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Unless you’ve avoided newspapers, magazines, television, radio, podcasts, and the internet for the last few weeks, chances are you know Super Bowl season is upon us. American football might not be everyone’s favorite, but you don’t have to be a huge fan to appreciate the excitement that surrounds any major sporting event. No matter whether your allegiance lies on a tennis court or a soccer field, the Wix template collection has tons of options that will help you create the perfect site for your passion. So if you’re thinking about creating a sport site for your coaching, hobby, favorite team, little league or even sporting goods store, these just might be the inspiration you’re looking for. In the spirit of all things sporty, we’ve found some really impressive websites that we felt deserved the spotlight. Ready? Set… GO! Learn more: How to make a sports website Adelaide Motorsport Festival >> Tennis for Chances >> Pr Golf Online >> Fantasy Squads >> From the Couch >> Cdc JD Maringa >> Just Premier >> Mes Q Sport >> Oxford Parkour >> Parent Soccer Coach >> Poza Rica Deportes >> Ricardinho >> Shaolin Shi Xing Mi >> Derby Darlins >> Sunshine Coast Referees >> Joern Pollex >>

Get started by: Creating a website →  | Getting a domain → Podcasts have the power to capture millions of listeners' attention, quickly becoming the modern-day radio. But why have podcasts become so influential? One of the main reasons is the combination of creators who enjoy having their voice heard and listeners who want to get inspired with new ideas and solutions to their problems. In order for these two sides of the coin to meet, the content needs to be accessible on a podcast hosting site. This, paired with a professional free website , is all you need to ensure the world hears what you have to say. Because the internet is filled with many places to store and broadcast your work, it’s important to know from the start what you can expect to get out of the podcast hosting site you choose. With this in mind, we’ve rounded up a list of the 15 best podcast hosts on the market and reviewed each platform’s unique features, so you can select a host that truly shows off your storytelling skills. Starting a podcast? Use this podcast name generator to name it. What is podcast hosting and why you need it Podcast hosting platforms store and broadcast your content. They also ensure your site does not face any slowdown or overload due to its large audio files and make your work easily accessible. After uploading your content to one of these hosts, your podcast is immediately available for listeners on your site through their embedded web app. Podcast hosts also make it possible to quickly share your audio to third-party streaming services such as Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Furthermore, hosting platforms often come with advanced features such as podcast analytics, automatic transcription and tools for monetizing a podcast . These integrations can be very beneficial when starting a podcast . Best podcast hosting sites Wix Podcast Player Podbean Buzzsprout Libsyn Spreaker Simplecast Transistor Blubrry Captivate Castos Audioboom SoundCloud Anchor Megaphone Podcast Websites 01. Wix Podcast Player While the Wix Podcast Player isn’t a traditional hosting platform, it’s certainly one of the easiest and most stylish ways to showcase your podcast on your website, no matter where your host is. There are ready-made podcast website templates designed for you to easily launch. The best part is that the initial setup just requires your podcast’s RSS feed URL. From there, the Wix Podcast Player will do the rest for you. Like magic, the player will begin populating the page with your logo, all of your episodes, and their accompanying photos and descriptions. Plus, it will produce a set of dynamic pages, meaning it instantly creates a page for each episode using a uniform format. Therefore, each episode will open on its own page, yet the design will remain consistent throughout – all with zero work on your end. After it’s set up, you can go ahead and customize the player’s style and design, so it merges well with the rest of your site. Plans: Wix Podcast Player is free and all features are available, without limits, at no cost. Key features: Feature and stream your podcasts, all in one place Easily connect your site to hosts using RSS feeds Instantly create show feeds and episode pages Free web hosting for all your content 02. PodBean PodBean’s user-friendly interface allows you to upload, publish, manage and promote your podcasts with just a few clicks of your mouse. But what really sets them apart from the crowd is its crowdfunding options for those more serious creators looking to make money from loyal listeners. In terms of capabilities, the platform is simple and intuitive. One major advantage of casting your lot with PodBean is that your podcast is included in their network, adding another layer of discoverability for you. Plans: PodBean comes with four different plans to choose from. Its free option is a no-frills, straightforward five hours of audio uploaded a month, with 100GB of bandwidth. It also comes with basic stats, customizable players to embed, and your own podcast landing page site. The first paid tier, Unlimited Audio, introduces paid monetization, increased upload hours and bandwidth to unlimited, plus a few more services. If you’re a beginner, you will most likely find what you’re looking for between the first two paid options. However, if you’ve got some exemplary podcasting skills under your belt and are looking for ways to grow your podcast or need free business tools , PodBeans’s latter two paid options will be more fitting. Key features: Monetization capabilities Alexa integration Free plans 03. Buzzsprout Buzzsprout's name is usually found on top podcast hosts' lists and is credited for its ease of use. It’s a modern service designed to keep things simple. The platform brings exactly what a podcast needs to the table. It includes all the good stuff like stats, easy migration and embedded podcast players. Their well-designed dashboard makes it easy to upload and publish your episodes. On the flip side, you can also schedule shows in advance. That way, your listeners are never neglected. If you’re the obsessive type about stats, then you’ll love the mobile dashboard which includes the option to manage promotions and keep a close eye on your numbers no matter where you are. Plans: Just like the platform itself, Buzzsprout offers simplified paid plans. There is a free podcast hosting plan that allows for two hours of upload a month, and three paid plans that offer increased storage ranging from three to 12 hours a month. The most expensive of those paid plans still only reaches $24 a month. However, instead of having a hard cap of audio hours, Buzzsprout will simply charge you for additional hours. The exact amount you are charged per extra hour is dependent on the existing paid plan you have. It’s a nifty feature to have just in case one of your podcast episodes runs longer than expected. Key features: Free for 90 days Mobile friendly dashboard Easy migration from other hosting platforms 04. Libsyn You’ll see Libsyn at the top of most best podcast hosting lists online, and for good reason: It’s pretty great. It’s been around since podcasting first broke onto the scene, it provides a fantastic set of features, and it is competitively priced. While there are other hosts out there that offer a similar feature set or even better pricing, the combination of a longstanding (positive) track record and multiple plans to choose from, depending on your needs, make Libsyn a good first stop in your podcast hosting search. Plans: Libsyn offers a handful of different plans, each increasing in features as you go up. Plans range from $5 a month to $150 a month and the primary change between plans being storage options (with caps from 50MB to 3000MB). Key features: Custom mobile app YouTube publishing Advanced analytics 05. Spreaker From its website, description of its features and the layout of its plans, literally everything about Spreaker feels professional. One thing that sets them apart from most of the other hosts on this list is that it gives you unlimited daily sessions, allowing you to start a live stream as many times as you want per day. The length of time you can keep the live stream going is indicated by the plan you’re on. While this isn’t something everyone is going to use or even care for, it’s a pretty neat and unique feature to have (freely) available to you. Outside of its unique ‘live’ feature, Spreaker offers up the expected features any budding or expert podcaster could want, with a focus on marketing and other professional services. Plans: Spreaker has a free podcast hosting plan cleverly called “Free Speech” and goes up to a $50 per month “Anchorman Plan.” The value per plan increases significantly as you go up. The more expensive plans all increase daily session limit, storage, and improved analytics, marketing and monetization tools. Key features: Chat while streaming live iHeartRadio distribution Ad-free pages 06. Simplecast As you might have guessed by its name, Simplecast is known for being an incredibly easy-to-use podcast hosting site. In spite of this simplicity-focused approach, this podcast hosting site offers a professional service packed with powerful tools for every stage of your podcast’s life. The platform’s long list of features includes unlimited storage, one-click publishing, analytics tools, and a customizable site. A quick glance at Simplecast’s website makes it clear that the platform boasts a modern and bold brand identity, which translates into aesthetic players that can be embedded into your site. Another key differentiating element that has put Simplecast among the best podcast hosting sites is Recast. This unique tool allows podcasters and listeners to seamlessly share clips to social channels, which is an effective social media marketing strategy, allowing you to reach a wider audience. Plans: Simplecast offers three different podcast hosting plans for independent creators, as well as two high-end tailored plans for professional podcasters and enterprises. You can get unlimited storage and uploads plus features such as distribution and multiple shows management for $15 a month. If you need to add more than two members or use advanced features such as curated audience reports and website analytics tools, you’ll need to upgrade your plan. Key features: Unlimited storage and uploads Integrated social media sharing tools Custom domain name for your site 07. Transistor Transistor launched just a couple years ago, but has quickly grown to become one of the most well-known podcast hosting sites in the market. With a wide array of powerful and easy-to-use features, this platform is meant for both large brands and creators who have just decided to record a podcast . One of Transistor's defining characteristics is the fact that it offers unlimited storage for an unlimited number of podcasts for all users. Other notable features include embedded code, professional websites, distribution tools, and customizable domains. But what truly makes Transistor stand out from the crowd is its advanced analytics dashboard. Users can track stats such as average downloads per episode, what apps people use to listen, trends and historical performance. Plans: Transistor offers three different plans ranging from $19 to $99 per month. Subscriptions can be paid on a monthly or yearly basis. Those choosing a yearly plan will get two months of usage for free. All plans include unlimited podcasts, live customer support, in-depth analytics, and a customizable website. The main differences between plans are the monthly downloads available, additional users per podcast, and the number of private subscribers. Key features: Advanced analytics Multi-platform distribution Unlimited podcasts 08. Blubrry Blubrry prides itself on making it extremely easy to start your own podcast . On top of their hosting and plugin powers, the platform offers a variety of rich statistics that users love. Their analytics makes it effortless to always be on top of your numbers and gaining insights into factors beyond the number of listeners. For example, you’ll be able to see where your listeners are located and what platforms they are using to access your podcast. This podcasting hosting site is not only used for the traditional B2C (business to consumer) experience. Blubrry also offers private podcasting that allows you to use their secure audio and video for corporate communications, training, interviews, and even for guest speakers. Plans: Blubrry offers a series of tiered plans based on monthly storage requirements, starting at $12 per month for 100MB monthly storage and scaling up to $100 for unlimited storage. All of their plans come with professional statistics, unlimited bandwidth, a custom embedded player and free file migration. Key features: Powerful analytics to track your progress Private podcasting Easy to use plugins 09. Captivate Captivate was developed by a team with a long, successful trajectory in the podcast industry, which becomes instantly apparent upon seeing the platform’s unique approach. This podcast hosting site is focused on growth, offering a long list of unique features aimed to empower creators and provide them with everything they need to build a successful online business. Among Captivate’s growth-oriented features you’ll find a mobile-friendly website you can customize with your brand colors, mailing list integrations to power your email marketing campaigns, trackable attribution links, editable web player CTAs, a single subscribe promotion link, educational resources in their growth labs and a downloadable PDF report with your latest stats that can be used as part of a press kit or to show potential sponsors. Captivate also has features that simplify work flows for podcasters such as their guest booking tool, dynamic show notes builder, dynamic ad and content insertion tool, episode planning section and more. These groundbreaking tools are, of course, offered in addition to traditional podcast features such as cross-platform distribution, in-depth industry recognized IAB certified analytics, custom plugins, and more. Plans: Captivate has three pricing tiers ranging between $19 and $99 per month (which is discounted if you pay annually). Unlike other podcast hosting sites, monthly downloads are the only element linked to these tiers. The Personal podcaster plan supports up to 30,000 downloads, while Professional and Business set the cut at 150,000 and 300,000 downloads respectively. All features on Captivate's catalog are available in all plans. Key features: Unlimited podcasts and team members, plus network features Marketing tools such as built-in calls-to-action, attribution links, sponsor kit etc. Simplified