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Four Ways a Mobile App Can Benefit Your Business

The rise of the smartphone has been incredible, and across the globe, there is an estimated 5.1 billion in use every day. As the world becomes increasingly digital, mobile apps have become a vital way for companies to reach more customers and maximize their sales. 
 
Many small businesses believe that they will not benefit from having a mobile app, but no matter the size of your company, the right mobile app can significantly boost your brand. Still not sure? Here are our top four benefits it can offer your business:
 
    1) Offer more value
Having a mobile app will help you to provide more value to your customers and have them interact and engage with you more. Using your app to offer loyalty rewards to customers is a great way to boost engagement, encouraging them to revisit your store, increasing your overall sales in the process. 
 
    2) Communicate directly
Another popular benefit of using a mobile app is that it lets you communicate directly with your customers. Digital marketing through emails and social media can be effective, but consumers are bombarded with this type of messaging daily, so targeting them through an app will help you to stand out from the crowd and draw them in. 
 
    3) Maximize your sales
Research has shown that customers spend more time using an app than they do browsing a company’s website and typically spend more money. Utilizing an app for your business will help you to reach more customers and boost your sales. 
 
Want to discover how a mobile app can help you? Get in touch with our expert team today and find out how Level Seven Studio can help you. 
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Why you should invest in a business email

In this modern digital world, email has become an essential tool in helping colleagues stay connected, companies to liaise with clients, and for business to engage with potential new customers. 
 
While there are dozens of free email services available out there to use, which are great for personal use, when it comes to business, they can have a negative impact on your success. When consumers see a company utilizing a free service, it makes them appear less professional, reducing the chance of converting new business. 
 
Opting for a professional email service can help you take your business forward, ensuring you stand out from the crowd for all of the right reasons. Here are our top reasons why you should utilize a business email:
 
Credibility
A business email helps your company appear more professional, giving you instant credibility amongst consumers by showcasing that you are serious about your business. It also helps ensure that you appear more legitimate, driving more customers towards your brand. 
 
Improve trust
When your business appears more credible, it improves the level of trust that consumers have with your brand. A free email address gives a level of anonymity, whereas a professional business email, particularly those that are diversified to include things such as ‘billing@’ and ‘customersupport@’ can maximize your appearance. 
 
Security
A professional business email is not just about boosting customer satisfaction. It can also ensure you are protected from spam emails and malware attacks that are common with free providers. It will also ensure your emails are not identified as spam by those recipients you are sending an email to.
 
Are you looking to take your business to the next level? Get in touch with our friendly team today and find out how our professional business emails can transform your company. 
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Points to consider when hiring a web design company

Website design is essential in helping your business to stand out from the crowd and maximize its performance. In this modern digital world, simply having a website is no longer enough, and you need a powerful and engaging design to attract new customers.
 
A website design company can help you, but with so many companies claiming they can take your business to the next level, what should you look for in a company?
 
An up-to-date portfolio
Any business likes to shout about their recent success, so a company that doesn’t have an updated portfolio, or doesn’t showcase any of their previous work should be a warning sign. 
 
Open dialogue
No two businesses are the same, which means no website should be the same either. You will want to work with a company who takes their time to understand your company and your exact requirements for your website so clear and open dialogue is essential.
 
Clear deadlines
Alongside having an open dialogue, you will want your website design company to provide you with clear timelines on the delivery of the design, creation, and launch of your new website.
 
Set costs
Before confirming with any business, you should ensure that you have a clear and outright cost for the entire project. Having a total budget will ensure that you know exactly what you will pay and not have to face any unexpected costs. Remember that changes to the scope of a project will often come with extra fees, but it should be clear what is included in the original website build.
 
Customer service
Regardless of the cost, you want to ensure that the company you work with provides high-quality customer service. You will naturally want the best option for your business, so a website design company that provides you with the answers to all your questions and supports you throughout the entire process is essential. Customers often need to update bits of information like changes to hours of operation or moves to a new address. Be sure to ask if the company will include those updates or if you will have access to make those changes in a Content Management System.
 
