In April, I told you about a new website we launched for Zen Windows Des Moines.
They are a newer company that started toward the end of 2016. Prior to working with MYM, they had no website. Their online presence consisted of a single biography page on the Zen Windows corporate website.
Since we the site launched the site in April 2017, we’ve been busy adding upgrades to make it even better.
Here’s a look at some of the new features we’ve added:
1. A slick chat box prompt that instantly captures your eye and moves down the page as you scroll.
2. An awesome animated video near the middle of the page that encapsulates the client’s Identity.
3. A succinct Why Choose Zen Windows section that distills the company’s Identity into easy-to-digest bullets.
4. A free guide (one that actually delivers value) to capture lead information.
I’ll keep you updated on Zen Windows Des Moines’ progress in a future email. For now, visit the MYM website if you need help producing marketing that gets results: https://mymonline.com/
P.S. Take a look at your website address real quick. Does it start with “http” or “https”? If it’s “http,” your website is vulnerable to hackers. Here’s why you need to move your website from http to https NOW.
You’ve probably never thought about it, but that “HTTP” in your web address plays an important role in your website’s security and visibility.
HTTP stands for “Hypertext Transfer Protocol.” It transfers data from a website to a web browser. HTTP is why it’s possible to view websites on your computer.
But HTTP is about to go the way of the dodo… and it may be cause for worry.
Here’s the deal…
When someone visits your website, it transfers a certain type of data from that person’s computer. If a website is HTTP, that data that passes through unencrypted, and can therefore be intercepted by nefarious third parties. These parties can then use the information to track a website visitor’s online “movements” and steal their precious private info.
To combat this issue, the internet is gradually switching to a more secure communication protocol known as HTTPS.
HTTPS stands for… drum roll, please… “Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure.”
Without getting into too much geek-speak, HTTPS encrypts data transferred over the web to keep that data secure. It does this through a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
Websites that use HTTPS reap a number of benefits:
-
Higher search engine rankings
HTTPS websites have the SEO edge over HTTP websites. Search engines like to make sure that the websites they’re sending their users to are safe. If you’re vying with a competitor for the top spot on the results page, HTTPS can be the tiebreaker.
-
Better website security (duh!)
I already covered this above. HTTPS encrypts data that’s sent between a browser and a website. With HTTPS, no one can “spy” on your website visitors, track their activities, or steal their information.
-
More user trust
As HTTPS becomes more prevalent, the general public will take notice. When they see HTTPS in front of your website address, they’ll know that they’re information is safe while they’re browsing your website. It’s a subtle yet effective way to immediately build trust with your website visitors. Plus, this nifty lock icon shows up next to your website address in some web browsers:
In a nutshell, here’s how to switch from HTTP to HTTPS:
- Buy an SSL certificate and install it on your server.
- Update hard-coded links in your robots.txt files to HTTPS.
- Set up 301 redirects from HTTP to HTTPS. This informs search engines that you’ve changed your website’s addresses and also automatically redirects your old HTTP address to the new HTTPS address.
It’s actually a bit more complicated than this, but those are the basic steps.
Naturally, contractors who partner with MYM don’t have to fry their brains fussing over 301 redirects, SSL certificates, and robots.txt files.
Over the course of the last few months, we’ve moved all of our clients over to HTTPS. Would-be hackers all over the country wept.
If you’d like to keep your website safe and benefit from our internet-marketing services the way our clients do, get in touch with us in one of two ways:
- Pick up that thing you use to surf ESPN.com and check emails, and call us at (817) 416-4333.
- Visit https://mymonline.com/ and use the chat box in the lower-right corner to speak to an MYM representative immediately.
P.S. HTTPS is here to stay. It’ll eventually replace HTTP completely. That’s why it’s best to hop on board the HTTPS train right now, before search engines factor even more heavily into rankings. Do it now, and thank me later.
Remember when Google wasn’t the biggest wellspring for contractor leads?
Those were the days, huh?
Back then, lead sources like the Yellow Pages, direct mail, and print ads did a lot of the heavy lifting.
That meant you could launch a new website, and then kick back and call it good.
You didn’t need Google (or Bing or Yahoo, for that matter) to get the amount of business you needed to grow.
You didn’t have to worry about title tags, meta descriptions, backlinks, consistently churning out compelling content on your blog, and three dozen and one other things just for a fighting chance at making page one.
But those simpler times are long gone.
Fast-forward to October 31st, 2017.
Now, Google and her search-engine siblings are THE main source for remodeling and home improvement leads. The competition’s not even close.
