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	<title>Therapist Web Design</title>
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	<title>Therapist Web Design</title>
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	<item>
		<title>Keywords and Key Phrases For Canadian Counselors</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keywords-and-key-phrases-for-canadian-counselors/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keywords-and-key-phrases-for-canadian-counselors/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 2024 20:09:15 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keywords]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=54136</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s digital age, searching online for products and services has become second nature. Just like everyone else, your clients use search engines to find the information they need before deciding to take action. This behavior applies when they start looking for a psychologist or therapist. Understanding how search engines work and utilizing search marketing [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keywords-and-key-phrases-for-canadian-counselors/">Keywords and Key Phrases For Canadian Counselors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>In today&#8217;s digital age, searching online for products and services has become second nature. Just like everyone else, your clients use search engines to find the information they need before deciding to take action. This behavior applies when they start looking for a psychologist or therapist. Understanding how search engines work and utilizing search marketing can be a powerful tool to get your practice noticed.</p>
<p>Search marketing can seem overwhelming, so I&#8217;ll break down some key concepts in a series of posts, starting with this one on keywords and key phrases.</p>
<h4>What are Keywords and Key Phrases?</h4>
<p>A keyword or key phrase is what a user types into a search engine to find something specific. There are three main categories of key phrases that are useful to understand in terms of how users search the internet. Knowing these can help you shape your web content effectively.</p>
<h4>Transactional Key Phrases</h4>
<p>Transactional key phrases are used by searchers who intend to purchase a service immediately. The goal is to find a specific product or service. If your site is optimized for these types of key phrases, you are likely to get inquiries and new clients.</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Therapist for anxiety in Vancouver</strong></li>
<li><strong>Counselling for trauma Victoria BC</strong></li>
<li><strong>EMDR therapist Kelowna</strong></li>
</ul>
<h4>Informational Key Phrases</h4>
<p>Informational key phrases are used by searchers who are researching their options and gathering information for future use. The intent here is to satisfy a need for information. Blogging about relevant topics can drive traffic to your site, helping your site rank higher in search engines, even if it doesn&#8217;t directly convert to new clients immediately.</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Signs of PTSD</strong></li>
<li><strong>Do I need a counsellor?</strong></li>
<li><strong>How to know if you are addicted to drugs</strong></li>
</ul>
<h4>Navigational Key Phrases</h4>
<p>Navigational key phrases include the actual brand or name of what the searcher is looking for. The intent is to locate a specific website. If someone is searching for information about you, perhaps after receiving a referral, they should be able to find your site directly.</p>
<p>Examples:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>John Doe, R. Psych Vancouver</strong></li>
<li><strong>Jane Smith counsellor Victoria BC</strong></li>
<li><strong>Dr. Emily White therapist Burnaby</strong></li>
</ul>
<h2>Drafting Keywords To Speak to Specific Topics</h2>
<p>To effectively attract clients seeking help with anxiety, counsellors can utilize targeted keywords related to, for example, <em>anxiety</em> in their online content. Here are some practical steps and examples on how to do this:</p>
<h4>1. <strong>Identify Relevant Keywords</strong></h4>
<p>Start by identifying keywords that potential clients might use when searching for help with anxiety. These can be divided into the three main categories: transactional, informational, and navigational.</p>
<p><strong>Transactional Keywords:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Anxiety therapist near me</strong></li>
<li><strong>Counselling for anxiety in [Your City]</strong></li>
<li><strong>CBT for anxiety [Your City]</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Informational Keywords:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>How to manage anxiety</strong></li>
<li><strong>Symptoms of anxiety disorder</strong></li>
<li><strong>Natural remedies for anxiety</strong></li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Navigational Keywords:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><strong>[Your Name] anxiety counselling</strong></li>
<li><strong>[Your Practice Name] anxiety therapy</strong></li>
<li><strong>[Your Name] psychologist specializing in anxiety</strong></li>
</ul>
<h4>2. <strong>Optimize Website Content</strong></h4>
<p>Use these keywords strategically throughout your website to improve search engine optimization (SEO). Here are some key areas to focus on:</p>
<p><strong>Homepage:</strong> Ensure your homepage includes keywords in the title, meta description, headers, and throughout the content. For example:</p>
<ul>
<li>Title: &#8220;Professional Anxiety Counselling in [Your City]&#8221;</li>
<li>Meta Description: &#8220;Expert anxiety counselling and therapy services in [Your City]. Helping you manage and overcome anxiety with personalized care.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Service Pages:</strong> Create dedicated pages for anxiety-related services. Use specific keywords relevant to the type of therapy you offer.</p>
<ul>
<li>Page Title: &#8220;Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety in [Your City]&#8221;</li>
<li>Content: &#8220;Our CBT for anxiety services in [Your City] are designed to help you manage and reduce symptoms of anxiety. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Blog Posts:</strong> Regularly update your blog with articles addressing common questions and concerns about anxiety. This not only helps with SEO but also establishes you as an authority in your field.</p>
<ul>
<li>Blog Titles:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Top 10 Techniques to Manage Anxiety Daily&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Understanding the Symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;The Benefits of Mindfulness Meditation for Anxiety Relief&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>3. <strong>Leverage Local SEO</strong></h4>
<p>Incorporate local keywords to target clients in your geographic area. This includes adding your city or neighborhood to keywords.</p>
<ul>
<li>Example: &#8220;Best Anxiety Therapist in [Your City]&#8221;</li>
</ul>
<h4>4. <strong>Use Long-Tail Keywords</strong></h4>
<p>Long-tail keywords are longer and more specific keyword phrases that people are likely to use when they are closer to a point of purchase or when using voice search.</p>
<ul>
<li>Examples:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;How to find a good anxiety therapist in [Your City]&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Can cognitive behavioral therapy help with anxiety?&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>5. <strong>Optimize for Voice Search</strong></h4>
<p>With the rise of voice-activated search, consider how people might verbally ask for help with anxiety.</p>
<ul>
<li>Examples:
<ul>
<li>&#8220;Who is the best anxiety counsellor near me?&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;Where can I get anxiety therapy in [Your City]?&#8221;</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h4>6. <strong>Monitor and Adjust</strong></h4>
<p>Regularly monitor your website analytics to see which keywords are driving traffic and adjust your strategy accordingly. Tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console can be invaluable for this purpose.</p>
<p>By thoughtfully incorporating these anxiety-related keywords into your website and content, you can improve your online visibility and attract more clients seeking help for anxiety.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keywords-and-key-phrases-for-canadian-counselors/">Keywords and Key Phrases For Canadian Counselors</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Website Review For Dr. Angela Bowers &#8211; https://artoftransformation.com/</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-angela-bowers-https-artoftransformation-com/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-angela-bowers-https-artoftransformation-com/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:38:55 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=54108</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the The Art of Transformation/ site. Create more contrast between text and background Center footer navigation Make phone numbers clickable</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-angela-bowers-https-artoftransformation-com/">Website Review For Dr. Angela Bowers &#8211; https://artoftransformation.com/</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the <a href="https://artoftransformation.com/">The Art of Transformation/</a> site.</p>
