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Transform Your Business Growth with an All-Inclusive Marketing Strategy

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 02:40:22 GMT

Make the most of your budget & marketing strategy with an all-inclusive approach

Marketing strategy is an essential part of growing a business, yet many business owners have theirs on the backburner and wonder why they're struggling to get paying clients in the door. Unfortunately, this is often due to a lack of understanding what a marketing strategy is and why they need on in the first place.

An all-inclusive marketing strategy starts at the beginning and transforms your business from the inside out, encompassing brand strategy, messaging, design, website development and more. When working together, these marketing strategies create a clear pathway for your ideal client to find you and engage your service or product.

Harnessing the power of an all-inclusive marketing strategy provides many benefits, including improved reach & organic traffic to your business, and increased conversion rates (that means profit!). Today we’ll discuss the building blocks of an all-inclusive approach, and how using this to leverage elements such as web design and SEO can drive results for your business. Let’s dive in!

So what's an all-inclusive marketing strategy, and why do I need one?

W hat's included in an all-inclusive marketing strategy?

3 — Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and Social Media

Several key elements work together as to transform your business direction, visibility & growth.

A well-executed brand strategy combined with design, web development, search engine optimisation (SEO) and other online visibility channels are the major contributors—so where do you start, and what's the importance of each one?

Your target audience finding you and engaging with your offer is not something that happens by chance: online visibility techniques like SEO and social media provide the means.

Online visibility is the difference between pretty designs and the ability to generate traffic, capture leads and convert audience members to paying clients.Once your brand strategy & website are in place, the next steps in your marketing strategy is to leverage SEO and online visibility channels such as social media.

First, imagine your services are a house. To sell this house, you need to list it on the property market in various ways to attract potential buyers. SEO and social media are the property listings, attracting your ideal buyer to your offer. Without them, buyers will never know your house is for sale!

search engine optimisation (seo)

SEO is a combination of techniques used to improve your website’s ranking in search engine result pages (SERPs) such as Google.

SEO techniques play a vital role in your digital marketing strategy, from creating relevant content (content SEO) to optimising your website structure and page speed (technical & on-page SEO), ensuring your website appears and ranks in SERPs (off-page SEO), link building and more.

It can often take between 3 and 6 months to start seeing results from your SEO efforts, however SEO will reward you by providing a long-lasting effect and doesn’t need to be continued forever. If it fits into your budget, I recommend starting as soon as you can.

SEO is one of the best ways to target local clients and drive organic (that means free!) traffic to your website. More traffic usually equals more conversions, provided your brand strategy and website are executed correctly. If you have an existing site with low conversions that doesn’t feel like it measures up to your competitors, it may be worth consulting a digital marketing strategist to audit your site and provide recommendations.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Depending on your specialty, you may use a combination of platforms such as Instagram, Pinterest or LinkedIn as part of your marketing strategy. To start with, it helps to focus on 1-3 platforms to keep things manageable.

As part of an all-inclusive marketing strategy, you’ll likely have identified the main platforms used by your ideal client, and this should direct you to the platform/s on which you should prioritise sharing content.

Social media is a powerful way to extend your reach to ideal clients and direct them to your service—and it’s free!

Start growing your business with an all-inclusive marketing strategy

Resources & Credit

Blog feature image by PNW Production on Pexels .

In my humble opinion, website design is one of the most important assets in your marketing strategy toolkit.

Without an effective website, you're leaving thousands of dollars on the table while your paid advertising campaigns and SEO efforts have limited (or no) success.

Web design incorporates strategies like funnels, conversion-driven copywriting and search engine optimisation (SEO) to share your value with site visitors and prompt them through the next steps to become a paying client.

A high-performance website generates leads and increases your rankings on Google, and constructs a trustworthy impression of your business to drive conversion by using considered website content, layouts, visual elements and calls-to-action.

Whether you’re established or just starting out, an all-inclusive marketing strategy tailored to your business needs is a great way to clarify your business direction & messaging to draw ideal clients to your service and maintain a consistent flow of revenue.

On their own, each aspect element we discussed today is beneficial in their own right—but they're most effective and easy to manage when seamlessly combined into one powerhouse, all-inclusive marketing strategy.

Ochre Design Studio offers a unique approach to all-inclusive marketing for businesses, and our signature service offering (The Marketing Makeover) is a complete start-to-finish marketing solution that builds effective brands which thrive in both physical and online worlds .

Learn more on a free discovery call with our lead designer & marketing strategist, Emily.

It's important to note that not all marketing is created equal—here at Ochre, we believe in an all-inclusive approach that offers the most up-front and long-term success value for business owners seeking to bolster their success and grow in a way that's profitable and sustainable.

If you've ever found yourself asking the following questions, an all-inclusive marketing strategy might be for you:

Where do I start with marketing for my business?
How can a brand or website upgrade help me win more clients?
How can I take advantage of modern technology to become more competitive in my industry?
Where can I find someone who'll takes care of my entire marketing strategy from start to finish?

The truth is, growing a business takes much more than social media ads, or a logo or website design. Chasing success in too many directions often leads to limited results, frustration in our marketing efforts and burnout.

The solution? Transform your brand into a true representation of the value you can offer your clients. Clarify and simplify your brand & messaging by combining those opposing directions into one powerhouse strategy.

The results of this approach? High-quality deliverables that don't just work, but keep on giving: and raise the value & effectiveness of your marketing strategy.

1 — Brand Strategy & Brand Identity Design

2 — Website Design & Development

Your brand strategy & design is the foundation on which all other aspects of your marketing strategy will build.

