Is it time for a NEW website?

Feb 9, 2023

Is it time for a NEW website?

Is it time for a new website?

If you’re reading this headline, you know that it is time for a new website. I’ve worked with countless business owners over the years, and I have helped them transition their websites. Usually what I see is they have a first-generation website that I like to call version 1.0.

When they come to me, they’re ready to go to version 2.0 but they don’t know how to do it. For example, they may have a vague way of how to use a website builder platform. Overtime they are stuck with a generic boring unchanging website. They are challenged to go to the next level.

In this article I am going to outline 3 challenging issues of running a small business website. Then I will explain a very basic way to move onto a new website, and have it work for you!

Challenging Issue – Number 1
The customer can’t change the content.

When I first encounter new customers, I hear this lament quite often. They say stuff like “I just want to upload a picture”, “I need to change my menu”, “I don’t know how to update my calendar”.

One of the most basic features of a website is the publishing of content. Generally speaking, this involves text and images. Certainly, there’s other items as well, but we are sticking to the fundamentals which are text and images.

Here you can make a choice of just throwing up text and images in any old way, without much proofing on the text, and no editing of the images. You and your customers will see the results on the website. It won’t look good, and it will not be user friendly. Additionally, if you build a website that looks clunky, Google will not give you favorable ranking based on your organic content.

Our solution is using WordPress as the backbone for all of our websites. It’s a great CRM and powers approximately 40+% of the Internet websites today. Also, the architecture lends itself to good crawl for Google search bots. So, in this position you can now craft the text to make it look good for search engine optimization purposes, and also optimize the images as well for fast loading.

Challenging Issue – Number 2
Marketing of the Website.

Since we now live in a web 3.0 world customers rely on social media for marketing. Yes, it is easy and convenient and yes it works. But in marketing it’s always good to have a home base which is yet another marketing tool that you can leverage for leads. The reason you want to have a website  is so that your company can control all of the  content and not have to worry about getting de-platformed. This theory makes perfect sense. The issue that I run into with new customers is they have challenges, as mentioned in challenge number one, of putting content on the website.

The solution we provide for all of our customers is our Content Management program.  The client will provide the content, and we can also create content for them. By being a Strategic Partner for our clients, we can assist them with better graphics, improved content that makes sense to their audiences, and better UI/UX interaction that is well liked by search. So, in addition to using existing social media platforms, our customers now have a valuable SELF Run platform that is connected to their social accounts.

Challenging Issue – Number 3
Business Email.

I chose Business email as Number 3 because it needs to be shared and talked about. There are many times I’ve seen web developers not pay attention to Business Emails. This is really important because you control the Domain Name associated with the emails. If you have multiple employees with business emails, it is critical the owner has access to total administration of the emails. So, understanding how your emails work, where they are located, and having access to the back end is super important. For example, if you have to fire an employee, you want to make sure you access their email for liability protection. There are other issues that can affect your business emails, but we can’t go into here due to the space of this article. The best practice here is to make sure you can access all of your business emails.

This was a brief explanation of key points that need to be managed as part of the ongoing live website. It can be an asset for your business if properly run and maintained. As the founder of West Bay Media Group, I am here to help you reach the next level of website/business. Please DM me anytime with any website questions.

Best of luck!

Tom Hamilton
CEO/Founder West Bay Media Group

 

 

 

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What is Blogging?

Feb 6, 2023

What is Blogging?

In the early days of the internet there were no blogs. Websites were mostly what I term “postcard” websites—pictures, a smattering of text, and a contact page. These websites were static, they did not change that much, and they did not need a lot of server capacity to function. This was the era before smartphones, which have completely changed the way we deliver information.

As technological advancements progressed, the desire for content increased; hence, the blog was born. Even though blogging has been around for a while, it seems that small business owners STILL have a hard time wrapping their heads around the concept…or even what it does?

The website firstsiteguide.com defines a blog as:
“A blog (shortening of “weblog”) is an online journal or informational website displaying information in reverse chronological order, with the latest posts appearing first.”

In short, a blog on your website is a great way to keep your online business presence up-to-date and as an ongoing flow of information for your customers. This is ONE of the reasons I use WordPress to run small business websites. The WordPress platform was designed in the early days of the internet to be a blogging platform.  As technology improved, web developers soon realized that the open source WordPress platform could be leveraged for full website development.

Imagine, you own a small business and your website is old and outdated—one that you cannot update. This is a problem for many business owners, and it ends up being a lost opportunity. Furthermore, neglecting this important aspect of your business lends your competitors more internet real estate and more leads that you should be capturing.

One of the most critical skillsets for any business is EXECUTION. – Tom Hamilton

Now, you may try and continue to manage your website content all by yourself; however, when I think of that as an option, I remember this famous saying; “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.” If you are currently having a challenge posting new products and services to your website, why not get a Strategic Partner? I have partnered with many businesses over the years and have successfully sold in different market sectors as well. Not only does my experience afford you a resource to manage your website but you also gain a trusted adviser that can provide direction in terms of marketing and sales.

The writing and leverage of good quality content on your website cannot be overstated. In fact, number one on Google’s (click here) list of ten items they value philosophically is “Focus on the user and all else will follow.” This means if you want to have a shot at getting people to your business online, you MUST be aware of search engines’ methods.  Google is telling you that your website has to provide value to the end user. If it does not (ie no updated content), it will fail to rank favorably in the organic ranking…or at all.

By sharing your latest updates and innovations with your market from consistent blogging, higher rankings are achieved, thereby resulting in more product sales. Let West Bay Media Group craft unique content for your website! In fact, our Content Creation product is available to you right now!  Take advantage of jump starting your website’s Content Management right NOW by reaching out to me anytime. I look forward to hearing from YOU!

 

BlogBlast – Send Valuable Content to Your Social Media Accounts

Jan 5, 2023

 

One of the biggest challenges for the small business owner is

 

creating content for their business/website. 

 

Let’s face it – not many business owners are publishers so writing content is not their natural inclination. The problem then becomes not posting content to their website or social media. Unfortunately, this turns into a lost opportunity of missing out on a cost-effective marketing tool that could bring qualified leads to their business.

By putting out valuable content on your website for products and/or services being offered, you are exposing to the digital world that you are an expert and are open for business. One of the ways we help our Strategic Partners is by deploying the Blog inside of their custom responsive WordPress website.

This allows us to effectively post updated relevant content to their website.

This provides two benefits:

The first is the content lives on the website thereby allowing the customer to see and read it and know that you are serious about your business.

The second reason is that it is the kind of website Google favors in their search algorythim.

West Bay Media Group - BlogBlast

We were thinking of a way to make a Blog  EVEN MORE effective; hence, we created BlogBlast.   

BlogBlast will help you amplify your message by sharing your Blog Post (Pillar Content) by breaking it up into Micro-Content pieces to be posted on Facebook,  Twitter, and LinkedIn.

This would be in the form of a drip campaign. The campaign can go on as long as you wish or you can schedule it.   This is a great tool if you are going to launch a new product and want to get the word out to multiple platforms.

West Bay Media Group can run all of this for YOU!!

 

If you do not want to write the original content, then we can write it for you; however, if you like to write, submit the article to us and we take care of the rest.

Once activated you will start to see the posts appear in your social networks!!

We also provide a unique link for each piece of Micro-Content that feeds back to your website, The bonus here is that more traffic will be going to your site and, in turn, will help your site with organic SEO.  This also creates brand   awareness as people start to visit your site.

If you are interested in increasing the opportunity for lead generation,
 reach out to us today.
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