workflow tools eg guest booking, dynamic show notes, research and planning tools User-friendly analytical dashboard & industry trusted IAB certified analytics Customizable web player & search engine friendly podcast website Dynamic ad & content insertion tool (AMIE), with four bulk editing features to manage pre, mid and post rolls across your entire episode library Highly-rated customer service team accessible 24/7 10. Castos What’s remarkable about Castos is that no matter which plan you choose you will never run out of storage or bandwidth space, as they don't have any caps or limits on those capabilities. Their unlimited storage space makes Castors very appealing for users who want to record longer episodes, test new styles or launch a second channel, as they don't have to be conservative with their recording time. When it comes to advanced features, Casto’s ability to republish your content to YouTube and create automatic podcast transcriptions makes it one of the best podcast hosting sites for cross-platform publication. These abilities are also known to help boost SEO and increase the visibility of your content, which is essential for reaching new audiences. Plans: Castos' plans are split into three main buckets: Starter, Growth and Pro. Even the names of the packages alone can help you find the category that suits you best. Remember that all of them come with an unlimited number of podcasts, episode uploads and downloads. The main difference between the $19/month Starter plan all the way up to the $99/month option is the limit of how many private subscribers you can have. The lowest price plan allows you up to 100 subscribers, while the highest gives you up to 500 subscribers. If you are not sure how quickly you will grow, you can always start with their free 14-day trial and upgrade at any time. Key features: Unlimited number of podcasts, episodes and downloads regardless of the plan Automated YouTube republishing and transcriptions Data from multiple listening platforms into one dashboard 11. Audioboom If you're looking to make money online with your podcast, Audioboom might just be the place for you. This platform prides itself on being the best podcast hosting site for content monetization, operating under the slogan "Host, distribute and monetize your audio." The platform divides its offering into two tiers: Podcasters and Podcaster Pros. The first plan is aimed at content creators with less than 10,000 listeners per podcast episode, providing them with unlimited episode hosting, cross-platform distribution tools, embeddable players, and advanced analytics. Once your podcast surpasses the 10,000 listeners per episode barrier, you'll get access to Podcaster Pros and all the monetization tools that come with it. Audioboom provides established podcasters with sponsorship opportunities, a proprietary targeted ad network, branded content partnership opportunities, premium sales services, live stream collaborations, and more. Plans: Audioboom offers a series of tiered plans based on the number of plays per month your podcast gets. The basic Podcasters plan starts at $9.99 per month for up to 10K monthly plays, and can be upgraded to a Podcast Pros plan for unlimited plays per episode. Both of these plans include unlimited episode hosting, cross-platform distribution, analytics, and embeddable players. The platform's professional plan, aimed at podcasters with over 10K listeners per episode, offers numerous monetization tools for an undisclosed subscription cost. Key features: Monetization tools Multi-platform distribution Embeddable player and social media integration 12. SoundCloud You've probably heard of SoundCloud before, but it wouldn't be at all surprising if you didn't know it's a popular podcasting host as well. In reality, it's not a surprising move for the company. While its primary focus is music, it has positioned itself to be a podcast hosting company without ever really intending to be. SoundCloud's popularity for music gives it a "mindshare" advantage that many names on this list simply can't compete with. This platform already has access to millions of listeners, which lets you kick off with a community around you. Another reason users choose to go with SoundCloud is that they allow you to interact with fans and get immediate feedback. Furthermore, with their Pro Unlimited plan, you can schedule releases, pin your most popular episodes into the spotlight and get access to sophisticated stats. Plans: SoundCloud keeps things simple with only three types of plans: A free podcast hosting plan with a three-hour upload limit per month. On their $135 per year plan you can have unlimited uploading, scheduled releases and more. Key features: Free podcast hosting plans Interact with fans Scheduled releases 13. Anchor Anchor is a free podcast hosting site for creating, distributing and monetizing your podcast, whose goal is to allow everyone's stories to be heard around the world. The platform is owned by the popular audio streaming app, Spotify, which already puts you in great hands if you go this route. This free podcast hosting site has very convenient creation tools that let you capture audio straight from your phone, tablet, or computer, as well as easily edit the content with building blocks that are wonderful for visualizing your editing process. After creating your podcast, the distribution is also made simple. By clicking to a dedicated section on their site, you can easily manage your RSS feed and distribute your podcast among the app directory and beyond. The best part of Anchor is that it empowers users to get paid to podcast, giving you the option to add a donation button so listeners can support your work. Additionally, you can earn money every time people listen to ads that you can even read and record with your own voice. Lastly, in April 2021, Anchor announced they are introducing paid subscriptions which is an easy way for you as a creator to offer paid exclusive content to your listeners. Plans: Using Anchor to host your podcast is completely free. Keep in mind that there is a limit of the file size you can upload, which is capped at 250MB. This size typically applies to files longer than 15 min. Key features: Built-in uploading, recording and editing tools Easy distribute to all major listening apps Monetization features such as sponsorships and listener donations 14. Megaphone Megaphone is not just known for podcast hosting but also for working with advertisers. Their technology is a place where both worlds come beautifully together—allowing both sides of the spectrum to be successful, especially tailoring to enterprises and larger podcasters. The platform’s offering covers the entire podcasting ecosystem, so you can not only publish on their site but also make money and measure your success. Their monetization options use industry-leading targeting so that ads and content can be highly relevant. You also get full control over where, when and in what order ads and promos appear in your show so you can maximize revenue. Plans: There is no price disclosure currently on their website, but you can request a quote on their contact page . It has been reported by other experts that there is a minimum threshold to be part of their network and that Megaphone is geared towards larger publishers. Key features: Dynamic ad insertion and audience targeting Quick and helpful live chat customer support Simple workflows 15. Podcast Websites Podcast Websites was founded by a group of podcasters who wanted to make sure others had all the tools they needed to succeed. You can view this option as a one-stop-shop that handles everything from website creation to the podcast hosting itself. Their services come with website hosting, 24/7 support and many learning tools to help you grow in the podcast industry. For example, if you choose their hosting platform, you will be granted access to a well-stocked video tutorials library, a support community, and monthly Academy education sessions. Plans: There are two podcast hosting plans available to you, one is $97 per month, paid monthly, and the second one is $77 per month, paid annually. The latter includes your first RSS feed for free and both allow for unlimited visits per month, free domain name, and their video tutorial library. Key features: Learning tools 24/7 support Drag and drop page design Features you should look for in podcast hosting sites Choosing the right podcast hosting site is crucial for the success of your podcast. With so many options available, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Here are some key features you should look for to ensure your podcast thrives: Storage and bandwidth Ample storage space: Your podcast episodes will consume storage space, so ensure the platform offers enough to accommodate your current and future needs. Look for plans with at least 10GB of storage, ideally with the option to upgrade as your podcast grows. Sufficient bandwidth: Bandwidth determines how many people can listen to your episodes simultaneously. Choose a plan with enough bandwidth to handle your expected audience size. Unlimited bandwidth is ideal, but pay-as-you-go options can be budget-friendly for new podcasts. Audio quality and features High-quality audio: Listeners expect good audio quality. Choose a host that supports high bitrate encoding (at least 128 kbps) for clear and professional-sounding episodes. ID3 tag editing: Edit ID3 tags like title, artist and episode number to ensure your podcast displays correctly on podcast directories and players. Chapter markers: Allow listeners to easily navigate through long episodes by adding chapter markers. Podcast distribution and analytics Automatic submission to directories: Choose a host that automatically submits your podcast to major directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Podcasts. Detailed analytics: Track your podcast's performance with in-depth analytics, including downloads, listener demographics and playback locations. This data helps you understand your audience and refine your content strategy. Embeddable podcast player: Easily share your podcast episodes on your website or blog with an embeddable player. Additional features Monetization options: Some platforms offer built-in monetization tools like podcast ads, subscriptions or listener donations. If monetization is your goal, ensure the platform you choose supports your chosen method. Website builder: Some hosts offer website builder tools to create a simple landing page for your podcast. This can be helpful for promoting your episodes and connecting with listeners. Mobile app: A mobile app for managing your podcast and interacting with listeners can be a valuable asset, especially for on-the-go creators. Podcast hosting FAQ How do I choose the best podcast hosting site? There are several key factors that should be considered when choosing the best podcast hosting site. Even though price will likely play a strong part in the decision it should not be the only point of consideration. Here are other critical components to consider: tracking analytics, compatibility with a landing page or website, embeddable media player, audio quality and monetization options. Furthermore, you should take into account the storage space, upload bandwidth and download limits. Depending on the scale of your podcast, you can prioritize these different factors to find the best host for your needs. Can you host a podcast for free? Of course, there are several free podcast hosting options available. However, free options often have more limitations on features such as analytics and storage space which you should consider. Many free podcast hosting sites don’t have the same revenue stream from subscriptions so they often serve advertisements to listeners. Be aware that this could negatively impact the experience for your audience, and deter them from coming back in the future to consume more content. Can you make money podcasting? Yes. If your podcast becomes successful and grows to a decent number of listeners there are opportunities to make money, such as through a podcast ad network and podcast advertising . You can also make money by asking for donations or charging a membership. Depending on the podcast topics  you cover, you can also get sponsorships from brands. The key to making money from your work is having high quality engaging content and exquisite digital marketing skills. Promoting your podcast after you launch plays a big part in your success. Does podcast hosting handle distribution? Podcast hosting platforms do not always automatically handle distribution for you. However, some platforms such as Captivate and Buzzsprout allow you to submit your files through a built-in podcast distribution page and directories. This makes the process much easier and faster. Where should I publish my podcast? The most popular podcast directories to publish your show and get more listeners are Apple Podcasts,   Spotify , Google Podcasts,   Midroll  (formerly Stitcher), TuneIn , SoundCloud , Podbay  and Podtail . You can also publish your podcast on your own website, just like we did with our new podcast Now What?  on Wix.com. How do I promote my podcast? Beyond publishing and sharing your podcast to the popular directories such as those mentioned above, there are other marketing and promotional efforts you can take to help promote your show, including prompting listeners to share your podcast to their social networks and write positive reviews. Also community networking and word-of-mouth recommendations are highly effective in this space. Lastly, try guest hosting or appearing as a guest on someone else’s podcast that has a similar audience you’re looking to reach. What is the best podcast equipment and software for my show? You do not have to purchase equipment to get started with podcasting. But depending on the budget you're willing to dedicate to your efforts there are a variety of options to choose from that can help take your podcast to a more advanced level. The most common equipment purchased is a high quality microphone, which you can often plug into your computer using a USB port. Other podcast equipment to consider is buying soundproofing material like foam panels for a recording space that is soundproof. Lastly, you can consider getting a sound mixer, professional recording software and noise-canceling headphones. If you need a little more inspiration before getting started, tune into one of these motivational podcasts to boost your confidence . Where can I host podcasts for free? You can host podcasts for free on platforms like Spotify for Podcasters, Podbean, RedCircle and even Wix. Spotify and the others take care of getting your episodes on major directories, while Wix is perfect if you want a website to build your brand around your podcast. Free plans usually include the basics, but upgrading can unlock extras like detailed analytics or monetization tools.

