Wagstaff LLP
Developing a Digital Marketing Plan for Your Law Firm
Get Found. Stand Out From the Rest.
If your law firm has had a set-it-and-forget it web presence, make this your year to give that marketing philosophy another look. You will likely discover that certain tactics will increase the number of clients you serve, and ultimately increase your profits. As you assemble the key elements necessary to create a strong, professional brand in your market, it’s important to remember that the foundational component of your marketing plan is your website.
As you plan an online marketing strategy for your law firm, we recommend three fundamental ingredients. First focus your attention on your website. Then, create a strategy for a content development plan. Lastly, follow your content plan with a distribution plan.
Prepare to Make a Digital Marketing Plan for Your Firm.
Assess and Identify: What’s working and what’s not working?
Before you jump into a new digital marketing strategy for your law firm, before you think about revamping your website, before you create a social media post, take an assessment of your current site and see how well it has performed for you. Some pages likely have worked well to attract visitors to your website, and engaged them with a call to action.
Furthermore, some pages on your website likely get very little traffic and underperform. So look at your website analytics and let the data tell the story. If you don’t know how to do this, find an agency, like Jemully Media, that has the tools. A good agency can give you the information you need to understand the health of your current website. And they can deliver a diagnosis and a plan for a stronger future.
What questions should your website data answer?
The following questions should give your law firm some insight into how well your current website is accomplishing your marketing goals.
- How much traffic does your site get each month?
- Where does that traffic come from?
- Is the traffic generated from online search, links from other websites, or links to your website from social media?
- Which pages on your website receive the most traffic?
- Are there pages on your website that are not working for you? Could you add more keywords and content to help those pages perform better?
- Are there gaps in information that could be opportunities for generating new clients? Are there common questions that potential clients might ask in a search engine query that your firm could answer?
- What keywords could be more densely incorporated into the site to help improve your SEO?
Identify All of Your Audience
Once you have identified the good and the not-so-good about the performance of your current website, you can utilize that information as the basis of a new plan. The next part of the identification process calls for you to establish a clear picture of your potential clients. In determining your audience, do not forget that you may actually have multiple audiences, based on your firm’s areas of practice. As you enumerate the audience groups, keep in mind that each audience has its own unique questions. In answering these, you can get their attention. Make note of some of the questions that come to mind for each group. You can weave these questions into your marketing plan later in the process.
Create a Digital Marketing Plan for Your Law Firm: A 2-Step Process
In the following section, we introduce you to two steps in the process of creating a marketing plan. We will paint with pretty broad strokes and save the details for another post. This is not an exhaustive marketing plan. But it addresses the most important and foundational pieces. Pieces that take your firm a long way towards the success you envision. The two steps of planning can be relegated to two buckets: (1) your website, and (2) getting your website found. Another way of saying it is: (1) build your hub online, and (2) attract visitors to your hub using content.
PART 1 – Plan Your Website: Your Hub Online.
We begin with your website because it is the only place on the web where you will have total control and ownership of what is published about your firm. That’s why we refer to your website as your online “hub.” Everywhere else should be viewed more like rented property where you have to comply with the property owners’ terms and limitations. This is true of Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, law firm directory listings, and such.
Your website should consist of a multi-page custom-designed site that you own. Why do we recommend a custom-designed site as opposed to a pre-built GoDaddy, Wix, or Weebly website? It’s about your professional reputation. You are in the business to project an image of trust and authority. If you choose to represent your firm online in a canned, pre-fab package, you are communicating an image of quick-and-easy versus sturdy, reliable, and forward-thinking.
Consider WordPress
Our recommendation is to build your website on a WordPress platform. WordPress has 43% of the market share. According to W3Techs, that 43% translates to “a content management system market share of 65.3%.” The next closest competitor to WordPress is the eCommerce website platform with 6.7% of the market share.
Factors to consider in your web design
As you consider factors for your website design, user experience should be at the top of your list. Easy-to-navigate menus and a logical page hierarchy need to be well-planned with your web development team, as well as a selection of a professional and modern layout and typography. Lastly, in the development planning, be sure to request mobile responsiveness. While most people today use a combination of desktop device and a mobile device, Broadband Search points out that, as of early 2022, in terms of market share, mobile was commanding 56% of the global traffic. And that mobile trend will continue to rise.
What pages will you have on your website?
When you get to the place where you are planning out the pages of your site, it’s there that you’ll need to revisit the data from your existing website. Make an outline for the pages of your new site that keeps the content that worked well for you. Then add to the outline a list of revamped or new pages to fill the gaps of information that were left unaddressed on your old site.
PART 2 – Promotion: Plan how your law firm’s website will get found.
Once you know what information you want on your website and how you want to present it, you are ready to move to the next phase of your planning. You will determine how you will get your site in front of the various audiences of potential clients. There are fives ways your site can be reached. A visitor can:
- Type in the web address from a business card, billboard, or brochure
- Click a link from search results
- Click a link from social media
- Click a link from an email newsletter
- Click a link from a paid advertisement
Audience Specific
The first way visitors may reach your site is not a result of a digital communication. So we will not include direct access to your site in this discussion. The second, third, and fourth items in the list above are all “organic.” Organic marketing is also referred to as “inbound marketing.” The Business Department at the University of Alabama describes it thusly:
“Commonly referred to as inbound marketing, the organic approach is essentially the modern marketer’s way to utilize word-of-mouth messaging. The idea is to take advantage of social media and online search engines to share relevant content targeted to a specific audience.”
Think “Organic.” Think “Inbound.”
The benefits of organic, inbound marketing is that “51 percent of today’s website traffic comes from organic search and over 40 percent of revenue is the result of organic traffic.” Organic digital marketing is the most productive method when compared to direct access to your site and paid advertising. It is well worth the investment it takes to focus on a content-driven strategy that delivers solid results over time. You will find that the value of your content continues to increase and produce results year-after-year.
The last item on the list of ways to get visitors to your website is purchasing paid advertising. Paid digital advertising can be a tool to jump your website to the top of a search results page. However, for some consumers, paid digital marketing is sometimes skipped over. Some view paid ads as less trusted sources than the organic search results.
A Good Law Firm Marketing Plan Needs Content That Works
In this phase of lining out your digital marketing strategy, you will develop a plan for content creation. The fact of the matter is this. The more content you have on your site, the greater the keyword density you have on your your site. This in turn brings more opportunities for your content to appear in the Google search results, when your potential clients are using Google to deliver their search results. A thorough use of keywords within your content is important, as keywords serve as indicators to the search engine algorithm as to what your website and specifically your articles are about. This brings us to the topic of planning your content with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind.
On-Page SEO
SEO is vitally important to the viability of your website. SEO is best described as the process of helping your site stay visible to the major search engines so your practice can be found in the organic (not paid) searches. Each web page, and each blog article you will add, needs to be optimized with key words (as mentioned before), but also with other signals such as descriptions, and a hierarchal page structure that gives signals to Google, Bing, and Duck-Duck-Go. Because search engines regularly update their guidelines, it is important to monitor the latest changes to the search engine algorithm that determine which pages get to display. Then, as changes occur in the algorithm, your website may need to be tweaked to comply.
