Call To Action – what is it?

“Check the offer”, “subscribe”, “buy now”, or even “read” used above – what do these expressions have in common? They can all be classified as calls to action, or call to action. These are the key elements of any advertising or promotional campaign. Currently, they are mainly associated with the content presented on the Internet, but they have also been used for years in traditional advertising. Typically, the CTA is designed to guide the user to wherever you want him to go. In the web, it usually takes the form of a button or other active link that directs to the appropriate tab, landing page or store. It sounds like a small matter, but in your CTA marketing efforts, it can make a huge difference. Therefore, it is an obligatory element of every campaign, website or mailing advertisement.

Why is CTA so important?

You might be wondering how it is possible for a simple thing like a call to action to get results. However, experience shows unequivocally that indicating the user what exactly to do creates a much greater chance for him to take action. A CTA can be seen as a signpost that shows exactly where to go and guides the customer along the shopping path. It is this element that often leads to conversion, which is one of the favorite concepts of marketers, meaning the achievement of a specific goal (most often making a purchase, but also e.g. subscribing to a newsletter or submitting an inquiry).

Even if you think that the website is clearly designed and there is simply no chance of getting lost, don’t give up on the CTA. They should appear at every stage of the customer journey to conversion. It is worth choosing them carefully. For example, after adding a product to the cart, you can encourage the user to place an order or continue shopping. The basket itself should also contain clear signposts regarding the transition to the next stages of implementation. They help you avoid confusion and avoid frustrated potential customers leaving your website before converting. It is also worth using CTA to direct internet users to your website – by placing them, for example, in posts on social media or in meta tags. If you haven’t used them before, you’ll definitely notice the difference when you change your strategy!

Why is it worth using Call To Action? In short – because it pays off. Importantly, applying calls to action doesn’t have to be difficult. It is enough to learn a few simple rules that will help to skillfully create them and place them in the right places so that they bring the expected results.

Where to use CTA?

As mentioned, CTA most often takes the form of a button or link. Use a call to action wherever you want to trigger a specific action. It most often appears on websites and in e-mail campaigns. However, it is also worth using them in posts on social media or in the meta description of the page. Call To Action goals may vary. For example:

– getting acquainted with the offer or the price list,
– product purchase,
– subscribing to the newsletter,
– signing up for a course, webinar, etc.,
– file download,
– submitting an inquiry,
– contact with the company,
– filling in a form or questionnaire, etc.

It is not worth counting on the fact that users – without specific encouragement – will understand the intentions of the website creators and meet their expectations. That is why Call To Action is used, which accurately shows the direction of actions and allows you to make a decision automatically. The call-to-action power is quite a lot!

How do you create call to action that work?

Creating a call to action alone is not difficult. However, it is important to use the CTA wisely! Equally important, remember that not all text will always work the same. Therefore, there is no one-size-fits-all recipe for effective calls to action. The content should always be relevant to the target audience. It is also worth checking their operation, comparing them with other possibilities, in order to choose the best solution. At the outset, however, it is good to know the principles of creating Call To Action, which are primarily effective. What are the rules?

A. Keep your message simple
The best Call To Action are very simple. Some, however, tend to complicate the matter unnecessarily. The wording used as a call for action must be understandable and unambiguous – they should not create any doubts as to what they refer to. Therefore, the button for adding a product to the cart should simply be called “Add to cart”. Then you can encourage the customer to “checkout” or “checkout”. Importantly, in some cases CTA uses 1 person singular, and this can be very beneficial. In the above example, for example, buttons with the words “buy”, and then “pay” or “order” could be used. Extremely simple, and at the same time clear – that is exactly what a CTA should be.

B. Bet on specifics
The enigmatic “move on” or “click” button may not look bad at first glance. For some, it will probably even be intriguing. Usually, however, such CTAs are not effective enough. Increasingly, they also fail to inspire confidence. It is best to inform the user immediately what awaits him after clicking the button. Therefore, you should not be afraid of phrases such as “sign up” or “go to payment”. They are much more understandable and lead to a higher conversion rate.

C. Don’t mention the tasks to be done
Many users are reluctant to move on when receiving a message that suggests a task or strenuous work to be done. An example would be the phrase “fill in the questionnaire” – simple and clear, that’s for sure, but is it encouraging? Who wants to waste their precious time filling out some surveys? However, “take part in the study” sounds much more interesting. It is similar with the sometimes used “provide payment information” – it is associated with some difficult task. Meanwhile, “pay” is not only simpler and shorter, but also does not suggest any need for work. Taking care to simplify the purchasing process as much as possible is very important and allows you to significantly increase the conversion. However, CTAs should also not be forgotten, which can destroy all the effort put into building a simple and friendly website if used inappropriately.

D. Highlight the benefits
This point is somewhat related to the next. Instead of emphasizing the difficulties that may await the internet user in the next step, remind him of the benefits! It is often worth replacing “register” with “try it for free.” In turn, instead of “subscribe to the newsletter” you can again reach for 1 person. l. capacity and use the words “yes, I want to know more about …” or “I want to receive information about promotions”.

What else is worth remembering? A call to action alone won’t do the trick. It should also be enclosed with text that will encourage its implementation. It is worth mentioning the benefits and guarantees. It is also best to create the need to take this step immediately through the applied treatments. Sometimes it may be helpful to emphasize the success so far (eg “join thousands of satisfied customers”).

Not only the content is important – well-exposed Call To Action

Successful Call To Action must combine two aspects – the right content with the right form. Therefore, when you decide what text should be on the button or link, think about how to emphasize it so that it does not remain omitted. In this case, you can also define a certain set of rules, but remember that each situation must be approached individually.

A. Visibility
Your carefully crafted CTA may not be of much use if it is not visible enough. It is unacceptable for the user to scroll the whole page to get to the button. This applies to both websites and mailing campaigns. Ideally, the call to action should be at the top of the message so that it shows up to the user without having to scroll. This is especially important in the case of emails, because it is estimated that 8 out of 10 recipients do not delve into the content of marketing messages, reading them only to the so-called the break line, i.e. the place visible without scrolling the page.

It is worth taking care of visibility by using also color highlight and using a button of the appropriate size. The CTA should be in such a form that the user knows that it is a click. Remember to use the first person singular – it’s a treatment that can often help increase conversion. There should be enough space around the button to make it noticeable.

B. One offer – one CTA
Using multiple CTAs on a single page or promotional e-mail can only create unnecessary confusion. Your message should be clear so that the recipient does not have to think about what to choose and what to click. If he can’t make a decision right away, he won’t move on. Therefore, you should always use only one CTA. However, they can be placed in different places on the website or in the e-mail, so that the potential customer does not have to waste time looking for the button. In most cases, it is even a recommended solution.

C. Don’t extend
Remember that the CTA should be short and unambiguous. The most common requests are those with only 2 – 4 words. If you have more content to submit, place it above the button – Call To Action should only be about what awaits the user after proceeding. Usually, however, it is better to avoid hackneyed and overly general phrases (such as “check” or “click here”) that don’t say much.

D. Check Links!
Finally, a small but extremely important point – there is nothing worse than a CTA leading to an invalid or non-existent subpage. Therefore, always check the operation of the links before launching a website or sending marketing messages.

Effective Call To Action – How To Check It?

