Author Archive David Adamson

This blog is all about why you should start accepting cryptocurrencies on your e-commerce site, and how you can start doing.

E-commerce, an online shop that has great potential nowadays, and almost everything is now going online. By adopting cryptocurrency as a payment method can enhance your customers’ experience and expand your consumer by offering them more choices while checkout. To get started, here are a few reasons why you implement this and how to implement this service into your e-commerce business.

Why implement cryptocurrencies as the payment method

E-commerce and cryptocurrencies are complimentary, because as we all know that both lie on the same ground “digital”. The reason why almost everything nowadays is becoming digital is because of the highly growing or developing era of digital consumption.

So, why you should implement cryptocurrencies in your E-commerce business depends on the list of factors.

• Acceptance in the global market

As you start accepting cryptocurrencies, you can broaden your market space and with several people becoming a part of the crypto community it will give them a great opportunity to buy things while paying in crypto coins.

• Fast transaction

Cryptocurrencies have a digital wallet which means you can make a payment without any hassle, unlike paying it with your debit or credit card, by inserting card details, and in some cases, you have to even wait for days to see the payment.

• Biggest perk Low fee

The low fee is one of the most important and best parts of accepting cryptocurrencies, it completely depends on whether you are using a personal digital wallet or a third-party like coinremitter, but in both cases, you will see fee will still be less as compared to the credit card or PayPal.

• More secure and fiat currency

As there is no mediator like a bank and all the payment is untraceable it becomes more secure from any digital fraud.

Now, the question that arises is how you should start accepting cryptocurrencies.

How to implement it in your E-commerce business

There are two ways you can start accepting it is by creating a personal wallet or using any third-party payment processor.

In both cases, transactions will be easy, fast, and secure.

• Personal wallet

If you are thinking to accept cryptocurrencies through your personal digital wallet you can do that by setting up your own personal digital wallet, most of this wallet can be easily downloadable, or you get a hardware wallet which is a physical device where you can store the cryptocurrencies. It is more secure because it can only be accessed by the user’s private key.

• Third-party payment wallet

Third-party payment wallet is also good to use, its process in the same way as any credit card does but every third-party has its extra perk which benefits in one way or another, like for example coinremitter which provides you to integrate their plugins on your e-commerce site very easily, and more crypto-related services.

If you are ready to accept cryptocurrencies, there is also one more biggest benefit of accepting is to hold your cryptocoins for a longer period of time because as we can see that their price is keep rising and will keep on rising.

Imagine if you have held bitcoin since a very long time when its price was about $25000 you would have twice what you had by now. Isn’t it good to accept cryptocurrency for your service or product and also make money while holding it as you do with any other asset.

All these reasons are why you should switch to cryptocurrency, with time their price keeps growing which is one of the perks you’ll get with cryptocurrencies.

Recommended Post: Bitcoin vs. Blockchain – How To Differentiate Blockchain and Bitcoin?

Final Remarks

As we all are moving towards the complete digital era where cryptocurrencies are becoming more and more powerful, and implementing them to your e-commerce business will over time benefit your business.

By attracting global community to get indulge in your service or ending up buying products from your e-commerce, and also you can make more money just like you might do with other assets.

With all the facts and ways to implement I believe this will help you start accepting cryptocurrencies as one of the payment methods on your e-commerce site.

In the field of SEO, we need to follow certain guidelines. The rules are designed to create a useful, relevant, and safe environment and to ensure a quality user experience. Ranking requires keeping up with current and changing SEO trends and constantly adapting your approach to respond to algorithm updates.

On the other hand, there are people (spammers) who try to trick search engines and bring organic traffic to their websites to obey the rules but break them instead.  Black Hat SEO strategies make the content duplicate, these links become unrelated content and well-placed keywords become keywords. And it shows something very important.

This shows us that a good SEO strategy is like a black hat strategy. You just have to do it in moderation. And it also means that as a white-hat SEO strategist, you can learn some tricks from a black SEO strategist. Let’s face it, you and Black Hat SEO want the same thing. They both want to claim your search traffic pie, which makes up 93% of the online experience.

Why are White Hat SEO Techniques Important?

If you’re not just doing white-handed SEO, Google and other search engines may ban your site. As the first search engine, billions of people visit Google every day, and each visit can give a new user a chance to discover your site.

