davidc., Author at Clouse Designs | Web & Graphic Design

Domain Authority: What It Is and How To Increase It In 2024

Are you wondering how to rank your website in the top positions on Google? If so, you’ve probably come across the term “domain authority”. What exactly is domain authority, and how do you increase it for your website?

For anyone working on SEO (search engine optimization), it’s important to know that domain authority is not one of the Google ranking factors itself. Still, the tactics you might use to increase your domain authority also improve your SEO and positive ranking signals.

In this article, we’ll go over what domain authority is, how important it is for ranking your website in search engines, and how you can boost it.

We’ll go over:

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Domain Authority Video Walkthrough

What is Domain Authority?

Domain authority (DA) is a metric developed by Moz that you can use to predict how well your website will rank in search engines. It shows the relevance of your site with respect to your industry or a specific topic. So, it’s a measure of the strength or authority of your domain.

While using domain authority as an indicator of how you’ll rank compared to your competitors is a good thing to do, note that it’s not a metric used by Google to determine where to rank your website.

Domain authority is measured on a scale of 0 to 100. The higher your domain authority score is, the more likely you are to perform well in search results.

Don’t confuse domain authority and page authority, as there’s a slight difference between the two.

Domain authority shows your entire domain’s (and subdomain’s) ranking strength, while page authority looks at the ranking ability of individual pages.

What Is a Good Domain Authority Score?

Many factors go into calculating domain authority. But to give you an idea, popular websites with many visitors and backlinks, like Google, Apple, or Microsoft, will have a high DA (between 90 and 100).

On the other hand, if your website is new, your DA will be low (possibly between 10 to 20).

In general, it’s easier to improve your DA when it’s on the lower end. As it increases, it gets harder and may just take time and patience.

Instead of shooting for a certain number for your domain authority, look at your direct competitors. Average domain authority will vary across industries, so it doesn’t make sense to name a certain number as “good.”

Remember, Google doesn’t use domain authority as a ranking signal. However, working to improve your domain authority will help your ranking signals, too (like backlinks and high-quality content).

How is Domain Authority Calculated?

According to Moz, domain authority is calculated by comparing your domain’s appearance in search results with your competitors’.

Here’s how Moz describes its domain authority score calculation:

“…the calculation of a domain’s DA score comes from a machine learning algorithm’s predictions about how often Google is using that domain in its search results. If domain A is more likely to appear in a Google SERP than domain B is, then we would expect domain A’s DA to be higher than domain B’s DA.”

The most important factors for domain authority include:

Link Profile – This includes your web page’s internal and external links. So, if your post links to high-authority websites and also gets linked back to by reputable sites, you’ll build up a great link profile.
Root Domains – When looking at your link profile, Moz also looks at the number of unique backlinks. Let’s say you have 100 links, but they’re from a single website. Moz will consider this as 1 root domain. So, it’s important to get backlinks from many different high-authority websites.
Spam Score – This is another metric that Moz calculates to determine how spammy a website might be. It compares a site with others and looks at its backlink profile.

Now that you know how domain authority is calculated, let’s dive into our guide on how to improve it.

How to Increase Domain Authority (5 Ways)

As you start to work on boosting your website’s domain authority, you should remember that it’s a long-term strategy. It’ll take time! Don’t expect it to improve just a day after you make significant improvements. It’ll take weeks, or even months while you continually build great links and make improvements.

Here are the best ways to increase your site’s DA:

1. Acquire High-Quality Backlinks from Authority Sites

As you probably noticed, backlinks play a huge role in calculating domain authority. Not only that, but backlinks are one of Google’s most important ranking factors.

A study by Ahrefs showed that 90% of websites don’t get any organic traffic, since they don’t have any backlinks.

There are tons of ways you can get backlinks to strengthen your link profile.

To start, take a look at your top referral sources. These are sites that link to you that you’re getting traffic from. Can you get more links from these domains? What are some similar sites that might find value in linking to you? Start reaching out.

Finding your top referral sources is incredibly easy if you’re a WordPress user. Install MonsterInsights to get a top referral report (and a lot more) right inside your WordPress dashboard.

MonsterInsights is the best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. It will show you a whole bunch of helpful reports right inside your WordPress dashboard and help you set up advanced tracking features that Google Analytics doesn’t come with out of the box.

Track Your Most Important Metrics Now

Another great method for building backlinks is ethically spying on your competitors, looking at their backlink sources, and trying to acquire links from the same websites.

For more details, follow our 15 actionable tips on how to get backlinks.

2. Create Killer Content That’s Link Worthy

The second way to increase your domain authority on our list is by creating great content that other sites will want to link to.

Creating high-value content that people find helpful will lead to more sharing. This increases your chances of getting backlinks from high-authority websites, like education institutes or governmental bodies.

With links from different sites, you’ll also boost your number of linking root domains, which will contribute toward securing a higher DA.

Not sure what new content to create? Start by looking at the most popular pages on your site. What types of content are bringing in the most traffic? What pages are your visitors engaging with the most?

Try to create more of the content that your audience likes the most.

WordPress users, you can use MonsterInsights to see your top pages right inside your WordPress dashboard.

3. Audit Your Site and Remove Bad Links

While inbound links are vital for your website’s DA and rankings, having bad links can lead to more harm than good.

Links that are from a spammy website can decrease your website’s domain authority. And in some cases, it can even lead to a penalty from Google.

To keep that from happening, you should audit your site for toxic links and remove them as quickly as possible. You can use different SEO tools to identify harmful links by going through a complete link profile of your website.

And if you can’t remove those links, you can use Google Search Console to disavow or ignore those links. As a result, Google’s crawler won’t take into account any unnatural or spammy backlinks when indexing.

4. Optimize Your Website Structure and User Experience

Keeping your website user-friendly and easy to use is a great way to work on increasing your domain authority.

With a proper structure, search engines can easily crawl your web pages and index them in search results, and users can easily find what they’re looking for and are more likely to link to you.

