Category: Marketing Automation

Instagram is an undeniably powerful marketing tool, but with over 200 million business accounts on the platform today, it’s critical that you take the time to create well-designed and thoughtful Instagram posts to stand out. You’ll need to apply a strategic design plan to your business’s Instagram to attract a loyal following and find success on the app, long-term.
However, creating a clean and cohesive Instagram feed takes design skills and time commitment you may lack, and with an algorithm that favors brands that post at least once a day, that could be adding to your stress.
If that’s the case, you’re in luck — in this post we’ll discuss how you can create pre-made Instagram post templates so you’ve got a stash ready to go. Plus, by ensuring you use the same templates for different posts, you’ll have an easier time creating a cohesive and aesthetically-pleasing feed.

Instagram Post Templates
Instagram templates can be used to serve different purposes, and we have a list of our own for you to brainstorm ideas and customize for free.
Panel Template

For those trying to spread the word on an upcoming virtual or in-person panel, you can promote it using our Panel Template.
Customize it by adding the speakers’ profile photos and usernames to build hype and give followers the chance to get an idea of what they can look forward to.
What We Like: Your followers won’t have to DM you for panel information, as the example given in the template provides all the context necessary for them to plan to attend.
Quote Template

Sometimes you want to keep up with the algorithm, and posting consistently using quotes in between announcements can help keep that relevance businesses need to be seen.
Interview insightful team members, or even use inspirational quotes that your followers would enjoy seeing as they scroll through their feed.
What We Like: The versatility of this template lets you change the background image to fit the tone of the quote you share.
Sales Announcement Template

I don’t know about you, but when I see a sales announcement I get excited to check out what’s available.
When you’re looking to sell existing inventory, or share a seasonal offer, this sales announcement template gets straight to the point to capture attention. Change the background image to fit the occasion and you’ll have this post ready within minutes.
What We Like: This template isn’t cluttered nor pushy; those who are already fans of your product will want to go to your site to take advantage of the opportunity.
Quick Tip Template

Sometimes your followers could be in need of some advice, that’s where our Quick Tip Template can fit that need.
If you’re catering to budding professionals or hobbyists, you can help them become more proficient in the skill they’re trying to develop. Change the imagery to reflect the tip of your choosing and share it with your followers.
What We Like: While it’s a simple template, it’s an easy way to engage with followers in between campaigns, and if you want to make the most of it, encourage commenters to share their own tips or advice they found helpful, too.
We’re Hiring Template

Yes, you could just post job openings on websites like LinkedIn, but you could reach exactly who you’re looking for on social media channels like Instagram, too.
Customize this template to either showcase a variety of positions you have open, or for a certain position that you can expand on in your post description.
What We Like: You can reach a further audience with Instagram using this template and by using the post-boost feature to better target the persona you’re looking for.
Offer Template

Promote things like eBooks or guides using our Offer template.
By giving followers a glimpse at your newer offers, you can use the post description to give them a call to action and download different types of resources. Customize it to reflect your brand’s color scheme and offerings.
What We Like: This chic template is the right amount of professional and minimalist approach that viewers will want to check out, as opposed to lengthy announcements littered with too much text in imagery.
New Product Template

When you’re ready to launch a new product, you should meet your target audience right where they are on Instagram the day it goes live.
By using our New Product template, you can give your followers an idea of what they can expect with this new innovation. You can also switch out the imagery to reflect the product solution.
What We Like: Without using words, your followers can get a clearer idea of what your new product can do for them if they purchase it.
Review Template

Whether it’s internal or external, sharing positive reviews of your brand or product can be a great way to add legitimacy to your business.
Use our Review template to share the positive experiences your clients or employees had from your business, this can attract customers and talent to the company.
What We Like: Sharing reviews can help customers build trust, and adding posts like these to your profile can aid in the process.
Podcast Template

Podcasts are on the rise, so to help get the word out, you should be promoting on your Instagram.
This simplistic template is a great way to announce the creation of your podcast. You can use the post description to give your followers an idea of what’s to come and encourage them to spread the word.
What We Like: You can distinguish the type of podcast in the image if you choose or frame it as a surprise. The possibilities are endless.
These aren’t the only templates available in our offer, so download the pack to brainstorm even more ideas for your future posts.

1. Download Instagram post templates.
Let’s face it — you don’t always have the time, resources, or personnel to design noteworthy Instagram posts. That’s why we recommend using Instagram Post Templates for Business which you can build from and customize.
Here are some options to create and save Instagram post templates, so you can have stunning posts on-hand whenever you’re ready to publish.

Featured Resource: 22 Free Instagram Post Templates for Business
Need templates to get started? Download HubSpot’s free Instagram post templates for both traditional posts and stories, which you can tailor as you see fit when it comes to your brand. You can alter any parts of the template – the image, the copy, and the design elements – to ensure you’re publishing posts to grow and engage your follower base.
2. Choose your post format.
While traditional Instagram posts to your permanent timeline are more long-lasting and allow for comments and likes, you shouldn’t underestimate the power of Instagram Stories, which can be used for more immediate needs and occasions.
In fact, 500 million accounts use the Instagram Stories feature daily. So, when you’re creating your post, ask yourself if it warrants publication as a story or as a traditional post.
3. Choose an image.
Maybe you’ve decided your post doesn’t need a photograph and that text overlay on a solid-color background will work for you. If that’s the case, hop over to the next step.
If you’ve decided you do want to use a photograph – particularly if you want one as the background for text overlay – you’ve got a few options.

