Best law firm websites for design inspiration
View the Best Attorney Websites by Category: All Attorneys | Estate Planning | Personal Injury | Immigration | Employment | Criminal Defense | Family | Business | Bankruptcy Digital marketing is the best way to advertise your services and ensure the growth of your firm. Any law firm looking to gain new clientele should probably […]
10 Best UGC Content Examples: Content Generation Made Easy
Ah, Doritos. Who doesn’t love these yummy, crunchy chips? You can get them in nearly any imaginable flavor, like Mediterranean Roast Chicken and Colossal Chargrilled Steak. They’re addictive as heck, too. Pop one into your mouth, and pretty soon, the whole bag is gone. The brand also offers one of the best UGC content examples […]
Celebrity Endorsement Social Media Fails: Viral Slip-Ups
Everyone makes mistakes. But when companies pay someone to represent them, those mistakes can be costly — both for the influencer and the brand. For celebrities in the age of social media, thousands or even millions of people may see their slip-ups before they even realize what happened. As more companies use influencer marketing to drive […]
How to Put Core Values Into Practice: 4 Actionable Steps
What is it that your company values most? I don’t mean things like money, sales, customers, and stuff like that. Those things are important, sure, and you can’t run your business without them. What I’m talking about are your company’s core values. Integrity. Compassion. Commitment. Do those values really mean something to you? Or are […]
Surfer SEO vs Ahrefs: Why You Need Both
Are you tired of lagging behind your competitors in the search results? Are you sick of spending hours creating content only to find out that nobody bothers to read it? How would you like to find secret high-value keywords that your competition doesn’t even know about? Ahrefs + Surfer = SEO dream team Listen to […]
Video Equipment for Making Social Media Content
How do top social media influencers make waves? In today’s social media ecosystem, video is king. Gear for social videos Watch Rodney talk through the gear used on our social media video shoots. Watch Video View this post on Instagram A post shared by Connective Web Design (@connective_web) If you want people to […]
Mastering Cold Emailing: Drawing in New Customers with Ease
Are you hitting a wall with your cold emailing efforts? Discover tactics within this article that will elevate your cold emails from the ‘mark as read’ pile to active conversations. Learn how to craft compelling messages that resonate on a personal level and see your response rates soar—without resorting to spammy tactics or salesy language. […]
Shopify vs WooCommerce: Comparing eCommerce platforms
The eCommerce landscape eCommerce has grown markedly over the past several years. The COVID pandemic has hastened this trend, forcing many brick-and-mortar businesses to conduct business online, and many small businesses do not have IT departments to oversee eCommerce transactions. To meet this demand, eCommerce platforms have multiplied, giving businesses several options for carrying out […]
What Is the StoryBrand Framework?
In the realm of marketing, storytelling has emerged as a powerful tool to engage and influence customers. What is the StoryBrand Framework? Developed by Donald Miller, it leverages this power to help businesses craft compelling, customer-centric narratives that drive conversions and foster loyalty. In Short The StoryBrand Framework is a marketing approach that employs storytelling […]
A Comprehensive AFL UTM Tracker Review
A user visits your website and buys your product. Fantastic, right? But can you tell where this customer came from, which search terms they used, and whether a specific campaign led them to your site? UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters help you understand how you gain traffic. This knowledge could play a big part in […]
Effective Pricing Strategies for Service Businesses
Are you setting your prices based on guesswork or gut feeling? Let’s change that. Today, we’re diving into the nine key variables to help you confidently set fixed service prices. I consider the following when I set prices: Estimated Hours Hourly Revenue Target (HRT) Hard Costs Perceived Value Loss Leaders Service Level Required Market Rates […]
Topical Authority: How to Leverage It To Boost Organic Traffic?