On-Going SEO
Once your website is live and you have pages on your site that tell about the firm, each attorney, and your areas of practice, we recommend a strategy of regular blogging. This is the inbound marketing, or content marketing, that we referred to earlier. When you consistently add new articles to your website, those articles signal Google that your site is not static. Google gives preference to websites that are updated frequently. Google also prefers websites that provide good, informative answers to queries that searchers ask. These articles that answer questions become a resource for potential clients who are looking for an attorney. Your website can become a go-to source of helpful information.
Develop a Plan for Distributing Your Content
Lastly, your digital marketing plan should culminate with a strategy for distributing your content. We recommend using various social media channels. These three elements, your web + your content + your social media, work together to exert a positive impact on your website’s search engine optimization, helping your firm stand out from the rest, and helping you to attract new clients. LinkedIn, Facebook, and even Instagram and Pinterest can be used as marketing tools to get your content in front of potential clients.
Maybe you are asking, “What should we post on social media?” It is always good to create social posts about your various services and the areas of law that your attorneys practice. Include some posts about your community and your attorneys’ community involvement.
Multi-Purpose Your Content
Most importantly, create posts from the content of your blog. This is where you will stand apart from the competition.
Why would your firm want to use social media at all? It’s back to Google. Google measures your presence on social media along with your followers’ engagement with your social media posts as part of their page ranking algorithm. Google tracks each time a social media post is clicked and a visitor comes to your website. Therefore, it is another must-have in the line-up of page rank tools.
Summary of the Steps to Creating a Law firm Marketing Plan
- Prepare for the plan by analyzing your current website. What’s working? What is not?
- Identify all of your audiences.
- List the pages your firm needs on its website.
- Determine how your website will get found.
- SEO – On-page keywords, description, and hierarchical layout
- Blogging – Long-term plan for inbound/content marketing
- Social Media – Distribution plan to build links back to your website
These few steps will help you build a solid marketing foundation for your firm. You will reap the benefits over time if you consistently add new content and push that content out to multiple social media platforms. It is a proven formula for success.
Importance of Content in SEO: A Guide to Creating Killer Content
Importance of Content in SEO: A Guide to Creating Killer Content
Search engine optimization (SEO), a buzzword in the digital media space, matters greatly to online marketing success. SEO supplies the key to unlocking powerful organic visibility and growth for businesses online, but attaining such success becomes almost impossible without high-quality content.
Without great content, Google won’t notice you! If your content doesn’t pass “Google’s algorithm test,” it won’t appear in the search results, at least not high enough to be noticed. Consumers click on the top-ranked search results. And they won’t stay in the hunt long, so “ranking high” becomes imperative. But good content – timely and relevant – can change that for an online marketer.
That said, understanding how to create killer content that Google loves puts you in the chase for increased keyword ranking and visibility.
What follows are actionable steps on how to create killer content that will attract organic visitors and make your website or blog stand out. So read on to find out why content matters so much for SEO and what you need to do to write excellent content!
What Is SEO and How Does It Work?
SEO stands for “Search Engine Optimization,” the process of optimizing web pages and content so as to rank higher on Google’s search engine results page (SERP). The process calls for using keywords, backlinks, and other techniques to improve a webpage’s ranking.
SEO-optimized content helps Google’s web-crawling bots to more easily analyze the value and intention of your post. Accordingly, this allows Google to more handily index and rank your webpage or blog post, hopefully favorably. When that happens, you get more organic visitors to your website, ultimately resulting in increased conversions, sales, and ROI.
When users search on Google, they see a list of webpages that were summoned up based on the nature of the search and the likelihood of those (ranked) webpages being able to satisfy it. This is why your content must be well-optimized for SEO.
Understand, too, that SEO is a long-term strategy, not a one-off tactic, as it takes time to see results.
So if you want your website to rank higher on Google’s search engine results page and increase organic visibility, you need to ensure that the content you are creating is optimized for SEO.
Why Is Content So Important in SEO?
Content, the lifeblood of SEO, wins your website increasingly better domain authority and that, too, improves the SERP rankings of your individual web pages. So called “on-page SEO” can be done on each individual page, and that is critical. Especially the steps of declaring a “designated keyword” (or key phrase) for the page in question. But apart from that, just adding more good content with regularity supplies a vital aspect of SEO. That’s why so many marketers say that “content is SEO.”
In the digital age, content is king – it’s the only way to ensure your website stands out from the competition and makes an impression on potential customers.
Here are the top 6 reasons why a well-crafted content strategy can make all the difference in SEO success.
1. Content Helps Create Visibility in Search Engines and Improve Ranking
When website owners create high-quality, keyword-rich content, they increase the chances that their site will be found by those searching for relevant topics. SEO algorithms are designed to detect well-written, relevant, high quality content.
Creating valuable content gives you an advantage over competitors seeking ranking for the same keywords you promote.
2. Content Helps Build Credibility for Your Brand and Website
Quality content establishes trust with visitors and potential customers alike. By providing value through informative content such as blogs, articles, white papers, industry reports, and infographics, website owners can show their expertise on a given topic or industry and establish the quality of their brand.
This translates into increased trust from visitors and potential customers, which can lead to more conversions over time.
3. Quality Content Encourages Social Sharing
When users find exciting articles or blog posts, they often share them on social media channels like Twitter or Facebook – which gives you an extra boost of visibility that wouldn’t happen without great content being published.
Good social sharing metrics also help improve search engine rankings as well. It all adds up. When Google sees that your webpages draw traffic from social media platforms, via backlinks, Google decides that your webpages have added authority and appeal.
4. Quality Content Creates Opportunities for Link Building
Links are one of the most important ranking factors in SEO. And quality content helps you build links. When other websites find your helpful content and link to it, this sends signals to search engines that your page is essential and should be ranked highly. And, of course, higher rankings can lead to more organic web traffic… exactly what businesses want!
5. Content Helps Establish You as an Authority
When users find accurate, helpful information on your site, they feel more confident about their purchase decisions, which boosts conversion rates for that page or product – provided you have created engaging copy that speaks directly to the reader’s needs and aspirations.
That authority can also help build relationships with trusted sources, such as influencers and Google itself! As such, investing in quality writing services or editorial staff is strongly recommended if you want to see real improvement in website rankings over time.
6. Quality Content Supports Other Marketing Efforts
Lastly, quality content can support other marketing strategies like link-building campaigns by providing opportunities for potential link partners interested in sharing your work due to its high-quality nature.
Plus, it serves as great fodder for email newsletters since users enjoy receiving updates from businesses that engage them with exciting topics throughout their journey down the sales funnel!
Writing Killer Content for SEO: A Step-by-Step Guide
Now that we have established why content carries so much importance in SEO, we will dive into the nitty-gritty of how you can create killer content that will help you rank higher in Google’s SERPs.
This step-by-step guide will help you create content that boosts your rankings and draws in more website visitors.
Set Clear Goals and Objectives
Before starting any project, set clear goals and objectives. What do you want to achieve with your content? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive more sales? Taking the time to define purposeful objectives will ensure that your efforts are focused and successful.
You can also use these objectives to develop an editorial calendar that outlines the topics you want to cover and when they should be published. This will help keep your content organized and consistent.
Establish Your Target Audience
It’s essential to determine your target audience before you even begin writing so that you can craft compelling messages that resonate with them and motivate them to take action.
Identifying who they are, and understanding their needs, challenges, interests, pain points, goals, and the ways they like to consume information (e.g., blog posts, infographics, eBooks) gives you valuable insights into what kind of content interests them.
