causes maps to crop up for the user.
2. It provides data about a latitudinal or a longitudinal location.
3. It allows us demand maps from Google.
4. It permits us to request an address from Google.

Google launched its Google Map to our delight thirteen years ago. Ever since then, Google has undergone various transformations and also changed multiple policies. They recently announced an update to their Google Map API, calling it the Google Map Platform- their next generation Google map business. It encompasses API products and new solutions to boost innovation.

So what does the Google Map API update change?

In May this year, Google updated their Google maps API platform where they streamlined eighteen individual APIs into three core products; Maps, Places, and Routes. Google also announced a new pricing scheme for firms making use of the Google Maps APIs to convey customized maps, places and routes exposure for their users. These announcements ended confusing the public the more, so here’s a rundown through the most significant changes and what they connote for prolific users of Google Maps Platform.

1. The new pay as you go model: Google maps API platform will move to a pay as you go arrangement from June 2018. Google gave developers an extra month lead. So while the product’s updates began on the 11th of June 2018, the new pricing took effect from 16th July 2018.

2. First $200 worth of API calls are free: Google’s new pricing policy for their map platform is “freemium” in all shades as every user is entitled to make $200 worth of API calls for no charge each month. In more precise terms, this implies that;

Users can get up to 28,000 worth of free loads of Dynamic maps.

• Users can get up to 40,000 free directions calls.
• Users can get up to 40,000 free Geolocation calls.
• Users can get up to 100,000 free loads of static maps.

3. All projects will need to have an official API key linked to a Credit or Billing card: The scary part for many developers will be the credit card policy. Their cards will be billed if users exceed the number of free API requests.
This change may make many software application developers to seek other alternatives to the Google Map Platform. Users can, however, find solace in the fact that the new map platform offers simplified pricing, scalable solutions, and streamlined products.

If you have any questions regarding web design or digital marketing strategies for your business, call Exults today at 866-999-4736!

The post All you need to know about the updated Google Map API appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

If you haven’t done a website upgrade in a few years, it could mean that your website could use a refreshment to better represent your product or service.

Your website needs to be user-friendly, content-driven and relevant to draw in potential customers. If it’s none of these things, then the big question is:

Are You in Need of a Website Upgrade?

There are many ways to determine if your website is doing more harm than good.

So ask yourself the following questions:

Is It Mobile-Friendly?

With so many people working remotely, the days of accessing the internet exclusively from a PC or desktop are dwindling.

So your customers – and potential customers – need to be able to switch between devices with different screen sizes. That means your website must be able to adapt to these various screen sizes. If you fail to comply to converting to a mobile responsive site, it could mean that users will lose interest. Today’s generation loses interest within seconds – often because there are a million other options and why waste your time on an ancient site that you can’t read anything on?

Is It Easy to Navigate?

Your website has about four seconds to make an impression.

So if your navigation is a confusing maze that’s hard to follow, users are not going to stick around.

Your website should do the following:

• Sum up your core services
• Make information simple to find
• Clarify where the viewer is on the site and where to go next
• Provide a clear call-to-action (CTA)on the service or product page
• Be mobile-friendly

Even if your site is not severely disorganized, your viewer should never get lost or have trouble finding info.

Does It Have a Blog?

If not, get one.

Blogging is the best way for you to connect with your readers and customers on a personal level.

You can use it to share tips, advice, articles or whatever else interests your readers. And it puts you in a position of authority.

Another plus?

Since Google favors sites with fresh content, having a blog is an amazing way to boost your SEO.

Can You Control Necessary Changes?

Back in the old days – i.e. a few years ago – some designers made a habit of coding in languages that made changes virtually impossible. After all, making those changes was a part of their bread and butter.

But times have changed.

You should be able to get into the backend of your website to make any needed changes. Without that internal control of your website, you’re losing out on a lot of opportunities to sell.

Is it SSL Certified?