Take a photo on your phone or with a camera. No need to be a professional photographer for your Instagram posts – you can learn how to take great photos with your phone here.
Use a photo from your company’s files. This works well if you need to utilize team photos or product photography, which may be better quality.
Use a stock photo that pertains to your business (just make sure you don’t use the same one multiple times!).

Whichever photo you decide to use, simply replace it as the background for the template you’re using in the HubSpot Instagram Post Template collection and resize the photo so it’s to your liking (and is good quality).

4. Add design elements.
Instagram post templates come with design placeholders for text with special fonts and other elements. Your next step is to alter, add, or remove any elements that you see fit.
This includes updating the copy to reflect the information you want followers to know and/or the action you want them to take.
5. Save the photo.
When you’ve done all you can in the template builder of your choosing, save your photo to be posted on Instagram. All you’ll have to do here is click File > Download > PNG Image or JPEG Image. Then, just name the photo file, email, or message it to yourself, and save it on your phone so you can post it.
6. Upload to Instagram.
Once you have your photo saved, it’s time to upload it to share with your followers. For a traditional post, open Instagram, click the + button in the bottom center, choose your photo, add any filter, description, or hashtags, and click Share. (Take a look at How to Post on Instagram: a Step-by-Step Guide if you’re still unsure.)
For an Instagram Story post, click on the camera icon in the top left of your screen, access your camera roll in the bottom left of the screen, choose your image, minimize the date that shows up to the point where it can’t be seen, and add any additional design elements – like a GIF or additional copy – to the image. From there, click Your Story on the bottom left.
Other Ways to Design Instagram Posts
Here are some other options to create and save Instagram post templates, so you can have stunning posts on-hand whenever you’re ready to publish.
1. HubSpot

As previously mentioned, HubSpot has some go-to templates for your Instagram posts and stories.
You can have access to fully customizable templates through Google Slides where you can alter the color schemes, images, and purpose of each template depending on the subject you’re posting about — many of which are already made to promote business events or product releases.
2. Fotor

If you’re looking for a free collection of templates to choose from, Fotor will give you over three thousand templates for any topic or occasion.
With Fotor, you can cater your post to reflect your brand image, while incorporating seasonal designs or special sales, or discount templates for your business.
3. Crello

Crello is an online graphic design tool made to enhance your content for many social media channels — providing users with plenty of templates to fill out your Instagram grid.
4. Creative Market
If you’re willing to shell out the cash, you might consider buying one of Creative Market’s Instagram Template bundles.
For instance, you could purchase this 1053 Quotes social media pack.

Alternatively, you can purchase a bundle with Instagram Story content, like this Animated Stories bundle.

Finally, you might consider purchasing a bundle to help you create a cohesive theme for your Instagram feed, like this The Grid template.

Curate Your Instagram Posts with Ease
We hope you found our guide and templates useful as you prepare to make a stylized Instagram feed. With these tools, you’ll be set to create and save pre-made Instagram templates, so you can focus on attracting a loyal following without tediously designing a post from scratch every day.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in October 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

If you’re reading this blog, you’ve likely decided to start or revamp your copywriting portfolio. With so many portfolios out there, it’s hard to figure out how to make yours stand out from the crowd.
What colors should you use? What kind of writing samples will show off your skills? Fortunately, I’ve put together a collection of copywriting portfolio examples that are sure to inspire you and guide you in the right direction.
Each copywriting portfolio example I’ve included is unique in terms of color, layout, and personality — highlighting the various ways you can approach putting a portfolio together and how it’s okay to get creative with yours.

How to Create a Copywriting Portfolio
When creating your copywriting portfolio, avoid cramming in too many of your writing samples. You’ll want to show off your diverse portfolio —that’s understandable — but too many samples can overwhelm potential clients and employers.
Instead, opt for five or six writing samples that capture the different styles of writing you’ve done, such as technical, marketing, and business writing. Be sure to also include a balance of humorous and serious pieces, B2B and B2C writings, as well as short and long-form content.
If you have little-to-no writing samples, build your portfolio by starting a website or blog to showcase your writing skills, or contribute to other websites. You can also write for nonprofits or work internships.
Another method to build your portfolio is to write mock-copywriting samples based on local businesses. Just be sure to let employers or clients know they are mock-samples and that you weren’t actually hired by those companies. The point isn’t to deceive, but to show what you can do.
Copywriting Portfolio Examples
Now that you have a few of your best copywriting examples ready to upload, it’s time to design your portfolio. You want a portfolio that stands out from the crowd, showcases your personality, highlights your skills, and is easy to navigate by potential employers.
To give you some inspiration, here are 25 examples of excellent copywriting portfolios broken down into the following categories:

Homepage – The first page people see of your online portfolio and where you’ll likely house your work samples
About Me – Where you’ll give readers an idea of who you are and what you do
Services – What you can provide your clients

