Digital Marketing 101: What is it? Does Your Business Need it?
Digital Marketing 101: What is it? Does Your Business Need it?
If you own a business in 2023, there’s no way around it. Digital marketing services are essential to effective brand establishment, recognition and growth.
Without it, you miss hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities to get in front of your target audience.
While digital marketing has evolved over the last decade, one thing is for certain:
It’s not going anywhere!
Digital marketing is only becoming more and more prominent.
The methods consumers use may change and adapt as new platforms become available. But the root concept of digital marketing is stronger than ever.
Essentially, if you want to compete in today’s market, you must embrace its digital landscape.
But where do you begin?
In this article, we deep dive into all things digital marketing. We discuss everything - from its definition to how to best take advantage of its waiting opportunities.
Keep reading to get your business on the (virtual) map!
What is Digital Marketing?
As a business owner, you have probably heard the term digital marketing frequently. After all, it’s one of the most crucial aspects of owning a business.
We’re here to ensure you understand,
- What it means,
- The opportunities it presents and
- How you can best access those opportunities.
Let’s get started!
In a nutshell, digital marketing is advertising delivered through digital channels.
The type of digital channel a marketer chooses depends on their client, product, budget, etc.
These factors help narrow down where, when and how a business should show up online.
Common Digital Channels:
- Social media
- Search engines
- Websites
- SMS
Which online platform(s) do you think best fit your business?
We’ll dig deeper into these platforms later. But for now, think of some examples of digital marketing you have seen in these online spaces. Things like promotional video ads, banners, text messages, etc.
Chances are, you have seen hundreds of these promotions via your own personal channels.
This leads us to our next question…
Why is Digital Marketing Important?
Digital marketing is a big part of everyday life. Whether we like it or not, it's everywhere!
This is exactly why it’s so important.
Digital marketing allows you to connect and engage with prospective and existing customers. Not where you are. But where they are. And on an almost constant basis!
E-commerce has steadily grown in popularity for years, which is no surprise! Online shopping is incredibly convenient. After all, it’s literally at your fingertips.
This year alone, there are 80 million more digital buyers than in 2022. That puts the total number at 2.64 billion.
To put that number into perspective, we’re talking 33.3% of the world’s population.
Consider these statistics!
- 81% of consumers research a product/service online before purchasing in-store.
- The average Canadian spends over six hours/day on digital media.
- Digital advertising accounted for 64.8% of the total advertising spend in 2021.
- 87% of online Canadians start following a brand after visiting their website.
It’s easy to see that digital marketing is now an integral part of the Canadian economy. Not only is it taking over other forms of advertising, but it also focuses on today's most crucial aspect of marketing: personal connection!
Top Benefits of Digital Marketing:
- Global reach
- Local reach
- Cost efficiency
- Improved customer experience
- Measurable results
- Effective targeting
- Enhanced brand awareness
- Increased engagement
There’s also the convenience of different types of content on each platform. Online marketing opens up an array of content types that cater to your specific industry. Examples include blogs, podcasts and video content!
Now that you know what it is and its importance, it’s time to better understand how to use it.
Types of Digital Marketing and How to Use Them!
While many forms of digital marketing exist, most small businesses focus on those with the highest ROI potential. In most cases, that includes content, SEO and social media.
Content Marketing
Content is one of the most popular forms of digital marketing.
Digital content marketing is any form of content shared digitally. It’s usually informative, leading your audience to take a specific action - like asking a question or clicking a button!
At its core, its intent is to,
a) Attract visitors to view said content and
b) Encourage them to take the desired action (whatever that action might be).
Examples of Digital Content:
Pro Tip: Create content with your specific target audience in mind. This helps position your brand as a trusted voice and relate directly to your people.
Discover how good copywriting can help boost your marketing efforts!
SEO
SEO (search engine optimization) typically goes hand in hand with content marketing. After all, how else do you get your content in front of the right people?
Optimizing content specifically for search can help it rank higher in search results. This puts your content in front of more people. And the best part is, those people are already searching for you!
While there are many forms of SEO, we recommend focusing on:
- Content Strategy
- Keyword Research and
- Technical Optimization.
These three elements help focus your content and ensure it’s searchable by the right people.