Privacy is a more important issue than ever for designers. With recent regulations on data protection and privacy — such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) with its recent expansion via the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA) — there’s a growing need for digital products that respect users’ data. For designers using a website creator, this means creating work that empowers people to make more informed decisions about their privacy, and giving them easier, more accessible ways to control their data. Let’s look at some of the key legislative requirements and explore how designers and web creators can advocate for better protection of their users’ data, activity and personal information through their website design. How to prioritize online privacy design Design for transparency in data collection Receiving clear consent to automated data tracking Creating user-friendly and accessible privacy policies Giving users full control of their data 01. Design for transparency in data collection Data minimization is one of the major requirements set forth by the GDPR and CCPA. It includes explaining why you’re collecting certain data, and asking for no more than is necessary for that purpose. For designers when designing a website, there’s opportunity here for creating forms that clearly explain why you’re collecting certain information. Generally, the more sensitive or private the information is, the more effort should be put into explaining why it’s needed. These explanations can include why you need the data, its benefit to the user, and the security measures that will be taken to handle the data. Here’s a great example from Mailchimp. During the onboarding process, they clearly explain why, according to international laws, they need a physical address when setting up your account. Here’s another great example from Dropbox. This part of the sign-up user flow asks for a preferred email if a user has signed up using Apple’s “Hide My Email” feature (which creates a randomly-generated email). The prompt explains the benefits of using an email address that your collaborators can recognize. Designing or redesigning products with user privacy in mind allows you to question existing UX practices, and to explore whether there are better alternatives for getting the same information. For example, if you need to ask for someone’s age, having them provide their date of birth would be considered asking for more information than you need. Not only are people more likely to provide false information when asked for data that seems too personal, it could also be unnecessarily risky if the data is not securely stored and protected. 02. Receiving clear consent to automated data tracking Another method for sites to collect data on users is through the use of cookies. Cookies are tracking scripts that record our site visits and activity. Under the GDPR, users have to provide active consent, such as opting in, to being tracked by most cookies. For designers, empowering users to opt in (or stay opted out) to cookie tracking and allowing them to revoke access at any time is crucial. Users’ consent should be given as a conscious choice, rather than as something that they may not be aware of (such as with pre-checked boxes), and it should be just as easily withdrawn if users change their minds at any time. Designers should also provide information about the types of cookies used by the site, so that users can make informed decisions about their preferences. A great example can be found on Slack’s site. The cookie consent form clearly explains each category of cookies (strictly necessary, functional, performance, and targeting), and allows users to opt in or out using a toggle switch. The CCPA doesn’t require users to consent to cookie tracking, but it does ask that sites include a link labeled: “Do Not Sell Or Share My Personal Information.” Despite the laws around this, users are struggling to opt out of the sale of their personal information, from not being able to find the link to not receiving confirmation that the opt out was honored, at times through the use of deceiving dark patterns. There are opportunities to design a more straightforward experience around cookie tracking. Some groups want to bypass individual opt-outs completely by creating a Global Privacy Control. This initiative, which would be built either into a browser or as a browser extension, would notify sites on behalf of users as to whether or not they want their personal information to be sold or shared. 03. Creating user-friendly and accessible privacy policies Privacy policies inform users about what a company plans to do with their information. Both the GDPR and CCPA require that when learning how to make a website, creators provide a privacy policy with clear and accessible information. Privacy policies should encourage people to read them, so that they’re informed about how their data is being used. This means avoiding long pages of text that use complex legal terminology and small lettering, which users usually give up on trying to understand. Many sites stick to clear and straightforward language, with clearly-labeled sections that are easy to scan. Some privacy policies also give contextual examples related to how they collect data across their site. The New York Times’ privacy policy is inviting and easy to understand. You can easily navigate between sections using the sidebar, and learn about their data practices with examples taken from their different digital platforms. Broken up into bite-sized sections and accompanied by illustrations and icons, Google’s privacy policy even includes explainer videos that help present the content in different ways. Tip: How to write a privacy policy for a website 04. Giving users full control of their data Under both the GDPR and CCPA, users have the right to access their personal data, receive it in a readable format, and request that it be deleted. This allows designers to create user-friendly experiences that give users full control of their data — including being able to browse, change, and delete any of the data that a site holds. Many tech companies, including Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter, offer automated systems where people can download a copy of their personal data. It’s important that once users download this data, that they’re able to understand what exactly a company has collected about them. This means designing the information to be accessible and intelligible. And finally, part of having full control over your data is being able to delete it entirely. There are opportunities here to reassure users that their data is in fact deleted after they close their account.

When planning how to make a website , understanding how your users behave on your site offers a great opportunity to optimize how they experience your brand. To take advantage of this, though, you need to gather behavioral analytics, or data points about your audience’s behavior. In this article, we’ll dive deeper into your site's behavioral data, as well as answer some common questions on the topic so you can focus on the right metrics and make effective changes after you make a website. What is behavioral analytics? Behavioral analytics is a type of web analytics tracking how a user behaves on a website. For example, many websites use bounce rate as a key metric within their behavioral analytics practice. Measuring how fast or often users leave your site without engaging on your page can help you understand how effective your on-page content is to your target audience. It can also help flag if you have structural site issues that prevent users from engaging. Addressing these two insights can help you improve other business goals, like increasing conversions or retaining customers, and monetizing your website . What is behavioral data? You can gather behavioral data by observing a user’s interaction with a company’s website. A user can interact in many different ways on your website. For example, you can study how often a user clicks on a product or CTA or after how long they typically leave a page. Behavioral analytics makes sense of the interactions comprising behavioral data. What are examples of behavioral data? To illustrate how companies use behavioral data, let’s look at some examples of commonly-used metrics. Ad clicks : Gathering data about which display ads users click on third-party websites can help you understand what advertising most resonates with their audience. Purchase history : You can use purchasing behavior to suggest additional products and retain your customers. Time on page : Understanding how long users typically spend on a webpage can indicate if the page is functioning properly, either in terms of content or user experience. If your average time on page metric is lower than expected, you may want to rethink how to improve the page’s content to match user intent. Customer service requests : Support requests can improve your website experience. If you see a pattern among frequency and type of support requests indicating a problem with how your site or product works, you can easily prioritize and fix it. Types of behavioral analytics metrics You can categorize behavioral data into three main categories throughout your user’s journey from landing on your site to making a purchase. 01. Website behavioral analytics Analyzing website behavioral data can help you understand how users interact with your content and experience your website. You might look at metrics such as page views, bounce rate, CTA clicks and navigational behavior. 02. Event behavioral analytics In behavioral metrics, “events” refer to the actions your users take. While website behavioral analytics determine the overall user experience using data on how a user interacts with a website, event tracking looks at whether users engage with your content—and how they do it. Common event behavioral analytics metrics include starting a video, downloads, playing a song or signing up for a newsletter. 03. Conversion tracking To understand conversion behavior, focus on data that shows whether your users click on your CTAs. If they don’t, you might need to reassess whether your CTAs are visible or actionable enough. If they garner a good amount of clicks but still don’t convert, you may want to reassess your purchase process. How can you track the different types of behavioral analytics? The market offers many website analytics tools to track behavioral analytics and events. To get more robust behavioral data throughout your entire user journey, you can find tools that can record user sessions, create heat maps, determine your high-value customers and highlight drop-off points in conversion. Tip : Wix Analytics helps all Wix website users make informed decisions about their website and business. It lets you track traffic, gather visitor behavior and revenue reports as well as mobile analytics. Who should use behavioral analytics? Most website owners can use real-time data to analyze their user’s behavior across their customer journey: Marketing : Make campaigns more targeted or segment ads for personalization to better acquire new clients or retain existing ones. Sales : Highlight ways to best upsell a customer, based on their previous purchases. Customer support : Offer actionable solutions to frequent issues that may arise. Product : Improve the product quickly and accurately based upon customer feedback to increase retention. Why is behavioral analytics important? Behavioral data can provide significant benefits to companies. According to Google , “data-driven” decision-making organizations are three times more likely to report improvements in their processes. Additionally, establishing a process for reporting certain behavioral data points can translate into more efficient and accurate decisions made across a business’s functions. 7 tips to get you started with behavioral analytics 01. Set clear goals Include targets for metrics you want to track and KPIs you’d like to reach. Remember that you should focus your goal on accurately tracking and measuring behavior rather than increasing conversions by a certain percentage. 02. Define your ideal user journey Map out the paths users can take to arrive at your desired outcome. For example, an eCommerce company might map out their ideal user journey from a landing page all the way to checkout. 03. Determine a tracking plan Don’t track as many metrics as possible when just starting out. Instead, create a tracking plan that takes your desired user journey into account and highlights the events and actions you’d like users to take. Focus on tracking those initially, then grow your tracking process. 04. Assign unique identifiers To get an accurate picture of a user’s journey, assign unique identifiers (such as an email capture or user ID) in a behavioral analytics software to track a specific user’s behavior across multiple devices. The unique identifier won’t change over time and can be traced between different digital platforms, connecting touch points along the user journey. 05. Set up cross-platform tracking You’ll probably want to view behavior across multiple platforms to understand how your users move from your website to apps or social media channels. Use a tool like Smartlook to help you collect and analyze cross-platform user journeys between website browsers and native mobile apps. 06. Keep tracking consistent Make sure you’re tracking the same metrics at regular intervals so that you can identify patterns in your user’s behavior and easily spot inconsistencies. Both patterns can help identify which area of your product or website needs attention. 07. Regularly test for accuracy Before you begin tracking data, run some tests to make sure you collect accurate real-time reports. Once you’ve established a regular practice, be sure to regularly test to ensure there are no bugs in your analytics tools or tracking process.

