Every second it takes for your pages to load, you risk losing both new and existing users.
Several factors come into play when businesses build
their websites and blogs, but most important among them is ensuring that your
website provides the best experience possible for the user, especially on mobile
devices.
Visuals – color schemes, font size, text
placement and overall layout – are important, but they’re also subjective. Page load speed, on the
contrary, is highly objective, not to mention measurable.
Numerous case studies, including one conducted by
Pinterest, which increased its search engine traffic and sign-ups by 15 percent
when the social
media web and mobile application company reduced wait times by 40 percent, have
concluded that speed performance plays a huge roll in the success of retaining
users.
At best, slow
performance causes annoying delays, but if your mobile website or blog is
unresponsive or takes too long to load, users may give up and point their
browser elsewhere.
As a business, you want
users to read your website content and blog posts, but for every second it
takes for your pages to load, you risk losing both new and existing users.
DoubleClick by Google
found 53 percent of mobile site visits were cast aside if a page took longer
than three seconds to load. In
that same study, sites that loaded within 5 seconds had 70 percent longer sessions,
35 percent lower bounce rates and 25 percent higher ad viewability than sites
taking nearly four times longer to load.
Just how important is it
to ensure your users experience a fast and easy mobile experience?
According to a study
released by The State of Online Retail Performance, “a one-second delay in mobile load times
can impact conversion rate by up to 20 percent.”
It was that statistic that
propelled Think with Google, a one-stop online shop for consumer, industry and
marketing trends and insight, to create Test My Site, a tool
that enables businesses to optimize their blogs and websites on mobile devices.
Specifically, the tool allows businesses to see:
The speed of both their entire site
and of individual pages
Whether their site/page speed is
faster or slower compared to the prior month
Whether their site speed/page speed
ranks fast, average or slow
How their site speed compares to
others in the industry
The potential impact of site speed on
revenue
A detailed list of recommended fixes
to increase speed on up to five pages on their site
A complete report to share with
colleagues
With
Google’s updated Test My Site, businesses now have a single destination to
measure, benchmark and take action on mobile site speed—the first step toward a
better mobile experience for your clients.
According to realtor.com, the real estate slump that
took hold last summer may be showing
signs of reversal, especially as we look toward fall. If that prediction comes
to fruition, sellers will profit the most.
Hey,
Alexa! Hi, Siri! Hey, Google! “Can you tell me what the temperature isgoing
to be today?”
There’s
no question that voice search, which allows users to speak directly into a
device in lieu of typing text into a search field to generate results, is
gaining momentum.
And
with the increasing popularity of voice search (also known as digital
assistants), businesses would be wise to add it to their digital arsenal.
Voice search
improves the user experience of search engines—it’s faster and easier—and
provides more accurate results. Bottom line: if your website content is
effectively optimized, especially for mobile users, your business could be the
first one that Google recommends.
That’s a
big deal when you’re considering the ways that voice search affects SEO.
“Voice search trends are already making it
clear that effective, customized SEO plays a vital role in getting your content
featured. Optimizing your site and content for voice search is step one in the
transformation to voice marketing. Consider all things audio and how they
translate when broadcast on an audio
channel,” writes Merilyn Pereira, a staff writer for martechadvisor.com.
Even more
persuasive: Google claims that by 2020, 50 percent of all searches will be
conducted using voice search. And even if you’re not a tech titan, it’s not
difficult to optimize your website content with voice search technology.
There are,
however, a few tips that make the optimization process easier, including
creating content that keeps the conversation flowing, researching keywords that
often appear in mobile searches and foregoing superfluous lingo and buzzwords.
“The expression “keep it simple” applies now more than ever
before. From talk to text, voice prompt calling and more, we’re doing less
typing and more talking.
Companies can optimize both content and
connection by keeping things simple. Skip the jargon. Use clear, succinct
verbiage to improve your efficacy and amplify your message,” suggests the Forbes
Communications Council, which outlines 14 other top
tips to optimize your content for voice search.
No matter the size, mission, strength or success of your
business, brand-building
strategies are necessary components to building trust, establishing
relationships and strengthening awareness.
But like everything else, branding practices are constantly
evolving, and it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and understand what
your future branding strategies should entail.
To help, here are three best-practice branding trends that need to be on your radar:
Be
human: Technology is wonderful for increasing brand recognition,
and you should embrace it. But don’t forego human interaction.
At a time when
trust is precariously fragile, it’s vital for businesses to establish human
bonds. Strive to engage with your clients beyond social media platforms and
your website.
Be trustworthy
problem-solvers, aim for empathy, be an expert in your field, share knowledge
and insights and recognize that emotional, face-to-face communication tips the
trust scale in your favor.
Be authentic and transparent: When your business opens its curtain and
provides public visibility, it shows that you’re authentic and transparent.
And clients and customers
rank transparency above just about everything else. In fact, a Sprout Social
Report released in 2018 showed that 86 percentof Americans believe
transparency from businesses is more important than ever before.
Additionally, 73 percentof consumers are
willing to pay more for products that guarantee total transparency. The numbers
don’t lie.
Businesses need to account for the public’s increasing
demands for transparency and develop practices and processes that convey honesty
and truth.
Soul
is the key to content: A
compelling narrative that connects with your target audience is key to telling
your story, and a story without soul falls down the rabbit hole.
When creating branding content,
it’s all too easy to focus solely on promoting a product or service, but
falling into that formula potentially robs businesses of cultivating
relationships and providing meaningful value.
When you tell the story of your brand, aim to be
enthusiastic, inspiring and passionate—and don’t be afraid to show some
emotion. It’s good for the soul, and it speaks to your human side.
While global trade disputes
continue to shake up the financial markets, mortgage rates are holding steady.
According to the latest
data released by Freddie Mac, the 30-year
fixed-rate average dipped to 4.07 percent with an average 0.5 point.
The 15-year fixed-rate average slid to 3.53
percent with an average 0.4 point. Meanwhile, the five-year adjustable rate
average inched to 3.66 percent with an average 0.4 point.
Do your coworkers frequently need to help you with polishing emails, letters and other critical business communications? Do you cringe when you think about writing any business communications pieces?
Writing is a crucial communications skill and so important to any businessperson. Here we offer three articles with tips for writing inspiration. Ready, set, write!
Increasing the supply of housing stock is the key to making housing affordable to a larger population of homebuyers, according to the lenders who responded to Fannie Mae’s Mortgage Lender Sentiment Survey for the fourth quarter of 2018.
To say we live in a “communication environment” is an understatement!
We have so many communications options that it’s often challenging for businesses to know the most effective and efficient tools to use to reach their target audiences.
Investing in public relations and content marketing is an essential aspect of brand success. Here we offer three articles to get you thinking about ways to energize PR for your business.
Less than half of homebuyers and sellers between the ages of 35 and 44 believe real estate is a better long-term investment than the stock market, according to a survey from Redfin and detailed in the article from The Title Report:
