Do you want more Google Reviews?

In the 21st century, Google is the first point of contact between many customers and businesses. From finding businesses nearby to looking up a forgotten phone number, we search keywords in Google to help us find anything and everything we want to know. And if we want to find out how one business compares to another, we Google them to learn about other people’s experiences.

Why should you care about Google Reviews?

Local search engines love online reviews for one primary reason – consumers love online reviews! Did you know that Google uses these Reviews as a factor in their ranking algorithm.

So, let me start with a very simple example. Let’s say you’re looking for a Website Designer in Coquitlam.

Right away, you can see the user ratings and the number of reviews prominently displayed in both the search results and the accompanying map. If you click on the place pin of one of the businesses, you can also see brief summaries of the latest reviews shown alongside the businesses information including the address, hours of operation and phone number.

This example illustrates the fact that customer reviews are among the first things people see when they search a business category on Google or Google Maps. It has also been shown that positive reviews provide your website with a greater boost to conversion rates compared to any other local SEO effort.

For local businesses, online reviews help increase the degree of trust felt, based on feedback from other people with similar needs. A 2014 study discovered that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family.

Do you want more Google Reviews for your business and for your website to appear higher in local search engine queries? Ask us how we can get more Google Reviews for you!

I want more Google Reviews!

Facebook Pixel for Conversion Tracking

A Facebook Pixel is a piece of JavaScript code that you add to your website in order to measure, optimize and build audiences for your Facebook Advertising campaigns. By utilizing the Facebook Pixel, you can better understand the actions people take as they make their way from Facebook to your website.

As Instagram Advertising is connected to your Facebook Ad Manager Account, the Pixel you create for your Ad Account can also be used to track Instagram Conversions.

Facebook Pixel Implementation

Go to your Facebook Ad Manager Account or your Facebook Business Manager Account
Click Tools then click Pixels
Click Create a Pixel
Enter the name of your Pixel (One Pixel per ad account)
Click Create Pixel
- If you work on your website yourself, click Install Pixel Now and copy the Base Code that appears in the box on the screen to each page on your website between the <head> and </head> tags
- If someone else works on your website, press Email Pixel Code. Type in the person’s email and press Send

Standard Conversion Events

Standard Conversion Events allow you to track conversions, optimize for conversions and build audiences. See the Standard Conversion Events listed below:

View Content – Track key page views
Search – Track searches on your website
Add to Cart – Track when items are added to a shopping cart
Add to Wishlist – Track when items are added to a wish list
Initiate Checkout – Track when people enter the checkout flow
Add Payment Info – Track when payment information is added in the checkout flow
Make Purchase – Track purchases or checkout flow completions
Lead – Track when someone expresses interest in your offering
Complete Registration – Track when a registration form is completed

Standard Conversion Events Implementation

Add the Standard Event Code that corresponds to the events listed above
Add the Standard Event Code below the Base Code

Custom Conversion Events

You can use Custom Conversions Events if you are unable to add Standard Conversion Events to your website. If you’ve added the Base Code across your website, leave the code as is and create Custom Conversion Events using URL rules.

Custom Conversion Events Implementation

Go to the Custom Conversions section
Click Create Custom Conversion
Add the URL or part of the URL that represents your custom conversion (ex. URL contains /thankyou.php for a Thank You page after a purchase).
Select a category and click Next
Give your custom conversion a name and description
Add a conversion value $$ if applicable
Click Create and Done

If this sounds like something you would rather leave up to a professional web developer, contact Longevity Graphics today! Our web development team can add the Base Code to each page on your website, add Standard Conversion Events and add Custom Conversion Events. Not only that, our Marketing Department can manage your Facebook Advertising campaigns and provide you with detailed monthly reports outlining your conversion results.

Digital. 2016

We are excited to announce that Longevity Graphics’ Owner and Creative Director, Lindsay Viscount, will be a speaker at Digital. 2016. Lindsay will be presenting on the topic of WordPress Marketing Strategies to Enhance Website Conversions.

What is Digital. 2016?

Digital. 2016 is a new marketing conference that will provide those in attendance with advanced marketing strategies and tactics from a variety of world-renowned and local top-tier speakers including Lindsay Viscount, Steve Dotto, Bosco Anthony, Jonathan Christian, Tod Maffin and more.

