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Looking to create a professional website without buying a new service? 

There are a few good free website builders out there. Yes, I'm talking about zero-cost tools that don't require any coding or design knowledge to get started.

These options are perfect for individuals and small businesses that need to establish a solid online reputation. You'll get a sleek site that's easy to navigate without having to spend a dime of web design.

These are not teasers or trials. Build a site. Keep it for as long as you like.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best free website builders on the market today. After reviews of the top products, you'll find a short buyers guide to help you find the best fit for your brand and goals.

#1 – Wix Review — The Best For Ecommerce Sites

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If you’re looking for one of the best free website builder that does everything a real-life store manager would do and then some, Wix makes that a reality.  

The thought of building an online store can be paralyzing. But once you create a Wix ecommerce site, you have access to perks like real-time tax calculations and adding several payment channels that you wouldn’t have with a builder geared toward content or portfolios. 

As a product seller, Wix helps you create beautifully designed storefronts with a selection of over 800 pre-built themes and templates ready to personalize at the click of a mouse. 

One of the reasons Wix is so popular is that it's remarkably easy to use–even if you have never built a website before. Everything is clicks (not code), so once you find a template you like, finetuning your site to perfection takes no time at all.

What's even easier is how they lay the important groundwork for you. I'm talking about security and reliability here.

A Wix site meets the highest standards of data security as soon as you build one. From TLS 1.3 encryption for SSL-certification to DCI PSS-compliant payment gateways, your site and its shoppers are always protected from bad actors or breaches.

And their infrastructure is rock-solid. You'll never have to worry about unexpected site downtime with their array of reliable servers spread across multiple data centers (which also help to serve up your site speedily to any visitor anywhere). They even make sure that routine maintenance doesn't result in your web store being unavailable.

There’s no doubt ecommerce businesses are in good hands with Wix. It is a builder that goes out of its way to advertise themselves as such, instead of being a jack-of-all-trades.

Still, as with every site builder, there can be some drawbacks. For example, if you ever want to move your site to another provider, you can’t do that with Wix’s builder because of how it’s configured. You’ll have to completely recreate it on a new platform.

Some of their ecommerce features designed to drive sales are:

• Sales and customer behavior analytics
• Displaying prices in international currencies
• Easily creating subscriptions and discount coupons for customers
• Integration with all social channels for greater visibility
• Automated email marketing and abandoned cart recovery

To get started with Wix, visit their site and sign up.

#2 – Weebly Review — The Best For General Sites

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Let’s face it. You might not need a free site builder with all the bells and whistles. And that’s okay. That’s why Weebly exists. It’s the best site builder for general sites that need to do their job well.

It’s perfect for information businesses, non-profits, small portfolios, mission statements, or landing pages. This is because they make it easy to bring your site together with a no-nonsense dashboard and with options like built-in image editors and professional design options that let you create video backgrounds.

As a general site, you don’t want to deal with the technical stuff like SSL certification, encryption, and often costly third-party domain shopping. Weebly integrates takes care of all that for you right on their platform. 

One of their best features as a site builder is that you have the option to fully customize their HTML and CSS if you choose to do so. While it might not be something you need right away, it’s nice to know you have that capability as a future option.

Weebly is built for site design with a more structured approach. If you’re looking for a builder with a bit more design flexibility and freedom, this might be a downside. 

Their best site builder features include:

• Easy-to-use dashboard
• Drag-and-drop site builder
• Additional integrations like payments and product search with upgrade
• Integrated analytics that kills the need for additional plugin installation
• Mobile app to manage your site from your phone 

You can sign up with Weebly here.

#3 – WordPress Review — The Best For Blogging And Content Creation

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If I had to introduce WordPress to you, I’d say that it’s the top contender for blogging and content creation. 

Thankfully they provide a free site builder to get you started (in addition to paid options). 

For years, bloggers and companies like Disney, Dropbox, Spotify, and NBC have leveraged WordPress.com’s powerful site-building features to build audiences, expand their brand, and drive sales worldwide.

If you’re looking to blog, share your knowledge with the world, or create loads of content around your business, you’ll want to start with their free site builder. It’s designed to be straightforward and easy to use without any confusing and unnecessary features. This way, you can get started creating and publishing your content in record time.

To help you if you get stuck, they provide free webinars that walk you through creating your site step by step. 

Their free site builder’s biggest downside is that you might grow out of its limited blogging toolbox. But if you want paid access to fully customize your site in the future, WordPress makes it easy to upgrade without the technical hassle. 

Some of the WordPress site builder’s best content creation features include: 

• Optimized for search engine results
• 24/7 live chat and support
• Free subdomain that you can upgrade later to a custom domain
• Free hosting without having to use a third party
• Large selection of free themes to choose from and customize designed for sharing and creating content

Sign up with WordPress and start building your website for free. 

#4 – Site123 Review — The Best For Quick And Easy Landing Pages

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Easy and quick are the two best words to describe Site123. With its no-brainer features, it’s the best site builder for simple sites that don’t need many internal pages. 

In other words, it’s great for landing pages. 

Your business might not need a blog, robust ecommerce features, or top-notch design capabilities, but it’s still in need of a place online it can call home. 

Site123 helps you check that off your list by being the most no-nonsense site builder possible. You can avoid frustration and a big learning curve with Site123’s optimally designed web building process, especially if it’s your first time building a site. 

Their best landing page buildeing features include:

• Free speedy hosting
• Built-in media gallery with free professional icons and video
• Compatible with third-party plugins
• Beautiful pre-made landing page templates so you don’t start from scratch
• 500 MB of storage

You can start creating your online presence with Site123 here. 

What I Looked at to Find the Best Free Website Builder

What is your site’s end goal? That’s the first and most important question you want to ask yourself when choosing a site builder.

Do you want to start a blog to share your extensive knowledge and thought leadership with the world?

Do you have a graphic design portfolio you want to show off to gain more freelance clients? Are you a non-profit that needs to display annual achievements and your mission statement? 

When creating your site with a free website builder, your end goal will determine what capabilities you need.

Once you have your site’s end goal in mind, here are additional criteria to narrow down your choices.

Design Capabilities

If you’re a freelancer, a designer, or a photographer wanting to create an online portfolio, consider the design capabilities of each builder. 

• Customization: How deep do their personalization and customization features go?
• Templates: Do they provide eye-catching site templates you can use, so you don’t have to start from scratch?
• Media storage: Does your site builder give you a lot of image storage space? Depending on how big your site will be, this is a key question if you want to keep things free. 

When thinking about how to present your portfolio or brand, this is the site builder criteria you most want to pay attention to. 

Learning Curve

How fast do you need your website built? This determines how much time you’re willing to spend learning the ins and outs of your website builder. 

• Intuitive design: Some builders are pretty intuitive to learn, while others might have a larger learning curve.
• Ease of use: Do you want a drag and drop builder to make building and configuring your site easier? Or do you prefer writing in HTML and coding the site yourself?
• Tutorials and technical support: Do they have a robust support options where you can find answers or get a timely response from the company?

If you’re pressed for time and want something built fast, you might not want to pick a hefty builder with lots of capabilities to learn. A more straightforward drag-and-drop builder can get the job done faster and easier. 

Long-Term Options

As your business grows, your website will inevitably need to grow with it. Your site needs are going to change over time.

When choosing your site builder, it’s a good idea to look into what their paid features include and if they fit the bill in terms of what your site might need as it grows. 

These can be things like:

• Additional hosting capacity: Once traffic to your site hits a certain threshold, you’ll likely need to purchase additional hosting to sustain your traffic growth. 
• Additional plugins and design features: If there is ever a need for additional plugins and features, does the free builder provide that?
• Personalized support: Once you hit a wall creating your own site, do they have sufficient support to help you take things to the next level with CSS and HTML modifications?

Type of Website

What type of website do you need to build? As mentioned, determining your site’s end goal and working backward can help you answer that.

To give you a better idea, the internet is generally made up of five kinds of websites:

• Blog: Are you going to continually publish content that informs, entertains, or inspires a particular audience?
• Portfolio: Are you showcasing your work to sell your services to potential clients?
• Ecommerce site: Are you selling products or services with an online storefront?
• Small business/organization site: Are you rounding out your brand with a public mission statement or publishing general public business information for the world to access?
• Online application: While this is technically a website with more complexity, it’s beyond a free builder’s scope since it would need serious developer chops to build well. 

For most businesses, the type of site you need is a pretty basic question. But an important one to answer.

For example, most site builders have blogging capabilities, but this shouldn’t be the only thing you base your decision on. Once you’ve figured out which type of website you need to build, then we can move on to learning about the different kinds of site builders on the market. 

Conclusion

You'll notice that I didn't cover every possible no-cost option out there. That's intentional. These are the best free website builders. In my opinion, these are the only ones that are worth your time:

1. Wix – The best for ecommerce sites
2. Weebly – The best for general sites
3. WordPress – The best for blogging and content creation
4. Site123– The best for quick and easy landing pages

This should point you in the right direction. You can start creating without having to spend a dime.

