The Evolution Of Web Browsers

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Looking for our Web Browser Poll? Scroll down.

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Update: 09/04/2021

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Brave Browser Update

It's been nine months since we last updated our statistics for the Brave browser. Here is the latest. Over a million and a quarter trackers and ads blocked by Brave with almost 25GM and 17 hours saved. Pretty impressive.

Firefox

Firefox has been getting some rave reviews for their latest version of web browser. I have Firefox installed and have used it off and on since it first came on the market. The developer community is giving it high marks for its' capabilities in working with CSS and other its' developer tools. Firefox has come a long way since the days of Netscape.

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Update: 12/16/2020

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Brave Browser Update

Over 800,000 trackers & ads blocked. Wow. I'm not sure what I did with those 11 hours of time Brave saved but I'm pretty sure I used it to work on web design projects.

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Update: 8/9/2020

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Brave Browser Update

Since we began using the Brave Browser we have saved 5.6 hours and had over 400,000 trackers and ads blocked. That's a significant reduction in the usual irritations that go along with browsing the internet.

 

We have noticed that Brave seems to be a little more "locked down" than other browsers. Brave kicks up some security errors where other browsers don't. Is that good or bad? I prefer to error on the side of a more secure browsing experience. 

I have Brave installed on my MacBook Pro, iPad, and iPhone. It's become my go-to browser and I have zero issues or problems with it on these devices.

If you haven't taken the Brave browser for a spin yet, it might be time to check it out.

https://brave.com/

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Update: 2/5/2020

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New Kid on the Block - Brave Browser

There a new browser in the fray. Created way back in 2016, the Brave Browser was updated with new algorithm code and re-released in November of 2019. Brave is FAST, in fact one of the faster web browsers out there. It runs all the extensions the Chrome runs and proudly displays its' stats on any new tab. Here are the stats registered on my install since December 15, 2019.

As you can see, Brave has saved me over an hour of time.

We like Brave and so far haven't encountered any problems using it.

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The Evolution of Web Browsers - It Started With Mosaic

Mosaic was introduced in 1993 and ushered in the age of the World Wide Web and the web browser evolution. Soon after Mosaic came Netscape's Navigator. Then in 1995, Microsoft introduced their web browser called Internet Explorer and the war was on between Netscape and Microsoft. There was a big advantage for Microsoft because they bundled Internet Explorer with it's popular Windows operating system.

By 2002 Microsoft's Internet Explorer had over 90% of the web browser market. In the late 1990s Netscape launched what would become Mozilla Foundation to develop an open source web browser which evolved into Firefox.

In 2003 Apple poked its' head in the race with their web browser named Safari. Although popular on Apple devices, Safari never caught on with the PC crowd.

Google jumped into the web browser market in 2008 with Chrome. By 2012 Chrome had absorbed market share from the competitors and was the dominant web browser in the market.

Here's a look at web browser market share as of January 2018 for desktop users.

When web browsers were in their infancy, almost all connections to the world wide web were through dial-up modems. Many of the technologies we take for granted today were just not possible with the slow transfer speeds of the dial-up modem days. Things like game playing, streaming services, YouTube videos and other data-intensive activities were not available. I can remember connecting with a 300 baud modem and waiting hours for a file to download. Today that same size file downloads in the blink of an eye.

As connection and data transfer speeds increase, web browser technology will continue to keep pace and bring us more capabilities than we ever dreamed of.

What web browser are you using? Do you use different browsers depending on the device you're using? Let us know in the comment section below. And don't forget to take our Web Browser poll.

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Participate in our Web Browser poll!

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Original post here: The Evolution Of Web Browsers

Internet Marketing Iowa

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#internetmarketing #iowa

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Internet Marketing Iowa

So does Internet Marketing Iowa work here in the nation's heartland? The good news is that Internet Marketing Iowa is just as effective as it is anywhere else. Whether your business is in Des Moines, Davenport, Mason City on any of the small towns throughout Iowa, Internet marketing can work for you. So Yes - Internet Marketing Iowa works - two thumbs up!

Where Does Your Business Show up in Search Results?

The majority of Website traffic comes from the first page which consists of 10 websites. With all the changes in Internet technology, people are now searching for something and then seeing your website listed as the first result - that's the goal! Do not read this to mean you should spend a lot of money on advertising. That is the last thing you should do. The first thing you should do is make sure your website is about what the person is looking for. Ten sites make up the first page of Google's search results. The first three are paid ads and the remaining seven are the organic results of a search. Guess where you want your website to be? Yep - page one! That's the goal of Internet marketing - to position your website as high as possible in the SERPs.

What Is Internet Marketing Iowa?

Internet marketing is the process of promoting your products and services through a variety of online channels. It's an effective way to reach potential customers who are already looking for what you have to offer, but it can be tough to get started with no experience or knowledge about how things work. Here at Team 218 Web Services, we've got resources that will help you learn about internet marketing so that you can see why this is such an important tool in today's competitive business world.

