7 Best Business Presentation Apps for Your Smartphone

7 Best Business Presentation Apps for Your Smartphone

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

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Effective presentations are vital in securing new business and helping a firm grow. Thanks to advancements in technology, small businesses now have a wealth of tools available to them for delivering powerful presentations, quickly and efficiently.

Benefits of Presentation Apps for Small Businesses

Presentation apps offer a range of benefits for small businesses, enhancing their ability to communicate effectively both internally and with clients. These apps enable the creation of visually appealing presentations that can simplify complex data, making it easier to understand and more engaging for the audience. This is particularly beneficial for small businesses, where clear and effective communication is key to success.

Here are some specific benefits of presentation apps for small businesses:

  • Enhanced Communication: Helps in conveying ideas and information more clearly and effectively.
  • Professionalism: Creates a professional appearance, enhancing the credibility of the business.
  • Time-Saving: Templates and easy-to-use interfaces save time in creating presentations.
  • Data Visualization: Simplifies complex data through charts and infographics.
  • Engagement: Increases audience engagement with interactive and visually appealing content.
  • Accessibility: Allows presentations to be accessed from different devices and locations.
  • Cost-Effective: Reduces the need for expensive marketing materials.
  • Customization: Offers customization options to align with brand identity.
  • Collaboration: Facilitates collaboration among team members, improving efficiency.
  • Feedback and Analytics: Some apps provide feedback and analytics on audience engagement.

presentation apps

Selecting the Top Presentation Apps for Small Businesses: Our Thought Process

In the dynamic world of business, presentation apps are indispensable tools for conveying ideas and information effectively. For small business owners and entrepreneurs, choosing the right app can enhance the impact of their presentations. Here are the key criteria we considered when selecting the best presentation apps:

  1. User Interface and Ease of Use (High Importance)
    • Intuitive and user-friendly interface
    • Easy to navigate and create presentations
    • Availability of tutorials or guides for new users
  2. Design and Customization Options (High Importance)
    • Wide range of templates and design themes
    • Customization options for branding and unique styles
    • Flexibility in adding multimedia elements (images, videos, audio)
  3. Collaboration Features (Moderate Importance)
    • Real-time collaboration capabilities
    • Easy sharing and feedback options
    • Integration with team communication tools
  4. Compatibility and Integration (High Importance)
    • Compatibility with multiple devices and platforms
    • Integration with other business tools (CRM, data analysis software)
    • Export options in various formats (PDF, PPT, video)
  5. Interactivity and Engagement Tools (Moderate Importance)
    • Features like interactive polls, Q&A, and animations
    • Engagement tools for audience participation
    • Analytics to gauge audience engagement
  6. Performance and Reliability (High Importance)
    • Smooth performance without glitches
    • Reliability in saving and accessing presentations
    • Adequate storage and backup options
  7. Cost and Pricing Structure (Moderate Importance)
    • Transparent pricing with no hidden costs
    • Free version or trial period availability
    • Value for money considering the features offered
  8. Support and Resources (Moderate Importance)
    • Access to customer support for troubleshooting
    • Availability of resources like templates, icons, and graphics
    • Regular updates and feature enhancements
  9. Security and Privacy (High Importance)
    • Data security measures and privacy policies
    • Control over sharing and access rights
    • Compliance with data protection regulations

These criteria aim to assist you in finding a presentation app that is not only powerful in features but also user-friendly and aligned with your business’s needs. The ideal app should empower you to create engaging and impactful presentations with ease.

presentation apps

Best Presentation Apps

Here are seven of the best business presentation apps for your smartphone designed to help you win over your audience.

Haiku Deck

You can create a presentation in just a few minutes with the help of the Haiku Deck app. This intuitive app enables you to import images from social media sites. The app also allows you to sync your presentations between your iPhone, iPad or the internet.

The Haiku Deck app is free to download onto iPhone and iPad.

presentation apps

Keynote

Keynote is a powerful presentation app, which comes complete with cinematic transitions to help professionals make world-class presentations.

With iCloud built in, businesses can keep presentations fully secured and accessible across different devices with Keynote.

Keynote is available on the App Store for IOS devices. It can be downloaded for $9.99.

Google Slides

With the Google Slides app you can create and edit presentations and share them with others from your Android smartphone or tablet. This intuitive app enables you to not only create new presentations but edit existing files as well.

You can share and collaborate presentations at the same time from remote destinations. Slides can be added and rearranged in presentations. As all presentations are saved in the cloud, you don’t have to worry about losing your work with the Google Slides app.