The importance of brand strategy lies in developing clear messaging based on your core values, expertise and target audience persona, to effectively communicate the true value you can offer. Brand strategy positions your business as the solution to the problems experienced by your audience, highlighting you as the expert they need.

Next comes brand identity design. Much more than a simple logo design or collection of fonts and colours, your brand identity design is the visual representation of your base marketing strategy.

Polished brand design doesn't just look great, it actually speaks to the right-fit clients you want to attract more of, creating a memorable impression and engaging experience.

Lastly, I always recommend professional brand photography as well. There's a myriad of ways to use brand photography in your biz, from websites to socials and more—plus, it improves your credibility and trustworthiness. Read more about Brand Photoshoot Tips to Elevate Your Digital Marketing here.

Brand Photoshoot Tips to Elevate Your Digital Marketing

hello@ochredesignstudio.com (Emily Brown) — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 02:02:50 GMT

More than imagery: create a valuable digital asset with these brand photoshoot tips

You might be considering brand photography for your business before investing in a website design or other marketing strategy. My advice: do it! But where do you start? What kinds of images do you need to suit what purposes, and how should you prepare? You're in the right place. I've experienced both sides of this situation, so read on to discover my handiest brand photoshoot tips.

Today you'll hear about my personal experience with brand photography and all the technical recommendations your digital providers wish you knew. Let's dive in!

My brand photoshoot experience

Brand photoshoot tips I would have benefited from knowing:

Focus — don't divide your attention on photoshoot day. Headspace matters when you're in front of a camera. My day started before 8AM and the shoot wasn't until 4. There was no way around the need to travel, but I could've left out the morning's unnecessary errands. I thought I was being efficient, but there's nothing beneficial about being exhausted for a thousand-dollar photoshoot.

Vendors — yes, they cost extra. Book them anyway. The truth is, I'm a far cry from makeup artist. I was already overspending on travel-associated extras and thought this was one thing I could do myself. In hindsight, being stress-free and on time would've been worth more to me than spending the extra money on a professional service. Us ladies know that even the best of us have bad makeup days — don't chance that one of yours will happen an hour before the shoot. Save the stress!

Venue — make sure it's the right fit for you. Living out of town hadn't afforded me the luxury of visiting my venue before the shoot. Though beautiful, it was public, and I'm camera shy at the best of times. People everywhere only added to my stress levels and meant that some of the photographer's preferred locations were already in use. It just wasn't quite the right fit — next time you'll catch me researching private venues with studio vibes.

Photo Checklist — have a list of planned shots. In my head I knew the kinds of shots I wanted to get. Trying to recall them on the spot while being stared at by passers-by was another matter entirely. My best advice: put together a Pinterest board with pose/prop inspiration and write a short list of essential shots, then share both of these with your photographer. A loose structure helps guide the shoot, keeps you and your photographer on the same wavelength and allows room for experimenting with candids for best results!

Despite the challenges (most of my own creation) I had a lot of fun and was ecstatic with the results. My new photos gave me the confidence I needed to start showing up online more. I felt more authentic and professional and so did my business, and it made me all the more excited for the next one to be even better!

Brand Photoshoot Checklist

3 — Faceless/Detail Shots

Orientation refers to the orientation of your images, also known as wide/landscape or tall/portrait images. It's important to get a good blend of the two, as each type has different uses. Wide shots are great for your website and digital marketing, while tall ones are great for socials.

A web designer's greatest fear is opening a photo gallery with 80% tall shots — try to go for 50/50 or somewhere close to that range.

Don't worry, you're not about to receive a faceless marketing sermon. Rather, faceless and detail shots are perfect for background use in every application imaginable, because you don't have to worry about the awkward placement of faces.

If you squint, you'll see me on the rooftops shouting about detail shots. They're most often the ones that are forgotten about, but add so much value to your brand photography. The amount you'll need will vary based on your industry, but around 15-20% detail shots are the dream of your creative marketing team.

Detail shots — close up shots of clothing/accessories/props/tools/latte art (anything, really), usually involving some kind of action. Detail shots don't include faces at all, or the face is stylishly concealed behind a book, magazine etc.Examples: almost any action (typing, writing, posing, pinning a photo to a board, shaking hands, providing a service)
Uses: these images are universal across all aspects of your business.
Why you need them: there's a long list of creative and marketing applications where on-brand detail shots are a perfect accessory, from your website to socials to print.

Location shots — shots of your office, business or shoot location. May or may not include people, faceless rules apply as listed above.Examples: wide shots of your office (make sure to tidy up!), shoot location, accessories/tools/props etc, actions
Uses: these images are universal across all aspects of your business.
Why you need them: location shots allow viewers an insight into the interior of your business. For many people, this increases their comfort and trust in you.

Become an industry standout with brand photoshoot tips to elevate your marketing strategy

Resources

In this series:
Website Content Checklist: How to Prepare For Your Website Build by Ochre Design Studio. Prepare for a successful site launch with our top tips to develop effective website content, from brand photography to copywriting.

All images contained in this blog article by the talented Anna Nekrashevich on Pexels .

These should make up the vast majority of your photos (around 80-85%). Depending on your industry, needs and messaging, you may need more or less from each category. This is why it's so important to create an outline of essential shots!

Referring back to the type and quantity of content you want to include on your website can help you decide where the bulk of your photoshoot should be allocated.

Headshots — professional headshots of yourself or team members. Generally taken looking at the camera from the waist up.
Uses: team images on your Meet Our Team webpage, social media/author/event profile pictures, social media content
Why you need them: professional applications mentioned above.