Should you need more than what the free options allow, take a look at my list of overall best website builders.

Seriously though, many people will be able to get by just fine with a free website builder.

Give one of my top picks a shot today and start building out your online presence.

What do you think is the best free website builder?

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By: Neil Patel
Title: Best Free Website Builders
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/best-free-website-builders/
Published Date: Mon, 23 May 2022 15:00:00 +0000

The post Retargeting and Remarketing: What is the Difference? Marketing Insider Group published the first post.

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By: Michael Brenner
Title: Retargeting vs. Remarketing: What’s The Difference?
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/retargeting-vs-remarketing/
Published Date: Tue, 28 Jun 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Marketing Insider Group published the post 9 Ways to Improve Your Content Marketing SEO Ranking.

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By: Michael Brenner
Title: 9 Ways To Improve Your Content Marketing SEO Ranking
Sourced From: marketinginsidergroup.com/content-marketing/content-marketing-seo-ranking/
Published Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2022 14:00:00 +0000

 

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Do you want to skip the read and get right to my top picks? The best web hosting service for most people is Hostinger.

Getting your website up and running has never been easier. You can have a great idea on Thursday and start making money online by Saturday. But you need a web hosting service to do it. The cool thing. You can ignore all the techie junk, because the host manages all of it for you.

The options I like are affordable and walk you through the setup process. You can have a website up and running within an hour or less, even if you’ve never done it before.

Here are my recommendations for the best web hosting services of 2021 for you. Keep reading for my top picks, and a brief guide about how to find the right choice for you.

#1 – Hostinger Review — The Best Low-Cost Shared Hosting Options for Startups

Hostinger offers some of the most affordable shared hosting solutions on the market.

Their prices literally start at just $1.99/month. That’s a stellar deal.

You’ll have to sign a four-year contract to get the lowest monthly rate possible, but that total contract is going to be way less than even a single year with other hosts.

You don’t get a ton of storage, but your site will be able to handle around 10,000 visits each month no problem.

You can take an easy step up to either of Hostinger’s other plans and reap the benefits of more resources and the capability to host up to 100 sites while still paying some of the lowest rates around.

With Business Shared Hosting, which is $4.99/month, you can get unlimited bandwidth, 200 GB storage, and daily website backups.

That means even if you mess up badly, you always have access to previous versions of your website.

Another reason I really like Hostinger is that 24/7/365 support is baked into the price of every plan.

For companies with a small or non-existent IT staff, expert customer service is a huge perk.

It is the best option if you’re searching specifically for a shared hosting service that’s affordable and reliable.

Hostinger provides a 99.9% uptime guarantee and a 30-day money-back policy. That’s hard to beat for a monthly hosting price that’s less than a cup of coffee.

#2 – WP Engine Review — The Best for Managed WordPress Hosting

With WP Engine you get a blazing fast and ultra-reliable WordPress site without any work on your part.

The company invented the idea of managed WordPress hosting—where the provider takes over all the backend technical work—and WP Engine is still the leader in the field.

WP Engine hosts WordPress exclusively. Their servers are optimized for just this type of site. And when you reach out to customer service, you will be talking to an expert who handles WordPress issues 24/7.

Of course, the top-notch uptime, speed, and customer service is not as cheap as some of the others on the list.

But if you don’t have to hire a WordPress developer to maintain your site’s security and performance (or spend time figuring that out yourself), going with WP Engine can actually be cost-effective.

And, as a reader of my site, you can use the neilpatel20 coupon to get 20% off your first payment, which makes WP Engine an even better deal:

There are two tracks to choose from: one for standard managed WordPress hosting and another for managed WordPress with eCommerce functionality. The former starts at $25 per month, while the latter’s entry-level plan is $30 per month.

Every plan comes with best-in-class tools to develop your WordPress site. No other host offers such a variety and depth of features, such as one-click staging areas where you can build and test your site before it goes live.

Test that new social media WordPress plugin in the staging area to make sure it doesn’t cause problems for other plugins or themes. This is way better than discovering an issue after it breaks the site and kills traffic.

It’s a great hosting service if you’re looking to take your WordPress site to the next level without the IT headaches and responsibilities. Your teams can focus on creating great sites and let WP Engine ensure everything is running correctly.

Don’t expect cheap services, but expect great quality and support on the way to your successful business.

#3 – DreamHost Review — The Best Option if You Want Quick and Responsive Website Changes

DreamHost has been going above and beyond for its customers since 1996.

Because of their ability to adapt quickly to new trends, they’re still considered one of the best in the business.

They don’t look at your website as just another website.

They know that your website is your own vision for the future.

Just look at their two shared hosting packages. Both are eminently affordable while also including a boatload of useful features and benefits.

With Shared Starter, you get 50 GB of storage for one website, up to five subdomains, WordPress preinstalled and ready to go for you, and a domain, SSL certificate, and WordPress builder included for free.

Get the best price on that by signing up for three years upfront.

Scale up to Shared Unlimited with no effort and very little extra expense to handle unlimited websites and subdomains, with unlimited storage plus free email attached to your domain. So that plan is very true to its name.

Either way, you’re never looking at more than $4 per month, unless you choose a month-to-month plan. In fact, you can even get DreamHost’s Shared Unlimited for the same low price of $2.95 per month on a one-year plan today.

#4 – Bluehost Review — The Best for WordPress Hosting

If you’re looking to set up your website in less than a week, you’re probably considering WordPress.

And if you’re looking for the best hosting option for your WordPress website, you can definitely trust Bluehost.

They’ve been doing WordPress hosting for a long time. You can get a web host that fits your site like a glove and at a very low price, to boot.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that Bluehost is one of three hosting providers officially recommended by WordPress.org.

Their pricing options are competitive. Basic WordPress hosting starts at just $2.95, while mid-tier plans run just over $5 per month. Either way, that makes it easy to get a plan that’s more powerful than entry-level for cheap.

This is really affordable considering all the unlimited features they bring to the table.

Regarding website loading speed, as long as you don’t fill your WordPress site with plugins, you should be good.

And even if you make a crucial mistake or overload your website with different plugins, you’re in good hands.

Their Customer Support is extremely responsive. They have both an active telephone line and a live chat you can rely on at all times.

#5 – Nexcess Review — The Best for Ecommerce Hosting

If you want a hands-off hosting solution for your online store, Nexcess is an incredibly smart choice. Use coupon code NEIL40 for 40% off 4 months.

They offer a fleet of fully-managed hosting options, including specialized packages for WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and Magento.

Plus, you get one-click auto-scaling to handle unexpected traffic spikes, 24/7 monitoring and customer support, and premium SSL certificates to keep your site and visitors safe.

So, you get everything you need to start, manage, and scale your online store.

On top of the amazing features, Nexcess has been around for 20 years with more than 500,000+ websites under their belt.

As such, they know a thing or two about how to help make your life easier.

With that said, it’s not the cheapest option on this list. But you do get more features, better support, and improved performance with the higher price tag.

So, if you need advanced security or expect to grow quickly, Nexcess is an excellent e-commerce hosting solution.

WordPress hosting plans start at $15 per month for one store, 15 GB of space, and two TB of bandwidth.

However, pricing varies based on the platform you choose. Use coupon code NEIL40 for 40% off 4 months. Sign up now.

#6 – Cloudways Review — The Easiest Way to Get the Performance Boost of Cloud Hosting

A lot of my picks on this list focus on getting the best deal on shared hosting. But what if you know shared hosting isn’t going to cut it for your site?

You don’t need to spring for dedicated hosting, nor do you need to go with a difficult option that requires serious technical know-how. Cloudways makes it stupendously easy to get all the performance benefits of better hosting without sacrificing ease of use.

Cloudways, true to its name, delivers the exceptional speed, reliability, and scalability of cloud hosting. With cloud hosting, your site can pull from a wider infrastructure of servers spread across the country or globe. That way, if there are load time or uptime troubles with one, your site can pull the same data from another without a dip in visitor experience.

Scalability is another prominent virtue of cloud hosting and Cloudways makes it easy to tweak resources to your site’s exact needs.

Start with selecting your initial package. Choose your preferred server provider, selecting from DigitalOcean, AWS, Linode, Vultr, or Google Cloud.

Then, select your plan. For each server provider, there are either four or eight options that scale up in terms of RAM, processing power, storage, and allotted bandwidth.

DigitalOcean and Vultr are unique, in that they have parallel plans for standard and more powerful server configurations. With DigitalOcean, you can opt for premium droplets which sport better processors and storage drives. Vultr’s high-frequency options are similar, also adding higher quality memory.

Cloudways hosting plans start as low as $10 per month for the most basic DigitalOcean package.