Google Slides is free to download and can be used on both Android smartphones and iPhones.

presentation apps

WPS Office

The WPS Office is a simple yet effective presentation app. The app has a range of features designed to make presentations easy to create and effective, including the ability to insert, resize or crop images. Office documents can be exported to PDF with ease with the WPS Office app.

The WPS Office app is available to downloaded for free on the App Store for iOS devices.  It is also available on Android mobile devices.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft PowerPoint can be downloaded onto an iPad, iPhone or Android smartphones. The PowerPoint app enables businesses to create and edit impactful presentations whilst on the go. The presentations created on the PowerPoint app can be accessed in the cloud.

Microsoft PowerPoint app is free to download onto iOS and Android mobile devices.

presentation apps

FlowVella

With the FlowVella app you can combine words, images, links, videos and PDFs to create an effective presentation whilst on the go. Another great feature of FlowVella is the fact you can record videos of your presentations and share them anywhere.

The FlowVella app is compatible with iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices and can be downloaded for free.

ShowPad

ShowPad is specifically designed to help salespeople present and share content that matters to help them shine above competition, sell more products and ultimately grow their business. The ShowPad app is an easy-to-use sales presentation platform whereby sales teams can present dynamic content in presentation format.

Presentations can be custimized and used again for different sales situations with the ShowPad app. All meetings, presentations and activities can be easily logged and shared with ShowPad.

The ShowPad app can be downloaded for free onto both Android and iOS smartphones.

App Platform Availability Price Key Features Best For
Haiku Deck iPhone, iPad Free Quick creation, import images from social media, sync across devices Quick and intuitive presentation creation
Keynote iOS (iPhone, iPad) $9.99 Cinematic transitions, iCloud integration, secure and accessible Professional presentations with cinematic quality
Google Slides Android, iOS Free Create/edit presentations, share and collaborate, cloud-based Collaborative and accessible presentations
WPS Office iOS, Android Free Insert/resize/crop images, export to PDF, simple interface Simplicity and effectiveness in presentation creation
Microsoft PowerPoint iOS, Android Free Create/edit presentations, cloud access, impactful design Impactful presentations on the go
FlowVella iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch Free Combine various media, record presentations, compatible with multiple devices Interactive presentations with multimedia content
ShowPad iOS, Android Free Designed for sales, dynamic content, customizable, activity logging Sales presentations and content sharing

Business Presentation Photo via Shutterstock



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How To Create a Content Strategy That Actually Drives Traffic (2024)

How To Create a Content Strategy That Actually Drives Traffic (2024)

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

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If you don’t have a good content strategy, you’re kinda screwed.

Think of your content strategy as a map—you need one if you want to get where you’re going.

No map? You’re going to get lost. This is a perfect recipe for burnout and, ultimately, failure.

You’ve got to be strategic and intentional if you’re going to succeed. Especially when competition for attention is so tough.

So how do you create a content strategy?

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know to create a successful content strategy that consistently drives traffic to your website.

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What is a content strategy?

A content strategy is a plan of action purposely designed to guide content marketing activities and ensure they deliver against a specific business objective.

This includes content planning, production, publishing, promoting, tracking, and SEO optimization. It also includes every type of content you produce, such as videos, blog posts, podcasts, and social media posts.

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Different types of content serve different purposes. For example, you might create a blog post to rank on Google for certain keywords so that you can hook in new leads. Or you might create a case study video to show your products in action to educate leads about your products.

Bottom line, a powerful content strategy framework will enable you to maximize the return on the time and money you invest in content marketing.

How to create a successful content marketing strategy

1. Define your goal

Every single piece of content you create should have a clearly defined purpose, such as:

  • Earning backlinks from other websites and social accounts to drive traffic to your website
  • Ranking high in the search results on sites like Google and YouTube
  • Educating and nurturing your customers, leads, and existing social audience
  • Moving readers or viewers further along the sales funnel by taking an action (e.g., signing up to your mailing list)

So before you begin, make sure to set clear goals for your content marketing efforts.

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These goals should be SMART:

  • Specific: There should be no room for interpretation.
  • Measurable: Your goals should be quantifiable.
  • Attainable: Be ambitious, but also be realistic.
  • Relevant: Your goals should lead to the final outcome you want.
  • Time-bound: There should be a clear start and end date.

Here’s an example of a content marketing SMART goal:

Specific: We aim to boost blog traffic by increasing our publishing frequency from two to five times a week.