SSL certificates are no longer an option or added bonus – they are a must if you want your website to be up to par with best practice. Not sure what it does? SSL Certificates

• Protect your website’s sensitive information
• Increase Google rankings
• Enhances customer trust
• Keeps data secure between servers
• Improves conversion rates

Is Your Website a Relic?

If you answered any of the above five questions with a “no,” then a website upgrade is definitely in order.

But don’t worry. You don’t have to go at it alone.

Feel free to contact us to find out how our custom website designers can help you make the most of your website. And start getting that traffic you deserve.

The post 5 Reasons Why You Need a Website Upgrade appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Investing in a website is a big decision for your business. Afterall, your new website will be the first engagement point for the majority of your customers. After over 17 years in business, we’ve seen it all. To help make your decision a little easier, we’ve put together some questions you should consider asking your Web Developer before retaining them.

Will I own all of the collateral produced?

This is the number one answer that you should be clear on before proceeding with having your new website developed. Several agencies will provide you with a template as a fast, low-cost solution, but in many cases, that template will ultimately belong to them.

Some agencies have their own content management system (CMS) that they will build your site on. In both scenarios, it means should you choose to part ways, you can’t take your website with you.

Not only does this result in a lot of frustration, but there will also be unplanned expenses with a forced redevelopment that can lead to a hasty decision for your next website. It’s better to take your time with such a big decision so that you can research several options and find the one that will be the best fit for your business.

What platform will you be building my site on?

The preferred platform for building websites is WordPress. It’s open source, search engine friendly, customizable, and is constantly being updated. That’s important for a CMS because it helps to reduce security risks.

Another benefit of WordPress is that it’s extremely user-friendly. Your in-house marketing team (or your digital marketing agency) will be able to manage the site long term without any major complications. Other platforms lack the support and functionality available with WordPress just from sheer lack of users.

Is content included?

If you don’t have an existing website to pull content from, consider asking if content is included in the quote. Many agencies (ours included) have in-house content writers that can assist you, but because the majority of our clients come to us with websites already, content is not included in our standard quotes.  

Will my website be responsive?

When Google first started to focus on mobile compatibility, they recommended having a mobile site. As millions of websites across the internet built mobile-only versions of their website, the bandwidth needed to regularly crawl and index every site doubled. Now, Google’s preferred format is responsive design. Instead of a standalone mobile site, a responsive website scales up or down depending on the device you are viewing it on.

Responsive websites are easier to manage long-term, too. Instead of having to maintain and update information on two separate websites, you can focus all energy and resources into one.

Are licensed stock photos included?

Stock photos need to be properly purchased to avoid copyright infringement fines which can wind up costing you thousands of dollars. While the idea may seem far-fetched, it’s actually very common. Stock photo companies regularly scan for their images to ensure they are properly licensed.

If the agency you select to build your website doesn’t include stock photos in their pricing, you’ll need to plan for additional costs that can amount to thousands depending on the size of your website and the number of photos needed. Always be sure to ask what’s included in the price of website design so you can plan ahead for added expenses.

Will I be able to easily make edits?

Just like there’s more than one way to bake a cake, there is definitely more than one way to build a website. Because website design and development is not a standardized practice, each developer will have their own way of doing things. So even though you may be familiar with the CMS your new website is being developed in there will almost certainly be differences in the way it’s actually built.  

You’ll want to verify whether your new website is being built to accommodate text edits at the very least. While it’s normal to expect a developer to make more complex functionality changes, you should be able to add or adjust content as needed relatively easily.

Is an SSL Certificate included?

SSL certificates went from an added bonus to a requirement in no time flat. Now that it’s best practice for websites to have an SSL certificate installed be sure to ask ahead of time if the cost to purchase the certificate is included in your website design quote, or it will need to be purchased separately. If the cost of an SSL certificate isn’t included in your quote you’ll want to check that the installation and implementation of the certificate is.

What kind of website security measures will be put in place?

