Walmart is changing its name - Business Insider
““Walmart is taking the word "stores" out of its name. The company announced Wednesday (Dec 6, 2016) that it's changing its official name from Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., to Walmart Inc., effective February 1, 2018. ... The stylistic change from Wal-Mart to Walmart means the name now matches the retailer's web address, Walmart.com.””
 
Why does this matter to you?  It’s my hope to prove that more consumers are finding what they need online and rejecting the effort of shopping on location more and more.  Where companies once searched far and wide for the prime real estate location to reach the most customers, they are now seeking prime real estate on search engines such as Google.  The NEW ‘top location’ is not the corner lot at Main and Elm, it’s the Google ranking and it’s only going to become more so!  For you, getting there is still very doable but you won't get there by accident!

​Usability is the wide ranging consideration of what goes into the web design such as: friendly user interface; speed; technical details; and security. Usability is the backbone of a quality web design because- if users don’t get what they are searching for, they tend to leave the site, increasing a very unwanted metric; bounce rate’ which can cause penalties by the Google bots. Moreover, if the pages are loading at a slower pace, loading should be under one second), users give up and leave the website.  So evaluating the usability of your website starts with the following:  the ease of finding information, existence of a search button for users, the time taken for pages to load, flexibility on different browsers, and mobility, how well your website works on other digital platforms such as mobile phones and tablets.

When it comes to content there are two key issues that you should consider: readability (font size, color against color) and usefulness (the knowledge based quality).   When it comes to readability, you have to ask yourself if the content on your webpage is in a readable font, in ideal size (should not be too small), and the style (artistic fonts and serifs can be irritating in short order.  Whether the background color is ideal and contrasting so that we aren’t straining to focus the words.  When the content is in a format that cannot be read by all users, boredom sets in quickly and the content suddenly becomes perceived as incompetent or plain unimportant. Usefulness of the content is a key feature that must be regarded when it comes to the evaluation of the quality of web design and moving towards web development. It is important to note that users have accessed your page with the core objective of benefiting from the information you share.  When evaluating the content, you should consider the uniqueness of the shared information, that it is not plagiarized or a retelling of the same old thing. Admittedly, it is difficult to confer your relevance and importance to the marketplace considering the amount of competitors who are all trying to say the same thing but it can always be done. This narrative is very related to your value proposition so it’s got to be good and fresh.  Also consider the relevance of the information, correctness and actuality of the content, and whether the content is in line with what users are searching for.

Human eyes are attracted to pleasing aesthetics or anything with a unique style, perhaps a well thought out presentation that has developed recently. Beauty may be relative when it comes to web design and development, but there are norms and rules that can be followed.  The best quality website style designs create impressions and visual appeal to users, and complement the content one is sharing. When evaluating the style of web design during web development it is important to consider the following: whether your web style aligns with the brand in terms of graphic and colors, whether the style of your website is consistent throughout the website, whether you have decorative or imaginative content, and whether the style meets the demands of the target audience.  ​

• It needs to convey an easy to understand and easy to handle interface.  No customer will spend time being frustrated and trying to figure out how things work.  Simple stupid works.
• Navigation is important in all styles and types of webpages and websites but none as important as eCommerce sites. 
• The website must begin to build trust immediately and taking that a step further, the trust of the content and branding begins to build loyalty. 
• And the final challenge is doing all of the above with a beautiful website which should be thoroughly enjoyable to visit when shopping.

 
Facts about online business.
 
30 to 35% of buyer visits come via organic listings on Google and Bing, which is not as high as service or trade websites, but it is a large factor nonetheless.  New businesses trying to break into the eCommerce sector are finding it more difficult to get traction, at least from the most popular keyword searches, which are more or less dominated by the big boys who have been in the market since its inception.  Leaning to less popular but effective longer tail keywords is a strategy that can work, finding those intriguing groups of words is the challenge, one that is always possible with the right research. 
 
When you take in all of the factors that will drive a successful store site, it’s easy to get intimidated by things like keeping it simple, but making the site attractive and engaging.  It’s not difficult because the same rules of shopping and navigating apply. When you think of retail shopping, most stores behave the same way whether you are in a clearance space or an exclusive clothing store.  The merchandise is displayed as attractively as possible, and the check-out is usually not hard to find.  Websites have a much easier time keeping inventories in order and strewn all over the floor after customers have rifled through the shelf or table.
 