So, what is A/B testing and how can you start implementing it on your own website and online store? In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about A/B testing and share testing ideas to help you get started. What is A/B testing? At its most basic, A/B testing, also known as split testing, is a way to compare different versions of something to see which performs better. In these experiments, you define a conversion goal to measure, like clicks or completed transactions. Two variations of the same marketing asset (like a web page or email) are then shown to different users at random while measuring the difference in performance. For example, let’s say you wanted to increase the number of clicks on the “Buy now” button on your product pages. You could run an A/B test to find out how button color affects click-through rates, experimenting with a green button and a blue button. You would: Define your conversion goal. In this example, you want to measure click-through rate. Design the A/B test. How big of a sample size do you want? Who will participate, new customers or existing customers? Gather data. Will you run your own test or use A/B testing software? For how long will the test run? Analyze the results. Which variation had the biggest positive impact on the conversion metric that matters most? At the end of the A/B test, you’ll be able to confidently implement the winning variation without worrying about jeopardizing conversions. Pro tip: Use a landing page builder to create pages that target different audiences throughout your funnel. Then A/B test them to optimize them for success. Why you should A/B test your online store A/B testing is often used across traditional marketing strategies and campaigns to increase email open rates or boost social media engagement. However, when you apply these same principles to your online store, the benefits are even more impactful. Simply generating a 1% increase in clicks on your buy button could result in thousands of dollars in extra sales. Eliminate guesswork Designing your online store can be an extremely subjective process, with everyone having their own visual preferences or making suggestions to mimic industry leaders. By continuously running different A/B tests, you can offer a data-driven approach to design and remove subjectivity from the process. Customize design decisions for your business Homepage design, product pages, and the checkout experience look different for every business depending on the items sold and target audience. And, what works for one store won’t necessarily work for yours. A/B testing allows you to generate results that are hyper-targeted and specific to your business and customers. Experiment in a low-risk environment Changing even a few design elements on your homepage can create a jarring experience for returning customers. A/B testing allows you to make these types of changes in a controlled environment without sacrificing long-term customer loyalty, retention or brand awareness. A/B testing examples The most challenging part of A/B testing is often coming up with the experiments themselves. Which pages should you focus on? Which elements should you change? How big of a change should you make? Sometimes, you’ll be able to react to customer feedback. For example, if customers keep asking the same questions about your return policy, you could test different ways to highlight relevant return policy details (like including a link to your return policy vs. including the full policy details directly on the product page). Other times, you have to get creative and come up with experiments yourself. Storefront testing ideas Category page testing ideas Product page Checkout experience 01. Storefront testing ideas Seasonal items vs. evergreen products Should you curate relevant, timely items on your storefront or let customers find what they’re looking for based on their own needs and interests? Example: Istanbul Cats, an organization aimed at “popularizing the love of animals,” chooses to feature timely items, showcasing their back-to-school products during the summer. Multiple product images vs. a single hero image Do your customers prefer to see a variety of products right on the homepage or is it overwhelming? 02. Category page testing ideas Best-sellers vs promotional items When customers land on a category page, are they interested in the most popular products or items on sale? Example: Simplu, a Portuguese organic food company, chooses to highlight items that are 15% off. Carousel vs. static images How do your customers like to browse: do they want to scroll down a page and see all the items or do they want a curated set of items that rotate through a carousel? Example: Onno, a terrarium and plant store, allows customers to browse all their items at once on each category page. 03. Product page Long-form vs. short-form copy How much information do customers want to digest on the product page? Are they interested in the story behind the product or tips on how to care for the item? Example: Handlebend adds extra content to their product detail pages, including how their products are made, their size and weight, and a fun description that encourages customers to buy. Buy button color How does your “Buy now” or “Add to cart” button color affect click-through rates? Should you use a bright color to catch customers’ attention or try to match the color palette of the rest of your store? Example: Studio007, a photography studio, opts for an attention-grabbing red color. 04. Checkout experience One-page vs. multi-step Do customers prefer to see all the steps in the checkout process in one place, so they know what to expect? Or, do they like to focus on one step at a time, progressing to a new page for each phase? Example: The Tea Story shows an overview of the entire checkout experience on one page, moving customers through different parts as they fill in their information. Payment method options How do your customers prefer to pay? With a credit or debit card or using another form of payment? Example: Box and Bow, a gift box shop, lets customers pay with PayPal in addition to cards. A/B testing software Robust, self-service A/B testing software means you don’t need to work with developers to run experiments nor rely on your business intelligence team to analyze the results. Instead, marketers, designers, and product managers can set up new tests in minutes and easily interpret results. The one caveat, however, is that no-code A/B testing software can be a bit limiting depending on what you want to test. For example, all A/B testing tools allow you to change visual elements on your pages (like images, copy, buttons, etc). However, if you want to run tests within your checkout flow (like experimenting with upselling), you may need to work with developers to add additional code. But, for the majority of tests on your online store, third-party software will do the job. Some of the most popular A/B testing tools include: Visual Web Optimizer (VWO): VWO allows you to create and run tests without a single line of code. Using a visual editor, you can change headlines, CTA, or images, modify existing pages, or make layout changes. You can also use VWO’s enterprise-grade server-side testing product to conduct more complex tests deep within your store’s workflows and across devices. Crazy Egg: Test your website, landing pages, product pages, and more with Crazy Egg. Simply add a unique Crazy Egg snippet to a page, choose the elements to test, and monitor results in real time. Crazy Egg also offers complementary features like heat maps and individual session recordings so you can better understand your visitors’ behavior. Optimizely: Use Optimizely’s industry-leading visual editor to run multiple tests on the same page, deliver different variations to visitors based on ad campaign, geography, cookies, or other factors, and segment experiments by device or browser. You can also run A/B tests on all your channels, including mobile apps and messaging platforms, with Optimizely Full Stack, a set of open-source SDKs for product teams. Omniconvert: To run more advanced A/B tests, Omniconvert offers a developer-focused tool to run tests with HTML, CSS or Javascript. Experiment with real-time dynamic variables like cart total value, visitor name, customer lifetime value, customer location, and more. You can track as many goals as you want on one page by calling a single line of code. UsabilityHub: While UsabilityHub, a remote user research platform, doesn’t offer traditional A/B testing features, it does include a variety of unique ways to test different design elements on your website. You can test the effectiveness of links and content hierarchy by measuring how many people complete certain tasks, ask users to compare different design variations, measure users’ first impressions, and run design surveys. You can invite your own customers to participate in tests or recruit from UsabilityHub’s participant panel of more than 170,000 users. How to determine an A/B test winner The value of these A/B testing tools lies in their simplicity and ease of use — at the end of your experiment, the winner is clearly announced on the criteria you established. And with most testing tools, that’s where the analysis ends. A winner is determined by the performance of one factor, without always considering the entire funnel. But it’s important to avoid blindly implementing results from a standalone test. That’s because while they can offer valuable directional data points (like uncovering trends or patterns), they often don’t paint the full picture. Let’s say you define an A/B test winner based on homepage click-through rate and version A wins. Upon closer analysis, however, you notice that while version A has more clicks, it actually results in more abandoned carts long term. In this example, implementing the winning version from an A/B test would do more harm than good. To determine the true winning variation, look at complementary data. Make sure to understand how your A/B test affected: Different customer segments, such as new vs. returning customers, visitors from mobile vs. desktop, or high spenders vs. low spenders Other high-value actions on your store, such as button clicks, link clicks, visits to a specific page, form submissions, or page engagement Sales, including the number and types or products sold and average order value In addition, look for ways to get more qualitative data to understand your A/B test results. Analyze heat maps to see exactly how visitors navigate your site and where they click or get confused. And, if possible, consider running a survey or user test to get more in-depth, anecdotal feedback. A/B testing for long-term success A/B testing should not be a one-and-done activity. While there is value in running one-off A/B tests based on specific needs (like testing a time-bound promotion or changing tests based on the season), this experimental mindset should be incorporated into your long-term strategy. Ideally, you would always be running a series of tests across your online store, both to try new things and reconfirm existing hypotheses. (After all, a winning test variation from 12 months ago may no longer be valid!) The bottom line: Trying to identify the “perfect” design for your online store can be overwhelming and filled with subjectivity. With A/B testing, you can get one step closer to designing the most optimal site for your business and customers. So when in doubt, run a test. Ready to start selling online? Create your free eCommerce website today.

Here at Wix, we like to think that your stunning website lays the groundwork for all your dreams and passions to bloom into beautiful and fruitful business ventures. After all, creating your website is the easiest part. Right? So be your business seasonal insoles for your shoes, a unicorn adoption agency or scarves for your pooch, we assure you we’ve got a template to suit. Read Also: How to start a business We’ve rounded up a couple (of the many!) most original and unique business ideas from our talented Wix users (for even more ideas, check out our business ideas guide). Get your credit cards ready ‘cause we know you’re going to love these: 01. Brick Brick Gear As a kid, do you remember how proud you were of your awesome lego creations? Well now, thanks to Brick Brick gear, you can wear those marvelous works of art on your hat. That’s right, your cap can be fully customizable from the design and the colors to the fit. Although simple, their website clearly provides you with all the information you need as well as a ‘gallery’ page to show off all those unique innovations. 02. Unicorn Adoptions Continuing with childhood wonders, we present Unicorn Adoptions. This creative company aims to unleash your ‘inner fabulousness!’ Could there be anything better? (Did we mention they ship worldwide?) Each “adoption” package includes regular updates from the unicorn community, your special chosen package and they even make a donation in your name with every purchase. Basically, all your dreams are coming true. Can you handle it? This site is all about those milky, pastel colors that fit so perfectly with our mythical friends. 03. Fade Away Sleep Sounds From the creation of two (very) sleep deprived parents comes Fade Away sleep sounds. The white noise sounds help your baby, and maybe even you, fall asleep. These clever parents also offer relaxing nature sounds as well as what they describe as “life sounds,” which are basically familiar noises like a fan, a sprinkler or a train going down a track. You can even send a request for any kind of life sounds you would like to doze off to. Their site includes playful graphics, a cool and comforting gray, blue and white color scheme and an easy to navigate layout. Fade Away has brilliantly encompassed every element a website needs, including a link to their Spotify page all the while maintaining an informational blog for all those parents looking to read up on the benefits of sleep sounds. 04. DeLair Designs Moving on from babies to your furry friends who seem to have no trouble catching a nap at any time of the day. DeLair Designs specializes in scarves and bandanas for your dog. Their expansive product page has been categorized into seasonal accessories, ensuring your pooch is always appropriately dressed. All the bandanas are fully customizable with adjustable buttonholes to fit your (adorable) growing puppy. 05. My gentec We’ve all been at a family dinner when your grandma politely asks, “What is Skype?” You take a long, deep breath because you know you’ve got a lot explaining to do. Luckily for grandmas and grandpas everywhere, My gentec has made it their mission to teach older generations about the technology they didn’t grow up with. Their appropriately basic and easy to navigate website has some of the sweetest testimonials you’ll ever find. 06. Pacific Archery Academy Ready to channel your inner Princess Mia? Now you can! At Pacific Archery Academy you can enroll in archery classes. The best part of it all? You can book their classes directly through their website, thanks to Wix Bookings. Budding archers will appreciate their splendid website complete with adorably designed logo imitating the tip of a bow.

