viv_blogs

Businesses Aren’t Waiting. They’re Launching, and Fast

Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:44:34 GMT

Businesses are done waiting. They're tired of juggling dozens of vendors, manually updating scattered systems, and watching opportunities slip through the cracks of outdated digital infrastructure.

That's why VIV's momentum has exploded nationwide in 2025. Companies aren't just asking for prettier websites anymore. They're demanding platforms that actually run their operations.

In the first half of this year alone, we've seen record number of go-lives for businesses looking to replace outdated websites and scattered vendors. These businesses have moved beyond asking for basic digital presence. They're demanding platforms that help them operate, scale, and convert at the speed their markets require.

Beyond Pretty Pictures

Take our current rollout with a major brand: 90 websites rebuilt, hundreds of physical locations updated, and everything centralized into one system. The old way involved over 40 disconnected vendors creating chaos across 5,000+ business listings on Google, Apple, and Bing.

The result wasn't just cleaner design. It was complete control. Real-time updates across every platform. Zero vendor finger-pointing. Customer trust restored.

This shift isn't just about design. It's about control, speed, and function. VIV has become the partner of choice for companies who want more than surface-level marketing. They want systems that actually move their business forward.

Across this project, we replaced more than 40 disconnected vendors and corrected over 5,000 listings across platforms like Google, Apple, and Bing. That effort gave the client 100 percent control of their business info in real time, reducing errors and restoring customer trust.

This is what happens when you move from digital presence to digital operations.

Speed as a Feature

Traditional web projects drag on for months. VIV's 45-day sprint model flips that script. Projects move from signed to live in weeks, not quarters. Cross-functional teams work in parallel with design, listings, optimization, and paid media all moving simultaneously. No handoffs. No delays.

These sprints are led by cross-functional teams focused on execution, not handoffs. Website design, listings sync, performance optimization, and paid media setup all happen in parallel. No more waiting for one department to finish before the next can start.

Recent launches prove the point. A national ag product manufacturer now integrates real-time inventory with their online store, allowing for live product availability and automated order routing to vendors. A retail partner launched a dropshipping store with over 40,000 SKUs, fully connected to the supplier's backend.

We're also working with a billion-dollar brand to consolidate and clean up their digital presence across five separate websites, creating one unified platform for easier management, improved visibility, and scalable infrastructure. Another multi-location group is transitioning to VIV's platform to centralize operations, rebuild 90 websites, and manage listings across hundreds of locations.

Meanwhile, paid media pilots are launching in key markets to gather performance data, validate messaging, and guide phased national rollout strategies.

What's Really Driving This

Business owners are getting blunt about what they need. The feedback is consistent across industries, and it's reshaping how we think about digital infrastructure.

"We don't want another brochure website. We need booking, payments, reporting. Tools that actually make us money."

"Managing multiple vendors is killing our speed. We need everything in one place."

"Six-month timelines don't work anymore. Our competitors are moving too fast."

Business owners are no longer satisfied with a nice-looking homepage. They want their websites to handle booking, payments, forms, and reporting. Multi-location brands are centralizing operations so they can move faster and scale with less friction. Fragmented tools and long timelines have become dealbreakers. The 45-day sprint model solves both problems at once.

The Bottom Line

This isn't about web design. It's about replacing systems that slow you down with platforms that accelerate growth. We're talking about replacing slow systems with platforms that can actually drive revenue, improve efficiency, and support growth at the pace modern businesses require.

If you're currently juggling vendors, waiting weeks for simple updates, or manually connecting tools that should talk to each other, you know there has to be a better way. If your current setup involves juggling vendors, waiting weeks for updates, or manually patching together solutions, VIV offers that better way.

Get in touch and see what a modern digital system can do for your business.

VIV is Preparing Your Business for the Future of AI Search

austin@builtbyviv.com (Austin Hoffman) — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 14:52:22 GMT

Don't have time to read the post? Click below to listen!

We're automatically adding something called llm.txt to all your published websites. That means your business is now better positioned to show up accurately in AI search results - and you don't have to lift a finger.

The way people search for businesses is changing fast. Instead of just typing into Google, more and more of your potential customers are asking ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity questions like "What's the best pizza place near me?" or "Who can fix my car's air conditioning?" or "Where should I get my hair cut?"

When they do that, you want to make sure AI tools have the right information about your business. That's exactly what we're helping you with.

What's llm.txt, and why should you care?

Think of llm.txt as your business card for AI tools. You know how you have a perfectly crafted elevator pitch ready when someone asks what you do? llm.txt is like that, but for artificial intelligence.

AI tools are incredibly smart, but they're only as good as the information they can find about your business. Without llm.txt, when someone asks an AI tool about businesses like yours, it might pull random text from your website - maybe a footer, a navigation menu, or some technical code that doesn't actually tell your story.

With llm.txt, we're giving AI tools a clear, organized guide to what your business is really about.

How this helps your business right now

Picture this scenario: A potential customer is researching local businesses using ChatGPT. They ask, "Can you recommend some good restaurants in my area and tell me what kind of food each one serves?"

Without llm.txt, the AI might give them outdated information, confusing details, or completely miss mentioning your restaurant altogether. It might say something generic like "There are several restaurants in the area" without actually helping the person understand what makes your place special.

But with llm.txt in place, the AI can accurately describe your cuisine, mention your specialties, and even direct them to your menu or reservation page.

What we're doing behind the scenes (so you don't have to)

Every single time we publish updates to your website, VIV now automatically creates and updates an llm.txt file. Here's what goes into it:

All your important pages - We include your services pages, menu, hours, location information, about page, and any other content that helps tell your story. If you run a bakery, we make sure your specialty cakes are included. If you're a mechanic, your repair services are featured. If you have multiple locations, we include all of them.

Your best descriptions - Remember those page titles and meta descriptions we spent time crafting together? We use those because they're already written in your voice and capture what each page is really about. If we haven't written meta descriptions for some pages yet, we'll use your page titles instead.

Only your published, quality content - We're smart about what we include. Draft pages, hidden content, and pages you've marked as "don't show in search results" won't be part of your llm.txt file. We only share the content you're proud to have representing your business.

This all happens automatically. Every time we both make changes to your site and publish them, your llm.txt file gets updated too.

Why this gives your business a competitive advantage

Most businesses still don't have llm.txt files. But your website does. That means when potential customers use AI tools to research local businesses, you're starting with a significant advantage. While your competitors' information might show up as jumbled website code or outdated details, your business will be presented clearly and professionally.

AI tools are becoming the new Yellow Pages, but smarter. When someone asks "Who are the best pizza places near me?" or "I need my plumbing fixed - who should I call?" or "Where can I get a good haircut?", you want your business to not just appear in the results, but to be described accurately and compellingly.

With llm.txt, AI tools can:

Present your services clearly and in your own words
Direct people to the most relevant pages on your website - like your menu, booking page, or contact information
Include up-to-date information about what you offer, your hours, and location
Represent your business the way you want it represented

Common questions

"Will this affect my regular Google search rankings?" Not at all. llm.txt works alongside your existing search optimization, not instead of it.

"Do I need to maintain or update this myself?" Nope! Every time we make changes to your website content and publish those changes, your llm.txt file automatically updates to match.

"What if I don't want certain pages included?" If you've marked any pages as "no index" (meaning you don't want them showing up in search results), they won't be included in your llm.txt file either. You have full control over what content is public.

Ready to see how your business shows up in AI search? Visit your website and add /llms.txt to the end of the URL. That's your business information, perfectly formatted for the AI-powered internet.

Why Selling Online is a Game-Changer for Retailers

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 20:59:47 GMT

So, you're thinking about selling online—maybe you're a small shop with a few products, or perhaps you’re managing a larger operation with thousands of SKUs. Either way, taking your store online is one of the most exciting and rewarding steps you can take in today’s market. The opportunities are endless, but so are the challenges, especially if you're new to e-commerce or looking to grow fast.

That's where we come in. At VIV, we specialize in helping businesses of all sizes launch and scale their online stores. Whether you're just starting out or you’re ready to manage tens of thousands of SKUs, VIV can guide you every step of the way. Let’s dive into what selling online could look like for you and how we can make it happen!

Why Every Retailer Should Consider Selling Online

There’s no denying it: shopping online has become the norm. Customers want convenience, and businesses that adapt quickly can capitalize on this huge shift. Here are a few reasons why selling online is essential:

Reach Customers Anytime, Anywhere: No longer are you restricted by store hours or location. With an online store, you can make sales 24/7, and reach customers all over the world if you choose.

Adaptability: With online sales, you can respond faster to market demands, introduce new products quickly, and pivot your offerings to match trends and customer preferences.

Data-Driven Growth: Unlike traditional retail, online sales give you direct access to customer data and insights. This data can drive everything from marketing strategies to inventory decisions.

So, whether you’re a boutique owner or managing a larger retail chain, there’s no question that going online can take your business to new heights. And at VIV, we’re here to make sure that transition is as seamless as possible.

How to Get Started: Choosing the Right E-Commerce Platform

Starting an online store begins with choosing the right platform. Maybe you’re new to e-commerce or feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the options. From Shopify to WooCommerce, each platform has its own strengths. But here’s the thing: we’ll help you choose the best fit based on your unique needs.

For Small Stores: If you’re a boutique or local shop with a smaller inventory, we can set you up with a platform that’s affordable, easy to use, and fully customizable.

For Expanding Businesses: For those ready to scale, we offer solutions that can support tens of thousands of SKUs with robust features like inventory management, customer insights, and advanced analytics.

Our team at VIV not only helps you pick the right platform but also ensures your store is optimized to grow alongside your business.

Building Your Store: How VIV Helps You Stand Out

You want an online store that’s not only functional but also visually appealing and user-friendly. With VIV, you get a design that reflects your brand and draws in your customers. Here’s a look at what we do:

Custom Design that Speaks Your Brand’s Language: Your store should feel like an extension of your physical space—or, if you’re online-only, like a cohesive and inviting experience. We’ll work with you to create a layout and design that customers will love and remember.

Mobile Optimization: A huge portion of online shopping happens on mobile devices. Our team ensures that your site looks amazing and performs perfectly, no matter the device.

Smooth Customer Experience (CX): Nobody likes a clunky shopping experience. We design your site with the customer journey in mind, from smooth navigation to quick-loading pages and hassle-free checkout.

And don’t worry about all those tech details—we handle that so you can focus on running your business.

Managing Inventory and Orders (Yes, Even with Thousands of Products)

Inventory management can get tricky as you grow, especially if you have a lot of SKUs. We get it; keeping track of stock levels, updating product details, and managing orders can be a lot. But with VIV, it doesn’t have to be.

Integrated Inventory Systems: We connect your online store with advanced inventory management systems, so your stock levels are always accurate.

Automated Product Updates: Have hundreds or even thousands of products? We can set up systems to automate updates, saving you time and minimizing errors.

Seamless Order Management: From cart to doorstep, we streamline the order process to keep things running smoothly.

With VIV, managing even the most complex inventories becomes effortless, giving you more time to focus on growing your business.

Growing Your Sales with Smart Marketing Strategies

Launching an online store is only the beginning—you want people to find it, right? VIV doesn’t just help you build a store; we also offer marketing strategies tailored to drive traffic and boost sales.

SEO Optimization: We optimize every page of your site to improve search rankings and get you seen by more potential customers.

Social Media Integration: Reaching people where they already spend time online is key. We’ll help you connect your store with social platforms to maximize reach and engagement.

Email Marketing: Keep customers coming back with automated email campaigns that highlight new arrivals, special promotions, and more.

With VIV’s marketing expertise, your store will stay top-of-mind for customers, driving both new and repeat sales.

Scaling Up: Moving from a Small Store to a Retail Powerhouse

Many small businesses start with a modest inventory, but with the right tools and strategies, there’s no limit to how big your online store can grow. When you’re ready to scale, VIV has the resources to take you from a few products to tens of thousands without skipping a beat.