It’s important to keep an open mind to create effective calls to action. Even if you think that the applied treatment looks great and will certainly be effective, it may turn out otherwise in practice. Therefore, it is a good idea to prepare several CTA variants and monitor their effectiveness. How to do it? One of the easiest ways is to check your Click Through Rate (CTR). It tells you how many of those who saw the offer decided to click on the link in it. So if out of 100 people who visited the website (or out of 100 sent emails), 5 click on the link, the CTR will be 5%. Constant monitoring of this indicator can tell a lot about both the selection of Call To Action and the structure of the offer itself.

Did you know that as many as 73% of Internet users in the world shop online? This result is 11 percentage points higher than in 2019. This is largely due to the pandemic, which in a way forced consumers to use online channels. Many of them, once tried, stayed longer. There is no wonder – online shopping is becoming more convenient and safer than visiting crowded shopping malls.

That’s why now is the best time to start your online store, especially since the e-commerce market is not saturated yet. However, in order for everything to function as expected, you need to know how to handle it in practice. Calmly. Although it may seem like a challenge at first – especially if you haven’t had much contact with the digital world – all you need is a bit of determination and an open mind to learn the basics and … learn how to run an online store.

How to set up an e-shop?

Before you start running an e-shop, you have to … set it up. What do you need to start? These are the elements that must be taken care of.

A. Business plan
The concept is absolutely fundamental. You need to know what you want to sell, to whom and in what model. For example, the e-shop, which is an extension of the stationary activity, will look different, and the dropshipping model will function differently (when the e-shop does not deal with the physical distribution of goods, and after completing the transaction, it transfers the order to the warehouse that is responsible for sending it to the customer).

At this stage, it is also worth developing:
– brand name – and check if it is already taken in the domain registry. Remember: short domains are the catchy ones. So it’s worth taking this into account when planning your store name. It must be easy for customers to remember;
– visual identification system – and therefore the logotype, fonts and colors to be associated with the brand. This information will come in handy when creating the landing page layout.

Of course, you should also define the budget that can be allocated to start an e-shop. It is worth being aware that the greater the number of products distributed and the more customers you plan to serve, the more advanced (and more expensive) technological solutions will become justified and needed.

B. Logistics
Before an online store starts to appear, it is necessary to specify exactly what the purchasing process will look like. Take care of:

– adequate stocks of products to be distributed,
– a place for their storage (you may need to rent a warehouse),
– completing business formalities (if necessary, setting up a business and a bank account to which payments from customers will flow),
– agreeing on the rules of cooperation with contractors,
– selecting payment methods made available to customers,
– selecting delivery methods.

At the beginning, you may be able to handle the e-shop on your own – especially since the first months will be a time of investment, and the time for profits is yet to come.

C. Technical facilities
These are all issues related to setting up an e-shop from the “digital” side. In this area, tasks such as:

– buying a domain, and therefore the address of an online store – it is also worth investing in related addresses to redirect from them to your e-store,
– selection of an e-commerce platform – you can choose from open-source WooCommerce platforms and a convenient (especially at the beginning) SaaS model, in which you buy a service package that suits your needs,
– choosing a hosting server (when the store is based on an open source platform, not on the SaaS model),
– ordering the design and implementation of an e-shop – so that its appearance is unique for the brand and legible for the customer, and the mechanics are intuitive and helpful to the buyer and you as the seller. It is best to entrust the task of preparing the layout and implementation to specialists who will make sure that everything works as expected.

D. Preparation of products
When your e-shop is ready, it’s time to fill it with products. So you will need:

– content – both on the website’s home page and category pages, as well as product descriptions,
– good product photos.

Do you sell goods from external producers? If so, you probably received promotional material from them. And while the use of product photos will be a good idea, when it comes to content … it is worth thinking about introducing unique ones as soon as possible. Why? Because copies from the manufacturer’s website can potentially reduce the SEO value of your website. And this will translate into poorer visibility and poorer positioning results.

Finally, you should also take care of legal issues – it will be necessary to draw up the store regulations. The e-shop will process customer data, therefore a safe management procedure must be developed. At this stage, it is worth consulting a lawyer or using the help of an e-shop operator. If you choose an e-commerce platform in the SaaS model, you can usually count on support and a rich package of tips in this regard.

Ready? Then you can start your shop.

How to run an e-shop?

Running an online store after fulfilling the basic obligations described above requires constant work to provide customers with the most comfortable shopping conditions. Remember that along with the demand for e-commerce services, their supply also grows. Therefore, to beat the competition, you simply have to be better than it.

What will influence the quality of customer service and the popularity of the website? There are also many elements to take care of.

A. Efficient current customer service
It is important that orders are sent to him at the agreed time, and the flow of information about the status of each of them – transparent. And in this regard, it is worth supporting yourself with appropriate software. It will largely automate the process of handling each order and, as a result, avoid mistakes and delays.

Efficient customer service also means quick response to incoming inquiries. This process can also be partially automated, e.g. with a chabot that will answer frequently asked questions.

B. Treating Customers Fairly
Reliability and honesty are features that are extremely appreciated by modern consumers. What to do to be seen in a positive light? First of all, it is very important to inform customers about the features of the offered products and their properties – promising stars from heaven will result in disappointing the buyer and a negative review.

Secondly, the way you deal with customer objections, complaints and returns is important. If there is any mistake on your part in the handling process, do not hesitate to apologize personally and offer the buyer, for example, a discount on subsequent purchases or a shopping voucher. This will erase any negative impression and build the image of the e-store.

C. Joining the Opinion Network
When looking for information about a given e-shop, customers very often refer to portals with opinions. Positive reviews in such a place strengthen the credibility of a given website and serve as “social proof” – the more there are, the greater the trust of new customers.

That is why it is worth encouraging customers to leave reviews on review portals – this can be done through mailing. For issuing a short review, it is worth offering the client an additional bonus, e.g. a discount code to be used during the next visit.

D. Brand
Remember that customers are more and more often prompted to buy not so much by the product itself as by what it communicates or what values are behind a given brand. You can shape it freely.

Marketing is important, that is, get noticed!

Good customer service that leads to more and more positive reviews is just one side of the coin. The second is the promotion of the website on the Web. Remember: your online store is not the only one on the web, but one of many. Therefore, you need to increase its visibility. Necessarily as part of a coherent marketing strategy, but implemented through several channels. What can you do to strengthen its position in search results on the one hand and increase conversion on the other?

Website optimization for SEO

Optimization and positioning of the website is the first important issue that should be taken care of. If you think about your business in long-term terms, then this issue is definitely worth looking at. In this aspect, elements such as:

– optimization of the website code and mechanisms of its operation – so that the website opens quickly, works without delays and barriers,
– content optimization and meta-content – again, let’s remind you about the unique content of products, but above all about the content on the category and subcategory pages, written in accordance with the SEO principles (including headings, keywords, bullets, and above all substantively!),
– website responsiveness – and therefore the possibility of using it also on mobile devices,
– good User Experience, i.e. a convenient store service mechanism that guides the customer through the entire purchasing process and … will make the user stay longer on the website,
– URL optimization – so that they contain keywords adequate to each of the categories and subcategories.

You have a very wide range of advertising tools to choose from. What to use? The most popular solutions are:

– Google Ads- including sponsored links that will appear in shopping suggestions after the user enters specific queries or product ads – that is, those mini photos with products and prices that you sometimes see next to or above the search results,
– remarketing advertising – banners displayed to recipients on various websites (both on the Google advertising network and, for example, on Facebook), referring to the products they saw during the previous visit to your store,
– advertising in social media – you can use, for example, various forms of promotion available on Facebook.

Also, do not forget about acquiring leads for the newsletter – it can become a good tool that will allow you to be in constant contact with customers and make them come back to your store from time to time. To subscribe to the newsletter, it is worth giving a benefit in the form of a discount code or free shipping at the entrance.

