Web Design & Marketing Trends Blog

In the past years, we have witnessed a significant increase in the number of consumers searching for reviews before making purchase decisions. Sites like Google and Yelp are commonly used for this purpose.  But what happens when your business receives a bad review? While many may ignore these unsatisfied customers, doing so may hurt your business even more. You may be surprised to hear that negative reviews can actually help your business! Here are some reasons why you should never ignore negative reviews.

1. You Can Use That Insight to Make Better Decisions

When a customer posts a negative review on Yelp or Google, you can use this information to find out what led to the negative review. You can then discuss the issue with your staff and come up with a solution. With this, you can see that you will end up improving the customer experience a lot. You can learn from negative reviews and try to get them sorted so that you do not face this problem again.

2. You Can Mitigate Unfair Reviews

People tend to have different opinions on everything. You cannot control every review that you receive, but you can keep a check on the ones that are not logical. For instance, if someone complains about a chicken salad not being available at your all-vegetarian restaurant, you can reject that based on the fact that you run a vegetarian restaurant.

3. Helps In Communicating With Your Customers/Clients

When a customer complains on Yelp about something that you think you can control, acknowledge that complaint and make sure that they are heard. This will make them feel validated and heard. They might even come back due to the good service that they are receiving at your place. You can protect your star rating by communicating and accepting your mistake.

LDR Design Agency

14 December 2022

25 January 2023

Read more: 6 Reasons to Respond to Negative Reviews

Inflation has hit everyone so hard recently. Imagine starting up your own business during a time when you’re struggling to make ends meet! We have a few ways to promote your business on a budget. You don’t have to stop promoting yourself because things are tight. We hope this helps!

Luckily, there are a LOT of free resources you can take advantage of to get your business out there. While they are free, some of them do take time to implement, especially when you are just starting out. However, once you are set up and have been practicing using them for a while, they will become easier and faster to use.

Set Up and Use Google Business Profile

One of the best ways to get local online visibility is on Google. Setting up a Google Business Profile will make you locally searchable on Google and Google Maps. It is the most used search engine, so avoiding it would be a big mistake. Setting it up takes a bit of time, but once it is optimized with information, you are ready to take it to the next level!

Spend some time every week to post pictures and posts, check/reply to reviews and messages, and make any updates necessary. Best of all, this tool is 100% free! Don’t miss out on setting one up. Get started here! Be sure to search for your business first if you aren’t sure if you already have one. Your business could be listed, but not claimed. You’ll want to claim it.

Get A Temporary Small Website

If you are starting out from the very bottom and have no loans or money to invest in your very own page on the internet, fear not! There are ways to still get your very own corner online. Remember, having a website is better than having no website. Not having a website puts up a red flag that your business might not be credible.

For a free website we suggest using a built-in Google Business Profile Website to hold you over. Note, this website will not be very high ranking as it won’t have SEO tools. If you have residual income to spend on marketing, we suggest starting out with a 1–4-page custom made site. The idea is to build up to a better site as you grow. A custom-made site will give you the options for SEO optimization, Google registration, and updating.

Use Social Media for Your Business

Another easy free resource to get you found is social media. However, before you go creating business profiles, you will need to leverage which ones will be the best for your business. Rate your customer demographics and find what platforms those demographics will be using. Those are the ones you want to be on.

Once you’ve created a profile, get active! Check in at least every other day to post updates and communicate with your audience. It might take you a bit to get a feel for what to post. Our rule of thumb is that social media is mostly for fun. Companies can make a lot of money selling themselves on there, but most people probably don’t want to be sold to. Be authentic and post fun pictures, quotes, jokes, how to’s, tutorials, deals, with a sprinkle of promotion.

Create Graphics

People are drawn to pictures. Words only go so far. Add a picture and you’ll get attention! Create banners, flyers, logos, coupons, and more on Canva.com. It’s free and very easy to use. What’s nice is that it appears as professional if you have a good eye for graphic design. Plus, there are a lot of resources built-in to take advantage of.

Though we never normally promote using stock footage, sometimes it is a valuable option. Canva has a plethora of stock images you might need to rely on for a graphic. If you need stock images for your site, go to pixabay.com. There are also many other sites to use.

Send Newsletters

When you start to grow an email list of customers, it’s time to put it to use! Sign up for a newsletter outlet such as Mailchimp or Mailerlite that’s free when you have a small list. Create and send out newsletters every other week or once a month. Don’t burden subscribers with sales content. Write them a blog or list of helpful information that lends itself to your business. You can promote yourself throughout by adding website links and testimonials. It’s also a great way to broadcast events, conduct polls, and run a contest!

Don’t Underestimate Video

One of the most popular ways of getting yourself out there today is video. Whether it’s TikTok, YouTube, or Meta, start launching videos to promote your business now. It takes no money to shoot a short of a day at the office or a quick How-To video! Be consistent. Make a schedule on what days to launch and what topics to cover. Capture candid moments that viewers will love. Be yourself always!

Bottom Line for How to Promote Your Business on a Budget

These examples are just some of the resources available for free right at your fingertips. They will take time to start, but well worth it in establishing your business. Don’t forget to be consistent. You don’t want your audience to forget about you!

When your business grows, so will your budget for marketing. Your time will also become more precious. Outsource all the things you don’t have time for! LDR Design can help with all the tasks above and more! Contact us today!

Written by April Brzezinski, Content Developer
LDR Design Agency

LDR Design Agency

01 November 2022

14 December 2022

Did You Write Your Website Content To Impress Google? 