In today’s world, it’s almost impossible to picture life without certain conveniences of automation. Much of which is thanks to the seamless integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in our daily lives. From the face ID and image recognition we use to open our mobile devices, to digital voice assistants replenishing our groceries, we've become somewhat dependent on AI. We map out our driving routes with constant traffic and weather updates, and we even rely on the technology to curate the types of shows we want to watch. These technologies and their capabilities are now simply an integral part of our lives, and while these automations are convenient, they miss a key ingredient of business success: the personal touches that turn casual consumers into lifetime customers. While it's become easier for creators to use AI to cultivate their presence and realize their dreams online, that doesn't mean it's also gotten easier to provide those business-changing touches at scale. That’s why Wix’s newest version of the Editor is enhanced with new intuitive design presets and advanced capabilities to better create personalized websites faster. Now, solopreneurs, side-hustlers, freelancers, and professional web creators can all optimize their website creation without compromising the bespoke touches they need to engage and convert their audiences. Ready to know how to make a website with the newest version of the Editor? Try it now. As the Head of Wix Editor, Oded Nachshon, puts it, “These new capabilities align with the needs of today’s self-creator as well as professional users. The platform removes barriers that generally complicate website building and enables users to keep their site updated and on brand with the latest technology, setting the stage for the future of creation.” Let’s dive into some of the ways the Editor empowers creators and web designers to grow their business: Improved platform and infrastructure With the newest capabilities of the Editor, users define their own path: whether it's starting from a blank slate, choosing from a wide range of industry-specific templates, or letting artificial design intelligence make the decisions. Now, all Wix users can enjoy full-design freedom to completely customize and create their professional website, from using drag-and-drop to add, resize and adjust hundreds of elements, to Velo’s custom code to achieve high-end personalization. This includes: Semantic sections Now, every page on your site is divided into sections, or full-width customizable building blocks that separate pages into meaningful semantic chunks. Web creators can add a blank section and customize to fit their needs, or they can add intent-based pre-designed sections which allow for a cohesive and engaging experience. These sections help creators frame more accurate messaging for each area of their site in a more concise manner. These sections can also expedite the site building process for first-time users. No need to worry about line breaks or spacing, users simply need to click the icon and choose a ready-made section wired to match their site theme and input their content. Easier navigation In addition, these sections allow web creators to easily play with layouts and decide where the sections fit within the site. With the click of one button, creators can move sections around the page to visualize the overall layout. This can also be done for the mobile Editor, so that sections can be changed accordingly. Quick Edit tool for easy updates With the new Quick Edit tool, users can skim through all the elements in the section and change them on the sidebar without touching the canvas. This allows users to update content without worrying that it will accidentally move or change an element and impact the design. WYSIWYG software like the Wix Editor reveals real-time design changes and edits to the user interface. Zoom out mode It’s important to see the big picture. As the workflow evolves using the new sections, in layout navigation, the upgraded Editor automatically goes to zoom out mode, so web creators have a better overall vision of their site. This is particularly relevant for creators building websites on laptop screens. Limitless creation possibilities The world has come a long way from the first ever text-based web page in 1991. Today, people of all technological skill-sets can build their own websites, which would have been outsourced to high-tech professionals some years ago. Regardless, most businesses still spend precious time tinkering with making their website layouts rather than invest time in their craft. The upgraded Editor uses state-of-the-art AI technology to give creators the creative freedom of high website design without the extra time and effort with its structured building block experience. No matter what content you put in your section, Wix (see what is Wix) can always provide suggestions for sections to change the layout. Additionally, professionals who design websites for external clients—like Jackie Treitz, founder of The Paper Bakery and designer behind Netflix's Motel Makeover—can also benefit from the Editor’s newest features. Treitz can quickly create a site to visualize her client projects, offering a much better starting point for both parties. The Editor also streamlines the site creation process so that Treitz’s clients can easily update their own content without harming the design and site aesthetic. Switch layout This new Wix website feature suggests alternative layouts to optimize the page’s content for user and visual experience. Regardless if creators are just starting out in their building phase, or are coming back a year later for a refresh, this feature allows them to update their layout with ease and confidence, no matter their experience or design background. For example, a clothing store wants to update their promotional section from a holiday sale to a summer sale, but the new image size they use doesn’t work with the current layout. The switch layout feature provides a ready-made alternative. By selecting a preset layout option, the store can conveniently add the new content and update the site within seconds. Design presets Web creators can effortlessly change their site’s look and feel, with easily integrated and customizable design kits curated by Wix. Everything from fonts and color palettes to custom designs is just one click away. With a range of site theme options like “retro vibrant” and “nostalgic,”“energetic” or “tech-savvy,” creators can play around with different themes before committing to one, decide to customize certain colors or fonts within the theme—or even decide to create their own distinct palette. To illustrate, an organic wine store has recently rebranded its business as a mobile delivery service. The new mobile business created a refreshed brand identity to match their updated business offering and they want their site to follow suit. The wine business may choose a design preset and shuffle between the range of options to envision their site. They can decide to customize within the preset to include their lilac purple feature color and other relevant design details important to their brand. This change will update across-the-board, affecting the color scheme of the entire site for a cohesive and professional look. Are you ready to create your Wix website? Check out the Wix Editor and get started. You can also choose to use an AI website builder. Note: The new Editor experience will gradually become available to all users.

We’ve all heard of the term “growth marketing” by now. It has been circulating the web since the early 2010s, when the tech industry sunk its teeth into this seemingly new, hip marketing model. It was, at one point, ‘all the rage.’ And yet, many of us are probably still wondering what the heck “growth marketing” is. Also, how do we do it? “The term has been thrown in a laundry machine a couple of times over the last couple of years,” says Kevin Indig, an advisor to some of the fastest-growing startups like Snap and Nextdoor (and a board member of Wix’s SEO Advisory Board, we might add). Today, growth marketing is best described as a mindset. While its roots lie within the Facebooks and other tech giants of the world, many of its founding principles can benefit business leaders across all industries. We talked with Kevin for his advice on how to think like a true growth marketer. Here’s what he had to say. Ready to get your business online? Create a website with Wix. What exactly is growth marketing? Growth marketing is a very systematic, testing-heavy approach to growing a product or marketing channel, summarizes Kevin. “A lot of that methodology came from Facebook,” he says. “Companies like Facebook had enough data to run tests. For example, [they could test an idea like] ‘if we onboard new users and suggest them a couple of friends on Facebook, they're more likely to stick on the platform.’” In the context of marketing, a growth experiment can range from testing an element of a webpage to launching a whole series of landing pages to improve organic discovery. “In my opinion, growth marketing is often used in the wrong context,” notes Kevin. In recent years, growth marketing has been used interchangeably with performance marketing. “What it actually should be is to say, ‘OK, we can scale our approach to ads or SEO—but we're going to do it in a very systematic testing-heavy way.’” Kevin elaborates on how the term "growth marketing" has evolved over the years. How to assess the health of your current marketing approach Of course, like all marketing strategies, a growth marketing strategy can’t survive without a clear target audience, product differentiation and other factors. Prior to drafting out a marketing plan for any client, Kevin makes sure to ask three key questions: Is your company achieving the goals that you set out to achieve? “First, of course, I’m curious [to know if your existing marketing strategy] works.” Are you seeing the results you predicted and wanted to see? Do you have a clear strategy already? “Marketers love to confuse strategies with tactics. But a true strategy means doing things in a different way than your competitors. I'm really looking for a clear strategy for the company.” Is your product differentiated and well-received (i.e., product-market fit and market penetration)? “I'm looking for pointers that tell me that this product is something people like—maybe love—[and seeing] what people are saying about the product and whether the company leans into that.” Only after you’ve assessed the health of your current strategy can you start plotting out a course for improvement. Growth marketing for small businesses vs. enterprises The elephant in the room: it helps to have a lot of data and a large website when running classic growth experiments. “I don't think small companies can do growth marketing in the same way as big companies—they just don't have enough data,” says Kevin. “[But] the benefit that small companies have is that they can move much, much faster and they can build a direct relationship with their customers that is maybe equally as powerful,” he adds. “If you are a small local business, you might know a lot of customers by name and that is…something that people value. The advantage is you can be fast [plus] you know your customers on a much more personal level.” “Instead of building these big-scale systems and experiments, you can run experiments at very small scale—and maybe in person. Like what happens if you pitched on product B instead of product A. Or what happens if you test a new discount, a new offer, a new package or a new membership program?” Kevin talks about how growth marketing differs between large versus small businesses. A small business marketing plan can thereby be just as impactful despite looking different from the playbooks of larger businesses. Tips for hacking together your own growth strategy If you’ve identified room for growth, Kevin offers four key pieces of advice. Adopt a meta-thinking approach No matter the size of your business, it’s always a good idea to take a structured approach to decision-making. Kevin dubs this “meta-thinking”—the practice of being “very precise in how you approach your business.” “Way too often we run on autopilot,” observes Kevin. “[People] often do a lot of things implicitly and they learn what is called ‘tacit knowledge.’ They don't write down, ‘Today I tried this and that was the result.’” “So, my advice for small businesses is to be very, very clear in your approach to winning new customers…and developing a hypothesis for [what you think will work], then testing it systematically.” He continues, “We're very quick to repeat what we hear and take on the opinions of others…I think it's critical to be honest with yourself about how you know something, [even if the answer is that it’s just a hunch or an idea you got from a book]. Just be honest with yourself about how you know [something] because then it's easier to question, and you don't identify yourself with that opinion and you can be more systematic.” Use AI to scale while retaining a personal touch AI has opened up a path to scaling and reacting to experiments faster and better than ever before. It has, at the same time, allowed small businesses to scale without losing the personal touch that they’re known for. “These days, you can customize videos at scale with AI,” says Kevin. “You can, for example…record a video and then change the name of the customer across hundreds of videos [with AI]. So, you can personalize that touch a little bit.” The same idea can be applied to multiple channels and marketing assets, be it graphics for an email or dynamic copy on a webpage. Talk to your customers One lost art in marketing: talking to your customers. “I very rarely work with companies where the marketing team talks to customers on a regular basis,” says Kevin. “It almost never happens and everybody knows it’s important. This is one of the few mysteries in marketing.” The best research strategy? Go straight to the source. Avoid jumping to your own conclusions based on generic data points or by simply looking inward and letting personal biases drive your perception of buyers. Ask your top customers—or the customers you have yet to engage—what they’re seeking and where they go to find answers. Invest in channels where you can share one-to-many If you’re a small business owner, you’re especially pinched for time and resources. Some of the most creative strategies stem from having this type of pressure—which may subsequently force you to be more selective of the channels you work with. This is a good thing, according to Kevin. “I already mentioned video. I think email is another one of these channels,” he muses. “I've come across [a fashion store] in Germany where the owner basically records a video…where she just walks through new inventory and new pieces that she has gotten, and she sends that out to her followers on social and via email. [It’s a] really cool way to address a lot of people and keep them up to date in a very personalized style—and you do it at scale.” Understanding and tracking success So, when all is said and done, how can you track success? This question has eluded many marketers since the dawn of time. One simple place to start, according to Kevin, is to look at three core variables: Sales patterns. “You have to understand where most of your business comes from and if that's in line with where you want most of your business to come from…One mistake that I see a lot of business owners making is that they look too much at vanity metrics…Organic traffic doesn't matter if if it doesn't transfer into sales. So, I think a good start is to monitor sales, maybe on a daily or weekly basis over time, and then break that down into all the different ways that you get sales.” Top channels.“Sometimes [your top marketing channel is] going to be word of mouth and maybe some social. Other times, maybe it's 50% SEO and 50% direct traffic. Split sales up by channel or source. And then figure out how to move the needle on some of these things.” What drives progress on these channels? “[You might find that] more campaigns [could] drive word of mouth. It could be [that] a referral incentive system [could] drive more referral sales. There are different ways to grow your presence and sales on channels. You want to identify what drives that—what are the inputs?” Track your success with the help of Wix Analytics.