Image-building activities

It is good for your online store to have a fan page on Facebook and profiles on other social media relevant to your target group. For example, a shop with beauty or fashion products may appear on Instagram, and a shop operating on the B2B market, e.g. with spare parts for professional gastronomic devices – on LinkedIn.

Articles published on valuable external websites with linking to the e-shop can also be a good idea about the image and SEO potential. Larger online stores also increasingly cooperate with influencers. It’s also a good way to increase interest.

A lot of everything? On the one hand, yes, but on the other … in many cases you can use the help of experts. Professional support will allow you to automate many processes, including marketing ones, and thus – leave a lot of time for the development of your business.

In the past, in order to perform targeted surveys, it was necessary to hire specialist interviewers or those that did non-participant observation to study consumer behavior, which was thoroughly laughed at in the Swedish movie “Kitchen Stories”, for example. Currently, you can also cooperate with various types of research institutes that support the business world, but instead of spending a large portion of funds on it, it is better to use generally available knowledge and specialized tools that are available for free or for a small fee. With a dose of self-denial, anyone can become an expert in determining the target group.

Target audience – it all depends on the size of the business

When you run a small business, you often know your customers and their needs very well. In this case, questions like – “how to determine the target?” or “how to reach the target group?” they don’t make much sense. However, the matter becomes more complicated when the company is of a considerable size and most of its potential clients are completely anonymous. And how to convince people you don’t know?

This will only work if you properly target and create models of customers (so-called personas) who may be interested in your product or service. A teenager with crazy internet marketing has completely different needs and a middle-aged woman who prefers calmer advertising content. A solid, personalized message can hit the recipient’s sensitive points, evoke emotions and encourage him to engage, which is a necessary part of the relationship between the company and the client, which is what content marketing is based on.

Persona

No, we won’t talk about another well-known Swedish film here, but about the basic issue related to defining the audience. Persona is a model of our ideal recipient, its characteristics, which include such matters as gender, age, level of education, place of residence, preferences, worldview, marital status, life practice, current needs or level of life satisfaction. The company cannot afford to create content (such as SEO-compliant articles, video content marketing) that completely falls short of the expectations of the recipients who would be interested in the products or services you propose.

You should think about your personas as close friends who you want to meet, offering them to fulfill the most secret consumer dreams and make their lives a bit happier. Everyone lives in their own fairly closed world of beliefs, thoughts, visualizations, which is often referred to as being in their bubble, in their tunnel, so young people will not be interested in maternity-related content, and their parents will find the rebellious advertising campaign just plain.

That is why it is so important to always be a few steps ahead of your audience, trying to anticipate potential trends. For this purpose, it is worth continuing education, reading the industry press and portals, following the content placed under the hashtags important from your point of view, reading comments on social networks and opinions, and of course using tools to define the target audience.

Target audience – two basic tools

Thanks to individual, specialized analytical tools, you can learn about the characteristics of your target group in great detail. The most popular tools to help target audiences are:

Facebook Audience Insights
Virtually every modern company uses social networks, because this is where they can meet and establish close contact with their customers, presenting the latest promotional materials. Facebook gives you great opportunities to look behind the curtain and check the data on people who have received your company posts and how the recipients reacted to this content (whether it was hidden, liked or shared).

In addition to basic information about the target group, such as gender, age, place of residence, thanks to this system you can also check the relationship status of your fans or websites that are close to them. This helps you plan your strategies and collaborate with famous people or companies with whom you share your fans.

However, when publishing video content marketing on Facebook, it is worth paying attention to whether the material is viewed in its entirety or whether it is abandoned by viewers at some point. Such information helps in better targeting of content and allows you to create content that will please, amuse or evoke emotions in your recipients.

Google Analytics
Thanks to this platform, you can check what type of people the people visiting your website are. What are the characteristics of customers who quickly run away from it, and what are those who stay a little longer or make a purchase? Google Analytics allows you to examine, among others the age, gender, interests and industries they are close to, as well as how they navigate around your site. It is worth setting your promotional activities for the type of people whose visits to your website usually end with a purchase or the desired action. At the beginning of your business path, it is worth playing with targeting your target group by making a series of marketing tests. Sometimes you can opt for advertising texts written in a looser, more direct style, and other times you can choose more serious content (although even funeral services can be advertised cheerfully). The recipients of your marketing strategies will show you the right way by their positive or negative reactions or, for example, lack of them. Reality can surprise you sometimes and you may find that your target audience is completely different than you might have expected.

How much does it cost to make a website and business needs

A website is a source of knowledge about our business. Its task is to inform about services or products, communicate transaction rules and provide contact details to the company. Just a few years ago, all goals would be met by a simple website consisting of several tabs. Today, however, the requirements associated with it are much higher – you should take into account trends in the industry and the network, and if you want to reach as many customers as possible – also the requirements of search engines.

How much it costs to make a website depends largely on its expected size and the technologies used. So let’s start by answering a few questions:

A. Size of the website – if you are planning a website for a small, very local business, all you have to do is build a simple website that will provide basic information for your customers – it will tell you about the business, who is behind it and where and at what times you can use the services. What does “simple site” mean?
These are several tabs – subpages.

These types of sites are intended for a small number of recipients. By placing the object on the map and adjusting the search to the location of its user – those interested will easily find a website and gain access to the necessary information.

The site can be based on pure HTML and CSS, without a content management system. However, if you plan to frequently add entries to the news section and be able to change your course offer, for example, it is worth meeting people who are unfamiliar with the code and invest in one of the popular CMS. The simplest solution here is WordPress – popular, intuitive, with the ability to create users with different levels of access to the administration panel. The installation of CMS is, however, associated with higher costs and in the extended time of completion of the website design.

For this type of page, however, you can use alternative solutions – page builders. Google also provides this type of solution. Sites created using these solutions are usually cheap (costs are the subscription of the selected tool and the price of domain maintenance and hosting) and can be done on your own. Website builders have their limitations and creating large websites that have ambitions to storm the first positions in search results may not be very effective.

Websites that are to contain more tabs – e.g. the offer category is to be developed for various types of services, and the site will allow customers to contact the company directly or book visits – it is worth building based on CMS. More subpages require agile administration, and this will definitely be facilitated by the installation of a content management system.

B. Technology – the bigger side is usually the need for more individual solutions. The simplest and cheapest solution is to put a static page, using HTML, CSS and simple JavaScript. How much does it cost to make a simple website? An efficient developer will code and – colloquially speaking – will “put” this type of website within a few days. The cost should also be increased by the work of the graphic designer responsible for creating the website layout and time related to making corrections to the project.

More complicated pages, extended with functionalities allowing for greater interaction with the page – e.g. using forms, creating accounts and logging in, require more advanced solutions. In these cases, the page is most often based on one of the CMS. Again, the most popular solution for medium-sized sites is WordPress, which thanks to the plug-in system can extend a regular website with almost any functionality.

The advantage of popular CMS are easily available documentation and forums, where you can find solutions for virtually any problem. Their definite downside – susceptibility to burglary. Lack of the current version of the system, unchecked plugins and add-ons may be the reason for slamming or hijacking. Therefore, if you choose this type of solution, their additional cost may be updating the version (which does not always go smoothly), and in the worst case … removing the effects of hacking.

Online stores also have a separate price list. Here, several solutions are involved – installing the engine on a server or using software in the Saas model.