Looking for a high-quality and proven website design agency? Get in touch with our team today.
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Why your small business needs a website

In this modern digital world, having a website is no longer a nice addition to your business but an essential part of it. However, estimates suggest that just 50% of small businesses have a website, so if you are wondering if your company should launch a new website, here are four reasons to consider when deciding:
 
Increase your customers
A website will help you reach even more customers. Nowadays, the vast majority of people have access to the internet and a website will enable potential customers to find your business and learn more about you.
 
Establish credibility
While social media is a great tool in helping you to establish a brand presence, you remain limited to what you can share. A website will let you expand on your ideas and services, giving potential customers a full insight and ensuring you can establish brand credibility. 
 
Grow your business
A website is also a helpful tool in helping you to expand your business. When you are reaching more potential customers, you will see an increase in sales, and your profits increase. This is essential in helping your business to take a step forward and expand even further. You may also use your website to collect information about new products you are considering, or reviews on your current products or services.
 
Stand out
A website will also help you to stand out from the crowd and establish yourself ahead of your competitors. 93% of Americans use the internet to find out more about a company before purchasing their services, which means a website is essential in showcasing your brand as an industry leader.
 
If you are looking to launch a new website, then here at Level Seven Studio, our talented team is here to help you. We can work with you to develop an attractive and highly engaging website that is completely SEO optimized, so get in touch today and take your business to the next level!

SEO Tips: Regular Blog or News Posts

In order for your website to improve over time you'll want to incorporate some sort of SEO strategy to increase your organic search presence.

I recommend posting to your blog or news section at least once per month, as doing so will help your SEO in a few meaningful ways.

First, Google doesn't want to serve sites with outdated information, so they want to know your page is updated regularly and the more often, the better in most cases. Setting a minimum of at least one post per month will keep you motivated to stick to that goal, even if it can be challenging to write a long post such as this one.

Second, you need somewhere on your site where you can fit in the keywords you'll want to rank for in an organic way, meaning it has to make sense to the reader or website visitor. A blog or news feed is perfect for adding fresh content to your website regularly. I encourage small business owners to write or purchase short posts about topics related to your industry or location.

Last, your website leads are directly related to the amount of users who visit your site. If nobody is visiting your website then you won't have many leads or contact form submissions, sadly. On the other hand if hundreds of users visit your site each day reading about tips or local news then you're likely to have some inquiries into your services as well.

Level Seven Studio has a monthly blog plan with a new website included for only $99 per month (most businesses). Included are a new website, hosting, backups, security and even one blog post related to your industry added to your website every month, without any input needed from you. We've had some great success with this managed website plan and happy local clients who now have years of blog content on their website for search engines to see and index, and users to browse. If your business website has become stagnant or you want to increase your organic search please let me know, and I'll be glad to discuss how we could work together to improve your website traffic and online presence.

Why Is Promotion of a New Website Difficult?

A new site is a website that exists on the web for less than a year. However, it is worth noting that the countdown starts from the moment of the first visit of the search robot to the site, and not from the day of registration of the domain.

As the website grows older, the degree of trust of the search engines grows, which means that the trust increases. As a rule, the promotion of a new site in the TOP of Google search engine may take several months (sometimes, it can be up to a year). Why does this happen?

The main reason is the low level of trust of the search engines themselves, as they are aimed at providing high-quality content. To achieve the goal, search engines are equipped with programs that make the “natural selection” of websites; to the forefront are the most reliable and high-quality, while they place less reliable websites with thin or irrelevant content at the back.

At least there are two ways to get to the top of Google search:

  1. SEO optimization.
  2. Advertising in search engines.

It should be understood that the “first page” is not a specific place on the search engine site. However, it is a page appearing as a result of the entered query. Millions of queries are processed during the day in English-language search engines, and if we talk about world-wide, there are hundreds of times more. Accordingly, the first pages are shown the same.

