Blog (page 11)

Web design and marketing tips, as well as a behind the scenes look into Idea Marketing Group. You are currently viewing page 11 of our blog articles.

Comic Sans: The Font We Love to Hate

Comic Sans. Utter those two words to a group of creatives and you will, no doubt, be met with a resounding and overwhelming sense of disdain. This universal reaction prompted Rick Sloboda of WebCopyPlus to ask the question, “Why Do Designers Hate Comic Sans?”. In search of answers, Rick reached out to Idea for our opinion. Being that I’m a self-proclaimed font addict, I was happy to contribute my candid thoughts regarding this “eternally immature” font. Read the full blog post: Why Do Designers Hate Comic Sans? And just in case you ever find yourself faced with the question, “Should I use Comic...

Darren Fox

Google Updates Site Rankings for Mobile-Friendly Websites

Hold on to your smartphone… Google has announced it will be making a change in their mobile search algorithm. Unlike updates made in the past, they have announced the exact date they intend to change their mobile organic SERP algorithm – April 21, 2015. Cool, I’ve marked my calendar, but what does this change mean? In simple terms, from Google themselves, on April 21 they “will be expanding our use of mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal.” This change “will have a significant impact in our search results.” Historically, mobile rankings for a website were tied to the ranking strength of the desktop...

Darren Fox

Do Linkbacks Really Help My Search Credibility?

I was quoted in a Huffington Post Business article. YAY! Check it out – Tips For Making Your Blog Better in 2015 John Egan wrote a lovely article and used expert marketing professionals to help him compile a great list of better blogging tips. Although, it might not be as dazzling as being etched into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it is a proud day to see one’s own name in the business section of the Huffington Post. When John sent me a note letting me know he’d been published, I got that warm fuzzy feeling about being mentioned and touted for my expertise. Thanks John! Then I...

Darren Fox

How Professional Photography Can Boost Your Brand

We live in a constantly evolving digital age. One where images play a critical role in content and engagement. I challenge you to remember the last time you went a whole day without being influenced by images that appeared on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Nearly every social network share that you click on leads to a news article, story or blog post with a colorful, vivid, descriptive photo. More than likely it was a photo that got you to click through in the first place. Why is this? It’s simple and you’ve heard it a million times… “A picture is...

Darren Fox

What is Content Marketing and How Can It Help Your Brand?

Every day we are bombarded with advertising and marketing messages. Some are loud and in your face, some are more subtle, perhaps even registering on a subconscious level. We are all influenced by this content, even seasoned marketers who can recognize the tactics being used. How then, does a brand stand apart from all the noise and differentiate their product or services from the competition? Enter: Content Marketing. Defined by the Content Marketing Institute, “Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract and acquire a clearly defined audience – with the...

Darren Fox

Even Though We Support IE8, You Should Move to Another Browser

IE8 is the browser we hate, yet support. Even if you are still running Windows XP, you should ditch Internet Explorer 8 and move to a more modern, secured browser. Chances are, you are running Windows XP because you work for a government agency, with a large enterprise operation or you live in China. That’s what the stats say about people still running Windows XP. So, if moving off Windows XP is out of your control, you can still ditch IE8 and download Firefox or Chrome (for FREE!). Do it for compatibility! Do it for security! Do it just to...

Darren Fox

Why Is My Website Slow? Why Does It Matter?

Yes, speed matters. Search engines use a multitude of factors to determine how to rank search engine results, and one of those factors is website speed. The speed at which someone can view the content on your site factors into your search engine rankings. In addition, having a slow website affects the user experience and could result in viewer abandonment. Web users are impatient, plain and simple. No one wants to experience the age of dial up again, so don’t force them. Juice up your website load speeds with these tips. Where is it hosted? Are you on a private...

Darren Fox

How to Start Your Website Redesign Project

Table of Contents Taking on a redesign of your website can be overwhelming What do you want your website to do for you? Start With Website Functionality, Not Design Common Features You Might Want/Consider Benchmark Your Competition Analyze Your Current Google Analytics Taking on a redesign of your website can be overwhelming. Seriously, it’s like a corporate restructuring … of your online presence. Many of our clients come to us knowing that they are in need of a new website, however sometimes that next step can be a bit intimidating. Sure, you know that you need to compare prices and...

Darren Fox

Understanding Hosting Options for Your New Website

You’ve hashed out the different web platform possibilities to build your new website on. You’ve weeded through your RFP submissions and finalized your new webdev team. You’ve even got a staff committee developing the content. Then it happens, you are on the phone finalizing the project start details and delivery of the first payment when your new web designer asks, “Would you like to host your website and email with us or would you prefer to host on your own?” As someone that has now been on both ends of this question, I thought it would be best to spell...

Darren Fox

Why Small Marketing Agencies are Better Than Big Ones

We are a small agency, and we pride ourselves on the size of our agency and want to shout from the rooftops that bigger isn’t better. OK, that might be going overboard however, it is true that at Idea, we work in an open industrial style office, we all like working here and we are all committed and dedicated to our work. We are a team of eight and due in part to our size, we pump out some pretty stellar work. Recently, we lost a pitch with the reason cited as “your team is too small.” Learning is a...

Darren Fox

Do you have a question about branding, web design or digital marketing? We are a helpful bunch, feel free to ask us anything. We have decades of experience in web development and marketing strategy.

Blog (page 11)

Read More from Idea Marketing Group