Digital marketing insights.

Upgrading or replacing your website should be as simple as choosing a new template, deciding on a colour scheme, and watching the visitors come flocking in from search engines and social profiles, right?

In the last few months, we've shared some of our thoughts around the process of moving websites from one domain to another, and even when to start over altogether.

The navigation structure of a website is pretty easy to overlook. After all, most people are going to be able to get from one page to another pretty quickly, right?

Not long ago, I wrote an article that suggested, in some very rare cases, that businesses might be better off throwing away an existing web site and moving their focus to a brand-new domain.

Could your online marketing company be dying to get rid of you and find a little space to breathe?

Lately, Google's Hummingbird update has been a hot topic on the web for marketers and SEOs alike. But, we wonder whether this should actually be news at all – Google changes its algorithm all the time.

One of the greatest things about online marketing is that there is always something new to learn. Of course, learning never comes without effort. That means anything you can do to shorten the curve, is great for your business.

Since our launch in 2011, we've been able to overtake an impressive list of established digital agencies and SEOs on Google's rankings, and helped the vast majority of our clients to dramatically increase the numbers of leads they're generating through their own sites as well.

It's probably not a coincidence that Google likes to choose cute, cuddly animals and delicate birds to name its search algorithm updates after.

Inbound lead generation campaigns look a lot like fishing trips: build a great website (find a stream), attract traffic (cast your lure), get visitors to sign up for offers (set your hook), and then cultivate the relationship (reel time). It's a format that has worked for thousands of companies, including our own online marketing clients.

If you are familiar with our blog, or our approach to online marketing, then you already know why we attach so much importance to marketing personas.

Having your website cultivate new sales opportunities, automatically, is what we think online business is all about.

If there is one error that is more common than any other in online marketing, it would probably be prioritizing the pieces over the puzzle.

For all the time, money, and discussion that are given to online marketing in companies of all sizes, it can seem a bit baffling that businesses still make basic, critical mistakes when it comes to putting a plan together. These miscues are easier to understand, however, when you consider that they are often the result of more simple (and surprisingly common) mistakes in thinking.

Traditionally, the process of generating leads through search engine optimization looks something like this: figure out what keywords your potential customers are likely to search for, make pages that are easy for Google to find, and then make some kind of offer on the page that convinces them to take the next step.