What is CTR?

In the world of online marketing, it’s a common term: the CTR, also known as click-through rate, clickthrough rate or click through rate. Especially within Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising, this percentage is highly valued. This term tells you what the ratio is between the number of people that see your advertisement and how often they click through to your landing page. The higher this percentage, the higher the chance of a conversion.
The click-through rate is just as important for SEO. You want to know whether these high, organic positions within Google actually generate a lot of new visitors. Does only a small part of it click through to your website? This is a signal that the meta description, URL and page title have not been optimised sufficiently. These texts are not sufficiently appealing. High time to adjust that!

5 tips to increase the CTR of organic search results

Getting people to your website. As an entrepreneur, of course, you want nothing better. You know better than anyone that this is the first step towards a conversion. Fortunately, as the owner of a domain, you can influence the click-through rate of a landing page yourself. With the next five tips, you will attract more potential customers to your website.

TIP: Apply these tips to your existing content to increase the CTR of existing organic search results and content.

Tip 1: Create an attractive meta description

The meta description is one of the most important texts within Google’s SERP. It gives you an attractive description of your landing page. You have to sell your website, as it were, to the users of Google. Don’t fill in anything here? Then Google will get a random piece of text from your page. Of course, this flow of words is not written for visitors to click through. It is therefore not surprising that filling in a meta description often results in a higher CTR.
Example Meta Description
The good meta description tempts you to click!

Tip 2: Include the main search word in the URL

Not only Google but also the potential visitors of your website attach great importance to the words that appear in your URL. With these words, they determine whether the page actually answers their question. Many reports underline the importance of the right choice of words. URLs in which a specific search term is used, show 45% growth in their CTR. Non-matching words, which do match the search, also have a significantly higher click-through rate.
Keyword in the URL
The main search term of this page is used in the URL.

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Tip 3: Use 15 to 45 characters in the page title

The maximum length of the page title has changed regularly in recent years. However, research shows that these changes have little effect on the efficiency of the text. It follows that when a page title contains between 15 and 45 characters, the click-through ratio is almost 9% higher. Do you use more or fewer characters? Then you reduce your chances of a click.
Characters page title
This page title is – with 26 characters – short but powerful. Service + company name.

Tip 4: Ask a question in the page title

Google users are often looking for answers. How high is the Empire State Building? Where can I find a cheap pizzeria in Estepona? Best golf course in Marbella? It is, therefore, no surprise that asking questions in the page title is a good strategy. This is because you indicate that your landing page will provide the user with the correct answer. Do you use a who-, what-, true-, why-, when- or how-question in your page title? Then the CTR of your landing page is on average 14.1% higher than for variants without a question.
Question in the page title
This page answers the question of a visitor

Tip 5: Emotions in the page title increase CTR

In the world of advertising, you regularly come across them: texts that try to appeal to emotions. With Product X you become a leading professional! Or: Prevent mistakes on the shop floor with Product Y. It’s no surprise that this technique also works well in the world of online marketing. Even today, page titles with a positive or negative charge score significantly more clicks.
Emotion in page title
This blog title responds to emotion

Need help optimizing your organic results?

Getting visitors from Google or other search engines on your website. As an internet entrepreneur, this is a very important goal. To make this wish come true, it is important that you optimize the page title, meta description and URL structure of your landing pages. Do you need help with filling in these elements correctly? The SEO specialists at FML Marketing will be happy to help you! Contact us today.

Thank you for reading – 5 tips to increase the CTR of organic search results –

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7 reasons to consider a website redesign

1. The technique is outdated

A few years ago, websites were built with Flash. Responsive was not an issue at all. How different is it now? Now a mobile-first approach is important for your Google ranking and Flash doesn’t even work on the average Mac. The technique is fast, so make sure you are aware of the latest developments and change your website if necessary.

2. Your logo and corporate identity are restyled

Sometimes it’s not necessary to redesign your website aesthetically, but other things do lead to a redesign. For example, if you get a new logo and/or a new corporate identity, your website will probably also have to rely on a few changes. Of course, this doesn’t have to be super rigorous, but you do want all expressions of your company to be consistently recognizable for your customers.

3. Your current website is not SEO friendly

The purpose of a website is of course that it can be found. Many outdated websites are not completely up to date in terms of code. This means that on other points the SEO is probably a bit outdated as well. Google’s requirements for a good ranking for your website change regularly, so you should keep an eye on it and adapt your website accordingly.

4. Your website can’t be updated easily

Thanks to WordPress, coding is no longer necessary. This means that having a website is a lot more accessible than just having one ten years ago. Thanks to WordPress, having and maintaining a blog is easier than ever. A blog is also a great tool for SEO. Google ranked websites that are regularly updated with new content are higher than websites that are not.

