Old City Web Services

Free Tools for Content Writing

by

Wait a minute… What is content?

Content is the text, images, video, graphics, as well as every additional element that isn’t part of a design. So, if you have a website, brochure, business card, social media platform, etc., then content writing should be important to you. After all, websites, pamphlets, and other marketing materials tend to have more written content than the other types of content.

We offer content writing services and can help you cross off tasks on your to-do list by creating your social media posts, weekly blogs, marketing emails, or the content for your site. Don’t hesitate to ask us if you have questions about our content writing services or the free tools for content writing below! Schedule a free consultation by clicking the button below or call us at 904-867-4112.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Free Tools for Content Writing on A Budget

We understand that small businesses have a long list of expenses. While one year, written content might be at the forefront of your mind, the next year your budget may not permit it. Therefore, we’ve comprised a list of free tools for content writing. This way your content won’t suffer if you can’t hire a professional just yet.

content-writing

You really should hire a professional.

The whole idea of marketing materials is to persuade a consumer to do business with your company. So, your content should be persuasive and convey a message. The best way to guarantee this is to hire a firm like Old City Web Services to create your website, social media posts, online blogs, etc.

A content writer ensures your content speaks to your business’ audience. The writer will make sure your content is purposeful, relevant, and structurally sound so that your reader easily flows through the text. You know how your business functions and may just not be able to put it into words.

When we design websites we encourage our clients to hire us for content writing as well. The last thing we want is for our clients to be stressed about misspellings or if their writing sounds good. In fact, sometimes when clients write their own content it delays the launch of their website because they don’t have enough time to write it or they have a difficult time putting the words on paper. Since we want our clients to have a stress-free experience with their new website, we figure it’s easier for us to write their content for them! After all, we’re sure you’d rather be running your business and doing what you love than writing content.

You really should hire a professional.

If you aren’t ready to hire a content writer, the tools above will help you write your best content yet! But when you are ready, we can help you! We use tools like these and others to write and format content for our clients. You can get in touch with us by clicking the button below or calling us at 904-867-4112.

Schedule A Free Consultation

Mission Statement

The mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success.

Please share and re-post this blog. Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on Old City Web Services Blog.

Images: Seo and Accessibility Do’s/Don’ts

by

Websites are a marketing piece that consumers use to learn about products and services. But, what if your website isn’t accessible to everyone? For example, what if your website isn’t user-friendly to American’s with disabilities that use screen readers to navigate the internet? Although many businesses are not in spaces that require ADA compliant websites, SEO and accessibility are imperative for every website.

Optimizing your images, videos, and other non-text elements for screen readers is a sure way to make your website more accessible. But, many times the way you optimize for a screen reader can conflict with the way you optimize for search engines. So, we’ve devised a list of do’s and don’ts to help you navigate improving the accessibility of your images, videos, and non-text elements without compromising SEO.

Do This

  • Do write alt attributes for people and not just for search engine robots. This way, when a person using a screen reader visits your site, the description of the image makes sense. See Figure 1's caption for an example.

    A photo of a french bull dog laying down.

    Figure 1: An appropriate alt attribute for this photo is, "A photo of a tan french bulldog laying down." This is a good alt attribute because it is short and accurately describes the image.

  • Do keep alt attributes short, sweet, and to the point. If you have a detailed photo and would like to add more information put it in a caption or in the body text. Most screen readers are programmed to read up to 125 characters in an alt attribute.
  • Do use the word "null" for decorative images. A decorative image is an image that doesn't make the content of a website richer; it serves solely as a decoration. "Null" signifies to screen readers and search engines that the image isn't crucial and it can safely be ignored.
  • Do use terms like "Figure 1:", "Image 1:", or "Illustration 1:" to describe the image you are captioning if you have many images on a single page. This way, persons using assistive technology will know exactly which image you are referring to.
  • Do provide full transcripts for videos and audio. This is twofold as it assists those using screen readers and helps search engines understand the content of non-text elements.

Confused about the "do's" above? No problem, give us a call and we'll explain them to you.