Sure, other marketing methods—direct mail, print ads, etc.—still work. But for any contractor who cares to grow business, those methods need to SUPPLEMENT a strong SEO strategy… not substitute for it.
Don’t believe me?
The latest statistics show that well over 90% of homeowners use search engines to find local contractors. So if you’re not ranking well on search engines like Google, you’re toast.
“You.”
What’s even more frustrating is that Google’s algorithms get pickier and more complex with every update. And do you honestly have the knowledge and experience to handle these convoluted procedures yourself? If not, can you set aside the hundreds of hours it would take to become proficient at the many, many SEO tasks required to rank well?
Probably not… but MYM can.
I can unreservedly say that our SEO team is comprised of the baddest mammer jammers both sides of the Mississippi.
Seriously…
They eat, sleep, breathe, drink, and bathe in SEO.
It’s their sustenance.
It’s their lifeblood.
It’s also why MYM turns the average contractor from “Google Dud” to “Google Stud.”
Contractor Website Before MYM.
Contractor Website After MYM. (Results are typical.)
To achieve such transformations, our SEO team always has a ton of projects going to improve our client websites’ rankings, performance, and conversion success.
Let me share a few of those projects with you…
1. Link Disavowing
Link disavowing is an ongoing project in which we identify and eliminate toxic backlinks that are directed at our clients’ websites.
Over the past two weeks, we identified and disavowed 470 toxic backlinks. The majority of these came from our newer clients, but we also had a few older clients that added to our total as well. All were scoped out and appropriately disavowed, and will not negatively affect search rankings going forward.
2. Client Website Audits
We’re meticulously crawling—page by page, line by line—our clients’ websites to ensure there are no errors that could compromise SEO rankings. This past week, we found and fixed some errors, which were mostly in our clients’ blogs. To ensure these errors don’t happen going forward, we’ve completely revamped our blog-creation process. (More on that in a future email.)
3. Correcting Google Analytics Errors
One of our new clients had their Google Analytics code incorrectly implemented on their website.
To the naked eye, it looked like the Google Analytics code was working correctly, as there was traffic showing in the Google Analytics dashboard. It turns out, however, that no page other than the homepage was tracking page views.
This is something that’s easy to miss, but we discovered and corrected it. The client’s Google Analytics is now showing the statistics for the WHOLE website. As a result, there was over 2,300% more traffic and over a 2,100% increase in unique visitors once we fixed the problem. While that’s not an actual increase in traffic, the true data is now being displayed (which is obviously a good thing!).
4. Site Review Project
The Site Review Project encompasses both SEO and design. We track dozens of items for our clients’ websites, including meta descriptions, backlinks, social media links, desktop and mobile site speed, and more. This goes to show that you can’t just slap up a new website and call it good; it needs constant “TLC” to maintain and grow.
5. A Bunch Of Other Stuff
In addition to the projects above, our SEO team is plugging away at a ton of other tasks to ensure our clients’ websites are kicking butt on Google. They’ve been so busy that we’ve had to bring on new people to help with development, blog posting, and client support. MYM SEO is running at full speed 24/7, and we need all hands on deck.
Looking For This Level Of Service From An SEO Company?
If you’re a contractor who wants to thrive in today’s market, SEO is no longer optional—it’s MANDATORY. And it can be a heck of an uphill battle if you’re not an expert.
We are currently looking for a few contractors who are serious about growing their businesses… and understand that SEO (and internet marketing as a whole) is the proverbial Yellow Brick Road to get there.
If that’s you, give us a call at (817) 416-4333. Or hook yourself up with one of our no-cost, no-strings Lead Generation Audits. We’ll take a deep dive into your internet marketing efforts and reveal what aspects are working… and what aspects need some serious work.
We just launched another new website for a client. I’d like you to take a look at it.
Before I give you the link, let me tell you a few of the enhancements we’ve made from previous websites—we’re always improving and upgrading what we do:
- This is one of the first websites we’ve built since switching to a WordPress website format. Using WordPress makes customization and optimizing for search engines much, much, MUCH easier.
- For example, we were able to create big beautiful image boxes for the Services section on the homepage and insert eye-catching graphical elements throughout the website.
- We implemented a “scrolling” testimonial section on multiple pages.
- On the contact page is a map outlining the areas the client services. It’s a way-cool way to immediately show prospects if they are in the client’s service area.
When you take a look at the website, make sure you notice how the client’s IDENTITY is communicated with power, precision, and passion throughout the site.
Without further ado: https://simplicitybath.com/
Let us know if we can help with any of your internet marketing needs by calling (817) 416-4333. You can also visit our website and use the chat box to speak with someone right now.
Save
Save
