How to Increase Your Website Traffic Without SEO

SEO can be a brilliant strategy to increase your website traffic but it isn’t always enough.

Imagine you rely on SEO for all your traffic. What happens when the Google algorithm changes? You risk losing potential customers!

That’s why diversifying your methods of increasing web traffic can offer better results. If you have multiple traffic sources, changing algorithms won’t completely halt your business. You will have a toolkit full of optimization strategies to keep your business running. Diversifying your web traffic can also be helpful in cases where there’s little scope for search engine optimization (for example, podcasts).

In this post, we’re going to look at effective strategies to grow your website traffic without SEO so you’re never left stranded by algorithm changes again. We’ll also look at practical tips you can start using right now, so you can get back in the game if your traffic has been low for a while.

Why Should You Try to Grow Traffic Without SEO?

You can generate substantial traffic from SEO alone, but not all traffic is equal. High-quality traffic (that includes users more likely to convert) offers better ROI, so you need to prioritize it.

Plus, if you aren’t an SEO expert, you may want to focus on other strategies to grow your website traffic efficiently.

This doesn’t mean you completely ignore SEO. All websites, irrespective of their niche, must follow the best SEO practices to avoid being penalized by Google and to ensure the site gets indexed.

The strategies we’ll discuss below can be a helpful addition to a pre-existing SEO plan.

Top Strategies to Increase Website Traffic Without SEO

1. Content Marketing

If you have been reading about digital marketing for a while, you must have heard the term “content marketing.” In simple words, it’s a way to organically advertise your brand through high-quality content.

Content marketing strategies often include blog posts, podcast episodes, infographics, YouTube videos, downloadable PDFs, etc.

For instance, Toggl, a time tracking software company frequently uploads informative blog posts and research data about productivity, work-life, and career.

Informative blog post about productivity to increase web traffic.

This attracts users interested in time management, productivity, and wellbeing in the workplace. When they read Toggl’s blog, they eventually discover Toggl’s time tracking app, among its other productivity tools. Some of these users convert, helping Toggl increase their website traffic and ROI.

Content marketing isn’t limited to blog posts. If you connect better through audio, you can try launching a podcast or host a webinar.

Nowadays, most social media apps let you post a variety of content formats including photos, audio clips, long-form text, and videos. You can experiment with one or more of these formats to see what works best for your audience.

2. Paid Ads

Content marketing is beneficial but it can take a lot of money, especially if you’re paying established writers to create original, well-researched posts for you.

Most of these projects also take weeks or months to show results, which isn’t a practical timeline for many businesses.

If you want quicker results with a budget you can control, why not try paid ads?

Seven in ten Americans use social media today. That’s more than two-thirds of the population. Think about the possibilities!

Paid ads can instantly generate hundreds, if not thousands, of clicks to your website. Plus, with new advertising and social media platforms appearing and innovating regularly, getting your ads in front of the right people is becoming easier than ever.

For example, Facebook offers detailed customer personas and multiple targeting options so you can put your business in front of your target customers without wasting a lot of money on mass advertising.

Facebook paid ads can help you increase website traffic

However, you don’t have to stick to the largest platforms for effective advertising. In fact, advertising on lesser-known platforms whose audience aligns with your products can be more effective in the long run.

For example, if your ideal customer includes teens who enjoy memes and weird stories, you’d have much better results by advertising on Reddit, rather than Facebook or YouTube.

Another option is dating apps. If your brand is focused on relationships or if you’re targeting young singles, advertising on dating apps like Tinder can help you find your target customers faster.

If you’re worried paid ads will take a lot of money, remember, you don’t need to spend $1,000 on your first day.

Test the waters with $5-$10 a day and see what happens. Do that for a week, just to learn how different media platforms work.

3. Social Media Strategies

One of the best ways to increase your website traffic is to meet your customers where they like to hang out. Like we discussed earlier, almost everyone is using social media today. Ramping up your social media marketing efforts can help you reach new users, develop brand awareness and increase website traffic.

How to gain website traffic through social media?

When it comes to social media, you can’t just barge into “conversations” and ask people to buy something from you or to visit your website.

Think about how you’d present your brand in real life when you meet an individual for the first time. Would you immediately talk sales in their face? How about providing details about your product/service without introducing yourself first?

Remember, users visit their preferred social media platforms for entertainment, not for being sold to.

To make sure your efforts are well-received, you need to provide value first and develop positive relationships with your potential “followers.”

You can do this by sharing informative posts like How-Tos, or posting fun photos of your employees, like this post from Casper.

casper image how to increase traffic without SEO example

I wrote a detailed guide to increasing social media followers and boosting engagement. Here’s a summary of the top options to help you grow your website traffic.

join relevant Facebook groups
share helpful articles/videos in these groups
post updates about your company’s latest products
host contests and giveaways
Leave thoughtful comments on user-generated content

4. Link Building Strategies

When marketing teams talk about SEO, link building frequently comes to mind. When reputable websites link to your content, the algorithm favors your website and increases its rank on the search page.

Sounds helpful, but that’s not all.

Did you know link building can help you increase web traffic without relying on SEO?

Link building for brand awareness is a process where you focus your strategies on expanding your reach, putting your content in front of new users, and generating conversations around your brand.

This is more than just a casual backlink in a blog post. Link building for brand awareness takes more planning and resources, but the investment is worth the high-quality leads you’ll get.

Here are some tips for developing effective link building strategies to increase website traffic:

Engage with your audience: Create interesting, shareable posts and encourage your followers to respond and share your content.
Work with PRs: Recruit efficient PRs to help generate brand awareness and distribute your story to your desired audience.
Guest blog intentionally: Choose unique publications that align with your readers’ key interests and post guest blogs on their page.

5. Interact With Other Blogs

Guest blogging is an effective traffic-driving strategy aimed at leveraging somebody else’s audience to widen your brand’s reach.

Think about it: Somebody in your niche has a large, engaged following. Imagine if you could put your content in front of them. How much traffic could you drive to your website!

Why would someone publish your work?

Probably because you’re good at what you do.

Everyone is looking for high-quality content. If you can provide a well-researched, helpful post for free, people are often open to publishing it on their website. After all, it’s benefiting their audience at zero cost.

Why would you give precious content away for free?

It’ll help you gain access to hundreds, if not thousands of new users, many of whom could become long-term customers.

It’s a win-win situation, but you have to be careful how you approach it.

Start by searching for blogs and media publications that publish content relevant to your business. For example, if you run a recruiting company, publish content on business blogs read by people interested in the latest recruiting practices.

If you want to find blogs in your industry that are accepting guest posts, use the following search queries to see more specific results:

name of your niche + “write for us”
name of your niche + “submit guest post”
name of your niche + “sites that accept guest posts”
write guest article + ‘name of your niche” + blog

Solvid provides a comprehensive list of places accepting guest blogs:

Publications that allow guest blogging to increase website traffic

In addition, research online biographies of specific companies and bloggers. More often than not, their web profiles contain a handy list of sites where they’ve been invited to guest post. That’s a plethora of most fitting guest blog opportunities presented to you on a silver platter.

Then, send a request. Most websites will have publication guidelines you can follow. Follow these instructions carefully to increase your chances of publication.

There’s also the option of using blog comments as a way to generate traffic to your site.

In the past, I have managed to generate $25,000 as a result of 249 comments.

How exactly do you go about using comments to generate traffic?

When leaving a comment, make sure you are adding something worthwhile to the discussion.

There is no use in leaving comments like “Awesome post!” or “Nice website!”

If someone posts a question, make sure you take the time to answer thoughtfully.

This showcases your expertise in the given niche and will encourage someone reading to click on your name and be taken through to your site.

If you read an article on a subject you don’t know very well, it would be imprudent to voice your own thoughts as fact. In this situation, you should simply ask questions. Then the website owner would be able to elaborate more on complex topics or complicated sections.

If you’re knowledgeable about a subject, feel free to contribute (e.g., suggest something, recommend a solution, answer a question). If you’re a novice, it’s best to ask questions. Powerful questions can bring you website traffic by encouraging blog readers to check you out.

Avoid embedding links in your comments. It comes off as a wretched attempt to plant your flag on someone’s lawn.

It’s okay to use your website’s link in the URL field when entering your name and email address, but your comment needs to add to the conversation or challenge an idea without lazy attempts at driving traffic to your blog.

Refrain from using the name of your business as your “commenting name.” Use your actual full name instead.