Do Not Do This

  • Do not use an alt attribute for an image with a link attached if there is anchor text near the image with the same link attached. Screen readers will read the anchor text and alt attribute for the image, so it will sound repetitive and weird. Instead, use "null" as the alt attribute for your image. From an SEO perspective, it isn't ideal to skip an alt attribute for an image you'd like to appear in search engine results. In this case, we recommend attaching the link to the anchor text and not the image, this way you can optimize the image by adding the appropriate alt attribute.

    null

    Figure 2: An example of a text graphic.

  • Do not use an alt attribute if you've used a caption unless you enter completely different text in each. Screen readers will read both the caption and alt attribute for images, videos, and other non-text elements; it will sound repetitive if you use similar descriptions.
  • Do not try to convey the information from your infographic in an alt attribute. Screen readers aren't programmed to read long alt attributes. In the same respect, it is important that a person using a screen reader has access to the information from the infographic. Be sure to describe your infographic in the text of the body or in a caption.
  • Do not use text-graphics when possible, unless it is for your logo. Instead, write the text out and find a more appropriate image.

If you need help with SEO or the accessibility of your website, contact us!

Tip for Success - Backing Up Your Files

We often hear about the importance of securing personal information to keep it safe from hackers. But, it is just as important to secure your business information. The heightened threat of ransomware, hackers, and phishing emails all point to one thing: it is critical to make good backups for your business files.

Additionally, it won’t cost you a lot of money. In fact, it will save you money in the long run because not getting hacked means you can avoid paying to fix computers when your computer has been hacked and someone is holding your files hostage. If you are a small business, like us, you can purchase external storage devices to back up your files on. But remember, after backing up you must remove the device from your computer.

Backing up is also helpful during this time of the year when hurricanes are brewing, and you may not have the space to take all your office computers with you. It is easy to pack a one, two, or three terabyte external storage device and off you go! It will save you time and money!

Mission Statement

Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.

Sharing and re-posting this blog is encouraged. Please credit Old City Web Services when sharing. Disclaimer: Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information on Old City Web Services Blog. Photo credits: Old City Web Services.

5 Ways to Maintain a Good Online Reputation

by Leave a Comment

adobe-spark21

5 Ways to Maintain a Good Online Reputation

In a time when technology is in every facet of our lives, your business' online reputation means just as much, if not more, than the impression you make in person. Think about it. Before you go somewhere or try out a new product, what's one of the first things you do? You do an online search. And if that search has positive results, you're more likely to try that product, visit that store or eat at that restaurant, right? You should focus just as much time marketing your business online as you do in other areas of your advertising strategy.

Here are five things to keep in mind when you're trying to cultivate an online presence that makes others take note:

1. Sustain cohesion among platforms

Repetition across all platforms reinforces who you are as a company. This means your information should be up-to-date and accurate. Take the time to go through your website, social media accounts, and listings and see what information needs updating or improved. A uniform look across your platforms will increase your professionalism among consumers. Your current logo should be represented across all facets of your online presence. People are visual, and seeing your logo in multiple places will keep you on their mind.

2. Keep things current

Nothing says you're stuck in the past like a dated website or logo. Although people may be used to seeing the designs you came up with 10 years ago, that doesn't mean new customers will be all that comfortable with it. People judge your business from the first time they click on your home page. If you have a modern look, you are sending the message that you are current and knowledgeable about what is going on in your industry and can tackle whatever comes your way. Bringing new life to an old logo, adding a modern touch to your website, or revamping the copy on your website can make a big difference in the eye of the consumer and build trust between you and your audience.

3. Utilize online reviews

Reviews are useful to have for multiple reasons. First of all, they increase your search engine optimization which will bring more people to your website. Good, quality reviews help persuade consumers to invest in your business. If people are backing your services up with testimonials, new customers are more likely to trust you and give you their business.

4. Take advantage of online listings and directories

Although having a website and social media accounts are great tools to use to get your name out there, you also need to make sure that you are taking advantage of online listings. You should be listed on no less than 5 listings to effectively spread company awareness. Some examples are Bing, Google, Yahoo!, Yelp, and the Yellow Pages. Being a part of these listings increases your SEO which will bring more customers to your site. It also builds your name and accreditation within your field.