Placing the store on your own server is associated with the need to take care not only of its appearance, but above all about security. It is not only about meeting security requirements, but also about the stability of servers, the security of your data and customers and the elimination of errors related to installed extensions. This solution, however, allows full access to the code of the website and full modification in accordance with your own vision.

The online store can also be opened using the offers of companies operating in the SaaS model – Software as a service. By choosing this solution, we sub-rent a cloud fragment and store software in exchange for a monthly fee. There are many companies operating in this system on the market. Each of the brands offers several subscription versions. Its amount depends on, among others on the number of accounts in the administrative panel, integration with other sales channels and wholesalers, the number of products and so on.

The costs associated with placing the store at the start may be smaller – the smallest subscription is around $ 10 / month. This, of course, brings limitations, e.g. the inability to match the appearance of the store’s vision or pasting the codes necessary to run a Google Ads campaign. Fees must be paid monthly, which can be quite painful for the entrepreneur in the event of a worse period.

How much does it cost to create a small page?

As mentioned above, making a website takes a few hours of work and graphics. The list of points in the cost estimate will look like this:
– domain cost,
– hosting cost,
– the cost of creating the page layout (graphics time),
– cost of coding the website (web developer time).

The total should be close to about $ 200-300.

These costs can be reduced by using, for example, one of the programs that allows you to create a page yourself. In this case, the main effort will be our time – necessary to choose the program, familiarize yourself with it and build a working website. The cost of domain and hosting will remain the same, you should also add a subscription to them resulting from the use of the wizard – the cheapest start from around $ 5 / month. Note – the use of wizards has its limitations – e.g. a smaller subscription requires you to agree to display ads on our site.

The small site is ideal for businesses that do not have the ambition to dominate search results.

How much does it cost to make a website for a medium-sized business?

A website, which is to be a tool for acquiring new customers, should meet a whole range of requirements – it should be fast, mobile and accessible to recipients.

Building this type of site will be more complicated – the number of bookmarks increases and additional functions need to be added. Points that should be included in the cost estimate of such a project are similar to those of a small site, but their height will increase significantly. Depending on the planned functions and the expected traffic on the site, it may be necessary to choose a more expensive option or a dedicated server.

The cost of creating a medium-sized business website also has a CMS chosen. Installing it usually increases the price by around $ 150-300. Added to this are the costs of some solutions that need to be installed into the basic system.

Additional costs worth paying

CMS support requires familiarity with its limitations and capabilities. Unless it is planned to employ a separate employee to operate the website, it is worth considering the issue and, for example, adding a point related to the system training in the website contract. It is worth keeping this in mind – simple corrections that you can do yourself in a few minutes, the company will cost you a lot. Self-service of the system also saves time – delegating tasks in this case can postpone their execution for several days.

Note – submission of the page by the web developer is not synonymous with its full preparation for active activities on the Internet. If you start positioning or Google Ads, you may need to make corrections. This does not mean, however, that the “site was bad”, but only not fully adapted to Google’s guidelines. Optimization, however, may involve the need for additional changes, especially if the site is managed by a proprietary CMS system that does not have full documentation on the Internet.

Store – virtual store shelves, salesman and cash register

One of the more complex types of websites are certainly online stores. This translates directly into how much it costs to make them. What should be considered?

In addition to basic costs – domain and hosting, there is the cost of the engine. As I mentioned above – its issue can be solved in two ways – by installing open source options or choosing a SaaS solution.

Store prices start at around $ 2-3 thousand and increase depending on the solutions and integration used.

SaaS for those who like “fast”

At first glance, it may seem that how much it costs to make a website and store on open source engines is incomparably greater than using the store options in the SaaS model. Subscription allows us to set up a fully functional store, but depending on the height limits the possibility of customizing its appearance and optimization. These types of solutions will not work for large e-commers trading thousands of products. This solution will be appreciated by small companies that do not have financial expenses to build their own sales platform.

(Not) Perfect solution

The biggest drawback of this type of solutions is the inability to modify the code and make changes, including those that would be required during optimization for running an advertising campaign. Of course, many of them have the option of more advanced customization, but this is an additional cost that the company must take on. Many suppliers of ready stores emphasize the possibility of giving websites a unique look, unfortunately, most projects – especially in lower subscription plans – do not differ much.

SaaS also has its advantages – the responsibility for maintaining the continuity of the correct operation of the site and ensuring data and transaction security, falls on the service provider. In the case of multi-person activities, the delegation of these tasks allows you to focus on creating the product and running the brand.

The cost of placing a store in a SaaS model starts at around $ 15 / month. Prices for more advanced packages start from around $ 70.

What is causes related marketing?

Cause related marketing (CRM) is a situation when business data meets both the economic goals of an enterprise and responds to certain social problems, trying to communicate and solve them. This is the simplest manifestation of a wider phenomenon called “corporate social responsibility”. Cause related marketing is usually associated strictly with the sales process or, as the name implies, marketing. On the other hand, corporate social responsibility can be present in every aspect of a company’s activity and does not have to be widely communicated. The difference is best illustrated with examples.

Cause related marketing:
– for every $ 20 spent in our store, we donate $ 1 to Foundation X.

Corporate Social Responsibility:
– our company employs 400 drivers. We make sure that they undergo health tests every year and organize cyclical training courses to improve driving techniques.
– our company creates jam. We acquire fruit and vegetables only from local suppliers and support the domestic economy.
– we are a clothes distributor. We acquire our products only to ethical enterprises that respect employee and human rights.

The difference is therefore in the direct connection to the sales process. On the other hand, both things – undertaken by the company responsibly and sensibly – simply pay off. In marketing it’s quite simple – it’s nice to buy something and help. In the second case, e.g. thanks to driver training, the company can “save” on traffic accidents, as well as avert potential image crises associated with such accidents or operational liquidity.

The difference is also in the time horizon of the projects concerned. Cause related marketing can usually be started overnight and turned off just as quickly. Corporate social responsibility is already a long-term process that requires capital and human investment and good planning. Therefore, many companies end up with socially engaged marketing – it is simpler, and at the same time effective because its impact on sales results can be seen immediately.

Advantages of cause related marketing

The benefits of cause related marketing can be divided into three parts. The company benefits, but also the recipient of the product or service, as well as the entity we help – it can be said that all sides of this system benefit.

Benefits for the company:
– a positive image due to association with a third sector organization,
– stimulation of involvement among the company’s community and employees,
– increased consumer loyalty,
– lower level of complaints and returns,
– increase in sales.

Benefits for the consumer:
– help thanks to the purchase slightly “absolves” consumerism itself,
– greater satisfaction with purchases,
– relatively higher satisfaction with the products and services provided.

Cause related marketing – example

Toms – is an American footwear brand, which already at the business design stage assumed that each pair of shoes purchased by the customer results in the transfer of a second pair to countries and communities where it is particularly needed (regions of Africa and Asia, but also South America). A cool idea, which also shows how something apparently obvious to us, is still a scarce commodity in other regions of the world. They are usually not cheap shoes, which did not prevent the brand from achieving success in the highly competitive American market, which was simply mature in the context of the footwear industry. People love TOMS and more often attribute positive qualities to them, such as comfort or durability.

Why is it worth?

It is worth noting that cause related marketing is mainly used by large brands or … startups. As you can easily guess, the motivations for making such a decision vary depending on the size of a given business entity.