<ul>
<li>Create more contrast between text and background</li>
<li>Center footer navigation</li>
<li>Make phone numbers clickable</li>
</ul>
<div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 43.920335429769395%; height: 0;"><iframe src="https://www.loom.com/embed/b629f62c4f1543cf8e839a3891b0438c" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-angela-bowers-https-artoftransformation-com/">Website Review For Dr. Angela Bowers &#8211; https://artoftransformation.com/</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Website Review For Ann O&#8217;Malley PHD &#8211; annomalleyphd.com</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-ann-omalley-phd-annomalleyphd-com/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-ann-omalley-phd-annomalleyphd-com/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 22 Mar 2023 16:22:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=54106</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the Ann O&#8217;Malley PHD site. Remove the white space Anchor services to page content More content Clickable phone numbers</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-ann-omalley-phd-annomalleyphd-com/">Website Review For Ann O&#8217;Malley PHD &#8211; annomalleyphd.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the <a href="https://annomalleyphd.com/">Ann O&#8217;Malley PHD</a> site.</p>
<ul>
<li>Remove the white space</li>
<li>Anchor services to page content</li>
<li>More content</li>
<li>Clickable phone numbers</li>
</ul>
<div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 44.53781512605042%; height: 0;"><iframe src="https://www.loom.com/embed/830fba5a50d7443e87c5e313edc54d65" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-ann-omalley-phd-annomalleyphd-com/">Website Review For Ann O&#8217;Malley PHD &#8211; annomalleyphd.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Website Review For Dr. Joe Carver &#8211; drjoecarver.com</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-joe-carver-drjoecarver-com/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-joe-carver-drjoecarver-com/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 20 Mar 2023 18:22:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=54104</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the https://drjoecarver.com/ site. Move to WordPress Turn Word Doc articles into HTML posts on the website Make a Spanish language version of the site Update the images and look. Remove some of the older tools (Hit counter and Guest Book)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-joe-carver-drjoecarver-com/">Website Review For Dr. Joe Carver &#8211; drjoecarver.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>My short review of the potential for the <a href="https://drjoecarver.com/">https://drjoecarver.com/</a> site.</p>
<ul>
<li>Move to WordPress</li>
<li>Turn Word Doc articles into HTML posts on the website</li>
<li>Make a Spanish language version of the site</li>
<li>Update the images and look.</li>
<li>Remove some of the older tools (Hit counter and Guest Book)</li>
</ul>
<div style="position: relative; padding-bottom: 44.17628541448058%; height: 0;"><iframe src="https://www.loom.com/embed/278da4c45b5f43bda98a5e5ccdbb5f1f" frameborder="0" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen style="position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;"></iframe></div>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/website-review-for-dr-joe-carver-drjoecarver-com/">Website Review For Dr. Joe Carver &#8211; drjoecarver.com</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
					
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>What A Therapist Needs To Have On Their Website To Inform Potential Patients</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/what-a-therapist-website-needs/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/what-a-therapist-website-needs/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2022 22:46:22 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Counselors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[WordPress]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=54083</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>For therapists, it's important to have a well-designed and informative website that provides potential patients with the information they need to make an informed decision about seeking treatment. A website can serve as a virtual office for your practice, providing patients with the necessary information to reach out and schedule an appointment.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/what-a-therapist-website-needs/">What A Therapist Needs To Have On Their Website To Inform Potential Patients</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="flex flex-grow flex-col gap-3">
<div class="min-h-[20px] flex flex-col items-start gap-4 whitespace-pre-wrap">
<div class="markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert light">
<p>For therapists, it&#8217;s important to have a well-designed and informative website that provides potential patients with the information they need to make an informed decision about seeking treatment. A website can serve as a virtual office for your practice, providing patients with the necessary information to reach out and schedule an appointment.</p>
<p>Here are some key elements that you should consider including on your website:</p>
<ol>
<li>About page: An &#8220;About&#8221; page is an important way to introduce yourself and your practice to potential patients. You can use this page to provide information about your background, education, and experience, as well as your approach to treatment and the specific services you offer.</li>
<li>Services page: provide a detailed list of the services you offer, such as individual therapy, couples therapy, or family therapy. You can also include information about the specific types of issues you specialize in, such as anxiety, depression, or trauma. If you have a specialty, speak to that. Some therapists specialize in working with veterans, abuse survivors, and other specialist areas.</li>
<li>Appointments page: This page should provide information about how to schedule an appointment, including the types of insurance you accept, your availability, and any necessary paperwork or forms that need to be completed. You may also want to include information about your cancellation policy. We encourage counselors to let us integrate JaneApp with their website. If your practice is full, the appointments page should note this as well as giving potential patients a means to put themselves on a waiting list or somehow tap into a referral system to connect with a colleague who may have capacity. If people are in need, helping them find assistance is something they will appreciate.</li>
<li>Contact page: This page should provide all of the necessary information for patients to reach out to you, including your phone number, email address, and physical address. You may also want to include a form that patients can use to send you a message. Given the sensitive nature, we usually encourage interactions via email rather than a contact form.</li>
<li>Privacy policy: Confidentiality is crucial. As a healthcare provider, you are required to protect the privacy of your patients. A privacy policy page should outline how you collect, use, and protect the personal information of your patients.</li>
<li>Blog: A blog can be a useful way to provide patients with valuable information about mental health and the various treatment options available. You can use your blog to share resources, research, and personal insights on a variety of topics related to mental health and wellness.</li>
<li>Testimonials: Including testimonials from past patients can be a powerful way to build trust with potential patients. You can ask patients to write a short review or testimonial about their experience working with you, and then include these on your website. Giving patients a way to anonymize themselves is very important by sharing their stories.</li>
<li>Resources: Providing patients with additional resources and information about mental health can be a valuable service. You can include links to helpful websites, articles, or other resources on your website to provide patients with additional information and support. We&#8217;re based in BC. The 211 system is full of resources and we suggest echoing some of the services on a resources page.</li>
</ol>
<p>In addition to these key elements, there are a few other things you should consider when designing your website:</p>
<ol>
<li>Professional design: Your website should be professional and well-designed, with a clear layout and easy-to-navigate structure. You may want to consider hiring a professional web designer to help create a website that accurately reflects your practice. For Web321, we use WordPress and the Divi theme system to build a good look that is easy to manage.</li>
<li>Accessibility: It is important to ensure that your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. This includes using high-contrast colors, appropriate font sizes, and alt text for images.</li>
<li>Mobile-friendly: Discretion is key. Reaching out for counselling support has some stigma attached. Allowing potential patients a means to discreetly research your practice invites them to do so. Making a website mobile friendly With the increasing use of smartphones and tablets to access the internet, it is important to ensure that your website is mobile-friendly. This means that your website should be easy to read and navigate on smaller screens.</li>