To help search engine crawlers, you should create a sitemap. A sitemap contains all your important pages and assists search engines in navigating through your site and indexing your pages with ease.

As for improving your site’s user experience, you should start by focusing on optimizing it for mobile.

Google is mobile-first, which means it will look at how well your website performs on mobile first. So, it’s important that your site functions properly on mobile devices and loads quickly.

Then, you must ensure that your site is safe. You can do that by getting SSL certificates and moving your site to HTTPS. You can also get hold of the best WordPress security plugins like Sucuri, which offers many features like a web application firewall.

5. Improve Your Internal Links

Another way of improving your site’s user experience (and overall SEO) is by focusing on your internal link structure. You can keep your visitors engaged with links directing users to related pages on your site.

Internal links also make it easier for search engine bots to crawl your website, which helps index your pages.

Another benefit of having a proper internal link structure is that it passes “link juice” from one page to another.

Link juice is an SEO term that refers to the value of a page passed to other web pages. It gives a vote of confidence to the search engine, as more links pointing towards a page show that it’s trustworthy. All of this adds up to boosting domain authority.

To improve your internal linking strategy, WordPress users can use a plugin like All in One SEO.

AIOSEO’s Link Assistant addon will automatically generate an internal links report for your site and offer suggestions of relevant pages you can link to.

Start with Analytics

You can improve your domain authority if you don’t have accurate website analytics to tell you what’s happening on your site.

WordPress users, install MonsterInsights today to get started with easy-to-understand, straightforward Google Analytics reports. Choose the license level that’s right for you, or get started with the free version of MonsterInsights.

That’s the end of our domain authority guide. You might also want to read:

Google Tag Manager vs. Google Analytics: Everything to Know
7 Best Google Analytics Reports for Business Growth
How to Use Google Analytics Annotations in GA4 + WordPress
Organic Search in Google Analytics: Quick-Start Guide

5 Essential Components of Email Design

You’ve worked hard on creating a captivating message for your email campaign. Now you need to compliment it with an engaging email design that looks professional and sends the right message about your company and the offer you’re promoting. By understanding the basic components of what goes into effective design, you will gain insight into what’s involved in creating an attractive and effective email design that encourages positive action.

There are basic building blocks of every design composition, whether it’s for an ad or an email.

Some key components include:

Composition
Typeface (Fonts)
Images
Color
Balance

Each design component by itself evokes various emotions, yet together they create a greater message to the viewer. Keep this in mind when choosing the different elements for your design, as they will affect the outcome and the whole look and feel of your design.

Below are a few email design guidelines to follow.

Composition

One of the first elements to consider is the shape and size of your design. In email marketing design, it’s best to keep your emails no more than 550-600 pixels wide. This ensures that the majority of your subscribers will be able to see your email as intended.

The height of your email design will be determined by how much content you have. However, it’s important to know that many recipients scan their emails in an email preview pane before they decide if they want to open it. A standard preview pane is around 300-400 pixels high, so make sure to include any important pieces of your email in this area – including a prominent call to action.

Typeface/ Fonts

Typefaces can be categorized by ‘display types’ (a heading or copy used for the brief introduction to the main copy) and ‘text types’ (main copy). The main difference between the two is the size. For an email, ‘display types’ should be about 22 pixels and ‘text types’ should be about 14 pixels. These sizes provide decent readability on both mobile phones and desktops.

You also want to consider the font you use in your email. Most email marketing service providers offer about seven different font options. Choose a font that visually fits your message. For example, don’t use Comic Sans for a business email that is going to executives. Comic Sans is better suited for an email being sent from a daycare or toy store. A safe font to use is Arial, as it is easy to read and fits most designs.

One last note – NEVER use more than two different fonts in your design and always ensure that your font faces are consistent throughout your email design.

Images

Your images should reinforce and clarify your message, but be used sparingly. Most email clients block images, so your design should not rely on images and should be able to stand alone without them.

Since most your email messages will first be seen without your image(s), always provide descriptive alt-text when setting up your email design. This ensures the reader will at least have some idea of the image you are trying to portray. In addition, avoid background images layered with text, as numerous email clients do not support background images.

In addition, avoid stock images that look like clip art. They present an unprofessional appearance and can downgrade the perception of your brand. Also avoid background images layered with text, as many email clients do not support background images.

Find affordable images for your email designs.

Balance

A good design should show a balance between its different elements and create a sense of harmony that visually attracts the recipient. Using a grid approach can help you create this sense of balance, as it acts like a guide for positioning text and images and gives your design order. The number of units within your grid is determined by the complexity of the elements included in your email design. Effective email design is typically fairly simple and should only require the use of a simple grid.

Color

In all forms of non-verbal communication, color is the most instantaneous method of conveying a message. There’s actually a whole area of science dedicated to the psychology of color that has proven different color schemes appeal more to one type of audience than they do to another.

Color affects human behavior and stimulates all of the senses, so there is no better place to gauge the effectiveness of color than in an email design – where it is vital to communicate a motivating, positive and enticing message.

Color Selection Process:

Define the message.
Is it serene, bold, powerful, sensual, etc.?
Define what it should suggest.
Select dominate colors that convey the message.
Choose supporting colors that reinforce the massage.
Check competitors’ colors for similarities.
Utilize engaging color combinations.

We hope you now have a better understanding of the core graphic elements that go into designing an effective email design. We encourage you to push yourself and try new design ideas that utilize the principals we discussed in this article.

Good luck and happy designing!

Website Builders vs Custom Websites: Which is better?

Website Builders

Whether you’re a new entrepreneur, a mostly-offline professional or in the middle of a rebrand, your business will eventually reach a point where it needs an online presence to grow. With so much information out there, it can be hard to figure out which route to go: develop a custom website or turn to a website builder

Both options have their time and place, but at Clouse Designs we recommend going the custom route whenever possible. To help you make easy, informed decision, here’s all you need to know about custom websites and website builders, and how to know when you should use each.