And, since Cloudways is a pay-as-you-go service where you only get charged for the resources you use, you can even opt for hourly billing. That can slim down your monthly bill quite a bit if you have the type of website that experiences stark peaks and valleys of popularity.

If ever you need to adjust your specs or even switch infrastructure, Cloudways allows you to do so quickly and without incurring penalty fees.

Plus, you get the benefits of fully managed hosting. That means Cloudways will take care of automated backups, caching, monitoring, and server maintenance for you. You never have to get your hands dirty to ensure you’re getting top performance.

That’s further supported by their always-on customer support. Get live chat help any time of any day.

Plus, you can even get started on that plan for free. That’s right, Cloudways offers a free three-day trial with no credit card required, allowing you to test drive it and then scale resources up when you’re ready to pay.

It’s a great total package at a reasonable price. So, if you don’t want to mess around in the shallow end of shared hosting any longer, look to Cloudways for the easiest route to getting better performance with cloud hosting. Use promo code NEILPATEL to get 25% off for 3 months.

#7 – HostGator Review — The Most Affordable Option for Startups

HostGator give you solid web hosting for one of the lowest rates out there. They’re perfect if you’re looking for the most affordable way to begin posting online.

Shared hosting rates start at a jaw-dropping $2.75/month.

You might not get souped-up hosting features at a price like this, but you’re getting a reliable host that gives startups a cheap option to get their website up and running.

And, just like Bluehost, they have a responsive telephone line with a live chat you can access at any moment.

You can also find a giant database with common questions beginners have, together with professional opinions and solutions to those problems.

So, HostGator also works as a fantastically low-risk option for those of you who have never set up hosting for a website before.

If you need to host several sites on a simple shared plan and still want a low price, HostGator’s an intermediate package (called the Baby Plan) starts at only $3.50 per month.

These great introductory rates are only available if you commit to three years of HostGator service upfront.

Signing up for a single year will inflate that entry-level shared hosting plan (Hatchling) to $3.95 per month.

So, you’ll be committed to this host for 36 months. Keep that in mind if you have a strategy for rapid growth.

That being said, HostGator offers upgraded hosting options if you find your website is getting wildly popular. They also sport some of the best rates for more powerful VPS hosting.

If you want to get your website to start getting found for the lowest cost possible, take advantage of HostGator’s 45-day money-back guarantee and try their shared hosting today.

#8 – InMotion Review — The Best Option for Scaling BIG

Are you positive that your website is going to dominate the online space? Then you should definitely take a closer look at InMotion.

Their VPS and Dedicated hosting services are far from cheap, but few providers are at this level of the web hosting game.

With premium prices come premium services. And it doesn’t get more premium than dedicated hosting.

You’re getting a server all to yourself. So, no matter what heights of popularity your site achieves, it will always be available to visitors and will load in the blink of an eye when they want to stop by.

That being said, you’ll have to pay a good amount each month for such speediness and uptime stability.

Don’t need to go all the way to dedicated hosting just yet? InMotion’s VPS plans are more palatable while still delivering substantially better performance overall than shared or cloud hosting.

Those plans start at just $17.99 per month. And, all of InMotion’s VPS plans are fully managed, meaning you don’t have to fret about your comfort level with server management.

VPS plans scale-up in resources from a dual-core processor with 4 GB of RAM and 90 GB of storage all the way up to an 8 CPU cores, 16 GB of RAM, and 360 GB of storage. So, you can get a really souped-up hosting plan this way, too.

But if you’ve tried shared hosting before and you’re looking for the next step, InMotion is going to overdeliver on every promise.

Check out InMotion Hosting’s plans and choose the one that fits your needs best.

#9 – SiteGround Review — The Best for WooCommerce Hosting

Do you want to sell your products online? Then you’re probably in need of a good, reliable WooCommerce hosting service.

If that’s the case, then you should take a look at SiteGround. They have a dedicated set of hosting plans that will make it easy to get your WooCommerce site off the ground.

SiteGround really wants to overdeliver, even if you choose their cheapest options. You get unmetered traffic and 10 GB of storage space on their lowest-cost hosting plan.

You also get a bunch of useful extras for free, like a CDN, SSL certificate, email, and daily backups, as well as a free site migration and one-click WordPress installation.

That all comes in the StartUp plan, which costs just $3.99 per month. That only requires you to commit to a year, as well. A lot of other hosts only give introductory pricing this good on two- or three-year upfront commitments.

If you’re looking to launch and host a fleet of web stores, SiteGround’s two higher-octane plans allow for unlimited websites. GrowBig and GoGeek give you progressively more storage space and monthly visits while also adding power user and agency features.

So if you’re looking for the best WooCommerce solution, SiteGround is the hosting service for you.

#10 – GreenGeeks Review — The Best for Always-On Support

Nothing is more frustrating than having something go wrong and there’s no one available to ask for help.

And, in the high-stakes world of web hosting, not having a support center to contact is unacceptable. Just think of the lost revenue and frustrated visitors (who may never come back) if your site is down at a crucial time.

With GreenGeeks, you get a robust knowledge base, 24/7/365 live chat support, email support that gets back to you within 15-20 minutes, and live phone support available Monday through Sunday from 9 a.m. to midnight (Eastern Standard Time).

That’s not only a lot of options to get help when you need it—that’s support that’s always available in the moment. Which is better than a lot of other web hosts out there.

“Sure, the support’s great,” I hear you asking, “but what about the, you know, actual hosting?”

Well, not only does GreenGeeks offer the full array of hosting options—from basic and WordPress-specialized options to VPS and reseller hosting—but they provide an eco-friendly option at incredible prices.

Seriously, most of its hosting plans start at $2.49/month (including WordPress and WooCommerce hosting).

If you want a bit more power, GreenGeeks’ VPS hosting plans start a little pricier than others ($39.95/month), but don’t require an annual commitment to secure. So, no price hikes after a year and no surprises.

I mentioned, too, that GreenGeeks is an eco-conscious hosting solution. You probably guessed that anyway by the name. But they’re very committed to offsetting some of the negative environmental impacts that maintaining server farms create. For over a decade, GreenGeeks has been buying renewable energy credits at 300% what they consume.

So, if that matches your company’s environmental philosophy, you’ve just found another reason to go with GreenGeeks.

Check out their hosting options and sign up with GreenGeeks today.

#11 – A2 Hosting Review — The Best for Sites with Lots of Visual Content

Among the factors that differentiate one hosting plan from another, speed and uptime grab all the headlines. And, for good reason—no one wants a slow or unavailable site.

But if you have ambitious plans for displaying lots of media on your website or large files like videos and 3D renderings, don’t sleep on judging web hosts by the amount of storage they offer.

If that resonates with you, give A2 Hosting a serious look as your next web host. They come with some of the most generous storage space allotments in all of the web hosting.

This applies no matter what type of hosting you’re in the market for.

A2’s entry-level shared hosting, called the Startup plan, starts as low as $2.49 per month yet comes with 100 GB of SSD disk space. Most other providers’ cheapest shared plans might go as high as 50 GB. Right off the bat, A2 is leading the pack and giving you more room for videos, images, GIFs, and more.

Any of A2’s shared plans above Startup come with unlimited storage, and its highest two tiers upgrade you from SSD to NVMe drives which tend to be at least three times faster.

“Unlimited” storage might set off some alarm bells to you if you’ve done some web hosting research. And, truly, that doesn’t mean you can just start uploading terabytes worth of files to your A2 website willy-nilly.

But they are generous with their acceptable use policy regarding your plan’s disk space. Your primary limit to keeping in mind in the raw number of files you can upload. As of this writing, their total limit is 600,000 files—that should be more than enough for most of you.

And, heck, if you’re approaching half a million media and other files on your website, it might be time for some spring cleaning anyway.

The other thing to keep in mind is any limits on your backups and server rewinds. A2’s emergency site recovery service only covers up to 50 GB of site data. If you’re blowing past that, make sure to stay vigilant about storing your own backups.

But that’s really it for stipulations. A2 sets you up for media-rich websites on every plan better than any other hosting provider.

That applies, too, to their WordPress and VPS hosting options. The former gives you NMVe storage on every plan, starting at 50 GB on the cheapest one. That means you can have plenty of content on your WordPress site and know that it will load faster for visitors than it would on comparable WordPress hosts.

With VPS, you have three standards and three turbo plans to select from, with the former utilizing SSD and the latter employing NVMe.

Any way you slice it, A2 Hosting brings the goods for people who want to make their websites pop with images and video—or even if you want to let your site visitors upload pics and videos of their own.

What I Looked at to Find the Best Web Hosting Services

When it comes to the best web hosting services you have to look at various important factors.

If you jump in too quickly you might get into something that’s not suitable for your business.

But don’t let any of that doubt creep into your mind.

Instead, sit back and relax while we present to you all the factors that you need to be aware of before making a decision.

You can weigh the different web hosting services and decide which is the best solution for your specific business.