Social Media Marketing
If you’re looking for an easy way to connect and communicate with your audience, this is it!
The right platform allows you to effectively build awareness and generate leads!
Examples of Social Platforms:
- Snapchat
- Threads
- TikTok
- BeReal
The best thing about social media marketing is that it builds on its own success. Your efforts can quickly magnify as engagement with your account adds up.
This is a great way to use organic (unpaid) content to boost your business. And while organic content goes a long way, these platforms also offer the opportunity for paid ads!
Not sure where to get started? A social media agency can help simplify and optimize your marketing!
Develop Your Own Digital Marketing Strategy
What does your digital marketing strategy look like?
Before you start marketing, we always recommend starting from square one. You have to know WHO you are targeting and WHY!
These two factors are the basis for any digital strategy and will hugely boost your ROI.
Without knowing who you want to target and why, you can’t decipher HOW best to connect with them.
Let’s start developing your strategy with effective digital marketing services today! Our marketing team at OSM ensures your plan fits your business goals and budget.
All our marketing packages are customizable. So you can choose a plan that caters directly to your needs!
Discover 7 Benefits of Hiring a Local Digital Marketing Agency!
Get In Touch
Let’s talk all things digital marketing!
Call our marketing team at (613) 969-0626 or contact us online!
A Social Media Agency Will Simplify & Optimize Your Marketing!
A Social Media Agency Will Simplify & Optimize Your Marketing!
The to-do list never seems to end as a business owner. There’s a team a manage, payroll to submit, products to design, and so much more. For many business owners, running a company takes up much more time than they thought.
If that’s you, keep reading.
Owning a business is one thing. Running a business is another.
Doing all the behind-the-scenes work on top of that - like marketing or admin. - takes a huge toll on your time.
Explore OLG Slots at Georgian Downs when you travel to Innisfil.
Social media is one of those behind-the-scenes tasks.
When you spend all your time creating content and managing your platforms, there’s little time for much else. But results tend to slide if you step away to focus on other important tasks.
While you may love working in and on your business, even you can admit there is more to life than keeping it going 24/7.
This is where a reliable social media agency comes in!
It’s Time To Let Go Of The Reigns
Many business owners have difficulty giving up control.
We’re guilty of this too!
Letting go of something you love or are good at is extremely difficult. Especially if it’s something you’ve built from the ground up - like a business!
After all, you’ve got it to where it is today. All you want to do is keep things going strong.
But you’re running out of brain capacity, let alone time in your busy schedule.
What’s funny is that business owners tend to start their own businesses for just that reason. To free up their time, have more control and be their own boss.
So what happened?
“The irony is that some of the reasons we start our own businesses are possibly the very things that can challenge us if we want to build our business to greater heights.”
- Catherine Meyer (CEO and Founder of Catalyst Leadership Solutions).
Simply put, you can’t do it all.
In fact, we’d go as far as to say that you shouldn’t do it all.
You’re needed in so many different areas of your business. But those areas need your full attention and energy. They don’t deserve only 50% of your efforts.
Neither do your social media accounts.
To keep all areas of your growing business operating at 100%, you have to learn the art of delegating.
And we promise, with the right team, it’s easier than you think!
Benefits of Investing in a Social Media Agency
The right social media agency will be your trusted partner.
It’s not enough to simply take over the management of your socials. A good agency embodies your brand personality and values.
They become an extension of who you, as a brand, are. And the benefits are tenfold!
Structure
A social media agency builds structure into your marketing strategy.
For every campaign, promotion, or idea put forward, there is a unique plan designed. This plan spreads across each platform and is intentionally curated to help you reach your goals.
The benefit of a social media agency is that a team of experts specifically tailors each piece of content to the platform and audience it’s launched to.
The Result: A higher return on investment!
Optimization
If your social account(s) is already doing well, it’s probably as good as it'll get, right?
Wrong.
A good social media agency knows how to take your results and elevate them!
They're not about keeping you where you are. They're about seeing how far you can go and getting you there!
They have access to proven data, dedicated resources and high-end software. This helps them know exactly what works and what doesn’t work for your niche on each platform.
The Result: Improved overall performance!
Professionalism
As a business, professionalism is imperative.