Research and Choose Relevant Keywords
Once you know your audience, you may research and choose keywords to assist Google to appraise your content. For SEO success, your content must be optimized for your target keywords so Google can index and rank it.
You can use keyword research tools to help you find the most relevant keywords for your content, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, Ahrefs, or Moz’s Keyword Explorer, to identify popular terms related to your topic that people are searching for online.
Create an Outline
Outlining takes you further toward creating killer content for SEO, as it helps ensure consistency throughout each piece of content while providing structure from which writers can work.
Outlining also allows editors or copywriters to easily understand the message being conveyed without having to guess or make assumptions about what the author is trying to communicate.
Create Intriguing Headlines That Grab Attention
Good headlines engage users and draw them into your content. Try to include numbers because these improve readership. And favor action verbs to make the message more direct and compelling.
Your headline should intrigue without overpromising or misleading readers. It must accurately frame the content that follows so readers know what to expect before diving in.
Keep headlines short and sweet but ensure they include relevant keywords where appropriate so they can be summoned by search engines like Google or Bing when users search for your subject matter online.
Craft Killer Content
Now it’s time to get writing! Develop engaging content. Make it informative, well-crafted, and easy to read. Ensure you’ve optimized for the keywords you set out to target. But also make sure it still reads naturally and makes sense.
A few tips to help you create killer content:
- To get readers to act, use the Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action (AIDA) model when writing.
- To help search engines index your content, carefully place keywords in H1, H2, and H3 tags, image alt text tags, and URLs.
- Avoid “stuffing” keywords or using them too often.
- Add a meta description containing a summary of what visitors can expect on that page, and ensure it includes the target keyword phrase.
- Write compelling and relevant copy that speaks to your readers, engages them, and provides value.
- SEO performance improves with a number of tools, such as HTML sitemaps, canonical tags, Schema markup, AMP pages, and so on.
Promote Your Content
Creating quality content comprises only half of the battle—you also need people reading/viewing/listening so they can benefit from it! Share snippets across social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, and reach out to influencers asking them to share it too!
Also look into guest blogging opportunities on other websites related to yours to expose yourself further within your niche market!
Track and Analyze Performance
Finally, track the performance of your content to see how well it does. Use tools like Google Analytics to track page views, referral sources, bounce rates, click-through rates, and more. This will allow you to understand which content types perform better than others and adjust your strategy as needed.
Conclusion
Content comprises a critical element of any successful SEO strategy. If you want your website to rank well, you need great content. However, creating killer content can indeed be challenging.
Use the tips and tricks outlined in this guide to create content optimized for SEO, engage your readers, and provide value. With enough effort, you can see commensurate results in your website’s traffic and ranking.
How to Effectively Use Search Intent for Your Business
How to Effectively Use Search Intent for Your Business
Understanding “search intent,” a term used to describe the goal that lies behind a search query, is what separates good SEO from bad. Grasping search intent means uncovering blind spots and unearthing empirical data (actionable information) that a keyword-based approach cannot.
Google has gone through quite an evolution in the past couple of decades. In the past, Google relied most heavily on a keyword-based approach. However, it soon realized its true value as a search engine came in providing relevant and valuable content to its users. Content that contained more than just keywords on a page.
The concept that arose from this realization now goes by the term “user search intent”: in other words, identifying the real question behind a search query. Google has since implemented advanced algorithms that allow its users to find what they’re looking for with greater ease and in less time. These days, when a user types a keyword into Google’s search box, Google doesn’t simply look for websites that contain that keyword. Instead, it determines what the user’s real question is behind the keyword.
What Is User Search Intent?
- Search queries: the words people type into search boxes on search engines when looking for information.
- An individual’s search intent comes down to an intention and a need associated with a particular query.
User search intent is basically the reason “why” someone is searching. People may look for something because they want to know more about a concept or a brand. Or because they’re doing the research before buying something. Or because they’re ready to make a purchase. These needs differ one from another. By having a better grasp of which one of these possible motives the searcher has, Google can steer results accordingly.
Search intent optimization, then, becomes a major factor to consider when you get started with SEO. It should shape your online marketing strategy and every aspect of your content creation and site development.
Different Types of Search Intent and How to Optimize for Them
- Informational Search Intent
We think of Informational intent as the classic type of query performed by users who are searching for specific knowledge or information without a plan to buy something. These types of users do not have any preconceived notions or strong preferences as to which website to visit.
When performing an informational search, the user relies heavily on the results provided by the search engine. The user selects one result that the user expects will satisfy his or her needs. Question-related words such as who, what, when, where, why, and how, when used in search queries, generally imply an informational query. Examples of queries with informational intent:
- Who won Super Bowl XLIX?
- How old is Beyonce?
- What is an H-1B visa?
Users may not be looking directly for the queried information, per se. Alternatively, they might be looking for additional angles or explanations related to their topic of interest. In these cases, users often ask further questions through the query that didn’t appear in the original query.
How to optimize:
When people look for how to make a fruit salad, they’re reading blog posts, watching how-to videos, or using checklist tools. People widely trust Google for this kind of research.
A question often comes up: How does one optimize for informational queries? You can discover some of the ways people look up information online when you investigate these features:
- People also ask (PAA) is an additional box in the SERP with questions related to the main searched query. It can help you create content that answers people’s information-seeking questions. When used well, it helps your pages rank higher in the SERPs.
- Google’s Related Searches help users find more relevant results. The suggestions, based on information related to the query, include a variant of the search term, other terms, and popular searches users have performed.
- The Keyword Research Tool SE Ranking can help you find a list of similar and related keywords connected to the one you’re interested in. Just enter your keyword to get new suggestions and analyze the keyword’s core parameters. These parameters can include such factors as “difficulty score” and the number of monthly organic searches (Search Volume), as determined by Google’s search volume dynamics. The tool also shows who ranks in the SERP for your query, which will help you identify the user intent (blog articles there usually directly signal something about this type of intent).
- Navigational Search Intent
The term “navigational intent” denotes one of the most direct and immediate types of keyword searches. Here, users already decided what they want. These searchers usually have a specific business in mind and look to contact or visit that site. The keywords they use, generally quite specific, relate to the company’s brand. And when the searchers land on the page, they know exactly what they want. Examples of searches with navigational intent:
- Facebook sign up
- Google’s mobile-friendly test
- Veggie Grill menu
How to optimize:
- This type of user looks for a specific link, and your task becomes one of helping him find it. That being so, try to keep your brand’s name in all first positions on the SERPs and in all relevant variations, plus snag some supplemental keywords. In short, if you optimize your content for navigational intent, you should create content around the subject of navigation. This includes keywords that specify brand name, location, and contacts.
- You should also monitor and improve your company content on other platforms. For example, on web directories or news resources.
- Commercial Search Intent
If you see the word “best …” in the query, one can safely assume that the user’s search intent is commercial in nature. Commercial intent enters in when people know what they want but still need some help with making the final decision. So they look for articles on the product or for brand comparisons with words and phrases usually including “vs” or “which [product] should I buy?” Examples of searches with commercial intent:
- Best English Courses of 2023
- Amazon vs eBay
- What tablets are the best?
How to optimize:
To identify keywords for these types of queries, you can use the tools we listed in the Informational Search Intent section. You can also collect these keywords by interviewing your customer support, sales team, or customers directly.