This isn’t just Marketing 101 – The focus of this conference is digital advertising and paid traffic methods with true conversion strategies that work. The nature of this content is targeted to small and medium-sized businesses, marketing agencies and consultants two focus their business on digital marketing. Digital 2016. will welcome entrepreneurs, seasoned marketers, business owners and executives who want to learn more about intermediate to advanced marketing – without covering the basics.

The conference will run two tracks of presentations. The first will run in the theatre and will feature keynote speakers and panel discussions. The second will be a breakout session boardroom for a more intimate, hands on approach to the topics. The content will be focused on advanced marketing methods that have been proven to deliver results. Proven methods, unique tactics and innovative new strategies will be discussed throughout the conference.

When:

Saturday, October 1, 2016 from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Lindsay’s presentation will take place from 2:10 PM – 2:40 PM

Where:

Anvil Centre – 777 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3M 1B6

Learn More:

To view the schedule for Digital. 2016, click here.

To view the presenters for Digital. 2016, click here.

To register to attend Digital. 2016, click here.

Discount code:

We found a discount code online from Soho. This discount code will provide you with 10% off your ticket for Digital. 2016. Click here to take advantage of this offer.

Students:

Discounts are available for both secondary and post-secondary students who have taken a class in the past 2 semesters. Student and enrollment verification may be required. Please contact [email protected] for your student access code.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Longevity Graphics is a leading web marketing agency that helps business owners grow their business. Since 2001, we have been been building successful web site designs and implementing internet marketing strategies, by providing across-the-board internet services to businesses looking to take advantage of their online marketing potential. We provide a 1-Hour FREE consultation.

Instagram Stories

If you’re a regular Instagram user, then you’re aware of the platform’s latest feature – Instagram Stories.

So, what is Instagram Stories? It is a Snapchat-inspired feature built into the photo sharing app. It appears at the top of your newsfeed screen and allows you to upload photos in a stream that will expire and disappear after 24 hours. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Instagram’s CEO, Kevin Systrom agrees that the feature is very similar to Snapchat.

How do you use Instagram Stories?

Go to your Instagram newsfeed.
Click on the + in the top left corner of your feed to start a new story.
Tap on the circle button at the bottom of the screen to take a photo or hold it down to record a video.
To edit and add text or drawings to your photo or video, use the buttons in the top right corner.
If you want to add a filter, simply swipe left or right. Currently, there are 7 different options.
Finally, tap the check mark at the bottom of the screen to add it to your story.

More information:

To save a photo or video from your story to your phone’s camera roll, hit the download button on the right of your story.
As this is an Instagram feature, you can utilize Boomerangs and Hyperlapses with your story.
To monitor who can view your story, click on the three dots in the bottom right corner. Then click Story Settings to select any users you wish to block from viewing your stories.
Yes, as with Snapchat, you are able to see who has viewed your story. Open your story and swipe on the screen. On the bottom of the screen, there will be a view counter and the names of people who have viewed your story. Only you will be able to see this information.

So now the debate begins; which platform is better?

Many reviewers are saying that Instagram took Snapchat’s confusing interface and made it more simplistic to use. Each step of the process is clearly labelled with buttons, instead of swipes. For example, instead of swiping on a Snapchat photo to send a reply, Instagram has a clearly labelled Send Message button. This is something that many struggle with when trying to learn how to use Snapchat.

Another thing Instagram has going for it, is that it has an existing community of active users. These people use the app to connect with friends, follower new people and discover new parts of the world all through images and video. This sense of community is something that Snapchat is lacking. How many times have you seen an online personality encouraging their audience to add them on Snapchat? Now, Instagram followers will be able to access your stories from right in the app. There is no need to direct and build a new audience in a different app.

Instagram has always been seen as a place where people can upload the highlights of their life. With the introduction of Instagram Stories, you will be able to see the unfiltered, everyday parts of people’s lives, between the picture perfect photos. With that being said, at one point in time we have all followed that one person who posts way too much. Now, these people will have a place where they can post without overwhelming their followers’ feeds.

So, what do you think? Comment or Tweet us and let us know.

If you are looking for an expert in the ever-changing landscape of Social Media then collaborating with Longevity Graphics is the right choice for you and your business. Contact us today to get a no-obligation quote. We offer a Free 1-Hour Consultation on all social media, SEO, web design and web development services

Are you thinking about starting a business in Port Coquitlam? We’ve gathered some resources to help you get started.