Measurable: The goal is to boost traffic by 12%.

Attainable: We grew our blog traffic by 6% last month when we increased our publishing frequency from one to two times a week.

Relevant: Increasing content production will boost brand awareness and generate more leads from SEO and social sharing.

Time-bound: We will do this by the end of this month.

SMART goal: By the end of this month, we will increase blog traffic by 12% by increasing our publishing frequency from two to five posts a week.

To create a content marketing strategy SMART goal, consider questions like:

  • How does this contribute to our overall marketing goals?
  • Is this the most effective way to achieve our desired end result?
  • Do we have the necessary resources to make this goal a reality?

Once you’ve set your content strategy goals, it’s time to move on to step two.

2. Define your target audience

What is a target audience exactly?

In short, a target audience is a group of people who are likely to respond positively to your content—which is why every single piece of content you create should have a target audience.

The power of a defined target audience is best explained by Elizabeth Gardner, founder of Garnish Media:

“It’s hard to target a message to a generic 35-year-old middle-class working mother of two. It’s much easier to target a message to Jennifer, who has two children under four, works as a paralegal and is always looking for quick but healthy dinners, and ways to spend more time with her kids and less time on housework.”

By defining your target audience, you can better understand how to create content that appeals to their interests, needs, and emotions. In turn, this will lead to a stronger brand and higher conversion rates.

So how do you do it?

First, you’ll want to create a buyer persona. Let’s look at an example.

The Buyer Persona Institute provides a detailed example of a buyer persona. This includes all of the basic demographic information and psychographic information such as their priorities, potential objections, criteria for making decisions, and what they consider valuable.


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OK, but where do you get this information?

Well, if you already have an existing customer base, take a deeper look and try to draw out commonalities. And if you don’t, start by investigating your closest competitor’s customer base.

Ask questions like:

  • Where do they live?
  • How old are they?
  • What gender are they?
  • What are their interests?
  • Who do they follow online?
  • What is their level of education?
  • What kind of jobs do they have?
  • How much money do they make?
  • What motivates them to purchase something?
  • What concerns them most when making a purchase?

Once you’ve defined your target market, you can begin to identify effective content topics.

3. Develop effective content topics

Your target audience should define everything about the content you create.

Simply put, if you want to generate leads from search engines or boost your social media engagements, you need to create content your target audience will love.

How?

Find out what your target audience is currently searching for and interacting with. There are plenty of ways to do this, but one of the most effective is to use SEO tools to see what people are searching for on search engines.

There are tons of tools out there, such as Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMRush. There are even plenty of browser extensions like Keywords Everywhere.

Conducting keyword research to identify content opportunities

You probably already have some knowledge of your target audience. So begin by making a list of some relevant and important topics.

Then, it’s time to see how many people are searching these terms.

In this example, we’ll use the browser extension Keywords Everywhere—this tool is simple, quick, and easy to use.

Once you’ve installed the extension, you’ll see keyword information whenever you use a search engine like Google, YouTube, eBay, Etsy, Bing, or Amazon.

Specifically, Keywords Everywhere will show you following for each keyword:

  • Volume: How many searches a keyword receives per month.
  • Cost-per-click: The average cost-per-click of the keyword when engaging in pay-per-click advertising.
  • Competition: How competitive the keyword is.

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When starting out, try to find keywords that have a monthly search volume in the thousands or tens of thousands.

This way, the volume is large enough to draw in substantial amounts of traffic but not so large that your content will be lost in the noise.

With these tips, you should have some solid keywords that you know your target audience is actively searching for.

Turning your keywords into content topics

For example, if one of your keywords is “snowboard helmet,” you could brainstorm the following topic ideas:

  • The Top 10 Snowboard Helmets in 2024
  • How to Choose the Best Snowboard Helmet for Your Needs
  • 7 Reasons to Always Wear a Snowboard Helmet

Just remember the golden rule of content creation: It’s never about you, it’s about your readers.

So aim to be helpful and engaging.

If you’re struggling to come up with great content ideas, then consider checking out BuzzSumo.

BuzzSumo is particularly powerful because it allows you to see the top performing content for certain keywords:

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Once you’ve got some great topic ideas, it’s time to choose your content’s format.

4. Identify the most effective content format

Today, there are tons of different content formats available. Here are some of the most popular types used by content marketers:

  • Blog posts
  • Emails
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Graphics and infographics
  • Webinars
  • Social media posts
  • Podcasts

Now, each of these formats also has plenty of options.

