Amplify Online Blog

Your mom, your junior high teachers, and thousands of quotes on Pinterest have told you to “not care what others think and just be yourself.”  Not letting others opinions get under your skin and letting their comments roll off your back can be very emotionally healthy.  However, when it comes to your company’s reputation on the web, it’s smart to put a little more stock in what people are saying online. Why Reviews REALLY Matter According to a recent Forbes Article, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. That means the number of stars your receive and online comments from your clients can make the difference between a potential customer choosing you or one of your competitors.  Positive reviews also play an instrumental role in your SEO (a.k.a. how well people will find your business on Google and other search engines). The number of your reviews and your ratings on those reviews are one of the major factors Google considers in ...

When it comes to online marketing, “social media” tends to be a big buzzword.  Social media is a big part of our personal lives--worldwide there are 1.71 billion active daily users on Facebook alone (Facebook Newsroom).  The vast majority of people are pretty savvy when it comes to navigating an individual social media profile. However, when it comes to social media marketing for a company, many local business owners don’t know exactly where to start or how to get the results they seek.   At Amplify Online, our team has a collective 25+ years of social media marketing, and through that experience, we’ve learned what works and what doesn't.  We constantly stay on top of new developments in social marketing to make sure we produce the best results for our clients. During our time in the field, we’ve seen all kinds of perspectives from business owners regarding social media.  Recently, we polled our social media team and got their opinion on some things they...

You’ve heard of SEO, you may have even tried your hand at it. You can see that it works for other businesses, but is it the right investment for you? Search Engine Optimization is used by millions of businesses worldwide, from major retailers like Walmart, Coca Cola, and Amazon to small local businesses and mom & pop shops. Large or small these organizations have realized that in order to compete in today’s digital age they need to invest in SEO. With billions of searches performed every day and ranking for the keywords relative to your business can lead to exponential growth. If you’re still on the fence about SEO here are 5 reasons you should be investing now: Search is Growing As the rise of smartphones and mobile technology has increased convenient access to  the internet from anywhere. This has allowed people to search for products, goods, and services on the go, and has increased importance of connecting to customers who are nearby, and ready to buy.  ...

Everyone knows that an online presence is crucial to succeed in the business world.  However, not all sites are created equal.  Here are four reasons why updating your current site to a new, mobile-friendly version is a smart business move: Your Website is the “First Stop” For Product and Service Research When people hear about your business on the radio, on television, on social media, or by word of mouth, the first place they go to learn more is your website.  According to GE Capital Retail Bank’s major purchase shopper study, 81% percent of consumers go online before making a significant purchase, and the majority of these take a look at your website before deciding whether to do business with you. First Impressions Matter, Especially Online Studies performed by the Missouri University of Science and Technology have shown that it takes less than 0.2 seconds for an individual to get an initial impression of a website.  That means if your website looks like a throwb...