Thus, large companies and brands strengthen their brands and customer loyalty. In addition, consumer expectations related to the positive impact of large companies on local communities and the environment in general are growing. We expect more and more often that the company will compensate for its environmental impact, and even that it will provide us with information on this matter. This is a very good trend, because it turns out that it pays off in the long run both to our environment and to the company that made such an effort. Unfortunately, it is difficult to talk about some mass reorientation of thinking here. Large corporations are powerful and uncontrolled ships. They arouse admiration, but before they change course, a lot of time must pass.

The situation is different when the startup immediately decides to get social problems involved in acquiring clients. This is usually because of personal motives and motivations to somehow differentiate their actions from those powerful corporations that feed on consumerism like leeches. Startup is more and more often not only a product or service, but also a rebellion against the current state of affairs.

Credibility cause related marketing

On the internet, of course, whenever someone is in favor, someone who is opposed will also be found. Therefore, even related related marketing has its enthusiasts as well as oppositionists.

From the latter group, there are most often accusations of lack of “pure intentions” for help or cynical use of someone’s misfortune to fuel sales. Of course you can approach it this way. However, it is worth paying attention to the obvious fact that in such a world everyone would lose. Were it not for the company and a given form of assistance, as a consumer we would never have heard about a given problem and the given action would not have seen additional funds. So if you still want to make a purchase – why not do it with someone who offers sales and additionally helps someone?

Our statistics

We have recently decided to perform an internal audit regarding the SEO services we provide. This study aimed to see what percentage of customers are not staying with us for longer. So we took to the workshop a little over 200 recently signed page positioning agreements. Our analysis showed that in the last year, 4.8% of clients for various reasons did not decide to continue cooperation with our agency. To check this statistics, we also examined the period of the last two years. The result showed that only 4.04% of customers left us at that time.

Why do customers resign?

The percentage result (4%) presented in the previous paragraph was an impulse to take further actions. Inside the agency, we asked ourselves the most probable reasons for clients giving up cooperation with us. Our audit brought the following conclusions:

A. No payment (10.18%) – this group includes customers who have not paid their debts, and we terminated the contract in these cases.

B. Lack of cooperation on the client’s side (25.66%) – in each case of cooperation with us, cooperation on the client’s side is an obligatory record. Its intensity is always dependent on the type of website, the access, rights and authorizations provided to us, and the number of guidelines that are sent at the very beginning of the contract for many projects. Therefore, this group includes clients who for various reasons did not want to cooperate with us, did not implement the suggested changes or did not provide us with the legitimacy to take certain steps. Therefore, it can be concluded that in this case the client did not give us the opportunity to implement the intended activities, which meant we had to terminate the contracts signed. Our work cannot be carried out when we do not have the tools to do it. Often, clients belonging to this group stop talking themselves. In such situations, we usually wait patiently and try to act, but if there is no response from the other side (and often it is even required) despite repeated attempts, we terminate the contract.

C. No work results (33.19%) – our industry is often unpredictable and everyone who has ever dealt with SEO knows about it. It should be emphasized that it is 33% but only with 4% of clients who terminate contracts, i.e. about 1.3% of all clients who signed contracts with Paraphrase-Online.com during the period. In this case, customers were not satisfied with the results of the work. This allegation most often relates to monitoring the position of selected phrases. It is worth adding that often this problem is the result of customer expectations regarding the inclusion of phrases in monitoring (it is a permanent element of every contract) for which the given page already has high positions. Some customers are very attached to this model of work analysis and it is difficult to argue here the positioner’s actions by increasing website traffic or visibility in global terms. There are also customers who have positions in the top 5, but terminate the contract because they want to have the top 1-2 themselves, which is not always feasible due to the search engine. Many of the clients qualified for this group also did not fully follow the guidelines we sent or simply refused to develop content on the site. Such cases constituted up to ⅗ of this group. Also noteworthy is the fact that 5% of all customers who resigned from working with us return to us years later.

D. Too high costs of the service (9.73%) – customers often stated that despite good positions, they are not fully returned from the investment incurred for the development of this channel and, however, prefer to spend their budget on testing other solutions. In this case, as the history of all contracts implemented by us shows, clients from this group often come back to us after several years of attempts to develop their e-business through other channels.

E. Closing of the site, change of management, bankruptcy of the company, end of contract (21.24%) – this is a group that indicates other reasons for leaving. The most common of them include situations in which the customer removes the page, the company declares bankruptcy, the owner or management board changes, which is focused from the beginning on cooperation with another entity. We have also qualified to this group in which the client after the end of the one-year contract decides not to extend the cooperation with us without giving a reason. This is most often associated with the reasons presented above or with the company’s strategy of testing the effects of cyclical change in positioning agencies.

Sweet kiss of the positioner – bitter kiss of the client

In our experience, the most important stage of cooperation is the time shortly before signing the contract and the first weeks of cooperation. Before signing the contract, the client receives from us all information regarding the implementation of SEO activities in the scope of the contract. He is also notified of what we will need from him to make the cooperation run smoothly. The first weeks after signing the contract are extremely important. During this time, we examine the site in detail and send precise guidelines to the client. Usually, after this initial stage, the client accepts our strategy and thanks to structured cooperation we operate in accordance with the assumed strategy. Unfortunately, as it happens in life, not all situations are perfect. There are clients who at all costs do not want to take certain steps or accept our guidelines or the changes we introduce. Such events limit or completely prevent us from taking effective action to increase website visibility. In our cooperation model, such a tug of war can end with us terminating the contract with the customer. The key is to understand our strategy at the negotiation stage, because our goal is not to sign contracts and unilaterally benefit from them. Cooperation is extremely important in our concept. If the customer does not want to make our changes, and there is no other way to achieve success, then this agreement does not make sense.

Visit to the dentist

To better illustrate this, let’s imagine that a John has a dental package purchased in a known network of dental offices. It includes monthly dental inspections, stone removal, sealing, root canal treatment and tooth extraction. One beautiful June morning, John’s wife Rachel prepared her husband’s unusual yet beloved seasonal meal – a fresh, peeled watermelon. Due to the fact that for several weeks it was extremely hot, before serving the dish Rachel decided to cool the juicy fruit. As soon as Mr. John sank his teeth into the red pulp, a terrifying moan sounded in the dining room. The reason for this cry was pain – something our hero has never experienced on such a scale before. Immediately after the incident, he went to the dentist, from whom he had a package purchased. He told about the situation and asked for a full oral examination. The dentist immediately stated that the cause of the pain was a small defect in the upper left trio and suggested putting the seal on immediately. John, who had never had dental problems before, refused to perform the procedure, without giving a reason for giving up the routine procedure. Time passed and John, in connection with permanent pain, became more and more unbearable man. He stopped dealing with his wife, whom he blamed for the whole situation, and at work he could not focus on everyday duties. He decided to go to the dentist again and agree to put on the seal. However, during the second review the doctor excluded this procedure. The condition of the tooth deteriorated enough to require root canal treatment. John was afraid of this option again and stated that he was not able to decide at this moment about such (in his opinion) a radical step. Before John left the office, the dentist asked him to rethink the proposal, because the procedure is included in his package and thanks to him he can get rid of unwanted ailment once and for all. The weeks went by, and John’s pain was gone thanks to decoctions of fenugreek and leek. Unfortunately, in December the pain returned with redoubled strength, and there was a huge swelling on the gums. John, contrite and completely deprived of the will to fight for interference in his teeth suit, he went to the dentist for the third time. This time the specialist was ruthless and said that in this situation the only option is to pull out the tooth. This time the patient realized that he had no choice but to submit to the will of the dentist. The tooth was removed, and John, in order not to scare his relatives with his incomplete smile, had to put on an expensive and not covered by the implant package …

Stages of SEO-destruction

So how does this translate into SEO? Unfortunately, quite a lot. Sometimes a customer who has a contract with us, avoids cooperation or refuses to accept even the simplest changes that aim to increase the visibility of the site. This is usually a straight path to problems. Unfortunately, often such situations can have a painful effect on the client’s business. That is why we as Paraphrase-Online.com do not wait until the “teeth” start to fall out. If we see that the customer does not cooperate with us previously agreed, we decide to terminate the contract. Our specialists are not for watching how a given site falls in visibility rankings, and subsequent competitors are ahead of it. We are here to actively work every day to increase the potential of the website in terms of SEO, which is why as many as 96% of customers decide to stay with us for longer.