If you’ve worked on your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) strategy before, you know how multi-faceted SEO really is. Hundreds of ranking factors contribute to your website’s position in search results. You can’t just build a good-looking website and expect it to rank well; instead, you must bow down to Google’s all-powerful ranking algorithm. Topic […]
Embracing Integrity in Business: The Key to Trust & Success
Integrity in business is the flagship value you should live by if you want to thrive in a competitive, often unforgiving market. Always acting with integrity, whether with team members, clients, or partners, is just as important as a stellar marketing plan or SEO campaign. So, how do you build a culture of integrity and show it […]
How to Calculate Hourly Billing Rate for Full-service Marketing Agencies
Are you looking to learn how to find a reasonable billable rate for your marketing agency? I wondered the same thing when I started my own web agency, and now I can share what I learned about calculating billable rates to settle on a number that’ll benefit your marketing business. Read on to learn more! Calculating […]
Future-Proofing Ads with Performance Max Campaigns
If you’ve used Google Ads in the past, you’ve probably heard the term “Performance Max” floating around recently. Google launched Performance Max campaigns in the fall of 2021, but they’ve become even more prevalent since the platform discontinued Smart Shopping campaigns in September 2022. Performance Max campaigns use the power of AI to help you […]
How to Start a Web Design Business
So you want to know how to start a web design business. I won’t pretend it’s easy, but I can help make it a little more attainable by giving you some tips that I learned while building my own web design agency from the ground up over a decade ago. In this guide, I’ll give […]
Maximizing ROI: Mastering Cost Per Acquisition in Google Ads
Did you know that an optimized Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) in Google Ads can slash your marketing expenses by up to 50%? In theory, Google Ads sounds like a pretty hands-off marketing tool. You just set your budget and let your ad campaign roll. Google does all the work for you, right? In reality, if […]
What Are Primary and Secondary Conversion Actions, and Why Should You Care?
So you’ve got your Google Ads account all set up, and now you’re ready to start raking in the cash. Customers are going to be beating down your door in no time, right? Well, maybe not. I’ve seen plenty of newbie marketers ignore primary and secondary conversion actions, and it comes back to bite them […]
The 5 Must-Have WordPress Plugins Our Web Designers Can’t Live Without
WordPress is to websites as Google is to search engines. This mammoth-sized content management system (CMS) powers almost 40% of the internet’s 1.3 billion websites (just 520 mil, that’s all). As we’re already talking numbers, here’s another: 60,308. That’s how many WordPress plugins are available, allowing users to expand website power and function. But out […]
How To Reap the Sweet Rewards of Internal Linking for SEO
If there’s one thing the Connective team has learned through experience, it’s that search engine optimization (SEO) is hard. Even after you’ve spent countless hours developing a half-decent strategy, that’s just the beginning. Get ready to hunker down and wait even longer for it to pay off. But what if you could take advantage of an […]
The Best Tips for Successfully Scaling Google Ads
When starting with Google Ads, it can be hard to tell when it’s time to scale your ad campaigns and how to do so effectively. I’ve learned a lot of helpful strategies while scaling Google Ads campaigns for my own company over the years, so I wanted to share some tips in the hopes they […]
How to Structure Google Ads Campaigns: The Ultimate Guide
When running a Google ad campaign on a limited budget, you need to know you’re really getting your money’s worth. Most guides to Google Ads focus on keyword research and quality ad copy, but here’s one point many people overlook: account and ad structure. So what exactly is a Google Ads account structure, how do […]
Vanity Metrics vs. Actionable Metrics: What’s the Deal?
Your video just went viral, and you’re raking in page views. Congratulations! Your digital marketing campaign is a success, right? Not so fast. While it’s gratifying to know people are watching your content or visiting your site, these numbers are vanity metrics that connect only loosely with your business goals. So, how do vanity metrics […]
GA4 vs. Universal Analytics: What’s Different?