Organic SEO

We utilize organic SEO techniques to fully optimize a website. Then we blend in some advanced tactics to squeeze the most out of your website's search positioning.

Google My Business (GMB)

GMB goes hand in hand with your Organic SEO efforts. A properly optimized GMB listing is critical to your Internet Marketing success. Did you know GMB provides you with a complete business website that is updated from your GMB? Not only is GMB a great tool but it's Free!

Social Media

Don't overlook social media when it comes to Internet Marketing. Think of it as another way to reach potential customers and interact with them. The more interaction you can facilitate, the more prospective customers feel familiar and trusting towards your business.

You’re Busy Running Your Business. Let us Help You Get Found Online!

Your website will struggle if it doesn't have a strong foundation of organic SEO. How can you tell if your business is strong in the digital world? It's easy to see your search engine rankings. Also... your paid listings... You have back links. The health of your business on the web is dependent on all three of these components. Your website won't reach its' maximum potential if any of these are weak. There is some good news. Even if some of these areas are weak, there is still hope. Because... The problem can be fixed.

Without good digital marketing, you won't know if you're getting found or not. You'll never really know how well your website is doing until you track the effectiveness of your efforts. We can review your site and make sure it's relevant to your customers. We can get your website found by the search engines.  It's a lot easier to do this once your business is in tip-top shape. It's like fixing a car while it's running... versus... trying to get it started in the first place!

Team 218: 23+ Years’ Experience in The Industry

Our team can get started helping you with your Internet Marketing. Contact us today. Our email is team@team218.com and our phone number is (319) 333-0815. We are a small team who cares about our clients and what we are trying to accomplish for them. We work hard and have fun along the way. We will help you reach your goals by getting to know you and your business and what tactics will work best.

Your Customers Search For Products, Services And Businesses

More than 2.4 billion people use the Internet every day? 98% of those have purchased something, or contacted a company online in the last 12 months! Will they find you? If they don't find what they're looking for in the results, they'll probably change the search term they use on the Internet and try again, until they find Websites that have the information they're looking for.  Then what happens you ask - they usually make a purchase.

Basics Of Successful Internet Marketing

You need to know this stuff. I don't care if you're a doctor, an attorney, a preacher, a policeman, a teacher, a soldier, or a simple entrepreneur. All of these things will help you become more successful. Let's begin with the basics. Every successful marketing campaign should have seven basic elements.

A Goal:

What do you want to achieve? Usually this would be increased sales, but it could be anything else that makes sense for your business.

A Position:

Where do you want to be in the market? This is called your "positioning." For example, if you are selling T-shirts, you might position yourself as the place to get "funky" T-shirts. Or, you might position yourself as the place to buy T-shirts at a discount. Or, you might position yourself as the place to buy T-shirts that will last a long time. The possibilities are endless. It's up to you to figure out what will work best for your business.

A Target Market:

Who do you want to sell your products or services to? If you are a dentist, maybe your target market is other dentists. If you are a chiropractor, maybe your target market is other chiropractors. If you are in real estate, maybe your target market is other real estate agents. If you are in the military, maybe your target market is other military personnel. If you are a plumber, maybe your target market is other plumbers. If you are selling T-shirts, maybe your target market is people who like unique things. Maybe they like funny T-shirts. Maybe they like T-shirts that have a special meaning to them. Maybe they like T-shirts that help them make a difference. Who knows?

A clear objective:

What do you want to happen? More sales? More traffic to your website? Leads? Whatever your goal is, be specific and say it out loud so you will be clear in your own mind and so you won't get sidetracked along the way.

A compelling offer:

What is it that you are selling? If you're not sure, ask yourself why someone would buy what you're selling. The answer will usually be obvious. If it isn't obvious, ask yourself again until you arrive at a compelling reason. It could be a bargain, low price. Maybe it's convenience. Perhaps it's a perceived need based on your knowledge of the customer. Whatever the reason, make it as obvious and as compelling as you can.

An understanding of your customer:

Know your customers as well as you know yourself. What is their age? What is their marital status? What is their gender? What is their race? What are they looking for? What do they value? What do they hate? What do they buy sometimes that they really don't want to? What do they not buy even though they want to? Get as much info about your customers as you can.

A focused strategy:

Now that you know your customers, you need to know how to reach them. Do most of them read the newspaper? How do they get their news? Do they watch much TV? What shows do they watch? What time of day do they most often turn on the tube? Where do they live? Are they in the city or the suburbs? What is their education level? What does their household income level  average out to? How do they shop? Do they purchase most of their goods online or in stores? What websites do they visit? What time of day do they most often visit the sites you have identified as important to your marketing campaign? What devices do they use to access the Internet? PC's, Macs, cell phones, PDAs, etc.

Summary

Internet marketing is not rocket science. But it does take a little effort and some know-how to make it work. And using the right tools will make all the difference between success and failure. Get in touch if you're interested in learning more about how we might help you.

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Original post here: Internet Marketing Iowa

Website Content

How Much Website Content do I Need to Rank in Search Engine Results?