Another major consideration is the product itself.  If it is a new product the same rules apply as if it were being sold retail.  Is it unique, in other words, what competitive advantage does this new product bring. It is incumbent on the Ecommerce site owner to find the way to spark interest, not only in creating visits, but in the ability to convert the visitor with the advantages of the product (pricing, uniqueness, availability), and a performing website.
 
The beauty of a website is all in the product presentation.  If you were selling tar, it’s likely the presentation would revolve around the results of paving such as a beautiful mountainous highway, not a glob of tar.  Products can be enhanced in so many ways through nice to look at packaging, uses of the product, nicely presented benefits and well thought out attractive strategies.  When a customer is jazzed about a product, they are not far from executing a purchase.  The last step is making that purchase super easy to accomplish. 
 
When you are looking to engage a company for an eCommerce build, or perhaps an update from a current website, make sure they primarily understand the web design aspect.  A website that works is one that appears professional, and most of all, trustworthy.  Unlike other types of businesses that rely on websites to deliver leads and contacts for sales, the store site relies on its attractive nature and bold product displays.  Once the design details are in place, there are many options for the eCommerce shopping cart, (the essence e of an online store business, as well as a proficient inventory content management | order processing |reporting tool needed to be successful.  .
 
Finally, you will need to stay engaged with your web designer.  It is essential that off page SEO work be done, especially in a competitive niche, but you also need to be very aware of the ongoing analytics.  Monitoring visitors and their habits will help you formulate the best site possible for your product and the habits of your customers.             ​

​Studies show 90% of all the clicks on a Google search go to the free, organic listings, predominately on the first page of the search results. Even within the first page the numbers tell a story - 71% of visitors will click down to the 5th ranked on the page, and are likelier to re-enter a query before going further. 
 
The thing to remember is that these organic clicks cost the website owner nada, zip, zero, zilch. (The clicks don't cost, but to be fair, the first page presence does cost on a monthly basis to maintain position).  The top search engine result get close to 6 times the clicks as compared to all of the Google Adwords ads combined on page one.  What’s left for paid ads then? A paltry 16% of all clicks finding their way to Google Paid Ads, or even worse, a searcher trying a different query, and maybe even throwing in the towel. 
 
So, while you, as a website owner using PPC, are paying every time a tire kicker clicks into your site from an Adwords ad, our clients are receiving many more clicks for free! One of the driving forces behind a searcher’s preference for an organic click is the trust factor.  Advertising seldom conveys trust, whereas an organic result is earned. 
 
Organic results refer to the way a website naturally settles into a slot after a keyword query. This is “organic” or “natural”.  Google is no different than any company wanting to provide a service, in their case, they want to give a user the most relevant and informative info, which in turn builds the trust factor.  It’s easy to see why organic results are so much more valuable.
 
Back to AdWords; so, you’re thinking:  “If Adwords ads are not delivering, why do folks continue to pay for them?” Right?
 
Adwords can still be quite profitable, there is no doubt about that when the ads are pin point directed, and targeting the right customer for your fit, and provided that you are in need of internet exposure you are not already experiencing.  If Adwords wasn’t profitable, Google would not experience repeat customers.
 
However, if it’s profitable to pay for 6% of the clicks that your ad shares with up to five other advertisers on the same (top of page), imagine how much more profitable it can be to get 36% of the clicks all to yourself for free when ranking upper first page!  We do not consider second page Google to be relevant in this discussion.   
 
If you‘re like most searchers, you much prefer to click on an organic results over clicking on the paid ads. So, simply paying for Google Ads to solve your internet presence problem is not enough.  The only thing that will solve it is prominent page one presence.  It’s been this way for years and no reason to believe it will change anytime soon.
 
In general, if you believe you are getting the most ‘bang for your dollar’ with your Google Adwords campaign, you couldn’t be more wrong.  Primarily because you are paying for expensive ads that, while providing some short term solutions and gratification, provide zero investment or value for lasting search visibility in the longer term.
 
Showing up on page one of the organic search result indicates that your website and your business are a driving force in that niche. And what consumer does not wish to engage with a credible business leader within their product, service or field?
 
Now it’s time to take your site the next level by ensuring you have started to do what it’s going to take to harness the full power of Search Engine Strategies.  Relying on AdWords is not the best way to move forward if you are looking for longer term steady growth both in the internet marketing world and as a company.  There are a glut of ways to draw traffic to your webpages besides Search Engine Strategies, but research indicates that that all other strategies do not stand up at all to the online organic search.