Love it or hate it, GA4 is here, and frankly, it’s a mess. If you’ve been clicking around, trying to figure out how it works, you’re not alone. And, if you’re not sure what the difference is between GA4 and Universal Analytics, you’re also in good company. Spoiler alert: other than the user interface and […]
The Best Business Credit Card Strategy for Small Businesses
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reading endless articles and watching hours and hours of videos, obsessed with trying to figure out the best business credit card strategy for my business. This is how my brain works. It needs something to fixate on something. It’s my superpower but can also annoy the hell out […]
Niche-Specific SEO Pages = More Traffic & Conversions
Have you ever landed on a web page that spoke directly to you? A page that made you feel seen and understood, like whoever wrote the page got you and what you needed? If so, you’ve witnessed the power of a successful niche service page firsthand. Niche-specific service pages are why I have clients that sell CBD […]
Importance of Punctuality at Work: Setting Examples, Not Excusing Mistakes
A lot of people understand the importance of punctuality at work, though for different reasons. You may value arriving on time so you don’t get fired, or maybe you just like getting the closest parking spot. Personally, I treat punctuality as a sign of respect. I want my team and my clients to show up […]
How To Smooth the Buyer’s Journey With Your Content Marketing Funnel
If you struggle to get conversions despite having A+ search engine optimization (SEO) and a library of well-written content, you might need to rethink your content strategy to get back in the race. One of the main goals of your content marketing strategy should be to lay the groundwork for an uninterrupted buyer’s journey, deftly […]
How to Use Google EEAT to Enhance AI Generated Content
There’s no doubt about it — being able to write content for your website with ChatGPT is pretty appealing, especially in today’s digital landscape that demands constant engagement. Blog posts that once took hours to draft, write, and edit can now appear at the click of a button? Sign me up! Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. While […]
Best Software for Small Businesses: 7 Tools I Can’t Live Without
What software do you really need to run a business? You need software to: Handle your money Track sales Run operations Handle communications and more In this article, I’m breaking down the 7 pieces of software I personally couldn’t function without in my business. These pieces of software make up what I believe to be […]
Craft a Winning Social Media Strategy in 5 Simple Steps
“Rodney, I run a traditional brick-and-mortar business. Do I really have to be active on social media?” I get this question a lot. And my answer, invariably, is a resounding YES. Once upon a time in the dawn of Facebook, investing in a winning social media strategy might have been optional — but it no […]
Rank Math SEO WordPress Plugin – Our SEO Plugin of Choice
Are you using WordPress plugins to your advantage? If not… what are you doing?! WordPress plugins make SEO so much easier. You can spend more time focusing on your business and less time tinkering with keyword research and analytics. My hands-down favorite plugin for optimizing a WordPress website is Rank Math. The Rank Math WordPress SEO […]
Six Ways to Recover Lost Google Traffic. Don’t Give Up!
You spend days crafting the perfect blog post, and it actually takes off. Your traffic levels soar, and your website gains tons of new visitors. Awesome, right? Then suddenly, the traffic dies down. Fewer people read the article, and you stop ranking as high. But why? Unfortunately, traffic losses are a given in the SEO […]
Want To Write a Winning Blog Post? Here’s Your 6-Step SEO Checklist for Blog Posts
I’ve had several clients come to me with this exact problem: They’ve written a blog post for their company website. They did the research, checked their spelling and grammar, and wrote compelling content. And no one viewed it. What makes some blog posts rise to the top of search results and others never see the […]
How Long Should a Blog Article Be? The Strategic Answer to Ranking High
“How long should a blog article be to rank well in Google?” I get this question all the time. You would think the answer would be something simple like, “1,000 words, and you’ll rank at the top.” Wouldn’t that be convenient! Like all other things related to SEO, the answer is messy, complex, and unique […]
Our Internal Web Design Review Process Demystified
So, you want to build a website. Congratulations! Now what? Well, you can’t just slap together a few pages of content, stamp it with your logo, and call it a day. I mean, technically, you can. But if you want your website to be successful, you need to follow some kind of plan. That’s where […]
Using Google Trends to Spot SEO Opportunity Before Your Competitors Can Even Blink
What’s one of the things that every website owner wants most? To see their site at the top of Google search results, of course. Holding a coveted first-page spot in the search results means you have excellent visibility, which also means more people are going to check out your site to see what it’s all […]
Principles of Great Web Design: Build It Right, and They Will Come!
