Digital Marketing Durham

DURHAM NC DIGITAL MARKETING AGENCY

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One Document You Need When Hiring a Marketing Manager or Agency

As a business owner looking for a digital marketing agency, you can have one piece of paper that will save you and the new agency loads of time. In this video, Kim Adamof of Edge Digital explains what should be on this piece of paper and why it’s essential.

A list of all the accounts you have that control your business is the one piece of paper that can save you hours of frustration when working with a third-party marketing agency. That list should include your domain name, website host, Google Analytics, YouTube channel, and social media profiles.

When a marketing firm starts working with a client, they need to access many of their client’s accounts. Without the information ready at hand, it can take weeks to get access because the business owner is scrambling to figure out who has access to the account, the email, and the password. It’s all very frustrating to everybody and can delay the work.

Most marketing agencies will send a setup checklist when they first get started, and it has all the accounts where access is needed. If the business has the list already assembled, this step is fast and easy.

We recommend that every business take the time and go through all their accounts and put all the information – the username, the password, the email that controls it, and even the phone number used to verify the account into one document. That way, when hiring a marketing manager or marketing agency, all you have to do is turn over one piece of paper, and all the information is there. You will save yourself hours of frustration.

If you would like to get a copy of our setup checklist template, send us a message. Edge Digital is waiting to help you with all your digital marketing needs. Call 919-726-4366 and see what we can do for you.

  The post One Document You Need When Hiring a Marketing Manager or Agency appeared first on Edge Digital.

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3 Simple Secrets To Improve SEO

Many factors go into a website to show in search engine results. Search algorithms are constantly adjusted, but if you implement these secrets, you can insulate the site from riding the waves of page 1 to page 4 to page 2, etc.

Secrets to Improve SEO

Secret #1: Image Name and Alt Text

Websites contain many images and graphics. It’s what makes the site look and feel a certain way. People like to see pictures on a website because they quickly convey what the brand represents. The mistake most people make when adding images to a website is the name of the image or graphic file.

Before uploading any image, make sure to rename it to something specific to the business. For example, a front door picture label can be changed from “img5694” to “entry door replacement.”

Since Google can’t “read’ an image, the more specific the file name, the easier it is for Google to identify the meaning of the image. You also have an opportunity to add Alt Text to an image. Google reads both the file name and the Alt Text to get a complete picture of what content is on the page.

One caution is keyword stuffing. Alt Text is straightforward to add a lot of phrases for Google to read. With each algorithm update, Google “catches” these tactics, so we caution anyone stuffing keywords into the Alt Text.

Secret #2: Video

Video content is a powerful tool for marketing and offers fantastic SEO benefits. Videos are the fastest way to build trust with a prospective customer because it allows them to see who you are. It ramps up the “know, like, and trust” factors needed to win new business.

YouTube is the second most popular search engine, making sure your videos are appropriately labeled and uploaded there. One of the downsides to using YouTube to embed videos onto the website is the “suggested videos” at the end.

Vimeo is an alternative to YouTube, which allows you to remove the “suggested videos.” However, it is a paid service. With Vimeo, you can confidently embed videos onto your website.

The SEO benefit of having embedded videos on the site is “Average Session Duration,” how long a visitor spends on your website. ‘Time on Site’ is one of the factors that go into Google’s algorithm ranking. The longer someone stays on your website, the better your site can rank in search results.

Secret #3: Page Speed

How fast a website page loads after a visitor clicks enter a browser or a link on the web determines the Page Speed. It is another ranking factor in the Google Algorithm that makes a big difference in where your site is served and if you get a sale or not.

When is the last time you waited for a slow website page to show on your screen? After about 3 or 4 seconds, you probably realized it is not that important and hit the back button. Someone coming to your website will do the same thing. Do you know how long it takes for your homepage to load or internal pages?

Here is a free tool to test your website’s Page Speed.

Image optimization is one of the best things you can do for site speed. Do not upload images larger than 80 kb in size or 800 x 600 px. Check your website image file sizes in the media library. There are WordPress plugins that can quickly help with reducing file sizes.

Another reason to upload videos into YouTube or Vimeo is to keep the video files off of the website. Video files can be pretty hefty compared to images so let another platform host the video.

3 of the most common Page Speed issues are:

Hosting – is your server large enough to handle the traffic?

Caching – do you have a plugin that will “cache” or take a snapshot of your website to save time loading?

Website Bloat – can you get rid of unnecessary content and code?

The goal of search engine optimization (SEO) is playing within Google’s rules to help a site be served in search results. Unfortunately, Google doesn’t always tell you the rules, but they do leave hints. It’s like that playmate on the playground who changes the rules mid-game when they are losing.

Related Articles:

Evergreen Content Marketing Strategy Using Q&A Videos Turn Your Google My Business into a Revenue Machine

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Google Analytics – One Metric To Monitor

When you look at your Google Analytics report, do you know what all those numbers mean? Do you know which numbers are the most important to increase your business? In this video, Kim Adamof of Edge Digital explains one particular metric to track that translates into increased income.