Using a random or fake name is a missed opportunity to build strong branding because your brand actually starts with your name. In fact, failing to use your full name will reduce your chances of the website owner approving your comment.

6. Email Marketing

If you read a few posts on digital marketing, email marketing would be mentioned in most of them. That’s because it’s still one of the most efficient ways to increase website traffic.

One study suggests email generates $36 for every $1 spent, offering a shocking 3,600 percent ROI. What more could you ask for?

Email marketing lets you reach potential customers directly. It’s an ideal platform for building long-term relationships for improved customer loyalty. You can post questions, ask for feedback, introduce soft sales, and persuade customers for the “big buy.”

Here are some tips for effective email marketing to increase website traffic:

Be real: Share stories, post behind-the-scenes content, and solicit original user-generated content.
Offer value: Just like content marketing needs a high value to convert readers, emails and newsletters must provide value before they make an ask.
Include all your links: Make it easy to read and share your post. Include links to your social media profiles, latest blog posts, and sales page in every email you send.

7. Provide Excellent Customer Service and Ask Customers to Review Your Brand

Ramping up your social media marketing efforts to increase website traffic is useless if you offer poor customer service.

According to a survey, 42 percent of customers said they bought more after pleasant customer service experiences.

Think about it: Users complain on social media, you offer a prompt and polite response. What happens? The person starts respecting your brand.

Even when users complain privately via email, it’s important to offer the best possible service so they come back for more.

How can you offer great customer service?

reply promptly
offer as many suggestions for customer problems as possible
apologize when you make a mistake and offer coupons/refunds

If you consistently provide great customer service, you can request users to review your brand.

Platforms like Trustpilot and Yelp can be great for building positive reviews. Many users consult these websites before making a purchase decision, so having a solid profile can help improve your reputation.

Increase Website Traffic Without SEO Frequently Asked Questions

Is it possible to increase website traffic without SEO?

Yes. You can use a combination of social media marketing strategies and content marketing techniques to increase website traffic without SEO.

Are there ways to increase website traffic for free?

Guest blogging, posting on social media, and requesting user-generated content are some of the most effective ways to increase website traffic for free.

Can I increase website traffic through marketing without an agency?

You can use techniques like guest blogging and content marketing to engage audiences without relying on any agency.

What's the best strategy to increase website traffic quickly?

Working on improving your social media strategies can help you connect with new users, develop brand awareness and drive organic traffic relatively fast.

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Increase Website Traffic Without SEO Conclusion

You shouldn’t only rely on search engines to increase website traffic. Algorithm changes and SEO techniques become outdated quickly.

The strategies we discussed today can help you create a comprehensive digital marketing plan to increase website traffic effectively.

Whether you use one of these tactics in isolation, or you use all of them together, they can transform the way you attract customers.

Which traffic-driving strategy will you try today?

5 Ways E-Commerce Companies Can Use BrickSeek to Increase Sales

If you’ve heard of BrickSeek, you likely know it’s a powerful tool for consumers, allowing them to track down inventory and find the best deals at big retailers.

However, once you scratch beneath the surface, you’ll find out there’s a lot more to BrickSeek. Far from just a customer-facing app, it has a lot to offer e-commerce companies.

In this guide, I’m going to explain how e-tailers can start using BrickSeek right now to boost their sales and revenue.

What Is BrickSeek?

I’ve written before about BrickSeek’s feature set and how consumers can use it to find hidden inventory sales, so for a more in-depth explanation of the app, check out my previous article.

However, to give a brief overview, BrickSeek started out in 2014 as a web application enabling LEGO collectors to track down popular sets online and in-store.

Then it branched out, leveraging the same technology to help users find inventory levels, sales, and clearance deals at some of the nation’s largest retailers, including:

Amazon
Best Buy
Lowe’s
Macy’s
Office Depot
Target
Walmart

Why Should E-Commerce Companies Use BrickSeek?

The same things that make BrickSeek such a useful tool for consumers also make it a potentially invaluable resource for online retailers. Think about it. Wouldn’t you love to know:

How much of a certain product your biggest rivals have in stock?
How much other brands are charging for a specific item?
Which products are being marked down, and in which locations?
Which products are attracting the most interest from shoppers?

You can find all that information and much more on BrickSeek. In other words, it can be a vital source of competitive information if you know how to use it intelligently. It’s almost like having your own network of spies inside your rivals’ warehouses. Who wouldn’t want that?

Ways E-Commerce Companies Can Use BrickSeek to Increase Revenue and Sales

If you’re an e-commerce store owner, here are a few ways you can use BrickSeek in your business:

1. Use BrickSeek to Help You Set Your Prices

Do you sell the same products as your rivals? Then it’s vital you get your pricing right. After all, 91 percent of consumers say product price impacts their online purchase decisions, ahead of factors like free shipping (78 percent), brand preference (65 percent), and recommendations from friends and family (60 percent).

Set your prices too low and you won’t earn enough margin, which eats into your profits. Set them too high and you won’t drive enough sales. Get them just right and you’re well-placed to increase sales and revenue.

That’s where BrickSeek comes in.

First, search for a product’s stock-keeping unit (SKU) or universal product code (UPC). You can either find this through the website of the retailer in question or by using BrickSeek’s built-in SKU finder:

Then run a search on the SKU, using a zip code that aligns with an area you cover, to be presented with all the pricing information for your chosen product. Now you know how much you can afford to charge.

2. Use BrickSeek to Buy Materials for Cheap

Just because you sell products to consumers doesn’t mean you’re solely a B2C business. After all, your products need to come from somewhere. If you do some of your own manufacturing, you’ll need to source your own materials, too.

In those instances, you can simply access BrickSeek as if you’re a consumer, using the app to track down wholesale-standard prices on the products and materials you require.

3. Save Time Checking Retailer Inventory

Looking for the best prices on products to sell is a time-consuming endeavor. BrickSeek helps you do it faster as you can quickly check the inventory from many different retailers.

Just enter the SKU or UPC using the same steps I described earlier, enter a relevant zip code, then hit “Check Inventory” to immediately see stock and pricing information from a given retailer on a specific product:

4. Discover Hot Sellers

Running a successful e-commerce business hinges mainly on knowing the right products to sell. This is something else BrickSeek can help you with. By checking the inventory of the retailers the platform supports, you can pick trends in products that move fast. That’s an indicator of which products you should consider selling.

5. Monitor Market Trends

The secret to success and longevity in the e-commerce industry is understanding market trends. That’s where BrickSeek’s top product searches feature comes in. By observing the products your customers frequently search for, you can anticipate trends in your niche. Monitoring market trends will help you make data-based decisions to help you stay ahead of the curve and your competitors.

FAQs About BrickSeek

Is BrickSeek.com legitimate?

Yes, BrickSeek is a legitimate tool for finding pricing information and inventory levels, as demonstrated by its A- rating from the Better Business Bureau.

How accurate is BrickSeek?

While it’s definitely legitimate, BrickSeek isn’t always 100 percent accurate, as with any third-party tool. The site freely admits retailers will not honor inventory or pricing discrepancies between BrickSeek and “real life.”

How often does BrickSeek update?

All the inventory information provided through BrickSeek’s inventory checker is collected in real-time when you do a search.

Is there an app for BrickSeek?

At the time of writing, the BrickSeek app is in beta testing and is only available to Premium and Extreme members. In other words, you can’t currently access it without a paid BrickSeek account. If you’re a paying subscriber, you can request access to the Android or iOS apps here.

BrickSeek for E-Commerce Companies Conclusion

In less than a decade, BrickSeek has gone from being a simple, niche tool for finding obscure LEGO sets to a potentially mass-market app offering huge value to consumers and retailers alike. That’s some transformation!

Use BrickSeek intelligently, and you can gain unique insights on your biggest rivals, which in turn can help you:

set competitive pricing
pick up bargain prices on raw materials and products
understand when other retailers are struggling to access stock on key product lines
figure out whether a new product is worth selling based on levels of consumer interest
keep track of trends in your market

Best of all, BrickSeek is still comparatively underutilized among e-commerce companies. By learning how to make it work for your brand, you can position yourself to beat your competition.

What do you think are the biggest reasons for retailers to start using BrickSee

50+ Incredible Link Building Resources to Increase Your Search Rankings

Link building is the cornerstone of SEO. Any good online marketer or SEO needs to know how to build links to their site to rank well on Google.

The goal of this post is to provide something that all marketers with any skill set can use. Whether you’re new to link building or have been building your backlink profile for 10+ years, you’ll likely find some useful nuggets in this post.