Each of these examples presents a different approach to copywriting portfolios that is sure to attract new opportunities.
Homepage
There are many different approaches to creating a homepage for your portfolio — however, it’s best practice to ensure your homepage features your name, your contact information, and complementary colors. Most copywriters choose to feature their work directly on their homepage, but some find a way to link to their samples.
Here are several examples of outstanding homepage templates:
1. Carline Anglade-Cole
The homepage for Anglade-Cole’s copywriting portfolio immediately establishes her as an expert in her field by bringing attention to the awards she’s garnered throughout her career. The photo on her front page shows her at a speaking engagement with a confident smile, and the photo’s caption clearly states her full name above “3X Award-Winning Direct-Response Copywriter, Author, and Consultant.”
The badges for her awards are also displayed throughout, with the American Writers and Artists Institute badge placed in the middle next to the link to subscribe to her email list. Beneath her email list are badges from other accomplishments, including winning the bronze Nonfiction Book Award. If you’re an award-winning copywriter, Anglade-Cole’s page is a great example of how you can place your awards front and center to establish credibility.
2. Gari Cruze
If you want your homepage to focus less on awards and more on who you’ve worked with, Cruze’s homepage is an outstanding example. This homepage heavily features high-quality photos from the different campaigns he’s worked on. Simply hover over each photo to see the name of the company or campaign, then click on the photo to see the copy he wrote and where it was published.
If you’re looking for a more straight-forward yet eye-catching approach to displaying your work, Cruze’s example can lead you in the right direction.
3. Evan Benner
Benner takes a similar approach by using a mixture of high-quality photos and GIFs to display his work on his portfolio’s homepage. However, Benner takes it a step further by including the year his work was published next to each photo. His homepage also includes a headshot and a small blurb about who he is and where he is based.
Potential clients and employers can easily navigate his portfolio by scrolling down where they can see more links to his About page (“Meet Evan”), copy, and the projects he worked on.
4. Jose Carlos Benítez
Copywriting portfolios don’t have to be all work and no play, so don’t be afraid to inject a little humor if you can. Benítez’s personality and sense of humor are sprinkled throughout his portfolio’s homepage.
Upon visiting his website, you’re greeted with a black screen with white text that starts with “Hello there, human! Or robot!” and ends with “Scroll down to see the blood, sweat and tears.” And for laughs, there’s a random button that says “This is just a button.” Spoiler Alert: The button doesn’t do anything but I definitely laughed after I clicked on it and waited 30 seconds for something (nothing) to happen.
Once you scroll down, you’ll see a display of GIFs of the different campaigns Benítez has worked on over the years. Similar to Cruze and Brenner’s portfolios, hovering over the GIFs will show the name of the company the campaign was for — and clicking on them will take you to his work.
Featuring a bit of your personality throughout the portfolio will give potential clients and employers an idea of the kind of person they’re working with — and their humor and vision might line up with yours.
5. Benji Shaw
If you want to include imagery in your portfolio, but prefer a more minimalist approach, then Shaw’s portfolio will spark a few ideas. This portfolio features a black background with his name displayed in a large, easy-to-read font in the upper left corner. Two large images representing his work are featured in the foreground, and more of his work is shown by simply scrolling down. Like in previous examples, clicking the images will take you to another page that gives greater detail on the projects he’s worked on.
6. Aly J. Yale
Another excellent example for minimalists, Yale’s portfolio doesn’t rely on a ton of imagery. Instead her homepage is straightforward, simple, and only features her name in large black text against a white background —along with tabs in the upper right hand corner that lead to her bio, homepage, and contact page.
If you scroll down Yale’s homepage, you see the logos of the outlets that have published her work.
Though I’d definitely suggest including a tab with links to your written work, this homepage shows that sometimes less is more and that you don’t have to rely on bold images to have a strong portfolio.
7. Davina van Buren
The homepage for van Buren’s portfolio is a great example for copywriters who are looking for a neat, organized way of promoting all of their talents, work, and social media in one place.

The content of the homepage is organized in a way that leads your eyes down the page. Its coordinated neutral colors are engaging without being too jarring. Also, notice how the tabs for the about page, portfolio, testimonials, contact information, and social media widgets are all neatly organized in a single row at the top.
This format is great if you’re a copywriter who prefers a clean-cut, business professional portfolio.
8. Stephan Marsh
This portfolio is a great example if you’re the kind of copywriter who wants to get straight to the point. With a tagline in big bold letters reading “Read less of what I say. See more of what I’ve done,” Marsh makes it clear that he does not want to waste anyone’s time. The top of his homepage even includes a self-contained PDF portfolio that can be downloaded immediately.
This portfolio shows that even a person of few words can still find a way to make a bold first impression.
9. Jennifer Cheek
I love this homepage example because it shows how a copywriter can add their own personal touch to a portfolio template. What makes this portfolio stand out is its fun pink hues and the adorable yellow canary logo on the left side of the page. Once again, don’t be afraid to show your personality on your portfolio’s homepage, and that includes your quirky side.
10. Anna Rogan
Rogan’s homepage, like van Buran’s, also leads your eye downward. As you scroll down you’ll see more of her work samples, but what makes her page really interesting is that each sample comes with a corresponding color change. This makes for a fun, aesthetically pleasing scroll through her work.
11. Kayla Dean
Dean’s portfolio is called The Literary Co. and starts by letting visitors know she has a wealth of experience, having created copy for more than 100 clients. Her portfolio also has a blog-style setup where potential clients can scroll down and see all of her latest work, case studies, and the brands she has worked with.
12. Dayarne Smith
Smith’s website opens with a large image of a woman at a keyboard and features all of her relevant tabs at the top of the homepage. Once you scroll down, you’ll see her portfolio with links to her work uniquely displayed in fun monitor illustrations.
13. Sara Frandina
Frandina leaned into the writing theme by having her portfolio’s homepage resemble notebook paper. She doubled down on the theme by crossing out a word in the tagline and “writing” in a new word.
In addition to having standard information tabs at the top of the page, Frandina also included tabs linking to her past works separated by categories — customer research, email sequences, launch copy, long-form sales page, and website copy. These tabs can be found by scrolling down the homepage.