5. Make sure your site is mobile friendly

As the capabilities of mobile devices are increasing, more people are choosing to go to their smartphones versus their laptops for information. If people can do everything they need to do on their phone, shouldn't checking your website be one of them? Giving customers the option of browsing your site on their phones allows for one more way for you to get through to them. It is important to know what percent of people are viewing your site on a desktop, mobile devices, and tablets. A good way to track these numbers is by using Google Analytics, a service that tracks and reports website traffic. This is an invaluable tool when it comes to marketing and getting the most out of your website. If you need help getting started with Google Analytics, our team can help get you set up as well as teach you how to read your analytics reports.

Could your online presence use an update? Contact our team, and we would be happy to talk with you about ways we can help improve your overall online experience.

Old City Web Services Welcomes Copywriter

by Leave a Comment

Old City Web Services Welcomes Copywriter

Natalie McElstaff-nataliewee works in copywriting and marketing here at Old City Web Services. Natalie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Louisiana Tech University in 2013. Upon graduation, she moved to St. Augustine to work as a copy editor/designer where she strengthened her editing and writing skills. From there, Natalie worked in marketing and development at a retreat center in South Carolina where she learned the ins and outs of social media, continued to write, and learned how to market in a unique environment. While she enjoyed her time in South Carolina, her love for the Nation's Oldest City brought her back to the area. Natalie has a passion for St. Augustine and the surrounding areas that shows in her work.

Natalie joins us with a unique set of skills that make her the perfect addition to our team. Her attention to detail, ability to craft copy, journalistic conversational skills and knack for social media make her a valuable asset. Natalie writes content for clients' websites and blogs, blogs for Old City Web Services and OldCity.com, handles social media for OldCity.com, helps with marketing, and works on day-to-day projects.

We’re excited to have a skilled writer join our team and are happy to offer her services to you. Is your website in need of an upgrade? Have you had it professionally designed but don’t have the right words to make it stand out?

It’s great to have a sharp looking website, but if there is no captivating content to grab someone’s attention, then what good is your website really doing? In order to have an effective website, you need to effectively communicate what your business is about, why consumers should choose you, and how you stand out among competitors.

Reasons to Hire a Copywriter

  1. A high-quality website needs high-quality text to build credibility and consumer trust.
  2. A copywriter incorporates SEO into text so consumers get the most out of online searching.
  3. You can rest assured that your copy will be the most effective it can be.

If you feel your content needs an upgrade, fill out the contact form on our website or give us a call at 904.829.2772 to discuss how we can help you with your content writing needs.

Why Having Relevant Content is Important.

by Leave a Comment

First, What Does Relevant Content Mean?

Relevant content means the content on your website is up-to-date and on topic with your business. For example, if you have a business that sells honey in Georgia, you wouldn't want your home page to have content about jams in California. Also, you want the information about your business to be current. Having old or irrelevant information on your website can hurt your search engine optimization. Making your rank on search engines become lower but, how do you write good content for your website?

Tips on Writing Good Relevant Content:

Valuable Content: Make sure your content has some value to your users. Ask yourself; Do my potential clients need this information? Does this topic actually pertain to my business? Will my potential clients even want to know this information? Thinking this way can help you make sure your content is relevant and not just filler information.

Concise Content: Most users on the web are going to skim your website content. You have the tricky part of making the information as brief as possible but  with enough impact to inform the user. Short paragraph or lists are always a good fall back for making sure your content is concise.

Stay On Topic: It's important to stay on topic. If you are writing about the company, stick to the company's information. Writing about your services? Make sure to only be mention about your services. Stay focused on one topic at a time.

Check and Recheck Grammar and Spelling Errors: We're only human and going to make mistakes but we can always go back and fix them. If we check and recheck and get a friend to check, this will help from having any errors on our website. It's unprofessional to have a ton of grammar and spelling errors. It can also confuse your customer if your content doesn't make sense due to errors. So, try make sure to check. Get up and walk away, come back and recheck, then send to a friend to triple check.