<li>Security: As a healthcare provider, you are responsible for protecting the sensitive personal and health information of your patients. Make sure that your website is secure by using SSL encryption and keeping your website software up-to-date.</li>
</ol>
<p>By including these key elements and considering these additional factors, you can create a website that is informative and professional, and that effectively communicates the services you offer to potential patients.</p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/what-a-therapist-website-needs/">What A Therapist Needs To Have On Their Website To Inform Potential Patients</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Porthole Solutions.com Acquired by Web321</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/porthole-solutions-com-acquired-by-web321/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/porthole-solutions-com-acquired-by-web321/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 12 Sep 2022 22:04:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=53336</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>We are proud to pick up the mantle of Porthole Solutions. Back in the day, they provided full service solutions. As they said it, back then: We provide full web services, including hosting and domain registration, and create custom designed websites that can be maintained by you depending on your needs. With advances in technology, [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/porthole-solutions-com-acquired-by-web321/">Porthole Solutions.com Acquired by Web321</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>We are proud to pick up the mantle of Porthole Solutions. Back in the day, they provided full service solutions. As they said it, back then:</p>
<blockquote><p><em>We provide full web services, including hosting and domain registration, and create custom designed websites that can be maintained by you depending on your needs. With advances in technology, it is easier than ever to have a professionally designed web presence to market your products and services to your clients in the most effective way possible.</p>
<p>Whether you require a brand new site or an overhaul on an existing site or perhaps you&#8217;d just like more control over your site content, give us a call and we can help you make your site what you really want it to be.</em></p></blockquote>
<p>They served a long list of great local businesses and enterprises:</p>
<ul>
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<li><a href="//cfax1070.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CFAX</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.doddsfurniture.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dodd’s Furniture</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.eurocangroup.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Eurocan</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.fannybayoysters.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Fanny Bay Oysters</a></li>
<li><a href="/?s=www.fullbalancefitness.com" rel="noopener">Full Balance Fitness</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.glenwoodmeats.ca/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" title="Glenwood Meats: the best meat shop in Greater Victoria">Glenwood Meats</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.idea-works.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Idea Works</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.ipsmg.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IPSMG</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.1073kool.fm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KOOL FM</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.johnhorgan.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">John Horgan MLA</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.lisamortimore.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lisa Mortimore</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.naturomedic.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Naturomedic</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.oipc.bc.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">OIPC</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.neroglobal.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NERO Global Tracking</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.rathfredaghcheshire.ie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rathfredagh</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.robmcaulay.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rob McAulay</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.sweetpower.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sweetpower</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.teamsalesvictoria.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Teamsales</a></li>
<li><a href="//www.victoriarebels.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Victoria Rebels</a></li>
</ul>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/porthole-solutions-com-acquired-by-web321/">Porthole Solutions.com Acquired by Web321</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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		<title>Top 7 Signs A Website Is Abandoned</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/top-7-signs-a-website-is-abandoned/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/top-7-signs-a-website-is-abandoned/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Shawn DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 18 Apr 2022 20:43:05 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=51911</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Websites need TLC. A garden and a website have a lot in common: They start in the dirt: for gardens, it’s literal soil; for websites, it’s dirt poor rankings and lack of discoverability.  The conditions need to be favourable to growth. Plant the seeds and give them some time. Nurture them. Prune the weeds (ie. [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/top-7-signs-a-website-is-abandoned/">Top 7 Signs A Website Is Abandoned</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Websites need TLC. A garden and a website have a lot in common:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">They start in the dirt: for gardens, it’s literal soil; for websites, it’s dirt poor rankings and lack of discoverability. </span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The conditions need to be favourable to growth.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Plant the seeds and give them some time.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Nurture them.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Prune the weeds (ie. spam comments and performance issues). </span></li>
</ul>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">An abandoned website can pose some liability for the site owner– the business the website represents. It could have outdated information, security exploits, and not adhere to the current legislation. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">I get approached by many website owners and their websites have tell-tale signs of websites in trouble.</span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Something Major Has Broken</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Several years ago, one version of PHP (version 5.6) was in common use. It was replaced by PHP 7 and its sub-versions. That broke a lot of the Internet. Some web hosts have kept support going for the old sites, but that exposes their systems to security exploits. One by one, they’ve been emailing clients with warnings that support for the old system has lapsed. When the support is pulled, some websites will crash entirely. </span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The Forms Don’t Work</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Website forms are critical to connecting with clients– both current and potential. If the web-based forms no longer work, it’s a sign that something has busted along the way. Some examples of what could have gone wrong: </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Web forms need spam proofing, often called “Captcha.” if something has changed and the website can no longer connect, the forms won’t work.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The mail connection may be broken. If the forms need a working mail system, maybe that has broken down. There’s nothing wrong with periodically testing your own forms to make sure the connections are intact.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The web form license may be out of date. Products like Gravity Forms need to be annually renewed to stay in working order. Did someone renew the licenses?</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">It’s Not Mobile Ready</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This is 2022. The majority of website traffic comes from phones and other mobile devices. Granted: a big screen lets things look their best, but all websites need to look okay on mobile. If a website looks bad on a phone, it didn’t get the mobile readiness (aka responsive) pass. Making the choices required to make a mobile website look great takes work and if it’s not mobile-ready, that was skipped or it fell into disrepair. </span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Just another WordPress Website</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Remember when people bought VCRs and the clock kept flashing 12:00? They hadn’t finished the set-up. When a site’s slogan or subtitle reads “Just another WordPress Website” it says to the world: </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">We gave up before we were finished</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">We launched with the basics, so we likely skipped optimizations and security safeguards.</span></li>