Portrait (personal) shots — fuller/real-life shots of yourself or team members in a less-serious capacity than a headshot, generally posed or candid. Taken both when looking and not looking at the camera.
Examples: writing, typing, walking, talking, posing, with or without props
Uses: these images are universal across all aspects of your business. They apply to digital platforms like your website & socials and physically printed marketing materials.
Why you need them: more relaxed than headshots, these are great for showcasing yourself and team. They allow viewers to connect with your business and get to know you.

Action shots — shots of yourself, business, product or service in action. Generally contain one or more people interacting. Consider using your team members as "props" (or "clients") here!
Examples: meeting/consulting, performing a service or action, talking, walking, with or without props
Uses: these images are universal across all aspects of your business.
Why you need them: great for showcasing your services and/or team in action. They allow viewers to get comfortable knowing what to expect from your service.

Portfolio shots — staged shots of your work, taken onsite or used as printouts/props. This one is for business owners in the design industry.
Examples : onsite location photos, design element props (colour/material swatches, inspiration images, printouts)
Uses: these images showcase your work portfolio in a professional way.
Why you need them: portfolio images present your business and design style in a way that adds value to your service and attracts the right audience. They help viewers visualise themselves as a potential client and put you leaps and bounds ahead of the competition still using iPhone shots.

I mentioned before that I've never looked back since investing in brand photography for my business. The first time seeing those images lent me such validation and confidence in myself as a business owner, and I still feel that to this day. I've since used them in profile pictures, social media, ads, my website, lead magnets, email marketing and almost every application imaginable.

If you were on the fence about investing for yourself, I hope these brand photoshoot tips help your decision! When it comes to the next step in preparing your new images for your website, learn more with our Website Content Checklist: How to Prepare For Your Website Build .

Things were feeling lacklustre in my biz. I needed a refresh and a confidence boost, and decided to take the leap with brand photography. Spoiler alert: I've never looked back! I searched Instagram for a local photographer and found one in Townsville whose work matched my vision.

I'd thought of everything: a venue, the hotel room for getting ready (I lived 90 minutes away), multiple outfits and a pre-shoot haircut & blowdry. I left home early with some shoe shopping still to do, and everything went according to plan. I'd checked into the hotel with luscious locks by 2:30, plenty of time to do my makeup and make the 5 minute drive to the venue for a 4 o'clock start.

All went well until that point, but sometimes the smallest things trip you up. This day, the hurdles that got me were over-sensitive skin and expired makeup products. One mental breakdown later, I was starting over with my makeup at 3:30. Thankfully, my sister was there to save the day.

We were still an hour late to the two-hour shoot and I've never felt so terrible. Our photographer offered to reschedule but I'd come this far and was determined to continue, so we did — tired, frazzled and definitely not in the headspace I would've liked. Nevertheless, she was utterly wonderful and produced some incredible results despite the circumstances.

Using the magic formula

Even though some of these images almost feel like stock images, you can tell they're all part of the same cohesive collection. Looking at these, you might even be able to understand why you need them and how you would use each image type in different applications. Cool, right?

To recap your brand photoshoot magic formula, aim for 80-85% Personal/Team/Business shots and 15-20% Detail/Location shots, with a 50/50 ratio of tall to wide shots (or thereabouts).

1 — Image Orientation

Tall shot example

Wide shot example

2 — Personal, Team & Business Shots

Portrait shot example

Product shot example

Action shot example

Detail shot example

Website Content Checklist: How to Prepare For Your Website Build

hello@ochredesignstudio.com (Emily Brown) — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 01:27:58 GMT

Your guide to preparing aligned & effective website content

A website is one of the most important digital marketing assets a business can have. Every business owner dreams of a visually appealing site that connects and drives conversions, but design alone won't achieve these results. Ultimately, website content is what gives design it's effectiveness.

As the business owner, quality of website content is your responsibility! Some content types (like copywriting) can be outsourced, but outstanding results require more than paying a deposit and crossing your fingers. Today we'll look at the different types of website content and guide you through a simple process to prepare yours effectively. Let's go!

Website content types

1 — Brand Assets & Guidelines

The first step to prepare your website content is organising your brand assets and brand guidelines. Your brand identity design is the starting point for every other type of website content.

How to prepare: the easiest way to do this is to collate and share all your brand assets (brand guidelines document, logo files, font files, graphics etc.) with your website designer via a cloud link such as OneDrive. This way, your designer has access to everything and can decide which elements to use and which to leave out.
Recommendations: if you're on the fence about brand design, our minimum recommendation includes a cohesive logo suite, colour palette and typography for best website results. Many brand designers offer a starter package to set you up with the basics and happily provide additional services down the track.
Timeline: brand identity design can take anywhere from 2-6+ weeks to complete, depending on the scale of your project. For best results, branding should be complete before photography/videography.

2 — Imagery & Media

3 — Written Copy (Copywriting)

Next up is photo and video website content. With a fully realised brand identity, photography & videography sessions can be tailored to your brand values and strategy for the most authentic results.

How to prepare: find a photographer whose style you resonate with — a specialist in brand photography is best if possible! We recommend looking on Instagram of Pinterest for local photographers. Ask in advance for recommendations about location, props, colour coordination and even time of day.
Recommendations: you don't need hundreds of photos for an impactful website, often 10-15 high-quality images will do! If you're affected by budget limitations, opt for a smaller-scale photography package. Some photographers provide "web size" images, smaller duplicates of your high-resolution images suited for web design. Bonus points if they offer this! Ask if you're not sure.
Timeline: photography/videography projects are often booked in advance and can take 1-2 weeks for editing post-shoot. For best results, ensure photo and video files are delivered prior to your website project start date.