What is a website builder?

Those who want a DIY option often use website builders. Some of the most popular builders include Wix, Squarespace and Weebly.

Website builders are usually HTML-based editors, but some allow you to include custom CSS and JavaScript. They’re typically templated and built step-by-step, so they can be used regardless of your design background or coding knowledge.

When should you use a website builder?

If you’re determined to go the DIY-route, website builders can have their benefits. Most website builders are based on templates, meaning they’re simple to use and can get you online fast. Bloggers, hobbyists and others who need to get online as quickly as possible but who aren’t looking for something overly professional often choose a website builder over a custom website.

When shouldn’t you use a website builder?

While you may be tempted by a website builder’s quick-fix solution, there are plenty of situations when you shouldn’t use them:

You want something unique. Though the templates provided by these builders are easy-to-use, they lead to generic, undistinguished websites.

You need advanced features. If your business needs special plugins, like scheduling tools or online shopping features, they are unlikely to be supported by a website builder.

You have a limited budget. While many people think website builders are the cheaper option, this isn’t true in the long-term. Most website builders charge a monthly or annual fee, so you end up paying for your website over and over again. A custom design typically costs less in the long-run.

You need to get found in search engines. Most website builders are awful at SEO – so if your business success depends at all on your ability to be found online, a custom option is always better.

You need to control the responsiveness of your site. Some edits require development capabilities and you may be limited by the generic responsive functions of a website builder. Adjusting to specific devices is often impossible and if your clients are mainly newer mobile phones (like the iPhone 8) you may not be able to tailor the view for them.

Marketing automation and system integration. There are plugins available for certain integrations, but you may have specific needs requiring custom code. Optimizing your analytics and marketing automation is an ongoing process and often requires regular tweaking that your design/development company can set up for you.

Custom Websites

What is a custom website?

A custom website is a website that has been built for you by a professional, whether an individual or a team. These experienced professionals will be able to turn your vision into reality.

Unlike website builders, custom websites allow for more personalization, helping you and your brand stand out from the crowd. They also tend to be cheaper in the long-term, offering better analytics insights, more customized marketing and a better return on your investment.

When should you use a custom website?

Deciding to invest in a custom website will always lead to a superior product. Not only do custom websites look more professional, but they also allow you to stand out from your competition, deliver a better user experience, and are more likely to represent your brand accurately.

Here are just a few reasons why you might decide to use a custom website:

You want quality:

If you need your brand to look sophisticated and professional online (and not look like your website was built yourself), a custom website is always best. It’s also the best way to make sure your website looks unique to your brand.

You need special features:

A custom website is more likely to allow you to sell products online or integrate sophisticated app and programs. Professional designers are familiar with the latest technologies and can code special features into your design.

You want something strategic:

Web designers do much more than make your website look good: they approach your website with a sense of strategy. A good designer has a solid understanding of user experience (UX) and will do proper research into what’s going to make you successful online. They can also build in tools to help your SEO and conversion rates.

When shouldn’t you use a custom website?

Even though they have many benefits, there might be things standing in your way of using a custom website. Maybe your website isn’t your biggest priority right now, and you need a quick and easy shortcut to an online presence. Or, maybe your business is brand new and you can’t quite afford a custom design right now.

In these situations, we still always recommend talking to a website developer and marketing specialist before resorting to a website builder. They may be able to build you a semi-custom website using a theme-based approach. This is a quicker and cheaper alternative to fully custom websites while maintaining a higher level of quality and customization than a website builder.

Ready to go custom?

It’s no secret that a custom website is always the best option. If your business or brand is in need of a custom website, we’d love to help. We’ve built beautiful online brands for clients in a variety of industries, and we know what goes into a strategic website that works long-term. Get in touch with us today and let’s work together to develop a custom solution for your brand.

6 Essential Elements of Brand Identity

From the yellow helmet of a construction worker to a bride’s pristine gown, colors are quick to convey important information. Their strong and immediate impact make color palettes a crucial component of any business’s branding efforts.

The color scheme you’ll assemble for your brand will play a key role across your various marketing assets – from the way you create a logo, to the design of your website, and much more. Employing brand colors consistently and across all platforms can result in a unified look-and-feel to your company, making them memorable and recognizable.

To help your business stand out with the right brand colors, this complete guide covers everything from what brand colors are all about, to a step-by-step process for choosing your own. We’ve also selected and analyzed 10 examples of successful brand colors for your inspiration:

How to choose your brand colors

Establish your brand identity
Explore color meanings
Search for inspiration
Pick your primary color
Choose your secondary colors
Select neutral colors
Test your brand colors

What are brand colors?

Brand colors are a palette of around five to ten colors that are used to represent a certain company. A consistent and strategic application of brand colors can increase brand awareness and recognizability.

Some of the main applications of brand colors include a company’s logo, website color scheme, social media channels, business card design, and print and digital ads. For businesses operating as brick-and-mortar, the brand colors can also apply to the design of the store, staff uniforms, product packaging, and more.

01. Establish your brand identity

The colors of your brand are a reflection of your brand identity. Your color palette should therefore align with your values and the messaging that you wish to communicate.

For this purpose, you’ll need to first define your brand identity. A recommended practice for this is to compose a list of adjectives that describe your company’s character as if you were talking about a person. Ask yourself how you’d like the brand to be perceived, and what sets it apart from the competition.

The following spectrum of brand identity traits is key for building a brand, and can help you pinpoint the core of your brand more easily:

02. Explore color meanings

Now that you’ve identified your brand personality, it’s time to choose the colors to make it shine through. In doing so, it’s worth looking into color psychology principles for common color meanings.

However, it’s also important to mention that color is not an exact science, and there’s no equation to accurately define which color means what. This is where color combinations come in, as they help in achieving a look that evokes certain feelings through their juxtaposition.