Link Building Resources for Beginners

New to link building? These guides explain the basics and get you set up for success:

What Is Link Building? A Beginner’s Guide: If you don’t like the other guides, this one is more targeted towards beginners. It has some useful tips and provides more background on why link building is so important.
The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building: A comprehensive link building resource for beginners. It has everything you need to get you started before you move onto more advanced tips and tricks.
How to Start a Link Building Campaign Fast (And Systematize Everything): Once you know the basics of link building, learn how to launch a campaign that gets you results, fast.

Comprehensive Link Building Guides

Want to skip the 500-word articles and go straight into a deep dive on link building? These massive free guides can help:

Link Building for SEO: The Definitive Guide: One of my favorite guides. Read it if you want a full background on link building. Learn how to get high-quality links—and what to avoid doing.
The Advanced Guide to Link Building: Broken up into twelve chapters, QuickSprout’s guide is helpful if you’re looking for tactics to build links.
Link Building for SEO: How To Do It Right: A massive link building guide with an estimated reading time of 40 minutes. Grab a snack and start learning.

Link Building Strategies

Let’s look at some posts with a wide variety of link building strategies.

Link Building Strategies: The Complete List (2021): Here, you’ll find over 170 link building strategies, tips, and tactics.
8 Unusual Link Building Strategies That’ll Catapult Your Rankings: Looking for some unusual link building tactics? I’ve got 8 for you in this post.
3 White Hat Link Building Techniques That Go Far Beyond Links: Ryan Stewart is a former black hat SEO turned white hat. Here’s what he learned about the most effective white hat link building techniques.
A Simple Guide to Turning (Unlinked) Brand Mentions Into Links: Your brand is probably mentioned in hundreds or thousands of places around the web, but not all sites link to you. Here’s how to turn that around.
9 Easy Link Building Strategies (That Anyone Can Use): Just starting out? Use these simple link building strategies to start growing your DA and moving up in search results.
10-Point Link Building Cheat Sheet: Here are ten things you can do right now to help build your backlink profile.
9 Evergreen Link Building Tactics That Will Never Go Out of Style: When link building, you’ll want to focus on the things that will matter years down the road. Here are nine tactics that will still be important in the years to come.
How to Spy Out Your Competitor’s Backlink Profile and Gain 20% More Links to Your Site: Use these tips and my free tool Ubersuggest to find out exactly where your competitors are getting their links from and how to use this information to your advantage.

Link building resources - Use Ubersuggest to find competitor backlinks

Broken Link Building: What You Need to Know to Get Links: Learn how to identify broken links on other sites, and recommend your resource as a replacement.

Organic Link Building With Content

Since content is becoming increasingly more important, here are some posts on link building with content:

The Ultimate Guide to Content Link Building: This guide by QuickSprout outlines how marketers can build links through lists, PDFs, images, and microsites.
3 Simple Ways to Build Links With Images: The great thing about using images for marketing is that it’s one of the most efficient ways to build brand recognition and acquire natural mentions to a website.
6 Linkable Asset Types (And EXACTLY How to Earn Links With Them): Not into writing? This guide shows you how you can still create linkable content without putting pen to paper.
How to Use Video for Link Building: Learn about the SEO benefits of video, where to place video, video sitemaps, and places to pitch your new video for potential links.
How to Get High-Quality Backlinks With Infographics (And Boost Your SEO): This resource offers a step-by-step guide on creating infographics that add value to your audience and generate high-quality links from other bloggers.

Link building resources - use infographics to get backlinks

How To Do The Skyscraper Technique (To Get High-quality Links): Not familiar with the Skyscraper Technique? It’s one of the best ways to get links and outrank your competitors in search.
What Is Link Bait? 8 Examples To Show You How It’s Done: Creating content and getting zero links? Here’s how to use link bait to reverse Uno your link building strategy.
Resource Page Link Building: The Only Guide You Need: A resource page (like the one you’re currently reading) is a scalable link building tactic and one of the most popular ways to get backlinks.

Think Pieces on Link Building

These links are a little less how-to and have more insightful content on link building. If you’re looking for link building tactics, skip this section. If you want to know about the essence of link building and why so many online marketers and SEOs focus on it, these articles can help provide that background.

The Beginner’s Guide to Link Building: If you’re new to the SEO world, you may wonder why so many are focusing on link building. This article answers why it gets so much attention.
5 Myths About Link Building: The fast-growing WordStream blog gives you some myths around link building.
What’s the Cost of Buying Links?: Buying backlinks are a big no-no and violate Google’s guidelines, but some still do it. Here’s what it costs.
Link Building and Ethics: What You Need to Consider for SEO Efforts: This piece takes a look at ethical link building and SEO practices.
8 Experts Weigh in on the Past, Present, and Future Evolution of Link Building: Is link building still important for SEO? Top link building experts weigh in on how tactics are changing and what’s no longer relevant.

Link Building Practices to Avoid

Just as important as the links you should be building is knowing what links you shouldn’t be building. Remember that spammy links pointing to your site is a problem you need to take care of.

Link Building Techniques: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: The link building techniques that get you to the top of search results, as well as which ones will waste your time and hurt your website.
When & How to Disavow Backlinks in 2021: If you do have a lot of spammy links pointing to your site, you can use Google’s disavow tool to ask Google not to count those links pointing to your site. This post from Moz shows you how to do that.

Link building practices to avoid - disavow link building infographic

5 Types of Bad Backlinks You Don’t Want: Not every backlink is equal. Here’s how to clean up those bad backlinks hurting your link profile and search rankings.
Avoid These 8 Link Building Mistakes To Future-Proof Your SEO Efforts: Avoid these eight link building mistakes and stay in Google’s good books.
5 Reasons Your Content Doesn’t Attract Links (And How You Can Fix It): Not getting links? Here’s how to fix that.

Building Local Links

If you have a local business, these link building strategies are made just for you.

Local SEO: A Simple (But Complete) Guide: This comprehensive guide tells you how you can get your local business to rank in search.
15 White Hat Link-Building Strategies for Local Business: Take a look at these 15 ways (including some unconventional methods) local businesses can get links.
13 Ways to Drive More Customers to Your Local Business Using Content Marketing: How you can take advantage of content marketing (blog posts, working with local content creators, etc.) to get quality links for your business.
Event Link Building: The Complete Guide: Whether you’re a small local business or an international company, hosting local events is a great way to build your brand, both offline and online.
What Is a Local Link & How to Find More Local Link Opportunities: Don’t know where to start with local link building? This post points you in the right direction.
50 Local Link Building Tactics for ANY Budget: The ultimate resource for local businesses, no matter how small.

Link Building With PR and Social Media

Think PR and social media have nothing to do with link building? Think again.

How to Construct and Use Personas for Link Building and Social Media: Learn how to use created personas in link acquisition and social media marketing practices by using them as ambassadors and helping scale the process of marketing a brand over the web.
Link Building Made Simple: How to Build 61 Links Using Social Media: Discover how to use social media to impact your SEO efforts and how the two can work together to grow your business.
HARO Link Building Service: How We Land BIG Links for SEO Clients: A breakdown of using HARO to get free press and backlinks for your website.

Link building with PR and Social Media - use haro for link building

A Guide to Digital PR and Why It’s Important for SEO and Link Building: This guide shows you how to use digital PR in your link building strategy to gain a competitive advantage.
How to Use Surveys to Tap into Trending Conversations (And Build Links): Find out how to use surveys to attract the attention of writers at top publications.

Link Building Tools

Nothing makes link building more productive and effective than the right tools. Here are posts reviewing some favorite link building tools:

Ubersuggest: I created Ubersuggest to help you find the best keywords for your content marketing strategy. Besides keyword research, it also has a robust backlinks feature which details who is linking to you (as well as your competitors).

Best link building tools - use ubersuggest for link building

82 Experts Rank Best Link Building Tools: What is the best link building tool? Robbie Richards reached out to SEO experts to find out what’s a hit or a miss.
10 Tools That Will Get You More Backlinks: This list is also useful if you’re looking for more tools to monitor and grow your link juice.
10 Backlink Analysis Tools That’ll Help You Understand Your Link Profile: It’s not about link building blindly. You need to know who is linking to you and which ones you’ll need to disavow. These nine tools can help you with that.
15 Awesome Link Building Tools: Backlinko gathered up a list of all the best link-building tools that they’ve used to get links from sites like Entrepreneur.