Position yourself for success with quality website content

Resources & Credit

In this series:
Brand Photoshoot Tips to Elevate Your Digital Marketing by Ochre Design Studio. Prepare for a successful site launch with our top tips to develop effective website content, from brand photography to copywriting.

Blog feature image by the talented Anna Nekrashevich on Pexels .

Written website content is also known as copy or copywriting. Copy is vital: not just as part of your website, but your entire marketing strategy. It also influences how your website will look visually!

Different kinds of copywriting services exist, too. Some are weighted more heavily on keyword strategy for SEO targeting and some are more conversion-oriented. We've found a healthy mix of both works best!

How to prepare : first ask your web designer for their recommendations when it comes to website copy. Some designers might provide a content writing guide to help you DIY the process, or point you in the direction of their trusted copywriter.
Recommendations: when writing your own copy, keep in mind your existing brand voice/values and refer back to your SEO keyword strategy (if you have one). We're big fans of the Storybrand Framework by Donald Miller when it comes to clarifying your messaging throughout your website copy. For those interested, here's the link to his book on Amazon .
Timeline: whether you DIY or outsource website copywriting, don't rush the process. Give yourself at least a week to develop your own ideas, and professionals 1-2+ weeks. Unless working directly with your designer, ensure copy is ready prior to your project start date.

It can be tough finding copywriters that specialise in SEO strategy and conversion while still sounding authentically you. Did you know that's one of our specialties? At Ochre Design Studio, we offer SEO & conversion-focused copywriting services. Book a chat with Emily to find out more!

Content can make or break the effectiveness of your website. If you're keen to get ahead of the competition, pour your efforts into crafting high-quality website content. Not only will your web designer thank you, but your conversion rates will too!

Most importantly, website content creation should be fun — enjoy yourself, it's an exciting time!

For more information about brand photography guidelines or help writing clarified copy, check out the other blog posts in this series in the resources section below.

Website content includes much more than written copy. Absolutely everything that appears on your site pages is website content, and all of it contributes to your success! Effective website content includes a mixture of the following content types to build trust with viewers and drive action:

Brand assets & guidelines — this includes your logo suite, brand colours & typography, brand strategy and any other assets belonging to your brand identity design. Brand guidelines outline how to use each element to ensure consistency across all aspects of your biz, including your website!
Imagery & media — also called brand photography or videography, this includes any photos or videos of yourself, team or business in action that appear throughout your website.
Written copy — whether prepared by yourself or a professional copywriter, written copy is one of the most important website content types. Words are powerful: they have the potential to sell your offer or turn away potential customers for good.
Calls-to-action (CTAs) — partly copywriting and partly marketing strategy, CTAs are an essential website content component for guiding viewers' action to achieve your desired goals.

Your input into these four website content types is critical in your website development. A website designer doesn't pour the foundation, but rather we build on what you give us: you're the expert on your business! We bring many strategic and visual elements to the table and do the best we can to ensure your finished product achieves your goals and feels authentically you. However, poor quality website content that achieves less-than-desirable results is something we can't control!

4 — Calls-To-Action (CTAs)

CTAs are the final piece of your website content puzzle, providing viewers the "next step" to working with you. Though related to copywriting, I've separated the two to provide more specific recommendations.

How to prepare: define the most desirable action your website visitors should take — whether that's to book an appointment, submit a website form or give you a call. You'll need a short CTA related to this goal for buttons (eg. "book a chat") and a few longer variations for written CTAs (eg. "ready for a brand transformation that reflects your quality? Book a chat to learn more").
Recommendations: keep your focus on the primary desired action. It's a good idea to have a few different CTA variations to keep from sounding repetitive while still prompting the same action. You also want to sound like you're solving a problem for the viewer — this makes them more likely to interact.
Timeline: CTAs are usually quick to put together. Including this task in the development of your website copy isn't just time efficient, but also helps guide the direction of your written copy.

Website content preparation checklist

Now you understand the website content types and their importance, read on for a step-by-step guide to preparing yours to a high standard. Remember, quality website content = quality results!

Website SEO Tips For Business Owners

hello@ochredesignstudio.com (Emily Brown) — Sat, 13 Jul 2024 01:07:28 GMT

Use these website SEO tips to boost discoverability and rankings in search results

If you're anything like me, you love a good DIY that's quick, easy and saves money. In the years I've spent studying SEO and digital marketing, I've found a handful of SEO techniques almost anyone can do to boost website rankings. In today's article, we'll dive into some website SEO tips that are easy enough to do yourself.

And if you're really keen on improving your website's discoverability, I'll reference a few other articles that would further improve your results when partnered with this one. Onward!

My top five do-it-yourself website SEO tips

1 — Optimise webpage headings

Website SEO tip number one: correctly tag and order your website page headings for improved readability by search engine crawlers.

You've probably seen something like a 'H' or a 'H1, H2, H3...' etc. in the text editor on your website. These are heading tags, and they span from H1 through to H6.

To improve your website's readability score, make sure to tag your site headings appropriately and lay them out in sequentially descending order. This helps search engine crawlers understand your website content better, and they are thus more likely to show your website to viewers.

If your website headings aren't currently tagged, you can easily apply one by highlighting the text and selecting the corresponding header tag in your text editor.

2 — Optimise image size

3 — Apply alt text to images

Website SEO tip number two: make your website images smaller for faster website loading speed.

Search engines prioritise websites that are quick to load. The quicker yours is, the better it will perform in search results, and there's an added bonus of reduced bounce rates! Viewers are much more likely to stick around if you don't make them wait.