About Me
This is where you showcase your personality and clearly define the expertise you bring as a copywriter. Notice that each example features a photo of the copywriter.
14. Kim Hobson
Figuring out what to say about yourself can be difficult. Where do you even start? Hobson found a way around that by breaking her About page into sections. In her introduction, she includes a photo of herself followed by a brief overview of what she does, where she is based, and how long she has been copywriting.
Below her overview, she lists five quick facts about herself — some of which pertain to copywriting and others that cover her personal life. Then she has a section that breaks down her professional background.

If you’re not sure what to put in your About page, you can follow Hobson’s formula by including a brief overview followed by a few fun facts and a breakdown of your career thus far.
15. Flourish Writing
Sarah, whose portfolio is called Flourish Writing, introduces herself using a funny anecdote about her first “published book” being written on craft paper and stored on her elementary school’s shelf for years. This anecdote lets the reader know Sarah has had a passion for writing since she was a child and that passion can also produce excellent work.
Complete with a photo of Sarah with her adorable pup, this About page gives the reader a clear idea of who Sarah is when she isn’t writing.
16. Shanice Perriatt
Perriatt’s About page is concise and well organized. Her opener clearly states her name and what she does: “I’m Shanice Perriatt – a digital marketer and content creator who blends the best of design and writing into compelling and engaging brand content.”
Like Sarah, Perriatt also gives us insight into her life and hobbies – going to the gym, scrolling through Twitter, and going to the movies. Finally, the bio ends with Perriatt telling the reader the position she holds now.
The muted pastel background complements the green around headshot, making for a clean, informative page.
17. Kayla Hollatz
Hollatz takes a different approach to her About page. First, it starts with a photo of Hollatz next to a brief statement detailing her objective.
After scrolling down, visitors see an “About You” page instead of an “About Me” page. This is where Hollatz presents an issue many clients face.
Finally, visitors can scroll further down to find an About Me page in which Hollatz presents herself as the answer to all of the potential client’s problems.
18. Andie Coupland
Coupland’s About page shows that it is perfectly fine to veer away from personal details and to keep things strictly business. While we don’t get insight into Coupland’s life outside of writing, we do get a clear description of her experience and what she brings to the table as a copywriter. Note that she also includes a link to her LinkedIn for more information.
19. Jacob McMillen
McMillen’s About page establishes credibility by focusing on his accomplishments. He also puts his own spin on the writer’s headshot by instead only showing half his face. It’s a bold move but the gray coloring complements the muted blue and white banner, so it doesn’t seem too out of place.
20. James Schlesinger
Like Hollatz, Schlesinger uses his About page to present a problem potential clients could be facing, then he presents himself as the solution by explaining exactly what he can do for them. Then he ends his bio with a call to action, urging readers to contact him for his services.
21. John Axtell
Are you looking for a punchy opener to grab the reader’s attention? Why not try “I love high kicks!” Maybe avoid that exact phrase, since that’s how Axtell decided to open his About page, but shouting a random fact about yourself is definitely a good start. Axtell took the opener a step further by including a photo of him doing a high kick.

If you decide to open with a fun fact, like Axtell, coupling that opener with a photo showing that fact can definitely show your personality and grab the attention of potential clients.
Services
Some copywriters opt to dedicate a separate page of their online portfolio to breaking down the specific services they provide. If you choose to do the same, here are a couple of examples you can reference:
22. Danielle Wallace
Wallace chose to separate her services into different clickable boxes that include icons and a mixture of script and typewriting fonts.
23. Sandy Dang
Dang displays her services in a more horizontal format with texts on one side and a large corresponding photo on the other. Each section of her service page includes a button that gives the option to book.
24. Jennifer Locke
Lock kept the format straightforward by simply stating what she can do for the client and including a button that allows potential clients to schedule a consultation. This could be a great method for copywriters who specialize in only one for two services.
25. Stuart Tarn
Of course, sometimes your portfolio is enough to show clients and employers what you’re capable of. Tarn organized his portfolio in a simple way that shows he can provide web, email, social, and print copy. Clicking on each image will take the reader to his previous work.
All of these copywriting portfolio examples are unique, but are all well organized, easy to navigate, and show a dash of personality while using complementary or neutral colors. Remember these points when putting together your own portfolio. Now, go out there and get that next big gig!

 

How can you be sure that your business is taking advantage of every opportunity to attract local customers? One way is to perform a local SEO audit — a thorough assessment of your search engines rankings and the actions you should take to improve or maintain your local online presence.
While a local SEO audit may seem daunting if you’ve never done one before, it can actually be completed in seven easy steps — and there are several tools that can make yours quick and efficient.
A local SEO audit can be done on its own or as part of an overall digital audit.

Local SEO Audit Guide
Our guide to completing a local SEO audit is broken down into the following steps:

Keyword research
Website audit
Google Business Profile analysis
Local business citation analysis
Client/customer review performance
Analytics review
Competitor analysis

How to Do a Local SEO Audit
1. SEO Keyword Research
Figure out the keywords your potential customers are typing into search engines to find businesses like yours. Different customers will use different keywords to find what they are looking for, so make sure the keywords you optimize for aren’t too narrow.
To broaden your keyword list, think about where your customers could be in the buyer’s journey. If they’re in the early stages, they’re likely searching “Where can I find X near me?” or “X in [city, state].”
While you may already know a few keywords and phrases to optimize for, using SEO tools like Ahrefs and Keyword Finder will help you find even more long and short tail keywords you may have never thought of.
Remember, the majority of search engine users rarely click on the second page for information, so optimizing your website for SERPs is key to attracting new customers and generating conversions.
2. Website Audit
Now that you know the keywords you need to optimize for, you’re ready to conduct a website audit — an analysis of your website’s structure, content, and overall experience.
A website audit considers:
Page Optimization
Optimizing a web page means ensuring a page is well-structured, unique, and focused on relevant keywords. When a search engine like Google crawls through a webpage, it looks for signals to determine the page’s focus and what search inquiries it can rank for.
Issues with page optimization can include:

Missing or lengthy title tags
Missing headlines
Missing, lengthy, or duplicate meta data

To optimize your page, include keyword-focused headlines, page titles, headings, URLs, and meta descriptions. If images are important to your business or website, use image alt text and file names that include relevant keywords.
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are special boxes that include highlighted excerpts of texts and appear at the very top of search results. Below is a featured snippet that appears when you Google “What color is the sun.”