It’s the dream of every web designer. “I’m going to build an awesome website,” they say. “It’s going to have all these killer features and look really cool. I’ll pull in thousands – no, millions – of visitors a day. I’m gonna make so much money. You’ll see.” They launch their website. And guess what […]
3 Reasons to Use Wireframes for Website Designs
No one wants to be told that their baby is ugly. But that’s the risk you take if you design a website without creating a wireframe first. If you’re a web developer, diving into the design process without a client-approved wireframe is like jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. You’ll inevitably suffer from […]
Learn How to Rank New Content Faster in 4 Steps
Bringing visitors to your site is hard. Maybe you’re new to this whole “building a website” thing. Maybe you’ve been at this for a while and are struggling to get the traffic you want. But no matter what, you have a burning question on your mind: what is the fastest way to rank your new […]
What to do After a Google Ranking Drop (Hint: Don’t Panic!)
It’s the worst nightmare of any website owner. One moment, your site is showing up on the first page of search results. You’re getting tons of traffic every day. Outranking all your competitors. Making bank from your killer ad campaigns. But then you wake up one morning, and it’s all gone. Your site got knocked […]
How To Boost Social Media Engagement the Right Way
Your business wants more customers. So, you think, “Okay, I’ll just make a Facebook or Twitter page, toss up some posts about our products a couple of times a week, and bam! The sales are gonna come rolling in.” But instead of users flocking to your feed, all you’ve got are tumbleweeds blowing by. Does […]
The List Method: How I Learned to Crush My Goals with the Bullet Journal Method
I don’t know about you, but I am seriously busy. There’s never enough time in the day to get it all done, is there? It’s all one big juggling act where you’re balancing work, hobbies, family, and whatever else it is that’s important to you. Even if you’ve got a task list, it’s all too […]
Do You Remember When Google Called George Bush a “Miserable Failure?”
If you type “miserable failure” into Google, you might not expect to see links to presidential biography pages, but that’s exactly what you would have encountered in late 2003. For some time, a search for “miserable failure” or just “failure” would populate a link to the biography of George W. Bush (among other targets like […]
HARO Link Building: Get Powerful Backlinks Without Spending
HARO link building: a legitimate tool for beefing up your backlink profile or just a gigantic waste of time and effort? If you stay current with SEO (search engine optimization) trends and tactics, you’ve probably heard the buzz about HARO. A free tool for building credible backlinks and bolstering your SEO strategies? It sounds too […]
The JCPenney SEO Fiasco: How to Tank Your Website in One Simple Step
Have you heard about JCPenney’s backlink-buying scandal? If you’re out of the loop, I’m here to fill you in on all the sordid details. Buckle up, readers – this is a pretty crazy ride. JCPenney has been around for over 120 years, so you’d think they know a thing or two about running a business, […]
Grading Sales Prospects: Qualifying Prospects Like A Pro
Quick, answer this question: What’s the one thing every business wants more of? If you answered, “sales,” then you’re absolutely right – and that’s what this sales prospecting guide is all about. Lots of businesses are desperate for sales. They’ll do anything – and I mean anything – to grab as many customers as they […]
How Web Design Affects SEO: 6 Ways to Avoid Self-Sabotage
How Web Design Affects SEO: 6 Ways to Avoid Self-Sabotage
Is SEO Free? Here’s the Short Answer: No.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this question. People always ask, “Is SEO free?” Well, that would be nice, wouldn’t it? You’re already spending a ton of money on your business. So of course, you’re thinking, “Hey, SEO can’t be that hard. I can save some cash by doing it all myself.” […]
How to Vet Link Prospects for SEO: A Guide to Quality Backlinks
If you’re aiming to rank highly in the search results, building great backlinks is one of the most important things you can do as part of your SEO strategy. But what are backlinks, and why does your website need them? As the name implies, backlinks are links from other websites that go back to your […]
Best google font combinations
Review the Best Google Font Combinations for Your Website Blending fonts can create an engaging appearance for your website. Unrelated fonts sometimes match up and lead to typographic connections that help your site visually pop. Out team at Connective Web Design can help you review your design options. We search for the best Google font […]
WP Rocket Review: Why it’s the Best Tool for Optimizing Website Speed
“What is the WP Rocket plugin, and why should I use it?” Let me paint you a picture. You build a website, publish it, and wait for the traffic to roll in. A few months go by, and you’re less than impressed by the numbers. So you frantically research and discover an enormous web of […]