Website SEO tip number three: once your images are resized, add alternative text to improve accessibility and readability.

A website that's accessible and easy for search engines to understand will rank higher that competitor sites that don't meet these standards.

Adding alt text to your newly-resized website images is a great three-in-one. Alt text improves accessibility for users, readability for search engines and is a great place to use keywords that increase the relevance of your website content!

Ideally, your website platform builder has a media library where all your images are stored. This allows you to quickly and easily update the alt text of each image as opposed to clicking through individually on your website pages.

Applying alt text is simple. Click on the image in your media library and look for a text box in your editing panel labelled 'alt text'. Describe the contents of the image in a few words, making sure to include keywords. Now repeat this process for every image on your website. That's it!

Apply these website SEO tips for business owners to boost webpage rankings

Writing your own meta titles and descriptions is essential to ensure your webpage search results are relevant to your audience. Otherwise, Google will pull content from the page that might not make sense.

These are super easy to update. Meta titles and tags are sometimes located at a site-wide level in SEO Settings or something similar, or they can appear at a page-level like Page SEO settings. Search the knowledge base of your website platform builder for a video or help article about how to change your meta title and tags.

All you need to do is enter a relevant page title and description for each website page. They don't need to be long, and again, relevant keywords are helpful to use here. For example, though my own portfolio page is internally titled 'Portfolio', I've entered a more relevant meta title of 'Web Design Portfolio' and a few keywords in the description (page contents, location, service types). It's that simple!

Resources

In this series:
5 Quick Ways to Boost Website Performance by Ochre Design Studio. Fix these 5 common mistakes to quickly & easily boost website performance.
Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found by Ochre Design Studio. Discover 3 easy Google visibility techniques to get found by your target audience online.

Just like nesting dolls or a table of contents, this concept of nesting your headings within relevant sections should help you identify which tags to apply to which headings. You don't have to use them all, either!

One final tip: use relevant keywords in your headings, but don't overstuff.

Web image sizing guide:

Your website images should be as small as possible without compromising on quality. Below is a list of the optimum formats and sizing that work best:

Logo/icon format — use .SVG format for your website logos and icons. SVG is a resolution-independent format, meaning the quality will stay consistent at any screen size. Some website platform builders also allow you to upload custom SVG icons and change their colours. Ask your graphic designer for SVG versions of your logo files if you don't have them. This way, you won't need to worry about resizing your logo.
Image format — use .WEBP or .JPG format for your website images. WEBP is a specialised image format, but is the best option speed-wise. On the other hand, JPG images are more available to produce and are still a very good option as they take up far less space than PNG images.
Wide image size — these are your full screen width images, like your hero image or background images. Aim for a 16:9 ratio of 1920px width and 1080px height. For very large website images experiencing quality issues at this level, increase the resolution to a max of 2160px width and 1320px height.
Regular image size — most regular images are sized in 1:1 (square), 2:3, 3:4 or 4:5 ratios. Aim for the following resolutions for each: 1080 x 1080px (square), 720 x 1080px (2:3), 810 x 1080px (3:4), 864 x 1080px (4:5).
Small image size — small images are closer to thumbnail size, like an author profile photo. Aim for a 1:1 ratio of 300px.
How to resize website images — there are plenty of free online tools for resizing and converting website image formats. I like the Bulk Image Resizer by imageresizer.com , which allows you bulk format images, input custom width and height resolutions and choose your output from WEBP, JPG and PNG file types. An excellent all-in-one solution!

So now you know these super simple secrets to on-page SEO, go forth and prosper! If you enjoyed these website SEO tips and want to further improve your website's discoverability, other blog posts in this series from the resources section below.

You've heard of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), but did you know SEO is actually an umbrella term of a group of techniques? Together they serve to build a stronger relationship between your website and search engines like Google, which improves the frequency of your content delivery to your target audience online.

Read on to discover my top five (free!) SEO techniques to give your site a boost in search engine rankings.

Global settings — sometimes when you apply a H tag, the visual properties of the text may change (colour/font/size). This happens because of your global site settings, a feature which applies selected characteristics to their matching elements on a global (site-wide) scale. To fix this, either update the global settings for each H tag type to reflect how you want them to look, or change the specific text again after applying the tag.
H1 tags — there should be only one H1 tag per page, no exceptions! Make sure it's right at the top.
Identify headers — how do I know which text to tag as a header? This is pretty simple: headers are generally any text that title a section on a page (eg. like the 'about us' and 'our services' sections on your homepage). Another quick identifier: obvious ones aren't written in sentence format.
Ordering tags — how do I know which tag to apply to a header? Picture header tags like nesting dolls rather than a numerically ordered list. Rule one, almost every section title will on a page will be a H2. Then, further headings found within the section are H3 tags. Let's use this blog post as a classic example — you can see the order in the image below.

How to tag and order website headings:

4 — Add meta titles and descriptions

Website SEO tip number four: add meta titles and descriptions to your website pages to improve readability and relevance.

You might not have heard of these, but I'll guarantee you know what they are. That blue link writing at the top of every Google search result? The meta title. The writing underneath? You guessed it: the meta description.

5 — Submit your sitemap

Website SEO tip number five: submit your sitemap to serve your website pages in search results.

Once you've applied the first four website SEO tips, submitting your sitemap to Google is the last step to take. In doing this, all your improvements to readability, accessibility and relevance are updated and served correctly in search results.

To submit your sitemap, you'll need to find your Sitemap URL and submit it via Google Search Console.

For a detailed guide on how to set up Google Search Console and submit your sitemap, check out my post about Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found .

And that's it!

Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found

hello@ochredesignstudio.com (Emily Brown) — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 00:45:08 GMT

Use these Google visibility tips for business owners and get discovered by your target audience online

It's no secret there's a myriad of products offered by Google these days. If you're a business owner, chances are you've already encountered some of the Google visibility tools available online. Many are free to use and highly effective, but without professional guidance, where does a service-based business even begin?

Today we'll look at my top 3 Google visibility tools for service-based businesses: Business Profile, Search Console and Google Ads. Read on to learn how use these tools effectively and start getting discovered by your target audience online!

If you have a web design or digital marketing partner, ask them first which tools might already be in place for your business.

My top 3 Google visibility tools for service-based business owners

1 — Google Business Profile

Google Business Profile is the simplest concept and easiest of the three tools to set up. In a matter minutes, your service-based business will visible in the Google Knowledge Panel and Google Maps.

The Google Knowledge Panel (or Knowledge Graph) is the fancy panel which appears on the right-hand side of the screen in search results. It displays your business name, profile photo and relevant contact details including phone number, website, social media profiles and more.

2 — Google Search Console

3 — Google Ads

Google Search Console is another useful free tool that can be a little trickier to wrap your head around. Its purpose is to monitor the performance of your website pages in search results, including their indexing status.

Indexing is the visibility of each of your website pages in Google search results. Indexed pages are the pages being served to viewers in search results, while non-indexed pages aren't visible.

Why not Google Analytics, I hear you ask? Well, most mainstream website platform builders include more than adequate analytics. Google Analytics is often used in partnership with a digital marketing provider for high-level conversion tracking (among other things) and isn't really related to the basic-level visibility we're exploring today.

Serve your online audience and get found with Google visibility techniques

Once in the dashboard, create a new campaign by clicking the plus icon in the top left corner, or access the keyword planner by selecting the Tools tab from the left-hand menu. You can enter billing information in the Billing tab and even add collaborators from your Admin settings.

Resources

In this series:
5 Quick Ways to Boost Website Performance by Ochre Design Studio. Fix these 5 common mistakes to quickly & easily boost website performance.
Website SEO Tips For Business Owners by Ochre Design Studio. Boost your website page rankings in search results with these DIY SEO techniques for business owners.

Blog feature image by the talented Karolina Grabowska on Pexels .

Business Profile for Google visibility

Several things make GBP a great visibility tool, besides the fact that it's free to use:

Credibility — if your business isn't on Google, it might as well not exist (in most cases). Many viewers Google a business before attempting to visit or make a purchase. Often this is to find an address or opening hours, but also to establish your credibility. Appearing on Google lends legitimacy and trustworthiness to your business and causes viewers to feel more comfortable buying from you.
Reviews — reviews and testimonials go hand in hand with credibility, but are even more useful for social proof. If you've ever wondered where's the best place for satisfied clients to leave a review, it's on your GBP. From here, you can share them to your website and socials, but that's not all. The more positive Google reviews you have, the more visible your business will be to viewers.
Local targeting — we've all searched it: '____ near me'. Once you have a Business Profile, Google's algorithm automatically considers you for viewers searching with local intent. With more Google reviews, you might be placed in the Local Pack: the 'near me' map that appears at the top of search results with local businesses pinned. This is a competitive spot, so work hard on getting those Google reviews!
Tip: once your GBP is set up, visit it by Googling your business name. A list of options will appear under the Your Business On Google heading. Clicking the Ask For Reviews option generates a direct link you can send satisfied clients to leave a review.

Get started on Google Business Profile

Make sure you sign into a Chrome window with an existing Google/gmail account. It can be either a personal or business account. Create a Google account here if you don't already have one.
Visit the Google Business Profile setup page and click 'Manage Now' in the top right corner.
Follow the prompts to enter your business information, then complete the verification challenge. Don't forget to add your website and social media profiles. That's it!

Tip for online businesses: even if you provide services to anyone/anywhere, don't pick more than 1-2 locations in your initial setup (ie. don't list multiple cities in different states/territories). Choose the most general option, such as the entire state/territory, to show your location to audiences. You can also opt to leave your address out of the listing.

Search Console for Google visibility

At a basic level, the goal of using Google Search Console for visibility is to ensure your website pages are indexed and being served to potential clients browsing the web.

GSC is great for monitoring other analytics and performance insights, including searched keywords resulting in online impressions or clicks for your business. This information has many other uses of its own, but in terms of visibility, we're starting with site indexing.

All published websites contain a file called a Sitemap . Picture this as a map of your website: starting with your homepage, then leading to other site pages (maybe a blog) and any existing subpages (like an individual blog post). Your sitemap contains all your website content (headings, copy, media, links) and presents it structurally for Google to read.

Without a manual submission, Google often takes 6-8+ weeks to find your Sitemap and index your website pages after publishing. By submitting your Sitemap file in GSC, your entire site could be indexed in a matter of days.

To submit your Sitemap file to GSC:

Find your sitemap file. Most sitemaps exist at the following URL: "https://www. yourdomainhere.com /sitemap.xml". If you can't find your Sitemap using this method, it might be at a different address. Find a tutorial or help article offered by your website builder, or talk to your web designer.
Submit your sitemap to Google Search Console. In the left-hand panel in GSC, select the Sitemaps tab. You'll see a prompt to enter your Sitemap URL, so paste this in and click Submit . Don't panic if the status shows as Failed right away. It can take a few days to process, so check back for an update after that time.