Hosting factor #1 – Uptime reliability: 

If your hosting is down, no one would be able to access your website.

And obviously, you want your website running 24/7.

Luckily, in 2021 this is not a huge problem since most web hosting providers offer a ‘99.99% network uptime guarantee’.

That means that your website would go down very rarely.

And even when it does, you can contact your hosting service and you will get compensation.

Most of the time that would be in the form of hosting credits.

If you want to prepare for the worst, you can check out our Website Downtime Survival Guide.

One of the best practices to making sure everything runs smoothly even when you’re taking a break is to sign up for a tracking tool like uptime robot.

If your hosting service crosses the line, this tool will notify you that you need to find a new webserver to host.

Hosting factor #2 – Speed is key:

Website loading speed is extremely crucial when it comes to SEO optimization in 2021.

That’s simply because if your pages load slowly, people will bounce out of your website and your ranking will fall down the drain.

You need a trustworthy host provider that can guarantee optimal website loading speed.

The thing is that you can’t know the exact loading speed before you try the hosting service yourself.

But you can always optimize your website loading speed using free tools and effective loading speed practices.

And the best news is that even if your budget is tight, you can still get a good loading speed.

But don’t expect anything spectacular for say $4/month.

Generally, the higher the price, the faster your pages will load.

Anyways, we will include our personal experience regarding loading speed for each of the options down below.

Hosting factor #3 – Customer service:

Good Customer Service will come in handy when something goes wrong.

Especially if you’re new to websites, you’re bound to make mistakes that may lead to your website being down for a while.

And the more time it’s out, the more it will cost you.

So a good support team will help you get the issues solved in no time.

Even if you made a major mistake that’s impossible to come back from…

Most support teams will have a full backup of your website so you can get back to a working version.

You always want your support team to have a live chat or a telephone you can call.

Email just doesn’t make the cut if you want to resolve the issue fast, which you should want, given that your website is down.

We made sure to include only website hosting services with strong communication skills.

Conclusion

You’re most likely going to have a long-term relationship with the hosting service you choose. So carefully look into every option that caught your eye today and select the one that fits your needs best.

To recap my top picks:

1. Hostinger – Low-cost shared hosting options for startups
2. WP Engine – Best for managed WordPress hosting
3. DreamHost – Best option if you want quick and responsive website changes
4. Bluehost – Best for WordPress hosting
5. Nexcess – Best eCommerce hosting
6. Cloudways – Easiest way to get the performance boost of cloud hosting
7. HostGator – Most affordable option for startups
8. InMotion – Best option for scaling BIG
9. SiteGround – Best for WooCommerce hosting
10. GreenGeeks – Best for always-on support
11. A2 Hosting – Best for sites with lots of visual content

These are all dependable hosting providers with a record of quality service. Whether you choose one of my top recommendations or scout out your own, use the tips and best practices we talked about to make an educated decision.

Having a reliable web host is a must in today’s world. Make this decision like the future of your business depends on it.

Because it does!

Have you worked with any website hosting companies in the past? How did it go and did you get the results you hoped for?

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By: Neil Patel
Title: The Best Web Hosting Services (In-Depth Review)
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/best-web-hosting-services/
Published Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2022 10:30:00 +0000

Do you strive for consistency in your social media marketing efforts? A social media content calendar can be the missing ingredient.

Although it is simple to create a social media calendar, you can achieve some amazing results.

This is how you can quickly set up your social media content schedule and get started leveling up your performance.

What is a Social Media Content Calendar?

You can view a social media calendar to get a complete overview of the posts you are planning.

This allows you to be more strategic in your content and maintain consistency. It also delights your target audience on an ongoing basis.

You can set up a social media calendar as simple as deciding when you will post, or go more in depth.

High-level information is a key component of many social media content calendars that are successful. It will help you get more out of each post.

• Platform: Facebook. Instagram. TikTok. LinkedIn.
• Content-Type: Behind-the-scenes video, testimonial, product, etc.
• Date: Proposed schedule date.
• Time: Proposed schedule time.
• Title The title of the post.
• Topic: The purpose of the post.
• URL The URL for any links that you intend to use.
• Visuals Description of visuals that you wish to use.

This information will give you a starting point to create each post.

Plan carefully.

A content calendar is different from a content plan. A content calendar will outline the dates and times of your posts, while a content plan will describe the strategies and topics that you will use in your social media marketing.

These ideas are often interchangeable because they are so closely related. They can also be combined into one document.

This example of a content calendar will give you an idea of what and where to put it.

A social media content calendar can help you save time and make your social media marketing more effective by taking a strategic approach to your planning.

Why You Should Have a Social Media Calendar

Social media is used by more than 72 percent of Americans. This means that social media marketing is crucial.

How does a social media calendar fit into this equation?

Let's look at two important aspects of social marketing: understanding your target audience, and being consistent.

How can you reach your target audience if you don't know where they hang out, what they like to read, and how they consume information? When you are posting social media posts in a hurry, it can be difficult to get to know your audience. This is why a social content calendar can prove so useful.

Consistency is another thing that will help you get far in social media marketing. Although it may not seem obvious, this is actually quite difficult. It is not easy to keep returning each day, or however many times you post, with high-quality content.

Without planning ahead, it's impossible.

There is a lot of competition in any niche. You need to take the time to develop your ideas and ensure they are perfectly targeted for your audience.

These are not the only reasons to use a social media planner. They can help you:

• Save time
• schedule posts
• reduce errors
• Create more cohesive campaigns
• Create a stronger brand image
• Run timely campaigns that align with sales promotions and holidays
• You can track your performance better

It is possible to use a social media calendar immediately and reap the benefits of this tool for improving your social media performance.

6 Steps for Creating a Customized Social Media Content Calendar

To create a social media content strategy that works, you don't need fancy software. You just need to open a spreadsheet, and then follow these six steps.

Step 1 – Review Your Social Media Goals

You need to have a clear understanding of your goals before you can create any type of plan.

It is important to have a clear goal in mind for your social media posts. It's easier to create the content that will help you reach your goal if you know what it is.

Before you start creating your social media content calendar for your brand, meet with your team to set SMART goals.

It is also important to know what KPIs will be used to measure your progress against these goals. Are you more concerned about followers, impressions, clicks to the site, or other KPIs?

Once you have clearly defined goals and a method for measuring your performance you are ready to move on.

Step 2 – Audit Your Current Accounts

Once you have a better understanding of success, it is time to see how you are performing.

This data is crucial because it will serve as your baseline. This data will make it easier to analyze the results and adjust your strategies accordingly.

To keep track of your KPIs and ensure that you are constantly improving your processes, you can add a sheet to your social media content calendar.

Make sure you have all the relevant information available and that it is easily accessible.

• Passwords and account details
• Specific goals for each platform
• audience demographics
• Each member of the team has a responsibility
• Information about your most successful campaigns and posts
• Poor results, areas to improve, and content gaps
• Platform-specific KPIs for measuring future success

It will take some effort, but it is well worth it.

You're creating a social content calendar to ensure you give your audience the content they want. To do this, you need to be able to analyze your past performance.

Step 3 – Choose Which Social Platforms You Will Use

This step would have been easy if we went back about a decade. This question was easy to answer because there were only a few social media platforms that dominated the scene.

There are many social media platforms that have a lot of success today, each one catering to its own audience. If you want to advertise to 18-25-year-olds, you will probably need to use different platforms to reach them than if your goal is to reach over 55s.

They are all on social media, don't get me wrong!

58.4% of the world's population uses social media. But how can you reach your target audience best?

There are limited resources available so you might need to focus your efforts on just a few platforms. Keep in mind that these platforms may not be the most popular, but they must be where your target audience is.

Take a look at the below demographics and consider which platform is best suited for your target audience.

These numbers vary widely, so it is important to determine where you want to go and when.

Step 4 – Outline How Often You Will Post

A social media content planner has many benefits, including the ability to be more consistent. But, the question remains: How often should you post on social media?

Each business will have a different answer.

There's no reason to post more than once a day if you have a large marketing team that works on various elements such as images, video, copy, personal interactions and followers.

But if you are a single-man team that works on all aspects of your business, this may not be possible.

It's all about using your resources to strike a balance between quality content and quantity. It's useless to put out content that isn't useful and people don't interact with.

This question is not easy to answer. However, the key is to maintain a consistent schedule. Consistency is a key value for most algorithms, whether it's Google, Facebook or YouTube.

You can have complete control over this, especially if you have a social media content calendar.

Step 5 – Decide what type of content to post

To give your audience a variety of content types, it can be useful to divide your posts into categories.

These two rules are very popular and can be used to help you offer variety while also making your life easier.

The 80/20 rule

This rule allows you to strike a balance between trying to sell your products and engaging your audience.

It is stated that 80 percent should be intended to engage, inform and educate and that the remaining 20 percent should be used for direct promotion of your business.

This formula allows you to strike the right balance between increasing sales and maintaining a positive brand image.