To understand this, think of the difference in the meaning of the color blue when it’s paired with gold – conjuring notions of royalty and luxury – as opposed to the same blue but paired with pink – which tends to feel much more playful.

Colors can mean different things depending on the colors they’re paired with, as well as on context and cultural connotations. There are, however, clear trends in color use based on industry. To help you choose the right color palette for your business, here’s a quick breakdown of popular brand colors by a few main industries:

Food: Many foods and restaurant businesses opt for warm colors that draw attention and evoke appetite, such as red, orange, and yellow. Other food brands choose green to promote connection with nutrition and wellbeing or blue and pink for sweets and desserts.

Health and wellness: Most health and wellness companies choose blue to signify cleanliness, trustworthiness, and responsibility. Other popular options are green, representing nature and wholesomeness, and orange, which can bring up ideas of vitality and energy.

Fashion and beauty: The fashion and beauty industries often use black for sophistication and glamour, and warm colors such as red, orange, and pink for passion, confidence, and excitement.

High-tech: Tech companies most commonly go for blue, which symbolizes trust, intelligence, and efficiency. Additional colors are orange, which is friendly and optimistic, and purple, which stands for quality and creativity.

03. Search for inspiration

As a final step before crafting your brand colors, look around for color inspiration. Browse through your competitors’ palettes, and try and understand what it is that makes them work well. Think of what you can learn from their color choices, and of ways in which you can differentiate yourself from the competition.

Other great sources of inspiration are online color palette generators, where you can find ideas for interesting color pairings and mesmerizing shades. You can also explore these logo color ideas for some inspiration.

To get your creative ideas flowing, we’ve gathered 10 successful brand colors and analyzed what it is that we like about them. Scroll down to the bottom of the article to feast your eyes on some beautiful colors.

04. Pick your primary color

Your brand’s primary color, or core color, is the one most associated with your brand. Think of the signature Tiffany’s Blue or Pinterest’s red.

For your primary color, look for a single color that best embodies your business based on color meanings. You can experiment with different shades and tints of the color you have in mind, going from lush and dark to soft and pastel, or even bright neon, in order to find the perfect look.

05. Choose your secondary colors

Once you have your primary color, pick two to four colors to go along with it. These colors will compliment your primary one and can either appear next to it or independently. A brand’s secondary colors can go in a few different directions:

Analogous color scheme: These are close variants of your primary color. This means that if your primary color is bright red, you can add other warm colors (such as orange and yellow) that belong to the same color family. Analogous color schemes are usually harmonious and pleasant in their appearance.
Monochromatic color scheme: These are different shades and tints of your primary color. For example, if your primary color is blue, your secondary colors can be light blue and dark blue. Monochromatic color schemes can strengthen and enhance your core color.
Contrasting color schemes: Contrasting colors are either complementary colors (seated across from each other on the color wheel), or a selection of colorful, equally-vibrant hues. This color scheme can help your brand colors pop and usually gives off a fun and modern feel.

The color wheel and types of color schemes

06. Select neutral colors

When crafting your brand colors, it’s easy to focus on the main colors and overlook the neutrals. However, neutral colors are important as they are the ones in charge of most of your communication (such as the color of your written text) and will appear in the background of most of your assets.

Neutral colors are usually white or black, often combined with a few shades of gray.

07. Test your brand colors

Once you’ve picked your colors, place them all together and test them in a few different combinations to make sure they complement one another and convey the message you were aiming for.

In order to make your website accessible, you should also test your palette in order to make sure that they’re clearly legible together. There are plenty of online resources and browser plugins that test color contrast for accessibility. Contrast Checker and Colour Contrast Analyser are two such tools that we recommend.

10 inspirational brand colors that work

1. Starbucks

Starbucks’ brand colors are based on a family of greens, combined with four neutral colors. Their primary color is that of the Siren logo – an iconic shade referred to as “Starbucks Green.”

The expanded color palette merges this primary green, alluding to the brand’s rich heritage, with other “fresh and inviting” hues. These include an accent green and two secondary greens.

2. Instagram

The Instagram brand colors are a gradient of blue to yellow, with a wide range of purples, pinks and oranges in between. This gradient is a reinterpretation of the brand’s rainbow from its earlier, skeuomorphic logo.

This rich color spectrum is meant to evoke feelings of “warmth and energy.” It’s also a tribute to the importance of color in the app’s filters, community uploads, and more.

3. Slack

Slack’s color palette is just as refined as it is playful. It features four primary colors – white, black, and two shades of aubergine purple. Accompanying those are blue, green, yellow, and red, serving as accent colors.

In Slack’s case, it’s the accent colors that take center stage in the logo and not its primary aubergine. Coming together to form an octothorpe, the four colors bring to mind notions of teamwork and collaboration.

04. The Guardian

The Guardian is most associated with its navy blue and bright yellow shades. Yet for a platform this rich in content, colors take part in more than brand-ability alone. They also serve as a navigational tool, by distinguishing between types of editorial content.

For example, red marks news articles, orange is for opinion pieces, and brown is for cultural topics. Each of these colors comes in a selection of variants, depending on their application: dark, main, pastel and faded. These allow for flexibility in color use.

05. Google

Google has one of those timeless logo designs that we all know by heart. And just like the design itself, the four colors of the logo (blue, red, yellow, and green) are equally synonymous with the company. Those are the brand’s primary colors, along with white which is also predominant in Google interfaces.

The secondary Google colors are darker versions of the primary ones. Those are followed by tertiary light blue and light green, and a range of grays that serve as the neutral colors in delivering information, such as in written text.

06. Lyft

Lyft is well-known for its signature pink. Yet surprisingly, the primary brand palette is composed of white as the main color, followed by black, and only then – the Lyft Pink. This ratio is meant to instill the pink with greater meaning, making it stand out in the times it is used.

The brand’s secondary palette is much more encompassing, including 40 different colors – from greens and yellows to blues and oranges. These are used to support the main brand colors, and take a back seat in crafting their brand identity.