Advanced Platform Upgrades: As you grow, we can integrate your store with enterprise-level platforms that support high-volume sales and complex product catalogs.

Streamlined Operations: From automating product updates to optimizing customer service, we’ll help you scale without the growing pains.

Ongoing Support and Optimization: Our team doesn’t just build your store and walk away. We provide continuous support to fine-tune and improve your e-commerce site as your business grows.

Whether you’re aiming to become a well-known brand or simply want to make online shopping easy for your local customers, VIV can help you scale smoothly and sustainably.

Partnering with VIV: A Customized, Stress-Free E-Commerce Solution

Let’s face it—building and running an online store is a lot of work, especially if you’re managing it all on your own. With VIV, you don’t have to. We offer a comprehensive suite of services to make your e-commerce journey easier:

Personalized Consulting: We take the time to understand your business and goals to build a store that’s a perfect fit for you.

All-in-One Service Package: From web design and platform selection to inventory management and marketing, we handle it all. You get a one-stop solution for everything e-commerce.

Ongoing Support and Growth: Launching your store is just the beginning. We’re here to support you as you grow, offering ongoing optimization and marketing strategies to keep sales strong.

With VIV by your side, you’re not just setting up a store—you’re setting up a foundation for success.

Ready to Take the Leap?

If you’re ready to go from brick-and-mortar or boutique online to a full-scale e-commerce operation, VIV can help. We’ve supported countless businesses in launching, growing, and scaling their online stores with success. And we’d love to help you do the same.

Whether you’re selling just a few unique items or managing a massive inventory, VIV’s expertise and tailored solutions can make selling online both easy and profitable. Get in touch with us today at builtbyviv.com to learn more about how we can turn your e-commerce dreams into reality.

Let’s Build Your Online Store Together

Launching an online store is a big step, but you don’t have to do it alone. At VIV, we’re passionate about helping businesses like yours succeed in the online world. From strategy to design, inventory to marketing, our team has got you covered every step of the way. Let's build something great together—one sale at a time.

Ready to get started? Reach out to us at builtbyviv.com and let’s make your e-commerce journey a success story.

How a Professionally Designed Website Can Drive More Foot Traffic and Online Orders for Your Restaurant

info@vivabove.com (VIV Builder) — Mon, 04 Nov 2024 15:26:03 GMT

In today’s digital world, your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your restaurant. A thoughtfully designed, visually appealing, and user-friendly website can not only create a positive first impression but also drive more foot traffic and online orders. An effective website provides a seamless online experience, building trust and excitement that ultimately converts website visitors into loyal customers.

VIV, a leader in website design and online ordering solutions, works closely with restaurant owners to create customized sites that meet modern demands and enhance the customer journey. In this post, we’ll dive into how a well-designed website can increase foot traffic, boost online orders, and provide long-term benefits for your restaurant.

Why Your Restaurant Needs a Well-Designed Website

First Impressions Count

Your website is the digital face of your restaurant, and a well-designed site can make a powerful first impression. Imagine a potential customer searching for a restaurant in your area and landing on your website. A clean, easy-to-navigate website with stunning visuals, engaging content, and essential information can make the difference between a new customer and a missed opportunity. VIV’s website design services focus on creating visually appealing websites that convey the essence of your restaurant’s unique personality and quality.

Increased Visibility Through SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential for helping your restaurant appear in relevant search results. An optimized website that includes relevant keywords, mobile responsiveness, and local SEO strategies can rank higher in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find you. VIV incorporates SEO best practices into every website design, ensuring that your restaurant is visible to local customers who are searching for a great dining experience.

Showcase Your Menu and Atmosphere

High-quality visuals and an interactive layout allow customers to experience a bit of your restaurant online before they ever step inside. By showcasing your menu, ambiance, and unique offerings, you can entice customers and build excitement for their visit. VIV’s design team works with you to bring your restaurant’s atmosphere to life online, using engaging content and stunning visuals that invite customers to see, read, and ultimately visit.

Enable Online Reservations and Ordering

Providing online reservation and ordering options adds convenience for customers, making it easier for them to engage with your restaurant. An online reservation system allows customers to plan ahead and secures their spot, while an online ordering feature lets them enjoy your menu from home. VIV’s integrated systems ensure that online reservations and ordering are easy to use and seamlessly align with your website’s design, enhancing the user experience and encouraging engagement.

The Power of a Well-Designed Website in Driving Foot Traffic

Optimizing for Local SEO

Local SEO is key to increasing foot traffic for your restaurant. By optimizing your website with local keywords, integrating Google Maps, and featuring contact information prominently, you make it easier for nearby customers to find you. VIV’s SEO services include local SEO techniques that help your restaurant rank in local search results, ensuring that people in your area can easily discover your location.

Creating Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)

A well-placed, clear call-to-action can guide users toward specific actions, such as visiting your restaurant, booking a table, or placing an online order. CTAs like “Book a Table Now” or “Order Online” act as friendly nudges that make it easier for customers to choose you. VIV crafts effective CTAs that align with your brand’s voice and gently encourage website visitors to take the next step, whether it’s visiting in person or ordering online.

Building Trust Through Testimonials and Reviews

Potential customers are more likely to visit your restaurant if they see positive reviews and testimonials from others. Displaying customer feedback on your website not only builds credibility but also enhances local SEO. VIV integrates testimonials and review sections into your website, so potential customers can see positive experiences and feel reassured about choosing your restaurant.

VIV’s Approach to Designing Effective Restaurant Websites

VIV understands that every restaurant is unique, and they approach each project with a commitment to creating a custom website that reflects your brand, meets your goals, and drives tangible results. Here’s how VIV helps you create a website that serves as an effective extension of your restaurant:

Brand-Driven Custom Web Design

Your restaurant’s brand should shine through on your website, and VIV’s design team works closely with you to bring that vision to life. From color schemes and typography to layout and imagery, every element of your website is customized to align with your brand identity. A well-branded website reinforces your restaurant’s personality and leaves a lasting impression on visitors, making them more likely to choose your establishment.

Mobile Optimization for Easy Access

With the majority of online searches happening on mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is essential. VIV ensures that your website performs seamlessly on smartphones and tablets, so customers can easily find you and explore your menu while on the go. Mobile optimization improves user experience, which can lead to higher foot traffic and more online orders.

SEO Strategy Tailored to Local and Restaurant-Specific Needs

VIV integrates a comprehensive SEO strategy that includes on-page and local SEO, making it easier for your restaurant to rank for relevant keywords. By focusing on local search terms and industry-specific language, VIV helps increase your visibility in search results, attracting more organic traffic from potential customers in your area.

Seamless Online Ordering Integration

Online ordering has become a necessity for restaurants, and VIV offers a user-friendly ordering system that integrates directly into your website. This feature simplifies the process for customers, allowing them to place orders without leaving your site. With an integrated online ordering system, you maintain control over the ordering experience, build stronger customer relationships, and avoid high fees from third-party platforms.

Key Features of a High-Impact Restaurant Website

Stunning Visual Content

High-quality images and videos can capture the essence of your restaurant and entice customers to visit. From photos of signature dishes to videos showcasing your ambiance, visual content is a powerful tool. VIV works with you to select or create images that bring your brand to life, enhancing the appeal of your website.

Easy-to-Navigate Menu Pages

The online menu is one of the most important sections on a restaurant’s website. VIV creates menu pages that are easy to read, interactive, and aesthetically pleasing, allowing customers to view item descriptions, prices, and dietary options effortlessly. A well-structured menu page enhances user experience and makes it easier for customers to make dining decisions.

Real-Time Online Ordering and Reservation System

With VIV’s real-time ordering and reservation system, customers can place orders and make reservations at their convenience. This feature is designed to handle peak traffic, ensuring smooth transactions even during busy times. Integrated payment options simplify the checkout process, creating a hassle-free experience that encourages repeat orders.

Integrated Contact Information and Maps

Making it easy for customers to contact or locate your restaurant is essential. VIV includes clear contact information and an embedded Google Map on your website, so customers can find you with ease. This user-friendly feature drives more in-person visits and makes a positive impact on local SEO.

Customer Feedback and Loyalty Programs

Displaying customer feedback and offering loyalty programs can encourage repeat visits and build trust. VIV can integrate a feedback section or loyalty program on your website, encouraging customers to share their experiences and come back for more.

How a Well-Designed Website Boosts Online Orders

Offering Direct Online Ordering

Online ordering directly through your website keeps more profits in-house, reducing dependency on third-party delivery apps. VIV’s ordering system allows you to control the customer experience, manage your menu in real-time, and monitor order trends, providing valuable insights into customer preferences and sales performance.

Promotions and Special Offers

Highlighting limited-time promotions and special offers directly on your website can drive more online orders. VIV can help you create pop-ups or banners to showcase discounts, seasonal items, and exclusive deals, giving customers a reason to place their order.

Personalized Customer Experience

A customized website provides a unique experience tailored to your brand, allowing customers to feel connected and valued. VIV designs every element of your website with your customers in mind, creating a digital environment that makes customers more likely to visit again.

The VIV Advantage for Restaurant Websites

VIV is dedicated to creating websites that deliver results for restaurants. By focusing on enhancing the customer journey, they go beyond design to offer integrated tools for online ordering and reservations. With VIV’s experience in the restaurant industry, they understand the importance of a website that not only looks great but also functions smoothly and drives real results.

Conclusion

For restaurants looking to increase foot traffic and online orders, a professionally designed website is a must. By investing in a website that is both beautiful and functional, you’ll create a seamless online experience that attracts customers, showcases your brand, and encourages both in-person visits and online orders.

VIV offers a complete solution for restaurants, from customized web design to integrated online ordering, ensuring your website reflects your brand’s quality and meets the expectations of today’s customers. For more information on how VIV can transform your restaurant’s online presence, visit our online ordering page .

VIV Named to 2024 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Tue, 13 Aug 2024 19:45:00 GMT

VIV, a leading B2B SaaS marketing & technology group, is proud to announce its inclusion in the 2024 Inc. 5000 list. VIV ranked in the top 31%, placing 1,556th out of 5,000 of America’s fastest-growing private companies. This list, which has previously featured household names like Microsoft and Intuit, represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment—its independent businesses.

Managing partners Austin Hoffman and Allan Noe emphasize that VIV's swift rise in the marketing industry is fueled by a deep commitment to innovation and client success. The company specializes in delivering tailored advertising services, SEO strategies, software development, and cutting-edge marketing solutions to businesses across various industries. VIV’s inclusion in the Inc. 5000 is a testament to the impact and effectiveness of its services.

“Our mission has always been to empower businesses with the marketing tools they need to succeed in today’s competitive landscape,” said Austin Hoffman, Partner at VIV. “This recognition by Inc. is a validation of the hard work and dedication of our entire team. We’re not just growing fast—we’re growing with purpose, helping our clients achieve their goals along the way.”

VIV’s growth is a result of its commitment to excellence, as reflected in the company’s impressive client portfolio. From comprehensive marketing strategies that boost online visibility to robust software development that helps businesses manage their operations, VIV’s services are designed to deliver measurable results. This client-first approach has not only propelled VIV’s growth but has also fostered long-term partnerships with businesses that rely on VIV’s expertise to navigate the complexities of digital marketing.

“Being recognized on the Inc. 5000 list is a testament to our team's hard work and dedication,” said Allan Noe, Partner at VIV and CEO of Evolv. “This milestone is a direct result of the trust our clients place in us to deliver exceptional solutions. We're excited to continue innovating and exceeding expectations across all industries.”

About VIV

VIV is not just a marketing agency—it’s a partner in growth. With a team of dedicated professionals, VIV offers a comprehensive suite of digital marketing services designed to elevate businesses to new heights. At VIV, the focus is on creating personalized marketing strategies that align with each client’s unique goals. Whether it’s through targeted campaigns, innovative SEO solutions, or full-service marketing management, VIV is committed to delivering results that matter. Every year, VIV continues to help thousands of companies across the U.S., ensuring they stay competitive and thrive in their respective markets.

