Choosing a Portland SEO Expert: Introduction

The last time you needed to build or redesign the website for your Oregon-based business, did you hire a company to get the job done right? If you answered “yes,” that’s great!

You saved time letting professionals do what they do so you could focus on what’s important to you: managing and growing your business.

You may have taken the same approach for your SEO, social media, and other online marketing components. If you didn’t, you have probably considered it more heavily by now, as online marketing strategies and execution are often more than meets the eye.

SEO is much more than identifying a few keywords your customers are using, and implementing them into your website. Google has tons of signals they use to determine page rankings.

And why do we care what Google thinks? Because they handle 92% of the search queries throughout the world. What they say (and how they rank pages!) matters.

Good news Oregonians – is it’s not too late. Hiring a local Portland SEO expert will get your website and organic search marketing strategy on track. You just need to make sure you work with an expert or team of experts who are capable, affordable, and fun to work with (this is Portland after all).

Read on for a few reasons it pays to hire in Portland, as well as the key components that define and drive a winning SEO campaign!

Why Hire a Portland SEO Expert?

Before we get into the most important elements of SEO, let’s talk about why you specifically want an SEO company from Portland.

You’ve heard of Silicon Valley. That’s the area of California that houses some big names in the tech game.

Well, have you heard of Silicon Forest? That’s the name given to the Portland metro area because of its own surge as a tech capital. In fact, Forbes named Portland the best place in the U.S. for businesses and careers.

Portland is a city chock-full of bright, talented, and creative people looking to make their way in the industry. Because of the high salaries folks in Silicon Valley demand, companies look to California’s northern neighbor for their workforce.

In other words, startups and other growing businesses are choosing Portland to lay down their roots. One, because of the talent in the area and two, economically it’s a slam dunk.

Convinced that Portland is where you need to look for your SEO expert? Now, let’s discuss the Google ranking factors.

What Is Google Ranking For?

Since the advent of the Internet, keywords have been an integral part of how search engines work. But are they as important as they were a decade ago?

After all, Google changes their algorithm what seems like every month. Can keywords still be as important as they once were? In a nutshell, yes. They’re just important in a different way.

So, where do keywords fit in Google’s grand scheme of things? And what else should a company focus on in search engine optimization ranking?

Rumors have swirled for more than a decade that Google uses 200 signals to rank sites. But, don’t get stuck on that number. It’s not possible to focus on every single rumored factor.

What you can focus on are the most important signals. Take a look at 10 factors that determine Google SEO ranking the most…

1. Crawlable and Indexable

Your site must use a crawlable, indexable URL. This means that when Google’s spiderbots go to work, they can find and understand your page.

They do this by crawling and indexing.

In simple terms, crawling is how Google discovers pages. It’s not a paid service, it’s Google’s bots searching and scanning over and over.

You can improve this in two ways. The first is to submit a request for Google to re-crawl your page. The second is by getting your page linked from another site Google already knows.

We’ll get to that a little later.

Indexing is what Google does after it finds your site. The short version is Google tries to understand what’s going on on your page.

It analyzes and catalogs text, images, videos, etc. It stores what it finds in its index. This is a fancy term for saying “Google’s massive database.”

You can improve both by having smart, simple URLs. You do this with subdirectories.

For example, say your company sells coffee. You have a blog that covers beans, brewing, and flavors. You’ll want each post to fall into one of those subcategories.

Your URLs will look like: https://www.yourcoffeesite.com/beans/where-beans-come-from. This makes it easier for Google to crawl and index you. Google will understand how your website relates to the various components of your URL structure.

2. Keywords: Research and Intent

Your site should solve a problem. But, what problem is it solving? That’s where keyword research and intent comes in.

Many years ago, keyword stuffing was a thing. People would jam the keyword “coffee” as many times as they could on their sites and in their blogs.

That’s because Google used to care about how many times a site used a particular keyword. Now, they care much more about the intent of the keyword.

This means you need to have a primary keyword (or keyphrase) along with a set of related keywords. These are secondary keywords. They’re words that are similar or even synonyms to the primary keyword.

The point is no matter if someone searches for coffee, java, joe — they are more likely to find your site than they were in the past (although proper keyword focus and emphasis is still important).

You can use a keyword finder to this, or you can do it yourself. All you need is a little SERP investigating!

Open up Google, start a search for words related to your business. Does a drop-down appear with a bunch of already finished queries?