Visit the City of Port Coquitlam Website

The City of Port Coquitlam website is a great place to begin when thinking about starting a business in Port Coquitlam. The website has many resources that will help you, prior to ‘opening your doors’. Click here to visit the City of Port Coquitlam’s Starting a Business page.

Get to know the area… and your competition

If you don’t already live in Port Coquitlam or the Tri-Cities area, it is a good idea to spend some time in the city. This will allow you to get a sense of the successful businesses that are currently operating in the area – including businesses that you will be in competition with. If your business is going to have a store front, you can use this time to search out potential areas for your business to operate.

Create a Website and Social Media Pages

If you’re thinking about starting a business in 2016 – you MUST have a website and social media pages. There is a vast amount of competing businesses in Port Coquitlam and the surrounding areas.

In order to be discovered by potential customers online, you must have an experienced, knowledgeable online marketing company who will be able to optimize your website and social media pages for optimal rankings.

Your online marketing company should be able to:

Help your website gain top position in search result lists
Perform keyword research to discover vital search combinations for your business
Perform meta and title tag development
Establish HTML code optimization
Perform inbound link building

If this sounds like something that you will need help with, contact Longevity Graphics for a FREE 1-Hour Consultation. We specialize in working with local clients and helping them rank for their industry specific keywords.

Are you considering outsourcing your website design?

Below are some Pro’s and Con’s of hiring a local web designer vs. outsourcing your web design.

Pro’s of hiring a local web designer:

Personalized, one-on-one service
It’s easy to get in contact with your web designer if you have any questions
You know exactly who will be working on the design of your website and social media pages

Con’s of hiring a local web designer:

Well, we sure can’t think of any con’s!

Additional Resources

Sign up your business on the Shop PoCo BIZ Directory; Click Here
Join the Port Coquitlam Business Improvement Association (BIA); Click Here
Join the Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce; Click Here
Contact Longevity Graphics for a FREE 1-Hour Consultation to learn about the online marketing services they offer; Click Here

In the four years since its acquisition by Facebook, Instagram has done a lot of evolving. Users have seen various interface modifications, the newsfeed algorithm change and of course, the logo transformation. Earlier this month, Instagram made an announcement that new Instagram Business profiles and tools will be rolling out in the US, Australia and New Zealand in the coming months, and will be available in all countries by the end of the year.

In the announcement, Instagram highlights three new features for business users.

These new features for business owners

Instagram Business Profile
Insight
Promote

Instagram Business Profile

The Instagram Business Profile is a free feature for accounts wanting to be recognized as a business on Instagram. In order to upgrade your Instagram account to a business profile, you will need to have a Business page on Facebook. Once you have linked your Instagram to your Business page on Facebook, you will then see three new tools: a contact button, insights and promote.

Previously, if a customer wanted to get in contact with you on Instagram, they would either click on the website link in your bio, or more often than not, they would leave a comment on one of your posts. If you have a lot of engagement on your content, you know how easily comments can be buried and lost. Using the new contact button, you can decide how you would like your customers to reach you.

They can contact you by:

Calling
Texting
Emailing

The contact button will appear in your bio, to the left of your follow button. This new tool will streamline the process of communicating. Now, customers will have no question as to how to reach you.

Insights

As a business producing content online, you need to know who your audience is and you need to know the best way to reach them. Without knowing this, it is hard to deliver relevant content. Insights on Instagram will provide business users information about their content. You will be able to see who your followers are and what posts are more effective than others. This information will all be available from within the mobile app.

Promote

Using the new promote tool, business users will be able to easily turn a well-performing post into an ad – right from within the app.

You will:

Choose an already shared post
Add a button with a call to action
Decide on a target audience

Once your ad is set up, you will decide what length of time you would like the ad to run. If you want to advertise on Instagram currently, you have to create an ad campaign in Facebook. This new tool is a great addition and welcome change!

Social Media Marketing Summer Promotion from Longevity Graphics

Receive a FREE Social Media Audit and learn more about our Summer Social Media Marketing promotion.

Choose 5 Social Media Marketing Platforms and we will:

Setup
Optimize
Manage

your account.

$1250 $995/month

ACT NOW! Limited Availability

CALL: 604-505-8552 or EMAIL: [email protected]

Platform options: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, Google+, YELP, Trip Advisor, Just Eat, Zomato (Formally Urban Spoon)

Social Media Marketing Services:

Social Media Marketing Setup

We will setup and optimize 5 social media platforms of your choice. By implementing engaging visuals and optimizing all the tools available through the platforms, we will achieve results. A strategy will be developed to ensure a consistent follower growth and engagement with your audience.