In addition to its marketing expertise, VIV builds out custom software solutions tailored to each client’s needs, helping them manage their operations and scale their growth effectively. VIV’s approach is deeply rooted in understanding each client’s business inside and out. By taking the time to listen and learn, VIV crafts strategies that not only meet immediate needs but also set the stage for long-term success. With a track record of success and a passion for helping businesses thrive, VIV continues to push the envelope in digital marketing and software innovation.

For more about VIV, visit our About Us page.

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000

Companies on the 2024 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage growth from 2020 to 2023. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2020. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2023. (Since then, some on the list may have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2020 is $100,000; the minimum for 2023 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Growth rates used to determine company rankings were calculated to four decimal places.

About Inc.

Inc. Business Media is the leading multimedia brand for entrepreneurs. Through its journalism, Inc. aims to inform, educate, and elevate the profile of our community: the risk-takers, the innovators, and the ultra-driven go-getters who are creating our future. Inc.’s award-winning work achieves a monthly brand footprint of more than 40 million across a variety of channels, including events, print, digital, video, podcasts, newsletters, and social media. Its proprietary Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since its launch as the Inc. 100 in 1982, analyzes company data to rank the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The recognition that comes with inclusion in this and other Inc. lists gives the founders of the top businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

As VIV celebrates this achievement, the company remains focused on its vision for the future—continuing to innovate, expand its service offerings, and deliver unmatched value to its clients. With a solid foundation and a clear roadmap, VIV is poised for even greater success in the years to come.

Generative Engine Optimization: The New SEO?

Thu, 09 May 2024 15:20:00 GMT

Unlocking Success with Generative Engine Optimization (GEO): A New Era in Digital Marketing

In the dynamic landscape of digital marketing, the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) engines like ChatGPT and Bard has ushered in a paradigm shift. Traditional search engines are no longer the sole protagonists in the quest for fast and precise information retrieval. Users, weary of sifting through endless search results, now turn to generative engines for quick, reliable answers. This trend has catalyzed the evolution of content creation strategies, with a growing emphasis on Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)—a suite of techniques tailored to enhance visibility and performance on these sophisticated platforms.

At our digital marketing company, we are committed to staying ahead of the curve by integrating cutting-edge trends and strategies into our practices. Embracing this ethos, we recently conducted an experiment aimed at enriching our content through nine specific GEO techniques. The outcome was resoundingly positive, as our efforts garnered favorable recognition from Search Generative Experience (SGE) across more than ten queries.

What sets GEO apart is its ability to deliver tangible results without necessitating additional budget allocation. Instead, success hinges on a strategic realignment of content research, writing, and presentation methodologies.

The Foundation of GEO Strategy

In response to the opaque and fast-paced nature of generative engines, a collaborative effort by researchers from Princeton University, Georgia Tech, The Allen Institute for AI, and IIT Delhi gave birth to Generative Engine Optimization. This framework is underpinned by a comprehensive nine-set content optimization technique, validated through rigorous testing across a dataset of 10,000 search queries, mirroring the intricacies of platforms like BingChat. Drawing from diverse sources including Google, Microsoft Bing, Perplexity.AI's Discover, GPT-4, and others, this dataset forms the cornerstone of GEO strategy development.

Decoding the Nine Techniques

Conclusion: Seizing the Opportunity

As generative engines continue their ascendancy, embracing GEO strategies emerges as a pivotal opportunity for digital marketing success. Beyond mere visibility, these techniques ensure that content is not only easily discoverable but also trusted and engaging for users. By aligning with the principles of Generative Engine Optimization, businesses can navigate the evolving digital landscape with confidence, unlocking new avenues for growth and relevance in an AI-driven era.

Social Media Updates Are Now Visible on Google Business Profile

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 19:31:00 GMT

Social Media Updates Are Now Visible on Google Business Profile

Google will start pulling social posts from the social media profiles you have added to your Google Business Profile listings.

Google is no stranger to pulling information from other sites to enhance their own search experience: for example, Google already showcases ratings and reviews from other sites like Facebook. (You might even recall the news from late last year when Google started adding Social Media links to Business Profiles.)
Now, we've reached the next phase of this iteration: Google is featuring social media updates directly on Business Profiles.
What Changed?
Google will start pulling social posts from the social media profiles you have added to your Google Business Profile (GBP) listings — and feature them in the Social Media Updates section on your Google Business Profile.

What does this look like? Currently, it's only available on mobile. You'll find linked posts included on your Business Profile underneath the core business information, menu information, reviews, popular times, and questions & answers in the updates section. For example:

Remember, in the 2023 fall release, we added support for syncing social media links for the following platforms:

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Pinterest
TikTok
X (formerly known as Twitter)
YouTube

That's where Google will be pulling these posts from. On Desktop, those profiles appear on your Google listings below core business Information, reviews, popular times, and the business description, as seen below:

What does this change mean for you?
In short, it means that it's more important than ever to post engaging content on all platforms.
Google will still promote and show posts you make via Google Local Posts, but your Business Profile will now include posts from your linked social media profiles as well. There's no guarantee that all posts from the other sites will be shown on your GBP listing, but this could potentially increase the reach of your posts from other sites.
In other words, the update simply makes your social media profiles and posts more discoverable on Google — making it even more important to post authentic content to your brand's local social pages often so consumers can discover and engage with your business. It's a great reminder that your social profiles are an important part of your digital presence — and with this expanded cross-channel reach, managing them is key to standing out (and making connections with more customers).
If you are a VIV customer, continue to use our Social product to post on Google, Apple, and Facebook, and we will keep you up to date when we add more social channels that you can leverage later this year.

Boost Your Small Business Success: Why Updating Your Website in 2023 is Crucial for SEO

Tue, 16 May 2023 19:08:00 GMT

In today's digital age, having a solid online presence is vital for the success of small businesses. A well-designed, user-friendly website helps you attract and engage potential customers and plays a crucial role in search engine optimization (SEO). In 2023, with evolving technology and changing consumer preferences, updating your website is more important than ever. In this article, we'll explore why small businesses must prioritize website updates this year to stay competitive and maximize their SEO efforts.
Enhance User Experience: User experience (UX) is critical to website performance and SEO. As search engines become more sophisticated, they prioritize websites that provide excellent user experiences. Updating your website can improve navigation, load times, and mobile responsiveness, creating a seamless and enjoyable experience for your visitors. A positive UX will result in longer visit durations, lower bounce rates, and increased chances of conversion, all of which contribute to improved search engine rankings.
Stay Ahead of Design Trends: Website design trends evolve rapidly, and outdated websites can appear unprofessional and drive potential customers away. Upgrading your website's design in 2023 allows you to incorporate the latest visual elements, modern layouts, and engaging multimedia content that captivate your target audience. A visually appealing and contemporary website reflects positively on your brand, increasing customer trust and credibility and ultimately improving your SEO efforts.
Optimize for Mobile: Mobile internet usage has been steadily increasing, and search engines now prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their search results. Ensuring your website is optimized for mobile devices is crucial for SEO success in 2023. Responsive design, fast loading speeds, and easy navigation on smartphones and tablets will improve user experience and increase your website's visibility on search engine result pages (SERPs). By updating your website to be mobile-friendly, you can tap into a wider audience and boost your SEO rankings.
Leverage Voice Search Optimization: The rise of voice-activated devices and virtual assistants has significantly impacted search behavior. More users are turning to voice search to find information, products, and services. To stay competitive, small businesses must optimize their websites for voice search in 2023. Upgrading your website to include conversational and natural language keywords, structured data markup, and concise, informative content tailored to voice queries will help you rank higher in voice search results, leading to increased organic traffic and visibility.
Implement Structured Data Markup: Structured data markup, or schema markup, provides search engines with additional context about your website's content. By incorporating schema markup into your updated website, you can enhance search engine understanding, increase visibility in rich snippets, and improve click-through rates. Structured data can highlight key information such as product details, business hours, reviews, and events, making your website more informative and enticing for users and search engines.

In 2023, updating your small business website is essential for maintaining a competitive edge and optimizing your SEO efforts. By enhancing user experience, adopting modern design trends, optimizing for mobile devices and voice search, and implementing structured data markup, you can position your website for success. Embrace the evolving digital landscape, cater to changing consumer preferences, and watch your website rise in search engine rankings, driving organic traffic and boosting your small business's growth and profitability.

Google's March 2023 Broad Core Update

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 19:10:00 GMT

We want to talk to you about the latest update to Google's core algorithm, which was released in March 2023. This update has significantly impacted how search results are displayed, and many websites have seen changes in their rankings.

If you're one of the many website owners who has seen a drop in rankings since the update, what can you do to get back on track? Here are a few things to consider:

Evaluate Your Content

One of the most significant factors in the update is content quality. Google is now placing even more emphasis on high-quality, relevant content that is well-written and informative. If your website has seen a drop in rankings, your content may not be up to par.

Take a close look at your website's content and ask yourself these questions:

If the answer to any of these questions is no, it's time to re-evaluate your content and make improvements where necessary.

Focus on User Experience

Another important factor in the update is user experience. Google wants to provide its users with the best possible experience, so websites that provide a poor user experience may see a drop in rankings.

To improve your website's user experience, consider these factors:

Build Quality Links

Links have always been an essential factor in SEO, and that's still true with the latest update. However, building as many links as possible is no longer enough. Now, you need to focus on building quality links from reputable websites.

To build quality links, consider these strategies:

Stay Up-to-Date

Google is constantly updating its algorithms, so staying up-to-date on the latest changes is essential. This will help you stay ahead of the curve and make the necessary adjustments to your website to maintain or improve your rankings.

To stay up-to-date, consider these strategies:

In conclusion, the March 2023 core algorithm update has significantly impacted search results, but there are steps you can take to improve your website's rankings. You can maintain or improve your website's visibility in search results by focusing on content quality, user experience, link building, and staying up-to-date.

VIV Ranks on Inc. Magazine's List of the Midwest Region's Fastest-Growing Private Companies

Thu, 02 Mar 2023 17:23:00 GMT

Companies on the 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list had an average growth rate of 535 percent.

EVANSVILLE, IN, 02/28/23 – Inc. magazine today revealed that VIV is No. 147 on its third annual Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest list, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing Midwest private companies, based in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. Born of the annual Inc. 5000 franchise, this regional list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the Midwest economy’s most dynamic segment–its independent small businesses.

“It’s been incredible to see our team and client base grow over the last couple of years. Our offering gets stronger and stronger every year as businesses grow online and are using digital marketing to strengthen their business,” said Austin Hoffman, partner of VIV.

The companies on this list show a remarkable rate of growth across all industries in the Midwest region. Between 2019 and 2021, these private companies had an average growth rate of 535 percent and, in 2021 alone, they added 22,750 jobs and nearly $13.9 billion to the Midwest region’s economy. Companies based in the Chicago, Illinois, Noblesville, Indiana, and Overland Park, Kansas areas had the highest growth rates overall.

“As VIV strives to offer companies best-in-class marketing solutions that support all stages of the selling process, VIV will continue to build a talented team and cutting-edge programming that bolsters our offering and expands our client’s geographical reach across the U.S.,” said Allan Noe, managing partner of VIV.

Complete results of the Inc. 5000 Regionals: Midwest, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by industry, metro area, and other criteria, can be found at inc.com/midwest starting February 28, 2023.

“This year’s Inc. 5000 Regional winners represent one of the most exceptional and exciting lists of America’s off-the-charts growth companies. They’re disrupters and job creators, and all delivered an outsize impact on the economy. Remember their names and follow their lead. These are the companies you’ll be hearing about for years to come,” said Scott Omelianuk, editor-in-chief of Inc. magazine.

Our mission is to help small businesses grow and offer their products and services to their customers. We are excited every day knowing that doing that one thing well positively impacts local communities. Local businesses create jobs, supports their families, fund charities, help their communities thrive, and more. This inspires us to build the next generation of products and services to help our small businesses grow.