That’s Google’s search suggest drop down list. It’s pretty much exactly how it sounds. Google uses its algorithm to suggest the most popular searches for a particular keyword.

They’re assisting you with looking for relevant intent. Go ahead and check it out and see what it suggests is relevant for your targeted keyword. It may give you some fun ideas for blog posts, too.

3. Domain Security

Domain security is becoming more and more important these days. How do you get it? By using HTTPS in front of your URL.

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. This is the process of transferring your site’s information to a viewer’s browser.

HTTPS is HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure. This tells Google it’s safe to index this information.

All you need to do to secure your domain is get an SSL certificate. If you have a WordPress site — and chances are pretty good you do — it’s free and easy to do.

If you’re part of the 40-50% of the Internet that doesn’t use WordPress, you may have to pay for yours. Ask the company that built your site about getting an SSL certificate if you’re unsure.

4. Build Relevant Backlinks

We mentioned having your page linked from another site is important for SEO. It’s even more important that you’re getting linked from pages Google already knows.

Why?

Even though you’re not getting all your traffic from these referrals, it tells Google you’re trustworthy. Trust is a key component in Google’s algorithm.

This also makes up a big part of the difference between white hat vs. black hat SEO. Black hat focuses on aggressive strategies to get you ranked, attempting to take advantages of the non-human elements of the search algorithm. It’s keyword stuffing, invisible keywords, and using backlinks that are irrelevant, among many other things.

White hat SEO uses trustworthy link building techniques. They use appropriate keywords, site structure, and content to generate traffic.

Black hat may be an easy way to get SEO results but it’s also an easy way to get yourself banned, too. Both Google and Bing have denounced using these practices in their webmaster guidelines.

5. Topic Authority

This is an easy one. The more you post on a topic, the higher each post will rank over time.

So, if you have a coffee shop, go ahead and blog about beans and flavors. Link internally to relevant service pages on your site to build a healthy link structure.

Don’t blog about irrelevant or unnecessary topics. This isn’t doing anything to help your authority.

6. Content

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times by now. Content is king.

But not only the content itself, how you structure it. Yes, you must have smart, readable content. But you have to structure it in a way that Google likes.

For instance, Google considers “good content structure” blogs that include:

• Headers
• Subheaders
• Bulleted lists
• Numbered lists
• Supported images
• Cited information
• Short, readable paragraphs

All these points keep readers engaged. Google likes engagement.

7. Loading Speed

Loading speed is all about user experience. Google’s pretty big on UX, too.

If your site takes forever to load, people just give up – if Google hasn’t already.

You know those “timeout” errors you get when you try to load a webpage? If Google deems it takes too long it basically tells you to move on.

But, loading speed is even more important as you’re about to see…

A good Portland SEO expert will help you optimize your website for high speed and performance.

8. Mobile-Friendliness

Mobile-friendliness is becoming more important year over year for SEO. There are several reasons having a site optimized for mobile use is important for SEO.

Here are the two biggest: use and speed.

More than 53% of all searches are now done on a smartphone. That means the UX of your mobile site must be at the top of its game.

But, 53% of users will give up on a page if it takes longer than three seconds to load. Ouch.

If your site isn’t mobile-friendly, make it mobile-friendly. Yesterday.

9. Responsive Web Design

Google also rewards websites who constructed their site through use of responsive web design services. In a way, this piggybacks off of having a site optimized for mobile use. But, the two are actually quite different.

“Responsive design” describes web development done in a way that considers which device the site is getting viewed on. In other words, mobile devices, tablets, laptops, and large screens — all at once. Regardless of what device someone uses to view your site, your site automatically adjusts to fit their screen.

This is important because it focuses heavily on UX. Since Google seems to be moving more and more toward actual human experience, this could be an even bigger factor in years ahead.

10. Meta Tags

You might hear that Google doesn’t care about meta tags anymore. While certain meta tags have become less useful for SEO (as engines have gotten better at figuring out what a page is about by its content), other meta information is still crucial.

They may often get forgotten but they’re still an important part of your SEO. Make sure you’re filling in:

• Title tag
• Image alt text
• Meta description

The meta description is the snippet that appears in SERPs. It should be persuasive, the right character length, and include your focus keyword(s).

Ready to Hire a Portland SEO Expert?