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5. Your website built with a platform like Wix

With Wix, you can easily create your own website. The problem with this kind of website builders is that they are limited. That’s why these kinds of websites are not so distinctive. Also, the functionalities in the field of SEO are limited. And let’s face it, most business owners are not necessarily well versed in the field of design, which also quickly results in an amateurish website.

6. Your nephew, niece, neighbor designed your web page

Although the person who designed your website is a professional, it is usually not a good idea to have your nephew, niece or neighbor build your website. Cheap is usually expensive. It is possible that you are missing out on great opportunities because your website is not optimal. That’s a shame.

7. Your Facebook page functions as a website

Some companies don’t have a website at all, but only use their Facebook page as a replacement for a real website. However, it is important to have your own website. Most customers do their research online and your website can help them with this. A website can serve in this way to inform your (potential) customers. After all, you can put a lot more information on your website than on a Facebook page. Also, having a website builds trust. This way, people get a better feeling that they are dealing with a “real” company.

In addition, it is also quite possible that Facebook will hardly be used anymore in a few years’ time. Just look at Hyves. When these kinds of channels disappear, it is good to have a website where you can fall back on.

Website redesign round-up

There are plenty of reasons to consider a website redesign. The fact is that you may miss out on opportunities due to an outdated website. Still doubting whether your website is ready for a redesign? Please contact us for free and non-binding advice.

Did you like this blog post – Website Redesign: When is it time? –  and would you like to receive more of these messages? Subscribe to our newsletter. You will receive the latest news, tips, and inspiration in the field of branding, search engine optimization, graphic design, and web design.

FML Marketing – Digital solutions Marbella area 

Considering a redesign of your website in the Marbella area (Gibraltar, Manilva, Estepona, San Pedro de Alcántara, Fuengirola)? Contact FML Marketing. We are a boutique online marketing agency, specialized in high-quality, responsive web design.

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Times are changing

Before 2005, most websites were created manually. By this, we mean that the source code is written by hand. A web designer has to know various programming languages such as HTML, CSS, javascript, and PHP, for example, in order to be able to deliver a professional website that meets the client’s requirements. Nowadays there are many more website software possibilities for creating a website. Even without knowledge of programming languages and source codes, you can have a professional website made. There are various software packages that write this programming language for you, as it were.

3 possibilities in terms of website software

Roughly speaking, the possibilities for creating a new website can be reduced to 3 main categories:

• Manually coded websites
• SaaS solutions
• CMS systems

This enumeration is somewhat simplified. There are solutions that fall between the above categories, so-called niche products. Because these niche products do not necessarily add anything to this article and we would like to keep it clear, these have been left out here.

1. Manually encoded website

Manually coded websites are tailored to the exact needs of the client. They can be as simple or as complex as you like. Design and functionalities can be put together completely according to your wishes. You really start with a white sheet and everything is built completely ‘from the ground up’. Commonly used software for creating manually coded websites is Adobe Dreamweaver, Google Web Designer, WebStorm, KompoZer and for example Coda.

Advantages of this website software

Because it is completely custom made, a manually coded website can fully meet your requirements. It has been developed specifically according to your wishes and situation. Another advantage of a ‘hand-coded’ website is that it is almost always safer than a CMS system, provided it is well developed of course. By ‘good’ we mean according to industry standards with an extra layer of security if necessary. Hacking a ‘standard’ CMS system is generally more attractive than hacking handmade software because with the popular software a hacker can abuse many websites at the same time.

Disadvantages of this website software

A handmade solution will cost you more time and money, as opposed to using a standard system. The starting rate for a complete custom solution is quickly about € 5000,- to € 10.000. If you have a more extensive website with specific functionalities, this can be as much as € 25.000,-. For an extensive website with advanced functionalities, the amounts can be as much as € 100.000,- or a multiple of this.

2. SaaS solution / Website builder

In addition to a hand-encoded website, you can also opt for website software in the form of a SaaS solution. SaaS (Software as a service) is a service in which a software application is offered via the internet instead of being installed on a computer or server. With a SaaS solution, your website is hosted on the server of the provider. You pay for the use of the software and receive a license that allows you to use the platform. You do not own the software, but by purchasing licenses you have the right to use the software. Examples of SaaS solutions such as website builders are Jimdo, Wix, and Weebly.

With ‘website builders’ you can build a website without design skills and knowledge of programming language. Website builders offer various themes (designs) and built-in functionality. You choose a theme and can start filling the content, i.e. placing text, images, and videos. With most website builders you can also make a number of standard changes to the design of the theme by moving certain blocks with the so-called ‘drag and drop’ function.