Contact: info@builtbyviv.com or call us at 812-618-9498

More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000 Regionals

Methodology

The 2023 Inc. 5000 Regionals are ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2019 and 2021. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2019. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2021. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2019 is $100,000; the minimum for 2021 is $1 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons.

About Inc. Media

The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multiplatform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent.

The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.

Advertising Strategies for the Holiday Season

Wed, 23 Nov 2022 16:22:00 GMT

The holiday season is coming fast! This time of year is crucial time for businesses of all sizes. Now is when people are spending the most money, both in person and online. This is the perfect time to start an advertising campaign.

However, with so many businesses competing for attention, how can you make sure that your advertising stands out? The key is creating a holiday ad strategy—and to get started early.

Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar store looking to drive traffic to your physical location or an online store trying to increase sales, you can do a lot to optimize your advertising strategy to make the most of the holiday season.

Specify Audience and Budget
Before you start developing an ad strategy, think about who you want to reach—and the budget you can afford to help you achieve your desired results.
We can’t stress enough how important it is to know your audience. Knowing your audience will help you create a message that will resonate with them. Are you targeting families? Businesses? Kids? Adults? Each group will respond differently to different messaging, so it’s essential to tailor your approach accordingly.

Once you have a good understanding of your audience, you can allocate your budget accordingly. Make sure you’re not spreading yourself too thin by doing too many things at once—focus on a few key areas and do them well.

What Ad Platform to Use?
During the holiday shopping season, consumers look for inspiration on social media. That’s why social networks like Facebook and Instagram are fantastic tools for reaching new audiences during the holidays (and beyond).
You might already post on your business pages on social media, but using paid ads on these platforms lets you reach even more people.
Running ads on Facebook and Instagram is an excellent option because their targeting software is better than most ad platforms. You can target consumers based on interests, behaviors, demographics, age, connections, locations, or languages. You can even target your competitors’ followers.

Let’s dive into the three pillars of an effective advertising strategy: audience building, engagement, and conversions. To make sure people buy from you, you need them to learn about and interact with your brand. Only then will they buy something from you.
The strategy below will help you create three types of ads to run before and during the holiday season to increase your sales—and reduce ad costs.
Step 1: Build Your Audience
Audience building is extremely important for running a successful ad campaign. If people don’t know anything about your brand, it’s much harder to persuade them to buy from you.
If you’re asking somebody to buy from you before they know anything about you (unless you sell an impulsive kind of product), you’re going to pay a really expensive cost per conversion.
So first, you want to run ads that are specifically designed to bring new people into your ecosystem and get them to know your brand. These ads are not the ones that will bring you sales right away. Instead, they will get you new followers for your social media accounts. They will become your customers later, when they know about you and are accustomed to your brand.

To build an audience, create ads that introduce your business to new people. These can be videos telling the story behind your brand, or behind the scenes showing how you make your product.

The main goal of these types of ads is to get as many people as possible watching your ad. This will start building audiences of people who consume your content so that you can retarget them with a conversion campaign later.
You need to start running these audience-building ads before holiday shopping starts. Typically, you want to run them in September and early October. This way, when people actually start buying presents for their loved ones, they have your brand at the top of their minds.

Step 2: Engage Your Audience
Once you have built your audience, you need to keep your followers engaged, even if they’re not ready to buy your product yet.
To make an ad that engages your audience, your goal is to get as much interaction from your audience as possible: likes, shares, comments, and saves.
Start by highlighting your products’ unique selling points. You need to hit some pain points of your target audience and show how your product solves those problems. You can also use customer testimonials in your ads to show potential customers that you’re a business that can be trusted.
You have another tool in your pocket: holiday-themed content! Playing into the holidays can help engage your audience. People generally look for inspiration on social media, but especially during the holidays. And festive content is always fun!
Take advantage of the season by creating holiday-themed videos or posts featuring your product. This is a great way to engage with your audience and get them excited about your products or services.
Step 3: Convert Your Audience
So you’ve built an audience and created lots of engagement ads. It’s about time to start a traffic campaign! With these ads, you want customers to click on your website and go to your online store.
These ads should be product-heavy. Go into detail about the benefits of your product and how your customers will benefit from it. Answer the most common questions you get about your product, show it in use, and share videos and pictures of your customers using your product.

Don’t forget to use lifestyle imagery that reflects the values of your target audience. This will help potential customers see themselves using your product or service, making them more likely to convert.
It’s vital to use call-to-actions (CTA) in ads focused on converting your audience into customers. For example, you can offer a discount or get creative with the CTA language.
Best Practices for Holiday Advertising
When setting up advertisements for the holidays, you should make sure your ads are compelling. The following advice will help you fine-tune your ads for the holiday season and get more eyes on your products.
Use Emotion in Your Advertising
You want to connect with potential customers this holiday season. One way is to use emotion in your advertising.
We all know that the holidays can be a stressful time, so why not use your advertising to show potential customers that you understand how they’re feeling? You can do this by using empathetic language in your ads or showing how your product or service can make their lives easier during this busy time of year.
Either way, using emotion in your advertising will help you connect with potential customers on a deeper level, and make them more likely to convert.
Make Use of Seasonal Keywords
Seasonal keywords are essential for driving relevant traffic to your website or store during the holiday season. People search for specific items this time of year, so make sure your ad copy includes relevant keywords that will help them find what they’re looking for.
Keep in mind that competition for these keywords is higher during the holidays, so you may need to adjust your budget accordingly.
Offer Holiday-Themed Discounts and Promotions
Everyone loves a good deal, so why not offer some holiday-themed discounts and promotions in your advertising? This is a great way to catch the attention of potential customers while helping you boost sales during this important time of year.

Just make sure that you’re clear about what the discount is for and that the offer is valid only for a specific period. By doing this, you’ll ensure that potential customers take advantage of your offer. Plus, they won’t feel like they missed out on a great deal after the holidays are over if you’re communicative about the deadline.
Track Your Results
Finally, don’t forget to track your results! With data, you can adjust your strategy as needed. Pay attention to which ads perform well and which ones aren’t getting much traction. By tracking your results, you’ll be able to fine-tune your approach and make sure that your advertising dollars are well spent.
To Sum Up
If you want your business to thrive this holiday season, it’s vital to get strategic with your advertising efforts. By knowing your audience, creating compelling advertisements, and tracking your results, you can create a foolproof plan that will help you achieve your desired results. You’re now well on your way to driving relevant traffic to your store, increasing sales, and making the most of the holiday season.

Easily launch an online store with VIV!

Core Web Vitals

Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:29:00 GMT

Leading the pack in Google's Core Web Vitals

** Graph by Google’s data studio. You’re looking at the performance curve of sites built with VIV VS other builders and how many of these sites pass the CWV test i.e. get a “Good” score on its 3 metrics.
VIV is still leading the way in Google’s Core Web Vitals, compared to other website building platforms. This is not a matter of chance. Since first introduced in May 2021, we have been working hard at maintaining high Core Web Vitals scores through constant platform optimizations.
What Exactly Are Core Web Vitals?
Google announced its Core Web Vitals algorithm update back in May 2020. The Core Web Vitals are three metrics that attempt to summarize the experience of loading a web page in a web browser and first interacting with it. The three metrics are:

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — measures page speed by using the loading time of the largest object above the fold as a proxy for overall speed. Anything under 2.5 seconds is a good score.

First Input Delay (FID) — measures the interactivity of a web page by checking how long it takes from a user’s first interaction with a page until the browser responds. Anything less than 100 milliseconds is a good score.

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — measures the visual stability of a web page by gauging the degree to which page components move around while the page loads. Anything under 0.1 is a good score.

Over the past few years, Google has used the unparalleled influence of its search algorithm to move the web in a more user-friendly direction. This is the reason metrics like mobile-friendliness and pagespeed are now included as ranking factors. In June, the search giant is poised to once again put its metaphorical shoulder to the wheel and push for better usability on all websites with its Core Web Vitals initiative.
VIV has been prepped for Core Web Vitals for months, working behind the scenes to ensure the sites built on our platform are ready — and you don’t have to do a thing.
Today, we’re very happy to report that, on average, more VIV sites receive “Good” scores for two of these key metrics — Largest Contentful Paint and First Input Delay — than other industry competitors based on data provided by the Google Chrome User Experience (CrUX) Report. VIV sites also showed strong results for the other Core Web Vital — Cumulative Layout Shift — with further improvement expected in the coming months.
HOW VIV SITES STACK UP AGAINST COMPETITORS
The majority of VIV websites consistently receive “Good” scores for all three Core Web Vitals. Additionally, a higher percentage of VIV websites receive “Good” scores for the two speed metrics — LCP and FID — than other industry competitors.
Largest Contentful Paint
VIV leads the pack in the percentage of sites built on its platform that receive “Good” LCP scores. According to the Google CrUX report, 72.90% of VIV websites receive a "Good” LCP score, solidly beating out Weebly, Wix and WordPress.
First Input Delay
More than 92% of VIV websites receive a “Good” FID score. This is higher than any other industry competitor.
Cumulative Layout Shift
As of today, 73.17% of VIV websites receive a “Good” score for Cumulative Layout Shift, up from 68.72% last month. Our team is dedicated to improving the scores of the sites built on our platform, and we expect to push that percentage even higher in the near future.
VIV is used by all kinds of best-in-class companies to provide modern, integrated websites to customers.
HOW VIV PREPARED WEBSITES FOR CORE WEB VITALS
To ensure sites built on our platform are ready for Google’s new metrics, VIV set up a dedicated team to continuously evaluate and improve the infrastructure that drives “Good” Core Web Vitals scores.
Below are brief summaries of the steps we have taken.
Optimizations for LCP
Render-blocking CSS and JavaScript

Issue: Render-blocking CSS and JavaScript. It used to be that when a visitor landed on a VIV website, all of the site’s assets were downloaded in the <head> section. This is a blocking operation which halts the rendering process until all resources have been loaded — a potentially significant impediment to a good LCP score.

Solution: Implement critical CSS. VIV automatically calculates the necessary CSS to render above-the-fold content. This CSS chunk is inlined in the head section and doesn't require any network calls. All other scripts and styles are moved down to the body end. This completely removes all render-blocking requests and provides a dramatic improvement to LCP.

Image Size Optimization

Issue: Image sizes that are not optimized. Image files that are not properly optimized for the device they are being viewed on (e.g., mobile) will take a lot longer to load than they should and result in a poor LCP score.

Solution: Resize and compress images. All images loaded to VIV go through an automatic, behind-the-scenes image resizing process using imagemagick. The proper image size is then served to the proper device type and container size. We also use lossy compression to reduce image file sizes. Lossy compression eliminates redundant data and can enable file size reduction by up to 80%. This optimization also applies to images that are included in custom widgets.

Bulk Image Loading vs. Lazy Loading

Issue: Loading all images at once. Historically, all images (except in photo galleries) and widgets on VIV web pages were fully loaded when a visitor landed on a page. This meant that if a website had a lot of images or widgets, it could take a few extra moments to load — obviously, a problem for LCP.

Solution: Lazy load images and widgets. Now all images and widgets at the top of a site (above the fold) are marked as “important.” All remaining images (marked as “unimportant”) are set to load after the page finishes loading or as they come into view while scrolling.

Image File Type Optimization

Issue: Image file types are larger than required. JPG and PNG files are used across every type of browser, which makes them universally applicable. However, there are now more compressed file types that deliver images more efficiently.

Solution: Serve WebP images when possible. VIV now converts uploaded images to the WebP format. WebP has about a 35% reduction in size as compared to JPGs, and has long been supported by Chrome with other browsers adding support all the time. We also ensure there are fallbacks in place for browsers that don’t support WebP yet.

CSS Loading Priorities

Issue: CSS loading priorities. Browsers have to make many decisions about what type of content and resources to load and when. VIV automatically generates all of the required styles needed to load above-the-fold content, so we already know which resources do not need to load first.