A featured snippet will bring your web page to the top of search results. To increase the chances of SERPs pulling your page as a featured snippet:

Publish authoritative and relevant content.
Ensure your local business details, events, products, FAQs are easily found on your site.

Internal Linking
Make sure your site’s pages link to other parts of your website and that those links are not dead or outdated. Cross linking to other parts of your website can boost multiple pages at a time — and it will help search engines determine the flow of your website and its ability to direct users to the answers they need.
Duplicate Content
Google prioritizes original content in its rankings. If your website contains duplicate content, you can either update your page so that it only has original content, delete duplicate pages, or include a canonical tag to let Google know your site contains pages taken from another site.
Step 3: Google Business Profile
A Google Business Profile (GBP) is a box that appears when people look up your business or service. This box contains your business’ name, address, hours, and other key information customers would want to know. An updated GBP will boost your business’ visibility on Google Maps and will increase organic search results.
Notice the GBP below includes the business name, primary business category, hours of operation, address, services and more.

Once you’ve created your GBP, check to make sure all the information regarding your business is up to date. This establishes credibility and will encourage Google to rank your business higher in local search results.
Step 4: Local Business Citation Analysis
Local citations are any online mentions of your business’ name, address, and phone number. It’s important to have this information featured in local directories, such as your local chamber of commerce or websites like Yellow Pages.
Make sure all of this information is up-to-date. If you’ve changed locations, names, or numbers, all references to your business must reflect that. If your local citations are out of date, your credibility could take a hit, and search engines will likely lower your ranking.
Step 5: Client/Customer Review Analysis
Reviews play a huge role not only in local search rankings but in acquiring new customers. According to a 2022 survey by Brightlocal, 84% of consumers said reviews are “important” or “very important” when deciding to try out a new business or service provider.
With that in mind, analyze your reviews. Are they mostly positive or negative? Do you have enough reviews to determine a pattern? How often are you responding to reviews?
That last point is especially important because responding to reviews shows Google that you’re an active and responsive business, which plays a role in your ranking.
To obtain more reviews, encourage clients to leave a review online by issuing a special promotion. Some businesses offer incentives such as gift cards or a certain percentage off the customer’s next purchase.
Step 6: Analytics Review
Use tools like Google Analytics to track the success of your web pages and assess which of your pages are performing well and which need more support. When using Google Analytics (or any analytics tool of your choice) pay attention to:

Your top-visited pages and whether those pages are visible on your site
Organic search
Page performance
The path visitors take to purchase on your site

Also, check to see if other domains are referring to your website and if there is an opportunity for backlinks. Backlinks are any links to your website or pages from third-party websites. If a relevant and reputable website frequently links to yours, that could boost search results. However, links from non-reputable websites can do more harm than good.
Step 7: Competitor Analysis
Finally, it’s time to check on your competitors. Type the keywords you plan to optimize for into Google and make a list of competitors in your niche. The list doesn’t have to be long — at least five would be enough.
Then look up their GBP, reviews, social media activity, local listings, and how well they rank for those keywords. SEO tools like Ahrefs also offer features that allow you to see what other keywords their websites are optimized for, so you can consider those keywords for your own strategy.

Local SEO Audit Tools
Many of the steps listed above can be done manually, but there are plenty of tools that can save time and effort when performing a local SEO audit such as:
HubSpot
HubSpot offers SEO tools that provide actionable recommendations to optimize your website for SEO, show which pages need to be updated, offer topic suggestions, access to monthly search data, and more. Its integrated tools also allow you to create clusters and blog content around core topics — strengthening your authority in your niche and boosting your search rankings.

Ahrefs
Ahrefs has many features that help you track SEO performance and research your competitors’ backlinks and keyword performance. You can also find new keywords with its Keyword Explorer feature and perform site audits that scan for SEO issues

Google My Business
This tool can help you discover local competitors, compare your performance, and monitor and respond to reviews on your site. It also comes with a “Book an Appointment” feature that can boost engagement with your business.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics shows how many people visit your website. It also records organic traffic, bounce rate, third party referrals, and demographic data to help you build detailed buyer personas.
GeoRanker
This tool tracks the rankings of websites by location and this information via heat maps. This is great for determining how well your site ranks in your community and planning targeted campaigns to improve or maintain your ranking.
Local SEO audits are key to assessing how well your website connects to your target audience. By ensuring your website is up-to-date, keyword optimized, and easily accessible, you can bring more customers to your storefront and boost revenue.

The shrug emoji 🤷 is a popular image used to convey confusion or emphasize a question.
There’s no denying the power emojis have when it comes to boosting engagement and emphasizing communication. Sometimes you just need a symbol to get the point across, and emojis serve that purpose.