Best Link Building Blogs

Want to keep up with link building news? Here are the top SEO blogs link building categories.

Q&A on Link Building

Have questions about link building, or want to demonstrate your link building expertise? Here are some places where you’ll find lots of people asking about link building:

Link Building Resources Conclusion

There you have it! More than 60 great link building resources to chew on.

As you can see, there isn’t one way to gain backlinks. There are many strategies you can use to start establishing yourself (and your business) as an industry thought leader.

The earlier you start putting effort into gaining links, the quicker you’ll gain authority in search results and start outranking your competitors.

What are your favorite link building resources?

5 Hacks to Get a Credit Score Increase for Your Business

It’s easy to find quick tips on how to increase credit score on your personal credit report. You won’t find as much about business credit score at all, let alone how to get a credit score increase. Many business owners do not even know a business can have its own credit score, while others think their business has one and in reality, it does not.

Build a Solid Business Credit Profile and Watch Your Credit Score Increase

A business credit score is very different from a personal credit score. The information a lender gets from it is similar, but it is related to the creditworthiness of the business separate from the owner. Your business credit accounts do not affect your personal credit score at all.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

This protects your personal finances if your business doesn’t do well. Your personal credit will not suffer due to unpaid business accounts, and you can retain the ability to purchase things like a house or a car.

Beyond that, a strong business credit score gives you access to more funding for your business. This can help you be more successful, and help ensure your business can thrive. But, how do you even begin to build a business credit score, let alone get a credit score increase.

Hack #1: Proper Setup

Your personal credit score just kind of happens. You get credit, pay your bills on time, and the accounts report your payments to your credit report. If you handle your personal credit responsibly, you will have a good score. If not, you won’t.

A business credit profile is different. You have to work intentionally to establish it and build your score. Just because you have a card that says “business credit card” on it does not mean it is in your business name. It isn’t necessarily reporting to your business credit report. It could, and in fact probably is, reporting to your personal credit if you haven’t taken some steps to separate your business from yourself.

If your business is not set up to be a fundable entity separate from you the owner, you won’t have a business credit score at all. So, the first step is to increase it from non-existent into existence by setting up your business to be fundable. Here’s how.

Contact Information

The first step in setting up a foundation of fundability is to ensure your business has its own contact information. That doesn’t mean you have to get a separate phone line, or even a separate location. You can get a business phone number easily that will work over the internet instead of phone lines. In addition, the phone number will forward to any phone you want it too so you can simply use your personal cell phone or landline if you want. Whenever someone calls your business number it will ring straight to you.

You need a physical business address. A PO Box or an UPS Box will not work.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

EIN

The next thing you need to do is get an EIN for your business. This is an identifying number for your business that works in a way similar to how your SSN works for you personally. You can get one for free from the IRS. You may still have to provide your SSN for identification purposes, but your EIN will designate your business as separate.

Incorporate

Incorporating your business as an LLC, S-corp, or corporation is necessary to fundability. It lends credence to your business as one that is legitimate. It also

offers some protection from liability.

Business Bank Account

You have to open a separate, dedicated business bank account. There are a few reasons for this. First, it will help you keep track of business finances. It will also help you keep them separate from personal finances for tax purposes, and some creditors require a separate account. Also, it is a requirement for a merchant account, which allows you to accept payments via credit card.

Hack #2: Add Accounts That Report

Here is another key way that your business credit profile is different from your personal credit profile. Pretty much all personal accounts report your payments, or lack thereof, to the credit reporting agencies (CRAs). In contrast, only about 7% of business creditors will report payment history to your business credit report. This makes finding accounts that will report to the business CRAs essential.

It’s easier said than done however. Creditors do not make this information easy to find. We have a hack that can help you find vendors that will report, so don’t stop reading.

Hack #3: Pay bills on time!

Okay, so if you made it this far and realize you may not have a business credit score at all, now you know how to fix it. However, if you do already have an established business credit profile, but need a credit score increase, this is the key.

It sounds like a no-brainer, and most asking the question of how to get a credit score increase are looking for a different answer. However, this is the absolute best way to raise your credit score.

In fact, it is much more important with business credit scores than with personal credit scores. That’s because there are a few different things that are used to calculate personal credit. Payment history is one of them, and the most important, but it is not the only one. Also, a payment isn’t really considered late for personal credit score purposes until it is over 30 days late.

Keep your business protected with our professional business credit monitoring.

When it comes to your business credit score however, payment history is virtually all that matters. Not only that, but a payment is reported as late when it is as little as one day late. So, late payments have a much larger impact on your business credit score. Do whatever you have to do to get those payments in on time.

Hack #4: Make Sure Your Personal Credit Score is on Track

Now here is a fun twist. Remember how I said your business credit accounts do not affect your personal credit score? The reverse is not exactly true. While personal accounts do not report to the business credit CRAs, your personal credit can be used in the calculation of your business credit score in some cases. So, one way you can potentially increase credit score for your business is to improve your credit score on your personal credit profile.

Hack #5: Work With a Business Credit Expert

Here is the number one hack if you are looking for a credit score increase. You absolutely need a business credit expert. It’s not hard to raise your personal

credit score. All accounts report, and paying on time and being otherwise responsible with your credit does the trick.

A business credit score is much more complicated. Establishing a profile isn’t so hard, but there is a lot more to fundability than that. In fact, there are over 100 factors that contribute to the fundability of a business. That means, you could pay your debt responsibly for years, and if you do not have accounts that report it will make no difference. Even worse, without some help, you may never know what is causing you to be denied funding.

A business credit expert can walk you through the process and help you navigate the complicated web of fundability. They can help you analyze it and figure out how to improve it if needed. Then, they know where to look and who to talk to to help you find accounts that report. In the end, a business credit expert is the best way to build credit score for your business.

Get a Credit Score Increase By Working With a Business Credit Expert

Technically you could give this a shot yourself now that you know what’s what. However, as you can see in the image above, it’s a lot. There is a secret sauce of sorts, and it pays to have a business credit expert help you. They know the secrets, and they can save you a lot of time. We all know time is money, and with all the tiny details, chances are if you try to do it alone something will be missed. An expert can walk alongside you and make sure you take the fastest, smoothest route possible to building a strong overall business credit profile.

The post 5 Hacks to Get a Credit Score Increase for Your Business appeared first on Credit Suite.

5 Hacks to Get a Credit Score Increase for Your Business

It’s easy to find quick tips on how to increase credit score on your personal credit report. You won’t find as much about business credit score at all, let alone how to get a credit score increase. Many business owners do not even know a business can have its own credit score, while others think … Continue reading 5 Hacks to Get a Credit Score Increase for Your Business

How to Use the Psychology of Color to Increase Website Conversions

You know your niche and understand your customers. You’ve also taken the time to research keywords and optimize your copy. Then you’ve checked that your website works as it should.

Before you go any further, though, there’s an additional step to take: considering the colors and color combinations you use on your website.

We’re not just talking about branding or what looks good here: We’re talking about color psychology and the impact it can have on your visitors and subsequent conversions.

You may not realize there’s more to color than its aesthetic qualities.

The color scheme you use is a crucial part of the buying decision. Even minor adaptations like changing your CTA buttons’ color can dramatically increase your success rates, while your overall color scheme can increase brand recognition.

Let’s cover the impact of color psychology on consumers and how you can use it on your website.

What Is Color Psychology?

Color psychology is the science of how color affects human behavior. It is a branch of the broader field of behavioral psychology. In practice, it’s the science of how color affects human behavior and responses.

The psychology of color can influence how your customers respond to your marketing messages based on the color of your copy, call-to-action buttons, and links.

It’s all part of understanding the customer mindset. However, not every individual responds to colors the same way. This means there are no guarantees for its effects on conversions and branding.

However, it doesn’t mean you should dismiss color psychology and its impact. On the contrary, there are vital facts that are indisputable.

For example, studies show consumers take just milliseconds to form their views on your website’s visual appeal. In addition, color is powerful enough to elevate and evoke moods.

It doesn’t matter what niche you’re in, either. Whether you’re selling clothing, digital cameras, or tech services, it’s essential to make sure your colors work perfectly with every element in your marketing plan. Unfortunately, that’s not always straightforward, since choosing colors is an “imperfect art.”

Here’s what you need to know to make the most of this field.

Misconceptions About Color Psychology

Although there’s little in the way of scientific evidence, there is plenty of consumer research available on color psychology. For instance, one study shows color influences the buying decision.

However, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. The impression a color has can vary depending on the purpose of your advertising and consumers’ age groups.

The impact can vary due to other factors, like:

The industry you’re selling in.
The culture you’re selling to and people’s personal beliefs.
Different genders and their individual preferences.

Additionally, you may see some articles insisting the same color will work well for every type of campaign. That’s just not true. You’ll need to test a mix of color choices before deciding what works best for each specific campaign or site.

Where Should You Use Color Psychology?

Colors can impact consumers throughout the marketing and sales cycle. Whether you’re developing software, designing a book, developing a web design cover, or simply branding your business: colors define mood and influence responses.

This article focuses on your website color schemes and specific areas like website elements like:

hero graphics
headline type
borders
backgrounds
buttons
pop ups

However, you can apply the tips across a wide range of areas, including:

logos
branding
landing page
menu bars
email marketing
social media posts
cover photos
product design
videos

The real problem is getting it right.

Why Is Color Psychology Important?

You can use color psychology to communicate value, as well as to sell a product. For example, when the Coca-Cola Company marked 125 years of offering excellent service, they used their classic, bold red to brand the campaign.

Your brand personality is of utmost importance. The core benefits of careful color selection in branding include:

Clarity of purpose: Your web design or brand voice can be strengthened through the right color scheme. Unless you know and speak the language your prospects speak, your product may get lost in a sea of competition, no matter how valuable or effective it may be.
First impressions: The careful use of colors to create an initial impression can captivate first-time visitors to your site while nurturing loyal customers.
Customer retention and new leads: With the smart use of color, you can boost ema il sign-up rates, inspire repeat customers, and give people a reason to share your brand with family and friends.

Remember, though, color psychology is closely tied to memories and experiences. For example, if someone had an enjoyable experience while wearing a yellow shirt, eating at a fast-food establishment with yellow arches, or living in a home with yellow walls, then yellow may cause joy by memory association.

How to Use Color Psychology to Drive Conversions

CRO is an integral part of building a successful website. The goal is to get the best ROI possible and to thrive, no matter how strong your competition might be.

Since color is the one thing most of us can relate to, color psychology is an option that should be explored and tested to give your marketing an additional edge. Below are some color psychology tips to keep in mind.

Which Colors Do the Different Genders Prefer?

Color preferences aren’t always easy to establish. You’ll find plenty of studies available, and, naturally, many of them don’t agree with one another. However, women and men do seem to have some obvious preferences.

According to one study, women prefer subtle tones of:

purple
green
red
blue

In contrast, men also like these colors, but prefer them in brighter tones.

How to Use Color Psychology to Drive Conversions - Which Colors Do the Different Genders Prefer

A case study shows much of this holds true, at least for women, with blues, greens, and lavender colors remaining popular.

For colors that can improve conversions, regardless of sex, then reds, greens, blues, purple, black, and orange seem standard.

Also, keep in mind that gender isn’t considered as binary as it once was, so relying on a color that appeals to men versus women might not be as effective as you might think.

Certain colors can also suggest specific qualities. Let’s look at a selection of them.

Use Blue to Cultivate Trust

Blue is heavily associated with trust, which may be why many financial institutions often choose it. PayPal, Capital One, Visa, and Bank of America are just a few of the financial companies using blue in their color schemes.

Although various shades of blue can suggest different things, it also symbolizes:

security
loyalty
responsibility

Everything most of us would look for from a financial institution. However, while blue is pretty much an all-around great color, it may not work well for food packaging. Research indicates blue is a natural appetite suppressant, but, again, not everyone agrees.

Yellow Equals Caution

Yellow can signal caution. Warning signs, traffic signals, and wet floor signs all use yellow. That said, it’s not all bad. Yellow is a color we connect with warmth, positivity, and happiness.

Yellow inspires creativity, joy, fun, and confidence, and the shade of yellow used can speak volumes, too. For example, a bright yellow incites attention and excitement, and golden yellow is correlated to curiosity.

Green for Environmental and Outdoor Products

Green is associated with the outdoors, nature, and the environment: we see a product in green packaging, and we automatically think of it as healthy or eco-friendly. Additionally, green can inspire creativity, innovation, and balance.

If your website’s focus has anything to do with nature, the environment, organic, or outdoors, you might want to select green colors.

Orange Is Positive

Orange is a positive color linked to happiness, success, and determination. In addition, it gives a sense of warmth while appearing less aggressive than red.

Like other warm colors, orange can feel energetic, and it may gain shoppers’ attention, leading to impulse purchases.

For example, Amazon.com uses orange to trigger action. The color suggests urgency, which makes the message more noticeable and actionable.

The color works best with other warm shades, but remember to use it sparingly. Try it on conversion elements of your site, so it stands apart.

Black Means Elegance and Luxury

Although we sometimes see black in a negative light, it’s a frequent choice for luxury retailers.

Aside from the mystery associated with black, the color suggests elegance, luxury, and sophistication.

In color psychology, black represents authority, power, and prestige. This would explain why Prada, Rolls Royce, and Chanel use it in their logos.

How to Use Color Psychology to Drive Conversions - Black Means Elegance and Luxury

However, brands like Chanel are careful not to let black dominate on their websites, although it does play a part in their overall color schemes.

Use Bright Primary Colors for Your CTA

Multiple studies have looked at the best colors for CTAs, and as you may expect, many of them disagree with each other.

However, brands often favor bright colors like reds, blues, and greens. Then there’s Amazon, who famously uses its orange CTAs.

Nevertheless, the most important thing about your CTA isn’t necessarily the color itself: you need to look at the contrast, your audience, and your branding.

What About White in Color Psychology?

White space is paramount to good website design. It reduces clutter and gives a clean appearance, and there’s plenty of ways you can use it.

For example:

in simple, minimalistic designs
for typography and adding contrast
with a splash of color for that extra “pop”

If you don’t like pure whites, consider adding some warmth by using off-whites like ivory.

Color Psychology Best Practices

Updating your colors doesn’t mean starting from scratch. You may not be in a position to rewrite your style guide and pick your website color palette or font colors on the email template, but you still have some options.

Here are some solid takeaways you can use as you implement color psychology into your marketing and increase conversions:

If the Colors Don’t Work, Suggest Changes

If you’re working with designers or decision-makers, speak up if you feel the overall design scheme won’t work. For example, if you’re selling a high-class designer product, you won’t want to pair a sophisticated color with an amateur-looking logo.

Explain why some color combinations won’t work and how the right mix can positively influence conversions.

Use Psychologically-Appropriate Colors to Complement the Existing Color Scheme

Sure, you need to adapt to the color scheme. Just make sure you use colors that blend well with the current choices, the brand, and the feelings you’re trying to evoke. For instance, if you use blue, combine it with a sunny yellow for a pop-up for a positive feel.

Test Several Colors

To improve conversions, try different colors until you find the one that works for your brand. For example, HubSpot found red outperformed green CTA buttons, but that doesn’t mean it will be the same for you. Whatever color you go with, just make sure the color “pops” for greater visibility and higher conversions.

Don’t Forget; Color Is a Conversion Issue

Yes, you’ll want input from a designer, but don’t let them dictate your website colors. You’re not just looking for something that looks good: you want a color scheme that converts. Therefore, you should be heavily involved in the color selection of your landing pages to improve your conversions.

Avoid Color Overload

Too many colors can create a sense of confusion, so don’t go overboard: reign in your color scheme with white.

Conclusion

It’s easy to overlook the potential of color psychology. However, the colors you choose for your website, branding, and marketing may be more powerful than you realize.

When choosing your color scheme, take an active part and don’t leave the decision down to a designer. Only you know what you want your website to say and what you want your visitors to do when they visit your website.

If you aim to increase conversions, for instance, then you may want to use specific colors, like reds, blues, and orange.

However, remember that the psychology of color doesn’t give guaranteed results, and the same colors won’t have the same impact on everyone.

Do you take color psychology into consideration in your website design and marketing? Tell us how you use it below.

How to Increase Page Speed

If a user clicks through to a page on your website and finds themself waiting more than a few seconds for your page to load, they are likely to leave your page and can cost you a conversion.

Luckily there’s a remedy to increase page speed, but it involves the identification of the issue or issues causing slow lead times.

Since it can be difficult to pinpoint what’s wrong, you can use tools such as Google’s PageSpeed Insights to help. Google PageSpeed considers several factors for an overall score load time score. When you analyze page speed, Google gives you a list of metrics that contribute to the score. Let’s find out what those metrics are.