Whether you’re a small or large company, it deserves expert care.
The benefit of investing in a social media agency is that they have access to:
- Top tools
- Expert resources
- Best practices
They also ensure to report and provide feedback regularly! So you always know exactly what’s happening on your account(s) and how to improve.
The Result: Strengthened online professional presence.
Consistency
In the world of social media, consistency is the key. But it’s not just about posting consistently!
Many avenues of content creation, management and engagement rely on consistency as well.
This includes your brand colours, voice, topics, timing, aesthetics, etc.
For example...
The more consistent your brand aesthetic is, the easier it is to recognize. This helps enhance your brand awareness and recognition.
Using consistent voice and topics in your materials is also crucial. If you were the only one managing your socials before, it was probably quite obvious.
Your voice would come through pretty consistently across all your channels.
When you hire a social media agency, they ensure this consistency stays intact.
Lastly, a consistent social schedule.
Social agencies create a consistent social schedule for each platform. They also ensure your content is well-varied and balanced across these varying channels.
This ensures high-performing posts that optimize your reach!
The Result: Improved brand recognition and higher potential for reach.
Efficiency
As mentioned above, you can’t (and shouldn't) do it all.
Investing in a social media agency helps save time for the areas of your business that really need you.
They can help,
- Create,
- Optimize,
- Test,
- Manage &
- Analyze!
- These experts maximize your budget to reach your business goals without taking up all your time.
The Result: More freedom in your schedule.
Rest Assured That You’re Hiring Professionals
A good social media agency doesn’t just embody your brand personality. It amplifies it!
This team of professionals refines and strengthens your brand voice. They know exactly who your audience is and precisely how to reach them.
The best part?
They aren’t spread too thin. Each team member has a specific role - designed for their unique expertise.
Below are some of the roles within a social media agency:
- Social Account Manager
- Paid Social Manager
- Social Media Strategist
- Copywriter
- Graphic Designer
- Community Manager
These dedicated resources focus on optimizing each specific area of your social account(s). They also work together to ensure consistency across all platforms!
And all you have to do is hire one team.
You don’t have to wear 10 hats or outsource to 10 different people. You can trust one team to handle everything proficiently. From ideation to creation and management - they've got it handled!
OSM: Your Local Social Media Agency in Quinte
Looking for a local social media agency in Quinte, Ontario? Contact our team at OSM!
Our social media management services are all-inclusive - from content creation to reporting. We’ll take your online presence to the next level!
Let’s Get Started
Letting go of the reigns doesn’t mean letting go of your business.
In fact, quite the opposite!
Hiring a social media agency is an investment that promises to simplify and optimize your marketing. So you get all the benefits without putting in all the work.
Have more questions? Get in touch with our team today!
10 Signs Your Business Needs a Custom Programming Solution
10 Signs Your Business Needs a Custom Programming Solution
Your business should be unlike any other.
Services and products might be similar. But the core vision, processes and operations can be entirely unique.
This is what differentiates your business and gives you that competitive advantage.
We have an incredible team of web designers, developers and programmers at OSM. Together, they bring about solutions that simplify, enhance and boost your business!
We do it all! From productivity-increasing upgrades to custom-built customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
Our programmers don’t believe in cookie-cutter fixes. They commit themselves to creating a solution that works best for you - from scratch!
When you can’t find the fix you need off the shelf, our team gets busy customizing one. We create a seamless solution that’s reliable, secure and designed to fill your unique needs.
Not sure if a custom solution is the right investment for your right now? Keep reading!
Below are 10 signs that your business needs a custom programming solution:
1. Your company relies solely on manual processes.
Most businesses rely heavily on manual processes - and for a good reason! This personal touch of creativity and professionalism makes a huge difference.
But, as you know, to err is human.
It’s normal to make mistakes, run out of time or burn out.
This is when manual processes become an issue.
When your team spends too much time, energy and effort doing things by hand, it’s time to upgrade.
In most cases, this indicates over-dependency on manual processes.
Something’s gotta give!
Investing in a custom programming solution means automating these time-consuming tasks. And with automated operations, your team’s efficiency and productivity both benefit!
2. You’re experiencing chronic process disorganization.
Process disorganization in small businesses is not uncommon.