Many factors play a role in determining the success or failure of your online presence, yet few are as significant as the one encapsulated in these three letters: CTA, which stands for call to action. We all encounter CTAs on the web all the time without even realizing it, but when you create a website it is imperative that you learn how to write a call to action that supports your site’s goal. In this post, we will clarify how CTAs work to ensure the high performance of any website, and especially of business websites. We will then explore the key steps in creating powerful CTAs that bring real results, improve your website’s conversion rates and set you on the right path towards financial and professional growth. What is a call to action? A call to action is a short phrase that prompts your online audience to take immediate action. In the context of a website, they are most often clickable texts, images or buttons that encourage site visitors to follow your site’s invitation towards a certain step. Common call to action examples include downloading files, purchasing products, subscribing to a service, signing up as members, contacting the team, starting a trial and more. Essentially, CTAs tell your site visitors what it is that you want them to do. If the entire content of your site is doing the prep work for it, the role of the call to action is to entice visitors to take that final step and click to complete that action, to “seal the deal.” CTAs have a direct impact on your entire website’s success, and strong, persuasive CTAs can get you higher sales, more followers and wider exposure. Why is a call to action important? Calls to action are a critical component of any marketing strategy, because they provide your user with a clear guide for where to go. Good CTAs can help you to increase conversions, improve your website's traffic and boost your sales. Here are some of the benefits of CTAs: Increase conversions: CTAs tell your visitors exactly what you want them to do, which in turn helps them convert. When a CTA is clear and concise, it’s more likely to be clicked on. Improve website traffic: Improve your website's traffic by directing visitors to the pages that you want them to see. For example, you could use a CTA to direct visitors to your product pages or your blog. Boost sales: When you encourage visitors to take action through your call to action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, you can then help boost your sales. Build relationships: CTAs can help you build relationships with your customers by providing them with a way to contact you or learn more about your products or services. Limit decision fatigue: Users can sometimes feel overwhelmed by too many options. CTAs cut down on confusion by giving a direct command to follow. How to write a CTA that converts Here are the key steps to write an effective call to action that bring real results: Define your goals Know what your audience wants They can't miss it Keep it short and clear Use action-oriented language The time is NOW Lead with incentives Don’t neglect the rest of your site Track and analyze success Test and improve 01. Define your goals The first step to perfecting your call to actions takes you to the very core of your online presence. You need to have a clear understanding of your goals. Let’s put it this way: Why are you setting up a website to begin with? What are you hoping to achieve? The answer to this question would determine how you use CTAs. Your goal and the action that you are calling for correspond to each other. If, for example, your site’s goal is to advance your life coaching service, the action you’d be prompting would be scheduling an appointment, and the CTA might read something like: “Book Your First Session Here” or “Schedule a Free Consultation.” In some cases, you might be interested in directing site visitors to do more than one thing. For instance, you want them to both purchase one of your products and like your Facebook page. In this case, you will have more than one CTA on the site and you will need to prioritize them. You may choose to have one CTA more prominent on one page and the other on another page. You may also divide your site’s layout in a way that supports both CTAs without creating competition between them. 02. Know what your audience wants Knowing what you want to achieve is one thing, but you won’t get far if you neglect to consider the wishes and needs of your audience. What are they doing on your site? What are they hoping to accomplish? What tone of voice and what kind of vocabulary appeals to them? To maximize your chances of success, you should start this stage by doing some research on your target audience and creating a profile of your average site visitor (or multiple archetypes of visitors). Once you get a sense of what motivates your audience, you will be able to craft more effective CTAs. And don’t be afraid to look at what your competitors are doing, there’s a lot to learn from other people’s successes and failures. 03. They can't miss it A CTA has to be clearly visible. All the effort that you put into creating your CTAs will be useless if your site visitors are unable to spot it on your site. Here’s how you guarantee that they will: Your color palette should make the call to action stand out. Choose a color combination that accentuates the CTA and draws attention. Obviously, you don’t want to blind your site visitors with clashing colors (and these color palette generator tools will help you avoid that), but you do need enough contrast for it to stand out on the page. In addition, consider which colors to use in order to evoke specific emotions from people. Size matters. The proportions of CTA buttons or texts should reflect their unique role on your site. You want to go with a size that distinctively marks the CTA as a crucial segment of the site, one that shouldn’t be overlooked. But practicing moderation is a good move here too: devoting half of your page size to a button will not get you much other than frustrated visitors. Location is key. Where you choose to place the CTA will have a huge impact on its performance. The guiding principles are that CTAs should be located in prominent spots, the space surrounding them should be free of clutter, and they shouldn’t compete with other buttons in the area over clicks. Don’t assume that CTAs always work best if placed right at the top of the page. Remember that you are asking visitors to take action, so the request should appear at the moment when they’re ready for it. The CTA usually follows content that prepares the ground for it. 04. Keep it short and clear This is not the place for witty observations or lively descriptions of the benefits you promise. CTAs are brief and to the point. They describe the action in a straightforward manner – Download Your Copy, Register for a Free Trial, Buy This, Sign Up and Get $50 Off, Reserve Your Seats, etc. This type of copywriting may sound a bit bland, or even off-putting in its directness. Don’t forget, though, that the CTAs are just that final step in a process. Your site’s design, images and content provide the atmosphere, information and motivation to follow through the journey, while the CTA is there to give it a final push. 05. Use action-oriented language Compelling site visitors to take action requires proactive language. It’s no coincidence that CTAs begin with a powerful imperative verb that assertively determines what happens next. This type of explicit invitation increases people’s motivation to follow your CTA and complete the action. It puts the focus on them and their decision and strengthens their confidence in the choice to click onwards. 06. The time is NOW Similarly to the use of power-verbs, adding a sense of urgency strengthens the CTA’s impact. An effectively-written call to action motivates site visitors to take the next step immediately, rather than giving them time to think about it and probably forget all about your site. Adding words like “Now,” “Here” or “Today” to your CTAs can help prompt quick reactions. Other phrases that elicit this type of determination are: “Get Instant Access,” “Grab Limited Discount Code” or “Take Advantage of Our Best Deal Ever.” 07. Lead with incentives When you’re asking your site visitors to do something for you, you better be willing to do something for them in return. With an abundance of options and information available online, web users have the power to consider costs and benefits and make informed decisions. If you want CTAs to appeal to that mindset, you need to make sure the value that you are offering is clear, and that it actually appeals to your group. For example, CTAs like “Start My Free Trial,” “Create a Blog” or “Download Straight to Your Device” all offer a certain incentive that allows visitors to visualize what they are getting out of this deal. 08. Don’t neglect the rest of your site This article focuses specifically on the art of creating CTAs, but just as important is the art of creating a good CTA environment. Remember, the CTA is a culmination of your pitch to your site visitors. Even the perfect CTA will fail if the site that surrounds it does not lead visitors towards completing the action. To begin with, your entire site design should support the CTA. This means that the layout of the page should direct the visitors’ view towards the CTA in a natural browsing flow. Subsequently, you should also free up some white space around the CTA, to make sure that nothing distracts from it. Your site content is also crucial for the elimination of FUDs – fears, uncertainties and doubts. Because CTAs are short and can’t address all the concerns or questions that site visitors might have, you need to make sure that your site has all the answers. 09. Track and analyze success No serious website owner would be satisfied with following all the steps mentioned above without tracking their impact, too. Analyzing the success rate of your CTA is crucial in evaluating your site’s overall performance and is a vital step towards improving your strategy for growth. An important metric that can help in guiding your evaluation is the conversion rate, which is the percentage of website visitors who convert. For example, if you have 100 visitors to your website and 5 of them make a purchase, your conversion rate would be 5%. The way you define conversion depends on what your goal is, but it could include actions such as making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter or downloading a PDF. The higher the conversion rate, the more effective your CTAs are at driving conversions. 10. Test and improve After tracking and measuring your CTAs’ performance, you have the knowledge required to experiment, compare and improve various call to action schemes. For example, your analysis may show you that some colors bring in more clicks than others, or that the phrasing “Buy Now” is more effective than “Purchase Now.” Keep track of your different tests to better understand what triggers action with your target audience and continue to improve your CTAs accordingly. Where to include a CTA When it comes to mastering CTAs, you also need to know where to include them. There are many places where you can integrate a CTA, but some of the most effective spots are: On your website: CTAs can be placed on your website in a variety of places, such as: The homepage: The homepage is a great place for your CTA because it's the first page that visitors will see. Product pages: CTAs can be placed on product pages to encourage visitors to buy your products. A blog: Try including CTAs on your blog posts to encourage visitors to read more content, subscribe to your blog or buy your product. Contact page: A CTA on your contact page encourages visitors to contact you. In your email marketing: CTAs can be included in your email marketing campaigns to encourage subscribers to take action, such as clicking on a link, opening an attachment or making a purchase. On your social media: CTAs can be included in your social media posts to encourage followers to engage with your content, such as liking, commenting or sharing your posts. In your advertising: CTAs can be included in your advertising campaigns to encourage viewers to visit your website, sign up for a free trial or make a purchase.