5 types of customers

Based on many years of observations, we decided to divide customers into 5 types. We classified them in relation to the client’s adaptation to the set goals by accepting the implemented measures.

A. Partner – an ideal customer –This is a very aware customer. He understands that the agency is to help him achieve the given effect by undertaking the agreed actions. He responds positively to every cooperation or development proposal and tries to allow positioners the best working conditions. It should be remembered that he is not a conformist – he requires a lot, but at the same time understands that to achieve something, you need to put a lot of work into it. If you are heavily involved in the project and implement everything as agreed, then know that this customer will be very loyal and will stay with you for many years.

B. Visionary – to the goal at all costs –Customers of this type are only effect oriented. They are not interested in how and by what means you will reach his goals. In this case, you can even use illegal activities to accomplish your task as soon as possible. There is a high risk of contract termination!

C. Official – table and reports –It pushes targets into the background. According to its specificity, the measures we implement are the most important for it. He loves to send (preferably once a week) reports, statements and tables. Through constant verification of the implemented activities, the effects are only a distant mirage for him. It is only important how much and how well we carry out the package actions. Vive la package! Such a person often requires almost impossible reporting and translation from the modification of each line of code, which greatly complicates efficient operation. This customer will terminate the contract only if the agreed tasks are not carried out as agreed.

D. Individualist – everything in its own way –The funds turned out to be unreachable or failed for the client, and the presented goals are not satisfactory, so the client tries to introduce substitute activity, seeking solutions on their own. Sets new goals without informing the agency. His assumptions are unrealistic or do not comply with previous arrangements, and the measures are always considered inappropriate or too stripped down. Cooperation is difficult here, because reaching an agreement occurs only if you accept all customer requirements. There is a high risk of contract termination!

E. Rebel – for no reason rather than by choice –A rebel is a client who usually contests without reason the legitimacy of all actions, and all goals are pure abstraction for him. This type of contractor will not verify the activities carried out or settle you for the effects. In principle, it is not important what you do – at any time the day may come when the client will leave and will not give the reason for his behavior. If it already requires any results, these are the assumptions he invented and the work on the site is pointless and it is not worth wasting time on it.

Can you keep every customer?

In most situations this is possible, but sometimes you need to think about whether such activities should be a priority and whether they make sense at all. This applies to both the client and the agency. The statistics presented by us at the beginning show that a good work and a well-thought-out strategy can be reduced to an absolute minimum percentage of outgoing customers. In each case, partnership and care for mutual benefits are important. The parties appearing in a given contract should have the same goal – the success of the venture. At Paraphrase-Online.com, we try to meet the challenges posed by our contractors every day by implementing our proven strategy. Therefore, only 4% of our clients give up our services. In our opinion, with such statistics and the number of customers, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Not every blog is the same, because the light, entertainment content promoted by popular influencers is different from those posted on store, company or expert blogs. In the first case, bloggers and vloggers want to gain the largest number of so-called followers who will ensure their popularity, publicity, viewership and, as a result, earnings. Companies and services, through blog content placed on the site, attract users who can become their potential customers. However, in both cases there are several rules on how to effectively promote your blog.

How to start a blog?

Only a dozen or so years ago, the blog was associated with a kind of online diary, through which users shared their thoughts. Today, blog is a powerful marketing tool that positively affects the position of a page in the search engine. As a result, you can earn on consistent and consistent blogging activities. Blog is an important medium of communication with recipients – not only for the popular blogosphere, but also for e-commerce, companies and services that promote their activities on the web.

However, each time – regardless of the industry – the fundamental task is to set goals that you want to achieve by running a blog.

Friendly platform – whether you are the owner of a store, a company promoting various services, or a lifestyle blogger, your blog should not be visually deterrent. Transparency and clarity, which is enriched by good photos, is half the battle to keep the user on the blog.

Who is the recipient of the blog? – this is one of the most important questions you must ask yourself before starting your creative activity. It is for a specific group that you have to adjust the content and the way of communication that will be most attractive to them.

What are the recipients looking for – bet on strategies, think about what entries will be the most attractive for your group of recipients, what they can search on the web, what phrases to enter to find interesting entries.

Social media – a profile in Social Media is an important medium for building relations with the recipient: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat and even Linkedin – depending on the industry and the group of recipients create a profile that will be a kind of communicator between your website and the user.

Read and watch the competition – your blog is just crawling, you expect quick results after a short time. Promoting your blog effectively is a labor-intensive and demanding task. It is worth – especially at the beginning – to observe the actions of the competition, its way of communication with the user and the way of blogging.

Thematic niche – if your business that you want to promote on your blog belongs to a so-called thematic niche, then be sure to use your unique knowledge and promote it on your blog. This is an opportunity to share expert knowledge of the topic that will be important to users.

Blog promotion – how?

How to successfully break through with your blog, in the jungle of such powerful competition – this is a question many are asking. The nature of the blog is of great importance here – whether they are traditional entries, vlogs or a social media channel. The purpose of the blog is also important. It is currently necessary in e-commerce, in agencies, services and companies that have the chance to gain new customers through blog entries. Online sales are steadily increasing, and business owners must constantly seek new ways to attract customers. A unique product at a good price is one thing, but the user must still find it. A blog is a great place to promote your activities and services, subtle definition of the company profile, but also to share substantive, industry knowledge.

Valuable content – the content contained on the site are the most important when successfully promoting a blog. In e-commerce and services, content should be consistent, closely related to the company’s operations, but also specialized in its message. The content on the blog must respond to the user’s needs through queries and key phrases that he enters in the search engine. If a potential customer of an online shoe store wants to buy shoes for a winter expedition to the mountains, then your blog text should thoroughly answer this question through an article, for example with the heading: “Winter shoes in the mountains – which to choose?”. A user who hits the post and is content about its content can automatically decide to buy this footwear in your store.

Do not treat these entries with disdain, share the knowledge available to you, do it in an exhaustive, substantive way so that the client feels that you are a specialist in your field. Write a text you would like to read yourself and which will answer your questions as a potential customer.

Does the length of characters in the text matter? Of course. The expert text should have a minimum of 6,000 characters with spaces, and the longer the text, the better. The content on the blog cannot bore the user, which is why they should contain reliable, specific information – necessarily enriched with relevant headlines, key phrases, bold and bullet points. The reader will then not be tired of reading the content, and in addition will be able to pick out the issues that interest him.

Remember that despite having, for example, social media, your blog will “live” mainly thanks to the search engine. And if so, they have all the guidelines associated with the traditional positioning process when building it.

Remember to enrich the text with photos described by the alt and title attributes. Images on the page not only increase the attractiveness of the text, but also affect the positioning of the page.

