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Not too long ago, something online marketers refer to as “Mobilegeddon” happened. Google, the world’s largest search engine rolled out an update, which put websites that aren’t mobile-friendly in very hot water. This is because, according to Search Engine Journal, mobile searches surpassed desktop-only searches for the first time ever. It could be that today’s users are always on the go or that everybody is on their smartphones but if there’s one thing this proves, it’s that businesses in Indianapolis should invest in mobile-friendly design. If you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, now is the right time to get in touch with a web design company. Before you do, however, here are some basic tips.

 

 

Tip # 1: Focus on user’s experience. No matter how awesome your website looks, it’s not going to do you any good if it doesn’t work the way your users expect. Search engines have long since emphasized the importance of user experience as a ranking metric. Focus on usability first before working on your site’s aesthetics. Web design is, after all, more than just the look. Still, your site’s appearance is what will draw your customers in. Make sure that it’s both usable and visually pleasing.

 

Tip # 2: Use one mobile-responsive website. Some people think it’s smart to create two websites – one for the mobile users and another one for desktop users. That means more traffic, right? Web design experts in Indianapolis from reputable companies like MyNetWire will disagree. You’re actually splitting up traffic and worse; search engines see them as duplicates, which can also get you penalized. Instead of doing this, you can just use one mobile-responsive website. Not only will this be more convenient for tracking your progress but it is often much cheaper to design just one site.

 

Tip # 3: Test out your new website. A lot could go wrong after the relaunch of your new website, especially if it underwent major changes, like a redesign. It’s every marketer’s nightmare to suddenly find that their website has dropped down significantly in rank. To avoid this, you should always thoroughly test every aspect from content to code of your website before launching it again. Things could have shuffled or changed during the redesign. Also, don’t forget to try browsing your website on as many kinds of mobile devices as you can. This way, you’ll get to resolve a problem before it ends up costing you.

 

Bounce rate is one of the many factors that search engines use to rank a website. Look into your Google analytics and check your bounce rate. The number tells the percentage of users who view a page in your site and hit close or back button right away without ever engaging or even browsing through its other pages.

 

 

While technical glitches and minor clicking errors do contribute to bounce rates, a high rate is often a good indicator that a website is failing to provide a satisfying user experience. This means that if your website has a bounce rate of 60%, for example, it will need some fixing.

 

Although there’s no foolproof way to maintain a healthy bounce rate, making the following changes can get your visitors to stay longer, explore your website and even convert.

 

 

 

 

If implemented, the above tips will help optimize user experience and improve your site’s visitor retention rate. If you need help from website design professionals in Indianapolis, firms like My Net Wire would be glad to help you.

 

Years ago, small Indianapolis businesses had no way to match the booming advertisements of the bigger chains. Internet marketing, however, has revolutionized and significantly leveled the playing field. Search engines, such as Google, are now focusing on providing their users more localized search results, which is great news if you are serving a particular neighborhood, town, county or state.

 

 

 

According to Search Engine Journal, when geography is considered, there is generally smaller big brand presence in search results. This provides smaller businesses, which focus on areas with lesser competition, a chance to gain stronger organic search visibility. How it works? Type in your product/service and the location your business is serving (e.g. cars for sale/law firm/ hotel accommodations in Indianapolis). Where is it in the rankings? 1st? 2nd? First page, second page…? Now imagine a user entirely new to the area or searching for alternate options, who do you think is he likely to pick first? That’s the position you’d want for your business.

 

 

People visit business websites for different purposes. Some who use broader search terms are often merely after general information while others are looking to buy and compare their options. Experts agree that the longer and more specific the keywords used (long-tail), the greater the odds that a person is actually searching for someone to do business with and is already deep into the buying stage.  Consider the keyword “top Indianapolis catering services”. Will you specify a location if you don’t intend to learn more about the options you have in the area?

 

 

There are many ways you can boost your business’s rankings in the local listings. The basics include properly optimizing business information and using location-based keywords on your website, and ensuring a well-maintained business profile in popular local directories like the Yellow Pages, Yelp and Google Local. Positive customer reviews, both onsite and offsite, can significantly strengthen your site’s local presence as well.  Overall, the more visible you are in local listings and the more people talk about you, the higher your ranking goes and the more traffic you attract, and vice versa.

 

 

With local SEO, you can work on improving your business’s search engine presence even with a limited budget. However, it requires time, patience and technical know-how. Consider leaving the task to professionals from Indianapolis digital marketing firms, like MyNetWire, and be free to reserve your energy for other important aspects of running your business.