Google is undoubtedly a powerful source of traffic for your website, and a ban can lead to a sharp drop in website traffic and even business. Think about all of the work on your website, then what happens if the most used search engine on the internet is blocked. Worse, if you get banned from Google there is no guarantee that you will ever be put back on the list. A lifelong ban on Google would have enormous consequences.

Black Hat SEO Techniques

Unlike White Hat SEO, Black Hat SEO violates all the rules. Of course, this will initially work depending on which method you use, but it’s a shorter-term strategy. Google updates its algorithm quite regularly, and if you do something you know, at some point you’ll have problems, you probably will too!

Most of the black hat techniques I go through have stopped working and using them will damage your placement options. But it’s good to know what you sometimes don’t have to do, so let’s take a look at them.

Cloaking

In this case, websites have different HTML codes for the visitor and HTML codes for the Google web browser. This worked for a while as some websites had to show search engines what it was about.

Automatic Article Spinning

You may be thinking, “Okay, what if I’m not stealing content but just turning words into synonyms to make most of the new content unique?” For a while, people use automated programs to change (unravel) the words in an article to create individual content, publish it, and then rate it. It would have similar keywords, similar meanings, and websites that generate a lot of “new” content could be higher. However, the content did not read very well, was very similar to the original article, and did not offer anything unique or new.

Link Farms

This is the case when several websites are linked to each other. Backlinks are a great signal to Google that your content is interesting to others, which is why it has worked in the past. But now it’s easy to find a backlink with a profile that looks unnatural. If the websites leading to your site are not touching, then it is quite obvious to Google that you are trying to cheat.

These are the most common black hat techniques. While some have worked in the past and others may still work today, if you know what you’re doing, I don’t recommend it. With that in mind, here is a list of various things that white SEOs can learn from black SEOs.

Convert Black Hat SEO Techniques Into White Hat

1. Backlinks and PBNs

If you know what SEO is, those are backlinks. Backlinks have long been one of Google’s key indicators of which websites should be placed on the first page and which should be placed on the last page. The strength of your link-building strategy is the highest factor in Google’s decision-making process.

White search engine optimizers often rely on honest reviews, guest blogs, and mutual partnerships to get backlinks. However, this is not the case with black search engines. One of the most important black hat SEO techniques for creating backlinks is the use of PBN (Private Blog Networks). PBNs have a pre-built network of inactive domains with SEO juice, which they then use to link back to your site.

2. Keyword research and stuffing

I bet your SEO friends told you about keyword research opportunities. Ultimately, keyword research is a really powerful tool in the SEO world. If you know what words people are typing into Google and targeting those particular keywords, you are more likely to be in the right place.

Of course, black SEOs know that too. And they use keywords to rank their websites because keywords have become common practice. But the way to do it is not annoying. It is inefficient. Reading issues aren’t the only reason this content doesn’t rank high on Google. This is also because Google knows the tactics of keywords and does its best to reduce the number of websites that use them.

Google doesn’t want the website to be ranked as it has the correct words in it. They want it to be ranked because it has meaningful content. So, if you don’t want to fill your pages with annoying and confusing keywords, you still want to add the right keywords.

3. Internal linking and the Wikipedia page

Google is a robot. By reading the content with you and me, we can quickly identify the purpose of the page and what it’s trying to talk about. And while Google has improved it over the years, it still has its drawbacks.

This means that you must do everything in your power to organize your content for Google. In other words, you need to make it easier for Google to understand what your content is and where to place it in search results. Then you have a much better chance of ranking for your keywords.

An internal link is when you move from one page of your website to another page of your website. The goal is to organize your content topics so that Google can easily understand what each page is about. Multiple plugins are being used including Rich Snippets & Schema Plugin to organize and manage the content on a site. A column page (or content column) is a page on your site that describes a specific topic. Column side refers to all content below, and all content below refers to column sides.

Web banners are one of the most profuse marketing automation software used today. These are ad images embedded on web pages to display a brand or its product and link back to its website.

These are efficient, measurable, and cheap; many companies are used to increase their brand awareness. Effective designing of banner ads is about coming up with the most clickable banner ads possible.

This blog discusses the best ways to design and display your web banners.

1.   Come up with a strong heading for your web banner

A strong heading can instantly grab the viewer’s attention. If you are selling ladies’ clothing, a heading like “An interesting offer” will not work as well as “Ladies clothing at discounted prices”.