<li><span data-preserver-spaces="true">We may not know what we’re doing. Don’t take it personally: maybe you hired someone who didn’t know what they were doing.</span></li>
</ul>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Copyright 2018… 2017…. 1066….</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">A copyright, in part, is a legal defence of your web content. More than that, it’s a datestamp that speaks to when your website was last overhauled or updated. I’ve recently seen websites with “Copyright ©2004” A lot has happened with web technology in the last 20 years. An old website may be missing out on many technological advents. At the very least: mobile readiness. An old website may have dodgy security in place. It could have outdated information. A website should have a refresh every three years. If the copyright is much older than that, the site may not have relevant information.</span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Your Designer Is Gone</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Some designers put a link to their website at the bottom of a client&#8217;s site. At Web321, we do that unless expressly asked to not include it. Web design is a field where people enter and leave. The low-level skills needed to roll out a website can be adopted by former graphic designers, former writers, and former marketers. If it’s easy to get into the field, it’s easy to get out. Some web designers just pack up. If their site is down, then they are likely gone too. They may be on the beaches of Thailand defending their camera from monkeys, but you’re left with an aging website. </span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Your Designer’s Copyright</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Web designers often have the “Cobblers Shoes Dilemma.” While their client sites look good, their own sites have aged. Maybe your designer’s website is still going through the miracle of automatic updates and recurring billing, but if their copyright is several years out of whack, maybe they did abandon their own website and, by extension, their clients. I tried following up with one designer to see if they were in business still. According to their website and their social media accounts, they dropped off the Internet five years ago. Poof. Guess the quality of support one gets from a phantom. </span></p>
<h2><span data-preserver-spaces="true">What If Your Site Has Been Abandoned?</span></h2>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Get Control Back</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Try to get in touch with your former designer. If that fails, get in touch with the service provider that hosts the website. If you don’t know who is hosting your site, ask for help from a web developer to connect the dots.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">If you have the login credentials to WordPress or the web hosting: that’s great. If you don’t, get in touch with the service provider and plead your case. It’s not uncommon for this to happen. If your credit card is attached to the hosting account, then it’s possible for them to consider your claims to be valid. If they won’t go for it, see if you can get access to the domain name and its registration. From there, an updated alternative web host can be used. The domain name can be pointed to the new web hosting. If you have an administrator-level WordPress account for your website, you can get into the site and make a complete duplicate of the site. Pick it up, move it to a new host and voila: control.</span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Worst comes to worst, if you’ve lost hosting and WordPress access, maybe consider building a new website from scratch: crib what you can from the old site and start the new site. </span></p>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">If you have lost access to the domain registration: that’s more challenging. Domain name registrars have layers of defenses to prevent bad actors from getting control of domain names. The first play for a bad actor is often to impersonate the rightful owner. It can be difficult to convince a registrar. If that’s ultimately impossible, then rebrand: register a similar domain name and re-do all of the marketing material as well as your email addresses. It’s a worst-case scenario, but sometimes it’s the only recourse. </span></p>
<h3><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Get Help</span></h3>
<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Some of these steps are painful and difficult to navigate. Most business owners are not web developers or web design consultants– they’re anything but. If you’re out of your league on reviving your website, get professional help. No surprise: rescues like this are common for me. Feel free to reach out: </span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="mailto:shawn@web321.co" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">shawn@web321.co</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true"> or <a href="tel:+18444932321">1-844-493-2321</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/top-7-signs-a-website-is-abandoned/">Top 7 Signs A Website Is Abandoned</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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		<title>17 Ways To Win at Growth Hacking </title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/17-ways-to-win-at-growth-hacking/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/17-ways-to-win-at-growth-hacking/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Web 321]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 27 Jan 2021 09:00:10 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Growth Hacking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[growth hacking marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marketing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[social media]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web design]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web maintenance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web321]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website support]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=5204</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>&#160; Growth Hacking is a great option for anyone looking to grow their business fast! For anyone unfamiliar with the term, growth hacking refers to a series of techniques used to add social media followers rapidly and with minimum investment on your part. As growth hacking’s popularity grows, people are coming with more and more [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/17-ways-to-win-at-growth-hacking/">17 Ways To Win at Growth Hacking </a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><img decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-5208" src="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/ravi-roshan-_AdUs32i0jc-unsplash-scaled.jpg" alt="Growth Hacking " width="600" height="337" /></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Growth Hacking is a great option for anyone looking to grow their business fast! For anyone unfamiliar with the term, growth hacking refers to a series of techniques used to add social media followers rapidly and with minimum investment on your part. As growth hacking’s popularity grows, people are coming with more and more ways to draw followers to their brand. The tricky part is usually finding out which technique works best for you. Don’t worry, we’re here to help! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So, in no particular order, here is a list of 17 of our favourite growth hacking tactics! </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h4><b></b><b><i>1 &#8211; Smart</i></b><b> Social Media Monitoring </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In 2020, having a social media presence is absolutely necessary. The disheartening part of being a new company on social media is the fact that every account starts with no followers. So how can you kickstart a social media following? One answer is with strategic social media monitoring.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is often overlooked but it’s the easiest and most effective tactic for organic growth! Develop an understanding of your target audience’s online presence and find out who they are currently supporting. Once you find this out: interact with your target audience and interact with competitors. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Important: Be polite; don’t take it as an opportunity to attack other companies in the same industry. One ethos of the web: “collaborate and compete.” This is doubly true interacting in the same spaces as your competition. Be informative. Be helpful. Create meaningful interactions with the pages and avoid any direct solicitation of your products and services! You’ll have better results creating a meaningful interaction (eg. “this makes sense of </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">X</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">”) rather than a generic comment like “nice picture” or “you might like our page, check it out”. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>2 &#8211; A/B Testing with Measured Conversion </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Knowing your customer’s behavioural patterns at the beginning of your venture can be difficult. Your landing page, wording or design elements could be the thing that’s driving potential customers away and you might not even know it. With A/B testing with measured conversion, you can determine your target audience’s behavioural patterns to quantify which test versions are more effective. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A/B testing can be as basic as changing one word, changing the colour scheme of your CTA buttons or trying out a new blog title. The key lies in tracking it, so you can see whether any given change affects conversion or not. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>3 &#8211; Guest Posting &amp; Tools like HARO </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Guest posting is the act of writing blog posts or articles for a website that isn’t your own. Though can take time, it’s a great tool for increasing brand awareness. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Looking to get started with guest posting? Reach out to credible websites and see if they are interested in including one of your blog posts. If they aren’t accepting guest blog posts, then try a guest blogging platform such as myblogguest.com or place yourself as a potential source for journalists on helpareporter.com. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re thinking about guest posting, keep in mind. </span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Write blog posts for websites or people that have a similar (or same) audience to your target audience</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be informative! Apply personal experience and research to the topic.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t be afraid to work with an old topic. Use juxtaposition to contrast an old idea with something new in the field. </span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Be positive. Try to add new knowledge and insight through your work. Don’t just re-hash established data.</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Include a call to action or a minor pitch at the end to entice people to visit your page. </span></li>
</ul>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>4 &#8211; Leverage Referral Programs</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A great way to grow your business is with a referral program! Referrals allow existing customers to vouch for your business and act as a trusted voice to people in their network. This system is cyclical as it then opens the opportunity for new members to act as the trusted voice to their network and so forth. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When implementing a referral program, the most important element will be to offer an incentive program with it. Dropbox is a great example of this; the company allowed both its users and their referrals to add an extra 500 MB upon successfully referring new members. This referral program increased signup conversion by 60%</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>5 &#8211; Become a Leader on New Platforms </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Social media is an ocean of opportunity, but popular platforms like Instagram and Facebook have plenty of boats. Becoming a leading fashion brand on crowded platforms such as Instagram or Facebook takes much more effort. Incorporating your brand on a new social media platform or a platform that does not have leaders in your industry on there, gives you the opportunity to become the leader. Keep in mind, for this to work, you need to know which social media platforms your target audience uses! </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>6 &#8211; Add Value with ‘a Freebie’</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Similar to food samples at Costco, offering your customers a “Freebie” is a great way to give your customer a taste of what you have to offer before they are required to commit. If your business doesn’t allow for a customer to “try before they buy”, offering a gift to add value is also an option. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A “freebie” can be a trial period of your service, a sample of a product to try, or a specialty gift to act as a “thank you” for choosing your company. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>7 &#8211; Add Personality </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Personality is another great way to increase brand loyalty and viral potential. There are two ways to add personality: Creating or emphasizing a social media style and tone for your brand, or putting a human face to your organization. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One example of this is Chris Hughes from A Nerd’s World; a web developer and SEO professional in Toronto. Chris has a captivating personal presence and highlights this through his successful </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe2244teD44T25EXhCAWJng"><span style="font-weight: 400;">YouTube channel</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Creating a trusted personality linked to his brand’s name has given him a large social media presence (over 20K subscribers) and growth for A Nerd’s World. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>8 &#8211; Run a Contest </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">People love a chance to win free stuff! Running a contest is a sure way of generating brand awareness and growth on social media. The key to running a social media contest is to make sure your prize fits with the company’s brand. This helps you attract people who will continue to follow and support your brand after the contest is over. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don’t forget to be purposeful with your contests. Have a goal in mind and make sure that the reward, the rules, and the contest structure are aligned with those goals. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>9 &#8211; Create Tiers and “Freemium” options </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Freemium” </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">is a portmanteau of the words &#8220;free&#8221; and &#8220;premium;&#8221; it’s a business model that involves offering customers both complimentary and extra-cost services”</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This strategy attracts people who are interested in the product as well as those who love to see the word FREE! </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>10 &#8211; Partner with Influential People  </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s no denying, the word “influencer” has been exhausted after the last few years but that doesn’t mean they aren’t effective! Similar to defining your target audience, targeting the right influencer for your brand and product is the key for amazing results. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Influencers have spent time cultivating trust from an audience of like-minded people. Their referral can increase conversions and generate sales immediately. Sounds great, right? Well there’s more! Influencers are also skilled at creating great interactive content that can be shared to your platform later. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>11 &#8211; Create FOMO  </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">FOMO is the</span><a href="https://growthmarketingconf.com/growth-hacks-to-double-your-revenue/"> <i><span style="font-weight: 400;">fear of missing out</span></i></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">; the state of anxiety caused by the thought of missing out on something great. Done right, it entices purchase to purchase a product or service to avoid that anxiety. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Create FOMO by creating urgency; give them an offer they can’t refuse! This is typically done with online contests, special sales and offers, and limited-time promotions to name a few. Another tactic is creating exclusive offers. For example: 25% off select merchandise for those on the mailing list. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>12 &#8211; Building Online Communities</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A social media presence should be a priority for all businesses. It isn’t just a cost-effective marketing platform; it’s also a way to build a customer-facing online community. Building your online community will involve a few detailed decisions: deciding on a target audience, picking your niche, developing content strategy and creating valuable content. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s no denying that building an online community takes time, especially if you’re starting from scratch, but the results are growth in brand awareness, brand loyalty and trust, direct product/service feedback, and more!