Advantages of this website software

The biggest advantage of website builders is, of course, the ease of use. Without technical knowledge, anyone can make a professional website.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is their lack of flexibility. The adjustment options will be largely limited to choosing colors and shifting ‘movable’ blocks. So you can’t add custom functions or styles that aren’t included in the website builder. Although website builders like Wix or Jimdo seem attractive because of their simplicity, they lack a dynamic power compared to a CMS system.

3. CMS platforms

Content Management Systems are systems that allow you to create a professional website without any technical knowledge. CMS systems differ from website builders because they contain basic functionality that can be expanded with various ‘add-ons’.

A CMS is a piece of software that has already been built by a company or an individual and is now offered for mass use. Some of these CMS systems are commercial, so you have to pay a license or usage fee for them. Other CMS systems are ‘open source’ and therefore free to use. Open source means that the source code is completely open and freely available to absolutely everyone. You can download the code for free, after which you can get started yourself or together with a development team.

The CMS market is very diverse. The solutions differ per form, functionality, and cost. In general, CMS systems can be divided into 2 categories:

• Open-source CMS platforms (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal)
• Enterprise CMS systems (Adobe, Microsoft Sharepoint, Oracle WebCenter).

3a. Open Source CMS systems

Open source is software whose source code (sources) has been published and is freely available to everyone. Anyone can and may copy, modify, supplement, and distribute this software without any cost in terms of copyrights and/or surcharges.

An open-source CMS system can be used for free and can be modified as often as you like. A lot of work is done with add-ons, parts or functions that you can add to your website. Some parts (themes and plugins) can also be paid for or work with for example license fees. Even with paid parts, you are free to change them to your own wishes.

Because of the diversity, knowledge of the CMS is a prerequisite for a professional result. You have to think carefully in advance about which functions you want to implement and make a choice in the various add-ons (called plugins) that meet this need. In most cases, these plug-ins have to be configured manually.

For setting up a website based on a CMS platform, technical knowledge is an advantage. Basically it is possible to use such a CMS platform without technical knowledge to create a website. If you are not demanding and have the time to get to know such CMS systems, then this is certainly possible. If you really want to provide a professional website with various functionalities, then you still need to hire a specialist who can help you with the technical realization of your website.

TOP 3 CMS platforms

The top 3 CMS platforms are:

WordPress (58.9% market share)
Drupal (7% market share)
Joomla (4.7% market share)
WordPress is by far the most popular platform with a market share of almost 60%. open-source CMS is a perfect solution for small and medium-sized companies with an average budget. You can develop fairly quickly, are flexible and have a scalable website that can grow with your business. When it comes to webshops (e-commerce), Magento is the most popular CMS platform.

Advantages of this website software

Compared to website builders, CMS systems offer much more flexibility. You have thousands of themes (designs) to choose from that can still be adapted to your own wishes, provided you have the technical knowledge (HTML, CSS, PHP, javascript). In addition, you can add all kinds of functionalities with the help of plugins. These functionalities can also be adapted to your own wishes if you have the technical knowledge. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel, but start from a base developed by another company or individual and adapt it to your own wishes.

Disadvantages of this website software

A disadvantage of an open-source CMS system is that it is more vulnerable than a manually encoded website or an enterprise CMS system that we will discuss in the next chapter. This is mainly because it is more interesting for hackers to attack a popular open-source system than a custom-made website because with the popular systems a hacker can ‘abuse’ many websites at the same time. Technical knowledge and understanding of the CMS system is very important in this respect. You have to know the do’s and don’ts to be able to adequately secure your website. Open-source CMS systems are not necessarily unsafe, but you need to use them properly, secure them and keep the software up-to-date.

3b. Enterprise CMS systems

Enterprise CMS systems are complex proprietary systems designed for large organizations. According to research, organizations go for an enterprise solution in the following situations:

• Complex websites in terms of cross-channel, contextual and interactive customer experiences for robust websites
• Integrations with other systems
• System must support multiple websites with many languages
• Have a substantial budget
• In other words, these systems are made for large companies with complex user interactions and complex operations. Therefore, enterprise CMS systems are also robust and feature-rich to meet these needs.

Advantages of this website software

Enterprise CMS systems are highly advanced and rich in functionality. Because these are commercial products, there is often good support. This applies to both system updates and technical support.

Disadvantages of this website software

The main disadvantage of such solutions is the price. An enterprise CMS solution can easily have a price of six digits. Another disadvantage is the limited flexibility compared to a manually coded website. The capabilities of such systems are very extensive but at the same time the limiting factor.

