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Digital marketing is very important to help companies, whether you are a start up or an establish brand, stand out from your competitors.

In this article, our a boutique travel and lifestyle public relations agency has teamed up with Webster Solutions, a partner agency, provide invaluable insights about what to look for in a digital marketing agency.

Look for Creative Talent 
To have a successful digital marketing campaign, it is important to hire creative talent.  

Creative people usually have unique skills to help your brand stand out from your competitors.  Your digital marketing agency should be able to identify your unique value proposition to help you break through the clutter.

Remember, being unique is the source of conceiving something new and useful in this world, most of the time. Being unique may just lead you to do something positively influential.

The Power to Persuade People 
Digital marketing is similar to offline sales. The only difference between the two is that digital marketing involves online advertisements and selling. So, as an aspiring digital marketer, it’s best that you empower yourself with the ability to persuade people.

The good thing about selecting a digital marketer, the agency is doing the persuading online, and not in person. It’s easier to persuade people if you don’t do it in person.

A really good campaign will convince potential customers to make purchases.

Have an Accurate Interpretation of Web Design
Although web design is not directly part of digital marketing, these two areas of expertise are somehow related. Websites need good designs. Without having appealing designs, there’s no way websites can go live online, and, in turn, be used for digital marketing purposes. 

In digital marketing, websites are the center of the universe for all marketing campaigns --it is the first point of contact customers will have with your brand.
It is important for your digital marketing to stay abreast of the latest technology and include AI and VR experiences into the website to enhance the visitor experience to your website.
 
Skills and Knowledge in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
Most digital marketing activities take place in Google. A professional background in SEO, thus, is prerequisite into mastering how things work in Google search. Having knowledge and skills in SEM enhances digital marketer skills.

The difference between SEO and SEM is that the latter comprises of paid ads, while the former doesn’t. Extensive study of keywords utilized in searches is the foundation of SEO. 

Content Marketing
Content marketing is closely associated with digital marketing. Sometimes, these two things can be separated individually. However, those instances are rare.

Content marketing is done by writing and publishing content. It is important to post blogs on your website at least two, sometimes three times a week to increase your company’s visibility in online searches.

Take your content marketing a step further and post your blogs, video and stunning pictures on your social media platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and Google My Business to enhance your company’s visibility in online searches.

Video Marketing
Video marketing is a very important element of digital marketing.  It helps to increase your brand visibility in online searches and provide invaluable back links to help drive traffic your website.

According to an article published in Digital Marketing Institute, eight out of 10 people bought items after watching a marketing video online.

Data/Analytics Analysis Skills 
One thing is for sure: Numbers don’t lie! You’re likely aware that the statistical figures acquired from analyses of performances of search, social media, and Google analytics results comprise of the information you can truly trust as credible.

Two of the popular tools in accessing and monitoring digital marketing data are Moz and Ahrefs. 

Get the info you are looking for…Contact us now

By Vishal Dudhal, partner, Webster Solutions and consultant for Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.
 

When building the perfect WordPress website, there are many choices to make, from layering to tweaking. While the process is different, finding a suitable WordPress theme is general.

​Your theme is your website from a visitor’s perspective – what they see, interact with, and remember. The look of your website and links affects how people see your presence on the web and your brand as a whole. Simply put, your theme should be submitted.

Anyone can create a WordPress theme, and after research, it probably seems that everyone did it. Thousands of themes are spread across many markets, from authors to individuals and various organizations.

Our a boutique travel and lifestyle public relations agency has teamed up with Webster Solutions, a partner agency, offer insights about the five essential factors to consider when choosing a theme. If the theme follows these guidelines, it will be a worthy competitor for you.

1. Strive for Simplicity
Simplicity is the best rule. Many WordPress themes include various colors, intricate layouts, eye-catching animations, and more. Sometimes you may need these, but most of the time, you don’t.

Simplicity is a remarkable sophistication. Find a structured theme that will help you achieve your goal. It should look good but without compromising on usability or ease of use.

Make sure the theme presentation is not too difficult. Web design is designed to help users find the information they want and at the same time help website owners achieve their goals.

If a theme seems exciting but doesn’t help attract existing customers or subscribers. It’s also not a great theme for getting to your site.

2. Pick a Lightweight Theme
Your theme forms an integral part of the foundation of your website and therefore has a massive impact on your website’s performance and page load time.

I once did a test where I “normally” switched from a WordPress theme to a performance-optimized one, and my page performance dropped 42%. 
The site’s loading speed is critical in everything from the user to SEO and conversion rate, so it cannot be ignored.