What’s the number one piece of data you need to monitor? If your business is paying for SEO or advertising services, you will get reports from these companies. They’re going to give a lot of impressive data, but how do you read that data? What does it mean? One piece of data you need to pay attention to, and that’s goal conversions. Goal conversions monitor money opportunities.

If you’re using your website for lead generation, you want to set up a goal conversion on the “request a quote” form when people go to a “thank you” page. You then start tracking how many people hit the “thank you” page. It doesn’t matter how many impressions you have. It only matters how many leads your website’s producing.

I had a friend come to me with an SEO report he had received, asked me what the numbers meant. I looked at the numbers, and the data was showing that the impressions were going up steadily. After digging into the backside of the data. I looked at the goal conversions. There was an increase of only one goal conversion.

Impressions don’t mean anything if you’re not getting money opportunities.

Edge Digital

Do you need help interpreting those Google Analytics numbers? We can help. The experts at Edge Digital can interpret the numbers and make recommendations for your business. Contact us at 919-726-4366 and see what we can do for you.

  The post Google Analytics – One Metric To Monitor appeared first on Edge Digital.

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You Can’t Win If You Can’t Score

Do you want to win more business? That’s a big YES. What’s the answer to the big question, “what is it going to take to win?” The bottom line is having a plan. We have found that home improvement companies that utilize all four marketing strategies are the biggest winners. Do you think Tom Brady and Bill Belichick take the off-season off? NO, they are busy coming up with new plays and formations to run. They watch films on new divisional opponents and biggest threats for the offseason and even watch tape on new arrivals to the team to see what they should be capable of bringing to the team. They continue to work on the areas they need to improve. As good as you may be, it’s critical never to get too comfortable and always look to patch your weak spots.

Website Design for Home Improvement Companies

The most crucial strategy to scoring a new lead is having a high converting website. When visitors land on your website, they need to determine who you are and what services you offer quickly. The longer you can get a visitor to stay on the website, the higher your chance of scoring. Think of it like driving down into the red zone or taking a 3-foot hook shot from the paint, and you have a much higher chance of success than if you just blasted off a Hail Mary from your 30-yard line or shot a 3 from the logo. Strategically placed calls to action are crucial to getting visitors to call or request a quote – not having them on there is equivalent to playing with fewer men on the field because you can’t be bothered to field a whole team!

Digital Marketing for Home Improvement Companies

The following two strategies are equally important. First, make sure your site can get found in search results. Search engine optimization (SEO) focuses on optimizing a website for search results. It takes a lot of effort and is not a “one and done” type of thing.

Sites are constantly changing where they rank in search, so it’s essential to have an ongoing organic marketing strategy. Just because you rank #1 for your top target keyword today does not mean you won’t be pushed right down to #3 within a week because of a Google update, someone else’s SEO efforts, and who knows what else.

The third strategy is advertising or ‘push’ marketing. This is positioning your message in front of your audience at JUST the right time. You can advertise via Google Ads (PPC), Paid Social Ads such as Facebook, programmatic, directory sites such as Angie’s List, or directly on a website. Each type of advertising has an associated cost per click which ranges based on estimated traffic levels.

Don’t just be ON social media. USE social media.

Social media cannot be left out. Even if you do not use social media, this can be a potent tool for leads. Homeowners will often message a business through social media to ask a sales-related question. Make sure someone on your team is monitoring and responding as fast as possible.

A BIG mistake I see is hiring or outsourcing to someone just because they are young or cheap. The person needs to have the business acumen to know what and how to post to benefit the business. Bad social media is not any better than no social media. Remember, you get what you pay for.

Bad or unprofessional social media work could do terrible things to your brand. Think of it like stacking up your defensive line with all the cheapest contracts possible. It might save you some money, but at some point, something bad is going to break through and get you.

Your sales team’s job is to convert every single lead that they can for you. Those “free throws” will add up to a ton of points; ask Shaq about that one.

If your business relies on referrals only, just by implementing a small plan, you have the opportunity to double sales right off the bat. The best place to start is with content marketing and search engine optimization. Having even a little effort going into all of this will make a big difference for your business. You can no longer ignore your online presence. It is like being that old basketball guy who thinks 3-pointers aren’t worth shooting when the statistics tell us that they are well worth shooting.

Schedule a strategy session today to discuss your current marketing and the best techniques to implement for growth. Edge Digital will get your game plan all ironed out and ready to go.

The post You Can’t Win If You Can’t Score appeared first on Edge Digital.

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Google’s New Tool To Help Manage Reputation

Recently, Google released a tool that allows Google My Business accounts to manage the removal request of Google reviews one by one and get status updates on the request.

This new tool comes after a study found that people are 40% less likely to trust online reviews than they did five years ago because of the increase of fake reviews. The study reported that it was hard to find an exact number, but sources say anywhere between 10 and 40% of all online reviews are fake.

What counts as a fake review? Someone writing a review for the wrong company, someone who had never been to the business writes a review about the company (good or bad) or hiring a third party company to go in, and falsely write multiple reviews to boost 5-star ratings.

BrightLocal published a case study where they looked at one company’s reviews dealing with a mistaken identity. The two companies in the case study are a non-profit arts organization called Carousel in the UK and a seafood restaurant in the same area that goes by Carousel’s on their sign and social media accounts, but their GMB profile name is under OW Smith and Son.

Carousel (the art company) is getting reviews for the seafood restaurant, which is misleading to a customer looking up their business. They used the new GMB tool to see how easily they could go in to put a request to have those reviews removed, but Google found that there was nothing that violated their policies on prohibited and restricted content allowed.

What Does This Mean for You and Your Business?

Take it with a grain of salt. The main concerns for the tool:

If you manage many GMB profiles and locations, the tool might not work for you. This can happen with agencies that help multiple companies manage their profiles.

If Google reviews your request, finds that there’s nothing wrong with the review, you can put in an appeal. The downside is that you can only put in one request for an appeal at a time.

Google still takes a while to get back to you in reviewing your requests. They also don’t give you a date to expect it to be done. The process could take a week, or it could take a month.

If your business is dealing with a mistaken identity crisis or receiving spam reviews, you can put your request in through your GMB account (in the Google Help section).

If your business needs help with managing reviews, our SEO team can help. Let’s schedule a discovery call.

The post Google’s New Tool To Help Manage Reputation appeared first on Edge Digital.

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Google Update Write-Up

Few things in the world can strike fear into the heart of an SEO like the words “core algorithm update” do. For some, that means their site and rankings will go flying up higher than they’ve ever been before. For many others, though, it means that they are about to see a lot of hard work go right down the drain. Hopefully only temporarily, but it’s always possible that these effects last long term. Google has now changed what they think are the best ranking factors for websites in the search results. For months, or perhaps even longer, ensuring consistent rankings and results has been done one particular way, and now we have the pleasure of trying to figure out what new methods and tactics Google is going to respect and reward the most.

So before we go into that, let’s look at a couple of cases of how a Google algorithm has immediately affected some local businesses that we have seen directly.

Case 1 – Ranking Increases after an Algorithm Update

Local Site

We had been consistently ranking on page 1, top 5-10 positions across the board with this site for all target keywords. We hadn’t been able to beat out the directory sites (Those large entities like Yelp, HomeAdvisor, etc.) before this update, but we were always the first actual business you would find for our desired keywords.

Post-update we are now ranking number 1 across the board, beating out all of those directories that we never could pass before, and everyone else for that matter.

This is a best-case scenario post-update, something in the algorithm changed, which worked out massively in favor of our client and gave them a fantastic rankings boost, enough to get them up to the top where we wanted them. This is not always, nor even often, the case, though, so do be aware of that.

Case 2 – Ranking Decreases after an Algorithm Update

With every site that moves up in the rankings, another has to move down accordingly. This is, of course, the worst-case scenario. At one point in time, we had one client ranking up on the first page with general movement in the upward direction over the past 60 days. All things were looking very promising, and when Google decided to change something in their ranking algorithms. Our highest-ranking term is now outside of page 2, just like that. We had been following all of the best practices and done everything correctly to move them up as evidenced by their “base” number, which is where they rank when we first put them into our tracking software, and the “month,” which is their highest ranking over the past month. That’s scary to see for an SEO or business owner alike. But it’s not something that can’t be resolved with a little bit of research and hard work!

What We Do Post-Update to Keep You Ranking High

Typically right after an update occurs, we take a couple of days to let things settle down and study which sites moved up and down, then start taking a deep dive into those to see if we can indicate what may influence the ranking change. We also look into all of our online resources like forums to see what other SEO experts say and how changes affect them. After we’ve gone through and performed some of our case studies and on-site testing to learn what Google is now looking for, we take this knowledge and apply it both as we see rankings change in real-time and need to reach into our overall long-term SEO strategy across the board. If you aren’t continually tweaking your strategy as time goes on, you are falling behind quickly. Far more often than not, with a little bit of tweaking, we get these sites ranking right back where they were before, if not even higher.

As soon as we notice rankings taking a dip anywhere, we step into action, looking at anything that could be causing it and try to address it. We only use white-hat techniques when working to rank websites. All too often in the past, Google has cracked down on even remotely grey-hat techniques, and we’ve seen competitor sites fall entirely off of the rankings, so we do not risk our client’s rankings with that. Using only white-hat techniques is precisely what saves us from having so much headache with these Google updates generally. We aren’t doing anything under the table that they may not approve of, so we don’t have nearly as much to worry about as all of those companies out there whose rankings rely solely on ranking techniques not endorsed by Google. If it’s bad enough, Google won’t even hesitate to blacklist your site outright from ranking on their search engine, and that is a terrible day.

Edge Digital

Need help adjusting to those pesky Google algorithm updates?  We can help.  Contact Edge Digital at 919-726-4366 and see what our experts can do for you.