#websitecontent #searchresults https://youtu.be/RAtygx0OL3A Website content consists of text, images, and video. A lot of text-based content can be found on websites that rank well organically. You should have a landing page for every product or service you offer. If you sell real estate, your home page could include a brief description of what you offer, along with a couple of bullet points describing the specific types of houses. If you click on the link, you will be taken to a separate page with more detailed information about that type of house. In this case, you would find out, among other things, how many bedrooms and baths are in the particular home, the square footage, whether or not the home has a pool, the list price, and so forth. A similar approach can be used on your website. Make sure your website contains:

• Detailed Descriptions Of Your Products Or Services (With Prices!)
• Pictures Of Your Products Or Services (If Applicable)
• HOT, CREATIVE HEADLINES FOR YOUR SITE (These appear at the top of every page on your site.)And much, much more... But don't make it too long. People get tired of reading. If they have to click on a link to find out more info about what you are selling them, then they will probably decide to go look for something else. Keep your website simple and to the point. One last thing: You should have at least one product or service on your website that is NOT for sale. This will help to "anchor" your website and give your visitors a place to rest their eyes while they are on your site. It also gives you an opportunity to practice some of the above-mentioned website "muscle memory".

For example, maybe you write a little description of that non-product or service and then throw in a few "eye-catching" tidbits such as "This website is for informational purposes only. No solicitation or advertising will be done through this website." That sort of thing. Just a thought. Okay, we've discussed writing headlines, subheads and descriptions. What's left? Actually, a lot. There are many other things you can do to make your website more effective. Here are just a few: Use bullets. Use graphics. Put your website address in at the top of every page (in blue). Make your pages readable. Use white space. Short paragraphs. Simple English. Use tables sensibly. Don't use them for decoration. That is, unless you are using them to help your visitor understand something that is not easily comprehended in plain English. Use clear, concise language. Don't be cute. If you have to ask yourself if something is easily understood, then it probably isn't. Use bold and italics sparingly. If you must use them, then use them to emphasize words or phrases that are particularly crucial for your reader to understand. DON'T be afraid of white space. Use it intelligently. If you are writing copy for the web, you are probably dealing with a short attention span audience. Be aware of this and use white space intelligently. If you use a table for decoration, your reader won't see the point in reading the rest of the page until he is finished with the table. So don't use it for decoration. Use it to help your reader understand something that is not easily comprehended in plain English. You know, there's an awful lot more you can do to make your website more effective. But, I'm going to stop here. If I keep talking about this stuff, I'll spend all week trying to cover everything. And we haven't even gotten to the important stuff yet. Like writing copy for your website which will bring us right back to... The First Big Headline Of Your Ad! Remember when I said I was going to make a big deal out of this? I did and I don't mean to stop now. Making a big deal out of even the smallest things helps focus your attention and makes it easier for you to remember the details. So anyway, let's review: Writing effective headlines is an important ingredient in the success of any ad or sales pitch. You want your headline to be...

• Short - two or three lines at most
• Concise - say what you want to say in fewest words
• Specific - tell what you are selling
• Powerful - make your reader act NOW!
• Relevant - make sure it applies to your reader
• Clear - be as simple and direct as possible
• Interesting - don't forget the "eye-catcher" effect

And lastly, don't worry about being clever or sophisticated. You won't get there with these techniques. Being clever or sophisticated will get you nowhere but headaches and confusion. Headaches and confusion are not tools for marketing success. So don't try to be clever or sophisticated. Just keep plugging away until you can come up with a couple good headlines. Then write a short piece of copy that explains those headlines. Next, test this piece of copy to see if it will generate interest. If it does, then you're on your way. If it doesn't, then rewrite it until it does.

How Long Should My Headlines Be?

You should strive for headlines that are 60 characters or less. Studies show that people read headlines very quickly. If you have a headline that is too long, your reader will mentally shorten it to a length that is more comfortable for him. This will usually be around 30-characters. If your headline is too short, your reader will mentally extend it to something he can understand. This will usually be something like "How To Lose Weight Without Starving".

Why Investing in Website Content is a Smart Idea

Website content is a great way to increase the profitability of your website... without changing a word of your current sales pitches. You see, most website profits come from people who visit your website and then buy something. But, did you know website profits can also come from people who just visit your website? Here's how it works: Let's say you are selling a book and you have written a compelling sales pitch for your book. That sales pitch is posted on your website and it gets a lot of views. Then, one day you discover someone has posted a very short (and rather silly) comment on your website. This comment is making the rounds on various websites and, before long, it has been viewed by hundreds or even thousands of people. What happens next is, those people who read that silly comment decide they need your book after all. They go to your website and read your sales pitch. And, because of that silly comment, they are more likely to buy your book. In fact, they are so influenced by that silly comment, they are more likely to buy whatever you are selling... without even having seen your website or your sales pitch.

How Much Website Content do my Customers Need?