07. Dell

The Dell brand colors are divided into three tiers. The first tier includes the company’s core colors, with the signature Dell Blue as the primary color, giving off a “vibrant and energetic” feel. The three shades of blue act as the foundation for the rest of the palette.

The second tier is made up of three accent colors (purple, berry, and orange) and five neutrals (white and a range of grays). Last is the third tier, which features three additional accent colors. An exception to this palette is black, which can be used for text or in the logo, but not as a design element.

08. Dropbox

Dropbox’s primary brand colors are blue, black, and white. But there’s much more to it, as the main focus here is the versatility of different color combinations. Dropbox boasts 18 brand colors that produce a total of 32 different pairings.

Dropbox’s rich color spectrum is intended to generate unique mixes that go together well, leading to “interesting and often unusual combinations.” This unique visual language is achieved through dynamic, mix-and-match variations, rather than through unification and standardization.

Image source: Behance

09. Mastercard

The Mastercard logo is composed of two overlapping circles, one red and the other yellow, which together produce a bright shade of orange. This same orange is also the company’s primary color, accompanied by two shades of gray (light and dark) as the background colors.

The secondary colors in the Mastercard color palette are gold, yellow and green, and the accent colors are red and teal.

Image source: Pentagram

10. Airbnb

There are five Airbnb brand colors. The most prominent among them is pink (called Rausch), which is also the color of the brand’s logo and is used repeatedly in the company’s website design. The pink is joined by a turquoise shade, an orange, and two grays – dark and light.

The Mums.Org Project

We are pleased to announce the completion of our latest web design project for the National Chrysanthemum Society, USA (NCS). This website is packed with a ton of great features. Including an E-commerce platform, to easily sell and promote the NCS products and publications. It features an online registration form with built-in secure online payment to make it easier for new members to register. An interactive map to help visitors find a local NCS Chapter in their area as well as a form to create a chapter in your area. It has a filterable photo gallery that features a lightbox option that showcases some of the beautiful flower photos from the NCS shows. A video gallery to promote some of the great educational videos to help both novice and advanced Chrysanthem growers. A blog section and social sharing to make it easy to share content and promote products through all the social media channels.

One of my favorite aspects of doing what I do is to help organizations take control of their website and get the most out of their marketing efforts. I really enjoyed our zoom training sessions. They gave me the opportunity to meet some of the members face to face and share some of my knowledge and help educate them on how they can better utilize their website and content.

This project was fun, challenging, and rewarding. We will continue to work with NCS to help them improve their online presence and grow their organization.

We want to take a moment and thank the National Chrysanthemum Society, USA for the opportunity to work with them and continue to grow our passion for creative design and online marketing.

NCS | National Chrysanthemum Society USA

The Buyer’s Journey

Today’s buyer is more informed than ever before, thanks to the vast amount of information available at their fingertips. Because of this, the balance of power has shifted from the sales rep to the buyer in most sales conversations. This is why pushy sales tactics are no longer effective the way they used to be.

Instead, to be successful in sales in today’s day and age, sales reps must adapt their mindset from selling to helping. And the best way to start this process is to become intimately familiar with who the buyer is and the journey they take on their path to purchase: The buyer’s journey.

The buyer’s journey describes a buyer’s path to purchase. In other words, buyers don’t wake up and decide to buy on a whim. They go through a process to become aware of, consider and evaluate, and decide to purchase a new product or service.

By understanding the buyer’s journey, the pains and problems they experience along that journey, and the influencing factors that shape their thinking, sales reps can better empathize with the buyer and position their product or service along that path. So let’s dig in a little further.

The buyer’s journey can be broken down into three “stages” that describe how they are driven to make a purchase: the awareness stage, the consideration stage, and the decision stage.

Here’s how to conceptualize each stage:

Awareness Stage: The buyer becomes aware that they have a problem.

Consideration Stage: The buyer defines their problem and considers options to solve it.

Decision Stage: The buyer evaluates and decides on the right provider to administer the solution.

Now that the overall journey has been defined, let’s take a look at each stage, from the buyer’s perspective:

The Awareness Stage:

man holding his chin facing laptop computer

At this stage, the buyer discovers they are experiencing a problem. For example, they have symptoms of pain, and their goal is to alleviate it. They may be looking for informational resources to more clearly understand the root of their problem.

Such as: Why does my lower back hurt so much?

The consideration stage:

man on front of vending machines at nighttime

The buyer will have clearly defined their problem and given it a name. They are now committed to researching and understanding the available options or methods to solving the defined problem.

Such as: “How to treat lower back pain?”

The decision stage:

At this stage, the buyer has decided on a solution, method, or approach. The goal now is to compile a list of available vendors, make a shortlist, and ultimately make a final decision.

Such as: “Where can I get treatment for my lower back pain and how much will it cost?”

Conclusion:

If you don’t have an understanding of your buyers, then it will be difficult to understand your buyer’s journey in a way that will be helpful from a sales perspective. In this case, be sure to conduct interviews with customers, prospects, and the salespeople at your company to get a sense of your customers’ buyers’ journey.

By providing content that is valuable to your potential customers at a time that is right for them you will build a better relationship with your buyers and establish trust as well as create invaluable long-term customer loyalty.

5 Reason Your Company Needs A Website.

Building a business website costs time and money. If your business has managed all right without one so far, it’s easy to make excuses to put off dealing with it. But could that procrastination be hurting you?

If you’re still on the fence about whether or not building a website for your business is worth the time and money, here are a few signs that it’s time to take the plunge and get started.

1. Your business exists.

I kid, but only somewhat. The internet is a huge part of how people make purchasing decisions today, and not just when it comes to items you can purchase online. 81% of shoppers do research online before buying something.

Whether you sell products in a physical store or services, the first place most people go when they’re looking for what you sell is the internet. How many customers have you missed out on because your business was invisible when they went online to look for what you sell?