</span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>13 &#8211; Gamification Strategies (Competitions, Rewards) </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gamification is the process of adding gaming elements to non gaming environments, such as your online community</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Gamification can be any form of loyalty program that creates competition to receive the most incentives. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The best example of this: Starbucks’ Summer Drink game. This summer exclusive game allows customers to connect their Starbucks account to a board game. Players earn moves with every Starbucks purchase made over a certain period of time, which allows them to move across the board to reveal prizes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Strategies like the Starbucks Summer Game create engagement in the community and provide instant gratification for consumers, while simultaneously generating more sales for the company. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>14 &#8211; Build Your Email List Pre-Launch </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An email list of engaged users who are excited about your brand or product release is a great asset to your business. The question is, how can you generate an email list of users interested in your brand before launch date?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One technique to generate an email list before you launch is by using the calls to action in your guest blog posts to direct readers to your email signup page. This page should be designed to attract visitors to convert and add themselves into your mailing list. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another great means of adding people to your email list is to offer them something in exchange. Find something of value to your target audience, and offer it to them in exchange for joining your email list. </span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>15 &#8211; Repurpose Content</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Repurposing content is a great way to be consistent online when you’ve hit a creative slump. You do have to remember that not all content can be repurposed. Anything topical, that’s tied into a specific time, trend, or event shouldn’t be repurposed. It’s better to repurpose things like general concepts, facts, or marketing tactics that are still up to date. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Recyclable content goes beyond pictures, infographics and videos. It also includes blog posts or other articles that you may have written in the past. Just tweak them a little to bring them up to date.</span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>16 &#8211; Content Promotion Strategy </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating content is one step, but the real priority is getting it seen. Start by promoting it on all appropriate platforms. Not all posts are built the same, so if you’re looking to share a post across all social platforms, make sure it is edited to work for all platforms. (Ex: adjusting image size, rewording language, adjusting calls to action) </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re a newer brand, share your blog posts and content in your newsletter. Not only are you getting your content seen, but you could be reaching new potential followers.</span></p>
<h4></h4>
<h4><b>17 &#8211; Website Pop-Ups</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Pop-ups are an effective strategy markets use to garner conversion rates higher than 40%</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Depending on how much content you have on the page, passive viewers may not scroll down to where you can convert them. A pop-up puts important information like  announcements or your email list sign up right in front of their eyes. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But aren’t pop-ups annoying? Not when they’ve been strategically set at the 30% mark of the page! This allows engaged readers to scroll through the site as normal, only giving them the pop-up at the point where they expect to be hooked. This way they’re more likely to convert to the CTA you just put in front of them.  </span></p>
<h5></h5>
<h5><b>About Us </b></h5>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Web321&#8217;s Web Design Subscription Plan makes it possible for small businesses to get a professionally designed, lovingly maintained website for just $321 a month. This done-for-you service includes absolutely everything a small business needs to have a compelling, safe and secure website and online presence.</span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For more information, check out our website </span><a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://web321.co</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> or @web321co on all social media channels. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/17-ways-to-win-at-growth-hacking/">17 Ways To Win at Growth Hacking </a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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		<title>Keeping Up With Google Algorithms</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keeping-up-with-google-algorithms/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keeping-up-with-google-algorithms/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Web 321]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 29 Sep 2020 09:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google algorithm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nofollow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web321]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=4441</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Google’s algorithm is known to have core changes every few months to improve the quality of search results – what does this mean for you and your website? With every change to the algorithm, if not detected immediately, can lead to severe impacts on your website performance and discovery. In some instances, small businesses have [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keeping-up-with-google-algorithms/">Keeping Up With Google Algorithms</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Google’s algorithm is known to have core changes every few months to improve the quality of search results – what does this mean for you and your website?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With every change to the algorithm, if not detected immediately, can lead to severe impacts on your website performance and discovery. In some instances, small businesses have had their websites penalized and others have recovered from past penalizations. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How your business can be affected by updates of the Google algorithm:  </span></p>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">       </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Website traffic (these changes can be drastic!) </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">       </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Search visibility and Google page rankings, or lack thereof </span></li>
<li><span style="font-weight: 400;">       </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">A reach to new consumers – this sounds great in theory, but the effects of this are new user behaviour towards your products and services</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">How to stay strong despite Google Algorithm changes:</span></p>
<h4><b>Content Makeover  </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The first question to ask yourself is: do I have enough content on my website? The Google Algorithm had affected websites that had minimal content in relation to their number of links. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Creating new, fresh, and informative content regularly on your website will increase the amount of organic traffic that is directed your way. The longer and more credible your information is, the more exposure it will have. By the way, taking inspiration from other websites is okay to do! Cite your sources or give examples with links to your external sources and watch Google do its magic! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tip: When creating content for your website, answer the questions up front and give your viewers the answers at the first opportunity in an article. The further down your information is&#8211; the more buried it is&#8211; the more likely it is to get lost in the search results. </span></p>
