Blog | Vortex Communications

5 Ways to Boost Website Engagement

No doubt you’ve heard that "Content is king." But what exactly does that mean? In 2018, successful content marketing is about offering value to your audience, through solution-oriented products and services. But there’s more to it than that. The facts and figures alone... [MORE]

July 5, 2018
Digital Marketing, User Interface, Web Design & SEO

How to make more of your local search presence with Google Map listing offers

A Free Online Marketing Opportunity That's Worth Your Time As the use of mobile devices grows, so does the reliance on Google Maps. One of the most overlooked features is Google Business’ “Create Post” feature to publish offers. The easy to... [MORE]

July 2, 2018
Digital Marketing, Inbound, Web Design & SEO

Using Directional Cues to Drive Online Conversions

Help your website visitors Find What they need. Struggling to generate more website conversions? It’s a key concern for every marketer, and while there are many factors at play, sometimes it can all come down to your website design decisions. Even if... [MORE]

June 28, 2018
Web Design & SEO

Are You Branding Yourself For Three-Second Success?

Three seconds. That’s how long you have. Three seconds before an online shopper decides to move on to something else. Or someone else. In 2015, Time magazine let the world know our attention spans were shorter than a goldfish. Today, as... [MORE]

February 15, 2018
Branding

Effective Branding Reflects Target Audience Expectations

Although you may have a great value proposition and products that you believe people will need and want, if buyers don't equate your products with effective brand messaging, developing sales will be virtually impossible. The Foundation of Branding is an Understanding... [MORE]

February 7, 2018
Branding

3 Great Marketing Creative Strategies and Why They Succeeded

What makes a marketing creative strategy successful? Messaging concepts that are memorable and address the target audience’s unmet needs and cultural sensibilities. To avoid confusion in the marketplace, no two competing brands can share the same marketing creative strategy and expect... [MORE]

January 22, 2018
Branding

The Importance of Consumer-Oriented Website Design and Development

Does your website address your consumer’s concerns? Your initial reaction might be to say yes, of course it does – but closer inspection may find that you're missing out on some important methods to draw people into your brand. For instance, you... [MORE]

January 17, 2018
Web Design & SEO

What’s Better on Social Media – Likes? Reach? Conversions?

Building a powerful presence on social media is no longer optional – it's a must for any brand that wishes to rise above its competition. When it comes to digital marketing, successful social media strategies complement content-based sales funnels, driving traffic... [MORE]

July 25, 2017
Digital Marketing, Social Media

Why You Need to Be Consistent with Blogging and Social Media

The foundation of any good content marketing campaign is maintaining a practice of publishing frequently and consistently. This applies whether your platform is social media, blogging, YouTube or all of the above. As ACI Information Group points out, 211 million individual... [MORE]

July 19, 2017
Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media, Web Design & SEO

Text, Image, and Video Content – How Much of Each Do You Need?

When it comes to digital marketing, the importance of visual content continues to rise. Whether formatted as video, image, or infographic, the ability to educate your audience visually is important for your SEO footprint. Web design experts have long seen... [MORE]

July 11, 2017
Digital Marketing, SEO, Social Media

Why You Really Do Need to Focus on Digital Marketing

Despite the gains to be made, there is still a huge number of small business owners who have yet to take the dive into digital marketing as an important lead-generating activity. You may have considered online marketing a tool to... [MORE]

July 6, 2017
Digital Marketing, Web Design & SEO

What Does “Responsive Design” Really Mean?

Anyone who has built a website in recent years has surely heard the term responsive design. The idea that modern websites need to display properly on a broad range of devices and screen sizes is widespread and a very important... [MORE]

June 27, 2017
User Interface, Web Design & SEO

The Importance of Buyer Personas in Digital Marketing

Digital marketers are keen to repeat the same advice you always hear – your site needs better SEO, you need to rank higher to attract customers. This advice is certainly helpful, but it's equally important to position your brand to deliver... [MORE]

June 22, 2017
Branding, Buyer Personas, Web Design & SEO

Local Business Listings and SEO: Boost Your Website’s Page Rank

If you use local business listings correctly, they can increase customer foot traffic to your door noticeably. If you don't use them correctly, they won't. It's as simple as that. One of the most important ways to use listings correctly is... [MORE]

February 12, 2017
Web Design & SEO

Building a Local Business Listing to Improve Your Website’s SEO

A local business listing is one of the most important online marketing tools for your business. It's arguably more important even than your company's web design or your social media accounts because it has the potential to deliver customers directly... [MORE]

February 12, 2017
Web Design & SEO

Local Business Listings: An SEO Opportunity You Can’t Afford to Miss

Imagine that you own a restaurant on Main Street, and a potential customer is walking down Main Street looking for a place to eat. He pulls out his phone and does a quick search for nearby restaurants. He gets a... [MORE]

February 12, 2017
Web Design & SEO

Mobile-Friendly Websites vs. Smartphone Apps: Where’s the Marketing Advantage?

There's no question that your business needs an online presence that's tailored to mobile devices. There is a question, however, of whether you should deliver that presence to users through a mobile-friendly website or via a dedicated mobile app. The... [MORE]

February 2, 2017
User Interface, Web Design & SEO

Making the most of your website design with contact forms

If you have a website, providing contact information to prospects and customers is a basic requirement. Companies who make it difficult or hide contact information can count on losing a visitor’s confidence in their product and service offerings. The nature of... [MORE]

January 25, 2017
User Interface, Web Design & SEO

Google Analytics is an ideal tool to evaluate your website’s effectiveness

As a graphic and website designer, I often meet with business owners who work as lawyers, accountants, medical specialists, financial planners and insurance brokers. The conversation will turn to my own services and these professionals often share with me, “it’s... [MORE]

January 22, 2017
Inbound, Web Design & SEO

Identifying Quality. Search Engines Have Work to Do.

Search engines — Google, Yahoo, Bing among others — are designed to help users find the best answer for their needs. The results listings SERP (Search Engine Results Page) are ordered by the search engine’s interpretation of relevance to its... [MORE]

June 4, 2016
Inbound, Web Design & SEO

“Money isn’t everything” when it comes to retaining design firm clients

Yes, it’s a tired cliché. But not too tired to still be appropriate in certain situations, such as client relationships. Maybe at the beginning of a relationship with a client, money–your fee–was the key to getting that first project. Along,... [MORE]

April 9, 2016
Blog, Graphic Design

How do you know it’s time for a Website Redesign?

First impressions happen fast. In as little as 3-7 seconds, website visitors decide whether or not you’re worth their time and money. So it pays to make a positive — and immediate — impact. To do otherwise is to risk... [MORE]

March 29, 2016
Blog, Web Design & SEO

Talk Up Your Brand More Effectively With These 3 Exercises

If you’re in any kind of sales role, you know that engaging your prospects and effectively communicating the value of your brand and products are must-do’s. Are you pitching the “Same Old Thing”? Whether you give a presentation, meet face to face,... [MORE]

January 27, 2016
Blog, Branding, Buyer Personas

Should you hire a Graphic Design Generalist or Specialist?

When a business needs a graphic or digital marketing firm to revamp their website, sales promotion designs, or presentation design and branding, there’s an important choice that must be made. What’s better, a designer specializing in your industry or a... [MORE]

January 15, 2016
Graphic Design

Make sure you don’t “Do Yourself In” with a “DIY” website

Do-it-yourself (DIY) business website templates and solutions may seem like a great idea, but the risks of cookie cutter design and below average site performance can far outweigh the short term savings you reap. Budgets are usually the primary reason people... [MORE]

November 3, 2015
Blog, Web Design & SEO