When a customer visits your website, he doesn't want to just read about your product or service. No. He wants to be fascinated. He wants to be enthralled. He wants to be riveted to your site. The goal of every website is to capture an audience. But, that audience should be captured through all 5 senses. If your customer can't smell your roses, taste your chocolate chip cookies, feel your velvet touch on his skin, see your pretty pictures or hear your soothing voice, he will simply ignore your site and move on to another. Don't worry about making your site "commercial" or "sales-y". We've evolved past that stage of marketing. We're living in a "greed-filled" society where people are only interested in getting as much as they can get and get it right now.

Who is Your Target Audience?

Your target audience is EVERYONE! Yes, even me. You want to sell to everyone but, there are certain groups you would like to reach out to first because those people are more responsive to your sales pitch. For example, if you are selling information on how to invest money, your initial sales pitch should be made to people who have a lot of money. On the other hand, if your product or service is something which would be of interest to people with less money, you should start with those people. What groups are more likely to buy your product or hire your service? Well, that really depends on what you are selling. If you are selling information, it will probably be people with a college education. If you are selling a book on how to lose weight, you should initially try to sell to women. If you are selling a software package for inventors, you should target men. If you are selling a service to help people with their taxes, you should target high income people. And so on. But, always remember... EVERYONE IS INTERESTED IN SOMETHING!

Website Content Conclusion

If you are creating an online store or if you have an established website, you need to be sure every square inch of the site contains compelling and useful information. Keep it current! Make sure every page has a headline (H1 tag & only one H1 per page), subhead (H2 tag), body copy (between the H2 tags), and, a call to action (CTA). People do not buy from websites. People buy from people. If you want your website to make sales, you must provide extremely high quality personal service via your website. Your website should be a place on the web where people can go to get an immediate sense of who you are, what you stand for and how you can help them. All other elements of a successful website (including sales messages) should be secondary.  

Original post here: Website Content

Internet Marketing For Small Business

How To Make Internet Marketing Work For You

Internet marketing is a powerful tool for small business owners to grow their company and reach new customers. In this blog post, we'll walk through the basics of what internet marketing entails and share some tips on using it to your advantage. The goal of internet marketing is to drive people who are interested in your products or services online so that they can contact you personally about them. The best way to do that? Create valuable content, take care with how you use social media, work with influencers, and promote yourself online! Small business owners are often faced with the dilemma of not having enough time to focus on marketing their company. The internet offers a huge opportunity for small businesses to reach out and connect with consumers in order to grow their client base. This article will explore the various ways that you can use the internet as your marketing tool. https://youtu.be/QPiaWEm0hpE  

What is Internet Marketing? Why should I do it? How do I get started?

The internet is the new frontier for business. It's where your customers are and it's how they want to be marketed to. As a savvy business owner, you know that not all marketing approaches are created equal; some cost more than others and some work better than others. But what is Internet Marketing? Internet Marketing involves using websites, social media sites, email campaigns, podcasts and other digital tools to reach potential customers. It can involve paid advertising or organic search results (depending on your goals) but the goal is always the same: generating leads for conversion. If you're ready to get started with Internet Marketing but aren't sure where to begin, this blog post will introduce you to the basics of how to get started making Internet Marketing work for your business.

Local SEO

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we do business. Customers are looking for businesses in their area instead of just searching nationally, and they want to be able to find you when they search online. It’s never been more important than now to optimize your website for local searches with Local SEO best practices like GMB optimization or organic optimizations like on page content tweaks that make it easier for Google crawlers to understand what your site is about. The most important thing to remember when optimizing your GMB listing is that people are searching for local businesses on Google. If you have a brick and mortar store, it's helpful to use the street address in your title tag as well as at least one of the following keywords - "near me", "my city," or “local business." This will help searchers find your location faster. For online-only stores, or if you don't want to list out every single keyword phrase imaginable, make sure you include some variation of those phrases in both the description and title tags so that people know what they're getting into before clicking through. In addition, take advantage of using Schema markup (structured data) where appropriate.

GMB Optimization

One of the most important ways to boost your Google My Business ranking is by having a complete business profile. You can do this in two easy steps: make sure you have all relevant information about your business and upload high-quality, professional photos that will attract customers from outside of your city or state. This way, people searching for local businesses on Google will be able to find yours and not worry about driving into town only to learn they are closed for the day (or worse).

Technical SEO

Technical SEO is a part of Search Engine Optimization that focuses on website structure, content and coding for optimum speed. The goal of technical SEO (sometimes called "structured SEO") is to help search engines better crawl your site by avoiding efficiency issues such as redirect loops, rendering long URLs or resource in different languages. This way the crawler knows where to look for each piece of content, leading it closer to the required document in less time. There are a number of technical aspects which are critical for efficient crawling - these include things like Heading hierarchy, HTML sitemaps, robots meta tags and Schema markup.