Take video marketing—you could create vlogs, reviews, how-tos, behind the scenes, interviews, skits, or Q&As.

You also need to decide on the length of your content and which platform you plan to publish it on according to where you hope to engage your audience most.

For example, if you plan to create a video, will you publish it on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram Stories, or your own website?

It’s vital to answer these questions ahead of time as they will define the type of content you need to create.

For instance, a Facebook Story needs to be filmed in portrait, but a YouTube video will perform best when filmed in landscape.

But here’s the thing: You can’t do them all and you shouldn’t do them all.

Unless you have a massive team and an endless budget, trying to produce content in many different formats will overstretch your resources.

For small businesses, it’s best to just have one or two content formats that you can really throw yourself into.

5. Determine your posting frequency

Consistency is key.

Without a consistent content strategy schedule, you won’t build the necessary momentum to attract organic traffic.

Now, the type of content you create will largely inform how often you should share it. For example, it’s likely you’ll post more social media updates than long-form blog posts.

There are two main things to keep in mind: Your limited resources and your audience’s appetite.

Creating long-form blog posts or videos takes a lot of time—or money, if you decide to hire a writer or video producer. This will restrict how often you’re able to create quality content.

In short, the longer the content, the less often you post.

You also want to provide the right amount of content for your target audience.

Too little and you won’t effectively nurture deep customer relationships. Too much and you’ll overwhelm them send them looking for the Unsubscribe button

Curata’s content marketing pyramid provides a helpful way to see how often you should post different types of content. And if you’re still unsure where to start, check out competitors that use content marketing successfully.

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You also need to decide when to share your content.

To do this, think about when it’s most convenient for your target audience to consume your content. Plus, check your social media analytics to work out when your audience is most engaged online.

Once you’ve decided on a posting frequency, create a content calendar.

You can use a simple spreadsheet to keep track of your content or use a tool like CoSchedule, Asana, or Trello.

Start by making simple columns to track where each piece of content is in your overall content strategy.

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6. Plan your content promotion activities

Every great content strategy includes content promotion.

Marketer and entrepreneur Derek Halpern recommends spending 20% of your time creating content and 80% of your time marketing it.

“If you spend time writing a piece of content, and that content only gets 1,000 readers, chances are there are one million other people in the world who can benefit from what you wrote,” writes Halpern. “Why then, would you spend more time creating content when you already have something that your ideal customers can benefit from?”

So how do you go about marketing your content?

Here are a few ways you can promote content you’ve already published:

  • Promote your content to your existing mailing list to deepen customer relationships.
  • Share your posts on your social media platforms.
  • Repurpose parts of your content into different formats (e.g., take short clips from your long videos to create Facebook and Instagram Story videos).
  • Pay to promote high-performing posts on social media.

You can also use social media tools like Buffer or HootSuite to schedule your social media posts in advance.

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To supercharge your content marketing promotion activities, it’s best to build them into the content itself, such as:

  • Creating new research in your niche that other people will link to
  • Including material and sources from prominent brands in your niche, then email them in the hope that they read, share, and link to your content
  • Asking influencers for a quote to include in your content and then asking them to share the finished piece

Remember to circle back every now and then to promote previous content that still performs well.

7. Continually improve and optimize your content and strategy

This is when the magic happens.

By doing a content audit, you can extract valuable takeaways that you can use to improve your content strategy in the future.

Ideally, you should have a simple spreadsheet that allows you to clearly measure your content’s performance.

Here’s an example from the Content Marketing Institute:

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A simple spreadsheet like this will allow you to track your key performance indicators over time.

The data that you track will depend on your goals and the format of your content. For example, you might track:

  • Video metrics (e.g., views, subscribers, watch time, etc.)
  • Website data (e.g., pageviews, clicks, signups, bounces, etc.)
  • Social interactions (e.g., comments, shares, likes, etc.)

You could even use URL shorteners to track clicks from individual videos and social media posts to your website.

8. Update and expand on previous content

An important part of search engine optimization is refreshing previous content. Thankfully, these changes don’t need to be massive.

For example, it’s inevitable that parts of your blog posts will become outdated. When this happens, you should remove those parts, add new relevant information, and optimize the keywords.

This simple practice can be extremely effective since newer content is more likely to be relevant to searchers. That’s why search engines like Google prioritize up-to-date content.

Of course, you can’t update or change parts of videos on YouTube or podcasts on Apple. However, you can revisit the topic.

