When you are thinking about web design for your Canberra business it is tempting to take it into your own hands. Your business is your baby. You’re the one who’s been there from the beginning, you’ve been doing everything from answering the phones to processing the accounts from day one. Why shouldn’t you use a free website builder like WIX?

Well, there are so many reasons. Most important to remember is that you get what you pay for. So, what are you getting when you don’t pay? Here are the top three reasons you shouldn’t use WIX for your business website:

1 – WIX is free and easy

Now, these might sound like good things. But free and easy are not what you should be looking for in a website. WIX doesn’t know what your customers want, or what Google is looking for either.

WIX makes it easy to gloss over important website elements such as search engine optimisation. Google is interested in your page titles, your content and the structure of your site. WIX doesn’t tell you any of this nor makes it easy to edit the way Google sees (and therefore ranks) these parts of your website.

2 – Web design with Canberra Web will evolve and grow

Building a website isn’t supposed to be easy. Forget what WIX is telling you. Website building, digital marketing and website design are complex areas. They are also changing and evolving all the time. The way people use the internet changes over time. The way Google sorts and ranks content on the web changes daily.

Therefore, you need to work with a web design Canberra based business who can help you build an integrated and high performing site for today and one which will take your business into the future. Your relationship with your website builder should be an ongoing one. As your products change and your customers change so too should your website. A high-quality full-service web site builder like Canberra Web will also be monitoring how your website is ranking and how it’s being used. This allows them to make continuous adjustments to keep you at the top of your game, and your website at the top of search engine results.

3 – WIX isn’t a free website building platform

A WIX website is only free if you are happy to have their banner ad at the top of every page of your site. This takes up valuable space at the top of your web page which could be being used to promote your business and complement your branding. It also tells every visitor that you have scrimped on your website build and design. So where else are you cutting corners in your business?

The only way to get rid of the WIX banner ads is to sign up for a monthly payment plan. You also can’t add Google Analytics to a free WIX website. So something that seemed like a free and easy option isn’t free at all.

A fraction of a second can make a huge difference to your website. Sensational content and fast speeds define a great site, so if it takes a long time for your web page to become visible to a user, you need to do some tinkering. If your site is slow, it can severely dent your traffic and revenue. Here are three ways a slow website loading speed is bad for business.

1. Poor Google rank

Google’s mission is to make web browsing as fast and efficient as possible. That's why when ranking websites, Google takes loading speed into consideration. In fact, <a href="https://medium.freecodecamp.org/website-loading-speed-optimization-in-2018-bananas-e66cc85df8dd">47% of online users</a> expect pages to load in just two seconds. As such, sites with speeds of less than two seconds may lose traffic because Google may reduce the number of visitors it redirects to it. That can significantly harm your online business, so if you want to be up there in the top search results, improve your load time.

2. Low conversion rates

The first step to making conversions, whether it's subscriptions or sales, is to nurture your inbound traffic. But if your site has a slow load speed, you are driving your visitors away. Consider the fact that 40% of users will abandon a site if it takes more than three seconds to load up. In the digital age, no one is willing to wait longer than they need to, which could compromise conversions and lead to a high bounce rate that sends your potential customers to your competition.

3. Poor UX

Visitors will judge your business and the quality of your product by their experience on your website. If your site is slow to load or difficult to navigate, they will equate this user experience (UX) with you as a brand, which could cause your reputation to plummet. Not only that, a slow site speed can mean features on your pages loading at different rates, leading to frustration when users try to click a link only for the page to 'jump', causing them to be directed somewhere they didn't intend. Introduce an attractive web design built around the user experience and with a fast loading speed and you will create an impression of professionalism, efficiency and reliability.

Improve your load speed

You can test how fast your website loads using a free website speed tester . Some tips to improve your speed include compressing the size of images, videos and graphics, tidying up your web design, enabling browser caching, and reconsidering your hosting service.

If it's time to revamp your website so that it loads faster in 2018 and beyond, Canberra Web has an efficient team of web builders you can trust to build and maintain quality websites that never disappoint. We offer services like web hosting, digital marketing and web design Canberra wide, so get in touch today.

In today's modern world the internet moves fast, and you can't afford to be left behind. Understanding that your website is your online storefront is key to making sure your website is up to date both visually and technologically. You may love the design that was developed a few years ago but what about your new and current customers? Let’s take a fresh look at three ways your outdated website is hurting your business.

Loss of customers

When your website is outdated it can also suggest to potential customers that your business is outdated. In 2019, where people live through their phones and can find anything they need anywhere, anytime, it’s important to stay up to date with current trends and be the business that everyone surfs the web for. It is a high priority that your website evolves and grows with your business. If your website content is not in line with your brand, then your business may be losing customers.