Write For Your Audience: Your website content needs to be search engine friendly by using keywords, and links. Though, having readable and engaging content for you potential clients is just as important. The goal is to convert your potential clients into clients.  If they don't understand what you are saying, then how can they converted. Make sure your writing is easy to understand and connectable for your audience. Forget the fluff and marketing jargon.

Writing Content

 Need More Help?

Contact us today and we can give you a lesson on SEO.

Like us on Facebook! Follow us on Twitter!

Email Marketing Tips for Small Businesses

by

Email marketing is an excellent way as a small business owner to reach your client base and build your business. It is inexpensive and a way to keep a personal connection with your customers. Remember with your email marketing strategy that people are very particular about who they share their email address with - make sure what you share is mutually beneficial in that it gets your message across and doesn't waste their time.

Here are some tips for making email marketing effective and useful for both you and your customers.

Make it Easy to Subscribe. Have a way for customers to sign up for your email list either in your brick and mortar business or your online website. Don't ask for too much information - just their name and email address is sufficient. Don't make them jump through hoops!

Design Your Email to Fit Your Brand. Your email campaigns should match your brand's look and feel. If you're using a template, you might want to customize it to include your company's colors and logo in the header. Keep your brand consistent so they feel comfortable and familiar when they receive your messages, and they always know it's you that is talking to them.

Make it Scannable. Providing line breaks and making your content easily readable for those who are in a hurry is imperative. Get to the point and do it well. Most people scan an email for the most relevant content and skip ahead to it. Use italics and bold to draw attention to the most important aspects of your message.

Keep it Relevant. To ensure this, you can break your mailing list up into groups and only send what certain groups are looking for. You can also know your audience, know what they respond to, and why they are signed up in the first place. Knowing your business and having confidence in what you do and the services you provide and sticking with this is very important. Don't try to be something you or your business are not. Be consistent and trust your brand.

Be Consistent. Your customers will come to know that you send your email at a certain time or a certain day and they will come to look for it. Be consistent in your message and in your timing so you can always be a brand your customers trust.

Old City Web Services can help you with all of your marketing needs. Just contact us today and let us get started!

At Old City Web Services, we specialize in marketing so that your online presence is optimized to its maximum potential. Call us (904.829.2772) or e-mail us and we will be happy to offer our services!

Expand Your Concept of Customer Service

by

There are so many ways we are told daily that will help us boost our business. Expanding your concept of customer service is key to your business model and has to be part of a larger strategy for customer engagement. It is important not just to engage customers, though, but to meaningfully engage customers while delivering excellent service.

Customer service isn't just something you have to do once - it needs to be an ongoing conversation using a variety of modes of communication. Using the web in addition to your face-to-face interactions is vital to your customer's experience. This interaction needs to be genuine and relevant - with those things you will build trust and form a positive relationship with your customers that will keep them loyal to your brand.

Use Email - Email marketing can be a very effective tool when used properly and in a way that both engages your customers and encourages them to buy your products or services. Email messages should be clear, concise and enticing. Emails should both inform and entice. Share what you are doing as a business and entice with a deal, special or freebie.

Use Social Media - You need to clarify your audience's needs, wants and challenges-not to mention where they're spending time online. You can discover these things by surveying your customers. Once you know where they are online, you can use your company's social media presence to interact with them. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, or Linkedin - having a presence and interacting with your clients where they are the most is vital.

Blog - Having a blog connected to your business website will help you present a more casual yet useful and informative side of yourself and therefore your business. Share information is current and relevant, add a personal flavor to the writing you put on your blog. Even use your blog for promotions to encourage sharing on social media and shopping online or in person.

Helping you write content or set up social media accounts and train on best practices are things we can help you with here at Old City Web Services. If you want to take your customer service to the next level by engaging your customers in these ways, let us know how we can help you by contacting us today!

If you'd like for us to help you in taking your business to the next level, call us (904.829.2772) or e-mail us and we will be happy to offer our services!

Copy Writing for the Web

by Leave a Comment

One of the biggest mistakes that can be made when building a website is in the area of copy writing.  When you put your website online, you want viewers to know everything about yourself and your company and what you do that you are passionate about. It's easy to get carried away and share too much, in the wrong way, and end up having people not read anything on your website at all.