So how do you know if a theme is lightweight? Well, first, let’s address some of the purest themes here. However, you can also test your exams with the test tool.
If you are looking for a free theme, install it on a trial website. Then run it through GTmetrix and see how it works.

You can do the same with a general theme example for a premium theme. This is not an excellent way for the theme creator to download some of their checklist that is not part of your website but should give you a good idea of using it. It’s your theme.

3. Compatibility with Essential Plugins
One of the great benefits of using WordPress is the number of great plugins that allow you to add all features to your site. From SEO to speed, security, and more – your website has the layout of many things you need.

There are several must-have plugins that you need to install on any website. These include Yoast SEO, W3 Total Cache (or any other installation solution), Wordfence Security, and BackWPup.

You want to ensure that your theme is appropriate for all your primary purposes. In most cases, popular themes should match all required plugins, but ask the theme developers if you’re not sure.

4. Choose a Responsive Theme
Responsive design means your website is straightforward to use – not only on one computer but also on many devices. This means it fits your mobile phone and has menus and other widgets that are easy to navigate.
Look for features like locations and custom images that can be translated to non-computer devices. An example would be a sensitive theme quickly and seamlessly translated into a mobile phone.

5. Cross-Browser Compatibility
Your users might use a lot of browsers. Your theme may look good in the browser you’re using, but there may be something wrong with other browsers.

That’s why cross-browser compatibility has much importance. Most WordPress developers search for their themes using social media search tools.

They can make that clear on their website. But if they don’t, you can always do some basic testing in different browsers (like Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and more) to confirm the theme. Don’t forget to search for different browsers on your mobile phone.

Takeaway
If you choose a WordPress theme, you may be tempted to find a theme that does whatever you want. For example, if you’re going to create a website of events, you can look for a theme that includes an organized calendar.

Even if you are so tempted, I will not tell you not to do that. There should be a clear distinction between themes and plugins in WordPress. You choose a theme for this theme and use plugins to add features. The theme doesn’t have to control your entire design or stop your activities.

The main reason is mobility. When you choose a theme that embodies both design and performance, you’re sticking to that theme for most of your life. On the other hand, if you separate, you can still change themes as needed.

However, this does not mean that you will not find a ready-made solution. Instead of looking for a theme that brings everything together, look for a theme designed to integrate with a plugin that provides the features you want.

For example, if you want a theme that has a drag and drop function, you may not want to choose a theme with a snug fit because it blocks you. However, you can select a theme to cover. You are using another embedded component (such as Elementor). For example, the Elementor team officially recommends the Goal theme as a great way to connect with Elementor.

If you want to open a retail store, you can use a theme like Airi, designed for e-commerce features to integrate with the WooCommerce plugins such as WooCommerce variable pricing.

Or, if you’re looking to find an online course, you might want the Astra theme, which offers built-in integration for two popular WordPress plugins, LifterLMS and LearnDash.

Many themes come with a combination of recommended plugins, which is a great way to get the best of both worlds. You can still get the extraordinary feature you want, but you can change your theme in the future if needed.

By Vishal Dudhal, partner, Webster Solutions and consultant for Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.

2021 is a glorious year for technological advancements despite still having the pressing issues of the COVID-19 pandemic. Different industries have adopted and made specific changes in how they deal with things.
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Our a boutique travel and lifestyle public relations agency has teamed up with Webster Solutions, a partner agency, share insights about the technological changes that have been transformed into trends, so you can utilize them and get an edge over the competition.

Bots are the Future of Customer Service
Virtual chatbots are taking over websites in 2021. While live agent customer support is still a thing, we can expect to see more bots in the future, perhaps sharing the job with their human counterparts. The best thing about customer support bots is that they can learn to communicate better with visitors of the website without any effort.

It’s also less hassle for the website visitors as they will usually only choose among two to three options, which helps narrow down their concerns a lot faster.

Cross-Platform Applications Will Take Over
Mobile applications are evolving with every year that passes. One remarkable change that we might be seeing more in 2021 is the domination of mobile apps on other platforms. This is all thanks to the flexibility of their coding and framework that can be easily operated on different platforms simultaneously. This gives developers various advantages, mainly in the sense of updating the application without doing extra work.

Implementation of other advanced technology like augmented reality and virtual reality might also be worth noting here. While mobile phones are still not fully ready for AR and VR commercially, many manufacturers do their best to push their products to do new things.