Solution: CSS loading priorities hints. VIV gives browsers hints about which resources they should prioritize when downloading page content. This helps browsers focus on the required content and resources for faster page loading.

Background Image Slider Optimization

Issue: Background slider image loading. Background image sliders can be big and heavy to load, especially when there are multiple images that take up the same space on a web page. Previously, VIV loaded all background images of a background image slider at the same time.

Solution: Optimize background image slider loading. VIV prioritizes loading the first image in the Image Slider, and then lazy-loads the other images, improving how quickly the first image loads.

Optimizations for CLS
Image Layout Shifting

Issue: Image layout shifting. Image loading is the biggest cause of layout shifting on the web, because browsers have no way of knowing the dimensions/size of an image before it's fully downloaded. So, once an image is actually downloaded, browsers load and shift all content around it.

Solution: Add image width & height. VIV automatically identifies the width and height of an image (even inside custom images), and sets these attributes on the image HTML tag, which allows browsers to reserve the right amount of space while the image downloads. It’s important to note that setting height and width does not make an image non-responsive. Instead, browsers use the image’s width/height attributes for calculating its aspect ratio so images automatically take up the correct space.

Loading Above-the-fold Fonts

Issue: Loading above-the-fold fonts. Nearly every website today includes some form of custom fonts, usually from Google’s huge Font Library. Fonts are often big and heavy, and browsers usually first load a system font, such Arial, Georgia, Sans, etc. Once the custom font is done loading, the browser adds the custom font, something which causes the font to jump on the website, and has a negative impact on the visitor’s experience.

Solution: Embed fonts. VIV automatically detects which custom fonts are used in above-the-fold content on each page, downloads that font, and embeds it directly into the HTML of the page (up to a max size of 50kb). This means browsers don’t need to go and fetch the custom font and can display it immediately.

Cookie Notification Placement

Issue: Cookie notification placement. In the past, cookie notifications were displayed above the header with an animation, pushing all the content down. This resulted in CLS.

Solution: Place cookie notifications at the bottom of pages. We changed our cookie notification to be positioned at the bottom of the viewport and be displayed as an overlay. It uses CSS animations which are not considered as layout shifts.

Photo Gallery Layout Shifting

Issue: Photo gallery layout shifting. Photo galleries with lots of images can vary in height due to the lazy loading. Many galleries change their height while scrolling as the default behavior. Also, photo gallery widgets load dynamically based on their settings.

Solution: Set min-height. VIV sets the min-height CSS property of the photo gallery to reserve space on the page for loading the photo gallery. This prevents content below the gallery from being pushed down as the images load, something which would cause the layout to shift.

Optimizations for Both LCP & CLS
Widgets with Images

Issue: Widget image sizing. Many widgets, especially those built using the Widget Builder, feature images. Previously, these images were not sized to the correct screen size and did not automatically have width/height dimensions added to them.

Solution: Optimize images in widgets. The image width/height improvements described above are now implemented for images within widgets too.

Why Web Accessibility Is Important For Your Business [+6 Tips]

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 14:31:00 GMT

If you’re in the web design business, you know that having an accessible website is now more important than ever. And web design clients expect their agency (you) to be in charge of it.

But digital accessibility isn’t a piece of cake.

You have to take multiple things into consideration.

And that’s what we’ll delve into in this post.

Buckle up, and let’s learn about website accessibility.

WHAT IS WEB ACCESSIBILITY?

The first thing to clear up: what does accessibility mean?

Simply put, website accessibility is making sure everyone can access and use a website, no matter their disabilities.

An accessible website can be used by people with all types of disabilities:

Those with visual impairments or color blindness
Those with auditory disabilities
Those who must navigate by voice
Those with cognitive disabilities,
Those with temporary disabilities
Those who need to use screen readers or other assistive technologies.

According to the World Wide Web Consortium (WCG) an accessible website must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for these users.

In the US, accessibility requirements are listed in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the activities of places of public accommodations.”

In a nutshell: Web accessibility is equal access and usability of a website, no matter the user’s disabilities.

WHY IS WEB ACCESSIBILITY IMPORTANT

Of course, the first reason why one should create an accessible website is to ensure their website isn’t discriminatory towards people with disabilities.

But it also comes with a number of other perks.

If everyone can access and use your clients’ web pages, that means:

More traffic: a larger audience can access the websites. (26% of adults in the United States have some type of disability.)

More sales and conversions: Since the site gets more traffic, it gets more conversions too.

Better search engine optimization (SEO): More traffic, a better bounce rate, all sends positive feedback to search engines.

Better user experience: Accessible content and accessible design is user-friendly, so it’s easier to navigate and understand for everyone.

No legal accessibility issues: Needless to say, you don’t want to be sued for owning a website that doesn’t comply with accessibility regulations.

HOW CAN I MAKE A WEBSITE ACCESSIBLE?

To make a website accessible, the widely accepted standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium developed WCAG with the goal of creating a shared accessibility standard for the web. There are two versions of WCAG applied currently: WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. WCAG 2.0 was published in 2008 and became an ISO standard in 2012. WCAG 2.1 was published in 2018.

There are a few accessibility solutions to keep in mind so that your website may be compliant.

Here are some easy web accessibility tips that should help you get started:

Correctly structuring your page using different headings (H1, H2, H3).

Adding alternative text (alt text) to your images so that the visually impaired can know what’s portrayed.

Providing text transcripts and closed captions for audio and video content: podcasts, videos, webinars.

Having a keyboard navigation so that all functionality is available from a keyboard and the use of a mouse or trackpad isn’t required.

Using Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA); a set of HTML attributes that define ways to make Web content and Web applications more accessible to people with disabilities.

Providing good color contrast so that users that have a hard time perceiving text can see your website content better. You can use tools such as TPGi’s free color contrast checker tool or ColorZilla to determine if the color contrast is sufficient.

There are also numerous resources you can consult to help make compliant websites, such as:

US DOJ Guidance on Accessibility and the ADA

WCAG 2.0

W3C WAI: Introduction to Web Accessibility

The Future of E-commerce: New Data from Ovum

Mon, 20 Jun 2022 14:42:00 GMT

Ever wondered what e-commerce will look like in the future?
Consulting firm Ovum is giving us a peek into the future with their e-commerce forecast through 2026, which answers questions about what might change within the online marketplace, how technology may impact the industry, and what future consumers will likely expect.

Take a look at some of the key takeaways of this research to better understand where e-commerce is moving and to prepare yourself for the future.

The Customer of the Future

Today, e-commerce customers, for the most part, expect good deals and quick delivery. However, a growing number of online consumers (largely millennials) are already beginning to shift expectations and raise the bar. They want unique products that can’t be found in mass-retail stores and 24/7 access to support, just to name a few of their burgeoning desires.

What does this mean for the future?

High expectations & unique experiences

Ovum predicts that by 2026, the bar will be even higher for e-commerce merchants. Shoppers will expect things like seamless experiences across devices and touchpoints, instant access to support, fast turnaround of orders, personalized experiences, and free or low-cost delivery — just to name a few.

Complex shopping journeys

As technology adds more touchpoints to the shopping journey (think mobile, desktop, in-store, connected devices, etc.), the straight line path to conversion will become a thing of the past. Instead, complex shopping journeys that span various experiences and devices will be more pretzel-shaped. For retailers, that means figuring out how to measure which avenues are driving the highest ROI and optimizing a much more sophisticated path to purchase.

The sharing economy Buyers of the future will also likely expect online merchants to tap into the sharing economy as well. Smart retailers will need to learn to leverage partnerships and sharing opportunities, such as retailers like H&M are already doing with their donations of returned products to charities. This presents an opportunity for greater sustainability efforts, less waste, and more moments of giving — all of which is a positive message for consumers to hear.
Blurred Boundaries Between Online and Offline With big e-commerce brands like Amazon testing out the physical retail model (their Amazon Books and Amazon Go stores, for example), in the future, we can expect to see the line between online and offline points of purchase become more seamless and intertwined for retailers large and small.
Let’s look at some of the key ways this may manifest itself.
Experience-fulfillment Rather than an online-physical distinction, retail will like to move towards an experience fulfillment model in which the customer shopping experience takes precedence over a range of products. This could also mean more pop-up stores for more dynamic, interactive shopping experiences, too.
Manufacturers gain power As manufacturers seek more control over how their products are displayed and sold, they may be able to exercise their power more in the future — especially in the electrical devices marketplace — by favoriting only sites that meet their requirements.
From omnichannel to omnibrand Retails who approach the experience from a tech-favorable mindset that works seamlessly across channels will likely outpace the competition, as they’ll be empowering shoppers to shop when, where, and how they want. This does require some investment in tech and logistics, so smaller online retailers may struggle to scale up their operations and meet this growing demand.
Increased Mobile Sales As smartphones with larger screens become the norm, we can continue to see more and more shoppers using mobile devices for e-commerce transactions. Retailers who optimize their websites and processes with a mobile-first mentality will best capitalize on these shifts in buying habits.
What else does this mean for mobile commerce?
Using geolocation Looking ahead, it’s likely that geolocation will be leveraged by retailers looking to deliver contextual marketing to customers. The adaptation period for hyperlocal commerce may be slow, and retailers must use this data responsibly without overstepping the bounds of privacy. However, used conservatively, this type of data can help shoppers get the best possible deals nearby — and creates opportunities for customer engagement on a whole new level.
More mobile payments Mobile payment will most likely be mainstream by 2026 but will have evolved thanks to improvements in tech. This means most payment formats across the board may shift to be more device-based rather than depend on physical cards. Cash will not be eradicated, but will likely be used in much lower frequency.
Mobile loyalty programs With mobile-enabled loyalty programs, interactivity and engagement can be optimized in ways that traditional methods have not been able to master. This will empower consumers to load multiple digital reward cards into a mobile wallet, which can then tie into game-like elements that boost use amongst shoppers.
Mobile advertising Mobile advertising will continue on an upward trajectory — and spending will most certainly increase within this medium. However, native applications will likely be replaced by more intuitive approaches that help retailers select the most relevant channel to accomplish advertising goals.
Future Technologies By 2026, we’ll likely live in a hyper-connected world, with more than 660 million machine-to-machine connections around the world. These connections will make retail more efficient and effective, and will also make advertising more targeted and personalized than ever before.
Here are some specific ways technology may impact e-commerce:
The Internet of Things (IoT) If IoT payment and commerce applications don’t have a hyper-relevant purpose for the consumer, they’re likely to be seen as gimmicks — and because of this — Ovum remains skeptical about their use and adoption on a mass-scale. Over-connectivity could cause frustration for shoppers who feel a lack of control over their environment.
Wearable Tech Wearables may be a solid source of detailed data — which enables more accurate advertising through mobile mediums. However, privacy infringement will be a major concern for shoppers — so retailers will have to walk a fine line when targeting consumers via wearable tech.
Augmented reality

Augmented reality (AR) will likely have the most impact on the e-commerce retail experience, as it allows merchants to showcase enhanced information or graphics that blur the lines between physical and digital worlds. Keep in mind that AR is different from virtual reality, which is a fully immersive experience. AR will help enhance the experience by allowing shoppers to view products in their homes, which can then immediately be purchased.