Your competitors look like they know what they are on about

Your competitors' websites are current, up to date and are excelling in a world where people are attracted by iconography first and the tone of your content second - ultimately, these customers are going to your competitors because they look good. Your competitors have great graphic design, amazing web content and brilliant app development. This then tells your customers the competitor knows what they are on about more than you.

You are not at the top of your customers' search engine

Not updating your content regularly results in your business dropping in search results, which leads to no new business. Making sure your website is optimised with regular content creation, web hosting and search engine optimisation is imperative to keeping your website up to date.

Not sure where to start? Let Canberra Web help you bring your website up to date. Canberra Web are a team of experts that build and maintain websites, keeping it current, on trend and search engine optimised. Call us today for the best web design, SEO, web hosting, graphic design and content creation Canberra has to offer.

Don't get left behind by SEO trends

You may not think the worlds of SEO and fashion are very similar, but they do have one major feature that is almost identical: trends.

Just as what comes down the catwalk is the latest and greatest in fashion innovation, so too is it crucial that your search engine optimisation strategy is designed for today. That's because the digital world is racing ahead at a rate of knots, and not riding that wave will simply leave you lagging behind on those all-important listings.

So here are the latest SEO trends that you can't afford to miss:

1. Social - It's no surprise that social media is number 1 on this list, but you may not realise just how important the major search engines like Google now consider it to be. In fact, the lines between 'web' and 'social media' are now almost completely blurred, as the search engines use links to social networks as a crucial sign to a relevant and credible business.
2. Video - That's right, the big mover of 2019 was video. Short and ultra-shareable moving images are now a powerful marketing tool and therefore a major SEO strategy, because they are superior by a factor of many multiples when it comes to Google rankings and click-throughs.
3. Mobile - Another obvious one, because more and more people are browsing with their hand-held devices. The search engines know this as well, so websites that are mobile optimised are rewarded.
4. Voice - Yet another big mover is voice searching - because searching by text is just so passé. People online are quickly learning that their voice is an easy and effective way to search for what they're looking for, so when you're making that content, you need to make sure it's voice-search optimised.
5. Aggregation - Your customers in 2019 are always looking for that short-cut, and one way to do that is with content aggregators. As a result, aggregators are high on search engine results pages - so you need to be there too.
6. Apps- Your website is still important, but do you have an app as well? People online are now spending at least 50% of their time on apps, and this number is growing.

For more ideas about SEO trends and how they can be best used for your business, contact the specialists in digital marketing, Canberra Web, today.

Chances are, the first time a new browser visits your website, it'll be via a smartphone or tablet. If your site isn't optimised for mobile devices, then you're likely to lose them quickly. The easiest way to avoid this is by employing a professional. Here are five reasons why.

Improve the user's experience

When you're running a business, your priority should be your customer. Never forget that your website represents an opportunity to win over visitors and convert them into loyal clients. If someone jumps on, only to find that your site is difficult to read, frustrating to browse and unresponsive, then what impressions are you conveying? By optimising your website for mobile use, you ensure that the user's experience is smooth, enjoyable and convenient, in any context.

Go faster

If a website isn't optimised for mobile use, then it can be annoyingly slow. In these time-poor days, no one wants to wait around for pages to load and links to work. If you get a professional to take care of mobile optimisation, then you won't have to worry. The site will load as quickly and easily on smartphones and tablets as it will on desktop computers.

Boost SEO for mobile searches

Search engine optimisation works differently for mobile searches as it does for those conducted on desktop computers. For example, Google, one of the world's most popular search engines, recommends that sites should be responsive for mobile or, if that's not possible, built in HTML. Talk to an expert on web design in Canberra to work out which path is best for your business.

Best the competition

In these competitive days, no business owner can rest. If your site doesn't perform on mobile devices, then it's likely to drop behind those that do. This is a risk you shouldn't take if you're serious about success.

Mobile optimisation is complicated

Some DIY website providers offer DIY mobile optimisation as an option. However, really effective optimisation isn't straight-forward. It calls for an expert, who can address every issue, from responsive design to speed, in terms of both pages and hosting. And these are just the tip of the iceberg.

Get in touch with the team at Canberra Web today.

Is it fast? Is it functioning correctly? Is my API available? These are some of the things to look out for in monitoring your website’s uptime. The slightest delay in page response can significantly reduce conversion rates. Here are five reasons why you should monitor your website.

1. For best search results ranking

Search rankings are significantly affected by both the speed and the downtime of your website. Constant downtime issues that last for a day or more can result in Google ranking you poorly in their search results. Monitoring can ensure that such problems are resolved in the shortest time possible and that you obtain the best search results ranking.