• Social media is used by 47.6% of people to keep in touch with their friends
• Social media is used by 36.3 percent to fill their spare hours
• Social media is used by 35.1 percent to access news stories
• Social media is used by 31.6 percent to find content

These goals will require you to determine how your content fits in with them.

The Social Media Rule of Thirds

It can become repetitive to post the same content over and over again. Many brands employ the Social Media Rule of Thirds to manage their content calendars.

According to the social media rule-of-thirds, one third of your posts should promote your content and one third share curated content. One-third should also share personal interactions with your friends.

Step 6 – Audit Your Resources

Before you start setting up your social media content calendar, the last thing you should do is to audit your resources. What size is your team and what skills are you able to offer?

Your plans will be more ambitious if you have a team of social media experts, videographers, content creators and videographers. But you must also create systems to bring them together.

Your social media content calendar is crucial here.

Once you have a clear plan for the next month or quarter, everyone can see what needs to be done.

The copy can be written by your writer, while the visuals can be done by your videographer or graphic designer. This will ensure that everything is in place on time.

Social Media Content Calendar Template

A Google Sheet is the best way to create a template for a social media content calendar.

Split your calendar into weeks by opening a new spreadsheet.

You can use the columns at the top for your dates. In the rows, you can enter the following information for each platform that you plan to post to:

• Type of content
• Title
• Topic
• Links
• Visuals

You should be able to quickly create a template. This is an example of a social media content schedule.

You can create your social media content calendar as many times as you want, but this should be a good starting point.

You can look into different project management software like Trello and Airtable to build your social media content calendar. You'll learn how to spot trends and plan promotions as you use them.

Social Media Content CalendarFrequently Asked Questions

What are the advantages of a social media schedule?

A social media calendar can help you save time, be more consistent, make it easier to find errors, and be more strategic. You can provide better content for your audience and increase brand engagement by using this calendar.

Is it necessary to keep a social media calendar.

Although you don't need to keep a social media schedule, it can be extremely helpful. It can be difficult to provide high-quality content to your audience. Sometimes you will need to take the time to plan. You can plan your content and create visuals for your posts so you are prepared to tie them to your promotions.

What should my social media calendar look like?

A social media content calendar allows you to be as specific as you like. You will need to include the title, topic, links, as well as visuals.

How can I create a monthly calendar of social media content?

A spreadsheet is the best way to create a social content calendar. A spreadsheet is easy to use and can be set up in minutes.

Conclusion: How To Create a Social Media Content Calendar

It shouldn't take much to create a social media content calendar that is effective.

You can easily create a content calendar using basic Microsoft Excel skills. This will outline your strategy for the coming weeks and months. This will help you create more content and save you time.

A social media calendar will make it easier to manage your social media efforts and meet the needs of your audience, regardless of whether you are a social media manager or a marketer.

This will make your social media marketing results dramatically better.

How frequently do you post on social media?

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By: Neil Patel
Title: How to Create an Effective Social Media Content Calendar
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/social-media-content-calendar/
Published Date: Mon, 06 Jun 2022 14:30:09 +0000

Taking an online marketing degree is a great way to jumpstart your career, but you should be aware that the program is not without its challenges. A lack of time, money and a commitment to a full-time schedule can make the course difficult to complete. Thankfully, there are a variety of non-degree options available to help you get the most out of your online education. These options are just as rewarding as earning a traditional degree and will ensure that you're well-equipped to handle a diverse array of marketing jobs.

Foundational course on branding

Creating and sustaining a strong brand is crucial in today's highly competitive business environment. Strong brands are defined by a strong marketing strategy that positions the company in the mind of the consumer. Branding courses also provide students with an understanding of the strategic decisions required to increase market share and build consumer loyalty. These courses can be completed online or remotely. They will also equip students with the necessary communication and presentation skills to engage in effective strategic brand management.

The foundation year enables students to broaden their knowledge in business-related subjects and prepare them for the first year of an undergraduate degree in the relevant field. The course will equip you with the academic and transferable skills necessary to succeed in an undergraduate degree program in marketing. In addition to learning business-related principles, foundation year students will also gain work experience with external clients. This internship will help to improve their employability as they will have gained hands-on experience in the business environment.

Foundational course on digital marketing

Digital marketing has become a major part of business today, and it is increasingly difficult to keep up with its ever-changing pace. Your instructor is a veteran of the field, having worked with both local companies and global tech giants. This foundational course offers a roadmap for addressing real world situations, and provides insight into specific areas you may want to specialize in later. If you'd like to begin your career as a digital marketer, this course is for you.

This foundational course is designed to give you the tools and knowledge needed to be successful in this field. You don't need to be an expert to take the course, but you should have some basic writing skills and a grasp of statistics. Having some experience in digital marketing is recommended for this course, since it will equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in this field. But if you're an absolute beginner, this course may not be for you.

Non-degree options for online marketing degree

If you're thinking about an online marketing degree, consider the benefits of non-degree programs. Unlike traditional colleges, these online programs don't require an in-state student to attend classes. In addition, you don't have to pay out-of-state tuition rates. Most online marketing degree programs can be completed from home, and most require a high-speed Internet connection. Some of these online marketing degree programs even require on-campus attendance, allowing you to get some college experience without paying the usual costs of attending a traditional college.

One of the benefits of online marketing degrees is that they don't require internships, which can significantly increase your chances of getting a good job. You can also choose from one of the several marketing concentrations. For example, you can specialize in social media or content marketing. This concentration is especially useful if you're interested in digital marketing. You'll learn about online audience behavior and target marketing strategies and write extensive marketing strategies.

Careers for marketing graduates

If you are considering a career in marketing, an online degree can be the best route to success. Many job openings require no marketing degree at all. Some even require only a bachelor's degree. Others may require a postgraduate qualification and consider prior experience and education. If you are unsure about which career path to choose, consider looking into some of the following options. They are all well-paid and suited to people with a diverse range of skills.

Many people begin their marketing career in support roles, which develop their analytical skills and understanding of audiences. Then they graduate to the management or leadership level of a marketing department. Public relations positions involve helping clients build their reputations and are often suited for marketing graduates with strong journalistic writing skills. Some students who are considering a career in marketing might consider a job in a sports organization, charity, or other specialized area.

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An online marketing degree offers a variety of career paths, but you may have a difficult time selecting the best one. In this article, we'll discuss the different types of online programs, their requirements, and their course schedule. In addition, you'll learn what's required of you, and how much they'll cost. We also look at the benefits of earning a degree online. If you're interested in pursuing this type of degree, you've come to the right place.

Coursework

During the course of a bachelor's degree in marketing, you will learn about consumer behavior, communication and research techniques. You will also learn about branding and advertising strategies, media and digital content, and how to compete in the marketplace. Some marketing programs even include elective courses in digital marketing or social media marketing. You will study the latest trends and theories in this field, as well as how to communicate with your clients using various online marketing techniques.

In addition to learning about current marketing trends, an online marketing degree program can lead to a career. Some programs even offer certifications that will show employers that you have the necessary training and experience to succeed in your career. By earning these certificates, you can add valuable credentials to your resume. These programs also provide you with the opportunity to connect with companies and internship opportunities. Whether you decide to pursue an internship or complete your degree program online, it will depend on your goals.

Course schedule

There are two main types of course schedules for an online marketing degree: a hybrid format and a fully online format. The latter combines aspects of online and face-to-face learning, and may include classes or meetings that alternate weeks. This format gives you a greater degree of flexibility, while also offering you an opportunity to develop networks and hone your leadership skills. A hybrid format also offers a more immersive learning experience and allows you to strengthen your connections with your peers and professors.

The University of Phoenix has an online marketing bachelor's degree program, which prepares students for careers in traditional customer contact, consumer marketing, and nonprofit marketing. Although the program only offers one concentration in marketing, students can choose between an online degree in marketing or one in sales management. In either case, an online marketing degree program can give you the education you need to excel in this field. Whether you're interested in digital marketing, sales management, or brand communications, you'll find an online marketing degree program to fit your lifestyle.

Requirements

If you are considering a career in marketing, the Bachelor of Science in Marketing is an essential step. Marketing professionals fulfill several roles in advertising, consumer behavior, and market strategy. With a Bachelor of Science in Marketing, you will have the skills to work in business, customer engagement, and analytics. Online programs in marketing are available in a variety of specialties. Below, you will learn about some of the most popular specializations, and what you need to do to get started.

Most programs require 120 credit hours. In a conventional degree program, you'll take four years to complete. But there are options to complete the degree faster. Online schools offer accelerated pathways, in which students can take fewer courses than traditional students. Some programs even offer degree completion programs for those with some college experience. You can also complete the program in less time if you have relevant work experience. Getting an online marketing degree can be a great way to get the education you need, and it's convenient and affordable.