Conclusion

Manually encoded website software

Manually encoded websites offer a great deal of flexibility. They are built from the ground up and can be developed entirely according to your own wishes. Yet, the development time is quite long and the costs are high. Manually coded websites quickly exceed € 10.000,- and can cost up to 6 digits depending on your wishes and the size of the website. Manually coded websites are in a good solution for large companies with a large budget and very specific needs.

SaaS solution

Website builders or SaaS solutions (such as Jimdo and Wix) are the easiest to use and the fastest development time. Nevertheless, you have to be satisfied with the functionality and styles they offer, because you can’t change much and the flexibility is nil. Prices for using a website builder are quite favorable compared to the other options and are about € 15,- per month depending on your needs. A SaaS solution is an excellent option for a hobbyist who wants to make his own website.

Open-source CMS platform

Open-source CMS platforms (such as WordPress and Drupal) offer more room for customization, but you do need to have some technical knowledge or hire a platform expert. Possibilities are almost endless, you are flexible and your website is highly scalable so it can grow with your company. The development time is short and you should be able to launch your website pretty quickly. Security is a point of attention, especially when processing personal data. It is important that you call in a platform expert who can take precautions regarding the security of your website. Prices for a website based on an open-source CMS are between € 500,- and € 10.000,- depending on your wishes and the size of your website.

Enterprise CMS platform

As far as enterprise-level systems (such as Adobe Experience Manager) are concerned, most of them offer advanced functionality for managing multiple websites, channels, and complex organizational processes. Enterprise CMS platforms are very expensive and quite flexible. An enterprise CMS is a good option for a large company with a large budget without very specific requirements in terms of functionalities.

About FML Marketing 

We thank you for reading our blog What website software? Choose the best website software! FML Marketing is a digital marketing agency located in Estepona. Our team specializes in web design, search engine optimization, social media solutions, and graphic design.

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The clear and present danger of not owning your website 

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Small businesses, freelancers, artists, bloggers, webshops…we all need functional and beautiful websites. But for real estate businesses its increasingly important. Take for example the real estate sector on the Costa del Sol. The market is thriving! New developments are ‘showing up’ everywhere. Mostly in and around Estepona, or located on the so-called New Golden Mile. 

Web Design ideas for your Marbella real estate business

In this post, we have gathered some material purely for inspirational purposes. If you would like more information about the possibilities of WordPress, or the SEO capabilities of modern web design, please contact us at the bottom of the blog.

Real Estate web design ideas

Did you know The New York Times, The Huffington Post, BBC America, and Sony Music all use WordPress for their websites? This CMS (Content Management system) is best practice today. Mostly thanks to its flexibility, ease of use and the numerous amount of useful plugins. The examples of real estate websites that we re about to unveil are all developed with WordPress.

The search starts online

Nowadays, most of the real estate customers begin the search for a home online. Of course, the sales are still made in and around the office, but the sales journey start online. 80% of real estate buyers, both private as corporate, consult Google or other search engines before they make their first contact to real estate agents.

So your online presence i.e. your website is the first real impression they have about your company. Needless to say, make it count! Your possibilities are endless. View all example websites on our Pinterest page and get inspired! Use the button to access. 

View real estate examples

Thank you for your time reading our web design blog. If you would like more info, please use the contact form here below. And…don’t forget to like, share and inspire!

CONTACT

Learn more about modern web design and the SEO benefits of working with FML Marketing.

about us read more

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Website marketing Costa del Sol

If your answer is ‘no’, then here in this article I have 5 valuable website marketing tips that can help you get on the road of internet marketing and improve your website. The result: an internet marketing website that helps your company to generate customers via the internet and generate leads!

Website Marketing tips – 1. It is actually not about you

Your website (if you do it right) is not about your company, but about the problems and wishes of your visitor and what you, therefore, have to offer him. That is a world of difference. The best way to put your visitor first is to appeal to him and pay attention to his needs/ problems/dilemmas and ultimately your solution!

Website Marketing tips – 2. Be punctual and clear.

Visitors (just like you) quickly search via Google for a service/product. As soon as they arrive on a website, they want to immediately feel/know where they are. Can I find what I am looking for here? Where am I? What do they have to offer me? In short: a hard first impression is needed to give the searching customer something to hold on to. The more unique / more different the better.

Most SME websites do not convince! Inform them. You get laps of text about a working method, a process or a long description of how something works. But visitors find that only partly interesting. What they find interesting is ‘What does it deliver?’, The result of what you have to offer on the highest form. Convincing means selling holes, not drilling!

Website marketing tip – 3. Create conversion paths!

An internet marketing website leads its visitors to the desired target pages. What do you want your visitors to do? Dial? Fill in a contact form? Purchase a small service? Download an article? Request information? Sign up for the newsletter? Determining and integrating these conversion paths in your website encourages visitors to take action, this is conversion optimization!