Why should the promotion of a new site target the first page?

According to the results of some SEO survey, it is clear that the majority of users (68%) will only click websites on the first page. Research by Search Engine Watch showed that only 7% of users go beyond the third page.

Actions on a site component that contribute to a higher position in search engines based on search results are called website SEO.

High-quality optimization of the new site includes the following stages of promotion:

  • Keyword research
  • analysis of user interest (demand);
  • analysis of competing sites;
  • the choice of the direction of optimization.

What About Search Engine Advertising?

Just like other online resources, search engines offer ads. The advertiser can place both regular and contextual advertising. The user will see the ad in the event that he asked a question that is interesting to the advertiser.

This is very convenient: the user already knows what he wants, and is looking for an opportunity to satisfy his need, therefore, the level of coincidence of interests is much higher than in any other case.

Statistical studies show that only 0.1-0.3% of visitors click on banner ads, and from 3 to 5% click on contextual advertising (sometimes up to 40%). It is important that a visitor who has used contextual advertising has such advantages as good ROI and a high probability of transition to the category of buyers.

That is why the promotion of a new site using contextual advertising has great chances for success. Unfortunately, if you are novice marketer, you will more likely to lose money than making money when using search engine advertising.

How much does a mobile App cost?

Do you want to create a mobile app but do not know how much it costs? Here you have a guide with the keys to know your prices, the variables that affect your configuration and tips to develop a  successful mobile application. It can be very useful if you are an entrepreneur or want to incorporate more services to your company. Also to get an idea of u200bu200bthe budget you need.

At present, there are many mobile applications to facilitate work in many sectors and have also changed the habits of life and consumption of the population. This has generated a growing market, in which a good idea can be a business that, depending on the success of the same, can be a great success or an absolute failure.

Many entrepreneurs have focused their business idea through these platforms and the online medium, as well as companies with more tradition, but in many cases, they do not have specialized technical knowledge in this field, and they have to resort to the services of a programmer freelance or a company specializing in App development.

Price range and types of application

Taking into account these variables, we can now estimate the total investment and the current price ranges for the development of Apps:

Hybrid or native application: between $600 – $6,000

The native applications are developed for a specific platform or operating system. For this reason, this type of applications offers higher quality and performance, but of course, at a higher cost. This range is an approximation on the price that could have for 300 hours of development by the programmer. This type of applications requires greater involvement in their design and development since they need a base and solid designs that are expandable with a view to the future.

E-commerce Native applications: between $6,000 and $20,000

This price range corresponds to Native App with the following features, apart from those that include a basic one:

  • Integration with a dedicated server and a customized CMS (content management system)
  • App design and advanced graphic design
  • POS for online sale
  • Push notifications
  • Complex programming with advanced functionalities

Examples of applications that can be developed with this budget are:

  • An App for an Online Store with simple design
  • An App for a social network
  • Simple interactive games with custom design

Native applications pro: more than $30,000

Above this price, we would already be talking about native applications with a level of quality, functionality and unique provision, and that is that the development app there are no limits. This type of applications is usually aimed at the development of games with powerful graphics and advanced movements that seek to achieve great success due to its gameplay and features. It also occurs in complex apps for social networks.

Some of the applications that have been created following this model would be, for example, Tinder and Happn. They are applications with advanced developments and very high costs.

The famous Angry Birds has cost more than $100,000, as well as other complex graphics game developments that can cost even more money.

These high costs do not have to worry you if you want to create an App for your business since the development of an App for management, loyalty and marketing has very reasonable costs that fit into the budget of any business.

5 Reasons Why Your Local Business Needs A Website

Undoubtedly, having a website is essential. The online reputation of a business becomes more and more essential in 2019 and beyond! Users are engaging online more than ever before.

That’s why it’s important that you ask yourself:

If you have changed your way of buying, why don’t you change your way of selling?