Get started on Google Search Console

Sign into a Chrome window with an existing Google account.
Visit the Google Search Console setup page and click 'Start Now'.
On login, you'll see a prompt to enter the domain or URL of the property you want to monitor. To enter a Domain , you'll need access to your domain's DNS records found in the DNS settings of your website hosting provider. If you don't have access to this, opt for the URL Prefix option instead.

Choosing the Domain option generates some instructions to create new DNS records in your website DNS settings. It's best practice to do this if you can.

Choosing the URL Prefix options initiates a verification challenge for you to prove ownership of the URL. This may look like uploading some HTML to your website.

GSC will start processing your website data once verified and may take a few days to return site performance analytics, but you'll be able to submit your Sitemap straight away. That's it!

Ads for Google visibility

Google Ads is a paid-for tool, but only in terms of your actual ad spend budget. It's still free to set up an account, and note this, business owner:

Google Ads doesn't need to cost the earth to be effective. A common misconception about Google Ads is that you must spend four or five figures per month to get results. You don't!

Unfortunately, there are scammy businesses out there promising "first page of Google results" or X amount of "guaranteed conversions" for obscene monthly fees (yikes). Avoid these guys! A genuine digital marketing expert should work with you to develop a strategy that's in line with your budget.

It's true that a higher ad spend budget makes your service-based business more competitive. That being said, I've seen measurable results in monthly budgets as low as $300-$600 per month. At this level, you'll gain more eyeballs on your biz and traffic to your website for a relatively low cost. When paired with a well-designed website and conversion strategy, this traffic generally results in the desired effect of higher conversion rates. Yay!

For more on improving your website to make the most from your ad spend, see our post on 5 Quick Ways to Boost Website Performance .

Get started on Google Ads

Only the most switched-on DIY-ers should attempt Google Ads without professional help, but it can be done! Everything is customisable from your daily ad spend to the campaign run dates, and the platform offers plenty of prompts to guide you through the ad creation process. It also offers a keyword planner tool to help you discover relevant keywords, which you can use to create a basic ad!

Important recommendations: don't try and approach Google Ads with a budget of less than $300 per month, and don't spend more than you can afford if you're not confident in your skills — seek professional help.
At Ochre Design Studio, we offer digital marketing services including Google Ads campaigns. Book a chat with Emily to learn more.
If you're DIY-ing, watch this quick tutorial by Metics Media on Youtube for a simple guide to creating your first Google Ad.

Here's how to get started with Google Ads:

Sign into a Chrome window with an existing Google account.
Visit the Google Ads setup page and click the 'Start Now' button in the top right corner.
Important — in the first screen after login, you can start creating a campaign straight away but this flow results in an immediate requirement for spending money. If you're not ready for that yet, click the tiny blue writing at the bottom of the very first window that says 'Skip campaign creation' (see below). It'll save you getting stuck in a rather annoying loop and giving up before you've even begun!

There you have it: Business Profile, Search Console and Ads, my top 3 picks to boost your Google visibility. There are many other techniques involved in SEO and digital marketing, but these three are the quickest and easiest methods for the DIY business owner to get started on Google.

I hope this guide has been helpful in determining a starting point for your Google adventures! Should you ever need a hand with Google visibility, website conversion strategies or other digital marketing techniques, we're happy to help! To learn more, check out our services or book a chat with Emily .

To learn more about improving your website to make the most of your ad spend or applying DIY SEO techniques to boost search rankings, check out the other blog posts in this series from the resources section below.

5 Quick Ways to Boost Website Performance

hello@ochredesignstudio.com (Emily Brown) — Thu, 11 Jul 2024 00:07:41 GMT

Web design tips to increase engagement, conversion & search engine rankings

Your website is one of the most important assets in your digital marketing strategy. It should be responsive, easy to use and work to generate leads & sales. If you’re wondering how to boost website performance by increasing site traffic or fixing engagement/conversion issues, you're in the right place!

You might have heard of something called best practices that are used in website creation. Best practices involve a number of web design techniques that position your site for optimum discoverability and conversion online. Best practices are key to a results-driven website, but some are commonly missed that can drastically improve website performance.

Today’s article highlights common mistakes to avoid in the design of your website and some quick fixes to their problems. Increased website performance is just a few steps away!

Understand your website analytics

The first step to optimise your website performance is understanding your website analytics. If you know where to look, analytics data can tell you exactly what kind of issues your site is experiencing. Here are three key website analytics to keep an eye on and why they matter:

Bounce rate — the percentage of visitors to a website who navigate away from the site without moving past the first page. A high bounce rate (greater than 60%) indicates that your website's homepage needs work. Things like loading speed, images and website copy all contribute to the first impression of your site on viewers.

Engagement rate — the percentage of visitors who engage with a website. Engagement can be measured using different metrics such as clicks, page views, downloads and more. A low engagement rate indicates a lack of connection between your audience and your website content.

Conversion rate — the percentage of visitors who complete the next step to becoming your client or customer. This could be an appointment booking, product purchase or something similar. A low conversion rate indicates unclear messaging, or an absent/outdated website strategy.

It's a good idea to take a benchmark measurement of these metrics before updating your website. This will help you understand the effectiveness of your changes moving forward.

With these metrics and their importance in mind, let's cover the steps you can take to identify problems and improve website performance!

Best practices for results-driven website performance

1 — Mobile Responsiveness

Avoid this mistake: a design that's unresponsive across different devices.

If your website is unresponsive, it’s less functional or not functional for site visitors on tablet or mobile.

This can look like low site traffic and high bounce rates. Search engines like Google prioritise sites with clear structure, hierarchy and readability. This means your unresponsive site will rank lower in search results than the responsive sites of your competitors. Additionally, nearly 8 in 10 consumers will stop engaging with content that doesn’t display well on their device[1]. 56.74% of website traffic is generated by mobile users in Australia alone[2], meaning this could cost you more than half of potential site visitors!