Many consider content the most important part of a strong marketing strategy. Informative, engaging content can reach new customers and maintain current ones. Even Bill Gates knew back in 1996 that “Content is king.” From deciding to create a website to strategizing your social media content, you’ll often share links to videos, articles and social media posts. A link shortening tool can be a handy way to optimize these links for your content marketing strategy. In this article, we’ll discuss why compressed URLs can help your marketing. Plus, we’ll go over some of the best link shorteners on the market. What is a link shortener? A link shortener—also known as a URL shortener, link compressor, or URL condenser—is a digital tool that takes a long URL and makes it shorter. This URL tool serves self-creators or small businesses in many ways. In fact, the US government found this tool important enough to provide two types of government-funded link shortenings, although they decommissioned the project in 2019. If you want to share a link for any type of marketing, whether social media marketing or your weekly newsletter, most people don’t find website links littered with excess numbers and letters attractive. A lengthy URL can even deter people from clicking. Link shorteners condense the long URLs in your marketing strategy so people will be more inclined to click on them, in turn increasing click-through rates. Learn more: URI vs URL 4 reasons to use a link shortener 01. Elevates your brand image Excess characters in URLs can look suspicious and unappealing. Use a link shortener to keep your marketing assets clean and concise, which reflects positively on your brand image. 02. Easier to share If your users find a link easier to copy and paste, especially from a mobile device, they’ll be more likely to share your links. 03. Cleaner appearance People have an easier time reading and comprehending shorter text, making them more likely to click on shorter URLs. 04. Provides tracking capabilities To sustainably grow your brand, you must track your marketing efforts and key performance indicators (KPIs). Most link shorteners come with analytics tools and other advanced features. 10 best URL shortener services Hopp.co Sniply ClickMeter Cuttly Bitly TinyURL T2M Tiny.CC BL.INK Rebrandly 01. Hopp.co Hopp.co is the ideal URL shortener for online content creators who want to increase their revenue and customer base. All creators, from Instagram influencers to culinary bloggers, can access Hopp.co’s impressive list of tools. This includes: tracking and analytic data, unlimited number of uses and the ability to create short links with a customized domain just for this purpose. Hopp.co’s ability to add a “pre-roll” customized promotional page is what makes this link shortener a real winner. Creators can send users to an interstitial page before their final destination where they can add a CTA or link that promotes a service, video, event, social account, blog post or product; collects subscribers or contact information; and even promotes a membership. They also offer call-to-action landing pages and a “speed-dial” feature, which allows users to enter a code and access a link—a handy feature for those looking for a link sharing workaround for Instagram posts. 02. Sniply Sniply allows users to compress long links and overlay them with custom call-to-actions (CTAs) to create visually appealing mini banners. 03. ClickMeter ClickMeter’s URL shortening tool offers marketers a dashboard to analyze data from large, global audiences, plus optimize and compare links in one place. The tool targets visitors where they will have the best conversion rates, monitors fraud and broken links, tracks clicks and conversions, and more. 04. Cuttly Cuttly’s platform can manage and track analytics from users' branded URLs. The tool integrates with several platforms—such as Zapier, Integromat and Laravel—and comes with other marketing tools like password-protected short links, UTM parameters and QR codes. 05. Bitly Bitly’s free tool shortens links using the bit.ly domain. Users with a premium plan can customize their shortened URLs with their own domain names. Bitly comes with an analytics dashboard to help users comprehend which campaigns and content their audiences prefer. 06. TinyURL TinyURL’s basic link shortening tool does not require users to create an account, but it also doesn’t offer advanced analytics. Paid users get basic tracking tools such as click rates, URL editing and timestamps. 07. T2M T2M is intended for large businesses and corporations, but it can also suit smaller businesses. T2M offers URL management, branding and APIs, campaign management and complete analytics to help marketers make business decisions. 08. Tiny.CC Tiny.CC offers a simple interface that allows users to manage many URLs at one time. Users can edit links in real time, redirect smartlinks and track traffic metrics. 09. BL.INK BL.INK’s GDPR-compliant tool caters to small businesses. Key features include the ability to build UTM campaigns and create links that are easily shareable with any channel, including mobile, PDF files, QR codes, email and more. 10. Rebrandly Rebrandly emphasizes the importance of brand trust and recognition. With an array of advanced features and collaborative tools that enable different departments to work together more easily, the platform focuses heavily on organizational teams. It offers multiple logins and workspaces for this purpose. Consider creating a qr code for your brand, you can use a qr code generator to do this.

After you create a website for your brand, you need to get out there and let people know you’re open for business. The best way to do so is to set your sights on social media. In particular, you need to learn how to increase social media engagement to bring attention to your brand, make meaningful connections, fully utilize social networking and accelerate your business growth. It’s the “engagement” part of that strategy that’s going to be key to your success. Today we’ll look at what it is, what it’ll do for your brand and 10 ways to get more of it. What is social media engagement? Social media engagement refers to the responses your social media posts receive. While comments, likes, and shares are the most common type of social engagement, some platforms use different engagement features or terminology for them. For example, on the one hand, a Twitter user would "retweet" a post, but a Pinterest user, on the other hand, who wants to share this IKEA post would use the “Save” button: Just keep in mind that the ultimate goal of social media marketing is to get meaningful engagement. That means that while having a high number of interactions or follower numbers may look good, it’s the quality of the interactions that’s more important. The importance of getting engagement on your social media Social media might be free to use, but the time you invest in creating content for each platform, growing your list of followers, and engaging with them is very valuable. With this in mind, the last thing you want is to create a social media account and end up talking to an empty room. Or, worse, to talk to a super-crowded room, but get ignored by everyone. When you nail your social media strategy and give people a good reason to engage with you, you’ll reap plenty of benefits: Build greater brand awareness. You don’t need to be Kim Kardashian level famous in order to get good engagement. You just need a great strategy (including knowing the best time to post on TikTok) aimed at the right audience - like this TiktTok for business guide breaks down. Increase your clout. You have a great website and a promising offer. But the conversational style of marketing on social media allows you to really let your brand’s voice and thoughts shine. It also makes it easier for you to monetize your platform, whether its making money on TikTok or Instagram. Exponentially increase your reach. When someone engages with your social media posts, it can help the algorithm identify your post as more relevant and interesting and there is more likely to push your content into more people’s feeds. We explain this further in our guide to LinkedIn marketing, for example. Develop meaningful relationships. Unlike your blog, email marketing, or traditional marketing, where you talk at your audience, social media is a conversation. And when you give people a reason to engage, really meaningful interactions can develop from that. Provide better customer service. Even if you’re not handling technical support on social media, simply being there to answer questions for interested prospects or existing customers gives you another opportunity to demonstrate how much they matter (and to show others curious about your brand how attentive you really are). Get more accurate data. You know who your audience is, but the metrics you get from social engagement and social signals can tell you a lot more about their story and inform how to better connect with them. How to increase social media engagement If you’ve already begun using social media for your brand, then you’re familiar with basic social media marketing tips and strategies. However, what we’re going to focus on below are 10 ways to improve your social engagement metrics and get a better ROI on your marketing strategy as a whole. 1. Make a record of your current engagement rates 2. Set measurable goals for future engagement 3. Get to know your audience when they’re on social media 4. Write blog content that’s going to get their attention 5. Experiment with different social media post formats 6. Create social media posts that are eye-catching and engaging 7. Create social media posts that are authentic 8. Don’t just wait for people to come to you 9. Respond to your engagements in a timely fashion 10. Review your analytics regularly and reconfigure your strategy as needed 01. Make a record of your current engagement rates There are two places where you can get social media analytics from. First, you can log into each of your social media platforms and use the analytics provided there. For instance, here’s what Twitter’s Analytics dashboard looks like: Each social media platform provides statistics based on the types of engagements available, and you’ll get engagement statistics for each individual post. You’ll also see average performance stats related to: Engagement rate Link clicks Retweets without comments Likes Replies The second way to get analytics is if you use a social media management and scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite. There, all of your social engagement data will be in one place. Regardless of which tool you use, it’s recommended to export the data as a spreadsheet and save it on your computer. If the tool does not do this for you, here is the formula of how you can calculate your own engagement rate: Social Media Engagement Rate = # of Engagements (sum up all likes, shares, comments, etc.) ÷ # of Followers ✕ 100 Do this for each of your platforms, and afterwards compare your engagement rates to a few of your competitors who have a similar size following. 02. Set measurable goals for future engagement Now that you know roughly what to shoot for, it’s time to set some goals. The first thing to set goals for is your social media marketing efforts. Which audience are you looking to reach? What actions to wish for them to take upon seeing your content? How will you measure success? To help you decide which engagement metrics are most important to you it’s important that you know that not all engagements are created equal. For example, the Instagram algorithm values saves, shares and comments more than likes. Figure out which engagements to track based on your business goal (if you want to create brand awareness, focus on increasing page visits; if your goal is to build a community, focus on growing the number of followers or comments under each post etc.). Next, figure out which social media platforms to focus your efforts on that can best help you reach your above goals. Remember, sometimes it is easier to build a successful engagement strategy if you limit how many platforms you focus on. From Pinterest for business, to Instagram and Facebook, there are a variety of platforms to choose from depending on your niche and industry. 03. Get to know your audience when they’re on social media In order to build offerings and create strong social media content for your target customers, you need to figure out who they are in terms of demographics, needs, and motivations. Which platforms do they use most? What kinds of accounts do they follow? Are there certain topics that tend to catch their interest more? What types of posts and content are they more likely to engage with? Do they communicate using GIFs, emojis, or acronyms? Start by looking through accounts for brands similar to yours. You should be able to spot some trends in terms of content with the highest engagement. Then, do some research on their followers—especially the most engaged ones—and find out what their feeds look like. Because not only do you want to share posts that are relevant to them, you want to speak their language as well. This step can be really time-consuming if you try to do it all on your own. So, social listening and engagement tools like Sprout Social or BuzzSumo can help. 04. Write blog content that’s going to get their attention While you don’t want your social media feed to be all “Me! Me! Me!”, you can create a free blog with high-quality and thought-provoking content to share with your followers from time to time. So, make sure your blogging strategy coincides with your social media engagement goals. For instance: If your goal is to boost the number of clicks and saves as part of your Pinterest marketing efforts, create more Pin-friendly content like infographics. If your goal is to get more engaged followers on Instagram, record a daily vlog. If your goal is to increase the number of comments you get on each Facebook post, start writing blog posts that answer common questions your customer service team gets. Every platform has its own strengths. Figure out which platforms you want to increase social engagement on and then create content in shareable formats for each. It might also be a good idea to review the set up of your social platforms - go over your YouTube channel name, or other platform handles, to make sure it resonates with users. Learn more: How to design social media graphics. 05. Experiment with different social media post formats In order to increase engagement, use a social media calendar to test out different kinds of social media posts. Here are some post formats and themes to consider: Behind-the-scenes tours Customer spotlights “Live” video events Infographics Quotes Video Q&A This-or-that questions Contests and giveaways Surveys Animated GIFs and Memes You never know which ones will get the most attention and engagement until you give them a try. Plus, with the variety of social media platforms available, there’s a lot to play around with. If you're looking for inspiration, take a look at this curated list of social media ideas and tips on how to use them effectively. You can also consider sharing content from your blog or website straight to social media, with a social share button. This helps make it easier to post more often and consistently. 06. Create social media posts that are eye-catching and engaging As we write this post, Internet Live Stats tells us that there have been over 375 million tweets sent, 3.5 billion YouTube videos viewed, and 42 million Instagram photos uploaded today. Needless to say, there is a lot of noise on social media. Having a great social media channel will help you get more followers, but that doesn’t guarantee that they (or other social media users) will see your posts in their feed. There’s just too much new content being published every second of every day. In order to get people to slow their scroll, your posts need to be eye-catching. While it does vary based on platform as well as the industry you operate in, images are more or less the most effective way to capture someone’s attention on social media. According to Social Insider’s report, images clearly dominate for attention over carousels and videos on Instagram—and this is the platform with the highest levels of engagement. It’s not just images alone that make a post eye-catching or engaging though. Applying filters so your images all have a similar look is one way to make your content stand out from the crowd. Furthermore, creating a logo and adding it as a watermark to all custom content is another way to make your posts more recognizable and eye-catching. You should also be constantly on the lookout for new features. TikTok, for instance, recently launched a new video Q&A feature. Every platform creates new features in response to the way people use the platform, so take advantage of them as they’re a good way to drum up more attention. Even if the bigger visual components of your posts initially grab social media users’ attention, it’s the accompanying message that’s oftentimes what convinces them to engage. In addition to writing awesome messages, give them some visual style, too. For example, on platforms like Twitter and Instagram where hashtags and handles are popular, use them to not only improve the discoverability of your posts, but to make your messages stand out like this @travelchannel tweet: Here's our full guide on how to use Twitter. Tagging someone else’s handle is an especially good way to get exponentially more eyes on your content, which can increase engagement, too. With platforms like LinkedIn and Pinterest, where you have more room to write, take advantage of the space as The Walt Disney Company does here: Just remember that the rules of formatting long content apply here, too. Add paragraph breaks to make long text less intimidating to read. Including emojis along the way helps, too. Another tip is to focus on creating content people would like to save for later or share with their friends. Try including a question in the caption that has the potential of starting a discussion and conversation in the comments section. Don't forget your social media bios too, they are crucial to boosting social media engagement rates and a key part of the puzzle. Hopp helps create the most stunning and fast-loading bio pages with ease. It is highly customizable, its unique search feature ensures that your followers can access your links quickly and easily like never before. 07. Create social media posts that are authentic While there’s certainly a lot of room for what you can post on social media, not everything is going to fit with your brand identity. So, make sure you’re creating posts and choosing formats that are authentic to you. For example, entrepreneur Marie Forleo is on all the big social media platforms and has hundreds of thousands of followers there. She could easily throw different kinds of posts at them. What Forleo does, however, is stay in her lane. Most of Marie's posts—regardless of which channel she shares them on—are inspirational and motivational images and video content where she talks directly to her followers. What you won’t see her share are infographics, animated GIFs, or shameless selfies. And that’s a really important part of getting high levels of engagement on social media. Sure, you want to market your brand and increase your leads and sales in the process. But you have to be genuine when you do it or else people will quickly catch on that it’s all just for show. 08. Don’t just wait for people to come to you Dedicate some time every week to look for new relevant users to engage with. One way to easily do that is to follow Gary Vee’s $1.80 engagement method. This proven to work method encourages you to find users through the top hashtags in your niche and to comment something meaningful on their posts. Other methods include engaging with: Customers who’ve shared photos or recommendations of your products. Companies whose missions you really dig and want to keep tabs on. Brands you want to partner with. Blogs and news sites that share content that you and your audience will find valuable. Cute and funny accounts that add some extra positivity to your feed. Whether you’re sharing your love for another brand’s offering or you’re simply getting involved in other users’ conversations, you need to get out there and be social. It’s a great way to show that your brand actually cares about making genuine connections and being part of the social media community and not just using it to boost conversions. 09. Respond to your engagements in a timely fashion Once you start giving people a reason to engage with you on social media, get ready to respond. While you might not want to thank the dozens or hundreds of people who like each of your posts, take time out to respond to those who share and comment. Check out Burger King’s tweets and retweets for a masterclass in responding to followers: Burger King responds to all kinds of posts. Customer service issues. Memes. Ridiculous demands. And, not only that, it does it with its trademark personality and quickly, too. If you don’t have that kind of bandwidth to monitor social media 24/7, that’s okay. Just make sure you respond within 24 hours. 10. Review your analytics regularly and reconfigure your strategy as needed When you set up your social media branding, you set up monitoring and analytics for this very reason. Without these insights, there’s no way to measure your marketing strategy’s efficacy. On a regular basis or at least monthly, it’s a good idea to perform a social media audit. In terms of engagement, ask yourself questions like: Which posts get the highest numbers of engagement? Which posts get the best type of engagement? Which ones go completely ignored? Are there any platforms where your engagement rates remain really low? Don’t forget to look at Google Analytics either. There’s a section under Acquisition that will tell you which platforms drive traffic to your site as well as the best quality of leads. If you can nail down which posts and platforms are giving you the biggest ROI, you can reconfigure your strategy and give your audience more of what they want where they want it.