Preparing for the Future of E-Commerce: Final Tips With all of these insights for the future of e-commerce, there are a few key things you need to keep in mind as you prepare for the world ahead:
Be flexible, train often. E-commerce retailers will have to be flexible and accommodate the many changes ahead. This process is made easier through constant learning, training, and innovation — so it’s essential to embrace a bit of a learning curve.
Leverage segmentation. By 2026, segmentation may no longer be appropriate for consumers who move seamlessly between segments. Instead, more advanced, creative models will be needed that embrace this fluidity while still delivering relevant, personalized experiences.
Know the limits of personalization. Go too far with personalization in the future, and you might ruin your profit margins. Keep in mind that cost-efficiency and scalability can be destroyed when you try to create a product that’s too personalized. Retailers will need to strike a balance between personalization and mass production.
Study your shoppers. Online retailers that will succeed in the future are the ones who know and understand their customers — from marketing preferences to buying habits and beyond. Use analytics to study and deeply understand what your shoppers need and want from you. Refine your brand. Finally, there’s the element of branding. Knowing who you are and what you represent as a brand will help you establish a unique, memorable angle within this evolving marketplace. Strive to constantly refine your branding elements, and you’ll maintain a lasting, relevant impression in a hectic online market.
2026 is a long time from now, but that’s no reason to put off your preparation. Get a head start with your plans for the future, and think about what you’ll do to stand out against your competition.

VIV Acquires CMR, Inc - Adds Auto Shop Specialty

Fri, 13 May 2022 14:50:00 GMT

VIV Acquires CMR, Inc Adds Auto Shop Specialty May 11th, 2022, 01:15 PM Central Standard Time
EVANSVILLE INDIANA – VIV, a leading website design and digital marketing company, announces the acquisition of Complete Marketing Resources, Inc. ( CMR, Inc. ). CMR specializes in online marketing, consulting, award-winning and functional website design, search engine optimization (SEO), and proprietary content management programming. CMR’s services provide measurable savings and results in the automotive industry.
With over 600 auto shops in its portfolio, CMR is widely acknowledged as an industry leader for website design, reputation management strategies, and advice for auto shops. Established in 2008, CMR provides its clients with an extensive set of educational resources.
The CMR acquisition was fueled by VIV’s commitment to inspiring the current and next generation of digital marketing. VIV strives to empower small businesses with the technology and talent they need to manage and grow their business from a singular platform.
“Digital Marketing and high-quality website design continue to be in strong demand for virtually every business, and we know our clients are constantly seeking high-quality marketing strategies. “CMR, Inc is an exceptional, uniquely positioned company. We are thrilled to welcome Marion and everyone at CMR, Inc to the VIV family,” said Austin Hoffman, VIV’s Head of Product.
“As VIV strives to offer companies best-in-class marketing solutions that support all stages of the selling process, CMR, Inc brings a talented team and cutting-edge programming that bolsters our offering and expands our geographical reach across the U.S. CMR, Inc will continue to have the same great service and more by joining VIV,” said Allan Noe, Managing Partner, of VIV. CMR, Inc founder Marion Miller, and her colleagues will continue to grow relationships with their partners by offering expanded services and enhanced capabilities.
“VIV is a top digital marketing company: we are thrilled to be a part of the VIV family. Combining our teams and offerings, we now provide the most robust digital marketing and SEO resources available,” said Marion Miller, President of CMR, Inc. John Johnson, Evolv’s Chief Development Officer, said, “This acquisition augers well with VIV’s strategy of vertical specialization. CMR has done a fantastic job of adding value to their clients. We expect to leverage VIV’s assets—and CMR’s—to create a best-in-class offering.”
The CMR, Inc acquisition is an important component in VIV’s ability to rapidly scale in the automotive industry segment.
About VIV
VIV’s mission is to help businesses grow their sales. VIV is energized by knowing that doing their job well positively impacts local communities. Local businesses create jobs, support families, fund charities, and help their communities thrive.
This inspires us!
We believe the best way to achieve our mission is to empower small businesses with the technology and talent they need to manage and grow their business from a single platform.

How to Sell Products Using Facebook Live Shopping

Thu, 21 Apr 2022 15:36:00 GMT

11 min read
You may have watched a Facebook live video of your favorite influencers at some point in your life on social media. But have you considered using Facebook Live to sell your products? It’s a great way to connect with potential customers, give them a behind-the-scenes look at your business, and increase sales in the process. Plus, you can make it a fun and interactive experience that they’re sure to remember!
In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to live shopping on Facebook and explain how to feature products in your live video. Let’s find out how to make the most of this tool!
What Is Live Shopping?
To understand what live stream shopping is, you need to know what live streaming is. Live streaming is when a video is broadcasted in real-time, without being recorded first. Live streaming is popular because of its interactive nature. Viewers can communicate directly with a presenter and other viewers via a chatroom where they ask questions and share their opinions.

An example of a live video on Facebook
Not only is live streaming used by influencers and gamers, but it is also popular with experts that share their knowledge online. Recently, online sellers joined this trend and started live stream shopping — using live videos to share what they sell, how they make it, and the stories behind their brand.
In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic triggered an exponential rise in ecommerce. Live shopping is among the most prominent trends for people to buy new products.
According to Statista , the percentage of people who made purchases through live streams increased by an average of 76% worldwide from before to during the coronavirus pandemic. Europe had the highest growth in live stream purchases, with shoppers increasing by 86%. The Middle East followed with 76%, while North America recorded a usage spike of about 68%.

Change in live stream purchases from before to during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 (Source: Statista)
Live shopping combines the interactivity of live streaming with the thrill of online shopping. It’s different from live streaming because it’s specifically commerce-driven. Using live shopping, you can feature your product on video while engaging with your audience during your streams.
What Is Facebook Live Shopping?
Facebook Live is a free tool that allows anyone on Facebook to stream live video from a mobile or desktop. It is also one of the top live stream shopping platforms in the US.
As a business owner, you can use Facebook Live to connect with your customers while showcasing your products in a live video. You can show your items in real-world scenarios, bring product details front and center, and directly interact with your potential customers.
Facebook allows you to tag products in your live streams. A product tag contains details and a link to your website. Customers can even buy items right from your live stream! Imagine what it can do for your business if organized properly, taking Facebook shopping to a whole new level.

A product tagged in a Facebook live video (Image: Facebook)
Benefits of Live Shopping for Online Sellers
There are many reasons why live shopping on Facebook is becoming so popular. Here are the top benefits:

It stimulates sales as it is easy for customers to purchase the items you showcase–links to the products are featured right in the live videos.

It shows products in real-world situations. Instead of browsing your site to learn more about your merchandise, your potential customers can watch you demonstrate benefits in real-time.

It takes customer service on social media to a whole new level. Your followers can easily chat with you during your live stream, which makes answering all of their questions about your products, shipping, payment, and brand easier than ever.

It helps build relationships with your audience because you’re not only selling your products, but you’re also providing real-time entertainment.

It can be used for collaborations with influencers. Co-host a live video with an influencer in your niche to share your expertise and present your brand to a new audience.

How to Set Up Live Shopping on Facebook
Now that you know the benefits of using Facebook Live for your business, here is how to start with it.
Before you run your first live shopping video, here’s what you need:

Set up a Facebook Shop. Sign up with VIV and you can create your Facebook Shop by importing and syncing your products. Here’s how to do that.

Check that you’re the admin of your Facebook page.

Create a product playlist on Facebook. It is a collection of products you want to feature during your live shopping video. Follow these steps to create a product playlist.

Ensure that items you want to feature are in your catalog at least three days before your live stream.

Checked all the points above? It’s time for some live shopping!
Here’s how to create a live shopping video with tagged products from your Facebook page:

On your Facebook page, click “Live”.

Turn the “Enable Live Shopping” toggle on the Live Shopping tab.

Under “Select a Playlist”, click “Choose My Playlist” and click “Save.”

Enter a title for your video under “Post.”

Click “Go Live.”

Click “Feature” under the product you want to show your viewers. If you want to feature a different item, click “Stop featuring”, choose the new product, and click “Feature.”

Click “End Live Video” when you’re done.

When you’re running a live shopping video on Facebook, you’ll see this dashboard. Use it to feature different products in your live stream:

Your viewers will be able to click on an item they like and see product details or buy it right away:

Tips for Live Shopping on Facebook
To make sure both you and your customers enjoy your live shopping events, keep in mind the following advice.
Promote Your Live Shopping Events
Announce and promote your live shopping videos a couple of days before the event to spark interest and build anticipation with potential customers. Encourage viewers to follow your Facebook business page so they know when you go live.
Don’t hesitate to use other channels: announce your live shopping events in your newsletter, in your Instagram posts and stories, and on other social media. Or, invite people to your live streams in related Facebook groups.
Make a Test Run First
Want your first video to be a success? Test your live video beforehand! Change your privacy settings so that only you and the people you choose can see your test live video. Test out your equipment and pay attention to camera angles, volume, and background noise.
Keep Your Environment Organized
Whether you’re presenting live from home, at work, or at an event like a conference, keeping your surroundings tidy and organized will help give your viewers a good impression of you and your brand. Ask Someone to Help You
Having someone with you behind the camera during your live stream can be a game-changer. They can assist you with products, comments, and messages.
If you don’t have a large audience on Facebook, ask a friend or family member to pose questions in comments to create more engagement and encourage other viewers to join the discussion.
Actively Communicate with Viewers
Get your audience involved–that’s the point of a live stream! Let viewers know they can make comments during the video or reach you through Facebook Messenger. Respond to viewers’ comments and reactions as they happen.
Avoid Being Too Sales-y
Being too sales-focused and pushy might annoy your audience, so you need to walk a fine line. Common topics for live shopping are recommendations for new products to try, tips on how to choose the right item, discussion of new trends, or Q&A.
For example, let’s say you sell face masks. Instead of devoting the whole live video to pitching your masks, tell your audience how to choose the best fitting and comfortable one. Of course, tag your products as examples. You’ll see your Facebook live sales skyrocket!
Save Your Live Streams
Don’t let your hard work disappear! Instead of deleting your live videos, keep them on your timeline to attract a new audience. People can also watch those videos again for more information about products, or find the items they were interested in but didn’t buy right away.
Get Started with Live Shopping
Now you know everything you need to create your first live shopping video on Facebook! Are you as excited as we are?
Just remember that live shopping is all about building relationships with your customers. Focus on your viewers’ needs first, and the sales will follow. With time, you’ll learn new tricks to increase the engagement of your live streams and turn viewers into customers.
Have you already tried live shopping on Facebook or other platforms? Do you want to learn something else about live shopping? Don’t hesitate to share your experience or ask questions in the comments below!

Your 2022 SEO Checklist

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 19:51:00 GMT

Your 2022 SEO Checklist

New websites pop-up every day, and updates are always being rolled out to improve user experience. It’s important to recognize that search engines aim to create the best user experience, so if your site does not fit their criteria, it’ll be less likely to show up during a search.

Search engines use crawlers to detect viable web pages. They pick up on trending searches and use keywords to find websites to comb through. If the algorithm finds a worthy page, it will be indexed, but that’s only the first part of the process. Other criteria will need to be met to rank where your page will show up during searches.

There are many ways to enhance your URL, and the following checklist will help you to renew your website for search engine optimization (SEO).

Content

Google uses expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EAT) to rank web pages, so regardless of the type of content you produce, you want it to be high quality and consistent. Titles should grab audience attention while the content supports and retains their interest while providing adequate and reliable information.

There are a number of aspects that impact how your content will get you ranked, including length, topic, media type, and more. As you are auditing your content, consider hiring a freelance writer or editor who has a background in SEO. You can expect to pay $25 an hour for a quality freelance writer.

As you develop content, there are a few particulars to keep in mind:

Keywords

Search engines look for trending topics and pick up on specific words that relate to said topic. Those words are used as keywords in searches. It may be tempting to put in as many keywords as possible, but too many terms will dilute your content and make it less relevant to the search engine. You want words that hone to your niche without being too specific.

Video

Video content has become extremely popular, so you should consider adding it into your content planning. Photo and text-based materials will still have their place, but videos will help you to stay relevant to improve your ranking.

Linking

Linking within your web pages is vital, so be sure to provide appropriate links that warrant clicks. Choosing to link to an untrustworthy site will tank your credibility and lower your ranking. In addition, you want your page to be linked from other sites, and providing quality information will make your web pages more appealing to link to.

Tidy your website

Fix broken links, renew outdated/low-quality information, increase load speed, and develop mobile compatibility to boost the credibility and usability of your website. Crawlers also pick up on the readability of your pages, so be sure to write and organize pages in a way that is easy to understand.