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What is Media Buying? Here’s all you Need to Know

The world of marketing is vast and ever-changing, but some things remain the same. Pay per click ads are here to stay for a while. Of course, this is just one aspect of media buying so you don’t want to put all of your eggs in one basket with it. When it comes to getting your business advertised, the more places you can have it, the better!

What Is Media Buying?

In the most simple terms, media buying is taking a commercial, or newspaper ad, or other sales message and getting it viewed by the intended audience. So it may sound some complex system but it’s actually a very simple concept – paying to get your business advertised in various places. These are just a select few of the goals that media buying aims to fulfill:

Finding the right media space

Targeting the relevant audience

Increasing the conversion rate

Increasing brand awareness

Creating relevant ads

In the end, media buying aims to fulfill all these goals by spending the minimum amount of money. That is the key here is getting the MOST that you can out of your advertising dollars. Again, nobody wants to be dumping money into a strategy that isn’t giving them optimal results. That’s why many people turn to pay per click ads.You can set up all of your own parameters to ensure your advertising campaign goes off just how you want it to.

Media Buying Stages

Depending on who you ask and where you look, you may hear different things about the exact steps you need to follow when doing media buying. We have, through our own experience, found it best to divide it all into three steps. The three stages of media buying you will need to go through are as follows:

Pre-Launching

In this stage, you need to weigh the pros and cons of all the different platforms and then make the appropriate choice for YOUR business. Do keep in mind that just because a certain process works for one company, doesn’t mean it is 100% going to work for you. You need to ensure that the media you choose aligns with your business goals. Here is what you need to do at this stage:

Identify your target audience

Decide how to reach your target audience

Research your competition

Design a media buying strategy

Choose the relevant media platforms and negotiate the price

Allocate a budget to your campaign and plan it

Once all of this is done, you will be ready to launch your campaign. It’s critical that you always put yourself in the shoes of the your consumers when thinking about marketing.

Campaign Launch

During this stage, by far the most important things that you can do are to ensure effective delivery and monitor the campaign’s performance throughout. It is essential to understand what works and what doesn’t based on the insights you gather after monitoring. It will help you make better decisions. Keep an eye on those keywords and compare the results they have, all of the little things really matter here! Also make any note of change in your sales whether that be different demographics making up more sales, anything else.

Post-Campaign Review

Reviewing your performance is the most important thing to do. It helps you think about the pros and cons of the campaign you just launched. You can analyze customer engagement, performance, and ROI so you can know how to establish an even better campaign next time. You will get no better information than your own data, it’s such a powerful tool that all too any businesses aren’t even using.

Collect data, review statistics, and conjure up detailed reports to understand the campaign you launched. Don’t be afraid to use this data, and any of your past successes or failures are just great data points you need to use. Look back on your failures, figure out WHY they failed not just the fact that they did fail.

Edge Digital

On a budget and need help with your marketing strategy? Edge Digital can help. We’ve got years of expertise doing digital marketing, we feel confident that we can help anyone grow their business online. Call [phone] for more information today. 

The post What is Media Buying? Here’s all you Need to Know appeared first on Edge Digital.

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Cutting Down on Your Paid Traffic Can Hurt Your Business a lot More than it Helps

With the COVID-19 pandemic crippling economies across the globe, companies are looking wherever they can to reduce overhead costs and stay afloat. As a result, some businesses might consider cutting their advertising costs by reducing or eliminating their paid marketing efforts. This is a good way to save money in the short-term, but more often than not it’s very detrimental to your long-term finances! Even if you’re spending very little, it’s generally going to be well worth long-term just to keep that paid traffic active.

Marketing Tips During COVID

Set up an Ad schedule. Adjusting ad schedules so that they coincide with peak usage times is one excellent way to maximize costs. Ideally, businesses are already doing this, but a little bit of optimization could be all it takes to

Maximize Search Results. Maximizing keywords and Search Engine Optimization is also essential. Again, this should already be a priority, but it’s worth noting that algorithms can be fickle. Keep a close eye on your data and don’t be afraid to keep things optimized.

Look at Your Data. It’s also worthwhile for companies to analyze those keywords used by the company and how effective they are. This information can help narrow marketing strategies and ensure better performance materials, meaning less advertising material produced and better effect from the marketing content released. Even if you did all the research once upon a time, it’s worth staying on top of this stuff to ensure you’re always targeting the most efficient and cost-effective keywords.

Target Devices. Depending on how involved a company’s marketing strategy is, they might adjust their advertising performance on a device-by-device basis. For example, suppose ads are doing well on phones but not computers. In that case, companies can reduce ad flow on computer-based marketing and maintain phone ads to keep potential customers, and thus business, flowing. If your business’s traffic is nearly all mobile, then obviously it’s well worth you

Don’t be Stuck in One Marketing Strategy

Marketing strategies change constantly, depending on the company’s abilities, budget, and scope. Nobody wants to spend money on something that isn’t giving them anything back, right? This is true for smaller businesses more than ever, every penny matters! Larger corporations generally have advanced software analyzing all of this for them, that just goes to show the importance of it. The market is constantly changing so why shouldn’t you be doing the same in an effort to keep up with it?