Team 218 Can Help With Internet Marketing

For help with your Internet Marketing, SEO or full optimization of your GMB, contact Team 218 Web Services. We specialize in service excellence and offer quick, reliable service to help you improve your GMB page ranking with high quality SEO optimization, keyword research, and content marketing. Contact us today for a quote!

Questions?

Questions? Send them along—we'll answer them personally.

Free Consultation

If you’re looking for more tips like these, we’d love to help! Get in touch with us today if you want a free consultation.  

Original post here: Internet Marketing For Small Business

How Do I Find Someone To Build My Website

Simple - Hire Team 218 To Build Your Website!

You deserve a website that is both functional and beautiful. Don’t settle for less than the best!

We eliminate all the confusion and headaches when you hire us to handle your web design and development. After all, we’ve been doing it for over 20 years. If you’d like to cut to the chase and get started on your website, go ahead and click the button and hire us.

Learn More About Working With Team 218

More than likely though you are here for some actual helpful information. If that’s the case, keep reading. Regardless of which path you choose, we wish you much success in your online endeavors. Thanks for stopping by our website.

How Do I Find Someone To Build My Website?

There are 2 main reasons you may be asking, “How do I find someone to build my website?”

Reason 1: You don’t have a website and you need to hire someone to build one.

Reason 2: You already have a website and you either A) lost track of the person who built your website or B) you’re not happy with the results you’re getting. This can present a two-fold problem for you. Not only do you need to hire someone – you also may need to FIRE someone and that’s never a pleasant experience.

Web Design Options for Small Businesses

The prospect of building a website for your small business can seem daunting. However, there are ways to simplify the process and still create a web design that showcases the best qualities of your business!

Hiring an experienced web design professional takes the pressure off of you and guarantees a custom website that functions on a variety of devices. When you choose a website vendor to build my website, you will still have some homework to do if you’re going to reap the benefits of “doing it right” versus “getting it done”.

The website vendor you choose should have a vested interest in who you are and what you do. And this is BEFORE you have made a final decision or have spent any money.

Look for a vendor who, after you’ve requested a proposal to build, fix, or redesign an existing site, exhibits an understanding of what you need and offers clear cut solutions to meet those needs. They should be asking you questions and gathering information. If they can’t meet your needs, they should be making suggestions of where you might be better served.

If you want to build a website yourself, there are plenty of resources online that can provide you with the tools you need to get started. After all, nobody knows you better than you do. But please do your homework here as well. You can build it but will they come?

There is more to building a website than a pretty face and no one knows that better than an experienced, qualified, and diligent web designer. If building your own site suits your business perfectly though, and it does in some instances, we’ll share some pitfalls we’ve learned to avoid for the DIYs out there whom we truly admire and tip our hats to!

Whether you are a local small business owner, an entrepreneur, or a nonprofit organization, keep reading to learn about your options. The first step to a new and improved public face for your business through website solutions is choosing your path to success.

Hiring a Web Design Company To Build My Website

Do you want a unique custom website that represents your local business but don’t know where to start? If so, hiring a web designer is the right option for you.

Team 218 Web Services has been involved in web design and development since 2004. We’ve built valued relationships with our clients and truly enjoy our continued endeavors with our diverse portfolio. We work with small businesses all over the state of Iowa.

We’ve created a wide variety of websites over the years, so we know how to keep your viewers engaged while providing a design that stands out from the rest. Our websites are optimized for usability, meaning that your website will be simple to navigate on laptops, phones, and tablets. This is more important now than ever since most people own more than one device in their homes.

We know the importance of using search engine optimization tactics to increase the traffic of your targeted audience. By implementing SEO and having easily accessible content, your website has an increased ranking in search results which means more business for you. And as you’re most likely already aware, advancements in technology have trained a large percentage of people to explore a business online first to ensure it meets their particular needs.

Your website, and its’ associated online presence, is the primary means by which information is sought out about you and about what you do. Your first impression – the users experience in your web design elements, the site functionality, and inclusion of relevant page content mapping – means that one chance to wow them at your first official meet and greet. And excellent first meetings often lead to many more!

Having a well-designed web page will give you a competitive advantage in your industry and enhance your credibility as a business.

All across the Hawkeye state, we’ve provided custom web design options for local small businesses that generate more in-person customers as well as online traffic.

What is our process for designing and creating a website?

At Team 218, we strive to create unique websites that help local small businesses grow. Our process to get you the website of your dreams is simple. We gather information from you over the phone or online and then form your website utilizing Organic SEO copywriting techniques. The overall process from start to finish takes about four to six weeks, and then you can expect your custom website to be online and ready to use!

We also help with existing websites that need updating or debugging. We are very responsive to customers every step of the way to ensure that you’re satisfied with the finished product.

Building a Website Yourself

If you’ve decided to create your website yourself, here are some tips to get started and things to avoid!

There are a lot of factors to consider when building a website from scratch, such as choosing a domain name, deciding how to customize your website, and what content to include. Luckily, there are plenty of resources online that make the process easier, regardless of technical skill level. Most of them have varying features based on your budget, knowledge of web design, and the amount of time you’re able to dedicate to your project.