Website marketing tips – 4. Lower the threshold

For everything you tell or what you want your visitors to do, low threshold is the magic word. If you want them to fill out a contact form, make this form as short as possible. If you want them to fill out a form at all, indicate that it is non-committal. The more accessible your website is, the easier visitors will take action! Research what the prominent addition of a phone number does!

Website marketing tips – 5. Make your internet marketing website findable

A bonus tip that is more about attracting visitors. It is important to know which keywords you want to be found. How much volume is there? How much competition is there? Creating separate ‘landing pages’ for these keywords ensures a qualitative visit. Also read: Qualitative visit through conversion-oriented SEO landing pages. This article is meant to give you an impression of what is possible to transform your internet marketing website into an online marketing machine. You will not be the first to recruit more than 70% of its customers via its website. Check our Search Engine Optimization page for more details!

Thank you for reading FML’s marketing blog

Do you also want to attract more leads, requests and customers via your website? We would like to help you with this. Contact us for more information.

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Website Builder: 8 characteristics of an effective website

This manual is intended for entrepreneurs and self-employed people who wonder what a good website should look like. With this knowledge, you can confidently evaluate various web design agencies based on, for example, their portfolio. Once you work with a professional web design partner, you can think along with the tips below.

1. Clear targeting

Do you see a visually striking call within 3 seconds that stimulates the visitor to take action?

What is the main purpose of your website? Do you want to generate more online sales?  

Pick a clear target

One single target. It is advisable to pursue one single goal. Combining multiple goals brings risk along that the website visitor gets signals in different directions during his visit. You do not want that. You want everything to point in one direction.

A precise goal. Formulate your goal very precisely. This makes it easier to adjust each part of your website accordingly. Generating more income is too vague.

Examples. Some good examples of website goals:

1. Subscribers to your newsletter
2. Improve relationship with customers
3. Quotation requests via your website or by telephone
4. Reservations or bookings via your website or by telephone
5. Attract extra visitors to your store
6. Online sales
   

Secondary Goals

There are also secondary goals, which can easily be combined with one of the above goals. For example, increasing brand awareness, informing customers they can count on 24/7 support instead of having to call you all the time (eg address, opening hours, price list, etc.), etc.

Translation to call to action

If you want something, sometimes you just have to ask. Ask your website visitors to do what you expect from them. This is often called the call to action. Examples: Subscribe now to our newsletter!, Participate in the competition!, Request a free quote, Book online, Buy now

Short and powerful. You notice that every call to action is formulated briefly and powerfully. Preferably in the imperative way, which is the most action-oriented approach. Besides, Your call to action must at appear in the visible section at the top of your home page and at the bottom of all other pages. It must stand out. That is why the call to action is often placed in a framework and reasonably space is provided for. The call to action is almost always clickable, with the link leading to a next window in which the visitor can proceed to take effective action.

2. Customer orientated 

Is it immediately clear who the target audience of the website is?

Your website should not be about yourself, but about your customers. Few are interested in your history, strengths, awards or unique approach. Your website visitors only want to know how you are going to solve their problem. Therefore follow these tips: Replace the words “I” and “We” with “you” or “you” everywhere. Describe who you are, what your target audience is. Clarify which problem you solve and preferably also for which price. Do not mention the technical characteristics, but the advantages the customer gets from your solution compared to that of your competitors. Check which important questions your customers are asking and make sure that you answer them all on your website. Do not create pages that do not answer any customer request. These only ensure that your customer finds the important pages less easy. Speak in a language your customer understands, instead of trying to make an impression with jargon. A good website is therefore focused on the visitor, not on the owner of the website.

3. Get to the point

Does the website count a limited number of pages and are the texts short and to the point?

Your website visitors are impatient: The more information you provide, the less you will read. People have very little patience when they surf the web. When someone hits your website, you have to awaken his or her interest within a few seconds or your visitor has already left. (Tip: Check your websites bounce rate. Anything above 60% is a problem!) 

Less is more

Limit the amount of information on your website. You thought one A4 was enough? No! Time to cut. Show only the red meat. In most cases, 3 to 4 short paragraphs are more than enough. If people only spend a few seconds on your website, you can not distract them with all kinds of irrelevant information. You want them to immediately see the main message. It goes without saying that you limit yourself as much as possible to conveying that main message and omitting the details. The reason that many people fill their website with all kinds of details is because they are not aware what the most important message is. Think carefully about this! Do not try to entertain your visitors! Your visitors are not interested in beautiful animations or technical design delights. They come to your website to solve a problem. Everything that distracts them from it is a waste of their time and your budget.

4. Be crystal clear

When you ‘enter’ the website, is it immediately clear what you are doing/offering?