<h4><b>Lean on Metadata</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Metadata is information about information. When you look at a file, the contents are accompanied by things like the filename, when the file was created, when it was modified, its file size. Photos get accompanied by “EXIF” data that covered dimensions, device, composition details, sometimes even the lat/long of where the photo was taken. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">HTML has metadata too. All of a web page is made up of HTML tags. They look like this: </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lt;a href=”</span><a href="https://web321/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://web321</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> title=”Best on the Web”&gt;Web321&lt;/a&gt;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There are critical pieces: the tag itself (a hyperlink, a bold tag, etc.) and the content wrapping the text in use. There is other data in the HTML that can get read in by search engines. Search engines use metadata to give something context. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">title</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> element can be added to HTML to give it more context. Beyond catering to search engines, the title tag is read in by non-visual web browsers used by the visually impaired. It can be handy for describing your element in a way that suits a search engine that may be too long-winded or awkward were it to appear visibly on the page. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">alt </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">element can be added to images. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lt;img src=”/images/picture100.jpg” alt=”A yellow rose as photographed by Jane Smith in August of 2019”/&gt;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It can describe the image both to non-visual screen readers and search engines. Search engines are getting really good at interpreting images for their content, but it’s still hard work and it can be wrong. Adding the alt tags spoon-feeds the information to the search engines.  More on images: </span><a href="https://moz.com/learn/seo/alt-text" rel="nofollow"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://moz.com/learn/seo/alt-text</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p>
<h4><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><b>Nofollow Links </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Using nofollow links is beneficial to implement because they boost your domain authority and ultimately drive traffic to your website. If you look at the HTML source code for a hyperlink, it looks like this:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lt;a href=”https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/”&gt;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Google indexes a website, it follows the links that are present. If they lead away to another website, Google will merrily turn its attention to that other website. There is a way to say to Google, “Hey! Don’t look over there!”</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&lt;a href=”</span><a href="https://yahoo.com/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://yahoo.com/</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> rel=”nofollow”&gt;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rel=”nofollow”</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is read by Google and Google will not index the content on the other site. This can also be used internally if there is a compelling reason to show users content that you want Google to discount. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There’s another factor to nofollow: if you share links on other sites through a backlinking exercise, the sites that do not use nofollow are more valuable than those that allow Google to follow links. This is best seen in social media. Social media is a frenzy of activity and link sharing. Why doesn’t that create love from Google? Almost all of the links in social media (Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc.) get the </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">rel=”nofollow”</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> added. Google reads the phrase used in the hyperlink but doesn’t give authority to the linked site. The social media site becomes the magnet for those searches moreso than the details page on the linked site. Google appears to be factoring that into the search algorithm and you will seldom find social media links in Google search results. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hint: Sharing your new blog post through social media is a nofollow as well.</span></p>
<h4><b>Responsive Websites </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Have a responsive website without loading pages. The Google algorithm doesn’t favour websites with loading pages and more often than not, will not show your webpage. Beyond the algorithm not favouring your website, the responsiveness of your website will directly correlate how much traffic will come to, or stay on your website. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beyond favouring responsive websites, the algorithm has been updated for mobile websites as well as desktop websites. As more than 50% of website traffic is done with a mobile device, the importance of a responsive mobile website has increased. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Google algorithm for mobile websites accounts for relevance and timeliness more than actual content! Though this sounds like it may be counterproductive the purpose is to keep the user experience high. </span></p>
<h4><b>Google Search Console Insights </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Google Search Console allows you to keep in check with the new content that you’re putting on to your website. Keep track of your content performance through metrics depicting the views, how long people stayed on the page to interact with the content and who is sharing the content to their social media platforms. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Whether you love or hate Google and its tracking of your website, it does it anyway. Google Search Console lets you peek at some of the metrics they uncover. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Having access to the Google Search Console allows you to track regularity patterns of your page views and content interactivity. By viewing these metrics, it makes it more noticeable when changes happen and helps to pinpoint the cause for these changes. </span></p>
<h4><b>Google Analytics</b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Google Search Console gives your site a health check-up on its search opportunities, Google Analytics gives you hard data on who comes to the site. Why, when and where: important questions to understand online success. </span></p>
<p><b>Why:</b><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Understanding </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">why</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> a user comes on to your website reveals the basic questions of what is the user’s need and what is their intention? Looking at this information will allow you to see what products are being looked at, how long they’re looked at, if there was an abandoned cart or follow through to purchase. This information is key for acknowledging where website issues are and if changes to the page need to be made. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Other information that comes from Google Analytics is the comparison of “clicks” versus “impressions”. Clicks are the number of visits from a Google search while impressions are the viewership of links from a Google search with no clickthrough. If your impressions are higher than your clicks, the question then shifts from </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">why</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to</span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> why not</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">? </span></p>
<p><b>When</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Looking at </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">when</span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;"> people are viewing your website may reveal just as much information as to </span><i><span style="font-weight: 400;">why </span></i><span style="font-weight: 400;">people are on your website. Your products may have more of a draw during holidays; when there are promotions being advertised; or when world events are happening. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Or, more simply, your website may have more traffic during the workday between Monday and Friday than on the weekends. This year has changed user habits but it hasn’t turned them on their heads. Google Analytics and Google Search Console will reveal pattern changes and how a business may need to adapt in response.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For example, if you sell coffee creamers, pumpkin spice flavoured creamer will be viewed more during the months of September-October than it may in December!</span></p>
<p><b>Where</b><span style="font-weight: 400;">: Exploring where your views are coming from can be impacted by Local SEO. Local SEO is a strategy that directly benefits your business by being more visible in search results and creating more online leads. With this in mind, if you are experiencing viewership from other regions of the city, this information allows you to acknowledge new markets to tap in to! </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In short, Google harnesses results based on location, so results that you may experience at work can be very different from the results you get at home! </span></p>
<h3><b>How Web321 Can Help </b></h3>
<h4><b>1. A Managed Web Presence </b></h4>
<p><b> </b><span style="font-weight: 400;">We understand that you have a business to run and keeping track of Google analytics is another task that would be added to your list. Or, maybe you are new to tracking Google analytics and aren’t sure what insights are out of the ordinary. That’s where we come in! Web321 manages your website’s analytics and creates monthly reports for you to assure everything is on track.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In addition to tracking your analytics and search results our managed web presence provides your website with optimal response times and unlimited content updates. </span></p>