Hiring a Portland SEO expert gives you an advantage over your competition. While they’re struggling to figure out what SEO is, you’ll reap the rewards of having a professional handle it for you as your climb your way to page 1.

Are you ready to get the best and brightest to optimize your site and turn you into a rock star? Great! Click here to get started and set up your free consultation.

The post Choosing the Right Portland SEO Expert for Your Oregon Business appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Great web design can double sales, reduce bounce rates, and improve customer perception of a brand. Designing a website from scratch is impossible unless you have a web design background. Finding a trustworthy web development company to build out your site should be priority number one for many businesses around the globe.

Many companies, both Portland-based and elsewhere, are turning to the great state of Oregon to find and hire a Portland web development company. The creative talent of the city, along with its mid-market rates, attract a wide variety of companies looking to hire a Portland web design team.

Just because you know you want to Portland company does not mean it’s going to be a clear choice though. Vetting web design services is going to take time and lots of research. In the end, all of this effort will pay off in both the product and total investment. To make things a bit more manageable on your search, we’ve constructed a checklist of things to review as you hire a web development company.

One of the biggest mistakes companies make when hiring a web developer is focusing on prices alone without a proper understanding of the value received per dollar spent. Don’t make that same mistake. Follow our guide and you’ll protect yourself from sloppy, amateur web design.

Portland, OR boasts a huge creative heart with design and development rates often less than those seen NY and LA – without compromising on quality!

Designing is a Two-Way Street

No matter how little you think you know about web development, having no say in your company’s website is a recipe for disaster. Your website is such a key component in your brand’s identity. You need a cohesive design that compliments your business’ core offerings.

A professional web development company will listen to what you have to say…not just dictate the project! They should be asking you lots of questions, as well as answering yours. Don’t let their fancy portfolio give you the impression that your input isn’t valid.

What Are Their Plans/Ideas?

On your initial consultation, the web development specialist should have some first-impressions or ideas already. If they can’t give you any feedback or a rough outline of what they could do for your business, it might be bad news. Inexperience speaks from a place of uncertainty and a lack of creativity.

Responsive Web Design

During your early talks, ask them if they will be incorporating responsive web design. What this basically means is that your website will be designed for all screens–mobile, tablet, and computers. This means that your website will be designed with one theme, which is adjustable for all devices.

Ever since Google updated their algorithms to adjust for the overwhelming chunk of the mobile browsing population, there has been a major push for web developers to get some semblance of a standard for website functionality. That’s where the concept of responsive design was born.

This was the most effective solution to being stuck with websites that are not properly for mobile users. Design one webpage that can display the same proportions and features, no matter what size screen you’re looking at.

Lastly, don’t just choose a responsive template and expect your site to be perfect. While many design platforms now incorporate responsiveness into their code, your website still requires fine-tuning for different screen sizes. Ask your web development company how they implement their responsive design process before moving forward.

Optimized for Google

Responsive websites, while not explicitly listed as the only preferred mobile browsing option, will perform better on search rankings than those who are using a simple mobile HTML-based website.

Any website design that isn’t responsive will usually leave tablets and hybrid tablet users with a lower-quality experience. This may mean that their screen space is either not being utilized, resulting in blank spaces on the sides, or that they are forced to browse the desktop-size webpage that requires more scrolling and swiping to navigate. Either way, they’re getting a second-class experience.

Local and National

If your business has a local audience, then you should ask if the design company has experience with local SEO. Branding and optimizing at a local level requires a specialized skill set. Google searches are much easier to rank for when your website is optimized locally.

That includes geotagging various website elements, organically hitting local keywords, incorporating Google Maps effectively, and more. 78% of all local mobile searches results in an offline purchase. People are looking to buy, and if your website isn’t optimized locally, you’re missing sales.

Advanced Web Design

Responsive web design doesn’t just look more polished, it enables the website to perform. The amount of coding that is needed to deliver a smooth experience for all types of devices, without using responsive templates, is unreasonably heavy.

Responsive websites are simple, yet visually impressive. They can be easily updated, migrated, and compartmentalized, without having to constantly adjust the code to work on all devices. Taking out the time and money wasted on the guesswork is well worth the investment in a new website if your current one isn’t mobile responsive.

User Interface Standards

As processors become faster, networks quicker, and convenient shopping the new standard, you don’t want to be left in the past with a clunky, unimpressive web design. Graphics and user interface buttons are becoming much sharper, and mimic the tactile feedback without tradeoffs of slower page loads or glitches due to inadequate processing power.