Increase Page Speed with Google PageSpeed Insights Field Data

The first set Google PageSpeed Insights gives you is called field data. This includes a variety of aspects of your site. (You can also learn more about core web vitals and how it will affect speed and SERP performance.)

1. First Contentful Paint (FCP)

FCP is when your browser renders the initial information. That includes text, images (including background images), non-white canvas, and scalable vector graphics (SVG).

2. Largest Contentful Paint (LCP)

LCP is a Google experience metric that measures the time it takes for the largest bit of information on the page to load. Google uses LCP as a ranking factor for pages.

3. Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS)

CLS is another ranking factor for Google. It’s an unexpected shift—meaning jumping around to other locations on your screen—of page elements as it loads. It’s an indication of poor coding and can be caused by images, ads, videos, contact forms, and fonts.

4. First Input Delay (FID)

FID measures site response time when a user first interacts with it. If your user clicks on a video, the time it takes to play a video is your FID.

Using Lab Data to Increase Page Speed

The second set of elements is called lab data. It includes the elements above, as well as total blocking time, time to interactive, and speed index.

using lab data to increase website speed

1. Speed Index (SI)

SI measures the average time it takes for all elements on a page to become visible. Measured in milliseconds, it calculates the time it takes for visual elements to load above the fold—the part of a webpage seen before a user has to scroll.

2. Time to Interactive (TTI)

TTI measures how long it takes for all of the interactive elements on a page to become fully functional. It’s the time between the First Contentful Paint to the time the page can handle the user’s input.

3. Total Blocking Time (TBT)

TBT measures the time between time to first contentful paint and the time a site becomes interactive.

Why Is It Important to Improve Page Speed?

Page speed affects user experience, which can make or break your site. Faster page speed makes for a better user experience and can increase page views and conversions and reduce bounce rate. Let’s get into more detail on the benefits of improving page speed.

1. Improve User Experience by Increasing Website Speed

According to our research, 47 percent of consumers expect a website to load in no more than two seconds.

Every second afterward damages user experience. Viewers don’t want to wait for your page to load, and they’ll often bounce to find another business with a better user experience.

2. Increase Page Views

You might have noticed that some of the metrics I mentioned above, namely LCP and CLS, affect Google page ranking. In their quest to provide high-quality search results for users, Google includes metrics measuring load times. So, the better your page speed, the better ranking you may get on Google.

3. Increase Conversions

If your pages load quickly, it stands to reason your users will be happier and more willing to turn into customers. In 12 case studies conducted by HubSpot, they found decreasing page load time increased conversions by anywhere from three to 17 percent.

We did the math. If you’re an e-commerce site making $10,000 a day, a one-second page delay could cost you $2.5 million per year.

4. Lower Bounce Rate

According to Think with Google, when your page load time increases from one second to three seconds, the probability of bounce increases by 32 percent. If it rises from one to five seconds, that probability increases 90 percent.

The difference of a few seconds is the difference between keeping and converting users and watching them go elsewhere.

8 Ways to Increase Page Speed

To get a baseline for your current page speed, test your site using a tool like Google PageSpeed Insights.

It will prompt you to enter a URL, then take a few minutes to analyze your page.

When it’s done, you’ll get an overall score that looks like this.

This is a pretty low score, but don’t panic. Google explains a number of factors can affect the final score and even cause it to fluctuate. Some of these factors include:

conducting A/B tests
changing the ads on your page
changes in internet traffic routing
testing on different devices, such as a high-performance desktop and a low-performance laptop
browser extensions that inject JavaScript, which can add or modify network requests
antivirus software

Google can analyze these factors and serve you a list of opportunities and diagnostics to help you speed up your page load time.

You can also try the following actions to increase page speed:

1. Limit Redirects

The more redirects you have, the longer it takes the server to find and load the correct page. Eliminate unnecessary redirects wherever you can.

2. Include the Trailing Slash

Don’t forget to include the trailing slash at the end of the URL. By doing so, you’re telling the server there are no file directories to search, and this page is the final destination.

So, instead of www.neilpatel.com/ubersuggest, your URL should read www.neilpatel.com/ubersuggest/.

It will shave a fraction of a second off your load time, where every millisecond counts.

3. Compress and Optimize Images

Large image files or a lot of images can take up a lot of your page load time. Make sure all your images are resized and compressed correctly.

They should be saved in the right format as well. PNG and JPEG files are the most easily compressed, and every browser supports them.

Compressing an image reduces the size of the file and is represented in kilobytes and megabytes. As a general rule, high-quality images can be compressed by 60% to 80%. You should never have an image larger than 1MB.

Resizing changes the size of the image on the page. Hero images may take up the entire width of your site (or about 1900 pixels), while smaller images should be 700 pixels or fewer. You can always size down, but it’s very difficult to size up without an image looking pixelated.

4. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

With a CDN, a network of servers hosts your site locally to speed up page load times. A user in Dublin accessing a website hosted in Los Angeles, for example, wouldn’t have to ping the server of origin but rather a closer one in Ireland.

By spreading out the content on multiple servers, it reduces the number of requests to the server of origin, which slows down load times.

5. Limit Plugins and Extra Page Elements

Plugins, JavaScript, and other extra elements add to page load time. Include only those elements that are necessary for your page.

Of course, there are plugins made to help with site speed. Plugins that automatically resize images, minify code, and defer JavaScript loading can help with page speed. You have to determine if the bells and whistles these plugins allow are worth the trade-off with page speed.

6. Minify Your HTML or CSS

When you minify your site’s code, you take out all the spaces, notes, and extra markup developers use to make their code readable and easier to work on down the road. A server doesn’t need all that to read HTML, JavaScript, or CSS, and it can get in the way when it tries to load a page.

There are tools to help you minify your sites:

YUI Compressor from Yahoo! for CSS
Google Closure Compiler for JavaScript
Microsoft Ajax Minifier for CSS
HTMLMinifier for HTML

7. Utilize Caching

When a site caches, the server saves copies of its pages, so it doesn’t have to start from scratch every time it loads the site. By using caching, you can reduce time.

8. Choose Your Web Host Carefully

When it comes to web hosting, you get what you pay for. Cheaper plans may not be able to handle as much traffic, which could slow your page speed.

There are four kinds of web hosting services you can choose from:

Shared Hosting: A single server hosts multiple small sites. The price for shared hosting is low, but a surge in traffic to any other hosted sites can slow down yours.
VPS Hosting: A virtual private server, or VPS, hosts many sites, but each site has a virtual “spot” dedicated only to them. Because it’s virtual, it gives you more resources, potentially reducing the risk of site speed issues related to traffic.
Dedicated Server Hosting: One site is hosted on a single server. Although more expensive, it helps to lower or eliminate the risk of losing site speed due to other sites’ traffic surges.
Cloud Hosting: Websites are hosted on a network of virtual and physical servers that offer more resources and more flexibility. If you suddenly get a surge in traffic, a virtual host will scale up to handle it.

To choose the right hosting service for your site, consider the sizes of your site and budget.

Conclusion

A fast load time has always been an important component of user experience. Now that it’s one of Google’s components in its ranking algorithm, page speed has become critical for ranking and page views.

To improve page speed, look out for common issues that cause pages to load slowly like the images too large or you’re using too many plugins.

If you are unsuccessful or overwhelmed by following practices that increase page speed, our agency is here to walk you through the steps.

Have you taken a look at your site speed? What were the most common causes of slower load time for you?

The post How to Increase Page Speed appeared first on Neil Patel.

How to Use Data Visualization in Your Content to Increase Readers and Leads

Have you heard of data visualization? Even if you don’t know the term, you’ve probably seen some examples.

Data visualization refers to graphical images that represent and explain data trends or other numerical information, such as charts, maps, scatter plots, or graphs.

You can use data visualization in articles or on web pages to make numbers and data easily digestible to the reader. Especially when you are trying to distill down complex topics to convert more readers, data can add value and help you make your case.

The Benefits of Data Visualization

Visuals are a powerful addition to your articles and presentations.

Our brains process images at a rapid pace, according to an MIT study. Including visuals in your article not only breaks up the text and gives your reader something else to look at, but also may help them process the information more quickly.

Think about it: we’ve been communicating visually from the cave painting days. Data visualization just takes image communication to the next level, integrating stats and data into compelling visuals that your brain can absorb faster than just scanning numbers.