Cost

Many working adults consider cost when determining whether or not to pursue an online marketing degree. The average person pays for school on their own, and putting yourself further into debt is never a good idea. In addition to affordability, returning on that investment is an important factor. To that end, the Bachelor's Degree Center ranks the most affordable online marketing degree programs in the United States. You can start your career search at one of these schools.

The National Center for Education Statistics collects data on undergraduate tuition. In California, the average tuition for a four-year nonprofit school is $26,803; for-profit schools are $10,483; and two-year online colleges and universities charge N/A. There are many ways to save money and still complete an online marketing degree. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your educational dollar. To get started, you may want to consider taking a free digital marketing class or even a free course.

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[TAG0]

Your audience expects personalized marketing from you.

They expect it. Research shows that 71% of customers expect businesses send personalized messages to them, while 76% are disappointed when they get generic communications.

What's the problem? The challenge? It is impossible to reach your audience on the right level if you don't know their priorities.

Don't be alarmed if this sounds familiar. Customer segmentation is my solution. Customer segmentation allows you to better target your marketing campaigns by understanding your audience. Let me demonstrate how it works.

What is Customer Segmentation?

Segmentation refers to dividing customers into groups or “segments” based on common traits such as age and buying habits.

To better understand prospects, businesses use customer segmentation models. This allows them to target them with personalized marketing campaigns, including emails and ads.

Customer segmentation goes beyond reaching new audiences more effectively. Segmentation can be used to reconnect with customers who have lost touch and encourage them to buy again by sending them targeted messages.

Every customer is different. Each customer has their own buying habits and reasons to choose you over the competition. A customer segmentation strategy, which is a way to tailor your marketing to each individual, is the best option.

Why is Customer Segmentation Important?

It helps you improve customer service. Understanding your customers' needs and wants will help you solve their problems.

Does customer service matter? Absolutely. One in five customers will abandon a brand if they have a bad experience with a company, according to research so the more you put into great customer service, the better.

Similarly, segmenting your audience helps build customer loyalty. How? Why? Because personalized messaging is more likely to make customers loyal. This is why 79 percent of consumers believe that personalization makes them more loyal.

What are loyal customers and happy customers alike? Customers who are loyal and happy will be more inclined to shop with you. Segmentation allows you to personalize the shopping experience, which increases conversions.

Are you still skeptical? Studies show that more than 60% of customers will be repeat customers after a personal shopping experience. The stats speak for themselves.

Customer Segmentation Models

Depending on your marketing goals and business needs, you can use different customer segmentation models. Here are seven of the most popular models.

1. Demographic Segmentation Model

Demographic segmentation refers to the division of people into different groups based upon certain demographic factors such as income, marital status, age, and occupation.

Let's assume your audience is males and females between the ages of 30 and 65. To promote a product, you want to run TikTok campaigns.

• 61% of TikTok users were women.
• 11% of users are older than 50.

You will miss a lot of your target audience if you run only a TikTok campaign. Do some demographic segmentation and you can target Facebook too since 73% of those aged 50-64 use it.

Do you want to give it a try?

1. Set your campaign goal.
2. You can choose your variables: age, gender, etc.
3. Choose your platforms to create personalized marketing campaigns such as email and social media.
4. Google Analytics allows you to measure success and make adjustments as necessary.

The Pros and Cons Of Demographic Segmentation

It's simple to use and allows you to adjust your tone to suit different ages and genders.

What are the main drawbacks? False assumptions can lead to inaccurate conclusions about a segment. Targeting such diverse demographics could cause you to lose your brand voice.

This customer segmentation model should be used in conjunction with other methods. It might be useful to learn about a customer's purchasing habits, values, and where they live.

2. Geographic Segmentation Model

Geographic segmentation allows you to categorize your audience according to where they live, work, and shop.

This kind of customer segmentation analysis can be done very easily. The only problem? Ironically, it's simplicity. Geographic segmentation by itself doesn't tell much about your audience. However, you can combine it with other models from this list to get the most accurate picture.

How to Segment Customers Using Geographic Segmentation

Here are some ways to start with geographic segmentation.

1. Determine your segments. Divide people by their climate, culture, language or geographical location.
2. To determine the size of your community, gather data such as sales and website data.
3. These segments can be used to send targeted messages to customers. For example, you could run paid ads based on where you are located, or, if your product is exclusive to a specific location, send your target audience an email with a promo code.

Case Study by McDonald's

McDonald's uses geographic segmentation frequently to reach different markets around the globe. Here's an example of a McDonald's Indian burger:

McDonald's makes products that appeal to its diverse customer base.

I now see another benefit to geographic segmentation: exclusivity. Each item on the McDonald's menu is unique to each location. This may make it more difficult to find and more valuable which could increase conversions.

3. Psychographic Segmentation

Each person has a unique personality, but there are common traits and characteristics. Psychographic segmentation refers to the formation of groups based upon common traits like hobbies, lifestyle choices and personality traits.

You can use psychographic segmentation to help you understand the psyche of a customer so that you can create highly targeted, relevant campaigns. The main problem is organizing and gathering the data.

How to Use the Psychographic Segmentation

These steps will help you get started with psychographic segmentation

1. Identify your ideal customer. Who are you selling to What are they most impressed with your products? This stage might involve some consumer research.
2. You can choose your segments such as hobbies or values.
3. Find out where your audience is congregating. Reddit hosts over 1.5 billion users every month. 38 percent of Americans listen regularly to podcasts.
4. Do some consumer research. You can send surveys or run Instagram polls to find out what your audience wants.
5. To determine the best way to target your groups, you must evaluate the data.

Case Study: Patagonia

Patagonia, a brand of outdoor clothing, understands that its customers are concerned about sustainability. Their brand message has made sustainability a central part of Patagonia's messaging.

You could segment your customers by whether they like to ride or hike, and send targeted campaigns that meet their needs.

4. Technographic Segmentation

Technographic segmentation refers to the classification of people based on their use of software, hardware and devices. This data is important. According to statistics:

• In the United States, 79 percent of smartphone owners purchased items online within the past six months.
• After one bad experience with their mobile phones, 40% of consumers will switch to another company.
• In 2022, tablet purchases are expected to reach $64 billion.

Marketers should be aware of how people access your content. This will allow you to optimize their UX (user experience) and target them more effectively. Technographic segmentation is a great way to do this.

How to Perform Technographic Segregation

This method can be used in a variety of ways, but I recommend this one.

1. Get to know your audience. Identify your customers. They will decide which categories you select.
2. Choose your segments: To segment technographically, you might use the following criteria: You can group people according to the type of technology they use.
3. Collect data:Collect data to segment customers. This could be done by scraping websites or sending surveys.

With this data, it is possible to create your campaigns.

Example of a Technographic Segmentation Campaign

Let's suppose you own a tech shop. Some customers use Norton 360 to protect their PCs. Avast Security Mac is another option.

Split your marketing campaign according to software. One email is sent to Norton subscribers, offering a discount for their annual subscription. Avast customers receive another email offering the same discount on Avast.

What is the result? The result? Emails that address your audience's tech needs. This increases your chances of converting.

It's possible to go further. You could also use analytics to see if your Norton PC customers are interested in mobile antivirus solutions. Send them a code from PCWorld to get a discount.

You can anticipate what your audience wants based on their tech preferences and meet their needs.

This is a great customer segmentation model. No. It has one major drawback: Only one aspect of a buyer's journey is known about their tech preferences. It's an important marketing tool to have in your arsenal.

5. Behavioral Segmentation

Do you want to understand how your audience interacts? Try behavioral segmentation.

Behavioral segmentation is the process of grouping people based on their behavior patterns. These patterns will reveal the feelings of your customers about your business, allowing you to determine how to reach them at each stage of their journey.

Like other models, behavioral segmentation is possible at any stage of your marketing strategy. It can be used to update landing pages or send promotional emails.

How to Use Behavior Segmentation

First, determine the behavior patterns you want to track. This can be done in many ways, but one way is to segment customers by their behavior patterns.

• Stage purchase
• engagement
• Histories of purchase
• Purchase frequency
• Response to marketing campaigns before

Let's say, for example, that you have customers who are engaged. There are three possible groups that you could have.

• Shop with you every month Active customers shop
• Only a few customers buy products every few weeks.
• Customers who haven't bought from you in the last year.

The next step is to create three separate marketing campaigns. For example, you might offer loyal customers a discount and for infrequent customers, a discount to lure them back.

Track your analytics once your campaigns have been set up. If your campaigns are not producing the results you desire, you can adjust them and start again.

Netflix and Behavioral Segmentation

Netflix has more than 221 million subscribers and knows how to use behavioral segmentsation to meet customer demand.

• Netflix uses machine learning for tracking what customers are watching.
• Netflix's algorithms allow them to personalize everything, starting with the homepage and ending with show recommendations.
• Netflix can track the impact of personalized recommendations and personalization features using A/B testing.