Users will start to look at web pages that are slower, flatter, and harder to navigate as outdated and not worth browsing. With so much competition out there, you can’t afford to lose a customer due to poor UI.

Your web developer needs to know about these visual trends, coding improvements, and advanced analytics. If they are just churning out simple websites and swapping out color themes and logos, they may not be the best if your brand requires a deeper web experience.

Experience is Crucial

How old should a web development company be before they’re deemed experienced? Well, this can vary, but you want them to be in business for a couple years, at least. You don’t want to fall into the trap of paying for a service from a fly-by-night operation.

Look at their portfolio, see how much work they have under their belt. Great web design should be met with great customer reviews and testimonials. It also helps if they have an active social media presence. It’s a lot harder to curate or manipulate customer feedback on other platforms.

Do They Have Marketing Experience?

Are they just a team of graphic designers and programmers or are they a complete web development company? Hiring a company who knows more than just aesthetics is a huge bonus. Your website is going to perform a lot better when it created with things like CTAs, bounce rates, conversion rates, and campaign strategy are understood.

Navigation and page elements won’t need to be forced into the design after the fact. Natural integration of buttons, subscription fields, and upsells is extremely valuable in web development.

Understanding Industries/Niches

While you look through their portfolio, take the range of companies they have worked for. Do a lot of them center around the same niches? Are their designs built for only a handful of industries?

This is important to know when searching for a web development team that will work outside the box. If the majority of their business is cookie-cutter websites, then that means they aren’t willing to challenge themselves. At worst, it could mean they are reliant on templates with little modifications. These developers may offer slightly more affordable prices, but the value you receive is significantly less, and your customers will be able to sniff this out.

If you want your business to stand out, you cannot afford to settle for a barely-modified template that does the job. You can have a clean, well-balanced, and unique web page design without breaking the bank.

Modern Designs and Trends

Have you ever watched an old movie or TV show and seen what websites looked like in the past? Go back far enough and you’ll be met with big, ugly, and flat pages with no “life.” Go back less than a decade and you’ll see ugly designs, but with less obvious flaws.

The reason why many amateur web designers have cheaper-looking products is not just due to technical skill. It’s about following modern designs and trends. People grow tired of looking at the same things for years on end. Just take the ultra-flat designs spurred from smartphone development.

Today, users find it a chore to navigate through these flat websites, taking 22% longer to find what they’re looking for. You don’t want to be left behind with an outdated look on your website. Ask the web developers what the current trends are in web design, and how they plan to implement them into your project.

Comparing Prices

We end on price, being the least important aspect to consider while shopping around for web developers. The reason, of course, is that much of what passes as web design these days is editing layouts and themes on WordPress. There’s nothing wrong with this approach for simple blogs or landing pages.

If you want a professional, brand-appropriate, and cutting-edge website, you’re not going to find it for less than $3,000. Another big issue with selling yourself short is not having all the security in place to prevent hacks and server attacks.

We’re not saying you shouldn’t negotiate and shop around. Businesses just need to understand that your website is a serious investment that you should budget for considering long-term ROI, not just the immediate return enjoyed from saving a buck or two.

Finding a Portland Web Development Company

Finding the right Portland web development company is not the easiest job with so many to choose from. The time spent interviewing and bouncing ideas off companies is well worth the investment.

We’d love to discuss your company and potential web design needs if you have further questions.

Contact us today to see what we can bring to the table!

The post How to Choose a Portland Web Development Company appeared first on Midas Marketing.

The Best Work for the Best City as a Portland Web Designer

Sandwiched between two major tech hubs, Portland is a city that marches to its own beat. Its quirky culture appeals to young professionals and artists alike, making it a destination where thrift shops and button-down stores coexist peacefully under the same ZIP code. “Keep Portland Weird” is one of the most common bumper stickers you’ll see here, a message that truly describes the heart and soul of the city.

Not only that Portland engenders innovative thinking, but it’s also a renowned epicenter of creative entrepreneurship. Boasting all the qualities that are likely to attract young people these days, Portland has become a symbol of West Coast happiness. Living, working and starting a business here feels like a blessing.