This has everything to do with removing mental barriers. People experience all sorts of questions during their visit to your website. For example: “what is this about?”, “Where do I click now?”, “How can I contact?”, Etc. A clear website answers each of these questions the moment the visitor asks them or, better still, just before. Avoiding questions is better than answering questions. The first thing you see The first thing your website visitors see is the top part of your homepage. A clear website provides at least the following crucial information in this visible section in order to avoid asking questions immediately:

Company name (logo)
Slogan
Service or product offered an
Attractive call to action
Link to contact page

5. User-friendliness

Does the website count at most 5 pages in the main navigation and do you find the contact details at a glance?

Make sure that people can navigate to the page they want in a matter of seconds. One long list with 10 pages or more is not a good navigation structure. Your website visitors do not know what the most important pages are in this list. If you think that your visitors find the pages “price”, “product properties” and “contact” the most important of the 10 pages on your website, put these pages in the main navigation and link to the other pages via a secondary navigation or via links in the pages themselves. Left Put enough internal links. These are links that go from one page on your website to the other page on your website. By placing these links in places where you know that the visitor poses certain questions, you reduce the chance that he will drop out. Also make sure that the links are visually easy to distinguish, eg. via a different color and/or bold font. Contact details Put your contact details preferably on every page, for example at the bottom of the footer website. Especially when customers often need your telephone number or address, this is essential. In addition, create a contact page with your company name, address, telephone number, email address and possibly a ticket and contact form. Keep the contact form as short as possible. Here too, the less fields one has to fill in, the greater the chance that something will be filled in at all. If you have enough with name and telephone, do not ask for an email address.

6. Mobile experience

When you visit the website on a mobile device, is the content clearly displayed?

The internet is becoming more mobile every day. People not only search information on the internet from their computer in the living room, but also from their smartphone or tablet. If your website is unreadable on a smartphone, you visitor and therefore lead, is gone! It is therefore important to optimize the mobile views of your website. Making a mobile version of your website often costs the same amount as your website itself. A more affordable alternative is to make your website “responsive”. This means that the design is automatically adapted to smaller screens, so that everything remains user-friendly and workable.

7. Attractiveness

Do you think the website is beautiful and pleasant to look at?

People consciously or unconsciously form an image of your business based on your website. An attractive website contributes positively to your image, while an ugly website can damage your image. This is largely subjective, but we try to give some guidelines. Some of these guidelines also apply to painting, the design of car models, etc .: At most 2 or 3 different colors are used (in addition to shades of gray). The colors fit well together. The whole has a symmetrical and harmonious appearance. Sufficient whitespace is used to prevent the website, and different elements, from looking cluttered. At most 2 different fonts are used and 3 different font sizes. Next, there must always be at least one creative element, something surprising. Finally, all photos are of the same quality and breathe consistency. Old-fashioned illustrations or clip art is anno 2018 like cursing in the church as an old Dutch saying goes!

8. Findability

Do you find the website when searching for it specifically in Google?

Importance of findability

In many cases, the purpose of a website is to attract new customers. It goes without saying that it is a huge plus if the website is easily found on Google. These are free leads. A website that is not found in search engines like Google, loses a large part of its usefulness. It can only be used as an information channel for customers or as a supporting sales tool for convincing potential customers.

Minimum requirement

Free potential customers via Google sounds like holy music to many, but it is not easy. Not everyone can be in first place in Google. So a lot of money is invested to take that first (or second, third, …) place. So you have to decide for yourself how much budget you have to score high in Google. And that depends on what a potential customer found you through Google can deliver you. The minimum requirement, however, is that you will be found in Google if people search you. If you type in your company name and related services in Google and your does not show …, then something is wrong.

FML Marketing – Website builder Estepona & Marbella

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A website is nowadays a ‘second window’ for your restaurant but often receives very little attention. Very strange! Because your restaurant is more likely to be found via your website instead of your shop window. Having a professional website made with tasteful photographs by a photographer is actually no longer optional. It has become a visually attractive and very user-friendly website with all kinds of functionalities that make the life of the restaurant owner a lot easier.

Not just a website with a menu

When creating the website, the main focus should be on the customer. The tasteful photos of a professional photographer will make the visitor feel soft from the first second. The design of the website immediately shows the atmosphere of the restaurant: atmospheric, warm, contemporary. Actually the decision to make a reservation has already been made, but first, have a look at what exactly is on the menu … It is all possible at a glance. The visitor can taste some extra atmosphere in the photo gallery or make use of an ongoing campaign. The contact page completes this comprehensive website.

Website for restaurants: what should you pay attention to?