Some available DIY website builders include:

• Wix
• Weebly
• WebStarts
• Squarespace
• Ucraft

There are countless other website builders to choose from depending on your preferences and budget. Most of these sites produce quick results and usually require minimal technical and design knowledge on your part.

However, there are disadvantages that novices should be aware of when considering using web builders. For example, the webpage templates might look generic and not be accessible on all devices. This could prevent a potential customer from navigating your website easily and persuade them to opt for a competitor instead. Some DIY website builders have limited SEO options. Investigate and choose wisely.

A good tip when creating a web design is to know your targeted audience. What are customers looking for when they visit your website? What type of imagery embodies your company values and personality? What can I do to set myself apart from similar businesses a customer might encounter? Considering these questions will give you insight into your viewers expectations when they click on your website.

What are some things to avoid when designing a website?

As you go through the process of creating your website, there are certain things you want to keep in mind to avoid driving your customers away.

Here are 4 common mistakes beginners make:

1. Your webpage is too cluttered. ​Having too many elements on one page can be overwhelming and distract from the main focus of your business.
2. You don’t have a clear call to action. ​Your viewers should immediately be informed of the purpose of your website and what you offer.
3. Poor usability. ​A website that has a confusing layout and can’t be viewed on all devices could deter customers from returning.
4. Not using Organic SEO. ​This can have a major impact on the visibility of your website in search engine results.

Ready to set your business on the path to success?

Now that you know some of the options for small business web development, you’re on your way to having a great website. We hope you have a better idea of how to answer the question of

How Do I Find Someone To Build My Website?

Whether you decide to create your website from scratch or hire our professional team, we are here to offer our services to you! Contact Team 218 with any website design or development needs at our number (309) 912-5139 or use our contact form. You can learn more about the process we use on our Web Design page. You can also find a lot of good information in our Knowledge Base.

Better yet, why not schedule a Free 30 minute Zoom Meeting to discuss your website needs. We’ll help you clear up any questions you may have and you’ll be better prepared to get a great website.

We look forward to learning about you!

Original post here: How Do I Find Someone To Build My Website

SEO Trends

SEO Trends in 2021

Keeping Up With Trends in SEO

#seo #google #webdesign #Team218 An understanding of the current and upcoming technologies in SEO Trends is key to success, as they are constantly changing. As an example, websites can only be indexed by Google crawlers if they have a functional robots.txt file that lets them know how deep their crawl should go or what pages not to index so it doesn't look like duplicate content on your site. The state of technology changes rapidly with new inventions happening every day; much more quickly than we humans could ever keep up with! This makes creating products for search engine optimization (SEO) difficult because you need specialized knowledge about all aspects related to internet marketing: web design, coding languages such as HTML5 & CSS3+, PHP and link building strategies. In today's competitive digital marketing landscape, it is important for small business owners to know what the latest SEO trends are. With a little research on emerging SEO trends and strategies, you will be more knowledgeable on tactics needed to improve your search engine rankings and increase traffic to your site - something everyone wants.

Google's BERT

Technology evolves, more so in the past decade than ever before. SEO as we know it is constantly changing. Google has introduced new algorithms to provide better search results and protect users from low-quality websites that scrape content and link spamming tactics. Google's newest algorithm update is here: BERT (or Google's Bidirectional Encoding Representations Theory). Google's latest update will not only affect Google search results, but all other Google platforms such as Google Assistant and Google Maps. If you don't know what BERT is, it is Google’s new algorithm that Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai stated “captures the full diversity of human language and Google's understanding of it”. Google has claimed that BERT can understand text better than humans on Google Assistant. Google claims that BERT allows them to capture the meaning behind words and phrases instead of just individual words. Google is learning not just the terms you search for but your intent. Google

Determining Intent

Google is able to use machine learning, statistical techniques and pure maths to train computers to spot patterns without having explicit rules programmed into them. Google will be able to answer more complex questions such as “what is the weather like in Canada on Christmas Eve”. Google is currently using BERT to improve Google Assistant’s ability to understand user intent behind Google searches. Google also uses BERT for their Google Translate, Google News and Google Search in general. So how does this affect SEO? Well quite simply, we need our websites and content to be understood by Google. Google BERT is Google’s best attempt at improving Google search so they can create a better user experience. Google has claimed that Google searches are more natural than ever before, and from the looks of it BERT will continue to improve Google search results over time. Websites with great content and structure should see improvements in ranking as Google adjusts Google’s search results based on Google BERT. Google has also stated that Google BERT will be able to improve the Google Assistant experience.