With web design itself the differences from one area to another may not be noticeable; what works in Mississauga will probably work in Markham as far as appearances are concerned.  But what may be different from one area to another factor is the content, specifics related to a particular location including ethnics, architecture, landscape and weather.

Let’s use Vaughan as an example.  Vaughan is widely populated with persons of varied backgrounds but has a large population of Italian and Spanish people. A local website would likely seek to speak to those people through design and content in subtle ways that make a visitor’s experience enjoyable.  In local SEO, a local restaurant or organization may be mentioned, or even an intersection or local attraction. It is difficult to talk about Vaughan and not discuss the fantastic pizza that one can get in any area of the city.  In order to enhance the experience for the website visitor, enhancing the site with pictures of the various areas and telling a story that relates to this great local market will tend to make the consumer feel the association with the particular business and of the community. Sure, price and quality are very important but loyalty is much more, and it begins with the internet experience, especially if that is where the consumer has opted in to shop.  They tend to get that neighborly feeling and the sense of trust, which in turn, increases the likelihood of acquiring a new, loyal customer.
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The trust factor when talking to your prospective clients cannot be overstated. There are hundreds of choices in most niches when marketing your product or service.  The combination of a knowledgeable website with shared community views, along with strong reviews, will guarantee the building of that trust.  Sometimes, all you have to do is sit back and ponder what makes yourself feel comfortable when considering a purchase and or service, from the best restaurant or eatery, to the best landscaper or painter.  Your answer should be pretty close to the point of this view. ​

For the time being, people have developed on line shopping habits. Imagine you are going through your Facebook news feed and a post shows a delectable plate of food; you are hungry; your impulse is to take a peek, unable to resist what this plate of sizzling shrimp is selling. If the post (ad) is set up properly, then you will easily find the link to the advertised site, along with a CTA (‘call to action’) button along the bottom of the post, usually bottom right corner. You have effectively created hyper-marketing without alienating and spamming your followers.   Part two of this ingenious marketing is that it was actually targeted to you, it's no fluke you received it. 
 
So we can speak of targeting behaviors like:
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• Those who have already inquired about your business;
• Those who are already looking for your product/service;
• Those who have shown interest in your product through search habits;
• Those who are a certain age;
• Those who fit a desirable niche (Toyota Camry may target young married people);  

 
Behavioral Marketing can be complicated, but experience takes the mystery out of it. You will be able to target your audience and talk directly to them with a very specific message.  Using the car example again, a manufacturer does not have to parade an entire fleet to a customer to sell a car.  Imagine the specific ad as an irresistible graphic of one particular car that appeals to your more concentrated demographic.  The cost is less because you are not wasting impressions on individuals who you know will not be interested in the product, and the reader who you have targeted will be inclined to click through to your website or call to action (‘order here’).  Concentrated and focused advertising exponentially raises the response percentages, and provides a much better ROI.

It gets even better.  Let’s say we institute a certain campaign for a product.  We think we have it right but the response is less than expected.  Either the message is not being received or the urge to react to the CTA is not there, the campaign can be adjusted immediately, much different than any magazine or television advertising where you are fixed in the campaign until it runs its course.  We believe that the likelihood of wasted dollars is reduced dramatically. This is A/B marketing where testing is relatively inexpensive. Changes can be implemented immediately if response is tepid. 
 
Facebook Behavioral Marketing has become tremendously beneficial for business owners for leading the way to for them to get in front of their clients, the clients who will react positively according to the product being offered. Facebook's ability to define spending habits, personal preferences, demographics regarding age, sex, marital status and so on, make this type of marketing very desirable. This ability makes  Dark Post ads focused and responsive.  We always offer and usually recommend Social media marketing as a method of advertising that can be very lucrative for a local business and all forms should be looked at. 
 
Finally, today’s world is social media and mobile driven;  According to PEW Research Center: “a national survey of 1,520 adults conducted March 7-April 4, 2016, finds that Facebook continues to be North America’s most popular social networking platform by a substantial margin: Nearly eight-in-ten online Americans (80%) now use Facebook”    
 
It is hard to imagine a campaign that does not include Facebook advertising, especially Behavioral advertising that controls demographics without spamming your followers, or those who you know will not have an interest in what you offering. It makes good sense to consider this marketing and RoughRider Marketing has the know how to utilize Facebook (as well as other social media marketing) to the best advantage if this area interests you.     ​​