Social Media Marketing Content Management

First and foremost, we will perform an analysis of your industry, competition and clientele base. From there, we will make recommendations for the best content, visuals, and times to reach your audience. We will implement these recommendations, which will maximize your influence and generate relevant leads.

Social Media Marketing Reporting

On an ongoing basis, our team will analyze the results and provide a report on a monthly basis. Upon analysis, we will create a summary of our findings, make necessary adjustments and recommendations to ensure optimal results on all platforms.

Don’t delay, take advantage of our social media marketing summer promotion and get started right away. Our team of local experts will work with you and help you deliver your message loud and clear. Get your FREE social media marketing audit today.

Longevity Graphics is located in Coquitlam, BC. We specialize in online marketing services as well as web design and web development. For a list of our services or customer testimonials, visit our website today. We offer a FREE one hour consultation.

Today searches via mobile device are increases, and experts are declaring that mobile searchers will continue to increase going forward. 1 in 3 Google searches are now mobile. Mobile SEO is more important than every now.

I am sure at some point you have done a search for something on your mobile device and come to a website that is impossible to navigate. You cant’ find the information that you are looking for, and the website is impossible to read because the text size is so small. I know I have. It is so frustrating!

Having a custom built mobile website, or even a responsive website, that makes your website mobile friendly will help to improve the user experience and even your placement in search engine results pages (SERPs) on mobile devices.

Here are my top 5 mobile SEO strategies that will help you increase your mobile traffic and improve mobile user experience.

Top 5 Mobile SEO Strategies

1. Custom Mobile Website or Mobile Friendly Website

The first step in mobile SEO is having a mobile version of your website! This is very important these days. This will not only increase your chances for ranking higher organically within the search result pages (like Google); it will also improve the user experience.

There is a big debate in the online marketing world about which is better, custom mobile website or responsive. I personally find that custom mobile websites are generally easier to navigate therefore leading to a better user experience. Having a better user experience will always generate higher conversions.

That being said, having a responsive website is not a bad thing. It is definitely better than having a non-mobile version of your website, and if setup well, it can still generate a good user experience. Either will help you increase your chances of out ranking your competitors, without a mobile site, within the SERPs.

2. Understand Mobile-User Intent

Adapt your mobile website based on mobile search. Mobile searchers are unique for the information that they are looking for. Users have different reasons for searching for information via mobile devices. It is important that you understand the user intent so that you can provide the appropriate information.

According to Google, 69 percent of mobile users expect businesses to be within 5 kms of their location, and 55 percent of mobile users want to purchase within the hour. Keeping this is mind, providing location information, hours of operation, and contact information are key to increasing your conversions.

3. Easy to use navigation and buttons

Having a standard navigation on a mobile device makes the website almost impossible to navigate. Mobile websites should be easy to navigate. Building a custom navigation for mobile devices is a must.

Adding click to call and click to email buttons are also incredibly import. It is important for users to be able to contact you easily. Don’t bury important contact information on a contact page that the users needs to navigate to . I recommend setting this information at the bottom of the site that is nested on top of the rest of the information and is always available. This will help to increase the amount of leads you generate from the mobile site.

4. Incorporate Clean Design With a Focus on Usability

Design your mobile site so that your users can move quickly and freely throughout the interface. This is important to the effectiveness of your websites usability. Mobile device screens are quite small in comparison to a desktop or tablet. If too much information is included on the page, it can be overwhelming and busy.
This can lead to a poor user experience and users will bounce from your site to a mobile site that is easier to use. Having a clean design with pertinent information will help to increase the user experience resulting in more conversions. Lots of white space will help to focus on the main goals and direct your users to the information that they are looking for.

5. Speed Up Slow Loading Mobile Pages

Page load speeds can have a significant impact on mobile SEO, mobile user-experience and conversions. Because page load speed is crucial to creating a positive mobile user-experience, it is essential to a successful mobile SEO strategy. You can test your mobile load time via Google webmaster tools speed test.

In conclusion, if you don’t already have a mobile version of your website, I would highly recommend that you look into implementing this sooner than later. Your users expect it! Don’t let your competitors win your customers over because your mobile site isn’t cutting it. Get ahead of your competitors, in mobile search rankings and user experience.

Responsive Web Design
Responsive web design is the newest online craze.