Plus, it’s more than just laying out the numbers. Data visualization is about presenting data in a very specific way to back up your claims or illustrate your point. It’s more than just a table of statistics the reader has to work through to figure out for themselves.

Numbers can often be the “proof” you need to convince your reader to take the next step or to make a purchase, but many people don’t want to take the time to read through all the data.

According to the Nielsen Norman Group, people don’t read word-for-word online, going back to the internet’s earliest days. Instead, they scan, looking for stand-out headlines and images that grab them. Data visualization gives you that opportunity to capture their interest and get important stats in front of their eyes.

Examples of Data Visualization

Are you inspired to start creating data visualization images for your content, or are you still needing some examples? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

1. USA Today Housing Bubble Graphic

Using an interactive map, USA Today created this graphic to help readers understand the data behind current housing sales trends. The simple color palette makes it visually appealing, and the ability to scroll over each state to learn more means readers may spend more time on the page, interacting with the data.

2. CNBC Job Change Graph

This visual from CNBC is an example of using a bar graph in a visually compelling way. At a quick glance, you can see what’s growing and decreasing. As you look closer, you can check out more detail about the numbers and specifics.

3. NY Times Nutrition Scatter Plot

Scatter plots can get complex, which is why this graphic from the NY Times uses images to help make the point. It also explains the XY axes, so readers understand what they’re looking at.

Data Visualization - NY Times nutrition scatter plot

Types of Data Visualization

When it comes to creating unique images, the only limit is your imagination, but here are a few common types to get you started.

Bar Graphs

Bar graphs are a simple option. Think back to your school days and science projects. Bar graphs can be vertical or horizontal, with each bar representing the values of each category.

Bar graphs can represent any set of numbers you need to compare side-by-side, and you can use colors to reflect different categories. For example, you could compare salaries for different jobs, prices for different products, or populations of different groups.

example bar graph for data visualization

Pie Charts

Pie charts consist of circles representing 100% of something, broken into “slices” of ratios or percentages.

They are a great way to illustrate how various categories compare to their larger context. For instance, you can show how many people of a certain group have different behaviors, habits, or preferences.

Tables

While not always the most visually compelling, tables can allow you to provide multiple data points or categories to help people understand the relationships among items.

On a table, you can lay out in rows the main categories you’re comparing. Along each column, you can include as many different topics as you need to.

Tables are simple and useful but can easily get cluttered. Make sure to highlight the sections that need your attention and use colors to make things stand out. Keep everything lined up and clear to make it easily scannable for your readers.

Infographics

A power horse of online images, infographics can mean almost anything. However, an infographic typically acts as a curated collection of charts, graphs, icons, and short text to share high-level information about a topic or tell a narrative.

They are usually vertically designed, with strong headlines and numbers. Its power comes in combining various elements to tell a story. Infographics are great for an overview, such as a brief history behind a topic or a quick lesson.

GIFs

What’s more visual than a GIF? Functioning as a quick video, a GIF can allow you to show growth, movement, regression, or progress. GIFs often involve an animated graph or chart that shows demographics or change over time.

Maps

When the information you present is demographically or locally focused, maps can help tell that story visually. You can connect readers with information relating to specific areas or groups of people in those locations.

Color-coding different areas of your maps can give your readers a quick visual of exactly which areas relate to which topics in your content. For instance, you can shade areas red or blue depending on how that region voted on a particular topic or election.

Heat Maps

A heat map can show areas of concentration or intensity. You can use this for actual temperatures, such as climate or record temperatures in certain areas, or you could use it for proverbial heat, showing intensity or even popularity.

Sometimes heat maps illustrate population density, for instance, or the behavior of users on a website, such as how often they interact with a certain area.

Scatter Plots

A scatter plot is a type of graph that shows the correlation or relationship between two topics on a horizontal and vertical axis, with dots scattered throughout to represent examples of that relationship.

You can draw a line through the area where the dots are concentrated to see trends. Your reader can see that as one factor changes, such as increases or heats up, the other factor tends to respond in some way.

scatter plot example of data visualization

Pair Up Simple Data Visualization Types

The above are just a few of the simple elements you can use to illustrate your data. The options are almost innumerable. Just about any kind of chart, graph, or map can be employed.

However, some of the best data visualizations integrate multiple types or pair up more than one element. For instance, you can use a series of pie charts to show how trends have changed over time.

Sometimes, matching up multiple elements can illustrate your point more fully or allow you to describe various points of your narrative better. You could even use a chart within a chart or lay them out in an infographic style to tell a story.

Make Data Visualizations Interactive

To make your data visualization work hard for you, you may want to consider interactive options.

Interactivity allows readers to scroll over or click on various parts of your charts or graphics to learn more about each section. Maybe each bar on your graph or each area on your map has more specific information that your viewers can read.

This not only provides more powerful data points to your image, but it also allows it to be a more relevant and customizable experience for more users.

Data Visualization Tools

You can create data visualization images for your content from scratch using design software or an online option like Canva. However, data visualization tools can give you a leg up by allowing you to create truly stand-out projects.

These tools can take the guesswork out of the process and let you focus on plugging in the data and cranking out designs that reflect your brand and convey your message.

The great thing about these tools is that they are made for the casual creator. You don’t need to be a developer or coder to get into making great charts or graphs. Here are a few of the plug-and-play options that can get your idea off the ground.

Flourish

Flourish advertises an easy option for creating and sharing data visualization. You can upload spreadsheets directly to the platform or create your images from scratch. It has a number of animated or interactive templates, which you can update with your brand graphics and elements.

Flourish has a free option that allows you to explore and create public data visualization. If you want to interact with your team or create private projects, it offers a few levels of paid options.

Datawrapper

Datawrapper promises to be easy to use, with no coding experience required. It provides several intuitive options, with tools such as a color-blind check that remind you of colors that are color-blind friendly.

With a variety of defaults in its templates, Datawrapper brings the details of each data visualization that newbies may not have thought through.

Infogram

This tool allows you to create charts and graphs that have the animation and customization you need to wow your audience. You can also use Infogram’s drag-and-drop feature to drag the images around and combine elements into a single, highly-effective visual.

Tracking the Success of Your Data Visualization Elements

The time and effort it takes to create data visualization and work it into your content can pay off if it helps drive people to your goals, like increasing readerships or leads. However, you’ll only know if they’re successful if you track the metrics.

Consider the Big Picture

As you start incorporating data visualization into your content, one of the easiest ways to track their success is to see how well your content is doing. The most basic questions to ask are: is the content with data visualization more popular? Do those pieces get more readers and more shares?

Dive Into the Data

One way to get a little geeky with your data is to set up a heat map tool, such as Hotjar. This can give you more data about how people behave on your page, such as how and where they scroll or click. This is especially useful for a landing page where you’re trying to convert people to sales.

Help Them Act

The only way to know if your data visualization is actually converting is to give readers a way to be converted. Once they have been convinced by the data you are sharing, what do you want them to do next? Make sure you keep clear CTAs near the data visualization. Clicks or email sign-ups can help you track the effectiveness of that image.

Conclusion

Data visualization can help you drive readership and more leads by engaging with them from the start. People come back to your online hub when they find quality content there. They’re also more likely to share your content with others when they find it interesting and engaging.

Data visualization can help you take complex or dry concepts and make them more compelling, helping drive home your point and increase sales along the way.

If it feels daunting to create and manage your data visualization elements, we are here to help out. We also offer services like SEO, content marketing, and paid media.

What kind of data visualization are you going to use in your content?

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How to Use Data Visualization in Your Content to Increase Readers and Leads

Have you heard of data visualization? Even if you don’t know the term, you’ve probably seen some examples. Data visualization refers to graphical images that represent and explain data trends or other numerical information, such as charts, maps, scatter plots, or graphs. You can use data visualization in articles or on web pages to make …

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Why You Should Build Interactive Tools to Increase Sales

The average American sees up to 10,000 ads and brand messages every single day. Sounds a little overwhelming, right? That’s because it is.

After seeing this many ads every day, viewers simply stop noticing them—meaning they aren’t engaging with them. As a result, you miss out on sales opportunities.

You need to go further to engage your target audience and convert them by personalizing the whole marketing experience through interactive marketing tools. Here’s what you need to know.

What Are Interactive Tools in Marketing?

Pretend for a moment that you’re looking for new hair color. It’s tricky because you’re unsure which colors suit you, and you could use some personalized help.

Finally, a website catches your eye because there’s an interactive tool designed to help you pick a hair color. All you need to do is input some simple details, such as your skin tone and eye color, and you’ll see a list of compatible hair dyes.