That’s what we’re telling ourselves every day. The youthful creative vibe of Portland has allowed us to build a web design company that draws from the city’s artistic energy. We are lucky enough to work with like-minded clients who understand the value of good design and have a good grasp of what makes a business move forward. We can say with an open heart that being a web designer in Portland is better and more fruitful than anywhere else in the country (do we dare say the world?)

Before you raise your eyebrow at this bold statement, pour yourself a cup of herbal tea, get cozy in your chair and discover why we think Portland is the best city to be a web designer.

The Importance of a Creative Environment in Portland Web Design

Creativity plays a crucial role in art and design. If you are a photographer, you draw inspiration from the great outdoors. If you are a writer, you probably prefer working in a coffee shop, surrounded by people, music, and a glass of Chardonnay as the evening comes around. If you are a painter, you might want a garage where you can work without worrying about paint dripping down the floor or carpet. If you’re a web designer, you need to be around like-minded people who aren’t afraid to break down taboos and traditional thinking.

The environment is a valuable resource for cultivating creativity. What you surround yourself with can ignite your imagination. The opposite is also true – a poor environment can extinguish your creative spark.

Portland has all the perks that could benefit a creative mind: mountains, coastlines, hip coffee shops, cultural institutions, and a handful of oddball events. It’s also a diverse city with an open culture that supports gay rights and has made marijuana legal. Simply put, Portland has managed to capture the spirit of these times like no other small city in America was able to. But, most importantly (at least from a web designer’s perspective) the city has been able to attract and retain an impressive number of young college-educated people. In fact, Portland has the second-highest rate in the nation after Louisville and attracts more young professionals than Austin, San Francisco, or New York.

For a web design company which needs creative minds to come up with innovative solutions for its clients, this is a perk that has allowed us to grow our business.

Why Portland is a Great City to Be a Web Designer

The reasons that turned Portland into a mecca for young people are many. From its great surroundings to its hip vibe, Portland has become the preferred destination for the highly educated, highly mobile workers in their early 20s.

Being a Portland web designer (or a web design company, in our case) comes with a set of advantages that are hard to beat by any other city. Sure, Portland isn’t as eclectic as New York or as tech-forward as San Francisco, but it offers its residents something more than that: an eccentric culture that fosters innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship.

Don’t get us wrong; we’ll be the first ones to admit that Portland isn’t flowing with milk and honey. The unemployment rate is higher than we might have wanted and the city could do better at fostering job growth. But, for all its job search hassle, we believe that Portland is worth the extra work. From its quality of life to the opportunities for meeting and working with like-minded people, Portland is, without a doubt, one of the best cities for those who want to focus on web design and digital marketing across the board.

1.   Opportunities for Pursuing Your Dream Career  

It used to be that access to ports and blue-collar workers was vital for promoting a thriving economy. Now, it’s no longer the case. Educated people with desk jobs and a drive to challenge the traditional way of thinking and doing business are the ones who drive growth.

These social and economic changes led to the transformation of most major cities. Most blue-collar workers, battling with taxes and the rising costs of housing, suddenly realize that they can move to smaller cities and live like kings on a cashier’s job.

Portland, however, has a different story. If people move to most cities looking for a certain kind of wealth, young professionals come to Portland attracted by the intangible opportunities the city has to offer. They know that they can find here jobs that bring their lives meaning and that they find fulfilling. Young people move to Portland to pursue their dream career rather than pursue a career and go wherever their job takes them.

2.   It Doesn’t Lack Human Capital

Because so many young people are attracted by Portland’s quality of life and hip vibe, it’s a breeding ground for creative minds. Serendipity provides clients a better chance to find the perfect web designer for the job as opposed to someone whose skills and expertise just sort of match their requirements. And, it’s not just about web design, but with all aspects of business.

The wealth of human capital leads to innovation, which allows businesses to grow and thrive. And, if there’s one thing that Portland doesn’t lack, it’s young professionals.

3.   Portland Has a Generous Community

Have you watched IFC’s hit show Portlandia? There’s a scene in one episode where two drivers are stuck in a four-way intersection not because the streets are too crowded but because they are too polite. The drivers spend a good few seconds insisting that the other one should go ahead.

“No, you go ahead!”

“Oh, no, please, YOU go ahead!”

It goes on for quite a while.

You might think that Portlandia is just hyperbole, portraying the stereotypical Portlander, but the reality is that people here are that nice and welcoming, and caring about the environment and those around them.