Such searchers have a higher-than-average desire to purchase, so post-click nurturing by retargeting makes an effective strategy. While optimizing for commercial intent, use the opportunity to highlight your expertise in their target category. Emphasize the value of your solutions compared to your competitors’. When creating content for commercial search intent, make sure your website clearly answers any potential questions customers may have about the product or service you offer. And make sure it provides the information needed to make a purchasing decision.
- Transactional Search Intent
Users motivated to execute a purchase generate the searches termed “transactional searches.” These differ from informational searches, which could be driven by curiosity. Searches with transactional intent have an end goal of purchasing a product or service. They often include phrases that indicate the user’s intent to spend, such as “buy,” “subscribe,” or “order.” The willingness to buy, even if not immediately, furnishes the main difference between transactional and commercial interests. Examples of searches with transactional content:
- Buy case for iPhone 13
- Women’s coats sale
- Order tickets online
How to optimize:
Transactional search intent, then, becomes the most important type of query when it comes to filling up your funnel. That’s because these lead directly to sales. First, make a list of your sales-related keywords and optimize your pages for them. You can easily do this with SE Ranking’s tool by typing in your seed keywords and then strategically adding them to your pages’ elements.
Before presenting a product or service which you will monetize through transactions, ensure your transactional landing, product, and pricing pages work as desired. The transactional page’s content, the product/service description, as well as the price and buy button, need to signal to consumers that they have arrived at the right place for their specific needs.
The Importance of Search Intent for Your Business
- If you want to provide users with helpful and relevant content on your website, understand their needs and issues. The concept of intent can help you determine the way users come to your site. It can separate the ones who are looking for a clear solution from those who have additional questions. And it can demonstrate your expertise in a certain field, as well as stimulate engagement with your content.
- Educational content allows you to engage your audience and help them fully absorb the information about what you have to offer. This creates digital brand awareness and authority, which leads to increased sales.
- Targeting navigational search intent stands as of the most effective channels to drive targeted traffic from search engines to your website. With it, you spread your brand name among new audiences and make them aware of your brand.
- You increase your revenue and overall sales by optimizing your content for transactional queries that your potential customers may be using to find a product or service. This happens when you provide them with the relevant information they seek.
- Commercial keywords help people find the required information for making the final decision. The key to getting results with commercial keywords? Use a combination of strategic words and phrases that relate directly to your product or service.
Conclusion
Simply put, “search intent” denotes the mental focus or activity or drive behind an individual or group that searches for information. As a crucial factor when it comes to understanding how people look for information on the web, search intent steers savvy marketers as they craft successful content strategies. Understanding search intent allows you to create marketing tactics that respond to and meet your audience’s needs. The better you understand intent, the more you can optimize your pages to target your desired audience. If you want to increase user engagement (and conversion rate), write content that offers solutions to actual problems that searchers face in their day-to-day lives.
Why is Remote Development a Better Option Now Than Ever Before?
Why consider remote development? Because it makes good business sense! The software industry has changed in multiple ways. Many of these changes came in the aftermath of the pandemic of 2020. Developers of software were silent fighters during these times of need. They delivered high-quality and mission-critical software products to answer fresh challenges. Not only did they help there, but software development itself helped many companies ride out a digital transformation and emerge with a competitive edge.
The comeuppance of remote work has witnessed an exponential increase in the productivity and output of software developers. In light of this, companies that once maintained fully staffed office quarters now augment their output with remote programmers and developers. Software companies especially have much to gain. Those not adopting the trend stand to lose ground. We share some reasons why.
Why is Remote Development a Better Option Now Than Ever Before?
1 – Decreased Hiring Costs
Hiring developers for remote work is less expensive than developing and maintaining in-house teams since one saves money on office space, power costs, and computing equipment.
Furthermore, the majority of emerging countries have lower corporate tax rates than wealthy countries. As a result, having a virtual crew allows you to save significantly on salary taxes.
Another way a remote software development team saves money: through diminished commuting costs. Moreover, when you hire for remote work, you don’t have to spend money on onsite interviews and fly people to your office for just an interview. Cutting this expense can be a game-changer, and your hiring outlays decrease accordingly.
2 – Enhanced Collaboration Infrastructure
Since the pandemic, businesses have seen an exponential increase in the use of collaboration tools. Today we have an array of conveniences to keep us connected to our teams around the clock, around the world. These include business instant messaging apps, video conferencing solutions, shared storage spaces, and other tools that make working remotely much more manageable.
If you leverage all this collaboration infrastructure efficiently enough, you’ll likely not feel that you are missing anything. Working remotely becomes the best option today, as you have significant collaboration infrastructure, and all of it is easy to implement.
Setting up meetings, conferences, audio calls, and events become simple matters with the many options that are available now.
3 – Extensive Pool of Developers
Remote development lets you tap an extensive pool of developers. When you hire onsite developers, you are often restricted by geographical boundaries. That limits your options. But when you go remote, you can find developers from around the world and hire from anywhere.
While there are plenty of developers in emerging countries, the domestic marketplace suffers from a shortage of developers. This imbalance drives up prices here at home. But the situation can be remedied with remote development. You can save up to 50 percent on each remote hiring.
Choosing remote development also helps companies to go global and experience different cultures. This makes for better diversity and promotes inclusion in the workplace.
4 – More Productivity
The quality of code a developer writes is directly proportional to how well he can focus. To focus well, many developers prefer working in a quiet, relaxed, and undistracted atmosphere.
Remote development allows software developers to be more creative and focused by removing environmental disturbances. It helps them finish more work in less time.
All these things allow you to build and effective remote teams and help you achieve your product goals. When developers are productive, they write better code, and with fewer bugs, too, so you can deliver software faster.
5 – Easy-to-Retain Talent
A remote software development team will most likely stay with your organization longer than an onsite staff. One of the primary reasons for this is that software engineers are more at ease with balancing work and life.
The autonomy of working from home supplies a huge perk for workers. Team members remain loyal longer when they know the advantage of flexibility in their hours. They strike a healthy balance between family time, personal time, and professional time.
Remote teams have a sense of ownership and can go on long stretches of work comfortably when the need arises. Moreover, you don’t need to manage each team member individually to get the work done; they’ll take it as their responsibility and get it done quickly.
Also Read : How Much Does a Website Cost?
Remote working, with its advantages to the worker, incentivizes workers to take courses and become specialists in their field, a tendency that benefits your projects overall.
6 – Reduced Failure Rate
When you form a remote team, you still keep control over the process. The dedication of today’s remote developers means your failure rate goes down.
As previously observed, when developers have more freedom and enjoy remote working alternatives, their productivity increases, giving them a sense of ownership over their projects. Satisfied workers feel more attachment to the success of their efforts, which motivates them to work yet more to improve things. When development teams achieve these rhythms, the value becomes apparent to any business owner.
Attrition is lesser in remote teams as the teams stay satisfied, and this ensures that your projects do not get sidelined while you are finding new developers to fill the open slots.
If your company has not started remote development, this could be the year you tap into this trend. Plenty of reasons exist for taking a crack at remote development. Will your competitors make the move before you do? It’s not too late to take that first step.
Oil & Gas Exploration and Surface Ownership
Have you ever wondered how oil and gas exploration affects the owners of the land where the drilling occurs? Have you ever wondered what rights surface owners possess? If you live in a state with significant oil and gas production, chances are you’ve seen firsthand the effects that oil and gas development can have on landowners/surface owners.
From leasing deals gone sour to forced pooling orders, stories abound about how surface owners have been left feeling cheated by oil and gas companies.