Test Strategies, Get Professional Help

There are so many different marketing strategies out there that it can be hard to even keep up with them all let alone really take the time to test them all out. You never want to limit yourself to one marketing avenue, you want to be diversified enough that losing one avenue won’t totally ruin your business. Less effective methods can be trimmed down to save costs while efforts are focused on marketing that produces results. Knowing when to trim expenses without eliminating them during a crisis can make the difference for a company weathering such financial storms. You don’t want to trim yourself so thin that you don’t get any business at all!

Edge Digital

On a budget and need help with your marketing strategy? Edge Digital can help. We’ve got years of expertise doing digital marketing, we feel confident that we can help anyone grow their business online. Call [phone] for more information today. 

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Digital Marketing: 10 Ways to Promote Your Business

Digital marketing is crucial for a business’s growth and survival. One can still use flyers, brochures, and other forms of physical marketing. However, digital marketing is much more powerful and cost-effective in the long term.

By using digital platforms, your business can reach a much wider audience at a rapid pace. We’ll talk about the best ways to promote your business digitally here.

Top Ten Ways to Promote Your Business

Create a Website. Businesses need to create a website. Social media pages are useful to have, but they don’t have the same flexibility as a website. Websites can be customized and tailored to the exact specifications of a business. This customization is crucial for marketing and promoting your brand.

Use SEO. Businesses need to use SEO throughout their website and social media pages to find new customers. SEO, also known as search engine optimization, makes your business more visible during a google search. If you use SEO right, you could end up on the first page of a google search.

Make a Blog. Business blogs help connect customers to your brand and give them the information they desire. Blog articles are also the best place to implement SEO. Try adding a blog to your website.

Run Google Ads. If you want to get noticed by potential customers on Google faster, purchase google ads. Ads will bring your business to the top of a list during a google search.

Get Customers to Post Reviews Online. When deciding whether or not to purchase a product or service, many people look for reviews online. Businesses need to have good online reviews to expose themselves further online. Ask customers to leave reviews. This way, you can expand your digital reach.

Use Facebook. Facebook is one of the biggest online platforms. It has plenty of ways for you to promote your business. You can directly reach your customer base through this website. Create a Facebook page and take the time to market correctly on this site.

Create YouTube Content. YouTube is extremely popular with online users. You can upload content to this site and reach customers here. Best of all, there is no cost to advertise on this site.

Collaborate With Influencers. Nowadays, many businesses collaborate with social media influencers. When you have an influencer promote your product or service, they share your business with their broad audience. This exposure can boost your sales.

Purchase Social Media Advertisement. Social media is more relevant than ever before. Billions of people have an online presence. And, with social media advertisements, you can reach these individuals.

Market Through Email. Lastly, try marketing through email. Email marketing campaigns can be quite effective. You can schedule the emails’ delivery to coincide with promotions. You can get creative with how you share information about your business.

Contact Edge Digital

Need help implementing digital marketing into your business? Edge Digital can help. Our team can put together the right package that will have your business flourishing in no time. Call 919-726-4366.

The post Digital Marketing: 10 Ways to Promote Your Business first appeared on Edge Digital.

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Geofencing: What Is It & How Is It Used?

Are you looking to connect with target audiences better than ever before and thrive in the increasingly competitive business landscape? If so, consider Geofencing—a marketing strategy that allows businesses to reach their audiences with highly targeted ads to increase conversions.

What Exactly Is Geofencing?

In a nutshell, it’s a location-based marketing strategy that connects with smartphone users in a specific geographical area. It’s an ideal example of using digital marketing strategies to drive business to brick-and-mortar stores.

The term ‘Geofencing’ refers to the virtual boundary constructed around the business’s operation area. For this, it relies on technologies such as RFID (radio frequency identification), GPS (global positioning system), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

How Does It Work?

After a business creates a geofence in its operation area, users are added to the advertising audience depending on their movement – i.e., as they enter or leave the specified geographic area. Geotargeting automatically sends location-based marketing data such as social media advertisements, alerts, text messages, and mobile push notifications, to name a few. The advertisements can be promotions, discounts, offers, invitations, or informative marketing content to create brand awareness.

The geofence can be created virtually anywhere—including your competitor’s location to lure away their customers with better offers. Other sites targeted with the geofencing marketing strategy include households (through addressable geofencing), nearby streets, trade shows and events, and institutions.

What Are The Benefits?

Geofencing is an attractive marketing strategy. Its effectiveness is rooted in the proliferation of smartphones as seminal devices in people’s day-to-day lives. According to industry statistics, over 3.5 billion smartphone users worldwide spend nearly 4 hours every day staring at the screens. With this in mind, here are three ways geofencing can improve your business outcomes:

Improve User Engagement: With geofencing, a business can send shareable content and promote location-based stories to drive traffic. A good example is creating a conversation around an ongoing/upcoming event in the area to boost attendance.