If you have a high-performing piece of content that your audience loves, why not create more content on the same topic?

All in all, it comes down to one simple phrase: Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

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Content strategy summary

A content strategy is your roadmap to content marketing success.

Without one, you won’t be able to create effective content or enable your performance to consistently improve into the future.

In summary, when creating a content strategy make sure to:

  • Define your goal: Create SMART goals to ensure you effectively utilize your resources.
  • Define your target audience: Make sure you know exactly who you’re creating content for.
  • Develop effective content topics: Identify the topics that your target audience will love.
  • Identify the most effective content format: Create content in the formats that your audience prefers.
  • Determine your posting frequency: Post enough to engage your audience and not so much that they feel overwhelmed.
  • Create a content marketing calendar: Be consistent in your content marketing strategy to build momentum.
  • Plan your content marketing strategy promotion: Spend 20% of your time creating content and 80% of your time promoting it.
  • Track and improve your content marketing efforts: Have a documented strategy to draw out insights that you can use to learn and improve your content efforts.
  • Update and expand on previous content: Refresh old content to improve SEO and expand on high-performing topics.

Don’t start producing content without a proper strategy. Have a plan and an end goal in place to get the most out of your content efforts.

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The Hidden Mystery Behind Building Trust with Potential Customers

The Hidden Mystery Behind Building Trust with Potential Customers

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

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Understanding the importance of building trust with customers is crucial in today’s market. We don’t just purchase products, services, or companies; we buy from those we trust. In highly competitive industries, the deciding factor for customers often isn’t the product itself, but the trust they have in the people behind it.

This is why building trust is key to successful customer relationships.

Importance of Building Trust With Customers

Understanding the significance of trust in business, it’s imperative that our actions consistently contribute to building this trust. The most effective way to establish trust is by genuinely caring more about the prospect than our own sales objectives. This approach may seem counterintuitive, especially when the instinct is often to focus on the sale.

However, it’s crucial to embrace the concept that a sales-centric mindset can actually be detrimental to achieving sales goals.

Realizing this truth is a significant step towards earning trust and expanding your business. By shifting focus from a transactional perspective to one that values the relationship with the customer, we lay the groundwork for long-term success.

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Traditional Sales Approach vs. Trust-Building Approach

Understanding the differences between traditional sales tactics and trust-building strategies can be pivotal for developing lasting customer relationships. This comparison table illustrates key contrasts between these two approaches:

Criteria Traditional Sales Approach Trust-Building Approach
Focus Closing the sale Understanding customer needs
Customer Perception Salesperson is self-interested Salesperson is genuinely helpful
Communication Style Often one-sided Two-way, with active listening
Relationship with Customer Transactional Long-term and relational
Sales Strategy Product-centered Customer-centered
Outcome Expectation Immediate sale Building a lasting relationship
Customer Feedback Less emphasized Actively sought and valued

importance of building trust with customers

To build trust, it’s essential to concentrate on understanding the prospect. The more we know about them – their needs, challenges, and goals – the better we can assess how our services or products can be of genuine assistance. Customers are primarily interested in solutions to their problems, not the products or services themselves.

They are looking for ways to overcome their challenges and achieve success. By demonstrating how our offerings can be tailored to their specific situation, we significantly increase the chances of not only making a sale but also establishing a lasting relationship.

It’s about connecting with the customer on a level that transcends the product or service, showing them that their success is our priority.

Moreover, it’s important not to fall into the trap of assuming that our solution is a one-size-fits-all. This mindset can be a major misstep in sales. While we might believe our offering has universal appeal, this is often not the case. Value is subjective and varies from customer to customer.

It’s only those who perceive and trust in the value of our offering who are likely to engage with it. Establishing this trust goes beyond the product or service; it involves demonstrating a deep understanding of the customer’s needs and showing a commitment to providing real solutions.

This approach not only helps in making a sale but also in building a foundation for ongoing customer loyalty and advocacy.

Consider these three steps to being the person your prospect will buy from:

  • Assume nothing 
  • Do discovery 
  • Really listen

Assume nothing

Understanding your prospects is crucial, and this begins with the realization that initial assumptions can be misleading. You can’t be certain if what you’re offering is what they need until you truly understand their situation. Similarly, deciding whether a prospect is the right fit for your business requires in-depth knowledge about them.