You may have heard that WordPress is the most commonly exploited CMS. While that statistic is true, it’s also misleading because that’s more a factor of its popularity than a vulnerability issue. The easiest way to bolster your website’s security is to make sure your new website is on a WordPress managed hosting environment (our recommendation is WP Engine).

Managed hosting is a useful first step, but your developer should be including added security features for next-level protection against hacking.

Hopefully we’ve given you some insight into the most common questions we think clients should be asking. It’s important to know as much as possible about the final product you’ll be delivered before agreeing to a quote so when your website is complete, you’ll be left with a useful tool that will help grow your business.

Check out the Exults web design portfolio to explore the different industries we’ve created unique and compelling designs for, or contact our development team for an evaluation of what Exults Internet Marketing Agency can do for your brand.

The post Questions to Ask Your Web Developer appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Make It Mobile Friendly

Website design isn’t just limited to the desktop. Having a responsive site that emphasizes mobile compatibility is essential. A mobile-friendly site ensures that visitors using all types of devices can access every page and consume each piece of content, including purchasing a product or learning more about your business. Think about when you’ve come across a desktop format on mobile. It’s never pleasant to have one long line of text that forces you to horizontally scroll side to side to read anything. It’s difficult enough to have online conversions, when navigating a site isn’t simple or easy-to-use, consumers will move on to a business that is mobile compatible.

Take Advantage of Landing Pages

Landing pages let you narrow your focus and remove the clutter from your pages that could distract your visitor from taking the action you want them to take. Every page of your website should serve a purpose, and landing pages are designed to convert visitors. You’ll get the most out of these lucrative pages with simple designs, effective calls to action (CTAs), and limited distractions, to effectively help you drive business.

Use Better Calls to Action

Unsure of what a call-to-action is? A call-to-action is an image or text that prompts your website visitors to take action. CTAs don’t belong just on landing pages. You should be using them on virtually every page of your website. If your blog posts, product pages, or even your contact page isn’t generating the responses you want, more effective CTAs can go a long way toward prompting action and getting results.

Speed Things Up

If you’ve noticed that visitors don’t tend to spend much time on your website, poor CTAs or bad content may not be the culprits. Instead, your site may load too slowly, which can cause visitors to give up and move on before they even get the chance to get to know your brand and learn about your products. Excellent design, compressed images, and a great user interface are all smart first steps to boost your website’s speed and keep users on your site.

Don’t have the time or the design skills to implement these web hacks? We’re here to help. Contact Exults to get the professional website your brand needs.

The post 4 Web Design Hacks For Your Company appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Around this time last year, the Florida Senate proposed a bill that would make computer coding count as a foreign language in schools. This bill made a lot of sense. You don’t need us to tell you that the world is becoming more reliant on tech.

Unfortunately, there was enough people who didn’t think this bill was a good idea. Here’s what one prominent opponent had to say about the proposed bill…

“If you’re going to consider computer science as a language — a foreign language, not just a language — why not consider music? You can write it, you can read it, it’s been around for millenia, right? They’re different forms of communication and expression, but they’re not interchangeable.” – Alberto Carvalho, Miami-Dade Superintendent (source: Miami Herald)

We can respectfully disagree with Alberto (and we do). The tuba or drum don’t help you communicate with other cultures. Obviously, a foreign language does. And if you don’t think coding helps people communicate with other cultures, than you clearly haven’t heard of Facebook, WhatsApp, Skype, Hangouts, and Twitter.

We’re not saying that a kid SHOULD learn coding, but it should definitely be an option and it should DEFINITELY count towards a foreign language. Take 1 lesson on coding, and tell me that it doesn’t require the same level of focus, memorization, and a similar skill set for learning French. Think about all of the technology that is evolving around us. By adding computer coding to the repertoire of foreign languages, this gives each child the chance to participate in the evolving, digital world.

If you disagree with our sentiment, please comment with your thoughts in the box below. We’d love to have a healthy debate. 