Enhance Customer Loyalty: According to an article appearing in the Harvard Business Review, increasing customer retention by as little as 5% could bring rewards in the tune of a 95% increase in revenue. This statistic shows the importance of facilitating customer loyalty. Geofencing marketing allows businesses to send relevant and targeted promotions that keep customers returning to your establishment every time they’re in the vicinity.

Allows Optimization Through Analytics: Geofencing will enable businesses to measure different metrics such as sales, time spent in a store, frequency of visits, etc. This valuable information can be used to fine-tune marketing strategies and provide personalized ads for customers.

For more on leveraging the power of geofencing as an effective marketing strategy, reach out to Edge Digital by calling [phone]. It’s our mission to accelerate your business growth with the help of digital power.

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Does My Website Have To Be ADA Compliant?

The short answer is a website does not necessarily have to be ADA compliant (legally)—but it’s a best practice.

ADA Compliance

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a U.S. law passed in 1990 to protect people with disabilities from discrimination in different sectors. It was later revised by the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2010 as the ADA Standards for Accessible Design—which is interpreted to include websites and other forms of electronic/information technology.

But what does ADA compliance look like concerning website accessibility—and is it necessary?

ADA Compliance for Websites is a Gray Area

Strictly speaking, none of the five titles in the ADA Act explicitly mention websites. Section 508 is the only federal law that targets websites—and it only applies to federal agency websites. With this in mind, ADA compliance for websites is a choice—but challenging to make.

Recent figures show an uptick in the number of ADA website accessibility lawsuits—increasing by up to 177% since 2017 as per the New York Law Journal. So as much as the law does not demand ADA compliance, it’s the best practice and a way to avoid incurring the hefty costs associated with these lawsuits.

Businesses Required to Comply

Who is required to comply with ADA? Title I of the federal law claims that any business that operates for at least 20 weeks annually and has more than 15 employees working full-time is under ADA’s mandate.

Title III of the Act goes on to include public transportation, banking institutions, hotels, and any other business—digital or physical—that is a “public accommodation.” This law has been interpreted by courts in the U.S. to apply to websites.

Understanding WCAG

For business websites to be ADA compliant, they have to be accessible to users with disabilities. The idea is to ensure people with disabilities enjoy the same full level of access as other users. However, there are no clear-cut rules or a codified federal direction on making a website accessible or ADA compliant. Instead, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level A.A. acts as the standard of measure—and is often referenced by the DOJ, U.S. courts, and online users.

Although WCAG is not the law, it provides a useful technical reference point to help prevent discrimination of persons with disabilities and reduce the risk of website owners’ lawsuits.

Contact Edge Digital

For more information on ADA compliance and website accessibility, contact Edge Digital at [phone].

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How Can I Increase My Web Traffic?

Whether a small startup or a major corporation, companies need an internet presence to stay competitive in the modern commercial market. Generating and directing internet traffic to a company website or social media account can differentiate between a successful business and a failed one. It can be tricky, though, to generate that traffic. The internet is a prominent place, after all. Fortunately, ensuring steady and reliable traffic isn’t nearly as difficult as some people think.  Here are some website tips to get you started.

Increasing Internet Traffic

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

One of the easiest ways to increase traffic is through the use of Search Engine Optimization. SEO utilizes highly searched keywords and phrases to increase the likelihood of a given article or web page appearing early in an online search. Ensuring quality SEO content is as easy as having a reliable writer or advertiser, and programs and research can help find the right words for organic SEO content.

Of course, for SEO to work, the keywords need to be highly searched for, but not so frequently that content gets lost in a pile, as it were. Utilizing well used but easy to search through keywords can be tricky, but the tools for such work are available for those in need of them.

Guest Posts

To further assist with keyword SEO, guest posting is a great way to increase potential traffic, and it’s also an excellent way to build bridges and connections with other companies. Providing quality content for related blogs or company pages not only helps increase visibility, but it can also be helpful for companies looking to expand their networks.

Visibility

As part of increasing visibility, posting on social media and similar sites is easy and can boost traffic. Facebook is considered the old standby, but there are plenty of other sites. Reddit is an excellent example of a highly frequented site where posting content is straightforward. Internet visibility is about getting the word out and making sure content is seen and remembered.

Podcasts

Utilizing podcasts is becoming increasingly useful for companies and people to generate more traffic and expand audiences. It’s unnecessary to start a podcast, either, and there are plenty of them out there. Appearing as a guest on a podcast related to the company or business can help increase awareness and is another way to build connections.

Generating internet traffic is vital in the modern world for pretty much any business. Fortunately, with the right know-how and tools, getting that traffic, and thus more business, can be pretty easy.

Contact Edge Digital

Need advice or help increasing internet traffic? Edge Digital is here. For website tips call 919-339-7300.

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What Do You Need To Know Before Hiring A Web Developer?

When we meet with a business that is looking for a new website, we start asking questions such as functionality and design ideas.

Here are a few things you need to do before meeting with a web developer that will help the proposal process and avoid overage charges. Being prepared up front can save a lot of time and give you exactly what you are looking for.