However, behavioral segmentation comes with a major drawback: You can always get the algorithms wrong. This disadvantage can be overcome if you keep track of your results and respond to them.

6. Segmentation based on needs

Marketing success often boils down to convincing prospects that your products or services are what they need. This is where needs-based segmentation comes into play.

Segmentation based on needs allows you to group people according to what they want from your product. What benefits they are looking for when they purchase something. They have pain points and problems that they need to solve.

The greatest challenge? The biggest challenge?

Let's say, for example, that you are a food company. Two potential customers follow you on social networks. One wants fresh chicken and the other vegan food. While you might be selling meat products and non-meat items, the same advertising campaign will not appeal to all.

Maximizing your campaigns can be done by understanding the motivations and needs of groups.

Let's do a simple comparison. Heck sells non-vegan and gluten-free vegan meat. Because they know that customers love to go to the gym and want high-protein snacks, they started a campaign to sell their meat in local gyms.

They are aware that other customers care less about their fitness and more about a vegan lifestyle so they often create social media posts about meat-free products.

Heck clearly took the time to learn about its customers and their motivations so that it can reach all segments effectively while maintaining a consistent brand voice.

Another example: Beauty store Revolution allows customers to shop by skin concern or by ingredient in order to target their needs directly.

Segmentation Pros & Cons

Do you think this customer segmentation model is right for you now that you know how it works?

There are obvious advantages. Segmentation based on needs allows you to market more accurately than targeting people by their age or geographical location. It is comprehensive and efficient, and could help you to build loyal customer relationships.

The biggest drawback? The main drawbacks? You should also keep in mind that consumer needs change, so your strategy must be reviewed regularly to ensure maximum effectiveness.

How to Perform Needs Based Segmentation

This is the simplest way to do it.

1. Your products and services are the first thing you should focus on. Take a look at your products or services from all angles and list their benefits and features.
2. These features can be used to create customer personas. You can segment customers based upon their behavior, age, and location if you have the data to do so.
3. Reach out to customers to learn their priorities. For example, you might look at customer reviews or send questionnaires.

Once you have enough data, segment your marketing campaigns using these findings. You can track your campaigns and make adjustments as necessary.

7. Segmentation based on Value

You can better direct your marketing efforts if you know how much it costs for a client to lose their business. Segmentation based on value can be a great way to group customers based upon their business's value.

Why would you group customers in this manner? There are two benefits.

First, you will know who spends the most on your products. This will help you identify which customers you cannot afford to lose. These customers can be provided with great customer service and targeted marketing campaigns.

Second, you can identify the most loyal customers and determine how much it will cost to keep their business. Knowing the relative value of a customer will allow you to decide whether it is worth targeting them with personalized messaging.

But is retention worth the effort? It can cost up to seven times as much to acquire customers than to retain them . So, yes, retention is important.

Value-Based Segmentation

Here are some ways to segment customers on a value basis.

• Identify your campaign goals. Perhaps you are looking to target your most profitable audience and launch an advertising campaign for high-end products. Or you may want to entice customers to return to your store by offering loyalty discounts.
• Identify your segmentation criteria. You might use the above-described segmentation criteria to value-based market customers.
• Based on your research, determine how you will target customers. This could be done via email, social media or paid ads.
• Analyze your results by asking customers for feedback or running A/B tests.

Value-based segmentation is a great way to quickly identify your most valuable customers and target them more effectively. If you are a young startup, or a small business, it may not be possible to have sufficient data to create this customer model.

Case Study: Global Cruise Company

This is an example of basic value-based segmentation principles being used and how it can be applied to retargeting or conversion.

Merkle, a marketing firm, assisted a global cruise line to develop a value-based marketing strategy for their next campaign.

The company sent the same messages regardless of LTV (lifetime value) to all customers. They wanted to increase revenue by segmenting customers based upon their LTV so they could send targeted ads and emails.

Each customer was assigned a predicted economic value. They could then identify the most loyal and high-value customers to help them nurture through the sales funnel using smaller, more targeted campaigns.

These are the results The results? Five percent of loyal but lapsed customers returned and the purchase cycle was cut by 24 percent. It took only a few personalized messages based on the relative value of each customer to get it all done.

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Customer Segmentation Most Frequently Asked Questions

What tools are needed to segment customers?

To segment customers effectively, you will need data. Analytics tools like Google Analytics are a must. Depending on your business goals and budget, you might also consider using dedicated customer segmentation software.

Is customer segmentation worthwhile?

Segmenting customers allows you to learn more about your target audience, and what is important to them. This allows you to create more effective marketing campaigns by focusing on each segment of your larger audience.

Which campaigns is marketing segmentation most effective with?

Segmentation works best when you use personalized ads that target certain people. You can also run multiple smaller campaigns to reach the right audience with highly targeted ads.

What is the purpose of customer segmentation in customer retention?

Customer segmentation ensures your existing customers don't feel overlooked. To give loyal customers relevant rewards based on loyalty, you can segment them into smaller groups that will help increase customer retention.

Conclusion: Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation is a great tool for improving your marketing. Segmenting your audience will allow you to learn more about your customers and run more targeted campaigns. This will help you convert more leads into customers.

Consider the following customer segmentation models and decide which one is best for you. My consulting services can provide guidance on choosing the right customer segmentation type for you.

Are you ready to create your customer segmentation strategy? What model do you think works best?

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By: casey
Title: How to Use Customer Segmentation to Improve the Performance of Your Marketing Campaigns
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/customer-segmentation/
Published Date: Tue, 07 Jun 2022 21:20:23 +0000

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We've seen a lot of growth in my agency, NP Digital, as we expand around the world. We have opened offices in Brazil, Australia, India, Australia, and Canada. We have created a digital marketing agency that offers full-service in Canada.

To kick things off, I will be traveling to Canada to speak at the Collision Conference. I am so excited to share what I have learned and how you can improve your digital strategy over the next few years.

Ronnie Malewski (managing director of NPD Canada) and Ryan Douglas (VP of Strategy & Performance), will both be present to teach a master class on CRO entitled “What Optimizing 500+ Websites Has Taught Us.”

Why did we choose Canada to be our new NPD International location?

We all know that international expansion has been a major focus of ours for a while now. Why Canada? Why not now?

Digital ad spend will account for more than twice the traditional advertising market in Canada this year. It is estimated that it will reach 15.4 billion by 2024.

Canada is predicted to be one of the fastest-growing markets in the world this year in terms ad spending. It was only natural that we would bring our expertise to meet the needs of the market.

Services offered by NPDC

NPD Canada is a digital marketing agency that specializes in accelerating brand growth.

The following are our primary focus areas:

Digital Intelligence:

• Strategy and planning
• customer journey mapping
• Data analytics and insights
• dashboard development
• Email marketing automation
• Optimization of conversion rates

Earned media

Our team excels at delivering across all earned media specialties:

• Technical SEO
• On-site Optimization
• Ideas for content
• Content creation
• Link Building
• Digital PR
• Implementation

Paid Media

Our specialists can help you take your performance media strategy across multiple channels to the next level.

• Search (Google Ads, Microsoft Ads).
• Social (Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, Snap, Pinterest, Etc)
• Programmatic Display and Video
• Ecommerce (Google Shopping and Amazon Marketplaces)

Tech and Tools:

We have the most up-to-date tools and technologies to help you grow your brand.

Client Services:

Our client services provide cross-channel collaboration that is essential for customer success.

Why choose NPD Canada?

Why should you work with us?

We are first bringing serious talent to our table.

Ronnie Malewski is the Managing Director and has over 16 years experience in digital marketing. He has helped SMBs and enterprises grow their businesses over the years. He has worked with big brands such as Microsoft, Loblaws and Adidas. Ronnie's years of success in digital marketing allow him to offer strategic oversight to clients at NPD Canada.

The following are key players:

• Ryan Douglas is VP Strategy and Performance. Ryan has more than a decade experience in driving strategy and activation for SMB and corporate brands. He is an expert in SEM and SEO, display, social media, email, and video. Ryan has years of experience in driving holistic media strategies that deliver tangible business results.
• Nikki Lamb SEO Director: Nikki is a veteran in SEO analytics with years of experience and excels in working across channels to achieve consistency, drive innovation and maintain operational excellence.
• D Doan is Director of Data Analytics. D's team creates advanced analytics strategies to support some of the most well-known brands in the world.

NPD Canada is not just a great digital marketing partner because of its talent.

We have already signed up seven clients in three months and we are growing fast.

NPD Canada is also known for its greatness in other ways:

• We are minority-owned and minority-founded.
• NPD U.S. supports us, so we have access even more of the best minds in digital marketing across multiple services areas.
• We have over 500 clients worldwide and 600 employees. Our agencies have won more than ten awards.

NPD Canada is ready to help you take your business to the next step. Let's talk.