Accurate and thought-out headlines – popular titles and subheadings, marked with the character from h1 to h6, are indispensable elements in any text. They significantly affect the positioning of the site and thus promote the blog. Headlines must match key phrases and queries that a potential customer can enter on Google, such as “How to promote a blog.” Avoid in the titles of insignificant wording that will not lead the crawlers to your text and thus do not push blog content to a higher position in the search engine. Catch the micromoments, i.e. answer the user’s questions such as: what, how to do, I want to know.

Track current trends – in every industry, contemporary trends that guide potential customers in making the final choice are important. Blog trends are important in terms of content, popular topics and top issues. Keep up to date with what’s going on in them, for example through social media.

Comments, forums, other blogs – be in constant interaction with the user. Respond to comments or participate in other blogs and forums, but provide valuable content and conduct substantive discussions so that the administrator does not recognize these activities as intrusive self-promotion.

Systematics and consistency of actions – the first entries are optimistic, but the lack of quick effects effectively deters from further actions. Do not worry about the initial, poor results. The positioning of valuable content on the blog can take up to several months. It is important to create content systematically and reliably, because it affects the positioning of the page.

Effective promotion of a blog is a time consuming and demanding discipline and consistency in action. Many are discouraged when they don’t see the results after a short time. Blog promotion is not only your own entries, but also tracking trends, responding to the needs of users, sharing in forums and comments, being active in Social Media and searching for new, valuable and unique topics for subsequent entries.

Search engine optimization plays a significant role. They can be made effective by expert content, relevant headlines, key phrases and queries, images with alt and title attributes, internal and external linking, and consistency of actions, which is appreciated by indexing robots.

Youtube Video Builder – what is it?

Youtube Video Builder is a new tool from Youtube, created for companies that want to advertise on this site, but are not able to make their own advertising film. With YouTube Video Builder you can create a video that can then be used for an advertising campaign. This tool allows you to create a movie tailored to your device and for the needs of the selected campaign type in very simple steps.

What is the process of creating a video ad on Youtube Video Builder?

Step 1: Registration
To create a movie in Builder you must first register. The verification process takes about 24-48 hours, and confirmation of account creation is sent to the e-mail address provided earlier. The required email must be a Google email, and therefore connect to our Google account and YouTube channel. Youtube channel has virtually everyone who also has a gmail account. It is worth, however, that the email with which we log into Youtube Video Builder was immediately connected to our company’s channel.

We create a video with a view to its later use in an advertising campaign, so we can add our Google Ads Customer ID account number when registering. However, this is an additional option and if we do not have an account at this stage, or if we do not want to add it yet, our email is enough.

Step 2: Choose the movie layout
By entering Youtube Video Builder, we first select the layout, i.e. the type and format of the video that we want to create. We have over 10 different layouts to choose from:

– a video promoting the application (in vertical and horizontal version),
– a video of the brand (15 or 6 seconds),
– video showing the function of a product or service using phone animation,
– a video showing the product or brand (15 seconds),
– a video informing about the current promotion,
– a video emphasizing the product’s value or benefits of the service,
– and more.

Each layout contains a short description and a demonstration video in the style of which you will be able to create your own promotional video. In addition, with each example we will find information:

– how many photos we will be able to upload,
– how long will the video last,
– what dimensions will it have,
– how many blocks of text we can add (including call to action),
– can we add our logo (in a version with a transparent background and a selected color).

Step 3: We create the video ad layout!
We choose the layout that suits us and move on.

Then we can set two brand colors and upload our two logos.

We move to uploading the photos that we want to use for the campaign. In each case, we have provided the exact dimensions of the photo and the maximum file size for photos (this, in most cases, is 2 MB.)

Tip!
It is worth that the photos or graphics that you intend to use in the video, were designed by a graphic designer who will match the colors and icons that match your company’s image. Your photos should help tell a story that includes the benefits of your product, service or brand. So if we have such an opportunity, it is better not to use so-called stock photos.

If our graphics do not meet the requirements of Video Builder, we will be notified. At our own risk, however, we can try to go further and create a video with the graphics.

Step 4: We choose the font, soundtrack and compose advertising texts
Depending on the movie layout we choose, we can add the appropriate number of texts, including the text that appears on the movie and the final CTA.

Then we have the option to set the font (all suggestions available on Google fonts are available). The inability to upload your own font or own sound and the need to choose one of the proposals available in the database is one of the biggest disadvantages of Builder.

Creating movies is simplified so that every person, even one who has never had anything to do with video creation before, could create an advertisement. This is a big advantage of Youtube Video Builder. However, to create a relatively personalized video, which will be based on the assumptions of the visual identity of the brand, you will need to work a bit and review and adjust the available variants.

Step 5. We have the first video!
Youtube Video Builder automatically creates a video for us in just a few seconds. Of course, after all the slides have been put together, we can edit the movie. By clicking “save” our video is saved on our channel as “unlisted video”. We also get a link redirecting us to the video – already embedded in our channel, which we can enrich with a description, tags and another title.

Step 6. Video advertising on Youtube
The created movie can be left on the channel and made available to our viewers or used in an advertising campaign on Youtube.

The ads displayed on YouTube belong to the Google Ads family. Yes! Google Ads is not only search engine advertising or product cards. It is also a giant advertising network, which consists of over two million websites, films and applications in which YouTube can be displayed as an advertising medium. Google Ads is also a promotion in the Gmail inbox and on the website and in the YouTube application. So your video has great potential to appear not only on Youtube!

Within the advertising campaigns displayed on pages and in the YouTube application, several different types of ads can be distinguished. Each of the available formats has a slightly different way to attract the attention of viewers and can be displayed in a different place on the website. Available types of video ads are: True View In-Stream, True View Discovery and Bumper Ads. In addition to the basic types of ads mentioned above, there are several additional options that advertisers can use.

Tips for video advertising

A. Attract attention – right from the start!
Remember that the first seconds count (statistics say that only three!) And it depends on them whether the user will pay attention to your ad. Regardless of the format and type of the advertisement, users can view the advertisement in full or click the “continue” button. Only in the case of Bumper Ads type ads lasting 6 seconds, the user cannot click “skip”. For TrueView in-stream ads, viewers can choose whether they want to view the ad in its entirety, or after 5 seconds of viewing, they want to skip.

B. Friendly faces you want to watch
If your company creates the concept of an advertising movie, it would be worth including people in it! Why? According to YouTube research, friendly, connected and recognizable people at the beginning of the film can lead to increased viewership. In addition, people’s faces can convey emotions that can be relatively difficult to convey in a simple video created in Youtube Video Builder.

C. Sound also matters!
Although in social media it is often recommended to add subtitles to videos, because of the way they are viewed by users (usually in mute mode), however on YouTube the sound matters (and what!). Viewers expect sound on YouTube, and research shows that sound is associated with stimulating attention and a positive response to the brand. So if you decide to choose a sound from the available base, choose one that will refer to your brand and will be associated with it positively.

D. Add some humor.
Viewers are more likely to watch ads that make them laugh. Youtube research even says that humor is associated with greater brand awareness and recalling ads. Of course, this tactic cannot be used in every case, so use it only if it matches your brand’s language and communication.

E. Remember the ABCD formula
ATTRACT – attract attention from the very beginning of the film,
BRAND – build a brand, show your brand in a natural and meaningful way,
CONNECT – connect with recipients through emotions and telling stories. Invite them to interact, check what they say about your video online and be inspired by their comments!
DIRECT YOUR AUDIENCE – direct viewers to the place where you care (for a specific product or service page, company profile or a specific tab on the website). Use the right call to action.

F. Show product in use!
One of the basic principles of creating product videos is that instead of focusing on the benefits of the product, show how it can help or solve the problems of potential customers.