Nearly every new client of ours asks us if we can build them a responsive website, and we don’t blame them. With the sheer number of different media that can access the internet in today’s society, it is important to have a website that can be accessed by users on their computers, phones and iPad alike.

A large chunk of traffic is generated through hand held devices and if a business or website owner does not have a site that is compatible with all media, then they will be losing out on business.

What is responsive web design?

A website that has been built using responsive web design will be able to operate on any device that can access the internet, without losing its form and becoming unusable.

Previously, the only way to enable mobile access to a site was to create a specific mobile site; this technique has merit, but responsive web design is a visually appealing alternative.

Adaptable To the Device

Web designers are currently plagued by the constant invention of new mobile devices. Every year new technology is created that is no longer compatible with their previous work. Responsive web design solves this problem by creating a malleable page format that simply conforms to the screen size of any new device. This way designers don’t have to constantly go back and make changes to their mobile sites because responsive websites can do the adaptation themselves.

One feature of responsive web design is that it works across all platforms, while separate mobile sites need to be tweaked for different devices. A mobile site will not perform the same way in Google chrome as it will in Safari, and for novice developers this can be troublesome to deal with.

However, if you can create user friendly mobile sites, they will often be more aesthetically pleasing because they won’t be adapting their screen size.

So, How Does Responsive Web Design Work?

The way that responsive web design works, is the screen literally grows and shrinks depending on the screen it is being used on. This is fantastic technology because the website literally knows what it is being viewed on, and behaved accordingly.

The drawback to a responsive website is that sometimes a website might expand or shrink in a way that doesn’t line up with your vision for your website.

Who Needs Responsive Web Site Design?

When thinking about adding a responsive design to a site that currently doesn’t support mobile devices, or is using a mobile site that they want to switch over, it’s important to look at the individual’s business model:

If you look at your analytics, do the figures show that the site is attracting mobile users?
If the site is already working well on mobile with solid conversion rates, then maybe the client doesn’t need a responsive web site after all.
Other factors to consider are how the site looks aesthetically when viewed on a mobile device. If the site completely loses shape and becomes either unpleasing to look at or difficult to read, one might consider having the site redone responsively.

Success Online Coaching- A Case Study

We built a responsive site for Success Online Coaching recently, and we are proud of the results.

It was important for Success Online Coaching to have a site that could be accessed through mobile because their business model relies almost entirely on online sales. They also have an app that provides access to their website, so it was important that they had an aesthetically pleasing site for customers to navigate.

What is conversion optimization?

When answering the question “What is conversion optimization”, a definition is an excellent place to start.

Conversion optimization is defined as the method of creating an experience for an individual visiting a website with the goal of increasing the percentage of page visitors that convert into buyers, customers, or leads. It is often referred to as CRO, short for conversion rate optimization.

Does your website take action?

Conversion optimization is the art of creating a website layout that leads visitors to take the action that you want them to take. The reason that one would implement these tactics, is if said person desired people to interact with the site in a specific way. An example of this would be to lead people to sign up for an email list.

It’s All About Testing

When considering the question “what is conversion optimization” one must realize that to optimize their conversion rate they must find out why individuals do not convert, and then fill in the gaps. CRO requires a structured systematic approach when attempting to improve the conversion rates on your site. One must use insights, user feedback and analytics to track what individuals do on the site; Google analytics is an example of one of these tools. Crazy Egg is another one of our favorite testing tools. Your CRO strategy needs to work around your company website’s own specific goals, and move the visitor in the direction you wish them to go.

In the introduction, we briefly defined CRO as the method of using analytics and user feedback to improve the performance of your website. Here’s an even simpler definition: conversion rate optimization is finding why visitors aren’t converting and fixing it.

Simple, right?

So, what is the conversion optimization testing process all about?

A few important concepts regarding conversion rate optimization are the use of techniques such as calls to action, a/b split testing and multivariate testing.

call to action: a statement that invites the visitor to take an action. An example would be “Click here to buy now”.
A/B split testing: the act of taking one page, measuring the conversion rate, and then comparing it to the analytics of how another page attempting to accomplish the same action is faring.
Multivariate testing: the addition of more variables into your split test such as testing headings, images, and messaging.

If you are attempting to make the visitors to your site take some sort of action, then CRO is an important subject to look into.

What is conversion optimization? Longevity Graphics offers conversion optimization:

or Click here (this is one of those calls to action, did you notice?)
to contact us for your free consultation.