Surface-level observations aren’t enough; looking beyond appearances to understand their actual needs and compatibility is key. This approach avoids the pitfall of stereotyping based on superficial attributes, leading to more meaningful and potentially fruitful engagements.

importance of building trust with customers

Do discovery

This step involves curating a set of detailed questions aimed at thoroughly understanding the prospect. The goal is to delve deeper than the immediate problem your product or service might solve. Inquire about their operational methods, what they prioritize, their budget, and timelines, among other aspects.

This holistic understanding of their situation and needs will not only help in providing tailored solutions but also in building a more nuanced and empathetic relationship with them. It’s about gathering insights that go beyond the transactional nature of business and into the realm of strategic partnership.

importance of building trust with customers

Really listen

Active, intentional listening is the cornerstone of trust-building. When you listen attentively and purposefully, it resonates with the person speaking. This level of engagement allows you to truly assess whether you can offer meaningful help and whether this is a partnership you wish to pursue.

Genuine listening provides a foundation for a thoughtful and appropriate response, demonstrating that you value the conversation and the potential relationship. This approach is not just about hearing words but about understanding the underlying needs and concerns of your prospects.

Implementing these steps leads to the cultivation of deeper, more meaningful relationships where they are most beneficial. It fosters trust, which in turn positively influences your business over time. When trust is established, the people or companies who are the right fit for your business will naturally gravitate towards you.

They will not only be inclined to do business with you but also become advocates for your brand, referring you to others. This is because at the core of successful business transactions is a human element; people prefer to buy from those they trust and connect with on a personal level.

Photo via Shutterstock

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How To Create a Content Strategy That Actually Drives Traffic (2024)

How to Start a Business in 2024: A 10-Step Guide

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

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Starting a business involves planning, doing market research, and acquiring knowledge of the legal aspects of opening a firm. You’ll answer questions like, “How do I find a product to sell?” “What’s the right business model?” “What are the best channels for marketing?”

Let’s go over the key steps on how to start a business, including creating a business plan, registering your company, promoting your offering, and more.

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1. Choose a business idea

It all begins with an idea. Many small business ideas are available for you to pursue, including ventures you can run from home. 

2. Research your product and audience

Upfront research is necessary to determine whether there’s an audience for your business or product idea.

3. Write a business plan

A business plan helps you get clear on how to manage key aspects of the business. It includes everything from your executive summary to your financials.

4. Make or source products

If your product is a handmade item, you can choose an appropriate space in your home to carry out its production. If it’s designed to be manufactured in a factory, you’ll likely need to find a supply partner.

5. Develop a brand 

A strong brand is crucial for building trust with customers and the wider audience.

6. Build a website

A website lets you introduce your business to the world, and it’s easy to create one thanks to website builders like Shopify’s.

7. Register your business 

In most countries, you will need to officially register your business. Check with your local government agency to clear any doubts.

8. Manage your money

Getting a grip on finances is important for streamlining your business operations. This involves everything from opening a business bank account to choosing accounting software.

9. Market your business

Marketing is essential to launching a successful business. It’s how you can get products in front of your target audience.

10. Grow your business

Once your business is up and running, consider taking steps to make it grow. New business owners can take several measures, from seeking additional funding to selling in overseas markets.

How to start a business in 2024: summary

  1. Choose a business idea
  2. Research your products and audience
  3. Write a business plan
  4. Manufacture or source products
  5. Build a brand
  6. Create a website
  7. Register your business
  8. Manage your money
  9. Market your business
  10. Grow your business
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16 Common SEO Mistakes You Don’t Want to Be Making

16 Common SEO Mistakes You Don’t Want to Be Making

by | Nov 30, 2023 | Blog

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Digital marketing relies in part on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to foster the success of a website. Effective strategies drive organic traffic, boosting both sales and conversions.

Mistakes like not optimizing for essential keywords can lead to a drop in profits and sales. Remember, potential customers looking for online goods and services use keywords and phrases to start the process.

seo mistakes

The Impact of SEO Mistakes

Understanding SEO is crucial for online success. For businesses considering how to start an SEO company, knowing these common mistakes can provide a solid foundation for offering effective SEO services.

Other SEO errors can cause problems for a website’s search engine rankings:

  •   Mistakes like broken links can cause a drop in organic traffic.
  •    Misleading meta descriptions can damage the site’s credibility.
  •   Duplicate content can result in a decline in visibility on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS).

seo mistakes

The 16 Most Common SEO Mistakes to Avoid

Along with these mistakes, focusing on video SEO and YouTube SEO is equally important, as video content increasingly dominates the digital landscape. Sidestepping the following 16 SEO mistakes can help your site rank higher and boost sales.