Plus, the populations who transact oil and gas leases are themselves forever changing, as one generation ages and another enters the field. Younger property owners generally know less about oil and gas rights than do their predecessors. On the professional side, millennials now comprise fully one-third of the oil and gas workforce.
So, education remains a valuable commodity in the world of mineral rights. What follows is a discussion of some of the ways that states regulate oil and gas exploration and surface ownership. We’ll also explore what surface owners can do to protect their rights during negotiations with oil and gas companies.
Oil And Gas Exploration And Its Importance
Oil and gas exploration is a practice of, first of all, prospecting for potential oil and gas reservoirs through means of surveys, geological studies, and seismic tools, and later (if the prospect is satisfactory) obtaining a lease and actively drilling for oil and/or gas.
The oil and gas industry holds great importance because of the vital product it delivers: energy. Furthermore, the oil and gas industry brings lucrative employment opportunities and economic vigor. But for oil and gas to thrive, new sources of mineral wealth must constantly be located and tapped.
Surface Rights Ownership and Its Effect on Drilling Operations
Ever wondered what happens if you find oil on your property? In the United States, the person who owns the surface of a piece of land (otherwise known as the “surface estate”) typically has some control over what is done on the surface of their property, whether or not they hold the mineral rights below ground. This fact means that, for the most part, anyone who wishes to drill either oil or gas must reach an agreement with the surface rights owner before they are able to proceed.
The owner may demand royalties or other compensation be paid in exchange for using his or her land. However, some states have laws that allow certain types of drilling to take place regardless of whether or not consent was given by the surface rights owner, so it is important to understand these regulations as well.
Oil And Gas Companies Need Permission To Drill On Private Land
Exploration companies need permission to drill on private land. They typically do this by leasing the mineral rights of the land from its owner. This involves negotiations, legal documents, and payments or fees made to the landowner. In many cases, the lessor is granted free access to use the land for their operations for the period outlined in their contract.
The contract also outlines any special requirements that must be met by either the company or the landowner, such as environmental protection considerations and road maintenance around drilling sites. A lease agreement will state who is responsible for dealing with these matters before drilling begins, so it is important for both parties to fully understand their roles and obligations.
Environmental Concerns Associated With Exploration Activities
Oil and gas exploration activities, while they comprise a key segment of the economy, also pose issues of environmental stewardship. There are environmental implications that must be considered. Oil spills, air and water pollution from drilling sites, habitat destruction from infrastructure development… all of those pose the potential to disrupt ecosystems.
In addition, increased traffic and noise mean stress for animal populations. Industry insiders and policy makers alike must consider these ramifications and implement solutions when possible to safeguard the environment against the potential harms of oil and gas exploration activities.
Economic Benefits Of Oil And Gas Exploration For Landowners And Communities
Oil exploration can bring substantial economic benefit to landowners and communities. On the surface, this reward comes in the form of royalties from the resources extracted or mineral rights possessed by those who own the land.
These royalties can provide a steady income stream for families and local businesses. Meanwhile, communities benefit from the influx of investment for such exploration projects. Oil and gas exploration companies often offer regional contracts with businesses that help support the community, maintain jobs, and contribute to growth in their economy as a whole.
Moreover, additional economic benefits accrue when the creation of new infrastructure adds value to the locale. Such activity can boost local economies through construction projects as well as permanent vehicular access being created to areas previously only accessible via air or water transportation methods.
In short, by factoring in all aspects of oil and gas exploration projects, it is clear that both landowners and communities stand to gain value during each stage of such developments.
Conclusion
Exploration and production activities can have both positive and negative impacts on landowners, surface rights holders, and local communities. It is important to consider all of the potential consequences of these activities before allowing drilling operations to begin.
The Rise of Instagram Influencers: How They Became an Advertising Power
Instagram influencers wield power in the marketplace. Digital marketers can readily agree on that. But how did Instagram influencers come to occupy that position of prestige and power? A little examination shows that their rise follows a long-established pattern.
The word “influencers” entered the English language roughly a decade ago. The term denotes individuals who have amassed social media followings and use their voices to promote products, services, trends, or even ideas or mindsets. Their influence sometimes extends beyond what comprises, ostensibly, their subject matter, to affect even matters of daily living and decision-making among their following. Since influencers exert so much sway within their field and following, companies often pursue them as prime candidates for propelling marketing campaigns.
What is an Instagram Influencer?
Instagram influencers are those individuals who created Instagram accounts and worked themselves into high profile positions. The top influencers within any Instagram circle have big followings and their messaging affects consumer habits. How much? Lots! Sometimes influencers manage to elevate themselves into a kind of royalty, almost – one that has all but make-or-break powers where certain products or services are concerned.
A Brief History Of The Influencers Phenomenon
Society has always had influencers in its midst. Great military figures and royalty set trends that the public followed, sometimes devotedly. In the middle of the eighteenth century, in England, Wedgwood designed a tea set for King George’s wife, then launched an advertising push declaring its products as being fit for kings. It worked.
A generation of leaders mimicked the ways of Napoleon. Early professional baseball players found themselves studied for the products they used. Hollywood stars could cause a brand’s sales to spike if they confessed to favoring it. They learned to affix a price tag to their endorsements.
By the twentieth century, influencers weren’t always individuals anymore; they could be companies and well-known brands, such as Coco Chanel, Gucci, and Mercedes.
With the advent of the internet and the prevalence of personal blogs, the pendulum swung back to influencers being largely individuals and, this time, even ordinary ones, albeit those possessing some stature or status in a certain field. Bloggers, especially “mommy bloggers,” became trendsetters whose recommendations were taken seriously, nudging some companies into a practice of paying these bloggers to namedrop or even promote their products.
That created a debate over whether the influencer should confess to being sponsored or not. Eventually, laws were passed to oblige them to confess to being sponsored. However, these laws were passed before the era of social media influencers and didn’t oblige those late-arrivals to declare their paid or unpaid status.
Categories Of Instagram Influencers
We can classify social influencers variously by content, niche, number of followers, etc. With Instagram, they are mainly classified by the number of followers.
1. Mega-influencers
Mega-influencers each possess a tremendous base of followers, numbering one million or more. They are usually celebrities who made their fame outside Instagram. Further, they may ask for a hefty sum of money in exchange for promoting a product. They charge anywhere from several hundred to many thousands of dollars for a post. They are ideal for giant firms that make large profits and are eager to expand their global reach.
2. Macro
Macros are high-profile figures – not as prominent as the mega-influencers but deserving at least a “Class B” standing. They generally command followings somewhere between the low six figures and one million followers. Generally, they are individuals who built successful careers and accounts and rose to this standing by virtue of their social media empire-building.
3. Micro
“Micro” influencers are more or less ordinary people who built a reputation in a certain niche. Their number of followers ranges between 1,000 and the low six figures. They are ideal for local businesses promoting their product in a certain community.
4. Nano
“Nano” Instagram influencers compete as lesser-knowns in the influencers arena. Typically, they serve as specialists in a very narrow field. They command a relatively small follower base of fewer than 1,000. Companies that produce rare items used by only a few professionals often do well to find themselves a nano Instagram influencer for promoting their merchandise.
The Rise Of Instagram influencers
In recent times, the power of Instagram in boosting advertising campaigns has been recognized by businesses worldwide. Statistics show that 80 percent of Instagram users follow at least one business or brand. Moreover, the platform has features that help businesses create and adjust their commercials, such as advertisement design. Shortly after recognizing the marketing potential of Instagram, businesses discovered the leverage that influencers have on the platform.