However, it’s worth noting the shrug emoji wouldn’t exist without its predecessor, the shrug emoticon. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Though emojis have come a long way, I’m still a big fan of typed emoticons. Emoticons bring me back to simpler times when my phone still had a physical keyboard and AOL Instant Messenger was my main method of communication. Those were the days.
If you still have an affinity for typed emoticons like me, especially the ¯_(ツ)_/¯ emoticon, here’s how you can type it in two seconds flat on a Mac, Windows, iPhone, and Android.
How to Type the Shrug Emoji ¯_(ツ)_/¯ in Two Seconds Flat
The shrug emoticon is one of the more intricate emoticons to type, so most people resort to copying and pasting it from a website, like CopyShrug.
But copying and pasting the emoticon is really only a good option if you use it sparingly. If you’re an avid user of the shrug emoticon, you’ll need to keep revisiting the website to copy and paste it, which is a relatively slow and annoying process, especially on your mobile phone.
To type the shrug emoticon as fast as possible, we recommend creating a text replacement shortcut with your device’s autocorrect feature (which might be the first time autocorrect actually comes in handy for you).
How to Type the Shrug Emoji: on Mac

1. Copy “¯_(ツ)_/¯”
2. Go to System Preferences
3. Click Keyboard
4. Press Text
5. In the Replace box, type “shrug”
6. In the With box, paste “¯_(ツ)_/¯”
How to Type the Shrug Emoji:
on Windows Unfortunately, Windows doesn’t have an autocorrect feature, but you can download programs like
PhraseExpress to set up text replacement shortcuts and quickly type the shrug emoticon.
How to Type the Shrug Emoji: on
iPhone
1. Copy “¯_(ツ)_/¯ ”
2. Go to Settings
3. Press General
4. Tap Keyboard
5. Choose Text Replacement
6. Select the “+” button
7. In the Shortcut field, type “shrug”
8. In the Phrase field, paste “¯_(ツ)_/¯ ”
How to Type the Shrug Emoji: on
Android
1. Copy “¯_(ツ)_/¯ ”
2. From your text message keyboard, tap the three dots
3. Go to Settings
4. Tap Dictionary
5. On a Google Pixel, press Personal Dictionary; using a Samsung device, tap Text Shortcuts
6. Select your language
7. Select the “+”
8. In the Shortcut field, type “shrug”
9. Tap the ” ¯_(ツ)_/¯” that shows up on the keyboard

There you have it! A quick and easy shortcut to help you type the shrug emoji in no time.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in September 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

A great B2B marketer understands the utility of an informative and original piece of content. And while blog posts, press releases, and eBooks are all super effective mediums of content marketing, there are even more content formats worth exploring for your business — including reports. Marketing reports provide a comprehensive snapshot of your brand, your…
The post How to Create Your Own Report: A Step-By-Step Guide appeared first on Benchmark Email.

Adding popups to your website and landing pages is the best way to grow your email list. Learn the best practices and tips on how, when, where, and why to use popups and forms.

Hello everyone! Need some fair community feedback for the Ukrainian SaaS startup that I and my team are currently working on. It’s called AdBraze and it’s been made to save maximum time and effort for user acquisition teams. Would appreciate your opinion If you could choose a new feature for an ad automation platform, what would it be? Advanced automated rules Cross-platform analytics Creative generation AI Production management tool In case you can share some other unresolved pain for your performance marketing team – I’d be grateful. submitted by /u/Darling_Curse [link] [comments]

submitted by /u/linked_camp [link] [comments]

Let’s face it – there are many marketing tactics that boost conversions. However, to make your marketing effective, leveraging the customer’s buying cycle is the key to a successful online business.
Understanding a customer’s buying cycle is how you can have the right marketing for a successful commerce site.

Online Buying Cycle
The online buying cycle is very similar to the original buying cycle; however the key difference is the online buying cycle occurs online. Because it is online; many ecommerce sites and brands will utilize social media platforms and email marketing as marketing tools to help market and sell to consumers and generate leads back to their ecommerce site. The buying cycle and online buying cycle will go through the five stages of closing a sale.
5 Stages of the Customer Buying Cycle
You can look at a customer buying cycle as a customer’s purchasing cycle. ;Many customers go through stages during their purchasing process to educate themselves before they either make a purchase. There are five stages that you have to consider:
1. Awareness
Awareness is the first stage in a customer’s buying cycle when customers realize that they have a problem that needs a solution. ;
A company will be able to reach the target customers given the right marketing strategies and campaigns.
For example, a customer is trying to lower plastic waste from water bottle usage. A customer then sees an ad for a water filter. The problem the customer is facing is met with a solution and now the next stage of the customer buying cycle begins.
2. Consideration
This stage is where the prospect is considering their options and ;your company can provide multiple solutions for a customer. As an ecommerce site, this is where your marketing, sales team, and products come in.
In this stage, you can provide detailed information to explain how your product will help solve their problem. To go back to our example, once the customer clicks the ad and lands on your site, you can list the benefits of the water filter, such as cleaner water, more cost effective than buying bottled water, and gives you a good boost in health. ;Once the customer understands that this product is what they need to solve their problem, ;they will move onto the next stage.
3. Intent
In this stage, a salesperson aims to earn the trust of potential customers. Whether you tap them emotionally or logically, this is the time where a salesperson convinces the potential buyer that their product is the best solution for their needs. You can accomplish this through reviews from existing customers, highlighting the benefits of the product, or through a social media campaign that creates a feeling within the customer. Once the customer is convinced and has seen proof that the product works, we move on to the next stage.
4. Purchase
At this point, your customer is ready to purchase the solution for their needs. While your customer is in this stage, you need to ensure that your pricing is reasonable and you make the buying process as simple as possible.
When the customer purchases, that is not the last step in the customer buying cycle. You don’t want the customer to be a one-time buyer. You will need to manage the customer’s relationship with your site to make them a returning customer. ;Maintain contact with the customer on their problem solving journey to make sure ;that the product works properly and that they are satisfiedThe purchase is just the start of a relationship with a customer; building a relationship ;keeps them in the buying cycle.
5. Re-purchase (Renewal)
The final stage of the buying cycle is repurchase of your product or service. This is where you manage your relationship with the customers. In the previous stage, we touched on the importance of making sure that the customer and seller have established a good rapport ;since this will encourage the customer to repeat business . To get to repurchase, it’s imperative that the customer is happy and satisfied. In addition, in this stage, you can ask ;a customer for a review or a testimonial on how this product or service helped them with their needs.
Create Targeted Content for Each Stage
Now that you know the breakdown of the five stages of a customer’s buying cycle, it’s time to start making the most of it. To get started, you need to answer the questions which are related ;to each stage. But how do you know what your customers are searching ;for to gather information? The answer lies in search queries.
;Look at this example:

“flat screen tv” – This is a generic term that customers in the Awareness or Consideration stage use. “compare flat screen tvs” – The desire to compare products indicates this customer is further along in the cycle, such as the Consideration or Preference stage.
“sony 42” lcd” – This a very specific product query indicates that a shopper is much further into the buying cycle, now likely evaluating prices (right before the Purchase stage).

The next step is to create content that moves customers closer to purchase. For example, look for keywords that are related to the Awareness and Consideration stages. Using the previous example, you can provide a guide to selecting the perfect flat screen TV.
For the Preference/Intent stage, leveraging customer testimonials, providing specification sheets and telling your brand story will help push prospects closer to the Purchase stage, which is the perfect time to utilize a PPC ;ad with text that entices them to buy. To LeadL them towards Repurchase, you can send monthly newsletters with helpful tips and tricks . That way it will keep your brand on the top of their minds.
Make Content Available Through the Right Channels
Of course, the content you share is fully dependent on the product you offer and the profile of your customers, but there are basic commonalities on how to market in each stage of the buying cycle:

Awareness: For the majority of ecommerce sites, this is all about being found via search engine marketing, particularly PPC and SEO.
Consideration: Once customers find you in search engines, keyword-tailored landing pages are essential. . You can also use comparison charts that highlight the key selling points to help you stand out from the competition.
Preference/Intent: Your website should do the talking here, especially your product descriptions and overall branding. This is a critical stage to capture contact information.
Purchase: Get your coupons and discounts out there, whether it’s through your PPC ad text, a pre-sales email, or social media .
Repurchase: Keep in contact with your customers via scheduled emails, social media, and personal outreach. Your customers are your best growth opportunity.

Create a Meaningful Customer Buying Cycle
While it’s common for online business owners to always focus on the sale, it’s important to remember that your flock of customers are scattered across the field. By herding them through the right gates using your marketing, you’ll be able to enjoy a much more dependable customer pipeline.
Editor’s note: This post was originally published in July 2011 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.

As an online store, you drive traffic online. This means that, when people search for products or services related to what you sell, you want your business to appear in their search results. Enter ecommerce SEO.
Read on to learn more about ecommerce SEO, why it’s important, how to create an ecommerce SEO strategy, and discover tools that will help you with your process.

What is ecommerce SEO?
Ecommerce seo is the process of making your online store visible in search results so that people doing searches related to what you offer are likely to come across your website. An optimized ecommerce site is more likely to rank highly in SERPs and drive organic traffic.
Ecommerce SEO is important because 60% of people research a brand online before making a purchase. When your site is optimized, they’ll be able to find your product pages in search results and learn about what you offer. When people can find your site and learn about what you offer, they’re also more likely to make a purchase.
This type of SEO is not that different from general SEO. Still, you will focus your efforts on optimizing your site to benefit your products, like writing high-quality and keyword-rich product descriptions.
Ecommerce SEO Strategy
1. Keyword Research
Your ecommerce SEO process should begin with keyword research for your site, especially for your product pages.
This research will help you learn the words most commonly used when people search for products related to your business. You’ll then want to use these keywords in the content on your site, so Google learns when to surface your website in SERPs and so searchers know what they’ll find on your page when they click.
The image below is a product page from Supergoop for one of its sunscreen products, Unseen Sunscreen. The brief product description uses keywords that people often search for when researching sunscreens: invisible sunscreen, scentless sunscreen, SPF 40.

Image Source
You can also conduct keyword research based on your competitors to see what they’re ranking for that you aren’t. Ahrefs Content Gap Tool is a high-quality option for doing this, and you can enter the URLs for your competitors and get a full report.
2.On-page SEO
On-page SEO elements help search engines understand what’s on your site pages, like your content and HTML elements. These elements often include your keywords, so keyword research is always the first step.
1. Meta Titles
Meta titles are the headings you use to describe what’s on your page content. When you write them, you’d want to summarize the main topic of your page with a related keyword. The image below is an example from Shopify, an ecommerce platform for businesses, where the meta title describes exactly what the business is for: selling online.

Image Source
2. Meta Descriptions
Meta descriptions are snippets of text in SERPs that describe what’s on specific pages. It helps searchers assess if the page is relevant to what they are looking for. This summary is only visible in search results, and when writing them, you should include your target keywords.
The image below is an example of a meta description from Dollar Shave Club that reads, “Everything you need in the bathroom – from razor blades to grooming products – automatically delivered to your door. It doesn’t get any simpler than that.”