2. To keep customers happy

Happy and satisfied customers keep coming back. Web hosting in Canberra can assure high levels of uptime; so that clients with subscriptions and those that access services from your website are not disappointed. Downtime issues that remain unresolved for a prolonged period can negatively affect customer satisfaction. Remember that your competitors are just a click away.

3. To detect hackers fast

Hackers can gain unauthorised access, set up malicious codes, and derail your website’s uptime. Monitoring your website ensures that hacking is detected fast and further access is denied. The consequences of minutes of downtime can never be underestimated.

4. To protect brand image

A positive brand image is critical to the success of any business and protecting it is vital. The user experience on your website can significantly define the life or death of your brand image. The reputation of your online business can be jeopardised by frequent downtimes. Continually monitoring the website is the best way to safeguard your image and prevent potential hazards.

5. To evaluate your hosting company

Monitoring your site’s loading speed and its uptime can tell you a lot about your current hosting company. Poor infrastructure can result in downtime for unacceptable periods and may mean that it is time to search for quality web hosting in Canberra.

Canberra Web has a specialised team of web designers that build and maintain websites. We handle graphic design, web development, content creation, search engine optimisation, and web hosting. Call us today for all your website needs in Canberra.

Whether you already have a website or you’re in the process of creating a new website design, avoiding making some common mistakes is crucial. Here’s a list of six common mistakes that many websites make.

1. Not planning your website

It may sound obvious, but many people don’t spend enough time planning their website; what should it look like, who is the target market, how will the website be launched and promoted, and how does the website evolve over time?

2. Longer isn’t always better

Don’t assume that the text on the pages of your website needs to be long to be effective. A long page with a lot of text can require too much concentration from a reader, and you simply won’t be able to hold their attention.

3. Not standing out from your competitors

If you’re promoting a product or service and that’s all your website focuses on, you won’t stand out from your competitors. It’s vital that your website contains something unique; put your personality into your website.

4. What do you want users to do?

It’s crucial that your website contains a clear call to action. It’s not just enough that a reader has found your website, you need to guide them in the direction of what you want them to do next; do you want them to call you, contact you for a brochure?

5. Not configuring your website for all devices

In a time when many people are permanently glued to their smartphones or tablets, it’s critical to make sure that your website is compatible with all devices; desktops, tablets, and smartphones.

6. Forgetting that SEO is king

Your website can look amazing, but if you haven’t allowed for SEO in your design, your website can become lost in the thousands of others just like yours on the internet. If you’re not an expert in SEO, leave it to a professional to help make sure your website is discoverable.

These common mistakes can be avoided by simply contacting an expert in web design that Canberra businesses can rely on.

Canberra Web is your local, specialised team of web designers who design, build and maintain premium quality websites. Their friendly, efficient staff will provide you with the highest level of service, with regular after-sales maintenance, and all at an affordable price. What more could you ask for?

If you are planning to sell products online – whether it’s your homemade wares, products you’ve imported from overseas, or items from a local supplier, it pays to do your research and choose an online shop service that suits your needs.

Why you should avoid the freebies

If your online shop design is free, there’s a chance it isn’t that great. As usual, you get what you pay for, and there is normally a reason it’s free – it’s because the quality isn’t as good as the paid versions.

Free online shops might seem convenient but you have little control in the running of your website.

Things like the security of your storefront and the construction of your website are all under the control of the website builder, which can cause you hassles further down the line.

Freebies come with a catch

The problem with using free websites is that they have downsides for the free price tag. These downsides include displaying their ads on your website. Even some of the low-cost paid versions of some shopping sites still feature ads.

Not great for SEO

Free online shop fronts, such as WIX, also aren't a great website option if you want users to find your store – they aren’t optimised for search well and so your business could get lost in the online noise.

Design options are limited

Because you don’t have control over the HTML on your WIX website, your design options are limited too. You also can’t link apps and plugins to the site, like you can with other better website building options.

Why other options are better

If you decide to go with websites such as WordPress, which you can host yourself, you will have much more control over your storefront. This control includes being able to dictate the HTML code that is used to create your shop front. The free sites like WIX don’t give you these options.

So if you want to remain in control of your online shop, it’s best to go with options such as WordPress and Joomla to build your site. We find these website building options are great for keeping a corporate blog too, as all the blog functions are already built into the structure of the websites.

Shop fronts that work well

We build lots of online shops using Magento, Open Cart, Mojo Shop and Woo Commerce because we find these companies give us the most options we need for shop front creation.

Are you looking to build an online shop? Then get in contact with our friendly staff today and we will show you how we can assist with your WordPress design in Canberra.