Accordingly, instead of trying strenuously to build their own accounts from scratch, they turned to influencers who had already built their fame and had established a solid fan base. Businesses found ways to piggy-back on that momentum. Nowadays, these influencers work either independently or for agencies that recruit them to promote products.
Marketing Strengths
A. Their Appeal
Instagram influencers bear that title for a reason. They project a charm that attracts their fan base and entices that base to copy their lifestyle, clothes choice, beverages, etc. And that is what companies want.
B. Their Engagement
Most such Instagram influencers interact with their audience by posting personal details or life events regularly to keep their account thriving, creating a kind of intimate relationship built on trust between the two.
C. Their Knowledge of Popular Trends
Influencers stay up-to-date with the latest news and trends in certain fields, a practice that keeps them aware of what may appeal to the young generation. Savvy influencers and businesses themselves do well to stay abreast of Instagram “Do’s and Don’ts” as well.
How Instagram Influencers Can Help Businesses
1. Expanding Brand Awareness
Instagram influencers draw the attention of their following to a brand that might not be that well-known to the following. These influencers may speak of the high quality and practicality of goods and services that that brand produces and how those products should best be used.
2. Expanding Reach
Besides raising the public profile of a certain brand, an influencer’s work might enlarge its fan base as well.
3. Reaching a Target Audience
By aligning one’s company with the right Instagram influencer, one likely has tapped into the right audience. Consumers continually seek products. Producers continually seek consumers. With the influencer providing the middle ground, the connection is complete.
In short, the trend of Instagram influencers goes back to the earliest day of Instagram activity, and has progressed steadily from there. Over the years, Instagram influencers have proven they are a legitimate and effective channel for attracting consumers. As such, they are a marketing force that should be reckoned with.
Job Posting on LinkedIn
Before we enter into any discussion of LinkedIn job posting, we should step back and assess the jobs situation in general.
The U.S. job market has been in the news frequently in the last couple of years. Unfortunately, a good portion of the news has not been good. If you have a position to fill in your business, knowing the best place to make a job posting puts you ahead of the pack.
For example, here are a few recent headlines:
Bloomberg – “Job Market’s 2.6 Million Missing People Unnerves Star Harvard Economist“
Yahoo Finance – “Fed’s Beige Book shows signs inflation is slowing, but job market remains tight“
CNBC – “Gen Z and millennials are leading ‘the big quit’ in 2023—why nearly 70% plan to leave their jobs“
Fox News – “The Great Resignation isn’t over yet: Where are all the workers?”
Yahoo Finance – “Fed’s Beige Book shows signs inflation is slowing, but job market remains tight“
CNBC – “Gen Z and millennials are leading ‘the big quit’ in 2023—why nearly 70% plan to leave their jobs“
Fox News – “The Great Resignation isn’t over yet: Where are all the workers?”
LinkedIn is Not the Only Option
As a business owner or HR manager with a job opening, you have several options for getting the word out. As a first place where you might look, consider one of the digital platforms for job seekers that have been around for more than a dozen years. Zip Recruiter and Indeed both started in the early 2000s. Another site you may not be aware of caters to a specific subgroup of job seekers – Christians. A digital platform called Christian Jobs (established in 1999) offers opportunities for Christian employment at ministry organizations, nonprofits, and businesses.
Next, you will find that many people reach out to potential hires using social media. For example, Facebook allows you to post a job on their site. Facebook walks you through the process of creating a job post on your Business Page. Their help section is inside the Meta Help Center.
But It Might Be Your Best
Today, we will look at how to create and use a LinkedIn Job Posting. If you do consider using social media, LinkedIn, because it is a business-related platform, is likely a better choice than Facebook for your job listing. Why? Because of the nature of each of the two platforms. When people login to Facebook, more often than not, their purpose is to keep up with their friends and see pictures of their kids and grandkids. Not so with a LinkedIn job posting. Users on LinkedIn have a different purpose. LinkedIn job posting employs a platform specifically designed to make business connections. LinkedIn holds the position of the superior option for promoting your company and its career opportunities.
OPTION 1 – Create a Free LinkedIn Job Posting
The first option you have for creating a job posting on LinkedIn is the free option. Creating a post for a job opening on LinkedIn affords your company the opportunity to reach scores of qualified candidates within your network.
On your LinkedIn Company Page you will see a button under the window to “start a new post.” The buttons says, “Post a free job.”
After you click the button, a simple form will open for you to fill out.
Information you will need to complete a Free LinkedIn Job Posting
If you are like me, you want to have all the information handy for your LinkedIn job posting before you start to fill out the form. So, to help you with that process, we have listed all the information that LinkedIn requests on the free job post form. Then, once you have determined what you want to say on the LinkedIn job posting, it is a breeze to pop the information into the form and publish it.
- Job Title – What is the position you are hiring for?
- Workplace type
- On-site (Employees come to work in-person.)
- Hybrid (Employees work on-site and off-site.)
- Remove (Employees work off-site.)
- Job Location – This job will be shown to job seekers searching for on-site jobs in this location.
- Job Type
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Contract
- Temporary
- Other
- Volunteer
- Internship
- Description – Add the skills and requirements your looking for.
Important Info About the Limitations of a Free Job Posting on Linked
Our experience with free LinkedIn job postings has been that LinkedIn quickly delivers responses to job opening. It is possible that within minutes you will receive applications from interested parties.
Many of the twenty applicants we received had not read the fine details of the job requirements and may have applied based on the title of the open job position. Therefore, of the twenty applicants we received, only a small number were even a fit for the requirements.
However, be aware that LinkedIn will pause your free job posting after you receive “a certain number of applicants”. For us, we found that 20 applicantions was the limit.
Then, LinkedIn forces you to go with the paid option of the job posting. (We think that is kind of sneaky of them to slip that limitation in.) So, be aware and be prepared to pay to get the desired results. If you don’t move to the promoted job listing right away, they will follow up with email notifications that urge you to promote your job on LinkedIn.
OPTION 2 – Create a Paid LinkedIn Job Posting Ad from your Profile page
If you would like to get your job listing out to more people than those in your LinkedIn network, you may opt for the paid version over the free version of the job posting. Paid job postings not only reach beyond your network, they accelerate the process and deliver results to you more quickly.
The following instructions guide you through the process for a paid job posting.
After you login to LinkedIn, look at the top navigation bar and click on the “Jobs” link.
You will be taken to the Jobs portion of LinkedIn. On this Jobs page, click the “Post a Free Job” on the left sidebar navigation. (I know, it doesn’t make sense that you click “Post a Free Job” to get to the option for a paid [promoted] job listing. Nonetheless, this is the process.)
This sidebar link will take you to a new area of LinkedIn called “Talent Solutions.” Here you will be asked to login with your LinkedIn username and password.
After you log into the LinkedIn Talent Solutions, fill out the form to create a new job. Note that on this form, you can ask some questions to help you screen the applicants.
LinkedIn shows you an estimate of how many applicants you may receive. They estimate 3 applicants per month for a free listing. In contrast, they suggest you may receive 24 applicants per month if you invest $15 per day to promote the job listing.
A Closer Look at the LinkedIn Job Posting Form
First you will fill out the basic information about the Job.
Next, describe the role and outline the skills you require for the position.