Portland residents exchange waves and smiles with fellow residents with more fervor than a Manhattaner exchanges obscenities. That’s not to say that there aren’t some exaggerations in the show (for starters, we don’t have an “Allergy Pride Parade”…yet) but for most parts, the city truly has a loving and generous community. Being a web designer in Portland is easier than in other cities since people are so nice and eager to make meaningful connections.

That brings us to the next reason why this is a great city for a web designer/web design companies.

4.   It’s So Easy to Make Connections

As we already mentioned, one of the upsides of Portland is that people here are extremely nice. Of course, that doesn’t mean that you will become best friends with the mailman, but the friendliness and openness of Portlanders make meeting like-minded people far less daunting than most cities.

Networking is important in web design just as in any other business. For starters, it can further your career. Since there are plenty of jobs that aren’t advertised, you have to network to find out about them. People usually recommend the people they like, so you don’t have to meet the actual employer but one of their contacts who could put you forward for your web design job. In most cases, networking can feel forced and a little weird. But, in Portland, where people on the street smile and chat with you as if you’re an old friend, making meaningful connections is certainly easier than in New York.

As a general rule of thumb, even if people in Portland are generally nice, if you meet someone that could help you in your web design career and you’ve exchanged contact information, don’t forget to follow up. Making connections isn’t a process that ends the moment you walk out of an event or encounter.  

5.   The Rain Will Make You More Creative

We’ll have to admit; it rains a lot in Portland. About six out of 12 months it rains here (and that’s just a fact, not an exaggeration.) Last December, we counted 14 straight days of no sun – just solid gray sky.

But, let’s look at the bright sides. First of all, while it does rain often, it’s usually light rain rather than torrential downpours. Secondly, we always have an excuse to snuggle up with a hot cocoa in one hand and a good book in the other. And, lastly, it has been shown that rain and cloudy days make us think more clearly and creatively.

Studies have shown that the sunshine engages the mind in risky behaviors while cloudiness expands our capacity for creative thinking. The reason has to do with human biology. We are hardwired to avoid sadness, so we respond to it by looking for opportunities to change our moods. Happiness, on the other hand, sends the signal that everything is fine and that there’s no need for deep and careful thinking.

These different mental approaches explain why we feel creativity spark in us during rainy days. The rainy days usually induce a negative mood, which our brains try to overcome by seeking information that might help us replace our sad moods. So, next time you have a creative block on that website design project you are working on for a client, pour yourself some team and look out the window. The chances are it will be raining (and, that’s a good thing.)

6.   You Are Encouraged to Be Your Quirky Self

Most of our colleagues don’t own a car. Instead, they prefer to ride the bus to work or walk to the city’s many coffee shops, brunch spots, and breweries. On weekends, we regularly hitch rides to the Pacific Coast. We could rent a car, but why would we when there’s such an opportunity to meet new people?

And, that’s the great thing about Portland. Everywhere you look, you will see people just like you – creative minds wanting more than just a job, but a place where they can put their mark on and make a difference. Portland might just be the only city that encourages people to move away from the norms and just be themselves. After all, we’re talking about a city that hosts a naked bike ride, has a museum of peculiar things and a vegan strip club.

Quirkiness, creativity, and web design go hand in hand. We’ve often drawn inspiration from the city to build sites with beautiful (and functional) designs. This city has been and continues to be our muse, inspiring us on our quest to deliver excellence. Although Portland web designer teams work in a competitive market, we’ve welcomed the challenge and used it to build an agency that delivers world-class results and stellar work experiences.

If you’d like to work with us or just chat about your business, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are more than happy to help you or just share funny memories of how this magnificent city has helped us become better versions of ourselves!

The post 6 Benefits of Being (and Hiring!) Portland Web Designer appeared first on Midas Marketing.

Portland, OR Inbound Marketing

Marketing is one of the most important exercises for any business. From the Fortune 500 companies to young start-ups, every business engages in different kinds of marketing strategies. In the digital age where the Internet has turned into the biggest and most powerful marketing platform, every business is taking active interest in Inbound Marketing, where customers are attracted to your products and services rather than being bombarded with your outbound marketing messages. With the culture in a city like Portland, OR, where we are based, Inbound marketing holds an even greater opportunity than other cities. Here are a few of the reasons why engaging in Inbound marketing in Portland can boost your business’ success.

Why Portland?