With a small team and a large clientele, it’s no wonder things are getting lost in the mix. These small teams manage everything - from clients and projects to inventory and payments!
With a custom automation solution, you can automate these repetitive tasks. This frees up your time and ensures professional organization 24/7!
3. You’re experiencing too many recurring issues.
We’ve all experienced tech issues. But once they start repeating themselves, you know there’s a bigger problem.
Recurring issues that cause program failures or bad user experiences can deeply hurt your business.
Your ROI could drop. Your customer retention could plummet. And your once thriving CRM could cause your entire workflow to crash and burn!
In these cases, a one-size-fits-all solution won't always work.
You need a system that’s designed solely for you - your team, your workflow and your business objectives. And with our programmers, you can get exactly that!
4. You cannot upscale your business.
Whether you’re a large or small business, growth is always a good thing!
That is…unless your business can’t handle the growth.
Upscaling your business without upgrading your processes is a recipe for disaster.
You’ll quickly run out of manpower, resources and space - resulting in company-wide burnout!
Designing a custom solution as the foundation for your expansion is critical.
5. Your customer satisfaction is declining.
Does your business rely heavily on your website? E-commerce, travel agencies and the health industry are a few that typically do.
In these cases, your clients use your site daily.
So, what happens if the current systems you have in place aren’t living up to your client's standards?
If customer satisfaction declines, it's a clear sign your website must improve.
After all, these systems are primarily for the benefit of your clients. If they fail, your clients will leave and your business will suffer.
It’s up to you to ensure it's doing its job - enabling you to build a successful relationship with your clientele.
If it fails to uphold customer satisfaction, an upgrade is not only recommended, it’s critical.
6. Your business is inefficient and stagnant.
Efficiency is key for steady revenue and growth.
If you’re noticing a decline in your team’s productivity, you must get to the bottom of the issue immediately!
We mentioned above how disorganization and manual processes can slow your business down.
But many other factors also contribute to this inefficiency.
One of these factors is stagnancy. This is a business's refusal or inability to move forward with changing technologies.
Think for a moment about old-fashioned methods of payment - i.e. relying solely on cash and a cashier to make a payment.
While this worked at the time, it eventually became less efficient. New, more practical payment methods quickly arose.
Today, retailers use a variety of payment methods - from automated self-checkouts to PayPal integrations!
These systems save time, money and effort.
Is your business feeling stagnant lately? Are you ready to take the next step forward?
If so, now is the time to invest in a custom programming solution!
7. You track and analyze everything by hand.
Another old-fashioned way of business is manual tracking and analysis.
Manual data entry and spreadsheets were once a necessity. They were the only real way to track success and plan for the future.
Today, we have a better solution.
Our programmers can create a custom system built uniquely to your tracking needs. We can program your system to do almost anything - from reporting to prediction analysis!
8. You’re having difficulty reaching and managing your customers.
Is your CRM (customer relationship management) system helping or hurting your business?
One of the biggest challenges businesses face is the use of a CRM that does not meet their tailored needs.
Because every business is unique, each requires its own custom solution. This is especially the case when working with a company’s customer relationships.
These relationships are the backbone of your business. And, as we’ve stated before, it would not survive without them.
The solution?
Custom CRM solutions.
These unique solutions have your unique clientele in mind.
We recommend custom CRM if you need a web-based platform to meet clients' relational needs.
9. There is no communication happening between teams.
In the wise words of George Bernard Shaw:
“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”
Poor team communication is typically easy to spot.
You may see it in delayed communication from leadership roles. Or you may experience it in a hybrid/remote work environment.
Your business suffers when team members and leaders fail to communicate information effectively.
Some of the effects of poor workplace communication include:
- Employee mistrust, absenteeism and low morale
- Low productivity due to lack of information
- Loss of sales
- Ineffective collaboration
- Workplace conflict
How can custom programming help?
Our programmers can help create effective communication pathways for all your business connections. This includes yourself, your team, clients, partners, etc.!
10. The solution you’re looking for does not exist.
Are you struggling to find a solution that fits your specific business needs? Or trying to use a program for a purpose it’s not intended for?
News flash: There is more to discover and create in this world!