The website is one of the basic pillars of an online presence strategy of any business. The cost of investing in a site is paled in comparison to the benefit of having a central location in which to send users who may be looking for your products or services. Higher visibility in local markets means increased exposure to local users who may be more likely to purchase from your business.

Here are 5 top reasons why your business needs a web page:

Your Customers Are Looking for You on The Internet

This is clear to you, isn’t it? We live connected. An overwhelming majority of consumers (who grow every day) browse the internet continuously. We do it before traveling, going to a restaurant, to the cinema, or making a purchase. We use the internet to inform us about prices, schedules, points of sale or the condition of everything we buy and consume. When was the last time you looked at the Yellow Pages to find a product or service nearby?

Your website is also a new communication channel with customers. They can chat live with you, make inquiries or send you their comments. If you manage this communication properly, your business will be perceived as more reliable and responsive to customers. Promoting and maintaining interaction with clients will strongly reinforce your professional image and you will get more loyal buyers!

In addition, the best thing about the internet is that your information will be displayed at the moment your client is interested. The time when the buyer has a need to satisfy. Moreover, your website can “serve” them at any time of the day or night. Creating a web page for your business will allow you to display information created and managed by you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year. The online page works for you full time. It’s like a branch of your business. It is a showcase that remains permanently visible to all interested users.

It Improves the Reputation of Your Business

Have you searched for the name of your business on the internet? Test it! It is important. Not managing your online presence can manifest negative consequences for your goals.

When you search for your business name on Google, you may see an incomplete Google My Business listing with images captured by Google systems or contributed by users. Surely, that is not the image you want to give!

A website of your business is the perfect place to project a careful and professional image. You can create the best impressions for your prospects. It is also the support to show the history of the brand, its values, u200bu200band objectives.

The professional website works as a business card these days. It is the first impression that users will have about your business. We already know how important first impressions are.

Your Competitors Already Have A Website!

Have you looked at what your competitors are doing?

Search their names on Google. Most assuredly, most of them will already have their presence on the Internet.

Analyzing the online presence of your competitors will allow you to see things with more objectivity. Is their website better than yours?

It is important that you ask yourself this question: if you need your product or service, would you choose your own brand? Does your online image completely convince you? Does it improve your competition? If the answer is no, get down to work!

You can (and should) control your professional presence on the internet. It is where competition is increasingly fierce nowadays. Luckily, the online world democratizes competition in a certain way. A small company with a good online positioning strategy can achieve greater visibility than larger companies with an improper online presence. However, you have to work on it!

Improvement of brand positioning

Most of the time, there is a common error that many entrepreneurs make. They look for their name on the Internet, they look at results (many times, there is only one Facebook Page Fan) and they are satisfied. They say: “Ah, I am there, good!” But let me tell you one thing: that does not help much when it comes to inviting buyers.

Why? Because the user does not search for the name of your brand. The user searches “keywords” according to their needs at the moment. That’s why you need your business to be among the first results of these searches. You can do it by SEO positioning (of which you have surely heard).

Now search in Google the keywords of your business by adding the name of your city: “Restaurant Chicago”, “barbershop New York”, or “Café on Toronto” … Is your business among the first results? If you are new players, possibly not!

A web page is a space where the keywords of your activity are included (for example, sushi restaurant). Including keywords gives you a better appearance in the eyes of Google, since it extends the information about your business.

Your Website Can Display Your Business in Multiple Ways

The possibilities of promoting your products or services through your website are many and varied. It can be videos, demonstrations, testimonials. If you install an online chat, you can talk to your customers in real time. You can even do it through messenger plugin

Conclusion: You will improve your business ROI

It must be clarified that it is not enough to have a web page to obtain benefits. It would be too easy. The page must be designed with multi-device usability in mind and SEO must be worked on so that it is well positioned in search engines.

In general, creating a corporate website will allow a more fluid internal and external communication, facilitate the relationship with customers and suppliers, show updated relevant information and optimize some business functions. Even offline advertising costs will be reduced.

Are you thinking about creating your company website? Don’t be shy to tell us your idea!

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