Artificial Intelligence and Data Processing
AI has been a scorching topic in tech for years. Many people questioned its capabilities; most doubted if it would ever improve and catch up to the technology. Through research and the hard work of different people, AI has progressed into something even more than we can think of. As of the moment, AI is being used in many fields of technology.

One of the main focuses of researchers is using AI for data processing to make things faster for businesses and having them able to look at accurate and valuable data.

Like it or not, AI is here with us to stay, and it will only improve even more as the years pass by.
 
Voice Recognition and Command
Another byproduct of the betterment of AI is voice recognition and command. Through proper coding and machine learning, voice functionality can be a powerful asset to your business, especially if you’re taking advantage of multi-platform applications since it is where they will be used most of the time.

Back then, voice recognition was very wonky, as it would only pick up certain words, and sometimes it’s even incorrect. As of the time of writing, however, voice recognition has evolved way past just one word.

AI voice recognition can efficiently function even by giving them sentences to process. A good example is Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s phone Assistant. Both of which have helped millions of people and made their daily lives a lot more hassle-free.

E-learning and Online Courses
E-learning has certainly pushed boundaries within the past five years. Colleges and universities aren’t the only options left to acquire new knowledge. Thanks to the internet, learning is now possible through different mediums such as live
teaching and even video recorded ones.

Online courses are also skyrocketing in demand because of how straightforward it is. Students may choose what pace they’re willing to commit to finishing a single course. Having this control is essential and should always be considered when considering what new technology to add to your arsenal.

Summary
It’s easy to jump into trends and copy what everyone else is doing. These tech trends are brilliant, and there’s no question about that, but the execution is always crucial. Understand what certain techs your business needs and focus on that first before hopping onto another one.

By Vishal Dudhal, partner, Webster Solutions and consultant for Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.

​Web design should never be underestimated. It’s the main reason people stay on your website; either your design is pleasing to the eyes, or it’s easy to navigate. If you’re planning on redesigning your website, you have to reconsider a lot of things. 

Our a boutique travel and lifestyle public relations agency has teamed up with Webster Solutions, a partner agency, to provide helpful tips to redesign your website.

Website Loading Speed
One of the most important factors when building a website is choosing your hosting provider. Not only will it determine the quality of your owner’s experience, but it will also reflect on the users’ side.

The website loading speed can be improved by selecting a more advanced web hosting provider, but this usually comes with an increase in pricing. Whatever the growth is, we’re still recommending this investment as many people highly appreciate fast-loading websites, and they’re likely to come back again.

Keep in Mind About Mobile-Users
When designing a website, you should never forget that people will use different platforms to access yours. Most people nowadays use mobile phones, so dedicating some time to designing a mobile-friendly website is necessary. Identify your website identity and make sure that you implement it on both versions so that users won’t get confused when switching back and forth.

Redesign Your Sitemap
While sitemap functionality seems to have been lost these days, it’s still an essential factor to consider to increase the trust rating of your visitors. Not everyone can memorize websites on a whim, so having the option to view everything available on your website is a huge plus. The sitemap should be free of nuances and made as simple as possible.

Sitemaps should also be SEO friendly to increase visibility on the internet. For this one, you might want to hire an SEO specialist and have them look at your whole website and ask them what type of sitemap you need.

Focus on Your Main Audiences
Considering that the website has been in operation for some time, you’ll have a lot of idea of what your audiences are supposed to be. In this case, it is a lot better that you shift the focus of your website and craft it according to your audience so that they will stay and recommend more people with the same taste or needs.

A powerful strategy that you may use is also taking suggestions from your audience. To do this, you must first give them a platform to submit their thoughts. Having your contact e-mail address is necessary, but you may also craft a form that they can quickly fill out to voice their opinions on your website.

Avoid Using Low-Quality and Unpleasing Images
Images are essential visual factors for your website. Not only do they cover a lot of space on a page, but they’re also relevant for adding more information and helping the audiences visualize what they’ll be dealing with.

Several stock images may pass, and you can use them on your website, but we don’t entirely recommend using them if you want to go professional or if you’re going to stick for a long time. The best thing to do is hire photographers and have them capture images for your website.

Not only is it highly customized, but you can directly communicate with your audiences if text and content aren’t enough.

Conclusion
Always remember that the entire focus of a website redesign is elevating your current platform. You might have some features and functionalities that are already doing wonders, so be careful not to remove them.

Plan everything carefully and, if possible, consult a professional website designer to have everything planned out and make the redesign a lot faster. Our team is here to help with your website design.

By Vishal Dudhal, partner, Webster Solutions and consultant for Allen Marketing Communications, Inc.