What a relief!
You may not be able to find something off-the-shelf, but the solution does exist.
It just hasn’t been created yet!
That’s where our team of programmers come in.
When your needs don’t mesh with standardized solutions, our team get down to business!
Why Invest in Custom Development?
You cannot rely solely on standardized solutions to reach your business goals effectively.
Sharpen your competitive edge with a custom solution designed to fit your business. The right upgrade can drastically improve your workflow, efficiency and more!
This gives you the momentum you need to launch into the next phase!
Benefits of Custom Development:
- Automated workflow
- Increased ROI
- Improved data security
- Increased sales
- Enhanced brand loyalty
- Improved site performance
- Reduced manual labour
- Optimized operating cost
PLUS! When you work with our OSM, you can be 100% sure that your upgrades are affordable, reliable and secure.
That’s our job! And we do it well.
Check out some of our recent work!
Alarm Systems
Our programmers built custom customer and staff portals that
a) Allow staff to manage complex projects from start to finish, and
b) Allow customers to track that progress.
Customer Tracker
Staff Dashboard
Quinte Health
Our programmers built a nine-page sub-site that can:
- Manage thousands of files,
- Manage tens of thousands of database records,
- Manage calendar events,
- Track inventory, and
- Provide support via a ticket system and knowledge base.
Reagents Inventory
Home Depot Canada
Our programmers built an EDI-based logistics system. This system issued daily requests to carriers for several hundred orders between Canada and the U.S.
Carrier Select
Planner With Map
Cambridge Memorial Hospital
Our programmers implemented a system to automate administrative tasks, including:
- Credentialing,
- Staff payments, and
- Professional development.
Staff Dashboard
E-Lease
Our programmers designed a custom CRM with a financial lease/loan broker focus.
The main features revolve around,
a) Managing financial transactions and
b) Managing the clients/customers assigned to those transactions.
These critical features are intuitive, quick, mobile responsive and easy to access!
Start Your Project With OSM
Don’t settle for cookie-cutter fixes. Invest in the custom solution that works perfectly for you, your team and your customers!
Ready to start your project?
Contact us online or give us a call at 613-969-0626!
8 Features of The Best Canadian Web Hosting Companies
8 Features of The Best Canadian Web Hosting Companies
Having a website is no longer optional.
Of course, choosing to invest in one is still up to you. But if a searchable online platform is your intent, a website is the obvious choice.
A website is crucial in attracting new customers and retaining existing ones. As the central hub of your business, it can help you:
- Appear more professional,
- Share your company’s story,
- Align your brand efforts,
- Increase brand awareness,
- Widen the reach of your company’s content,
- Serve your customers better,
- Increase revenue,
- Attract local leads, etc.
But you’ll need a good website and web host provider for all these incredible benefits to come true.
Your web hosting provider determines your website’s performance. So be sure to choose a company you trust.
This article explores 8 key features of the best Canadian web hosting companies.
If you’re searching for a hosting provider for your website, consider these factors first!
1. Speed
Site speed, or load time, is one of the vital components of a successful website.
When a visitor lands on your site, you have under two seconds for your page to load. Any more than that, you risk a higher bounce rate or lower SERP (search engine results page) ranking.
Why is this?
If a searcher navigates away from your site quickly, Google’s algorithm takes this as a signal. It could mean the visitor didn't find what they were looking for or it was uninteresting.
If this happens often, Google could rank your site lower on the results page.
Another reason site speed affects your site's success is your searcher’s expectations.
People’s attention spans have drastically decreased. At the same time, their expectations for immediate gratification have increased.
According to a study by Neil Patel, “47% of consumers expect a web page to load in 2 seconds or less”.
The study also states that “40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load”.
In other words, the world is in a hurry.
If you slow it down, you lose the game!
After all, the purpose of the Internet is to provide instant information. If that information doesn’t immediately load on one site, there’s a high chance that it will on another site.
Increasing your site speed can help keep people on your site longer.
That’s why this is one of the most crucial factors to consider when searching for a web host provider!
A good hosting provider ensures a competitive site sped across all your pages.
2. Support
A built-in customer support system in your hosting package is a necessity.