The truth is, internet users aren't there to read a novel. Website viewers read in a very particular way - they scan for useful information and want that information as quickly as possible. Here are some tips for writing for the web so that viewers can know what your business is, what you offer, and how you can meet their needs in an easy way.

  • Short and Sweet:  Make your message clear and concise. Convey who you are and what you offer quickly and in a streamlined manner. You can use complete sentences without writing a novel.
  • Break It Up: Using headings to give the reader scan-able content to consume and giving them an idea of where the information they are seeking can be found, is a great way to make the user's experience a pleasant one when they are at your website. If they have to search and read your site for too long just to find key information they will get frustrated and leave. You can also break up content with relevant, eye-catching photography.
  • Draw Them In: One of the things that is very important in keeping viewers on your site, which improves your site traffic, is to draw the viewer deeper into your site. Make information easy to find, but don't give it all to them right on the first page. Provide links to information on other pages so they can click and find easily.
  • Mix It Up: Using a good combination of photography, headlines, and concise content will provide the user with a pleasant experience that will make your site one that will be memorable and leave a good impression of your business on the viewer so that they want to be a repeat customer.

Need help updating your site

by Leave a Comment

Nobody likes to see outdated / false information on a company or organization's website. If your site currently has inaccurate information, such as dates, prices or ancient photos, it's time to think about an easier way to maintain this valuable investment of yours.

Setting aside time to update your site is often difficult for small business owners, especially when many already exceed 40+ hours a week running their business. Sometimes it's much easier (and more efficient) to let the professional manage it for you...and that's where we come in! Old City Web Services offers a monthly or quarterly update service for Content Management System websites. Let us spend a few hours each month or a little more each quarter, freshening up your site with new photos, updated pricing sheets, specials, media, links and more. These updates will help ensure customers keep coming back to your site. There is no better way to get repeat visitors than by making sure your site presents a new or different experience for users.

How does this work you may ask? First, we'll take a look at your website and then come up with a customized, viable and affordable plan that will suit your needs and schedule best. All you have to do is shoot us a quick email to: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com with the subject line "Help me update my site" and include your website URL and the best way/time to reach you. Our Project Manager will be in touch shortly to discuss!

Storytelling Online

by Leave a Comment

Since we now know that storytelling is a primal and powerful form of communicating to others, we are going to focus on the parallels of storytelling since much of what needs to be considered when creating a story is the same as what's needed for creating a website or mobile app. Today we will explain three ways to integrate storytelling into your website.   

1.) Keep it Visual

Visuals should not only "illuminate" your story, but further tell your story. The Pictorial Superiority Effect (PSE) means that sighted users absorb 75% more information from pictures than any other type of sensory input. In other words, people have a better memory for pictures than words. Using visuals and photos to tell a story online can be done through design choices such as use of white space, typography, proportion and hierarchy.

2.) Less is more

It's important to still include web copy on your website..useful and well-written copy that is. Just keep in mind that sometimes less is more. A story should be relevant, clear and easily understood. Text will add to your story and it's a important factor when having your site optimized for search engines. Text provides users with descriptive details, factual statistics and contact information. Break your text up with different design elements and tools that will engage the user. For example: instead of listing directions with text, an embedded Google map will be more engaging and functional, allowing people to easily get directions to you from anywhere in the world. 

3.) Socialize your story 

Once your website's story is complete, it's time to expose it to your audience. By inner-linking your story to social media networks, you open it to feedback, reviews and consumer engagement. Online storytelling is the best way to get your message out in the most cost-effective and timely manner. 

Want to learn more about the world of digital storytelling ? Are you ready to make your unique story known to locals and visitors? Give us a call: 904.829.2772 or email us: letusmarketyou@oldcity.com today.

See our work
Call us: 904-867-4112
old city web services footer logo

We are Old City Web Services. We make it easy for small businesses to thrive online. Whether you need a professional website, help attracting more customers, or a fresh new look for your brand, we’ve got you covered. With over 20 years of experience, we specialize in simple, affordable solutions that work for businesses like yours. Let us handle the tech so you can focus on what you do best—running your business.

stjohns logo