2. A customer asks where to find you on the web.

People fully expect that any company they do business with will have a web presence. Even if they already know about your company, a website’s the easiest way to look up your address before heading to the store, or double-check your hours so they don’t head out for no reason.

Consumers today don’t want to have to pick up a phone to find that information, or go to a phone book to find your number, for that matter. While you can list some of that information on sites like Yelp or in your Google business listing, customers have more confidence that they can trust what they’re seeing on your own business website.

If you’ve been asked by at least one customer where they can find you on the web, it’s time to start working on a satisfying answer to that question.

3. You keep reading about web-only marketing tactics.

If you spend any time at all reading articles for entrepreneurs and small business owners, you’ve seen lots of talk about the value of social media marketing, content marketing, and SEO. Those are all tactics your competitors are probably already benefitting from, but that you can’t even try until you have a website to promote.

Even more importantly, they tend to be more effective and provide a better ROI than other types of advertising. If you’re currently putting all your ad spend toward billboards and radio ads, you’re not getting the biggest bang for your buck.

4. You realize your grandkids don’t think your business really exists.

Kids these days, right? Their whole life is on the internet. As far as they’re concerned, if it’s not online, it can’t be real. If you overheard them at Thanksgiving this year discussing a complicated conspiracy theory they’ve developed that you’re actually a spy and the business you claim you have is a front, it probably means they’re watching too much TV, but it also definitely means it’s time for you to build a website for your business.

Kids show us where the future’s going. If your family’s youngest generation thinks it’s weird that your business doesn’t have a website, you should concede that they just might have a point.

5. You realize you don’t want to become obsolete.

The longer you hold out, the more invisible you are to potential customers. Even past customers might wonder if you’ve gone out of business if they can’t find a website – people really do take for granted at this point that a website is a necessary part of business. If you don’t have one, it looks unprofessional and means people are less likely to take you seriously.

Stop procrastinating. You already knew by the time you started reading this post that it’s past time to have a website for your business. Commit to getting it done this year so your business can maintain its legitimacy and maybe even increase profits in the years to come.

When you are ready to take your business into the “Modern Age” talk to the creative team of professionals from Clouse Designs we will get you up and running no time with an affordable website that will work for your business.

Get Your New Website!

Why Should I Outsource My Marketing Services?

If you have a business, you need customers…plain and simple. Without customers, there really is not much reason to get up in the morning, drive to the office, turn on the lights, make payroll and all the myriad of tasks that we do as business owners.

Getting those customers is one of the biggest challenges that businesses face on a day in, day out basis, and because of the difficulty and importance of this task, ALL businesses need to have an effective marketing plan to survive and grow. For many companies, however, this is a business truth that is easy to put on the back burner or settle for just throwing darts at a dart board and hoping you hit something.

Nobody is going to walk into your office and ask for whatever it is that you are selling unless they know who you are, what you do, and they have confidence that you can deliver on your promises. More importantly your prospects want to know why your product or service is of benefit to them, and how you differentiate yourself from your competitors.

To get those facts communicated your company needs an effective, well thought out and executed marketing plan. Most companies understand the need for a strategic marketing plan, but few understand what it is or how to implement one. Marketing is not the same thing as hiring a sales team; it is much more involved than that. In a nutshell, your company’s marketing plan is about generating leads that can then be turned into sales

Elements of a Modern Marketing Strategy

The rise of the internet, indexed search (think Google) and the explosion of social media networks have changed the way that companies communicate their value proposition (the promise of value that will be delivered by your company and experienced by your customer).

Where once, legacy tactics such as yellow page advertisements or print ads would drive traffic to your front door, modern consumers armed with mobile technology expect real time access to information and make buying decisions in a matter of a few keystrokes on their devices.

This means that companies need to ensure that their branding messages are well executed, easily found on the web by sites that attract attention and covert eyeballs into leads.

Below is a list of items that make up a “modern marketing strategy”:

Collateral development and production
Content development specialists
Email programs
E-newsletters
Graphic artists
Market research
Marketing software
Metrics/data analysts
Mobile marketing specialists
PPC
Printing
PR specialists
SEO/keyword research
Social media specialists
Special events
Sponsorship
Website development/re-engineering

While this is a very thorough list, it should also be seen as incomplete, because as we speak new technologies, apps and disciplines are being created which makes keeping up a challenge. This rapid change in new technologies is what makes marketing in the 21st century such a challenge for small businesses.

Now that we know the elements, let’s shift gears and evaluate your options on how to execute your strategy.

Can and Should I Do This Myself?

Many entrepreneurs are ingrained with the DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ethic which refers to the ethic of self-sufficiency through completing tasks without the aid of paid specialists. As an entrepreneur that has suffered with this particular affliction, I can certainly attest to the fact an individual can, with enough time and gumption seek out the knowledge required to complete any given task.

The challenge with this mode of operation is the many different creative elements, such as writing, graphic design, computer programming that are needed to successfully carry out a modern marketing strategy. The learning curve for a busy entrepreneur with little experience is staggering, leaving the business owner with either a vastly incomplete marketing strategy missing key elements, such as blogging, social media marketing or a site filled with ugly graphics or both.

Conversely, if the owner devotes the time to learn all of these marketing elements, you have a tapped out business owner focusing all their time and attention on a steep learning curve in the creative arts. For all but the smallest businesses lacking the marketing budget to hire or outsource, DIY is an unfeasible strategy. If DIY is not the right approach, then what other options are available?

We are often asked by business owners, ” what should my marketing budget be.“ If I am going to hire a marketing agency or hire internal staff what are the financial costs associated with both options? We cover this very question in the next section.

Should I Hire an Employee or a Marketing Agency?

Organizations that have neither the time nor inclination to DIY are left with a choice; either hire an employee or hire an outside agency. In many instances, business owners lean towards hiring an employee because that has been the de-facto process in the past to solve an immediate need. Additionally business owners may have the perception that an outside agency is far more expensive than hiring in-house staff. The problem with this rationale is that most of the time, owners don’t have a true basis for comparison.