You never know when a problem will arise or how serious it will be. It could be a minor technical glitch or a more complicated programming issue.
Reliable customer support means that there’s already a team working on a solution.
This ensures your site's problems receive faster and more effective solutions. This, in turn, increases site uptime and reliability.
There are many different forms of customer support, including:
- Knowledge Database and Tutorials
- Live Customer Support (via phone or chat)
- 24/7 Monitoring
- 24/7 Ticket Systems
What matters most is that your support team is knowledgeable and timely.
3. Security
Strong security is a must for any website. But it is even more crucial if your site collects and/or stores personal data.
Secure web hosting protects your site from cyber threats and ensures your servers run 24/7.
Benefits of Web Hosting Security:
- Protects secure information,
- Backs up your data,
- Detects/Removes malware,
- Monitors networks,
- Protects hardware,
- Prevents cyberattacks, etc.
4. Storage Space
Storage space, or disk space, refers to how much content your site can hold.
Storage space holds both public and behind-the-scenes data.
Examples of public information:
- Logos,
- Images,
- Blog content, etc.
Examples of behind-the-scenes information:
- PHP
- CSS
- JavaScript files, etc.
When choosing and setting up your hosting provider, be sure you have enough storage space. It should be enough to hold both current and new content - so make sure you have lots of space to work with!
5. Bandwidth
Is it your intent to grow your online audience, increase web traffic and up your sales? If so, then invest in a hosting company with higher bandwidth.
The more bandwidth your site has, the faster it can deliver content during peak traffic times.
This ensures each visitor has the same fast browsing experience - regardless of how full your site is!
6. General Maintenance and Upkeep
Most hosting companies offer maintenance and upkeep as part of their hosting package.
This includes routine maintenance like renewing your domain name, SSL certificate and hosting. It also includes things like CMS updates, security patches and system updates.
Your hosting provider should always perform proactive maintenance and updates. This ensures your website operates effectively and efficiently.
7. E-Commerce Options
Do you plan to offer online shopping on your website? If so, you’ll need to find a hosting provider that offers e-commerce.
E-commerce, or “electronic commerce”, is a method of buying and selling on the Internet. Many hosting providers offer this design and functionality feature alongside a web design package.
What does an E-commerce set-up include?
- Shopping cart
- Payment Gateway
- Product Display
- Shipping Gateway
8. Email Options
As you're searching for a web host provider, look for one that offers email hosting for your website’s primary email.
This professional email hosting service links your website domain with your email address. This reinforces the connection between your website and email.
This results in a more professional and trustworthy means of communication.
Benefits of linking your site domain with your email:
- Increases customer engagement
- Improves credibility
- Increases trust
- Enhances professionalism
- Supports digital identity
OSM: One of The Best Canadian Web Hosting Providers
Looking for a local and reliable web hosting provider in Ontario? You’ve found it!
Our OSM team has offered web design, management and hosting services since 1997.
We feel honoured to work with such incredible companies in our community over the last 25 years.
We’ve built incredible websites and even more incredible relationships over the years. And we look forward to continuing to support our local businesses in Ontario for many years to come!
OUR WEB HOSTING PACKAGES AT OSM:
TOP 6 BENEFITS OF OUR WEB HOSTING SERVICES:
- We update our servers regularly for improved performance and security.
- Our servers offer optimized security reinforcement with Firewalls and Mod Security rules.
- We monitor each server's install base and usage closely - adjusting as needed to ensure top site speed.
- Our servers are constantly monitored via sonar monitoring. If any service fails to respond to a sonar check, our on-site, 24/7 support staff are immediately notified. While problems are extremely rare, this monitoring minimizes any potential downtime. It is how we guarantee 99.9% Network Uptime!
- We secure each of our websites with TLS 1.2/1.3 connections and basic SSL certificates.
- Genuine human support by ticket, email, phone and online documentation.
To learn more about our hosting services, call (613) 969-2626 or visit us online.
Why Invest In a Custom Website Design Company?
Why Invest In a Custom Website Design Company?
Investing in a website for your business is a must in 2023. But investing in a CUSTOM website design company? That value is unmatched!
Picture your physical office location:
How much effort do you put into designing your office, entrance, landscaping, lobby, etc.?