Know Your Website Goals and Priorities

Create a starting point. Figure out why you want a website in the first place. Will your site sell products and/or services, or will it exist to simply provide information?

Branding

If you don’t have any brand colors or a logo, create a vision board. It should include things like colors you want to be incorporated into your brand, preferred font choices, slogans or phrases, and graphics you intend to use when marketing your business.

Will you need help with designing a logo? Do you have your logo in at least a PNG format? It is the one with the see-through background.

Make a Design Wish List

Are you building the website from scratch or do you have a site already that needs updating?

Both are entirely two different conversations: one focused on creating and executing a vision while the other focuses on improving an existing one. If you don’t have a site already, make a list that includes the number of pages, headers, buttons, menus, or any other visual element you plan on including on your website.

Budget

Building a website is much like building a house: it always costs more than you anticipate. Don’t let this scare you; just be prepared!

We try to offer at least 2 to 3 options but you will definitely need to have a budget in mind.

Give Each Page a Purpose

How many pages do you want your website to have? What is the goal of each page? How much copy will be on each page?

A great approach is to find websites in your industry you admire and try to emulate (not copy) their structure to create something similar.

You might be surprised to hear this, but you should have the words for each page ready to go before your designer begins work on your website. These aren’t just ideas; you need the final polished copy for your site. If you have no clue what to say or feel uncomfortable or unable to write it yourself, we have a staff writer who can help.

The Kick Off Meeting

When we meet with you to get started, you will need to share these with us. We use Dropbox and can share a folder with you or you can share your folder with us.

Upload the pages and we will create a sitemap from your list. We will need the website page copy or our writer will work with you on the copy.

Images, graphics, logos, photos. All of your assets for the site will need to go into the shared Dropbox folder.

If your business needs help with a new website or a redesign, contact Edge Digital for a quote.  Call 888-404-5850.

The post What Do You Need To Know Before Hiring A Web Developer? first appeared on Edge Digital.

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ADA Website Compliance Checklist

The Department of Justice (DOJ) requires some businesses to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Websites should be accessible to users with hearing loss, visual impairment, and those who need assistive devices to navigate.  Failure to comply with ADA leaves your business at risk of losing potential customers, damaging brand reputation, and attracting costly lawsuits. For this reason, ADA compliance is a necessity for designated businesses.

Which businesses need ADA Compliance?

Title I of ADA requires businesses with more than 15 full-time employees that work for at least 20 hours a week to comply. Similarly, Title III mandates public transportation, banks, hotels, and other “public accommodations” to comply. This mandate applies to both digital and physical considerations. However, ADA does not set clear rules for website compliance. Businesses rely on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG is a reference point for businesses looking to improve their website’s accessibility—and consequently avoid lawsuits and other risks. Conformance to WCAG is organized into three levels:

Level AAA: The most complex and highest level attainable.

Level AA: Addresses common or significant barriers to web accessibility.

Level A: The bare minimum—featuring basic features.

What are some common ways businesses can address ADA Compliance issues?

Please note that ADA compliance and website accessibility are a bit subjective. Here are a few checklist items:

The content should be robust and compatible with assistive technologies and other user agents.

Audios, videos, and images should have Alt tags that describe the object and its purpose on the website. Making content perceivable is especially useful for users who need to hear or read alternative descriptions to understand the media.

Content should be understandable – i.e., predictable and readable.

The site should be operable by providing keyboard accessibilities.

Ensure an organized and consistent layout. Buttons, links, and menus should be easy to navigate and delineated.

The language used in the website should be identifiable in the header code for visitors who use text readers.

The site should automatically offer suggestions or recommendations for better navigation—especially for users who come across input errors.

Audio and video content should have transcriptions to help users with hearing impairments.

Generally, websites should facilitate reasonable accessibility.

Contact Edge Digital

To find out more about how you can deal with the complexities of ADA compliance or how to improve your website’s accessibility, consult Edge Digital for a FREE accessibility assessment. Call 919-726-4366 for an appointment.

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SEO: One Underutilized Google Tool For Local Business

Sandra is my esthetician who keeps my skin looking young. She had to close her business during the COVID Pandemic for two months. In July, she sent out an email asking her client base who plans on returning to gauge interest and decide whether to open again or close completely. I immediately booked an appointment to see her.

During my appointment, Sandra told me about 25% of your clients had returned. She’s still on the fence about closing down. As a solopreneur, Sandra’s business is HER; her ability to provide a service is how she makes her living. When I first started in marketing, that was me too.

Sandra’s business is a want, not a need. Between the COVID pandemic, job losses, and fear of the economy, businesses that rely on disposable income will struggle throughout 2020 and 2021.

The #ShopLocal movement was meant to help local businesses during the holiday shopping season. It seems relevant today with all the UPS, FedEx, and USPS trucks rolling around our neighborhoods. Competing on Amazon’s level for small product sales is impossible. Small businesses like Sandra face the challenge of getting the word out about products they sell and encouraging people to come back into ultra-clean spas.