G. Encourage recipients to interact!
Thanks to the interactive features available on the YouTube platform: info cards, end screens and call-to-action overlays, you can make it easier for your viewers. You can find all additional functions in Youtube Studio.

Builder Youtube Video and other video creators

Most of the available online tools for creating movies or animations are based on a very similar “step by step” scheme in which you can create video yourself. Same with Youtube Video Builder. At the beginning we choose a pattern (so-called template or layout). In the case of paid tools (most offer several days or selected options also for free), we adjust the video according to our preferences. And here, most often, there are differences between the creators! And at this stage we can start comparing the functions they offer.

And the differences are big! Starting from the available templates, the number of which in YouTube Video Builder is relatively small (currently 16 different variants). In popular creator, we can choose from among 30 – 50 templates, which can then be converted to another size (suited e.g. for mobile or desktop, or also to a given advertising space or ad format).

What’s more, Youtube Video Builder allows us to combine several graphics (previously prepared) into an animated video. Unfortunately, we do not have the option of animating the movements, e.g. on graphics, which makes the whole movie look like a slide show.

Speaking of history, its presentation on several slides will certainly be more difficult than through several interconnected animations. Therefore, the videos created in Youtube Video Builder will be rather more raw, advertising. It will be very difficult for us to create an animation that will arouse emotions (unless it is information about large promotions!). For videos promoting products or reminding about promotions or special offers, Youtube Video Builder should be enough.

Summary

Youtube Video Builder is very average compared to other available creators. It is a simple and quick solution for those who want to diversify their advertising activities with video advertising, but do not have excessive requirements for the creation itself. The upside of the tool is definitely that it is completely free, and by creating video we can be sure that it will comply with the standards of video advertising in Google Ads. Nevertheless, if you want to use the created video on a larger scale in an advertisement on Youtube, it is worth investing a small sum and creating the video in another creator. These will allow you to personalize the film more and relate to the emotions of viewers.

Website positioning – key activities

If you want your site to appear in the deep depths of the Internet, then you need to ensure its proper SEO optimization. Every day, there are more and more website users who, through computers, smartphones and tablets, scour hundreds of websites daily, looking for information, shopping or strengthening social ties. The modern user is more and more demanding and it is more difficult to satisfy him, and thus – to stay on a given page. Competition in every internet area is growing all the time, which is why website positioning should be a priority for you if you do not want to be left behind.

That is why SEO activities are so important, which will be carried out consistently and reliably after some time. These practices should be started primarily with page optimization within on-site. Appropriate headers, friendly URL, internal linking, page loading speed, defining the group of recipients, using appropriate key phrases and of course substantive content enriched with photos. All these aspects have a positive impact on branding, website attractiveness and its value in terms of content. These actions, in effect, contribute to increasing the visibility of the site in SERP.

Google robots scan content, but they can’t see photos if they don’t have the alt and title attributes. Images on the site must be well marked and described to inform robots of their content. Well-optimized photos will be indexed and will positively affect website SEO.

What is the alt attribute?

Otherwise, an alternative image description, which can be found in the HTML of the page.

<img src = “image address” alt = “Alternative description” />

The naming of the alt attribute, which is an alternative description, is the key here. If the picture was not loaded on the page, then the completed image alt is still visible to Google robots and is subject to indexation.
Interestingly – it is the alt attribute that is read by programs that are used by people with very large vision defects or those who are blind.
All alternative descriptions on the site can be viewed with the help of the Web Developer plugin, which is installed under the browser. This way you can easily verify that the page is supplemented with alt attributes.

What content should the alt attribute contain?

Alt is read by programs for the blind as well as indexing robots. For these reasons, the alt attribute should specify the actual content of the image. However, in the era of website optimization for SEO this rule has changed slightly. The description should inform about what is on the site and what content can be obtained from it. However – like in the case of meta tags – they can not be decimal phrases, but specific queries or links containing keywords – but still refer to the image content.

What is the title attribute?

It is nothing more than the title of the picture, which is visible after moving the cursor over it (provided the picture contains an alternative description). It is also called auxiliary text and is slightly less important than the alt attribute.

<img src = “image address” alt = “Alternative description” title = “image title” />

The title of the photo can contain a description of what is in the image or a shortcut of the content of the page, for example, it can be called “Alt and title – effective optimization of SEO images”. A well-titled photo has a positive effect on the graphic positioning of the page, thanks to which it can increase the reach of the post and clicks on the page.

Optimization of images on the site

Smaller is better – follow this rule when it comes to the size of images on the page. A smaller photo is better for the page, because it will load faster. Loading your site too slowly affects the high bounce rate. The speed of the website is important for the user, but also for Google robots. According to the assumptions, the picture on the website should not be larger than 100 kb.

Content is important when optimizing the alt and title attributes. Like all available content on the site, the one in the pictures should be unique – especially within one page or subpage. The varied description for alt and title is good for Google reading pages. Such action will be reflected in higher positions in the search engine for given key phrases.

Image and iconography as an important medium of information transfer

Not only optimization, but also the “content” of the photo is important above all to the user. Images enrich the text wall, increase the attractiveness and transparency of the site. Good photos with properly described alt and title attributes – especially on shop windows – can have a decisive impact on whether a customer buys a given product.

Recently, iconographies have become very popular, which are worth using for specialist texts and on social media. Such pictures give the recipient a clear message, which is often condensed information related to the content of the page. Sometimes such a photo is a specific knowledge base for the user, which is why they quickly position themselves in Google graphics.

A properly optimized website has a chance to rank higher in the search indicators for given key phrases. From the very beginning it is worth ensuring the high quality of activities carried out on it. Website positioning is a labor-intensive and demanding discipline and consistency in activities in which you can’t forget to optimize images with the alt and title attributes.

Why does Google support small and medium enterprises?

According to data from the World Bank, companies from the SME sector constitute as much as 90% of all companies. The same applies to the majority of advertisers, i.e. Google customers, who are currently facing the loss of customers and employees. That’s why Google has decided to help those whose business may suffer the most during an epidemic, as well as those who play such an important role in the market and whose survival is so important.

How does Google support the SME sector?

As part of support for companies in the SME sector, Google provides additional funds for advertising campaigns run in Google Ads (including search, advertising and YouTube, as well as in all types of campaigns). Advertisers who have been running their campaigns on Google in the last 10 months of 12 in 2019 are eligible for the program. Paraphrase-Online.com specialists reports that also newer advertising accounts or campaigns that were conducted in a shorter time and whose expenses oscillated at a higher level can also count on an additional advertising budget.

How to apply for an additional amount of advertising from Google?

You do not need to apply for funds. Google itself qualifies our company and transfers the appropriate amount to our advertising account. Importantly, the amounts received for advertising cannot be transferred to another account, divided or refunded. So, if our company operates in the SME sector, it probably has already received support. We will also receive an email when the funds are credited to your account.

How much advertising money can you get under the program?

The additional amount for the ad is expected to reach all advertisers by July 1. According to Google information, it depends on past Google Ads spending, the country of billing address, and the currency in which the campaign is being run on the Google Ads account. The earned amounts for advertising can fluctuate significantly, but the maximum amount paid will not exceed $ 1,000. Currently, at Paraphrase-Online.com, we monitor the inflows to our clients’ accounts and inform those whose accounts have already appeared. According to our observations, they currently range from around $ 40 to $ 250.

Advertisers can use amounts sent by Google until the end of 2020. Importantly, the unused sum will automatically disappear from the advertising account after December 31 and cannot be restored.