How much do you think it would cost to hire a qualified marketing employee vs. hiring a marketing agency?

Most business owners don’t have a true basis for comparison and typically use a rudimentary methodology for decision making. In many cases, business owners might use a base salary versus an hourly quote for a marketing agency and thus conclude that since the hourly rate is higher it therefore must be the more expensive option. This is a big mistake.

Many owners fail to take into account the true costs associated with hiring and retaining an employee. As the chart below shows, not only do you have to account for base salary, but adding in fixed expenses such federal, state and/or local taxes as well as health insurance contributions, retirement plan matches, vacation, sick days, etc., and the true cost can be as much as 1.25 to 1.4 times the base salary. Add in additional expenses such the cost of recruiting and training and the total starts to escalate quickly.

Let’s take a closer look and see what really happens when you compare the two.

According to Indeed.com the average in house marketing manager makes a salary of $60,218 and the average inhouse brand manager makes a salary of $61,886 a year. Making your annual marketing budget of $122,104. With Clouse Designs you get both a Marketing Manager and a Brand Manager at a fraction of the cost! I’m sure you can do the math on that one.

While the numbers are averages and should be adjusted based on your needs and location of business, etc. The graphic should give you a better understanding of the approximate costs of hiring each one separately.

In addition to the task of hiring the right employee, the effective execution of many marketing tasks requires extensive software applications which require DINERO (that’s money)……..lots of it in the form of upfront purchases and annual subscriptions of graphics programs, ppc management apps, business metrics software and a whole host of other requirements.

In addition to the pure cost factor of hiring an employee, there is one additional factor that needs to be considered. It would be exceptionally difficult to find one person that possesses each of the skills required to execute your strategy. This would most likely require your new marketing hire to outsource at least some of these tasks to outside agencies, which really blows this comparison out of the water.

As you can see after taking these factors into consideration, hiring marketing staff is no bargain.

Benefits of Working with a Marketing Agency

Although you may perceive that you are saving money on an hourly basis relative to hiring an employee or doing it yourself, hiring a marketing agency, particularly one focused on the latest marketing tactics provides substantial value. Long gone are the “Mad Men” days of nebulous budgets with hidden fees.

At Clouse Designs we combine the latest technology with “grassroots” marketing campaigns that will cement your foot hold in the market and your community! Grassroots marketing, sometimes known as guerilla marketing, starts from the ground up. Instead of launching a message you hope will appeal to many people, you target your efforts to a small group and hope the group will spread your message to a much larger audience. Grassroots marketing often uses unconventional or nontraditional methods. Grassroots marketing often costs less than more conventional marketing efforts, but can produce big results.

The pricing dynamic has shifted and many firms are now working on clearly spelled out pricing structures, and lower-fee marketing retainer agreements.

While there is no industry standard, the going rate in most markets for an experienced marketing agency starts in the $3,000 to $5,000 range in terms of monthly spend. While that may seem like a large number, in comparison to the opportunity cost of DIY, or the pure allocation of funds towards building internal staff, this is a relative bargain.

Among the many benefits of working with an experienced marketing firm are:

Expertise with your market niche
Experience in executing marketing plans
Money savings by hiring to your specific needs
No employee training required
Your marketing plan is executed immediately, the employee may need time to ramp up while the marketing firm is ready from the get-go
Avoid HR nightmares
No additional overhead
Tax deductions, not tax liability
Efficiency for short term and urgent projects

This new paradigm allows business owners to focus on running operations and increasing the bottom line, not messing around with Facebook, Twitter or trying to build a website.

The big question then isn’t can I afford an experienced marketing agency, but rather how much am I costing myself in time, money and lost opportunity by trying to do these marketing services in-house.

3 Essential Ways To Build Online Customer Trust

The rise of technology has invited a fall in consumer trust. As the regulations that govern the internet evolve and threaten the safety of online users’ personal information, more and more individuals are engaging the digital world with increasing suspicion and hesitance.

Just as we closed the door on 2017, the FCC voted to repeal the Net Neutrality laws which protected the rights of internet users and website owners. The landmark vote was met with an uproar of anger and fear, as this development paves the way for ISPs (Internet Service Providers) to auction off sensitive consumer information.

Now more than ever, internet users fear for the protection of their data.

In fact, a recent study conducted by Gigya found that “69 percent of consumers are concerned about security and privacy with Internet of Things (IoT) devices” and “68 percent don’t trust brands to handle their personal information appropriately.”

This growing climate of suspicion, coupled with the ever-increasing shift toward a digital marketplace, is particularly detrimental to small business owners. As many companies now rely on a website to grow, maintain, and manage their business, building consumer trust is key to success.

Here are three easy steps that online business owners can take to win back customer trust in 2018:

1. Get Your Website SSL Certified Already!

An SSL certificate – short for Secure Sockets Layer – designates a safe connection between a user’s server and your website. The certification adds an “s” to the “http” component of your website’s URL as well as a “secure” stamp next to your web address to indicate to users that your site is safe to access.

This probably isn’t the first time you’ve been advised to get your website SSL-certified. Yet, according to study results published in May of 2017 by SEJ, only about 25% of web traffic is protected under an SSL certificate. If your company contributes to the 75% of websites lacking this important safety designation – the time is now to change that.

Getting certified can be as easy as putting a protection plan in an online shopping cart and checking out. Some sites even claim that businesses can get an SSL certificates for free.

Not only will this attribute keep your own site safe from hackers, data miners, and cyber-criminals at large, but there are two groups who really want to see that “s” on your URL – consumers and Google.

Customers Demand SSL Reassurance.

More and more each year, the online community is becoming populated by a generation of tech-savvy individuals. Consider the bar officially raised on what consumers expect from their online experience – including your website. If your business collects private data, in particular, users won’t be quick to forfeit that information without assurance that it will land in a secure destination.