1. Ignoring the Importance of Keyword Research

The Mistake

 Neglecting this research reduces a website’s visibility and potential traffic. Keywords are the basis of SEO. In effect, they are the phrases your audience uses to look for the goods and services you have to sell.

The Solution

You can use several research tools, including SEMrush and Google Keyword Planner. These can help you find high-volume, low-competition keywords. One strategy is to target long-tail ones and their variations. 

2. Overlooking the Power of Meta Descriptions

The Mistake

Don’t underestimate the critical nature of meta descriptions. Not using them properly can affect your visibility and click-through rates.

The Solution

A meta description should be around 150 to 160 characters, using the active voice to highlight unique selling points.

 WordPress Has some excellent SEO plugins for these descriptions. The same goes for Yoast SEO.

seo mistakes

3. Failing to Optimize for Mobile Users

The Mistake

Ignoring mobile optimization leads to lower rankings on mobile searches and higher bounce rates.

The Solution

A responsive design is the solution.  These designs need to adapt to various devices and screen sizes. 

4. Neglecting Internal Links

The Mistake

 User navigation can be affected when you overlook these links.  Another consequence occurs with indexing by search engines.

The Solution

An audit will help you identify pages with outdated links or lacking internal ones. Creating an internal linking strategy prioritizing relevant content is a good idea.

It’s also an excellent strategy to optimize your menus and navigation bars to incorporate internal links 

seo mistakes

5. Overusing Keywords (Keyword Stuffing)

The Mistake

Overusing keywords can do much more than lead to a poor user experience.  Search engines impose penalties for keyword stuffing.

The Solution

Writing content that appeals to users is part of the solution. Use words naturally so there’s a sense of flow and readability.

 Keywords need to be placed in strategic locations like a meta description, headings and titles. Density matters, and you should aim for what’s organic, which is typically up to 2% of all of the content.

6. Not Utilizing Google Search Console

The Mistake

 Google Search Control can help you troubleshoot, maintain and monitor the presence of a website in Google search results. You’re missing valuable insights if you’re not using it.

The Solution

Fixing this problem starts with going to Google Search Control and adding your website URL. You need to upload your site’s XML sitemap.

seo mistakes

7. Ignoring Local SEO

 The Mistake

Ignoring local SEO is a big mistake if you’re looking to target local prospects. Not using the strategy will lower your rankings in local search results.

The Solution

Fixing this problem means creating a Google My Business (GMB) listing. It’s also essential to optimize your content and website with location-based keyword phrases and keywords. Remember to ask satisfied customers to leave reviews on your GMB page.

8. Not Optimizing for Voice Search

The Mistake

Voice Search is a growing trend that you want to take advantage of. It can amplify your visibility.

The Solution

Finding conversational keywords that prospects might use when speaking is a solution. Usually, these are long-tail keywords. You’ll also need to ensure your website is mobile-friendly because most searches are done that way.

9. Forgetting to Regularly Update Content

 The Mistake

Your website’s authority and relevance will suffer if you don’t update content regularly.

The Solution

It’s easier to schedule updates when you use a content calendar regularly. You can also consider updating old posts with brand-new information or statistics. New formats are another way to increase your rankings. Think podcasts, infographics and videos.

10. Overlooking User Experience (UX)

 The Mistake

Lower engagement numbers and higher bounce rates result when ignoring user experience (UX).

The Solution

Make sure that your website performs well on mobile devices and is responsive. Optimize images and reduce unnecessary scripts. Streamline your navigation with user-friendly categories and menus and a logical site hierarchy.

Don’t forget to use bullet points and headers to make content easy to read. 

seo mistakes

11. Poor Site Speed and Performance

The Mistake 

Poor performance and slow speed can hinder user experience and your SEO rankings at the same time.

The Solution 

A faster hosting provider might be the answer. Or you can minimize HTTP requests by reducing redirects and utilizing browser caching.

 Start by using tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to identify any performance issues.

12. Failing to Utilize Social Media Signals

The Mistake 

Your brand’s visibility can be limited if you ignore your social media presence and don’t maintain it properly.

The Solution 

Sharing infographics, articles, blog posts, and videos will help engage with your target market. Remember to run contests and respond to any comments made on these channels.

seo mistakes

13. Not Using Analytics to Drive SEO Strategy

The Mistake 

Optimizing your SEO strategies begins when you utilize the information you get from analytics. Ignoring this critical part of the puzzle deprives you of the tweaks necessary for any campaign.