Are you working on a website for a restaurant, then it is advisable to get started with the following tips. The purpose of your website is to create a (taste) experience online. Professional photos will help you to get started for the layout of your website but also think of a photo gallery with atmospheric photos. The websites of today are more and more visually set. Having a website made by a professional is always advisable. Do indicate here that as soon as his work is finished, you also want to be able to make adjustments yourself, such as adjusting your menu yourself or adding actions to the restaurant yourself.

Mobile friendly is a must

You may still have the necessary hours behind your laptop, but (potential) restaurant visitors now expect a responsive website, which is also mobile-friendly. If you want to have a website made for your restaurant, make sure that your restaurant also looks slick on mobile devices. Many hungry people are using their mobile to search for an appropriate restaurant near their location.

Local Search Engine Optimization

We always compare having a nice website for your restaurant without any form of SEO is like having a Ferarri locked in the garage all year. It simply doesn’t make sense. Therefore, we always recommend starting with Search Engine Optimization right away. With extra focus on local SEO. In this blog about local SEO I have listed 5 important steps that restaurant owner can take themselves. If you require professional assistance, please contact us for a custom offer

Local Social advertisement

The final tip that we share today has not so much to with a website for restaurants. However, it is a valuable trick that can attract a lot of customers to your restaurant. What we noticed is that many local restaurants, for example In Estepona, are still relying very much on traditional, offline local media. In our opinion, this might not be the best way to go, as your customer is often ad-hoc looking for a place to eat. Your advertisement in a local newspaper is not going to help them directly, but a well-drafted Facebook advert, in the right location with your daily specials and offers is more likely. If you want to learn more about best practice Facebook advertisements for restaurants, please contact us today!

FML Marketing | Website for Restaurants Marbella & Estepona

Extra tips

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Why free websites are often not a good idea

In today’s article, we share 4 important reasons why free web pages really are not a good idea for businesses. However, free websites could be feasible solutions for other purposes, mostly hobby related purposes.

1. Free Web Pages look like Free Web Pages

When someone visits your website for the first time, the first thing he or she will do is judge (unconsciously) your company through the impression given by the appearance of the website itself. Therefore, the first thing that catches the attention of a web page, is its aesthetics. With a single glance, practically everyone is able to discern, if the website has been made by a professional or if, on the contrary, it is the result of the personal effort of someone without technical knowledge. Free web pages seem exactly what they are: free. This type of web pages is recommended for personal blogs, leisure activities, travel journals etc. But free websites are not suitable to become the showcase of a business that wants to give a professional image. If you want to project a professional image, your website will have to be designed by a professional.

2. Dedicated Time…is money

It is completely logical that someone who needs a website (quickly) values the possibility of using a free tool to save money. This is, perhaps, one of the reasons why nobody stops to think when they embark on the creation of their own website. But the results are often disappointing: A lot of hours spent creating the free website often entails in loss time = loss money, a waste for the person who undertakes the task of creating their own website. The final result is also often far from what was initially expected, and its final appearance often does not seem very professional.

3. Bad Web Positioning

Another implication of choosing these platforms for creating free web pages is usually in those fine details that are not visible to the naked eye. And you guessed it already,  these are precisely the elements that someone who is not professional can not control: the source code. Everyone wants their website to be well positioned in the search engines. It is completely logical. What is not usually known is that free website tools not help, at all, to meet that goal. To help the website position in search engines like Google, it must use an optimized source code for this purpose. They should help to implement the different meta-tags (title, description …) that search engines use. Not to mention the domain of the website, which serves only to publicize the website that has been created. For example, http://tuempresa.es.wix.com would be the domain name for a free page created in Wix.com. Needless to say, not a very good domain structure for SEO.

4. Free Websites means free Technical Support (Bad Technical Support)

Or is simply non-existent. If you use a free tool, you can not expect the technical support service to be the same as if you are paying for a service. It is something that you will be mentalized from the beginning. If the website you have created is, in addition, the web page of your business, when problems arise you will want them to be solved quickly, and of course, you have no idea and you need someone to lend a hand … you will want to go to support. Or it may happen that you want to customize the operation of your website or integrate a virtual store in it … You simply will not have the option to solve that problem or will be paying for additional services. Was not it going to be free?

About FML Marketing Marbella & Estepona

We not only create professional web pages, but we deliver SEO-optimized websites for our clients. The result, an integral service by which the client knows that his web page is working 24x7x365 and found by customers online! If you are not yet a customer of FMLmarketing.com contact us, we will be happy to assist you without any commitment.