BERT's Three Major Components

Topicality, coherence and confidence are three major components of Google BERT, so SEO experts should focus on creating content with a strong grasp of all three. Google wants their users to get the most relevant information with Google BERT, so Google is going to promote and rank websites that give them the best answer to user intent. Google wants their users to get quick results when searching Google with Google Assistant. So creating content that gives Google what it needs without giving a website an advantage over another should be key. When writing SEO content, Google wants to know what is the most relevant information for Google users, based on Google BERT. Google will soon be using Google BERT to better understand user intent behind Google searches. So Google wants SEO experts to use Google BERT as well when creating content, in order to give Google what it needs so Google users can get the best answer to Google queries. With Google BERT, Google will be able to better understand Google queries and give Google users the best answer to their queries. Google has claimed Google BERT will be able to improve Google search results over time, so it should increase Google traffic. Google In order to rank well, SEO experts need their website or webpage content to be understood by Google so they can provide information for Google’s artificial intelligence Google BERT. Google wants Google users to get a better Google search experience, so Google will promote and rank content that gives Google users the best answer to their Google queries.

RankBrain - Not a New SEO Trend But Still Important

Google RankBrain is an algorithm update with Google’s goal of making its search engine more intelligent by processing searches in different ways. Google RankBrain was introduced in October 2015 and Google says it has made Google’s search results more useful by processing searches in different ways. Google RankBrain is Google’s third most important ranking signal, Google claims that Google RankBrain is not a penalty or a boost, but simply an additional signal to make Google search more intelligent.

Meaning & Context

It’s the first Google algorithm to process searches in a non-English language. Google RankBrain is designed with the goal of Google users getting better Google search results. Google RankBrain helps Google find meaning and context behind words, phrases and queries by using machine learning to understand user behavior when searching Google. Google RankBrain has been able to help Google refine searches by improving Google search results. Google RankBrain is able to help Google understand more words and phrases, including technical terms in Google search. Google’s RankBrain has also helped Google give users the most accurate auto-complete results by better understanding searches with spelling errors or typos. Google RankBrain helps Google learn from every query that a user enters into Google search. Google RankBrain is also able to examine the quality of every website that a user searches within Google. In order for SEO experts to have their websites's content rank well in Google, SEO experts need their content to be understood by Google as well so that SEO experts can provide information for Google’s artificial intelligence. It’s important for SEO experts to write SEO copy that Google can understand so SEO content can be processed by Google RankBrain. Despite Google RankBrain being the third most important ranking signal within Google search, it’s easily over-rated. Google RankBrain is not a penalty or a boost for websites and it only affects searches that have typos in them or searches with spelling errors. If users do not have any spelling mistakes in their query when they search Google then the algorithm is not going to affect their Google search results. Users need to understand that they need spelling mistakes for the RankBrain algorithm to impact on their search results. There are some SEO experts who have been able to use the RankBrain algorithm in order to improve their website’s SEO ranking by creating more useful pages or adding new keywords into their content. There are some SEO experts who have been criticized for using the RankBrain algorithm because Google is able to understand the text on the webpage better, so it can be used for keyword stuffing which is seen as a negative practice. Some websites claim they have seen an increase in their traffic due to the use of RankBrain.  One claimed that he added keywords into his content and within a month the RankBrain had moved him up 13 positions, but it is impossible to know this for sure. If there is an algorithm tweak or update to Google then SEO experts will be able to see how their website’s rankings have changed by using the MozCast tool as well as any other tools to check ranking.

Voice Search

Google Voice Search is a Voice Search function that allows users to speak directly into their phone to make Voice Search queries. Voice Search was first launched in 2010 on the Apple iPhone 4S and has been available on other platforms since then. Google Voice searches can be performed without typing anything, so Voice Search queries are seen as mobile-friendly because users can speak directly into their devices rather than having to type text. Voice Search is performed by just speaking and then Google's Voice Recognition feature will convert the spoken words into searchable information, so there is no need for users to type anything when they want to use Voice Search. Voice Search queries can be done without Voice Recognition but Voice Recognition allows Voice Search users to use Voice Search on a wider range of devices. Voice searches are very useful for mobile or desktop devices because you do not have to touch your computer or phone with dirty hands, so Voice Searches can help people who need clean hands to perform certain tasks . In order to complete Voice Searches users usually just say what they want and it is then processed by Google Voice Search. One of the uses for Voice Searches is for customers who are looking for local information about nearby restaurants, shops and businesses. When searching on Google Maps with their Voice Search function enabled, a user will be able to speak out loud where they would like to go for their meal and Voice Search will allow them to find the local restaurants, shops and businesses. Voice Searches can also be used for finding out specific information about a business such as opening hours or how far away it is from a user's location. Voice searches are so useful because they conserve time for users but Voice Searches have limitations when it comes to making queries on certain topics such as music where there may not be any perfect answers. In Voice Search it is important for the words that a user says to Google Voice Search to be exactly what they want in order for Google Voice Search to return results with that same exact wording. A new feature was launched recently by Google called “Googlespell” which allows people using Voice Searches who spell something incorrectly to Voice Search to get the correct results. Voice Searches can be useful for people who have a Voice Search function on their device because it means they do not always need to type in their Voice Searches as spell check is now available, but there are still limitations with Voice Searches due to how Voice Recognition works. Voice Searches are an important part of our lives nowadays and we use these Voice Search functions every day when we speak into our devices such as mobile phones or Google Home appliances which act as Voice-activated assistants. Voice Searches will continue becoming more popular and accessible in the future because natural language processing is improving so users can have better experiences using them. Google's main aim is to provide users with great Voice Search results and Voice Searches can provide users with Voice-activated assistants that can tell you the weather forecast, your daily schedule and traffic reports. Voice Searches are becoming more commonly used as Voice-activated assistant devices such as Google Home become available in more households. Voice Search will continue to be improved over time to meet user's needs so Voice Search queries will become easier to perform . Voice Searches can also be used by advertisers for marketing purposes because they have unique capabilities when it comes to advertising. People using Voice Interface technology will expect information that is accurate and relevant which allows advertisers to give people better information for their products or services. Voice Search queries have many benefits, but there are still some disadvantages of using Voice Searches including a lack of Voice Search results. Voice Searches are useful for a wide range of topics but Voice Searches can still be limited in Voice-activated assistant devices such as Google Home. Voice Searches may not be able to perform Voice Searches for Voice-activated assistant devices which are difficult to find answers for. Voice Searches from Voice-activated assistant devices such as Google Home have also been criticized for having less accuracy than Voice Searches on a computer or mobile Voice Searches. Voice Searches will continue to improve over time so Voice-activated assistant devices such as Google Home may be able to perform Voice Searches with better accuracy in the future. Voice Searches were first available in the 1980s but Voice Searches didn't become popular until around 2011 when Voice-activated assistant devices such as Google Home became available. Voice Search queries are becoming more commonly used as Voice-activated assistant devices are able to perform Voice Searches at a faster rate and Voice Search queries can be made hands free.