To fix this problem: search the editor of your website platform builder for a secondary mobile or tablet viewport mode. Apply any edits needed to optimise your existing website content across as many device views as possible, especially mobile. Test this on a small scale first to make sure it won't mess up your desktop layout. Or, search your platform builder for a help article or video to learn more about responsive editing.

If you’re not confident applying these changes yourself, seek out a professional web designer offering services built to responsive standards.

2 — Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Specifications

3 — User Experience

4 — Professional Imagery and Media

5 — Breathing Room (Less is More)

Avoid this mistake: an inconvenient or unclear user experience.

We’ve all had one of these website encounters. Nothing is feels intuitive, navigating is confusing and you can’t quickly and easily find the solution you went there for. This accessibility and convenience provided to your audience as they navigate your website is known as the user experience (UX).

This can look like low engagement and low conversion rates. UX is one of the invisible elements that contribute to high-conversion website design. Not prioritising UX or forgetting it altogether is a huge mistake! 88% of online customers say they wouldn’t return to a website after a bad user experience[3]. They won’t buy if they can’t find or understand your offer!

To fix this problem: review these quick tips related to your site's layout, the clarity of your messaging and calls-to-action:
Ensure viewers can instantly understand what you do and how they can buy from you. Include this information and a clear call-to-action above the fold of your website's homepage
Ensure your website is easy to use and navigate, and that viewers quickly and easily find what they're looking for
Ensure your website copy feels aligned with your business and effectively communicates your offer

A professional web designer can help prioritise your website’s user experience and craft a strategy which achieves your website goals. This could include any refinements needed to your messaging, communication and any of the other aspects listed in this article. Ochre Design Studio offers varying levels of website conversion strategy with every site, from basic to advanced. To learn more, book a chat with Emily.

Avoid this mistake: poor search engine optimisation (SEO).

SEO strongly influences the discoverability of your site to viewers browsing search engines like Google. It involves of a group of techniques that serve to build stronger relationships between your website and search engines, helping deliver your content more frequently to your target audience.

This can look like low website traffic, meaning your conversions will suffer as a result. Your audience can’t engage with you if they can’t find you

To fix this problem: review these quick tips related to website structure, keywords and page indexing:Check page headings are tagged (H1, H2 etc.) and structured in sequentially descending order
Check page meta titles & tags are entered in your site's SEO/page settings
Check all site images have alt text describing the contents of the image
Include frequently searched keywords related to your service throughout your page headings, site copy, meta titles/tags and image alt text
Use Google Search Console to check indexed (visible) status of your website pages on Google

For more on DIY SEO techniques, check out our post on Website SEO Tips for Business Owners or see Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found to learn how to leverage Google tools for success.

Some web designers and agencies include page-level SEO as part of their web design services, with further options for ongoing SEO. Our studio builds every website to SEO specifications — to learn more, book a chat with Emily.

Avoid this mistake: dubious (or no) site imagery.

How many times have we all accessed a website only to wince when faced with those horribly fake stock images? In contrast, some websites contain no imagery at all (ahem, a common AI-build design flaw) — leaving us with a dubious sense of their credibility. Professional imagery plays an incredibly important role your web design's ability to connect with and engage site visitors.

This could look like low site engagement and high bounce rates.
To fix this problem:
T here are a few great solutions for fixing icky website stock images. Website imagery and media should tell the story of your business in an authentic way and build trust with your audience. The best and most genuine solution is to invest in brand photography!
The addition of brand photography to your website creates a cohesive, engaging experience for your site visitors. You don’t need an entire gallery, often 5-10 high quality images will do. If you’re already making a sizeable investment into your web design, seriously consider investing in brand photography as well. When paired together, a good brand photographer and vision-oriented web designer capture your authenticity and create website magic that’s out of this world!

If brand photography isn’t an option right away, don’t worry. As long as you understand the value of genuine imagery, use paid resources such as Adobe Stock or free resources such as Unsplash or Pexels to find high-quality images.

Avoid this mistake: an overcrowded website.

Overcrowded sites occur when a design is stuffed with too much information. It's tempting to share as much information as possible, but this not always the best approach on key website pages.

This could look like low conversion rates and high bounce rates. An overcrowded website reduces its overall effectiveness, not to mention resulting in slower page speed!

To fix this problem:
Breathing room matters in your design. Businesses with a clean, modern and/or minimal website layout are often perceived as more professional and trustworthy. Once you realise that website users only read about 28% of text on a page[4], you can focus on communicating the most important information and slimming down the rest.
To avoid overcrowding, adopt the less is more mantra and stick to your brand guidelines! Every word, image and other piece of website content should serve your overall web design strategy. Anything that isn't 100% essential can go!

Solutions to common web design mistakes

Whether you’re a DIY expert or a seasoned web designer, consider the positioning of your site against these best practices. They all impact on your website performance, so optimising each one can lead to increased traffic, engagement and conversion rates.

To further improve website rankings by leveraging Google tools and using DIY SEO techniques, check out our posts in this series on Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found and Website SEO Tips for Business Owners .

I hope you're feeling enlightened and filled with helpful ideas for boosting the performance of your web design. Good luck!

Resources & Credit

In this series:
Website SEO Tips For Business Owners by Ochre Design Studio. Boost your website page rankings in search results with these DIY SEO techniques for business owners.
Google Visibility: Your Guide to Get Found by Ochre Design Studio. Discover 3 easy Google visibility techniques to get found by your target audience online.

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