According to SEJ, “HTTPS is especially important on web pages where users provide their highly sensitive information (e.g., card information and other personal details). When visitors are interacting with your site, they expect a secure and private online experience.”

Boasting an SSL certificate is one of the easiest, yet most effective, ways to earn customer trust.

Google Rewards SSL Verification.

When operating a website, one of the keys to success is keeping Google in your corner.

One of the best ways to stay on the right side of the digital giant is by making a display of your security efforts. And when it comes to security efforts, SSL certification is essential.

Google officially announced in 2014 that websites secured through an SSL certificate are rewarded with higher search rankings. A boosted search ranking means more traffic to your website – a hefty reward in return for taking a small measure.

Not only does Google take measures to recognize SSL certification by rewarding its presence, but it also makes an effort to penalize the absence of an SSL. In accordance with Google Safe Browsing efforts, if your site is lacking the secure designation, Google will display a warning message alerting users to the potential risk of entering your site. While that safety warning is discouraging enough to consumers, it will also likely deter them from entering their personal data – especially billing and credit card information – given the risks associated with your site.

The rule of thumb for doing business online is always to do what Google says. And Google says it’s time to get SSL certified.

2. Be Transparent About Collecting User Data.

When the Google Arts and Culture app released a feature in January that matches a selfie to a famous work of art, it didn’t take long for the doppelganger game to go viral. However, the public reaction to this feature exposed an ugly underbelly to the perception of digital data collection.

Within hours of the app update, there were articles, comments, and threads popping up all over the internet positing that the feature was being used to collect images of people’s faces to store in Google’s database. While these concerns are unverified and, most likely, unfounded, they speak to the rising public concern over the collection of private information – something that business owners need to be especially conscientious about.

How can business owners respond to the growing tensions surrounding user data collection? The best route to take is one of transparency.

Consumers want honesty.

Here are the best practices for giving your customers peace of mind over the collection of their personal details:

Disclose EVERYTHING in Your Privacy Policy.

Not only is a privacy policy standard protocol for business these days, but it’s also a legal necessity. While federal, state, and local laws have long dictated the need for businesses to disclose how they gather, store, and use private consumer information, the reins are being tightened even further with the May 2018 institution of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The GDPR – though it originates in the EU – is due to affect business owners all over the world by enforcing strict regulations on how to disclose the collection of personal information.

Instead of struggling to keep up with all the changing rules which govern your privacy efforts, the best practice that business owners can adopt is simply to create a comprehensive, transparent privacy policy that clearly outlines how, when, where, and why customer information is collected.

Not only will this practice afford you legal protection, but customers will appreciate having knowledge of exactly where their personal information goes and for what purposes it will be used.

Get User Consent with a Clickwrap Banner.

When building customer trust through a privacy policy, it’s not enough just to bring user attention to that policy. To fully benefit your business in both legal compliance and customer relations, you should aim to get explicit consumer consent before collecting any personal information. There are two methods of advertising a privacy policy on your website – browsewrap and clickwrap. But only clickwrap will demand explicit consent be given by your users to collect their information.

While browsewrap notifies your site’s visitors to the existence of a privacy policy through a banner, it allows users to access and browse your site without acknowledging – or consenting to – your privacy practices. Yet, many companies still employ this method, unwittingly to their detriment. Not only has browsewrap begun to carry a reputation for being an underhanded method of informing consumers of data collection, but it does not meet the legal requirements of the GDPR.

Clickwrap, on the other hand, requires site visitors to click a button or tick a box acknowledging that they have read the privacy policy before continuing to access your site. This action, known as “affirmative consent” is the crux-de-gras of safety efforts when it comes to the collection of customer data.

Hosting a clickwrap agreement on your website will set you ahead of the pack in both visible security efforts and privacy regulation compliance.

3. Amplify Your Customer Service.

Consumer trust is not built in online safety alone. It’s also earned through exceptional customer service.

But this isn’t new information, right? However, according to Business Insider, “As consumers increasingly buy products online that they haven’t seen in person — leaving room for purchasing errors and buyer’s remorse — it’s now more important than ever to provide customers with positive customer service experiences.”

Stressing the financial risk that business owners take in not prioritizing customer service, Business Insider goes on to say, “60% of consumers say they have not completed an intended purchase due to a poor customer service experience.”

Customer service in the digital world is especially demanding as it is now an omni-channel operation. Big businesses, in particular, are able to boast 24/7 assistance via email, phone, live chat, and even social media outlets. While many small businesses don’t have access to the resources to compete on this level, business owners should still take steps to make customer service a priority – especially online.

Update Your Information.

Keep up-to-date contact information and hours present on your website, and consider designating a social media account – like Twitter or a Facebook page – where customers can direct their questions and comments.

Post Customer Reviews.

One of the best ways to build trust is to offer your customers testimonials and reviews from others. Invespcro.com found that “88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.” However, be sure not to make the all-too-common mistake of manufacturing reviews. Customers will know, and trust in your business will be further diminished. Instead, ask satisfied patrons to review your site or offer a testimonial. Consider incentivizing users with discounts or rewards in exchange for their honest feedback.

Personalize the Customer Service Experience.

While large-scale companies have the resources to handle massive inpours of customer queries, small business owners have the opportunity to accomplish something that consumers are seeing less and less of lately – offer a personal customer service experience.

Instead of letting emails pile up without replies, reviews be posted without responses, and questions left without answers, take the time to address the individuals that take the time to reach out to your business. Listen to what they’re saying, make an effort to understand, and offer a thoughtful response.

Given the impersonal atmosphere of the cyber-world, it can make a big difference to remind your customers that on the other side of the screen is another person.

Conclusion.

If your company relies on the internet to thrive, earning the trust of wary consumers is now more important than ever. Ring in the new year with a new commitment to securing your customers’ faith in you, your website, and your business.