Get started by: Creating a website → | Getting a domain → Marketing is a crucial element for any business, including laundromats. As a laundromat owner or operator, you understand the importance of different types of marketing in standing out amidst tough competition to attract and retain customers. Whether you're starting a business or aiming to enhance your current marketing strategies, having a solid marketing plan is essential. In this article, we'll delve into understanding your target market, crafting a strong marketing strategy that includes both digital marketing and traditional tactics, building an online presence and leveraging community involvement. With a comprehensive laundromat marketing plan, you'll be well on your way to making your laundromat a local favorite. 8 marketing techniques for laundromats Google Business and Google Ads Utilize social media Use discounts and promotions Build a website for your laundromat Leveraging online maps Participate in local events Collaborate with other businesses Engage with the local community 01. Google Business and Google Ads Google Business Profile: Set up a Google Business Profile and ensure your laundromat is listed on Google My Business to highlight your laundromat's key details, such as photos, customer reviews, operating hours and location. Google Ads: Use Google Ads to target potential customers in your area. With location-based advertising, you can appear in search results when people are looking for laundromats nearby. 02. Utilize social media Social media profiles: Create social media profiles on platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where your customers are most active. Leverage these channels for effective customer engagement by sharing laundry care tips, exclusive promotions and updates about your laundromat. Paid advertising: Consider paid social media marketing to reach a broader audience. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram offer targeted ad options based on demographics, interests and behaviors. 03. Use discounts and promotions Offering discounts and promotions can be a powerful way to encourage new and repeat business. Here's how you can implement these strategies effectively: Loyalty programs: Introduce a loyalty program that rewards customers for their repeated business. This could be a digital punch card or points system that offers a free wash after a certain number of visits. Time-based discounts: Consider offering discounts during off-peak hours to increase website traffic during slow times. Referral bonuses: Encourage word-of-mouth marketing by providing incentives for customers who refer friends or family to your laundromat. 04. Build a website for your laundromat You'll want to kick off your laundromat marketing by learning how to build a website that highlights your projects, services and expertise. You can start with a website builder like Wix to create a business website that's visually striking, easy to navigate and user-friendly. Your laundromat website should be: User-friendly: Ensure your website is easy to navigate with clear menus and calls-to-action. Mobile-friendly: With most users accessing the internet via mobile devices, your site must look good and function well on smartphones and tablets. Informative: Provide all the necessary information about your services, location, operating hours and pricing. Branded: Use consistent branding elements like colors, fonts, logo and a laundromat slogan to create a strong brand identity. To make your website truly effective, consider these tips: SEO optimization: Use relevant keywords like "laundromat marketing strategy" and "how to attract customers to laundromat" throughout your content to improve search engine rankings. Engaging content: Include engaging content such as blogs on laundry tips or the history of your laundromat to keep visitors on your site longer. Online scheduling: If possible, offer an online booking system so customers can reserve machines or schedule laundry services in advance. Learn more: Wix SEO 05. Leveraging online maps Make sure your laundromat is listed on online map services such as Google Maps. This helps locals find you easily when they search for laundry services in their area. Keep your listing updated with accurate information and encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews. 06. Participate in local events Sponsorship: Look for local events, sports teams or charities that you can sponsor. This not only supports the community but also puts your brand in front of potential customers. Hosting events: Consider hosting your own events at your laundromat, such as laundry education workshops or family fun days. 07. Collaborate with other businesses Partnerships: Partner with nearby businesses to offer joint promotions or discounts. For example, team up with a local coffee shop to provide a discount to customers who show a receipt from your laundromat. Referral networks: Create a referral network with other local service providers where you can recommend each other's businesses. 08. Engage with the local community By actively engaging with your local community, you demonstrate that your laundromat is more than just a business—it's a valuable member of the neighborhood. This approach not only helps in building customer loyalty but also sets you apart as a socially responsible establishment that people want to support. Social responsibility: Show that your laundromat business cares about the community by participating in or organizing charity drives and environmental clean-ups. Local forums and groups: Join local online forums and groups to stay informed about community needs and interests and to share information about your services. Discover more marketing strategies: Small business marketing Understanding your laundromat's target market To effectively market your laundromat, you first need to know who you're marketing to. Defining your target audience is a foundational step in any successful marketing strategy. It involves understanding who needs your services and what specific characteristics they possess. This knowledge will shape every decision you make, from the services you offer to the way you communicate with your customers. Market research is an indispensable tool in this process. It helps you gather data about the local population, their habits and preferences. Here's how you can start pinpointing your ideal customer base: Demographic analysis: Look at the age, gender, income level and employment status of the people in your area. Are there many college students or families? Do residents mostly work blue-collar jobs or commute to office jobs? These factors can influence when and how they use laundromat services. Psychographic profiling: Go beyond basic demographics to understand the lifestyles and values of potential customers. Are they environmentally conscious? Do they value convenience over cost? This information can help tailor your marketing messages and service offerings. Crafting a strong laundromat marketing strategy A robust marketing strategy is the backbone of any successful business and for laundromats, it's no different. To craft a strategy that resonates with your target audience and sets you apart from the competition, you need to consider several essential components. Creating an effective marketing plan for your laundromat involves a mix of both digital and traditional marketing tactics. Here are the steps to guide you through this process: Set clear objectives: Determine what you want to achieve with your marketing efforts. This could be increasing foot traffic, enhancing brand awareness or boosting customer loyalty. Budget allocation: Decide how much you're willing to spend on your marketing campaigns. A well-defined budget ensures that you use your resources efficiently according to your laundromat business plan. Channel selection: Choose the right marketing channels to reach your audience. This might include social media platforms or traditional methods such as flyers and local newspaper ads. Content creation: Develop engaging content that speaks to your customers' needs and interests. Whether it's informative blog posts or eye-catching posters, make sure it reflects the quality of your service. Promotion strategy: Plan out how you will promote special offers or events. This could involve email marketing campaigns, social media contests or partnerships with local businesses. Performance tracking: Implement tools to measure the success of your marketing activities. Use data analytics to understand customer behavior and refine your strategy accordingly. Laundromat marketing FAQs What kind of content works best for promoting a laundromat? Content that provides value to your customers tends to perform the best. This can include laundry tips, stain removal guides or information about any eco-friendly practices you use. Highlighting special promotions and behind-the-scenes looks at your operations can also engage your audience. Can email marketing be effective for a local laundromat business? Email marketing allows you to directly communicate with your customers and keep them informed about special offers, events or any changes in operation hours. It's a personal way to stay connected and encourage repeat business. What metrics should I track to measure the success of my marketing efforts Key metrics include website traffic, social media engagement (likes, shares, comments), email open rates and promotional redemption rates. Tracking these metrics over time will give you insights into what strategies are most effective and where adjustments may be needed. Is it worth investing in professional photography for my marketing materials? High-quality visuals make a significant difference in how potential customers perceive your business. Investing in professional photography for your marketing materials can enhance their appeal and effectiveness, making it a worthwhile investment. What are some effective laundromat advertising examples? Consider utilizing direct marketing by sending out flyers or postcards that feature coupons or details about your services to local residences. Additionally, take advantage of community boards by posting notices and special offers on bulletin boards found in supermarkets, libraries and community centers. Don't forget the power of online advertising; run targeted ads on platforms such as Google and Facebook, which allow you to reach your local demographic more effectively. Who is the target audience for laundromats? Laundromats serve a variety of customers with different needs, including: Apartment dwellers: People without in-unit laundry often rely on laundromats for convenience. Students: College and university students especially those in dorms or off-campus housing frequently visit laundromats. Travelers and temporary residents: Visitors staying in hotels, rentals or temporary housing often need access to laundry services. Large households: Families or individuals with big laundry loads like bedding or bulk items benefit from larger machines. Busy professionals: Those short on time often prefer wash-and-fold services for ease. Eco-conscious shoppers: Customers looking for energy-efficient machines or sustainable laundry options. By understanding and catering to these groups, laundromat owners can build a loyal diverse customer base.