3 Steps to better SEO and content

3 Steps to make your website count in Canberra and beyond! 

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a big part of what we do here at CanberraWeb. So we thought we would take a moment to outline the broad strokes of how to achieve better rankings on search engines, and appear higher on the lists, becoming more likely to be visited.

Step 1: Create trusted material

With Google's updates to their algorithms, the importance of trust cannot be understated. To improve how trusted your site is, develop content that is relevant to your site's purpose, and embed links naturally and when necessary, as any excessive or unnatural links will be picked up and punished by Penguin. Focus on what you want to share with your reader, rather than on collecting more views.

Step 2: Create unique material

You have something to share that is valuable and unique. If you want to draw positive attention from web browsers and the good graces of Panda and Penguin, rely on your knowledge and skills. Rather than using unnatural links, keywords and duplicated text from your own site or other sites, be original.

Step 3: Create quality material

Quality over quantity in all things. Though Panda assesses hundreds of factors, its primary purpose is to establish a sense of the quality of your site. How it judges this is up to debate, but it is generally accepted that it looks down on excessive keywords and anchor text (words with a hyperlink attached), and large numbers of pages with thin content rather than in-depth material. Try to focus your web pages on sharing valuable information with your viewers. Hold their attention with the quality of your work. If you do, you will get them coming back for more and they will naturally link to your site, creating more trust in your website as a result. More quality leads to more trust, which leads to more views!

If this article has helped, or if you have any questions, contact us or leave a comment.

If you are interested in SEO and want more information on how to improve your web traffic, contact us for all your web design needs and web hosting in Canberra on (02) 6223 2222.

Our address is: 5/47-49 Vicars St, Mitchell ACT 2911

4 ways content is the key to your website

When it comes to getting your website built, there are many important elements to consider. There's the actual platform and design, the functionality and navigation, the host, the content management system, an online shop, a social media strategy - and more.

But do you want to know what the most underrated but absolutely crucial element of that entire website design is? One word: content.

That's right, so many Canberra Web clients come to us asking for slick, modern and above all simple website designs - and there's certainly nothing wrong than that. But we're consistently blown away by how clients will often want to sacrifice content to achieve a minimal but visually stunning site.

But here's what we tell them about the incredible importance of content:

1. Information
   
   Above all else, 'content' is just another way to say 'information' - and that's pretty much why your website visitor is trying to find you in the first place. Remember - they want your details and they want to know about your product or service, and the most direct way to transmit that information is through simple, easy-to-find, high quality and easy-to-understand content. Not just that, the all-important 'Call To Action' - where you actually ask your visitors to stop just reading and actually do something - is only possible within content.
   
   
2. Search engines
   
   But before that visitor even gets to your site, they need to find it - and that's where the trusty search engine comes in. One of the best ways websites communicate with search engines is through content. So bear in mind that your content is being written not just for your customers eyes, but specifically for the search engine - so make sure it's on-point and accurately describing what your website is all about, so the search engine knows what to do with that information.
   
   
3. Keywords
   
   To this end, your content should also bear in mind the sort of keywords that search engine users might be typing into their browsers. This is all part of your search engine optimisation strategy, and content plays a huge role. A page of content with targeted keywords is the clearest and easiest way for a search engine to match your website with its search results and the best possible potential visitor.
   
   
4. Internal links
   
   You'll also notice that website content often includes internal links - a hyperlinked gateway to other pages within a site. This is an easy way for your users to navigate through the most important parts of your website, easily finding what they are looking for. Internal links are also liked by search engines, helping the ever more sophisticated technology to understand what your site is about and how it should be presented in listings.

Finally, great content is quite simply one of the easiest ways to attract, entertain and keep visitors to your site, demonstrating its high quality and value. The team at Canberra Web knows all about how important content is as we do the web design Canberra clients have trusted for years, so get in touch today to find out more.

Once you have perfected your landing page, sorted your ideal website content and figured out your structure, there is just one thing you need to watch out for; zombie pages. Zombie pages, or dead pages, can be responsible for reduced traffic, can make your website appear cluttered and can affect your placement on search engine pages.

Zombie pages can be deadly for your SEO but don't panic, there are a number of ways that you can save your site from these necrotic nuisances. These pages are referred to as zombie pages because they can infect the rest of your site if you're not careful. These pages tend to be laden with information that is of no interest to your customers and therefore is not being searched for. Miring your website with uninteresting information will drag you down search engine pages like a lead balloon.

What does leaving these pages alone mean for your SEO? Well, search engines rank pages by relevance, performance metrics and traffic flow. If there is a page on your site that receives no traffic flow at all it won't matter if your other pages are buzzing like a gridlocked highway, they will be tainted by your dead page.