If your site has enough problems, it may fail to index or be removed from a search engine’s index. Routinely go through your website to keep your site running optimally and consider web optimization tools that will aid you in flagging mistakes.

Analytics

Use analytics to your advantage. They can help you determine who your audience is and what type of content they will engage with. You can use this information to develop appealing content that will drive users to your site. If your pages become linked, it can help your ranking by increasing your authoritativeness.

Security

If you want a credible and trustworthy website, you need to have robust cybersecurity. A combination of security defenses is the best strategy for cyber protection. Firewalls, VPNs, and proper web browsing habits are just a few of the many ways to protect you and your client’s data.

Conclusion

Ultimately, a search engine must decide if your URL is worth sharing. Does your website meet the following criteria of quality, reliability, credibility, and relevance? If not, it is time to renovate to guarantee you’ll be able to compete with other sites.

HOW VIV PRIORITIZES SEO

If you are in the market for a website builder, it is vital to choose one that prioritizes SEO so that you can pull traffic to your site. SEO may feel like another thing to add to your plate to worry about, but you will gain numerous benefits like credibility, authentic traffic, assistance in better content creation, and more. VIV’s website builder has many strategies for SEO to help you on your way.

Get indexed

Trends are a great wave to ride to gain user traffic, but you must be discoverable for that to happen. Search engines can be flooded with content to crawl through, which means your page may be overlooked. VIV supports IndexNow which will ping a search engine that your site has been changed, and the search engine will know to crawl your site and update its index.

Rendering plays another role in indexing speed. The longer it takes your site to render, the longer it will take a crawler to sort through that information. DIYers beware - it may be difficult to sort through code to figure out what is causing the delay in rendering. To avoid this, VIV has optimization built into their program, so you can focus more on your business rather than sorting through long lines of code.

Analytics

VIV allows you to explore a variety of analytics to help you navigate how and what your audience is drawn to. Also, VIV allows for Google Analytics to be integrated into your site, so you can understand how your site is performing. This will help you create content that fits your niche, thus driving traffic to your site.

Content

Take control over your content. Your site should be as vibrant as you are, and images and videos will help you show that vibrancy. Poor image and video hosting can tank your SEO because they can fumble mobile compatibility and increase loading times.

Brush up on your image formatting skills to improve load speed and compatibility. VIV also provides resources for media materials, so you can create original, stimulating, and high-ranking content without having to worry whether your photos and videos will decrease your rank.

Security

The last thing you want to worry about is a data breach and its consequences. Be cautious, because SEO is also vulnerable to cyber threats. Some crawling bots can be malicious and will crawl your URL to replicate it and gain user traffic you would otherwise have. VIV uses enterprise-level security and cloud hosting for protection and to decrease downtime. They use a transparency model where you can check on system operation status to stay informed so you are able to take action if necessary.

Conclusion

A site revision will help your site become more competitive in a saturated online market. VIV provides a multitude of resources to get your URL indexed and ranked higher for SEO. Use these resources to your advantage, generate compelling content, and be on the lookout for suspicious cyber threats.

7 Mistakes That Prevent You From Making Your First Sale Online

Fri, 07 May 2021 20:36:00 GMT

Have you ever found yourself searching online for “How to make your first sale online”?
If so, you’ve come to the right place.
Being able to make money online comes down to having a strong marketing strategy for your product.
However, there are lots of common mistakes that new online store owners make that prevent them from making their first sale—let alone building a profitable business.
If you are struggling to make money online , then this article is for you!
You’re going to discover the 7 mistakes that prevent you from making your first sale online.
How to sell online Tips from e-commerce experts for small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs. 1. Choosing a Super-Competitive Niche If you want to build an ecommerce store, your first step is to decide which niche to go into.
It’s crucial to avoid the mistake of choosing a niche that has too much competition baked into it already.
For the same reason, it’s important to avoid overly broad niches (i.e. “fashion”) and stick to smaller ones where you will find it easier to build an audience and drive sales (i.e. sun dresses for millennial women).
Some ultra-competitive niches include:

Selling T-shirts
Baby clothing
Wedding invitations

Of course, there are still tens of thousands of stores that sell these products — which obviously means there’s money to be made in those niches. It can just be harder to distinguish yourself, especially as a new brand.
For instance, The Tall Spot sells clothing for tall women only, which is a great way to differentiate themselves from others in such a saturated niche.

Source 2. Working with the Wrong Vendors Finding the right vendor is crucial for an online seller.
Unfortunately, a lot of new store owners have no clue where they can find the right products to sell online. To make matters worse, there are tons of unscrupulous vendors and middlemen waiting to scam people out of their hard-earned cash under the guise of helping them sell online.
For instance, say a mattress retailer like this one were to conduct a search for “ mattress wholesale ”:

Their search would be met with a ton of results — but many of them would be for scammers eager to prey on naive buyers.
So, how does a buyer know legitimate wholesalers from scammers? By using the right services to find vendors.
For example, if you want to dropship, you can use services like Worldwide Brands that will connect you with pre-verified wholesalers. You can also use VIV’s range of dropshipping apps ( Wholesale2B , Syncee, and Spocket).
Just keep in mind that there are always new ecommerce trends that might be tempting to jump into. But it’s always safer to source from reliable, well-known wholesalers like the ones mentioned above.
3. Not Defining Your Target Audience A lot of new business owners simply jump in and start trying to sell their products without really defining who their ideal customers are.
This ultimately results in a lot of frustration, as they have to put in a lot of hard work with mediocre results to show for it.
You must dive deep into market research to make sure that:

Your audience has a real need for your product
They are willing and able to pay for it
You can communicate the offer in language they’ll understand
Your target audience can be front and center in your marketing strategy.

Defining your target audience in this way will help you create an experience that is sure to resonate with them.
You can craft compelling brand messaging that will drive them to buy again and again.
But how exactly do you do that?
By following these steps to create a profile for your ideal customer:

Learn your customers’ pain points
Discover what types of solutions they tried in the past
Find out what worked and what didn’t
Know the values that are important to them
Figure out the type of content they engage with online.

You can achieve this by going through blog comments, forums, reviews on third-party sites, or social media posts to see what your potential customers are saying.
With this information in hand, you will be better able to market your products to the right people.
You’ll also be able to communicate the value of your products more effectively, which will help you stand out from your competitors. For example, a website that sells VPNs might discover, through its research, that its target audience frequently asks the question: “What is a VPN?” , or “How does VPN work?”
Answering these questions on their website would enable them to target those customers. By creating a series of articles designed to help them gain a full understanding of what VPN software is and what it does, not only are they being helpful, but also generating organic traffic to their website. Win-win!
4. Having a Weak Marketing Plan Even if you plan your store right — choose the right niche, audience, and vendors — you still won’t find success unless you have the right marketing plan , one that will allow you to get customers through the door.
Your ability to build a responsive website and get traffic to it plays a huge role in the number of sales you make, and ultimately your business’s bottom line.
Here are a few tips to help you drive targeted traffic to your online store so you can begin making sales:

Guest Blogging: Find top-quality blogs that accept guest posts and submit high-quality posts to reach brand new audiences.
Use Google Ads: Google Ads offers a way to get reliable and consistent traffic to your products. You can also use Amazon Product Ads to get an immediate flow of traffic to your store.
Leverage Google Shopping: This is something that most marketers overlook, but Google Shopping can help you get your products the spotlight they need so you can sell more.
Optimize for Search: Create a lot of high-quality content and optimize it for the search engines. Target competitive keyword terms, as well as longtail keyword phrases. Eventually, your content will start to rank and drive large volumes of targeted traffic your way.

Having said that, it’s important to note that a strong marketing plan will only help you if:

You’ve picked the right niche
You have optimized website design
Your products can be sourced at a low enough price to allow you to make a decent profit.

Luckily, there are tons of sales and marketing tools designed to help you every step of the way — from planning your marketing strategy right up to its execution. And resources like the VIV Blog that are chock full of tips and tricks to help you at every stage of your marketing journey.
5. Not Defining a Unique Value Proposition (USP) A strong USP is one that clearly articulates your product’s special and unique benefits. It should be something that your competitors don’t offer, and something that makes you stand out in a crowded field. Your unique selling point is your key differentiator.
It’s the reason customers will purchase your product instead of your competitors, and it’s a crucial part of your overall marketing strategy to attract new customers.
Although you may be tempted to hire freelancers to do some of this work for you, it’s never a good idea to delegate creating the USP for your own product to someone else.
So how exactly do you go about defining your USP?
Here are a few things to bear in mind when creating your own USP:
Get Into Your Target Customer’s Head Sales expert advice says to get to know your perfect customer:

What they want
How your product can help them solve their problems
And the factors that motivate their buying decisions.

Ask yourself why your existing customers choose your business over competitors.
Explain How Your Product Solves the Problem Customers aren’t looking to buy your product — they want solutions to their problems. As a famous marketer once said:
“Customers don’t buy quarter-inch drills because they want quarter-inch drills. They buy quarter-inch drills because they want quarter-inch holes.”
So, make sure you list the biggest distinctive benefits of your product and the value it will add to your potential customer’s lives.
A great example is the cosmetics industry.
In the beauty niche, companies don’t sell makeup, they sell different lifestyle ideals, like glamour, style, luxury or confidence. The products are just the tools to help customers on the road to attaining these more intangible ideas. This concept of chasing ideals instead of products applies to a lot of other industries too.
For instance, this site that sells online study materials focuses its marketing on the biggest distinctive benefit of its product, which is:
“The best documents shared by fellow students, and organized in one place.”

Source
Create an Elevator Pitch Once you get into your target customer’s mind, you have all the information you need to make your business irresistible to them. You now know how your product solves the problem, but you can take it a step further by making your customers a promise. It doesn’t matter what type of product you have — whether it’s a kids’ toy or a CRM with predictive dialer , this tactic works great every time.
An excellent example of this concept in play is FedEx.

Source
The company guarantees that it can deliver any package, from any place in the world to its destination overnight. This addresses the customer-specific need for reliable package delivery.
At the same time, it also makes a promise that their packages will be delivered with care, and on time — every single time!
Once you have what makes your business different, you can then condense this into a short sentence — your unique value proposition.
6. Using a Non-Optimized Sales Funnel As any marketer will tell you, it’s hard work trying to find new customers.
If you have to do the same work over and over again each time you want to make a sale, you’ll find it extremely hard to grow and scale your business.
And remember, it costs significantly less to keep a customer than it does to acquire a new one.
That’s why having an optimized sales funnel is important to the growth and success of your business.
A sales funnel is the marketing term for a potential customer’s journey toward a purchase. It involves several steps:

Top of the Funnel (TOF): At this stage, the customer is just becoming aware and showing interest in a business or product.
Middle of the Funnel (MOF): This is the sales process that converts a prospect to a paying customer.
Bottom of the Funnel (BOF): This is where the prospect actually takes action to make a purchase.

The image below illustrates how a sales funnel for a business in the Digital Marketing niche might look:

Source
An optimized sales funnel will allow you to:

Generate tons of leads
Increase conversions
Make more per sale
Boost customer retention (and therefore lifetime value).

Luckily, these days there are a lot of affordable B2B portals and various marketing and sales tools you can use to help you build optimized sales funnels.
7. Offering Poor Customer Service One mistake many new store owners make that costs them that first sale is offering poor customer service.
Ultimately, this results in a lot of dissatisfied customers, and poor customer retention, something businesses can’t afford if they hope to succeed online.
Take, for instance, this meal-planning service .

Source
As you can see, the site offers its customers a lot of options for help and support. This makes it less likely that any of their customers’ needs or complaints might go unmet. Here are a few ways you can provide stellar service to your customers:

Have a fair and clearly defined refund policy
Respond to every message sent through your website
Always reply to comments left on your blog
Practice social media listening, and join relevant conversations
Respond to comments and questions on social media.