Moving beyond the topic of whether or not coding should be a called a foreign language…

The future involves coding

We want the best for our kids. Learning a foreign language helps them better prepare for the future. Part of the future is getting a good job in this new tech-centric economy (and maybe build some cool websites). Computer coding is in high demand now, and that demand continues to dramatically rise.

If your kid can learn both Spanish and coding– more power to them. However, if it’s too difficult to learn both, coding should be considered as their foreign language. That’s all we’re saying.

Now for a little fun…

What language did the Exults employees take in high school?

Shocker! Most of our team took Spanish classes growing up, but a few didn’t. Take a look at our team graphic that unveils which language each of our marketing specialists took in high school. Instead of writing Spanish over and over again, we decided to have a little fun and include some key phrases from the language that they learned. Feel free to chuckle

If you want to speak in a foreign language (or English) with one of our specialists, feel free to call us at (866) 999-4736 or head to our contact page. 

The post Is Coding a Foreign Language? appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

What is SEO and Does it Work?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is an internet marketing buzz word for acquiring organic traffic to your website. While search engine’s reasoning for searching, locating, and ranking a site may remain a mystery for you, SEO experts understand there are words used by the audience in different niches to find the content they want. It is such words, called keywords that become the ingredient used for SEO activities to get your website discovered by search engines.

However, knowing the proper search words (keywords) is one problem down; the ability to use it the right way is another hurdle a site owner needs to cross to optimize their site. It is here that SEO specialist service is required. Noting that putting too much of search words in a single document may result in keyword stuffing and it’s punishable by search engines.

What is PPC and How Does it Work?

Marketing is an activity that cuts across every buying and selling endeavor. In a brick and mortar business, traditional marketing activities like advertising, trade shows, word of mouth, direct mail and other inbound and outbound activities happen. In internet marketing, various concepts and ideas also happen, and one of them is PPC.

PPC stands for pay-per-click. It is an advertiser’s method to pay for ads that are clicked by the potential customers. Clicking means the advertising company has successfully delivered an ad before a potential audience and they get paid for the job done. The system is software driven that collects valid clicked ads to compute the worth of the clicks.

Web Design News

Every internet stakeholder needs to keep tabs on web design news to understand trends and activities in your industry. A web design strategy that brings a difference in the architecture of your site may be the edge you need to stand out. You may have heard site owners complaining bitterly how their optimizing efforts aren’t getting the compensatory response, in terms of ranking and visibility, from search engines. The reasoning for that may be because the site is not mobile-friendly or built with responsive design.

Not many web owners suspect the architecture of their sites to be the issue; they keep spending more money on SEO, marketing, content, and so on without commensurate improvement on their site. Is your website mobile compliant and do you know what that means? Following web design news will open your eyes to such news and how it affects your site’s overall performance.

Google News

You may have heard of Google updates like Penguin, Panda, Hummingbird, and news about algorithms that directly affect your site. The free news aggregator provided by Google allows you to choose among thousands of news websites to get regular updates on relevant issues affecting your business.

Keeping up to date with Google News on current issues in your niche gives you an edge over the competition and makes you a champion in your market.

Not sure where to get started with digital marketing? Contact us today and we’ll be happy to give you some guidance!

The post Does Digital Marketing Work? appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.

Too often we are asked to review websites where a clear goal action is not communicated to the visitor. The true question is, “Where is the carrot?” What goal or action do you want the visitor to take?

Websites must evolve to get your visitor to take the action you want them to.

Many websites neglect the priority of space utilization. This area begins with the main website navigation area – most commonly the horizontal navigation across the top of the page. Too often a website’s navigation reads “Home, Services, About Us, Testimonials, Contact Us.” The odds are a high percentage of your competition will have the same navigation points as well.

So how can you stand out from the crowd? What do you do? Here are some initial thought provoking questions: What are your top 3 service offerings? Or, who is your main audience?

These are all angles to help you focus on your website direction. Let your instinct guide your website messaging and design, not your competition. This will be a big step in making your website convert more effectively.

The post Why are we here? A website self-discovery. appeared first on Exults Digital Marketing Agency.