The Solution 

You can track user behavior and website traffic using Google Analytics. This tool helps you identify trending topics and high-performing keywords. The information you’ll get through analytics will help you align your strategies with your target market preferences.

14. Inadequate Backlink Strategies

The Mistake 

Your website authority will suffer, and your SEO performance drop if you don’t use quality backlinks.

The Solution 

Ensure you reach out to relevant locations for these. Guest posting to relevant and reputable websites is a great way to get links back to your website.

seo mistakes

15. Overlooking the Importance of Meta Tags and Title Tags

The Mistake

Pay attention to title tags and the meta version. Your search visibility and click-through rates will be hampered if you don’t. 

The Solution 

One solution is descriptive, compelling titles of less than 70 characters containing your keywords. Encourage links with a meta description that is less than 160 characters.

16. Not Addressing Broken Links

The Mistake 

You’ll need a constant effort to stay on top of these links that can negatively impact your SEO. Ignoring them or not checking them can cost you rankings and sales.

The Solution 

You’ll need to check for these periodically, and you can use tools like Screaming Frog.

seo mistakes

SEO Best Practices

For those looking to deepen their SEO knowledge, exploring SEO courses can be incredibly beneficial. Additionally, learning how to improve writing and SEO can greatly enhance content quality and search engine rankings.

Here are five strategies to help you build a successful SEO strategy and avoid mistakes.

  1. Optimizing your site’s speed means minimizing HTTP requests and compressing images.
  2.  Active profiles on social media mean engagement. Respond to comments and integrate social sharing buttons.
  3.  Make informed decisions using Google Analytics to track popular content and website traffic. That includes deciding on relevant keywords.
  4.  Look for reputable backlinks from quality websites through guest posting and quality content.
  5. Don’t forget to optimize title tags and their meta counterparts.

Beyond these practices, creating a well-rounded SEO strategy and improving blog SEO are crucial steps. Remember, understanding mobile SEO facts is key in an increasingly mobile-first world.

Best Practice Description Tools/Resources Key Tips
Keyword Research Identify relevant keywords that your target audience is searching for. Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush. Focus on long-tail keywords for less competition.
Quality Content Create valuable and informative content that meets user needs. Content management systems, Grammarly. Regularly update your website with fresh, relevant content.
On-Page Optimization Optimize individual web pages to rank higher. Yoast SEO, Moz SEO tools. Include keywords in titles, headings, and meta descriptions.
Mobile Optimization Ensure your website is mobile-friendly. Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, responsive web design. A mobile-responsive website is crucial for better ranking.
Loading Speed Improve website loading times for better user experience. Google PageSpeed Insights, website caching tools. Fast loading speeds are crucial for both ranking and user experience.
Quality Backlinks Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites. Backlink analysis tools like Ahrefs, guest blogging. Focus on building organic backlinks over quantity.
Local SEO Optimize for local searches, especially if you have a physical location. Google My Business, local directories. Ensure your business is listed on local directories and Google My Business.
Image Optimization Optimize images for faster loading and descriptive alt-text. Image compression tools, descriptive file names. Use relevant alt-text and compress images for faster loading.
Regular Analytics Review Regularly check analytics to understand traffic and user behavior. Google Analytics, Google Search Console. Use insights to refine your SEO strategies over time.
SSL Certificate Secure your website with HTTPS for safety and ranking. SSL certificates from hosting providers. Websites with HTTPS are favored by search engines.

seo mistakes

FAQs: Common SEO Mistakes

Here are some answers to common questions asked about these mistakes. 

Should a small business pay a specialist to optimize a website for search engines?

Hiring a professional will give you expert implementation of the most innovative SEO strategies.

How often should a SEO strategy be reviewed?

Reviewing your strategy every 3 to 6 months will help you adapt to changing user behaviors, algorithms and market trends.

What are the key factors search engines consider when ranking websites?

 The factors search engines evaluate include: 

  • Content quality and keywords.
  •  Backlinks and user experience, which include mobile-friendliness and website speed.
  •  Technicalities like sitemaps, schema markup and proper website structure.
  •  Domain Authority, which judges the credibility and trustworthiness of the site.
  • Engagement metrics, which include click-through rates. 

How costly can an SEO mistake be?

 An SEO mistake can lead to a significant drop in website traffic, visibility, and rankings. That can spell a decrease in organic search traffic and a loss of revenue.

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