Lure viewers with a crisp, concise, and captivating heading. Come up with a catchy copy with words like “50% off”, “Excellent quality”, “Buy one, Get one free”, etc.

Also, use bold and varied color and size of the font to differentiate the heading text from the rest of the web banner ad copy. This will emphasize the heading better.

2.   Strike the right balance between different elements of your web banner

Different elements like your brand’s logo, service, or product along with offers, and CTA (call-to-action) make up the major parts of the design. You need to achieve the right balance between these elements.

Your product/service, along with your offers and prices, should be the most prominent one. It should be the first thing to catch the viewer’s attention. Hence, it should take up the most space in your ad design.

The next focus should be on your CTA. It should have a phrase like “Buy now”, “Watch now”, “Download”, “Learn more”, etc. The final element that should be visually dominant is your brand logo. Its presence in your ad promotes brand awareness. However, make sure it is not as prominent as your value proposition or CTA.

3.   Let your web banner focus on the value you offer

Nobody cares why your company is amazing. Keep in mind that we live in an increasingly selfish society where people are interested only in those things that would add value to their lives. So, ensure that your web banner ad copy tells the viewer how your product or service can make his life easier.

Consider these phrases in the ad copy of two different cosmetic brands. One reads “Our brand won an international award and ranked the topmost in …” and another reads “Soothe your acned skin with nature’s goodness”. Which one do you think will get clicked?

Obviously, the second one! That’s because it addresses the pain points of a user whereas its counterpart goes bragging about itself.

4.   Create urge in your banner ad copy

The human mind is naturally pushed to act fast when there is some compelling urge in your words. So come up with a copy that includes driving words like “Offer ends soon”, “limited period offer”, “Discount today only”, etc. Ensure that it is short, to the point, and provides sufficient details. The point is to capture the viewer’s attention and then quickly deliver the message.

And as mentioned earlier, your web banner copy should be in a font different from that of the headline. Also, make sure that the entire copy, including the headline, should be in no more than four lines.

5.   Use emotions in your web banner’s copy.

Evoking powerful emotions can spur your viewers into action. You can exploit the power of compelling positive or negative emotions. For instance, a site for uncovering online dating profiles and unknown social accounts leverages this by displaying these words on its banner ad- “Cheaters hate this site”. By arousing a feeling of anger towards a potential cheating spouse, it gets the viewer to click through it.

Likewise, positive emotions like happiness, humour, affirmation, etc., can effectively trigger a response in your favour. For instance, “Blast away that excess belly fat” reads the banner ad of a firm selling formulas to shed belly fat. The affirmation it gives makes anyone looking to get rid of his fat belly to click on it.

6.   Choose fonts that work.

The kind of font you use defines the personality of your brand. To know which fonts you should choose for the different copies in your banner ad, you need some basic knowledge about these. So, here we go.

Font can be classified into four broad categories including:

• Serif: These are traditional looking fonts with ends attached to each letter.
• Sans Serif: These are modern looking fonts with no ends attached to the letters.
• Script: These are cursive fonts.
• Display: These are decorative texts.

You can use display fonts in your taglines and headlines, which are short. This is because these attract the attention of the viewer. For body text, choose a Serif or Sans Serif font style. Some of the trending fonts for your body copy are Open Sans, Advent Pro, Source Serif Pro, Rock Salt, Short Stack, and Sacramento.

Do not go for script fonts, all uppercase copy, font sizes smaller than a 10 pt or extremely thin font weight unless it’s a copyright notice or disclaimer.

Choose an effective standard banner ad size.

Banners come in many different sizes and shapes. Certain sizes and shapes perform better than the others. Google Adsense found the following to be the most effective ones. Use these for designing your ads.

• 336×280px — Large Rectangle
• 728×90px — Leader board
• 300×250px — Medium Rectangle
• 300×600px — Half Page

Position your banner ad right

Your web banner ad can be positioned at any one of the different locations on a page. You need to find the right position for your ad so that it can be easily viewed and clicked on. Further, it is possible to position more than one ad on a page in different positions.

Studies have shown that the most effective ad position is within the content. The other successful ones are within the heading (27.32% response), and within the left and right columns. In general, ads placed above the fold, near the content, and close to other attractive elements perform well.