If you’re like most business owners, you’ve invested a good chunk of the budget in your office design.
And you weren’t wrong to do so!
After all, your office location is many things:
- It’s the first impression of your business to visitors.
- It’s an advertisement for your company for passersby.
- It’s where you conduct the majority of your business.
Unsurprisingly, investing in the design of your company’s central location has a high ROI (return on investment) potential.
And, you guessed it, the same goes for your website!
That’s why business owners invest in their office design - to ensure their central business location is professional, comfortable and approachable.
Keep reading to discover how valuable a custom website design is for your business.
Strong First Impression
Visitors form a first impression of your website design in 50 milliseconds.
That’s just 0.05 seconds!
This means in under 1 second, your website visitor has already created a mental image of your brand.
Whether that’s a good image or bad, it’s there to stay!
That’s how powerful a first impression is. It can cause visitors to stay on your page or leave it for a competitor’s site.
Good web design is crucial in catching visitors’ attention and keeping it.
That’s why a custom website design company skillfully implements:
- Quick page loads,
- Stunning visual design,
- Easy navigation and accessibility,
- Intuitive layout, etc.
Brand Consistency
Consistent branding can increase your revenue by up to 23%!
Consistency is the key to making your brand both professional and recognizable.
Think of a well-known, easily-recognizable brand like No Frills.
You can spot a No Frills from miles away by just a few key factors:
- Font
- Brand Colouring
- Imagery
You expect to see large block font, a bright yellow building, and a bunch of bananas!
These brand elements are what makes No Frills so familiar to us. They make it easy to find and recognize.
But more than that, these elements help nurture customer trust and loyalty.
Customers know what to expect when they walk into a No Frills. They’ve come to depend on the familiarity of the environment.
Creating a consistent and easily recognizable brand is crucial in establishing trust.
That’s where a custom website design company comes in!
A professional web designer creates a consistent design throughout your entire website. This ensures a cohesive experience for your visitors - no matter what page they’re on!
Increased Credibility
75% Of users judge a company’s credibility based solely on its visual design.
Good visual design helps increase brand credibility.
For example, imagine if a website had a poor design, difficult navigation and unreadable fonts. You would, most likely, deem that site unprofessional. It may even bring you to question its legitimacy.
A good website design company knows how vital credibility is to your brand. They work to create a platform that not only reflects your brand well but encourages its viewers to trust it.
Improved Searchability and Ranking
Before purchasing, 70-80% of consumers research a company online.
It goes without saying that your website should be optimized for web searching. How else are people going to land on your page?
A searchable site needs to meet specific SEO (search engine optimization) standards.
For example, code, content and design all affect the searchability and ranking of your site. Ensuring these elements meet the necessary standards helps search engines crawl and index your pages.
This means that when looking for a good custom website design company, you need to ensure that it
- Follows current SEO guidelines, and
- Includes an SEO intro package.
Reduced Bounce Rate
If your website content and layout are unattractive, about 38% of people stop engaging.
High web traffic is a great start. But traffic that converts is even better!
To bring people to your website and keep them there, you’ll need to invest in some bounce-rate-reducing factors:
- Reduced page load time.
- Increased accessibility and legibility.
- Responsiveness.
- Attractive colours and headings.
- Improved content readability and format.
- Simplified site navigation.
Your custom website design company checks off each of these criteria!
Increased Potential For Traffic, Leads and Conversions
All the above elements combined create a quality website with a high potential to
- Attract traffic,
- Hold attention,
- Encourage engagement, and
- Convert leads!
Your Local Custom Website Design Company in Belleville, Ontario
At OSM, we’re pleased to offer a full suite of web design services! We offer everything you need to ensure your site is search-engine friendly and built for high conversion rates.
Our web designers have ample experience working with a variety of industries. We’ve worked with landscapers, family care centres, community events, HVAC companies and more!
We understand how essential it is to create a website that’s unique, customer-driven and visually stunning. And we’ll do everything it takes to get your website there!
Our designers meet with you to discuss your vision and identify your goals. Then they’ll work their magic!
Ready to start your project?
Give us a call at 613-969-0626 or browse our web design packages online!
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PO Box 1649, Belleville PO CSC
ON K8N 0A5