Identify whether or not a page is infected by checking its unique page views, avg. time spent on the page, total visits and any other metrics that you like to focus on. If they are extremely low to non-existent you likely have a zombie page on your hands. Next, you must consider if the page is worth trying to save or if it simply needs to be buried. If you feel the public need the information on the page, consider restructuring your copy and using internal links to improve traffic. You could link to the page from a more popular page, letting your customers know that there is further information on a certain subject available. Drawing customers to your dead page may improve your SEO.

Otherwise, simply remove the page and any trace of it from your website and move on. Perhaps relocate any information you deem completely necessary to another page but be careful, you may end up accidentally spreading the infection with pointless and uninteresting info.

If you are at all unsure about digital marketing Canberra-based, have a chat to one of our specialists at Canberra Web and we will provide you with professional and practical solutions.

We're Canberra's digital marketing specialists

Struggling to be found online? Want to build brand awareness and increase conversions with the products or services you sell? Digital marketing is the answer!

At CanberraWeb, we are the digital marketing specialists and have the expertise to make your business stand out from your competitors in a crowded online market.

Be found by the right audience

Our consultants will meet with you face-to-face to assess your digital marketing needs, based on your budget and goals, then develop a digital marketing strategy and campaign to help you reach your target audience.

Turn traffic into revenue

While you might have the latest and greatest products available, which should make your company sought after in your industry, unless the right online traffic is directed to your sales platform, your revenue won't increase. Which is where we come in. We use search engine optimisation (SEO) and paid search engine marketing campaigns to boost your online ranking so your target market will find you, converting traffic into dollars!

How we market your business online:

• SEO
  
  By incorporating specialised SEO techniques in your website, social media and other platforms, we will help your company be found by Google and other search engines for the products or services you sell.
  
  
• Google AdWords campaign management
  
  Otherwise known as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, Google will place your ad where your target market can see it, and you only pay when your ad gets selected. We will set up your Google AdWords campaign and tailor your advertising spend based on results. You also have control over when you start and end your campaign, so you're not locked in permanently.
  
  
• Social media management and campaigns
  
  Social media is a fantastic way to reach and connect with a vast online audience. We can manage all of your social media platforms including: Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter, as well as create paid campaigns that will effectively reach your target market.
  
  
• Email marketing campaigns
  
  Email marketing campaigns are an essential marketing tool to target your client database with sales offers, news or information. We can set up and create email marketing campaigns to help you increase revenue or engage your clients more effectively.

Let our team of digital marketing specialists in Canberra help you increase your online business today! We will customise our services to more efficiently meet your digital marketing needs. Call our professional team to arrange a consultation and start reaping the financial rewards!

5 reasons to skip Wix for your new website

Just as there are many ways to skin a cat, there are actually thousands of ways to build a website.

So if you're doing some 'How to build a website' research, you may have come across a three-letter solution that sounds tempting: Wix.

Actually, Wix is pretty popular when it comes to 'drag and drop' websites. But it's not all beer and skittles.

On the face of it, Wix seems pretty tempting. It's a turn-key website solution, you use all of their tools to build your site, it then sits on the Wix servers and you handle everything from the admin controls.

So what's the issue? Looks look at what's wrong with Wix:

1. Lack of control
   
   If you want to be able to fully control every aspect of your site and use advanced features as they become available, Wix will let you down. Yes, it's easy and convenient, but Wix websites are a bit of a straight-jacket.
   
   
2. Cost
   
   Wix is pricier than comparable others in the market, like Squarespace and Weebly. And when you think about the cost of hosting your own WordPress site, then Wix really is costly, without even offering a lot of bandwidth or storage.
   
   
3. Design
   
   So even with the easy 'drag and drop' format, you'll still get frustrated when designing with Wix. That's because it will actually let you drop anywhere, even if it's a really silly place. This means it can take ages to get a design that actually looks professional.
   
   
4. The apps
   
   If you want to go beyond the standard features, you'll need to use the Wix app store. But you may be disappointed: are they really great apps or simply Iframes - a 'window' that is not really your site at all?
   
   
5. SEO
   
   To get people on your site, you need to appear in Google results. But the Google 'bots' don't seem to like Wix due to the way it presents content with the technology that is called Ajax. In short, a normal HTML site is more Google-friendly.

Of course, everyone has their opinion, but here at Canberra Web, we think there are far better options. If you're looking for quality web design in Canberra, get in touch with the professionals today.

Ensuring good quality SEO across your eCommerce store is important in helping you to drive quality traffic and to increase your store’s sales. However, eCommerce SEO is by no means simple. In fact, one of the most crucial elements of the puzzle is having a store that is fully SEO-friendly from the ground up. So, if you’re in the process of looking to get a store built, here are the four top ways in which a web developer is your best choice for building it.