Great customer service also includes dealing with complaints in a calm, professional manner instead of showing impatience.
A site that does this well is this one that sells different types of empty capsules.

Source
As you can see from their homepage, customer service is very important to them.
There’s a clear button for customers to call support, as well as links to more information on shipping, their refund policy, and even training resources.
Conclusion There you have it. 7 common mistakes new online store owners make repeatedly. We hope this article has helped you understand some crucial concepts that you should consider carefully as you build your ecommerce store. Use the information in this article to avoid these mistakes in the future so you can start making money online.
Over to you. Which of the mistakes in this article have you made in your online business? Share your experiences below!

5 Careers Page Essentials For Attracting Qualified Candidates

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 18:35:00 GMT

For the past decade or more, many industries have pivoted to address what they dubbed the “war for top talent.” Accounting firms talk about it ad nauseam, tech and engineering companies snatch up talented candidates while they’re still in college, and most professional and skilled laborers in tight labor markets, like those that work in the construction industry , have their pickings of jobs.
In fact, 61% of HR respondents in a Deloitte report said that finding qualified hires is their biggest challenge above all other HR concerns. And the challenge is particularly acute for smaller businesses; 64.2% of SMBs say they struggle to find qualified talent. Altogether, it’s certainly enough to prompt any business to take a fresh look at their careers page and ensure it’s optimized to attract and entice talented applicants.
In this post, we’ll cover the essential elements you need to include on a website’s career page, as well as some standout examples to get your creativity flowing.
ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF CAREERS PAGES
There is no perfect recipe for a successful careers page and each one will be unique. However, there are some commonalities that are found across the board.

A headline that grabs candidates’ attention and content that communicates something important about company culture.
An elevator pitch that describes why someone would want to work for the company.
Succinct, enticing job descriptions for current openings.
Employee success stories.
Keywords that increase discoverability.

Let’s break down each of these essential elements.
Headline & Overall Content
The headline should grab candidates’ attention because everyone has a short attention span. How short? In the past decade, the average attention span has decreased by over 50% . When starting the application process, 74% of candidates don’t finish. In addition to a great headline that draws in ideal candidates, the content of a careers page itself needs to answer some basic questions. People want to know what it’s like to work there. Do people enjoy being a part of the team? What is the company culture like? What kind of projects does the company have? Can employees occasionally work from home?
Try to include anything that makes working at your company unique and the reasons your current employees enjoy their work. Your own team is your best resource when it comes to brainstorming the content that should go on your careers page.
The Sales Pitch
Why should candidates apply to work for the business for which you’re building this careers page? What does your client have that no other companies have, or that makes it distinct for employees? Some possibilities might be:

Mentoring into senior leadership spots
A share of the business’s stock
Close team collaboration
A trust-focused work environment where employees have flexibility and independence
A mission-driven or values-driven work environment

Be sure to weave these competitive advantages into a compelling sales pitch to your potential employees and you’re bound to get a higher quality of candidate.
Succinct, Enticing Job Descriptions
As with most types of web copy, job descriptions should be relatively short, but detailed enough to spark a reader’s interest. Indeed.com recommends including the following points in job summaries.

“Open with a strong, attention-grabbing summary. Your summary should provide an overview of your company and expectations for the position.”

“Hook your reader with details about what makes your company unique. Your job description is an introduction to your company and your employer brand. Include details about your company culture to sum up why a candidate would love to work for you.”

“Include an exact job location. Provide an exact job location to optimize your job posting so it appears higher in job search results.”

Additionally, you want to make it as easy as possible for candidates to apply for open positions right there on the page, so adding some way for applicants to submit a resume (e.g. a contact form) is highly advised.
Employee Success Stories or Testimonials
Showcase the employees that work at the company. Add video and text testimonials that cover their career growth over the years, the value they place on their work-life balance, and how they feel about the company’s mission. Today’s candidates, like today’s consumers, want social proof.
Keywords That Increase Discoverability
A careers page is only useful if applicants can find it. To be sure that they do, include long-tail keywords in your job description to make it easier to find in search engines. It is wise to use these same descriptions across the web in any job boards and link back to your website whenever possible.
It is also important to make sure your website is up to the latest technical SEO standards and aligned with Google’s best practices for page experience.
In addition to addressing a careers page's SEO, you may want to offer a PPC marketing strategy to attract qualified talent to it as quickly as possible.

CAREERS PAGE EXAMPLES
Now that we've covered the essential elements of any careers page, let's take a look at a few fantastic examples from around the web. TLV Partners
In many ways, the homepage operates as a career page as it includes sections about the team and company culture.
This page answers all of the key questions covered above regarding the content of a careers page. ‘Who will I be working with?”, “What type of work will I be doing?”, “What are the company’s values?”, and “What will working there be like?”, are all addressed. To make it easy to submit applications, the firm links to its resume management system directly in the site’s top navigation.

Purple
Purple has many products, including one that measures weather patterns. Together, the Purple weather devices allow the public and experts alike to track weather trends (e.g. the off-the-charts particulate matter readings during the fall of 2020 U.S. fires in Oregon and California ).
As a tech company, Purple has put a lot into its careers page since it needs to recruit talent in such a competitive industry. The careers page includes a sales pitch about why job-seekers should work for Purple, testimonial quotes from employees, employee success stories, and even career blog content with takeaways and actionable suggestions.
The Purple careers page answers all of the questions a potential candidate could have about working there and makes it easy for someone to judge quickly whether the company is a good fit culture-wise. It pulls no punches and sells the company as a standout place to work boldly and directly.

Kickstarter
Kickstarter is another great example of a careers page that is designed around conversion. It starts with a catchy headline that reflects its employee persona. And the designers really set the page off with great contrast and images.
This is followed on the page by Kickstarter expressly outlining the two values they believe their employees should live by — art and creative expression. That type of direct language goes a long way toward reeling in the candidates they want most.
To finish the page out, Kickstarter introduces one of the other essential elements of a careers page: a functional interface that allows applicants to submit resumes quickly and easily.
PUTTING YOUR CAREERS PAGE TO WORK
Even small businesses need to use careers pages to help them find and recruit talent. Whatever size your web design client’s operation, they’ll need your help putting together a one that attracts high quality candidates.
As recruiter Matt Charney says, “In recruiting today, it’s not only recruiters who are doing the research. Top talent is searching for a company the same way they would any other purchasing decision.”
So with that advice in mind, it’s important to remember that the best help you can provide to your client is to ensure all of the essential elements of a careers page listed above — a good headline, a sales pitch for the company as a workplace, enticing job descriptions, employee success stories and/or testimonials, etc. — are included on the page.

How to Promote Your Small Business Locally: 10 Practical Ideas

Fri, 12 Jun 2020 17:05:00 GMT

How to Promote Your Small Business Locally: 10 Practical Ideas

According to this survey , 26% of young adults in the US have significantly increased their purchases of local products and services as a response to the coronavirus pandemic. With the sudden increase, now is the time to market your business to the local community.

Lockdown orders might keep us isolated, but they also show the importance of supporting each other. Learn how to promote your small business locally with these tips!

Building a strong local presence breaks down into two stages: earning recognition and maintaining reputation. Those who find a way to reach their customers effectively and gain their trust are likely to become local celebs.

With this list of ideas, you can create a plan that helps you get in front of the audience and keeps you flush with traffic to your store.

1. Make Your Service and Delivery Perfect

Before you decide how to market a local business, make sure you “deliver” on customer service. Word-of-mouth is a powerful referral source for your small business — and you can drive it with stellar service and delivery to your existing customers.

If you want to increase the chance of repeat customers, ensure a quick and smooth delivery. They are likely to recommend your business to their friends and family after a positive experience. Another way to impress customers — offer free delivery for orders over a certain subtotal, for example, for orders over $100.

Another way to deliver top service is to show you care about your customers’ safety. Explain on your website how you are minimizing contact during the pandemic (moving from cash to online payments, using gloves when delivering products, etc.)

Learn more: How to Set Up Curbside Pickup and Local Delivery for Your Business

Wowing shoppers with perfect service and delivery is a way to show that you’re honored to have them as a customer and that you value each and every one of them. Consider going above and beyond for your audience.

2. Develop Recognizable Branding

With a recognizable logo and consistent branding, your local business can gain a foothold within the local marketplace and shoppers’ minds. Think of brands you know well. They’re simple, timeless, and easy to recognize — that’s what you’re striving for.

Be sure that you’re reinforcing your company brand in all the right places, such as:

- Your store’s sign

- Your website

- Social media

- Packaging

- Invoices

- Email

- Handouts/marketing materials

- Ads

- Store assets, like windows, rugs, etc.

Also: Business Names Ideas: How to Choose the Best Store Name

3. Create a Mobile-Responsive Website

The number of mobile users has already surpassed desktop — and this trend is only growing. With this in mind, it’s more important than ever to have a mobile-responsive website as part of your promotion (and sales) strategy when reaching a local audience.

VIV offers an Instant Site that’s a simple, one-page home for your online store that’s completely mobile-friendly. There’s a built-in shopping cart for all of these sites.

4. Get a Google Business Listing

If you wonder how to promote a business without money, focus on generating organic traffic from search engines. Many people search out local businesses through Google, so having a complete business listing here makes it easier for customers to find you.

When people search for businesses like yours, you’ll come up both as a search result and within Google Maps. Showcase your business hours, phone number, ratings, and get smartphone users quickly routed to your store with directions.

It’s a good idea to update information in your listing that’s changed as a result of COVID-19, as people turn to Google to verify open businesses.

5. Be Part of Local Online Directories

Chances are your city has local business directories. Those are websites you can get your small business listed to get in front of more shoppers.

First, make a list of available directories. Then ask around to see which of these your current customers look at to find which would be the most relevant for you. You may find that some are more worthwhile than others.

You’ll likely want to consider directories like:

- Local Chamber of Commerce

- Merchant Circle

- YellowPages

- Aside from these more common local online directories, you may also see if there is a local newspaper or magazine that does special industry directories during the year, too.

6. Get Listed on Yelp

Getting your local business listed on Yelp means potential customers can find you more easily through this site’s directory.

You can add your address, contact details, and a short description of your business to attract new shoppers. Customers will have the opportunity to post photos and leave reviews of their own. If you want your small business to appear at the top of the listings on Yelp, you can also consider buying ad space.

7. Work with Micro-Influencers on Instagram

If you’re looking for ways to promote your business on social media — partner with micro-influencers. They have a semi-large following, we’re not talking Kim Kardashian level here. They are cheaper, but their audiences are usually very active.

To get started, look for local influencers who have a following of 5,000-50,000 followers (some of them might already be your own followers!) and see if they’re open to working together for a social media collaboration.

8. Leverage Foursquare City Guide

Some customers like using discovery apps as Foursquare City Guide to find new stores to visit, so having a presence here allows you to tap into this demographic of shoppers.

Foursquare City Guide identifies a user’s location and recommends nearby businesses. Recommendations are sourced from other users who have visited and left a good rating or review.

You can also use a business listing on Foursquare City Guide to share special deals, keep customers up to date, and add links to your website or social media.

9. Use an Email List

Email helps you continue the conversation with local customers you’ve met in-store. Start gathering subscribers at your local business (at the checkout counter is a good idea).

In your VIV store, you can collect emails at the checkout if you use Next-gen Storefront. To switch to it, go to Settings → What’s New. If you don’t see “Next-gen Storefront” there, that’s great — it means it’s already enabled in your store.

As you build your email list, keep in touch with customers and share engaging emails about upcoming events, sales, new item releases, and more.

10. Offer In-Store Pickup

For nearby shoppers who don’t want to pay for unnecessary shipping costs, you should consider adding an in-store pickup option that also drives foot traffic to your local business.

While we’re waiting for the pandemic to end, offer carry-out to let your customers order online and safely pick up from their vehicle. A curbside pickup option allows businesses to minimize person-to-person contact.