Image Source
Within your meta descriptions, your ecommerce store can also greatly benefit from including reviews and star ratings for your products as it helps you build trust. You can do this by using review snippet schema markup.
3. URL Structure
Your URL structure refers to your subdirectories and slugs that categorize your website. Best practices are to keep your URLs simple, use relevant keywords, and always hyphenate your slugs.
The hierarchy of your URLs should be clear, so browsers and search engines know when your pages are getting more specific.  
Let’s take HubSpot URLs as an example. The HubSpot domain is hubspot.com.
If you’re researching HubSpot’s marketing software and its specific tools, the URL becomes hubspot.com/products/marketing, where

/products is a subdirectory
/marketing is a slug

Telling Google that /marketing is a product page that gets more specific. Then, if you’re interested in the social media management software, the URL becomes hubspot.com/products/marketing/social-inbox, where

/social-inbox is an additional slug for a specific tool within a specific product

4. Product Descriptions
Product and category descriptions clearly explain what your product is. When writing them, you want to include the keywords you’ve gathered in your research.
On the Social Media Management product page from HubSpot, the product is described using relevant long-tail keywords that people will often search, like publishing content, social media ROI, and monitoring social mentions.
5. Structured Data
Structured data is the code on your website that explains the content on your page to help with indexing. You want to add structured data markups to your product pages to ensure optimization.
Google has an entire database of product-related structured data for shipping information, offers, pricing, and product availability — really anything you need to sell your products. You can simply copy and paste it into your site’s schema markup, add your unique elements, and check if it’s valid using the Rich Results Test.
6. Images and Image Alt Text
All ecommerce websites should use high-quality images to display their products. While they help drive a sale, images with the right keywords and descriptive alt text can help you show up in search results and image packs.
For example, here’s an image from the WordPress website with the alt text “Devices showing the WordPress mobile app.” The alt text describes what’s in the picture, and the description allows it to show up in image search results for WordPress Mobile.

Image Source
3.Technical SEO
Technical SEO is what makes your site run and easy to navigate. For ecommerce sites, focus on optimizing your website speed.
As you likely include a lot of text to describe your products, images to show off your products, and maybe videos for product demonstrations, your site can take a long time to load. Aim to compress all files on your site to ensure they can load fast enough that browsers aren’t frustrated and waiting for results. Conversion rates drop by an average of 4.42% with each additional second of load time, so this is critical.
You also want to make sure that your code is clean because it can impact load times. All SEO practices work in tandem, so using the correct structured data can help you ensure your code is clean and easy for bots to read.
4. Backlinks
Backlinks, also known as off-page SEO, are important for ecommerce sites as they drive traffic. Seek out backlinks from sources with positive reputations, are authoritative, and relate to what you offer.
Some popular strategies for getting backlinks are reclaiming unlinked mentions of your business, getting mentioned in listicles, and using high-quality images that sites can use to link back to your content.
A creative way to get backlinks for an ecommerce site is through collaborations with influencers or affiliates. They can promote your products and share links to your site with their audience.
5. Optimize For Mobile
Optimizing your ecommerce site for mobile is a must for your SEO strategy, as mobile devices generate about half of all global website traffic and 41% of web traffic.
Responsive mobile design is how you ensure your ecommerce site can adapt to whatever device a visitor uses. This means mobile buttons that resize, images and graphics that scale, typography, and text size — really anything that can change based on the size of someone’s screen.
Ecommerce SEO Audit
Your ecommerce SEO audit will monitor the same elements that make up your strategy. Running one is beneficial because you’ll get a checklist of improvements to make that will benefit your rankings once you finish.
Here are some questions you can use to guide yourself during your audit.
Keyword Research

Which keywords do you currently rank for? 
What keyword opportunities can you pursue?

On-Page SEO

Do you have descriptive meta descriptions? 
Are your meta titles related to your page content? 
Do your product descriptions use target keywords? 
Do your product descriptions clearly explain what you’re selling? 
Do your images have descriptive, keyword-rich alt text? 
Do you use product-specific structured data? 
Is your structured data valid by Google’s standards?

Technical SEO

What is your current page speed?
Are your images compressed?
Are your videos compressed?
Is your schema markup clean?
Has your site been indexed by Google?

Backlinks

What current backlinks do you have?
Are your current backlinks from authoritative sources?
What websites can you get backlinks from?
Do you have any unlinked mentions to claim? 

Mobile Optimization

Are your images scalable?
Are your graphics and vectors scalable?
Is your text scalable?
Does your website automatically respond to different device sizes?
Does your website pass the mobile optimization test?

Ecommerce SEO Tools

Keyword Planner is a free tool that helps you conduct keyword research for writing rich product descriptions. 
Google’s Mobile Optimization Test helps you ensure your site is responsive to screens of all sizes. 
PageSpeed Insights will tell you your site’s current speed and give suggestions on how to improve your score. 
Rich Result Test analyzes the structured data on your desktop and mobile site to ensure it’s valid for rich results. It tests specifically for Google SERP features. 
Squoosh to compress the image files on your website.
Ahrefs to conduct keyword research and analyze your competition. It’s a paid tool that also offers other high-quality SEO features for auditing your entire site, monitoring your rankings, and identifying opportunities to improve your rankings. 
SEMrush helps you find opportunities to strengthen your backlink profile and optimize your site for local SEO.
SEO Site Checkup is a full-service paid tool to help you test your meta titles, preview your site in Google SERPs, run responsive image tests, and create SEO-friendly URLs.

Over To You
Quality is the only SEO method that will get you anywhere, so make sure the information you put out there—whether on your own page or on directories and other publications—is the best possible quality you can provide. With the  methods outlined above, your ecommerce site will benefit from better SEO results.