To get the word out about your business, Google has several features that you can take advantage of for free.

Google is a powerful search engine that turned its name into a verb, “I’ll google that.” Just having a website is not enough to get found in search results. I’m not going to get into how your website can get noticed, but here’s one hint – Google Reviews.

For business owners who have a small marketing budget, Google Ads can work well to get people in the door, but there first has to be “googling” something. The cost per click is based on competition, so if you have a lot of competitors, this can be a significant expense.

What if your marketing budget is minimal, like Sandra? If your local business has people “googling” for your products or services and have a physical location, you can utilize Google My Business (GMB). It is your Google map listing where people can leave a review.

Did you know you can post on your GMB listing just like a Facebook post? Go to business.google.com and sign in. Create a post for an offer, an update, or an event with an image, link, and some text – same as you would for a Facebook post. It will appear for seven days on your profile and displays under the title “From the owner.” Learn more here.

If your business needs help getting found online, we’ve got solutions.  Contact Edge Digital for developing your business’ SEO.

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What Does ADA Compliant Mean for Websites?

The American with Disabilities Act ensures that everyday life is more accessible for those with disabilities, including the internet. The ADA states that businesses with fifteen or more full-time employees that are operating for at least twenty hours a week, and companies that serve public accommodation must have ADA compliant websites. Failure to do so not only reduces the site’s accessibility to potential customers, but it can also make the company liable to lawsuits.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Unfortunately, the actual guidelines for what a website must contain to achieve such compliance are somewhat vague. Fortunately, when it comes to following ADA compliance, there is a helpful guide, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). When followed with spirit and energy, these guidelines allow for accessibility and ADA compliance.

Access for All

The WCAG states that a website should be easily perceivable to all visitors meaning users with vision issues can enlarge the text or utilize voice programs. Transcripts for audio content are also advised. The site should also be easy to navigate. This point makes sense for any website, not just one striving for ADA compliance. Easy keyboard accessibility for non-standard keyboards is an excellent example of following this guideline.

The content should also be understandable. Providing input assistance and FAQ’s are a great way to ensure the site’s content makes sense for anyone who peruses the site. The website should handle all the various interactive equipment some people may need to interact with the site. Alternate keyboard accessibility and usability is a large part of this, and ensuring a website can function properly and smoothly with such equipment is essential.

Time and Expertise

The effort required by an IT department for ADA compliance can be daunting and taxing on the servers but is an essential aspect of a business. Ensuring videos and other visual media contain transcripts and alt tags, along with other efforts to ensure accessibility, might take time. However, that is time well spent to provide a site that meets ADA compliance and thus has increased accessibility to a broader audience. Some guidelines, like an easy to follow layout for a website, are just good ideas regardless of the content or the need for compliance. The site needs to be accessible and usable to as many people as possible, using as many different devices as possible to view the content.

Contact Edge Digital

If your business website needs help with ADA compliance, contact Edge Digital at 919-726-4366.

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Website Accessibility Statement

A website accessibility statement is the first step towards ADA compliance. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits discrimination of users based on disability—and non-compliance puts you at risk of lawsuits, legal fees, and other headaches. The statement also demonstrates an organization’s commitment to social responsibility.

What exactly is a website accessibility statement—and what should it include? Generally, it can be defined as a declaration of a website’s commitment to accessibility. It shows users that a site cares about their needs—while providing information on what makes the content more accessible. A website accessibility statement should include the following:

A clear commitment to accessibility for users with disabilities: This is simply a declaration of intent. It’s an introductory paragraph that affirms a website’s commitment to ADA compliance.

The accessibility standards and fundamental guidelines applied: To which accessibility standards does the website conform? These standards often include W3C technologies and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). It may also highlight compliance with the EU Web Accessibility Directive or ADA—where applicable.

Technical fundamentals: Such as the web browsers supported

Exceptions or limitations to the desired level of website accessibility: It’s vital to acknowledge instances where the website may fail to adhere to its accessibility targets—including the intended roadmap to solve the issue. However, this should not be seen as a way of skimping on providing accessibility to the inaccessible areas.

Contact information to report/address any problems: What if there is an area in a website that’s inaccessible to the specific needs of someone with a disability? Providing contact information allows users to report any problems or suggest ways to improve accessibility.

Please note that the statement must not make false claims—otherwise, it may harm the website’s reputation while risking a breach of ADA compliance.

Where is the website accessibility statement placed? The statement should be placed or linked in logical places—focusing on making it easy to find. Consider linking the statement from several points—including the about page, sitemap, help menu, and footer. It’s also essential to consistently use the same link names across all your content. And contrary to common practice, a website accessibility statement should be separate from the “help page.”

It’s clear that website accessibility is crucial for ADA compliance and general social responsibility—but it’s not always straightforward. It’s a blend of legal jargon and IT technicalities. If you want an accessibility statement for your website or want to make your website more accessible—but you’re not sure how to go about it, contact Edge Digital. We are well-equipped with technical know-how to make your site available and ADA compliant. Call 919-726-4366 for more information.

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