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By: Neil Patel
Title: Introducing NPD Canada
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/npd-canada-intro/
Published Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2022 17:58:49 +0000

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Are you satisfied with the leads that your marketing campaigns generate? Are you happy with the number of leads your marketing campaigns generate? Or do you wish they were more effective?

You must increase your leads if you want to grow your business, whether it is a B2B firm, e-commerce store or startup. Although setting up online campaigns is a great start, it is not enough. Optimize your marketing campaigns to get every lead in your funnel.

Are you ready for the next step? These seven strategies will help you generate leads like never before.

Why are Leads So Important for Business Growth?

Marketing's top priorities are generating leads, and converting leads to customers. Only increasing customer satisfaction is as important as generating new leads.

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Lead generation is an important priority. Sales will dry up if there isn't a steady flow of leads. Sales are the only source of revenue. Without revenue, your company will fail.

You should also know that most people who visit your website won't buy right away. To nurture and convert leads into buyers, you must continue to collect them.

However, not all leads are created equal. While conferences, referrals, and cold calling are great ways to generate leads, they're not enough. Learn how to get more leads through your online campaigns.

Advertising leads are better. Targeting can help you get better leads quicker and automate some parts of the process. How can you ensure your ads drive quality leads?

7 Strategies to Get More Leads Online:

You can find previous articles that will help you create a lead generation program if you're not sure. I will show you how to create leads online using existing ad campaigns.

Optimize your Landing Page

Your online lead generation campaign's most important element is your landing page, or squeeze page. Your goal is to make the visitor feel like they have no other choice than to give you their information in return for something.

Landing pages convert more than any other ads or offers. While the average conversion rate is 2.35 %, some landing pages have conversion rates exceeding 10 percent. You should optimize at least one element of your landing page if the conversion rate is not in the double digits.

It is a good idea to first look at the copy of your page, including the headline. Your copy should be concise, clear, and engaging. Within a matter of seconds, users need to be able to comprehend what your product is and why it can help them. Focus on the benefits your product offers to users, and not its features.

Your headline is the most important thing you should be tweaking. It will be the first thing that users read and it will determine whether or not they go on to the next page.

A video can help users understand your product better. A large portion of your audience will prefer to watch video than read your content, which is why 76% of sales professionals believe video is crucial for securing more business.

Last, take out all distractions. Your site layout should be as simple and straightforward as possible. There shouldn't be any navigation bars or links to other pages. The user has two choices: either close their browser or sign up.

ConvertKit's CreatorPass is an excellent example of how to make a great landing page. The headline navigation is absent, but the headline copy provides a clear benefit and a compelling call to action.

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Offers Real Value

The copy, image, and CTA are not the most important parts of your landing pages. It's the content, tool or resource that you offer as a reward for each lead's email.

Most brands use gated content in the form of a PDF, an ebook, or whitepaper. It doesn't have it to be this way. You can find great gated content in case studies, surveys and webinars.

No matter what form your gated content may take, it must be of great value. If they don't, leads will abandon your funnel just as fast as they entered it. How can you provide value? Your leads need to solve a problem. What are their pain points What are their problems? Which expertise can you use to make their lives easier?

Delivering value means that you present gated content in the most effective way. Visualize it with images, videos and other multimedia content. Your leads will be more likely to engage with your content if it's easy to consume.

Here's an example from Leadpages of a non-ebook, lead magnet:

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Because they knew their leads struggle to create high-converting pages, they developed a training course.

Nurture Leads

You don't just need to collect leads; you must nurture them. Only 2 percent of sales are made on the first contact. Yet, most salespeople give-up after their first attempt. Automating the follow-up process will make it easy for you to forget about anything.

Email to nurture is a great option. Email to nurture is a great way for your leads to receive drip feeds of messages. It also generates a huge ROI. The Direct Marketing Association found that email marketing has a PS42 ROI for every $1 spent.

Check out my review of the top email automation platforms. Integrate your landing page's contact form to ensure that every email you receive is added automatically to your mailing list.

Next, you will create an automated sequence of emails that are sent at regular intervals. You want to guide leads through every stage of the buying process. This means that you must provide them with relevant educational content at the right times. Begin by explaining to them the industry and what their problems are. After a few emails, you can begin to concentrate on your product or service and how it can benefit them.

You can make your product the star of every email. The more emails you send the better.

Chatbots can be used to turn conversations into high-quality leads

Lead nurturing is not just the job of your salespeople. Chatbots are able to automate nearly every step of the lead generation process. It's also extremely efficient. More than half of AI-powered chatbots are more effective in generating quality leads for businesses.

Begin by replacing the forms on your landing pages with a chatbot. Forms can be tedious and offer little in the way of user experience. Chatbots make it easy for prospects to complete their information. Sometimes, users might not be aware that they are filling out a lead-form.

Chatbots can be used to quickly respond to leads. Lead generation is all about speed. Harvard Business Review found that businesses who respond to leads within five minutes are 100 percent more likely to convert them. Chatbots allow you to automate the process of responding and can send a message immediately after a lead completes a form.

Chatbots can be used to nurture and qualify leads. Chatbots can ask the exact same question as sales people to help you separate the wheat from chaff. Only the best results can be sent to sales directly, and all others are added to a nurturing process.

This is evident in Drift's chatbot. It will ask a qualifying question when someone visits the site. If they are ready, it will direct them to a sales representative.

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Multi-Platform Campaigns

What number of platforms are you currently using to promote your landing page or gated content? Most likely, you aren't using enough.

The customer journey today is lengthy. Many people don't convert from visitors to customers right away. Your landing page won't convert the majority of your visitors. According to a Google study, it takes between 20-500 touchpoints before a customer becomes a customer.

Multi-touch campaigns are the best way to get your message across multiple media channels.

Advertise on multiple channels to maximize the chance that potential customers will click on your ad. It's all a numbers game at end of day. You have more chances to score the more shots you take.

Leverage Personalization

Personalization is a simple way to increase your conversion rates at all stages of your online lead generation campaign. A survey of B2B marketing and sales professionals revealed that over three quarters (77%) believed personalization was a better way to build customer relationships and more than half (55%) said personalization resulted in higher sales conversions.

How can personalization be added to your funnels in order to generate leads

Personalizing your ads is the first step. Although Apple has made it more difficult to create hyper-personalized ads, Google still makes personalizing paid search ads relatively simple with dynamic ads.

Next, personalize the landing page, especially the call to actions. Studies show personalized CTAs result in 202 percent higher conversions. You can create dynamic CTAs with marketing tools such as Unbounce and HubSpot that adapt to the views of each user. You could also create multiple versions of your page to suit each ad group, and customize the copy accordingly.

Personalization is another important feature of your email automation tool. All major email marketing tools allow you to easily insert the recipient's name in the subject line or body copy. This makes it very easy to personalize your nurturing emails.

Carefully Target Your Ads

It's not worth wasting time nurturing leads who won't buy your product. You need to be specific in your lead generation ads.

I have written extensively on how to identify your target audience and target markets for paid advertising campaigns. I won't be covering old ground.

It is important to not be too quick when evaluating the performance of landing page ads. Don't judge your campaign's performance solely on the number of people who sign up to your landing pages. While this is a great indicator, it doesn't mean that you should be focusing on how many people convert to customers.

It's amazing, right? A single ad campaign can have a 20 percent signup conversion rate. It's unlikely that the ad will be very effective if it only converts a small percentage of people to a purchase. A campaign that has a lower signup conversion rate can generate high-quality leads.

This means that you will have to wait longer for the data to be collected. However, the final result should be more targeted and efficient.

How do you target ads efficiently? Use keywords that have higher buyer intent. These search terms indicate that the user is more likely to convert.

Commonly Asked Questions about Generating More Leads

How can you create a lead generation campaign for your business?

Begin by defining your objective and who you are targeting. Pay for ads to drive traffic to your valuable gated content. To nurture leads, collect emails.

How would you describe a lead generation campaign?

A gated whitepaper can be used as a lead generation campaign. You can also use webinars to generate leads and nurture them with video.

How can I optimize my lead generation campaign

There are many ways to optimize your lead generation campaigns. You can improve your landing page copy and use chatbots to speedup response times. Personalize your messaging.

For my lead generation campaign, where should I advertise?

Your lead generation campaign can be promoted on social media platforms, which are the most cost-effective. It is important to advertise where your target audience is online.

Your lead generation campaign can be promoted on social media platforms, which are the most cost-effective. It is important to advertise where your target audience is online.

Conclusion: Increase Marketing ROI by generating more leads

Your key to growth is improving your online marketing campaigns. You don't need to use all the strategies I have listed at once.

Optimizing your campaigns should not be a one-time task. Choose just one of these strategies to use at a given time. Your ROI will soon skyrocket.

You now know how to generate leads online. Which strategy should you choose?

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By: Neil Patel
Title: How to Generate More Leads Through Your Online Marketing Campaigns
Sourced From: neilpatel.com/blog/60-leads-24-hours/
Published Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2022 23:43:00 +0000