The Changing Mindset

There has been a significant change in the mindset of our youth. “Hipsters” don’t like the idea of being sold to, and in the past, this was the aim of all marketing campaigns. The younger generations prefer instead to search for things they might want to buy and make informed decisions on their own. From reviews to alternate options, they are very good at understanding if a product or service is reputable independently of what the business itself may claim. Aggressive marketing campaigns with over-the-top messaging are often counterproductive and can leave young people with a negative experience of your brand. Inbound marketing in Portland communities is effective as it enables these younger markets to find your business on their terms.

Portland has plenty of opportunities for businesses looking to engage younger consumers — but you have to reach them effectively by offering great content for them to discover on their terms.

Creating Large Pool of Leads

Once your business is discovered through the inbound methodology, you have a chance to offer a PDF, discount code or other sort of promotion to the potential customer. This cements your brand a bit deeper in the mind of the visitor and enables your business to capture their email, phone and other information as a lead. Many young people in Portland understand their contact info is currency, and will happily exchange it for something of value that your business has to offer. In the old days, it was all about sales as relationships weren’t really developed and managed through the traditional advertising process. Now, smart business using Inbound marketing in Portland are understanding they can position themselves well for the long-run by capturing leads and automating the marketing process for cultivating those leads through email drips, social media engagement, and more.

Analytics & Scope for Improvement

Last but not least, Inbound marketing strategy captures crucial data points that enable you to scale and grow your business the right way. Rather than just measuring revenue, you are now capturing organic website traffic, conversion rates for visitors turning into leads and then for leads turning into customers, and overall value of your marketing efforts. If you set up your analytics platform the right way, you’ll be able to tell exactly how many web visitors turn into customers, what they are buying, how often they are buying it, and how often they are sharing their experience with their friends over social media. Once you get a handle on data like this, you are able to continue building your marketing plan in a way sure to bring you great results for the long run.

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WordPress Website Design in Portland: 4 PDX brands that are looking great on WordPress!

In today’s digital world, most businesses prefer WordPress as their content management system. The system you choose is basically the platform on which your website is built, and the ease of use and scalability of WordPress makes it perfect for almost all genres of business websites. From online stores to B2B websites, there are countless possibilities with WordPress, both in terms of design and functionality. Below we wanted to briefly highlight four recent examples of WordPress website design in Portland for local businesses.

#1 ZenPro
ZenPro, which offers corporate chair massage therapies to businesses of all sizes and across industries, has its website powered by WordPress. The design comprises of horizontal color treatments used to effectively separate different sections of the site delivering the a clean, simple, and relaxing vibe. The mild hues used are equally nice to the eyes especially when users are browsing on mobile devices.

ZenPro is a local Portland startup that has benefited from the ease of use and customization offered with WordPress.

#2 NW Benefit Advantage
As one stop platform for finding the right medical coverage at the best price, NW Benefit Advantage’s website is the perfect example of WordPress’ crisp design platform. Scrolling through the website on the small screen is a great experience as users can choose a mobile optimized version of all the inner pages for better viewing. As with the other projects, the home page here has been neatly organized in a visually appealing way, in part due to the strong built-in capabilities of the WordPress platform.

#3 Pacific Truck Colors
As the leading vehicle customization and upfitting service provider in Oregon, Pacific Truck Color’s website is was built to reflect their impressive business. In the services section, we used sliding text that is one of the biggest pulls on the website. The product section enables customers to choose the right kind of accessories and bodies, and also navigate to their vendor website to further study all the products and accessories to be installed. WordPress served as a great platform here to easily organize different services, vendors, and products, and communicate effectively through a blog.

Pacific Truck Colors is a great Portland business using WordPress to manage their website.

#4 World Thirst
World Thirst, a PDX-based water charity, wanted to launch as efficiently as possible, which pointed us right to the WordPress platform for this project. The site was constructed in a single-page format, giving the user an integrated experiencing of the brand while keeping costs down for the client.

Over 100 million sites are hosted on WordPress, and for good reason. Countless themes are available to kickstart your project, yet creative customization options can turn a template into a custom masterpiece that reflects your brand well, both in terms of functionality and design. Considering WordPress website design in Portland is a great opportunity for local business that want to stay up with our vibrant, creative culture without breaking the bank.

