Google is set to throw a new wrench into how visitors view your company’s website. Starting in December, Google’s Chrome browser will start blocking “mixed content” on secure websites.

Which might sound like confusing jargon, so let’s have some definitions first:

A secure website is one whose address starts with https, rather than just plain http. The “s” means the site is secured by extra coding to deter hackers from intercepting the personal data entered by a visitor to that site. The extra coding also allows your browser to verify that it’s really displaying the website you want to view.

A nonsecure website doesn’t have that extra layer of protection. Google often labels these sites as “not secure” and can even block users from easily reaching the site.

We hear a lot of news coverage about the impact that the millennial generation (those born from 1981-1996) will have on our society. But what about your business? Younger millennials have grown up with computers and the internet as an integral part of their lives. So, not surprisingly, they’re accustomed to researching and shopping online and have much different expectations of websites than folks in older generations.

Engineers, purchasing managers, company owners in the millennial generation are viewing your site in significant numbers. And their impact on your business is increasing with each passing year. Is your website set up to meet the needs of these tech-savvy visitors?
 

Search Engine Land has released the 2019 version of its Periodic Table of SEO Factors, a handy chart of the activities that can positively – and negatively – affect your website’s search engine rankings.

With 200+ ranking factors in Google’s algorithm, Search Engine Land distills all the known information about Google’s methodology into 35 elements, which cover multiple ranking factors.

Positive Attention

Twenty-nine of those elements represent positive ranking factors, those activities you can undertake to help improve your website’s position on the search engines. Seven of the elements dealt directly with content.

Since Google is tightening its SEO standards on website download time and page speed (factoring your site’s download time into search rankings), it’s time to take action, if you haven’t already. There are countless operations that can be performed to improve page speed, but, knowing where to begin can be overwhelming.

My site seems to load fine, so why is this necessary?

• To maintain visitors.
  Statistics show that, if your site does not load quickly, visitors will leave in just a matter of seconds. Fast page load times are a major factor when it comes to user experience, usability, and the overall functionality of your website.
• To perpetuate sales.
  On e-commerce sites, visitors who become frustrated with slow page load times are not likely to return, which oftentimes leads them to competitor sites. Fast load times lead to more customer interaction and better sales.
• To improve rankings.
  Faster pages are known to have higher traffic and better search rankings. Significant improvements in site speed will lead to better performance.  

A B2B buyers survey by Demand Gen Report provided some interesting results that should have a direct impact on how you manage your company’s website and content marketing.

Among the findings, 45% of respondents said they’re using more sources to research and evaluate purchases. Is your corporate website visible enough to be one of those resources? Does it provide the information that your potential customers are looking for?

Information is King

The following variables were reported as very important when the respondents were ready to evaluate suppliers:

• Features/functionality (72%)
• Solved a pain point (72%)
• Demonstrated experience with or knowledge of respondent’s industry (62%)
• Case studies/testimonials (rated as very important by 47% of survey participants)
   

Once upon a time, sales seemed simple. You called, visited or mailed your prospects and clients directly. As technology progressed, you might have faxed them. If someone wanted to find you, they could visit your booth at a trade show or look up your phone number and address in a physical directory.

Then the Internet came along, and things got interesting. Now a lot more people could find you much more easily – and you could collect leads more easily, too, because your website had a nifty neato contact form for site visitors to submit.

Then hackers ruined everything by finding ways to automatically fill in and submit the contact forms on websites. Some of these submissions were cold calls, some were mere nuisances and some were actual hazards containing malicious code.

Are you Giving Your Top Salesperson the Tools She Needs?

If you own your business or manage the sales organization, you’re likely in tune with the specific things your sales team needs to be effective for your company:

• Access to leads or contact list, a phone, email, maybe a car, and a good CRM to track results;
• Appropriate supporting sales literature and training on how your products and services benefit your customers;
• A marketing strategy and organizational support for the quoting and sales process;
• Incentivizing compensation;
• An environment that encourages productive independence, with accountability to the company to meet organizational goals;
• Personal benefits, like sick pay, vacation time and a 401K, that help your employees feel valued and empowered to be the best at what they do.

But, what if, in providing all these things to your sales organization, you were ignoring the vital needs of someone who could be your top producer?