Wrapping up

Web banners and popup notifications are one of the most effective digital advertising tools used today. The right design and display of your web banners can make them clickable and increase your banner ad ROI. So, do put our tips to use while you create and position your next web banner.

The effectiveness of good content on Steemit cannot be undermined. A well-written piece is the best way to make money with Steemit. Content is not just about the written word, but also about how well it is researched, how it is presented and designed, and most importantly what elements have been included to catch a reader’s interest.

Creating an effective marketing piece requires a great deal of effort on the part of a content creator. From ideation to creation, a number of points need to be taken care of to ensure the content is able to hold the reader’s attention.

Fortunately, there are now some great free tools that can be used to plan, organize, and execute a content piece on Steemit even if you do not have a big budget for expensive tools. Every Steem marketing consultant has been known to highly advocate the use of these tools for effective results.

7 of the most important free tools that you can begin using immediately to aid content creation include:

1. Canva

Canva is an excellent free design tool that can be used to design title images, infographics, marketing collateral, and any social media image required for a business. It is absolutely free to use with no hidden charges or special charges for select features. Canva hosts a great collection of templates and ideas from other users as well.

With Canva, a content creator can never run out of ideas and be able to design flawlessly without any formal training in design. Canva is a perfect choice for content creators who want to brand the content that they create with some kind of design pattern that is consistent throughout their content. This helps their followers recognize their content, and creates a unique identity for the content creator. Canva is a very helpful tool if one is using it to create content for a community like Steemit.

2. HubSpot Blog Title Generator

Creating content that catches the eye of a casual surfer is not easy. With thousands of content pieces vying for the attention of a reader, the content creator has his work cut out for him. Creating and finalizing a title is one of the most important jobs and it usually takes an average writer 2-5 iterations to finally get the title right.
Title generator makes the life of a writer easier as it provides great suggestions for titles if one adds keywords and searches. This helps the content creator save time and effort, and yet be able to produce a winning piece.

3. Keyword Planner

Choosing the correct keyword for any content piece is absolutely essential. Keywords are what make content stand out and appeal to an audience. Keyword planner can be used during the initial research phase and can help optimize the content for visibility as well as ranking in various search engines.

Depending on the keyword suggested. A content creator can assess what the volume of search results for the suggested keyword is and whether the post can potentially start trending. Including the right keywords and constructing content around them can go a long way in helping you gain high visibility in search results.

4. Grammarly

One of the most important points to consider while creating content, is that the grammar of the content has to be perfect. A well-written piece with no errors is what is appreciated, upvoted, and shared by people. Grammarly is a simple yet brilliant tool that not only checks the grammar in a written piece, but also provides suggestions to improve your writing style.

5. Pixabay

It is no secret that blogs that include a lot of interesting images tend to be more engaging as compared to those that do not. Images not only break the monotony of text, but also help explain any topic better. Steemit is a platform which is all about engaging and captivating the audience to an extent that they share, like, and upvote the content.
Including images in the content positively impact readership. However, acquiring interesting images is not as easy as it sounds. Most platforms that provide images are highly priced. Fortunately, Pixabay is an alternative to such platforms and hosts a large collection of beautiful imagery. Pixabay offers royalty free images that can easily sync with the content created. There is something on the platform for every type of content.

6. Buffer

Social media is all pervasive and all powerful – everyone knows that. Sharing content on social media has become an absolute must off-late in order to get a good amount of traffic. It helps drive traffic to a page, grow social media following, and engage followers. However, there are a few problems. Manually sharing content on every social media platform each time is not an easy task.

Also, sharing the post only once is not sufficient any more. Content needs to be posted multiple times so as to ensure every eyeball is captured. This is where Buffer comes in. Buffer allows content creators to not only schedule social media posts for future a time, but also enables the content creator to gain maximum out of each content piece.

7. Google Trends

Content is all about efficiently giving people what they want to read. For content creators trying to report the latest trends and news, Google trends is an excellent tool. It is a great way to get an overview of the monthly search trends in a particular region, city, state, country, or more.

In order to be successful in your content marketing efforts, it is important to plan in advance and plan well. At the same time, staying organized and executing every topic that comes your way is equally important. For content creators, consistency is the key to success.

It is imperative for content creators to create interesting and engaging content that can strike with the prospective audience. The tools mentioned above can provide a perfect advantage to generate results through the content created.