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Hiring a Portland Web Design Company

If you were to survey Portland business owners and ask them what their biggest challenge is you would hear the same response over and over – how to consistently attract new, excited customers in such a vibrant, eccentric place. We all know how crucial marketing is to our business’ bottom line but in the chaos of working with our existing clients and putting out day-to-day fires, it is not uncommon for marketing to fall to the bottom of our to-do lists. Even after years in business, many organizations struggle financially because they fail to figure out a way to have new qualified leads come in on a regular basis. What if you could change all that?

What a lot of people don’t realize is that if your business already has a website you already have a member of your staff who is ready and willing to work 24/7/365 to grow your business. Take a second now to ask yourself the million dollar online marketing question “how well is my website actually doing at its job of bringing in new leads?”If it is currently under-performing, the next question to ask is “how can I improve it to reach my goals?”

So many businesses have websites that are being under utilized and are essentially just taking up cyber space.  Once upon a time they set up the site, made a few initial updates and then left it alone hoping that in the proverbial words of Field of Dreams “if you build it they will come.” As much as I would love to say that this approach works, it doesn’t. The good news is that there is another strategy that will work in turning your website into a lean, mean, lead generation machine – hiring a professional, affordable, experienced Portland web design company.

If you’re with me so far your next questions probably are “how do I know what to look for when hiring a someone to help me with my website? How much does it cost? Wouldn’t I save money trying to do it by myself?” All great questions. Let me lay it out for you…

Six things to look for when hiring a Portland web design company:

1. Is this company focused on helping you create a holistic marketing strategy?

In today’s world of online marketing, an engaging, professional-looking website is just one piece of the marketing pie. You need to ask if this company also equipped help you with the just-as-important aspects of lead generation such as social media marketing, search engine optimization, branding, newsletter / content management, and digital marketing pieces (brochures, business cards etc.).  Only focusing on one of these avenues can can create a big gap inviting your competitors to come scoop up your potential clients. Don’t let that happen to you.

2. Does this company have an efficient team in place?

When investing in hiring someone to do your website, efficiency is the name of the game. We’ve all heard of people who hired a someone to do their website and then many months later it still wasn’t done. Why does this happen? Usually it is because there is just one or two developers slogging through a huge pile of time-consuming projects. Our advice: be preventative. When interviewing a prospective companies ask them about what kind of team they have in place and how long it should take for them to complete the project. If you don’t like what you hear, keep on interviewing.

3. Does this company employ proven marketing experts?

It’s one thing to know how to write code and build a website, it is completely another to know how to take the results of that code (your website) and turn it into revenue for your business.  No one wants a website just to have a website; we have websites to attract clients and make money. Make sure that the company you work with takes the time to understand your story and has the know-how to help you share it with the world.

4. What standards does this company have in place to respect your budget?

Because so few people understand how web design is done, they feel obligated to blindly pay whatever the developer charges them (even if they feel they’re being ripped off). In our opinion this is completely unacceptable and unfair. Look for a team that models “money transparency” which allows clients access to a billing portal so they can see item by item, minute by minute how their money is being used. This approach minimizes over-budget surprises and creates an environment where you can to ask the team any questions about entries you don’t understand.

5. Will this company be able to support you long-term as your needs change?

What works today in your marketing strategy may not work tomorrow so it is crucial to be partnering with a marketing team that is paying attention to the results you are getting and then make adjustments as necessary.  Getting a website and social media profiles set up is just a start – make sure the the agency you hire has the capacity to play the long game with you helping you adjust your approach as the needs and goals of your business change.

6. Will this company allow you to play a role in the ongoing marketing effort of your business?

While some business leaders are happy to outsource all marketing work to a third party, many are excited about the possibility of making their own updates to their website and adding their style to their own newsletters and social media posts, etc. Make sure the company you hire doesn’t set up your marketing system in a way that only they can make edits and changes. Not only does this make your project way more expensive but it creates a sense of helplessness knowing that your online presence is out of your hands.

Midas Marketing is a Portland web design company with a wide offering of online and digital marketing support  We are a team of business owners ourselves who have again and again run up against the challenges of finding a company to help us hit our business’ goals. As a result of years of frustration in not finding what we were looking for,we created a local company ourselves that would provide clients the support in the above six areas that we had been looking for all along but had never found. If you are a business owner looking for a Portland web design company to help you generate more leads, we’d love to chat with you further about how we can help take your business to the next level. Click here to get started. 

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