<h4><b>2. Booster Packs – Content Creation </b></h4>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Web 321 offers various Booster Packs to our clients with the aim of boosting the performance of your website. A notable Booster Pack that we offer is our content creation package. This package is designed to refresh your online presence with specially curated infographics, relevant photos optimized for your website, blogs and articles that boost your online authority. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Web 321 is your go-to hub of website management tools to help improve your business with a monthly subscription model. Our signature plan is $321/month with add-on booster packs available to maximize your web presence. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To see if this service is right for you, visit our website at </span><a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">https://web321.co</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> to book a free demo or email us at contact@web321.co for more information. </span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/keeping-up-with-google-algorithms/">Keeping Up With Google Algorithms</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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		<title>Web Maintenance Checklist</title>
		<link>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/web-maintenance-checklist/</link>
					<comments>https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/web-maintenance-checklist/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Erin DeWolfe]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 22 Sep 2020 20:12:03 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Business]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[web maintenance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[website support]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/?p=3878</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>If you own a site, whether it is for personal use as a blog or you use it for your business, the site must be maintained frequently. The system is constantly updated and if you do not take enough care of your site through proper web maintenance, you will not attract traffic. Getting traffic and [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/web-maintenance-checklist/">Web Maintenance Checklist</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If you own a site, whether it is for personal use as a blog or you use it for your business, the site must be maintained frequently. The system is constantly updated and if you do not take enough care of your site through proper web maintenance, you will not attract traffic. Getting traffic and converting those visitors into customers is a key point in having a web presence.</p>
<p>There are many things you should do to maintain your site, and we have made a list that will help you further. Be sure to pay attention to each of these items, as each of them is equally crucial to the site.</p>
<h2>The Basics of Web Maintenance</h2>
<h3>Domain name</h3>
<p>The first thing you need to do urgently is to make sure your domain name is registered. There are thousands of cases where site owners do not know the expiration date of their domain name, so in such situations, it happens that their site crashes, all without them knowing. To make sure this does not happen to you, a good solution is to check that all the contact information with your hosting provider is correct.</p>
<p>Administrative contact plays an important role here because it determines who will receive information about the expiration of the domain name. Create a shared email that will consist of info and your domain name (for example info@mydomainname.com), so that more people in your administration receive a timely warning about the expiration of the domain name.</p>
<h3>Website Software</h3>
<p>Most sites use a CMS (Content Management System) or some of the scripts such as something written in Perl, .Net, PHP If this is the case, constantly check if your software is updated to the latest version. The easiest way to do this is with a software publisher (<a href="https://wordpress.org/">WordPress</a> support if you are using WordPress) that has all the information on your web management.</p>
<p>It is important to know that your website hosting platform needs to update the core server software. Details like FTP service, web service, applying patches, and the like should be done by them. If you are the person who manages the server, don&#8217;t forget to update and test these things.</p>
<h3>Web Statistics</h3>
<p>It is very important to update the Web Statistics regularly. It gives you accurate information about visitors to your site and details such as how long they stayed on the site, which pages they visited the most, where they came from, and other information that may be relevant to you. By looking at these statistics, you can create an image of who the people who come to your site are, how to attract and retain their attention, and how you can improve and rank your site better.</p>
<h3>Content</h3>
<p>Is it even necessary to mention that the content, images, posts, texts, blogs, and information you post on the site must be relevant, new, and updated regularly? If you stop publishing content regularly, there is a good chance that your site will lose traffic and visitors, and thus will lose the need to exist.</p>
<h3>Testing</h3>
<p>If your site has a newsletter sign up options, forms, or similar options, test them from time to time to check their effectiveness and functionality. Whether emails arrive in your follower&#8217;s inboxes, what their form looks like, how difficult it is to sign up for the mailing list, etc., always check these details.</p>
<h3>Link Checking</h3>
<p>When writing blogs you will probably leave links to similar blogs that can be helpful, links to products, resources, etc. Make sure the links still work, are relevant, lead to the right page, and offer the information readers still need. Based on that, Google rates whether the content you post is high quality and whether even more people need to see it.</p>
<h3>Backups</h3>
<p>Check the database and backups of your site, in case of complications to save all updated data. It would be a good idea to also check the functionality of the backup and whether the data can be easily restored once it is deleted.</p>
<h3>Design</h3>
<p>Considering that website browsers like Safari, Internet Explorer, Chrome, Opera, etc. are constantly upgrading, changing, and updating, the design of your site may change due to changes, be displayed differently, or in the worst case not be displayed at all. Check and update your design according to browser changes so that your site is available in its best and most modern edition.<br />
Also, optimize your site for mobile devices, today 80% of traffic comes from phones and tablets, leave a good impression. There are many deals on the market that offer you no upfront design fees and good design optimization.</p>
<h3>Website Errors</h3>
<p>Errors can often be a big problem for your site. Check them with Google or Bing Webmaster Tools and remove them if they appear.</p>
<h3>Loading Time</h3>
<p>The time it takes for your site to open can sometimes turn visitors away from visiting your site. Check how long it takes for your site to load and make sure it&#8217;s as fast as possible because search engines love fast-loading sites.</p>
<h3>Why should you do site maintenance?</h3>
<p>Today, the world is increasingly online and there are millions of sites that offer a great experience. Updates and improvements happen every day as the IT world strives to bring the online world to perfection. If your site lags behind that idea, chances are high that it will fail and not have a very bright future. To stand out from the competition and have a good position on search engines, your site must be in step with the latest trends and offers. If the opposite happens, the quality of the site decreases, the audience is smaller and the competition takes over the game.</p>
<h3>Who Should Do Website Maintenance?</h3>
<p>Certainly, maintenance should be done by a person who is versed in the latest information and tools, regardless of whether he is a paid professional or the owner of a site that maintains it himself. That person should know how to adapt the site to the new circumstances, but also be careful.<br />
In most cases, business owners do not have enough time to learn about scripts and design. But if you are one of them and you are interested in such things, then a well-maintained website could be done by you.</p>
<p>In order not to bother about learning these things, the best solution would be to hire a team of experts who will maintain your site for you. This is a very smart and profitable investment that will provide you with an updated and protected website. Who could hire? Well: us. We can help you with your <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/services/get-started/">web maintenance</a></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca/web-maintenance-checklist/">Web Maintenance Checklist</a> appeared first on <a href="https://counsellorwebdesign.ca">Therapist Web Design</a>.</p>
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