Technology changes relentlessly. Digital marketing best practices shift continuously, making it difficult to know which guidelines to follow. At Belgrave, we believe in the importance of common sense marketing, or “marketing done right.” Because of this belief, and because we can’t help ourselves, we stay up to date on the digital landscape.
While there are many, we have decided to feature the most prevalent changes we have recently observed.
Ideal copy length of a blog post:
A few years ago, shorter was better. Around 500 words max. Now, the current trend recommends much longer posts, between 1,500 and 2,000 words.
Homepage carousels – yes or no?
For a long time, image carousels were a web trend. Marketers were encouraged to add rotating images at the top of homepages (and often subpages). These image carousels were considered the best way to visually showcase products, people and accomplishments. Today? Not so much, at least for the mobile version of your website.
With mobile device usage continuing to increase, carousels slow down the load time of a site. Therefore, it is time to ditch the carousel on mobile. After all, who stops to scroll through those images when on their cell anyway, right?
Google algorithms and search results changes
Google makes changes and we all just have to adjust. Well, not only adjust, but try to figure out what’s important in each new algorithm since they withhold their updates. Keeping up can be a full-time job.
AdWords is now Google Ads. Why?
Once upon a time, Google only returned text results for web searches. First, they expanded into display (i.e. graphical) ads. And since then, they have added “call-only” options, responsive ads, expanded text ads, to name a few. Accordingly, it continues to get more complex keeping up with their program and its growing offerings. However, the one thing that hasn’t changed is their great performance.
Site Speed – Does it Matter?
It sure does! As mobile use rises, people’s patience and attention spans decrease simultaneously. Thus, websites need to load quickly. Research shows that one second makes a difference, and may cost a website surprising amounts of traffic. This is critical now, and we predict it will be even more so in the future.
Implementing Common Sense Marketing
Digital marketing, however, is not a one-size-fits-all line of work. The correct formula lies within each business. It depends on your company size, the types of products and services you offer, your culture, your goals and, quite frankly, what analytics tells you is effective.
We have learned that, unless you are a full-time marketer, it’s very difficult to keep up with the trends. Therefore, we recommend engaging with people who are skilled in curating content, driving traffic, reporting real results and offering enhancements to improve your bottom line.
Belgrave’s Common Sense Approach
At Belgrave, we are common sense marketers who believe in rich storytelling. What does this mean for our clients? We view marketing as a way to leverage your business’s founding principles along with your mission and vision to attract customers. We analyze results of each marketing element to determine the ratio that makes sense for your company.
Contact us to find out more about how we can help you make the most of your advertising dollars.