1. Ensuring an SEO-friendly architecture

When you’re dealing with hundreds or thousands of products, you can't just go ahead and add them all in and then deal with organising them afterwards. Instead, a web developer can ensure your site has an architecture that is fully scalable and allows you to quickly and easily add new products. More importantly, your site will be easily crawlable by Google bots who need to rank the content.

2. A focus on keyword optimisation

Keyword optimisation is what helps your store to rank for product searches similar to what you stock. This will be a key element in your ongoing eCommerce SEO efforts but is very important from the start. Any good eCommerce developer who understands SEO will be able to assist you in including keywords in important pages and organising your content accordingly.

3. A mobile-friendly solution

One of the biggest Google ranking factors these days is how mobile-friendly your store is. More searches begin on mobile devices than on desktop, so any successful eCommerce store needs to be fully responsive across all devices. An experienced developer can help you achieve exactly this.

4. Helping to minimise file sizes

With so many products to include and lots of multimedia, it’s easy for your pages to become very large and slow to load. Properly minimising file sizes is crucial in eCommerce SEO success. Nobody wants to wait around for slow product pages to load and Google picks up on this when deciding where to rank content.

Essentially, by hiring a professional web developer to build your eCommerce store, you can ensure that your site has a strong SEO-ready foundation from which you can build on. That’s where Canberra Web comes in. Our design agency has spent years building custom eCommerce solutions for companies across all industries. By working with Magento, WooCommerce, Opencart and Mojo Shop, we can ensure all of our solutions are 100% bespoke and SEO friendly from the start. To find out more about our web design Canberra service, contact our friendly team today.

While having a website that delivers the best user experience is integral to online consumers, without effective search engine optimisation (SEO) features built into the design of your site won't perform optimally in online searches. For Google and other search engines to index your website when consumers are looking for the specific products or services your company supplies, it's crucial that it's built with an SEO-friendly design. To help ensure you achieve a user-friendly design for your company website, here are some important factors you need to consider:

Relevant domain name

The domain name you select for your website should relate to what you do for it to be SEO friendly. For example, if you are a builder in Cairns then a relevant domain would be www.cairnsbuilder.com.au. Also, having too many keywords in your domain generally won't help you rank higher in online searches.

Hosting

Having the right hosting is essential for an SEO-friendly website. Hosting is directly related to your website's loading speed, which is important for a site to be indexed higher in online searches. The reason for this is because of user experience. Often websites that take a long time to load have a faster bounce rate, which is consumers leaving the site.

CMS

Your content management system (CMS) plays a major role in whether your website has an SEO-friendly design. Depending on the type of website you require there are different types of CMS that are more suitable. For example, WordPress is a great choice of CMS for blog sites, whereas for online shops Joomla, Magento, Open Cart and Mojo Shop are some leading alternatives.

Navigation

Navigation is another important element for SEO in your website design. With a well-structured website, your navigation will work efficiently with all of the components, from the URLs to the XML sitemaps, to help search engines and consumers identify the meaning of each page.

These are some of the many factors to consider for an SEO-friendly website. For Canberra web design and web hosting contact Canberra Web today.

4 Reasons DIY Web Builders Aren't Worth The Effort

DIY web builders appear to offer a complete package, but, once you look beyond the surface, there are a whole host of problems with them which mean they just aren't worth the time and effort you need to put in to get the most out of them.

Here are four issues with DIY web builders:

1. Dedicated apps beat mobile sites 
   
   It's true that DIY web builders like Wix can offer the tools needed for you to optimise your site for mobile viewers. However, once you've got past the clunky and time-consuming editing of every single page of your site to make sure they all respond perfectly on mobiles and tablets, you might still find that this isn’t enough.
   
   Apps are at the heart of digital marketing for many companies, and they offer a host of benefits a simple mobile site can’t: push and in-app notifications sent direct to the user, more personalisation and user customisation, user engagement data, the ability to use the device’s features, and adding to brand identity and presence. What’s more, research shows that people prefer using apps to mobile sites, so without an app, you're missing out.
   
   
2. Nice design can't hide bad content
   
   Having a site that looks pretty is just the first hurdle to get over — DIY website builders don’t help you when it comes to content. The appearance of the site is, of course, important, particularly for a user's first impressions. But to get people to click through to your site in the first place, you need good rankings on search engines. A DIY web builder's template might look nice, but it's not going to give you the optimised content you need to get onto page one every time.
   
   Unless you already have a team of talented copywriters at your disposal, you’re going to need to craft well-written, original copy that is engaging and grammatically correct. If you’re a business person, not a writer, this is likely be a painful and time-consuming endeavour.
   