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Beautiful keywords, but no one uses them

The internet is a ruthless medium when it comes to choosing the right SEO keywords. Marketing and Communication people can come up with the best terms, but if no one uses these terms to search, your website will not be found. For more than 80% of internet users (source: Nielsen), a search on the internet starts with a search engine and in the Netherlands it is Google. Google provides the user with the information he or she is looking for based on the words being typed. It is up to you whether you want to be included in those results or not.

Examples where things go wrong with SEO keywords

Choosing the right SEO keywords in Google is often more difficult than you think. A few examples: A famous electronics A-brand has once determined that their equipment is so special, that you can not call a dishwasher of that brand a dishwasher, but a kitchen unit cleaner. Nicely thought, but the latter is in the Netherlands only 2400 times per month sought and on the word dishwasher 165,000 times. What do you do as a web editor? Use the popular word, stick to your marketing strategy or both?

SEO Keywords in Google: Health sector example

In the healthcare sector it has been decided that ‘retirement home’ is not a politically correct word and that ‘residential care institution’ is a better name. Only a few people use the word residential care institution in Google and the word retirement home is more than 30,000 times per month in searches. If you want your website to be found in search engines, you can not avoid having to connect with your own target groups and their choice of words. Of course, you do that within certain limits; you will probably never use the word ‘coin’ or ‘shilling’ instead of ‘money’ or gross, indecent language. More on Ranking high in Google.

Always start with a search query

A good SEO strategy always starts with a thorough SEO keywords research. Also when developing a new website is not the functional design, but a keywords research the first step. Through a keyword search, you will get to know your target audience and you will discover whether different SEO keywords can be used for the same topic in the business or consumer market. Read more about keyword research here.

The golden tip to find SEO keywords

The fastest and easiest way to discover which words people use in Google is to try it out with Google Autocomplete. Just go to Google and start typing a word that you want to know if it is used and in which variants and combinations. What is happening? Google automatically completes your search with suggestions! These suggestions are based purely on the search behavior of other people; Google keeps that accurate. Try the following: Do not finish the word completely and see which ideas emerge Type one word and then a space to see which most used combinations there are For keywords with very high volumes, simply follow the alphabet at the second word Use an ‘underscore’ or asterisk * between the words to discover combinations.

SEO keywords in Google: no meta keywords!

SEO keywords are not the so-called meta keywords; they have no effect! Read about it in this article about keywords. Good SEO keywords are used in the title tag, the page title, the meta description and the text of the page. For each page, you choose only one SEO keyword or search term (multiple words that belong together, such as ‘online marketing’ or ‘seo keywords’).

SEO Keywords in Google: How to improve

SEO is an exercise that can be carried out in-house, provided you or your team are equipped with the right knowledge (up to date!). Due to the fact that Google algorithms are constantly moving and changing, it requires effort. Besides, it is a recurrent exercise. For professional assistance to improve your Google ranking, to convert visitors into leads, contact us now. We have a professional team to assist and we are trained to increase traffic from the “free,” “organic,” “editorial” or “natural” search results on search engines, for any kind of business.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. Enjoy your day, and don’t forget to subscribe to our free newsletter round-up!

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Read which free WP plugins are Evergreens! With this top list, you know at least which WordPress plugins you need to install in 2018. Try to install between 5 and 15 plugins, so your loading time does not increase too much. Although…for better performance are also plugins available!

10 best standard WordPress plugins 2017/2018

How to install plugins, automatically changes within WordPress. But you can find additional explanations, read the plug-in installation explanation from the developer. Anyway, what are the standard WordPress plugins that you almost always need? This is our favorite list:

1. WordPress SEO by Yoast This is a must install-plugin. Available free and premium. (makes content findable, SEO advice within WordPress)
2. Akismet (standard in WordPress, is against spam)
3. Jetpack by WordPress.com (optimization)
4. Wordfence Security (security)
5. Contact form 7, in combination with the Google service: recaptcha (sign up). Also read about alternative forms plug-ins such as Ninja forms and Fast Secure Contact Form.
6. Really Simple CAPTCHA (with contact form, against spam responses)
7. WP Super Cache (for fast loading times of your website) and Cloudflare (free plan).
8. Google XML Sitemaps (evict if SEO by Yoast plugin already does this for you)
9. Social Warfare for floating social media buttons that are not disruptive, so your website visitors can easily share your WordPress messages on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter etc. So social media part buttons plugin. Tip: turn off the Facebook share button if you do not need it, because it saves WordPress load time if contact request with Facebook is not necessary).
10. Yet Another Related Posts Plugin (internal linking between posts goes automatically, gives more site visit), do you also want thumbnails for the titles? Then use the Yuzo related post plugin.

Thank you for reading The Best WordPress plugins of 2017-2018 | Part I. Tomorrow we will be back with:

Top 10 WordPress plugins to improve your website’s loading speed

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