The outcome? You purchase a hair dye. In other words, you just went from a potential lead to a paying customer, and it’s all thanks to that interactive website tool.

Essentially, this is precisely how interactive tools for marketing are meant to work. And this particular example isn’t imaginary—you can check out Boots to see what I mean:

Interactive tools to increase sales hair color quiz

If you go through the sequence, you’ll find a list of compatible colors. Then, when you click on a color, a link pops up to take you straight to the right product:

Interactive tools increase sales hair color quiz result

How’s that for convenience?

With just a few minutes of interaction, users get helpful, meaningful results—and you may make a sale.

Examples of Interactive Tools

That’s just one example of interactive tools in a sales context. However, you can build many interactive tools and discover at least as many ways you can use them in your marketing strategy.

Here are five common types of interactive marketing tools we can use in different ways.

Virtual Try Ons for Interactive Marketing

This one’s similar to what we just worked through, but it’s not quite identical—we’re taking it one step further.

Embedded “quizzes” like the one we just looked at rely on customers clicking on certain answers. The algorithm then presents people with solutions matching their answers.

Conversely, virtual try-ons use augmented reality or simple image captures to let people use selfies to “try on” everything from makeup to glasses.

The benefit? Customers know whether the product suits them or not, so they’re more likely to buy. Briefly, here’s how they work:

Someone visits your product page.
They tap the “try on” link, which activates the user’s phone camera.
With augmented reality, the user places the product on their face to see how it looks.
If they’re happy with the appearance, the prospective customer moves the product to their basket and goes through checkout.

It’s not just limited to beauty products or accessories, either. For instance, platforms like Amazon allow their users to “place” furniture around the room to see if they look good in their home. The same technology applies.

Interactive Measurement Tools

Customers sometimes find buying products like shoes online challenging because it’s hard to determine what size to get.

That’s where measurement tools come in. Let’s break down Nike’s Digital Foot Measurement Tool as an example.

Customers shop through the Nike app.
They decide on the shoes they want and opt to “try them on.”
The camera scan’s the person’s foot to get measurements rather than using augmented reality.
Once the scan is complete, the app tells the person which size they should choose.

It’s easy to see how this may lead to more sales and, happily, fewer returns.

Interactive tool increase sales of shoes by measuring feet

Interactive Calculators

Calculators are useful interactive tools for your website and can be used in more ways than one might think, including as:

Nutritional calculators
Pricing calculators to help potential customers build customized product “bundles”
Financial calculators to help people select the right financial product for their circumstances

Whichever sector you’re in, there’s a good chance you can use an interactive calculator to personalize the user experience.

For example, say you run a kitchen supplies website, and you want people to buy your recipe books. They’ve asked questions about how healthy the recipes are.

A nutritional calculator can help them out and, in turn, encourage people to spend more time on your website and potentially have more trust in your brand.

7 Reasons You Should Use Interactive Tools to Increase Sales

We’ve explored what interactive marketing tools are and how they work. There’s still a fundamental question remaining: Can these tools increase your sales?

The answer is: Yes! Here are my top seven reasons why interactive tools in your marketing strategy can increase sales:

1. Interactive Tools Boost Engagement Levels

Customer engagement is vital, but it’s hard to stand out from the crowd. Here are two reasons why:

The average person spends almost two and a half hours a day scrolling through social media. In this time, they’re exposed to countless marketing messages, from banner ads to PPC.
We’ve become “conditioned” to ignore banners (a phenomenon dubbed “banner blindness.”)

Don’t worry, though. This time is where interactive tools have their chance to shine. 66 % of marketers report an increase in engagement levels after introducing interactive content to their marketing plans.

Ultimately, increased customer engagement is a pretty effective way to generate more sales in the long-term, so it’s worth using interactive tools in your content.

2. Improved UX Using Interactive Tools May Convert Customers

Conversion is what marketing is all about, and interactive tools could help you do just that. Let me show you how it’s working for JINS, a prescription eyewear provider.

As a forward-thinking company, JINS wanted a new, innovative way to increase conversion rates and improve customer experience. Their solution came via virtual try-ons for glasses.

Interactive Tools Increase Sales Glasses Try Ons Marketing App

All someone needs to do is turn on their camera and upload a selfie to the platform. Once that’s done, the user chooses which frames they’re interested in and puts them onto the selfie.

Here’s what it looks like in action. On the left, we have the selfie, and on the right, the actual frames after the customer made their purchase:

Increase Sales Interactive Marketing Tools App glasses try on

Potential customers now have a quick and accurate way to gauge which glasses to buy! According to JINS, conversion rates have drastically improved since they added this interactive tool.

3. Interactive Tools Allow Customers to Feel Confident in Large Purchases

Like I said earlier, this is not just about trying on hair colors or checking out fashion accessories. This technology is about making big purchases, too.

Take Target, for example. Users upload a picture of their room and place a true-to-life copy of a furniture piece in the space. They can also download the Target app and try out the augmented reality version instead, which is a little more engaging because you can move the product around the room. Amazon does this with many of their products in their app as well.

Increase Sales Marketing Tools Interactive Tools AR Christmas tree

This feature allows users to check if the furniture or other large item fits their space before purchasing it, which means they’re more likely to click “buy” and less likely to make returns.

4. Personalized User Experience via Interactive Tools Can Increase Conversions

Do you see a pattern of personalization forming? Interactive tools allow us to personalize marketing like never before. Here’s why it matters from a sales perspective:

80% of customers are more likely to buy from a company offering a personalized experience.
Up to 56% of online shoppers return to businesses offering product recommendations and other personalized services.

These stats tell us two things:

First, customers crave personalization. They want to feel valued by companies.

Second, they’re more likely to become loyal customers if there’s a personal touch to your marketing efforts.

This is a no-brainer way to build brand loyalty and increase your chance of future sales.

5. Interactive Tools Increase Lead Generation

I’ve touched on this already, but it’s worth emphasizing just how effective a lead generation strategy using interactive tools can be from a sales perspective.

Firstly, there’s an SEO angle. If you can attract more social media shares and inbound links, you should generate more traffic. Additionally, if people spend more time on your website and there’s a lower bounce rate, your search engine ranking can improve. Social shares may boost your SEO ranking by over 20%, too. (You can check who’s linking back to you with my free backlink checker.)

The upshot of interactive tools catching people’s eyes is that there could be more organic traffic and better quality leads because the people you’re attracting are already looking for your product or service.

Let’s think about this from another angle, too. The data you’re capturing from prospects as they use your tools may help you figure out what your customers want so you can improve your products and services.

Consequently, you can generate more quality leads in the long-term, all without much extra effort from a marketing perspective.

Sounds great, right?

6. Automate Your Marketing With Interactive Tools

Yes, interactive tools can help you automate your marketing efforts, and the tools do much of the work for you. The algorithms detect what the customer wants and make recommendations or offer solutions based on this information.

This can help you increase sales and make alterations as needed because you can:

Check your metrics to ensure the tools are working how you want them to
Make changes to the UX based on what you’re seeing
Compare performance across different interactive tools and invest time, energy, and resources in the ones performing most effectively

7. Interactive Tools May Draw Traffic to Your Website

Without traffic coming to your website, there’s little chance you’ll make sales. Again, interactive tools can help you out here. Here’s why.

Firstly, 47% of people use ad blockers now, so there’s a chance some potential customers won’t even see your marketing if you’ve focused efforts on those. Interactive tools help you sidestep this problem.

Secondly, 79% of successful marketers say interactive tools and content encourage people to return to their websites. It’s not just about creating new content, either—you can use the same content time and time again when you have interactive tools.

Think about it. If a customer loves the eyeglasses they purchased from you the first time around, they’re more likely to return to your online shop. There, they’ll use the same virtual try on tool they used before to check out different pairs. You didn’t have to try to impress them with new interactive tools, promotional emails, or any other marketing strategy—they liked what they used the first time and engaged with it again.

How’s that for a cost-efficient way to solidify a lasting relationship with your customer base?

Conclusion

Why should you build interactive tools to increase your sales? Well, as we can see, they’re not just a reliable way to generate leads and improve conversion rates, but they’re cost-effective, too.

They’re not especially challenging to deploy, either. It’s easy enough to find interactive tools you can tweak to suit your needs and embed them on your website. If you want more help with introducing interactive tools into your marketing strategy, check out my consulting services.

Have you tried interactive marketing tools yet?

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