Continuing on, define how you want to receive applications. The two options: receive notifications via email or send the applicants to your website to learn more about the company and the position.
If you choose to receive the notifications via email, the next step is to define questions that will further screen applicants. There are pre-written screening questions touching upon such considerations as certifications, background checks, and work experience. Additionally, you may write a “custom question.”
Information you will need to complete the LinkedIn Job Posting form, plus some optional information you may choose to request from applicants:
- Job Title – What is the position you are hiring for?
- Workplace type
- On-site (Employees come to work in-person.)
- Hybrid (Employees work on-site and off-site.)
- Remove (Employees work off-site.)
- Job Location – This job will be show to job seekers searching for on-site jobs in this location.
- Job Type
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Contract
- Temporary
- Other
- Volunteer
- Internship
- Description – Add the skills and requirements your looking for.
- How do you want to receive applicants?
- By email (provide the email address)
- An external website (provide the URL)
- Screening Questions – LinkedIn recommends the use of 3 or more screening questions with the option to indicate if the questions reflect a “must-have qualification” on not. Here is a list of screening questions LinkedIn provides:
- Experience with the skills listed in the job description
- Background Check
- Certifications
- Driver’s License
- Drug Test
- Education
- GPA
- Industry Experience
- Language
- Location
- Onsite Work
- Remote Work
- Urgent Hiring Need
- Visa Status
- Work Authorization
- Work Experience
- Custom Question
Lastly, if you still need more detailed instructions, we recommend that you go to
LinkedIn Help for posting a paid job ad.
BONUS SECTION – THE “#HIRING” PHOTO FRAME FOR YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE.
#Hiring
Here’s a short video from LinkedIn that describes how the “#hiring” photo frame works.
The #Hiring feature stands out among other profile pictures to announce that you’re hiring on LinkedIn. It is a great way to get the attention of candidates within your LinkedIn network. Quickly and easily let folks know that you’re #Hiring. LinkedIn says this special free feature will help you with:
- Creating new job posts from your member profile or the LinkedIn feed share box. When you add a job post (new or existing) to your LinkedIn profile, we’ll notify your network that you’re hiring so they can also share the job with their own networks.
- Adding job posts to the top of your LinkedIn profile.
- Notifying your network through the #Hiring hashtag when you share an update.
- Using the #Hiring photo frame on your LinkedIn profile photo.
- Featuring your LinkedIn profile on the job post’s Meet the team section.
- Inviting your coworkers to share the job and add the #Hiring photo frame to their LinkedIn profile photo.
Web Design Trends 2023
It only takes 50 milliseconds for people to form an opinion of your website (and by extension, your business). 50 milliseconds. That’s. All. In fact, it is faster than the snap of your fingers. Even more humbling? Seventy-five percent of consumers admit to making judgments on a company’s credibility based on the company’s website design alone. Admittedly, it’s easy to say not to judge a book by its cover, but apparently, we do – in 0.05 seconds. Ninety-four percent of that first impression is design related. That’s why leveraging the latest web design trends is imperative for growth.
Today, we live in a world where online presence is a must for businesses, a well designed, easily navigated website is one of the – if not the – most important aspects of your brand. After all, getting ahead is really just a race of seeing who can get the best engagement (and brand loyalty) the quickest.
This starts with your website. And knowing what’s trending is what positions you to take first place.
Human-centered design is a given
Design has come a long way. These days, there are certain elements that users expect from a website:
- Fast page load speeds – Nearly half of consumers expect a maximum of 2 seconds for a page to load. As a result, slow-loading websites cost retailers $2.6 billion in sales every year.
- Minimalist and streamlined layouts – Statistics show that a large proportion of consumers stop engaging with a website altogether if a website’s layout is unattractive.
- Responsive and adaptive design – Nearly 8 in 10 customers will stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device.
- Mobile-friendliness – Mobile friendliness is essential. Very essential. Of mobile users, almost 90% of those who search for a business on a mobile device call or go to that business within 24 hours.
- Intuitive interfaces
- Availability and accessibility
Each of these ensure an excellent base to fulfill 2023’s web trends.
2023 promises a treasure trove of exciting and new concepts for designers to implement. Our team has gathered the top 10 most significant web design trends that we believe will boost UX (and your sales) for the coming year.
1. Micro Animations
While small animations are nothing new to web design, it’s a trend that is forecasted to increase in 2023. Subtle movements bring a website to life. And what’s more, micro animations can be a useful tool to emphasize important areas of a page. Fun AND efficient. Just our style.
2. Embedded Videos
Using video on your homepage will be a key feature for sites in 2023. Video clips are a great way to give consumers a sneak peak into what a typical day may look like. And voila! They understand your brand before even scrolling down the page.
3. Premium White Space
Strategic use of white space on your website serves as a breather, which is a vital component for a dynamically scrolling layout. It also improves readability, which is not only useful, but also highly communicative. White space isn’t exactly white; it can be any shade, as long as it’s empty. “Empty” in this sense means it has no contextual meaning, which is why its often referred to as “negative space.”
4. Split Screen Design
Split screen design is part of the broken grid movement, which will continue to be hot throughout 2023. A classic case of split-screen layout works this way: various menus are on one side while generalized information displays on the opposing side.
5. Full Page Headers
Website visitors are most likely to glance at the top left section of your page. Take advantage of this by designing header sections that are interesting enough to guide them right to that CTA.
6. Data Visualization
By nature, humans are visual creatures. And what better way to take advantage of that than by tapping into visual ways to convey your message to your consumers. Data visualization creates imagery out of your data that engages your audience and pulls them in. It causes them to want to learn more about your brand.
7. Hover Content
Hover content happens when a cursor lingers on a section or an item. This is an excellent way to display a large amount of text into a limited space. Look for this approach to stay hot and continue on well into 2023.
8. The Use of Color Theory
Color theory is taking center stage for 2023. Color theory denotes the use of color with the intent of appealing to the emotions of your site visitors and serves as an excellent way of subtly reinforcing your brand message. It takes tie to learn color theory, and it is best left as a collaborative effort between your team and ours. For example, your website may use bright colors to evoke joy and excitement while at the same time compel visitors to convert. As design and websites in general get more and more user-centric, this is one of the most powerful steps you can take in that direction. Color theory is essential for 2023 (and beyond) for those businesses who want to connect with their consumers while simultaneously telling the story – and sharing the feeling – of who and what their brand is.
9. The 2023 Colors of the Year
The 2023 colors of the year are:
- Digital lavender
- Luscious red
- Sundial
- Tranquil blue
- Verdigris
Consider building a palette around and incorporating them (or variations of them) into your site. It’s certain to attract attention.
10. Color Gradients
The year 2023 is all about experience and inclusivity – and colors are no exception. Since 2023 will embrace colors in every shape and form, gradients will play a large part in design choices moving forward. It’s all just one more little push towards enhancing the UX by providing visual, eye catching, storytelling elements.
To Infinity and Beyond
2023 – and the years that follow – will turn to user experience more than anything, and it’s easy to see why. We are living in a time when websites have shifted from simply being internet real estate into being actual store fronts for thriving companies across the nation.
So what do you want your website to look like in 2023?
Let us help you today to bring your look and UX to the cutting edge of web design.
Not sure which trend might work best for you? Check out our homepage – you’ll find an embedded video at the top, as well as scroll animation, diagonal design, and more!