   
3. Having complete control is complicated
   
   Only a few of the DIY web builders out there allow you to design your site from scratch, and, of these, only a handful are even worth considering. Wix is possibly the best well known of the design-from-scratch builders, and it does give you a fair amount of control over the look of your site. However, this comes at a price — the user interface is often littered with buttons and boxes. This, in particular, can be very confusing for web design novices.
   
   There is little sense to some of Wix's customisation features — you have to head to two different menus to customise the same feature, for example. Also, there are no global style options — if you change the font for one heading, you have to go through changing all the other headings individually for a cohesive look, which is needlessly time-consuming.
   
   
4. Monolingual in a multilingual world
   
   In Canberra alone, over 30 languages other than English are spoken by people at home, and that’s without considering the international reach that your site might have. Our world is no longer just digital, it is truly global, and that's why it’s incredibly important to have multilingual functionality on your website.
   
   Multilingual capability is something DIY web builders just can’t offer to any kind of standard. Weebly is one of the few that offers this capability, but only through a partner app which is messy and confusing. Voog is decent, but the other aspects of the site let it down. There is no one DIY web builder which offers all-round quality, including multilingualism, meaning you'll have to compromise somewhere if you go down this DIY route.

At Canberra Web, we can offer smart solutions to the problems of DIY builders - for example, we're dedicated to offering you a superior SEO service and provide fully integrated app development Canberra. Contact us today to find out more about how we can help you.

DIY by simmons.kevin4208 licensed under Creative commons 4

What you need to know about your online store

Too many businesses today think that going online will net them instant profits. Platforms like Opencart,  Woo Commerce, Magento, and others make it easy for any business to sell online.

There are many factors businesses need to consider before they jump on the online store bandwagon.

1. Planning
   
   More often than not, businesses make the mistake that as long as they are Wi-Fi enabled, they can immediately open their online store. Most do not sit down to plan or to understand how the digital environment operates. Ensure you do this by consulting with an online shop builder beforehand.
   
   
2. SEO
   
   SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) or how much Google prioritises your website in its search results is important if you want your online store to succeed. If people can't see your store when they are searching they are not likely to buy from you.
   
   SEO is achieved through content, page titles, keywords, tags and links.
   
   
3. Platform
   
   Picking the right platform for your online store is another consideration. With so many free platforms in the Cloud today, how do you know which will give you the maximum result for minimum effort and cost?
   
   
4. Cost
   
   Do you know your cost? Hosting platforms may appear free but they usually come with a price tag if you want more features. Don’t end up in a situation where you’re slapped with a bill that you did not budget for.
   
   
5. Backend operations
   
   Backend operations are just as important as front-end sales. Your online store must be able to carry out all the activities involved in completing a purchase from order confirmation to payment, to delivery.
   
   
6. Social media
   
   Social media platforms are good supplementary selling tools. Have you decided how and what content you want to incorporate into your company’s social networking sites?
   
   
7. In-house or outsourced?
   
   Do you want a store customed designed for your business or are you happy with a shopping cart style site? Both have cost implications.

An online store can increase reach and improve sales but building one may involve quite a lot of work. Simply putting a store online will not guarantee you that people will flock to your site to buy from you. An effective online store requires careful planning and strategic choices.

For more information on how Canberra Web can help your business design a winning online store strategy, contact us today.

Effective Search Engine Optimisation for your website

Is your website lost online and not ranking in searches for the products or services you sell? Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the key to increasing your business's visibility, building brand awareness and reaching your target market, resulting in higher revenue. At CanberraWeb, we specialise in SEO and offer a broad scope of services to assist you in reaching your search engine marketing goals.

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is all about making your website or blog visible to Google and other search engines, like Bing and Yahoo, when your target market is searching online for the products or services you sell. Search engines use algorithms that are designed to analyse digital and social media marketing platforms looking for specific SEO content and features to identify and categorise your business. Without knowledge of effective SEO tactics, your target market may not find you.

How we target SEO:

• Consultation
  
  Our team will arrange an initial consultation with you to discuss your needs and business, before creating SEO solutions and affordable pricing that fits your budget.
  
  
• Audit and website optimisation
  
  Next we perform an SEO audit of your site and identify errors based on a 100-point checklist. From there we develop an action plan on how to effectively resolve any issues.
  
  
• Keyword analysis and assessment
  
  Keywords are vital for your business to be found online, but it's important to know which have more traction with your target market than others, when they are looking for specific products or services. Our SEO experts will research and assess industry keywords, then incorporate those used more frequently in industry searches within your website.
  
  
• Content marketing
  
  Fresh and engaging content that reaches your target market is vital to convert online. Our content writers have the technical ability and knowledge to develop SEO friendly content for your website, based on keyword analysis.
  