SEO Trends Conclusion

 

SEO Trends Are Not Always New

Whether you’re an owner of a small business or nonprofit, it is always important to stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends. As Google continues to evolve and we see more changes in search behavior (Google BERT), voice search technology becomes more popular with Siri on Apple devices and Alexa on Amazon Echo speakers) and Rankbrain impacting how pages are ranked for certain keywords or phrases, there has never been a better time than now to learn about these emerging trends that will impact your digital marketing strategies going forward. Learn more about our SEO services on our SEO webpage.

Original post here: SEO Trends

Make Your Website Work For You

It's Your Website - Make It Work For You!

#makeyourwebsiteworkforyou #webdesign #bestemployee #team218

Make your website work for you! It's generally understood that a website is an important piece of your business arsenal. It's a website after all. However, many businesses are still not getting the most out of their website. If you're not using your website as an effective sales tool - then it's time to make some changes and start driving traffic (and revenue) your way.

If you're planning on building a website, the first thing to do is take time out of your busy schedule and brainstorm all of the ways that you can make your website work for you. If you already have a website, spend some time doing a deep dive on your layout and content. Exercise that brain and get creative.

Will you have an online store? Will you offer a blog where customers and prospects can leave comments and ask questions? These are just two examples of things that could be on the list - the key is to think about all of the ways that your website could be used as a tool for building your business.

Make a list of all website features that you could use to your advantage. Be creative and think outside the box! Don't limit yourself by thinking "I need to have a website so it has to look like every other website." You do NOT  have to have a website that looks like every other website.

What are your website visitors looking for? What kind of website is going to keep them interested and coming back for more? You are going to have to do a little market research here. Don't just rely on your customers and website visitors - talk to friends, the people who work at the grocery store. Ask everyone that you can how they feel about website and what they are looking for.

Once you have your brainstorming list of website features - you can start to prioritize which website features you want to work on first. It's not a good idea to try and tackle them all at once. Start with one website feature and get your site working for you as quickly as possible.

No Limits!

There are no limitations on what you can accomplish with your website, but you have to take specific steps in order for it to function as the powerful sales tool that it should be.

Once you've spent some time thinking about all of the ways that your website could work for you, it's time to put action behind those thoughts.

Once you've made a list of all the ways that your website could work for you, get to work implementing those ideas!

You might need some website design help if you're feeling overwhelmed by all of this website talk. There are plenty of web designers out there who will be happy to help, so don't hesitate to ask for what you need.

Take some time to make sure that the website is easy to navigate from top to bottom, and that it offers ease of use in each section that it contains.  Don't just think about the website as a whole - think about each individual page, and how you can make these pages work for you.

Think of your website like a tool chest that you've stocked with all of the tools that you could need to get ahead in business. The website is only going to work if it's being used properly. You have to use those website tools if you want them to work!

If your website is getting a lot of traffic but not very many sales, then it might simply be time to add some website content that is designed specifically to convert visitors into paying customers.

Nobody wants to go through a website and feel like they have to work just to find information. Nobody is going to buy your product if they feel like you've made it difficult for them, so focus on making it as easy as possible for website visitors to find exactly what they are looking for.

Remember the goal is to make your website work for you. 

Need a few more tips? Take a look at our Blog.

Original post here: Make Your Website Work For You