Introducing: Charter Websites
Announcing a new service from Jemully Media. Charter Sites – a budget-friendly website easier to set up than Wix, Weebly, or Godaddy’s Website Builder.
Built on a similar template-site model to Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder, Charter sites also offer a low, budget-conscious monthly subscription rate surely to satisfy any small business owner. The subscriptions eliminate the need for the considerable upfront investment that comes with a custom-designed website for your business
4 Ways a Charter Site is better than Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder
1 – EASIER.
A Charter Site is easier than Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder because Jemully builds the site for you. Consequently, you do not have to learn how to use website-building software with a Charter Site. There are no video tutorials you have to watch. Likewise, you won’t find any extensive knowledge bases you have to search on Charter Sites. You won’t need any training “how to” documents. Similarly, there are no support tickets you have to submit causing you to wait in a cue to get help when you encounter a problem. Lastly, you do not have to have an eye for layout and design. Jemully takes care of all the software know-how and the design details so you don’t have to struggle with them.
How easy is it to get a Charter Site?
With a Charter Site, you upload the content (the words and pictures) for your site and our professional team quickly and beautifully builds the site for you. You don’t take time away from running your business to figure out how to build and manage your website.
We understand there are some business owners who may find the website building process fairly easy to understand. And, thus, not too difficult to make the site look, in finished form, close to the professional template they selected. But Charter Sites are created for the rest of the world who find the website building software time-consuming to master, a never-ending learning process, and frustrating!
2 – FASTER
Next, because you do not have to learn how to use the web builder software, your new site can go live in a matter of days. The Charter site Builder Form is a simple upload form with each section of your website clearly labeled with easy-to-understand instructions. For example, “Upload your ‘About Us’ content here.” We even inform you approximately how many words you should use in each section to keep the design balanced. Other form instructions are simply, “Upload your Logo here.” “Upload your Tag Line here,” etc.
Once your content is uploaded to Jemully, the average turnaround time for a Charter Site is 14 days. And, if you are in a real rush, even that timeline can be expedited.
3 – NO HIDDEN COSTS
Unfortunately, with Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder, there are some hidden costs. Therefore, it can be difficult to determine just how much your website will cost each month. And before you go on, it’s important to keep this question paramount when doing cost comparisons. With Wix, Weebly, and Godaddy’s Website Builder, you are paying for the platform and tools to manually build and manage your own site. However, with a Jemully Charter Site, you are paying for the finished, professionally polished product.
Now let’s look at a couple of examples of some hidden costs.
First, with Weebly, the published monthly rate assessed for building your own website (in the example shown this rate is $12) is NOT the rate you pay UNLESS you pay for a full year up front. If you opt to pay by the month, your rate is $16, not $12. To us, that seems like misrepresentation of the price. If you pay annually, how is that a monthly rate?
Secondly, with Godaddy’s Website Builder, the published monthly rate is only for the first year. Subsequent years are at a higher rate. This can be misleading if you don’t read the fine print. After your first year, you are already committed to the system, and starting over somewhere else brings extra, unwelcome costs.
WHAT FEATURES COME WITH MY SITE?
Next, Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder do not clearly communicate the list of features included in their basic site templates. Therefore, on each of the three DIY sites, you must dig, research and compare to applications to find the features you want to add to your template. This, you uncover another time-sucking task in the do-it-yourself website building process.
Jemully’s Charter Site clearly list the features and the Add-On Feature prices on their templates.
WHAT’S IN A BASIC CHARTER SITE?
Below, is the list of the features included in the basic site template. The Charter Sites have 6 pre-designed sections. Here is a list of the sections included in the Charter Site layout.
- Opening Header Image Section
- “About Us” Section
- Services Section (Up to 4 Services or Products)
- FAQs (Up to 4 Questions and Answers)
- Contact Form
- Footer
- Social media links (optional)
- Map of location (optional)
- Mailing/Street Address
Also, as you are browsing during the template selection process, Charter Sites list all the add-on features in the FAQs before you sign up. Again, this gives you all the information you need to know exactly what features are available for your site.
WHAT ADD-ON FEATURES ARE AVAILABLE WITH A CHARTER SITE?
When you submit your order for the Charter Site subscription, you know in advance the cost associated with the basic Charter Site and each feature. Charter Sites are fully transparent, giving you all this information.
In truth, we don’t care for the cagey methods of the DIY website builder companies. We don’t want you to have to dig and search for buried information. We want to make it easy for you to make a decision about what you need for your website.
The following is the list of all the Add-On Features for a Charter Site and their associated prices. Some of the prices are higher per month than Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder. And, you will find, some of them are lower per month. Either way, remember that the add-on features on a Charter Site are not do-it-yourself. Charter add-ons are fully designed, built, and configured for you by the Charter Site development team. Therefore, you don’t have to learn how to make the features fit and work with your website. We take care of that so you don’t have to.
Section to Add-On Your Page
- Blog page with a Blog section on your Home page (+$7.50 /mo)
- Testimonials section (Up to 4) (+$7.50 /mo)
- Gallery section (8 images) (+$7.50 /mo)
- Team section (Up to 6 team members) (+$15.00 /mo)
- Client, Partner, or Vendor logos section – (up to 6) (+$7.50 /mo)
- Newsletter sign up section (Mailchimp or Constant Contact) (+$15.00 /mo)
- Video Section (+$7.50 /mo)
- Restaurant Menu PDF added to site (+$7.50 /mo)
- Make an Appointment section (+$7.50 /mo)
Enhancements to Add to Your Site
- Stock Photography – per photo (+$5.00 /mo)
- Video Purchase from Jemully – per video (+$10.00 /mo)
- A Pop-up offer (+$7.50 /mo)
Add Additional Pages on Your Website
- Additional Page(s) (+$41.00 /mo)
- Custom Page(s) (+$41.00 /mo)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- On-Page SEO (+$18.00 /mo)
Statistics And Data
- Google Analytics (+$7.50 /mo)
- Custom Data Dashboard combining Website & Social Media (+$30.00 /mo)
Policy Links
- Privacy Policy PDF (+$7.50 /mo)
- Terms of Service PDF (+$7.50 /mo)
Domain-related Services
- Weekly Backups & Software Updates (+$18.00 /mo) (Quarterly backups and updates are included in the basic package)
- Webmail (per account) (+$2.00 /mo)
Expedite It!
Please expedite my Charter Site! (+$330 one-time fee)
4 -DEDICATED ACCOUNT REP
Finally, Wix, Weebly, and Website Builder offer customer support teams that are available via email support ticket system when you run into a problem building your site. If you prefer phone support, you can have phone access to support by purchasing the top tier monthly plan.
In contrast, with a Charter Site, Jemully connects you with an Account Executive as soon as you subscribe. You have direct access to your rep who can help you coordinate and submit the content for your site. With years of digital marketing experience, your rep can also answer your questions about the add-on features and guide you in selecting the best options for your business. Additionally, your account representative stays with you for the life of your site. As your business grows, you will want to add new features to your Charter Site that serve your customers. Just reach out to your account rep and tell them what you want to add. It’s that simple.
Summing It All Up
In conclusion, Charter Sites are easier and faster, and they have transparent pricing and a real person to help you along the way. You don’t have to wrestle with learning how to use the software or make your site look good on a desktop and on mobile devices. The advantages Charter Sites offer over Wix, Weebly, and Godaddy’s website builder are considerable. We believe you will think so too.