  
• Optimisation of local search engines
  
  If your business relies on local business, we will focus on ensuring you appear in local searches by your target market - so you'll be found by Canberra residents.
  
  
• Targeted link marketing
  
  We will also add credible links to support your SEO content, improving brand awareness and visibility.
  
  
• Monitoring analytics and reporting
  
  Our team will assess analytics to see how our SEO tactics are working for you, and tailor our SEO campaign based on the results.

Contact CanberraWeb for an SEO audit and consultation today! See how we can improve your ranking and market visibility.

As a business owner in this digital age, you know that a high-quality website that runs quickly and displays well on the most commonly used browsers is an absolute must. You probably also already know that you’re not going to get this if you use a free online website builder. When it comes to quality website design, you definitely get what you pay for. But a website isn’t the only thing your business needs.

Your website needs exceptional graphics and high-quality, accurate content that is optimised for search engines (referred to as Search Engine Optimisation or SEO). If you want a good reach (and who doesn’t?), you’ll also need social media marketing. For those of you trading online, a reliable and robust e-commerce system is a must and for those of you with a physical presence, you’ll benefit from print marketing in addition to your online presence. You might even be in the market for some app development.

I can hear you thinking that sourcing a specialist for each of these discrete services is a daunting task. You’re probably already feeling overwhelmed by the thought of having to find the time to hunt down providers that will not only do a good job but will also work seamlessly with each other to ensure a consistent brand for your business. Well, stop right there! You don’t need to spend days or weeks researching the best providers. Here at Canberra Web, we provide every one of those services and more.

Our specialists not only excel at providing quality products in each of the above service areas, they also work together seamlessly as a team to ensure a hassle-free experience. No matter where you’re located we can service this wide range of needs remotely but for those of you in the Canberra area, you can talk to our staff in person for that extra, personal touch.

So if you need services that cover one or more of web design, web hosting, app development, graphic design, digital marketing, and print, and most especially if you’re looking for a provider in Canberra, then look no further than Canberra Web. Call us today or come in for a visit - you’ll be so happy you did.

Digital marketing is easily one of the most important aspects of a business’s online success, and yet it is one of the most confusing concepts for website owners to master. As the leading digital marketing specialists in Canberra, we want to dispel the myths and answer all of your burning questions about digital marketing, SEO and Google AdWords Canberra business owners ask.

How long does SEO take to work?

While most people assume SEO is instant and believe that their website will be at the top of Google overnight, it's simply not the case. A well-implemented SEO campaign can take up to three months before it starts benefitting your website. However, we must stress well-implemented, because your success depends purely on the quality of your campaign and the execution.

If you have waited three months and your website isn’t performing as it should, review your SEO strategy, ideally with the help of a Canberra digital marketing specialist who can tailor your strategy in the right direction.

I have a small business; do I need digital marketing in Canberra?

The short answer is yes, but let us explain. Every business in Canberra, no matter what the size, needs a digital marketing strategy. In fact, you could argue that smaller businesses need digital marketing more than their larger equivalents, as they don’t have the word of mouth or recognisable branding.

The biggest mistake you can make is ignoring digital marketing in the hope that Google will do it for you. Every time you find a business on a Google map, or in a list of businesses near you, this has been set up by the business through digital marketing, not by an automated system at Google.

What’s the difference between an organic Google ranking and AdWords?

When you break down an organic ranking versus an AdWords ranking, an organic ranking is one that happens naturally, and AdWords is a paid advertisement, paid for by the business as a part of a careful marketing strategy.

The organic ranking comes from numerous factors working together to push your website higher up the Google ranking. This could be anything from your website design appeal, the specific service or product you offer, your meta descriptions and alt tags, to your social media campaigns and word of mouth. Where it may sound appealing to rank organically, this can take years of work, strategizing and leveraging success. This is the opposite of Google AdWords which offers almost immediate results.

What do I need to get started with AdWords?

The three biggest things you need to get your Google AdWords started is a budget, a goal and AdWords knowledge.

As we mentioned before, Google AdWords are paid advertisements, so you need available capital to invest in the advertising. Secondly, you need to define the goals you want to achieve with your campaign. Do you want more traffic to one page specifically? Do you want to get more reservation? Or make more sales? Knowing what you want out of AdWords will help you tailor your ad and focus your efforts.

Lastly, knowing how to set up, operate and strategize using AdWords is vital. While physically setting up a campaign seems easy to do, the complexities behind targeting keywords, where to place your budget and when to manipulate your ad can be tricky. If you are looking to start a Google AdWords campaign in Canberra, contact us today, and we will guide you through the entire process, one on one, personalising your experience to your needs.