The bad news is that Google is not impressed. It was before 5 AM on August 25 (2022) that Google released its latest Google update. Way too many content developers have been publishing blogs and marketing material that is all about keywords. Their content was created to impress Google, and thus rank well in the search engines. The reality is that Google is far more impressed with "high-quality content" that informs people. Rewrite your blogs to focus on people-first content. 

Was Your Website Content Written For Humans? 

As content developers ourselves - We see a lot of low-quality content. This content provides no value to the intended audience at all. Here are a few tips on what this Helpful Content algorithm is all about. 

• Write to your specific audience. Think about your product or service from the perspective of the intended audience. Let the rest (just) listen in! 
• Let your intended audience know that you are an expert on this topic. People want to research data from experts! Experts give high-value information to others. 
• Do your research. Be trustworthy. Avoid the shock content. Instead, write original information, and be comprehensive. Write helpful content.
• Read your content and ask - are you meeting the needs of your audience? Will your readers be satisfied? Take the time to be thorough. 

This is a Google CORE algorithm update that will affect all industries. Some businesses will be harder impacted than others. For example, most shopping websites provide limited descriptions and very little "helpful" information. Google has made it clear... websites with relatively high amounts of unhelpful content overall are less likely to perform on the Google Search Engine. Ready or not, the "Helpful Content" update is here. Are you ready? 

Managing User Intent

People go to websites for basically four reasons. Great websites provide quality information to embrace them all. Embrace the user intent for each submission.

1. People love to research and (to) have their questions answered. FAQ sections are powerful! Google encourages this with its FAQ schema. Give your ideal audience the information they are researching, and Google will reward you. Check out the linked beginner's guide that Neil Patel created. 
2. People go online to find local products and services. For example, "Pizza near me" is heavily used each Friday evening. Be sure to tell your audience what you are selling, and add the details. Stand out with helpful content such as "Our pizza is handmade, from scratch, with fresh ingredients that have been sourced locally."
3. People go online to learn how to do things themselves. How-To blogs and videos are highly searched and read. Make great use of this. 
4. The next group is people that are ready to spend money. Does your e-commerce platform or other platform style make it easy to "buy now"? 

So surprise your audience with great content that educates, explains, and entertains your audience. Remember that YOU are the expert.  Speak with confidence. People want to RESEARCH and ultimately purchase from people that really know their industry. Artificial Intelligence software is great for tasks. However, my recommendation is to stay away from AI-produced content. People recognize robot-scripted content. Experts can do better. 

It is always a great time to update your website content.

Start with your oldest or worst article or blog and determine if this content is still relevant. Is it helpful? If not, either delete or rewrite. Removing poor content will actually HELP your website's SEO score overall. 

The Content Development Team at LDR has been ahead of this curve for many years. We write to impress the ideal client with quality information. Yes, this content was definitely researched. Visit the Google Search Console for source documentation.

You are also welcome to contact the content development team at LDR for a discussion about your website. Schedule a Zoom meeting with our senior SEO for some direct guidance, so you know how to keep your website showing in Google Search. 

Written by Beverly Richards, Google SEO & Content Developer
LDR Design Agency

LDR Design Agency

25 August 2022

01 November 2022

Putting Online Reviews Front and Center

People want to feel confident that their purchasing decision is the right one. A study by Podium showed that 93% of consumers find online reviews helpful, and will seek them out.

• 84% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
• Every 1-star increase in your Google or Yelp ranking can lead to 5-9% increase in revenue. Google uses recent reviews as a ranking factor.

Your business needs a Google Business Profile to get Google Reviews. Take the time to set up and verify your GBP. This profile will add your business to Google Maps, Google Search, and other Google services.

 Get More Google Reviews

Let’s go over some easy ways to get more reviews.

• Happy customers give reviews. Ask in person, right after completing the job for the client. Tell them that you would “love to get” their feedback.
• Ask over the phone by sending a text message. State what services you did for them to encourage the client to include the details.
• Set up a Reviews page on your website to show off the customer reviews. Fill the page with Google reviews, video reviews, and a link to add a review.
• Emails and newsletters are a great way to stay in contact with your clients. Be sure to ask for a review in the message and include the link. Many LDR clients are set up with an attention-getting graphic that asks for reviews.
• Social Media has become the new customer service department. Be sure to ask for reviews on a routine basis here.
• When sending invoices or receipts to clients always add your ASK for a Google review.
• A personalized Thank You card is a great way to ask for a review. Did you enjoy working with us? Let us know... 

People Respond To Review Requests.

A recent local consumer review survey by BrightLocal showed that most people will respond to a review when asked. In fact, 12% said YES that they always left a review. Another 23% left a review more than half the time. The third group said yes, they leave reviews less than half the time.

Hmmm. Are you nudging your clients to write a review?

Front and Center

Value all reviews. Make going after reviews a major part of your business life. After every project is completed – go after that review. You can do this without being a pest. Most people are plenty willing – if you just ask. So make sure you deserve a 5-Star review and ask for it.

Getting customer reviews is powerful!

Online reviews are typically the first impression people have of your business. If you have bad reviews – respond to them and apologize for the poor experience. Try to resolve the conflict and earn a higher score.

Learn About Reputation Management Services

Make it easy for customers to review your business. Take the time to make this happen or hire LDR Design Agency for Reputation Management Services. LDR will manage your social media, your Google Business Profile, and your website Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to improve and protect your business reputation. It is time to grow your business with an effective Reputation Management Plan in place.

This all starts with a discussion. Contact a Content Developer at LDR soon to set up an appointment. 

LDR Design Agency

27 July 2022

27 July 2022