Recently we had a couple of clients who wanted to move their services to another vendor. This may not seem like a big deal, but moving your website or performing a website migration can be a bigger task than one might think. This is especially true if you have engaged in any type of content marketing. In this post, I want to provide you with four examples of clients who moved, the mistakes they made, and how they could have been remedied and provide you with a checklist of what you should do and look out for if you want to move your website and marketing efforts to another agency.

What not to do when moving services

Here are four examples where the former clients made some big mistakes when they moved their services.

Example 1: I am scared of a recession

At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, we worked with a client who was an interior designer. They were about four months into our content marketing efforts, and we were starting to see traction. However, they decided to pull out for fear of a pending recession and because they thought people wouldn’t want them in their homes. I even told them, “Why would you want to stop now, as we are going into lockdown? People will be staring at four walls, and there will be pent-up demand once things open back up.” Of course, they could only see the money going out and not seeing the gains they could have made if they had stayed in. Instead of transferring the site that was already built and optimized, this client had a new site built and didnt’ bring over any content that was already created and designed to start ranking.

Example 2: I have a friend who is going to do Google Ads and take over the website

In this instance, we were told by this 12-year client, who we recently increased services for and was seeing great success in increased traffic, that they were going to move to their “friend” and “spend *expletive* amount of money on Google PPC Ads.” Over the next few months, we discovered that they had a major falling out with the “friend.” By that time, we had already transferred the domain away to the friend and shut down our site that had over six years of optimized content bringing in a fair amount of traffic each month.

Flash forward six months, they recovered the domain after months of work, and they have a “new site,” that was an incomplete copy of the site we had built from a copy at the Internet Archive. The new vendor didn’t bring over any of the optimized content that was created specifically for the client and now Internet traffic to the site, that was down for over 5 months, must start from scratch.

Example 3: I need to save money, so I am moving services

This client recently moved to the area and set up a new business, and hired us to design, develop and perform content marketing services for them. When they contacted us to tell us they were leaving; they said it was a cost factor. I understand cost can be an issue for some clients. However, if they had contacted us before hiring another vendor, we could have gladly worked with them to review goals and suggest service changes to meet their budget, while still being successful online. Instead, this client’s new vendor didn’t bring over any content created for them that was building rank in the search engines, and started essentially from scratch with Internet rankings.

Example 4: I go to church with this guy who is going to do the website

By now, you probably see a pattern in my examples. Therefore I won’t go into the details. But this example has a twist; as this client came back, we restored their original site (as we keep a backup of all the files, just call us digital packrats). And I am happy to report they are seeing significant gains in their business to the point they have had to hire more staff to handle all the work that has come in.

The common thread

There are two common threads between all the examples mentioned. 

The site was recreated from scratch, or the design was copied. Now we have no problem with another vendor copying the design, as it is your site, and it follows your business’s branding. In each example, the issue is the new vendor didn’t do their due diligence in performing a proper website migration. They all have failed to move most of the content on the site. At best, they might have moved the top pages. However, we have monitored these sites, and none of the blogs, landing pages, or geographic landing pages have reappeared. Therefore all the gains we had made for them are sense long gone.

Think about this - in the first three examples, clients invested several thousands of dollars over several years, and now they have nothing to show for it. I am reminded of the words spoken by the Grail Knight in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, of which he said, “He chose... poorly.” All three made poor business decisions and essentially rented the content. Now I have often said, “don’t build your business on rented land,” which is essentially what the business in the first three examples did; they chose to rent versus buy now have nothing to show for it. Obviously, I have a vested interest in keeping the client.

However, if I am objective, I feel like it was a poor business decision not to have a conversation with us, or if you are considering moving, not to have a conversation with your current agency about costs if that is the real issue. When someone talks to me about cost, I am often reminded of the phrase attributed to by inventor, patriot, and founding father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin. That phrase is:  

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” 

With that being said, let’s look at what to do if you want to move forward with a website migration.

Website Migration Checklist

Website migration is one of those time-consuming tasks that might help your site in the long run, but it may also go horribly wrong. Failure to move content, improper redirects, sitemap issues, problems with robots.txt files, and even broken internal links and images can wreak havoc and cause a significant drop in organic search traffic.

Use this list to double-check how to do a proper migration.

1. Take an inventory of your current site

The first thing you will want to do is take an inventory of the current site. While this can be time-consuming, some tools can help build a visual sitemap for you. SEM Rush has a round-up of the 10 of the Best XML Sitemap Generator Tools. I would also suggest doing a page-by-page inventory and using Google Sheets to help you organize it. 

2. Check for Non-indexable content

I have heard of this happening. A business wants to move from one agency to another. The current employed agency hands over the site but has set it to no-index and no-follow. Now what they have done is turned off your site to Google and all the other search engines. If this has happened, your search traffic will drop like a rock!

3. Check existing pages are moved

If you are moving content management systems, then often times you may have to move each page by hand. While this is a laborious process, it is necessary and something that a good agency should do. This should include blogs, landing pages, geographic landing pages, and any other pages identified in the inventory.

4. Check page redirects

Page redirects are very much what they sound like. If a site has been around for a few years, chances are there will be internal links and external sites linking to pages and content. If a site has been moved, all-new pages are created, you must ensure that all the old pages redirect to the current one if the URL has changed. We will often see this happen with sites where the menu is restructured, pages combined or removed.

5. How are you handling email

Let’s face it email vital to a business these days. One of the biggest challenges you may face when moving your website is email. Suppose you are using a cloud-based email provider such as Google Workspace, formerly known as Google Apps for Business, Google Apps for Work, G Suite, or the artist formally known as G-Sw33t (ok, I confess I made the last one up), or Office 365. In that case, you don’t have to worry about it much. However, if you are using email addresses hosted on your web server, then moving hosts and moving your website just got a lot harder. Most agencies know what to do and can help you with it.

One side note, if you are using a consumer-based email service such a G-mail or Yahoo, you are fine as well. If you are using an AOL address or an email address provided by your internet service provider, you may want to consider another option. We can help you with that as we are a Google Workspace Reseller.

6. What other assets are on your website

Most small businesses don’t realize what all is on their website and what isn’t. In most cases, this happens with videos as they are not hosted on your website. It is much more efficient to load them from a third-party website such as Vimeo or YouTube. At Cube Creative Design, we much prefer Vimeo to host video for a variety of reasons. If you are moving your website, you will need to make sure that you have a copy of those videos as the agency you are moving from may remove access or delete your videos once the switch is made.

Other items we often see not being moved are pdf documents and downloadable files. These can be a little harder to track down, but there again, it all goes back to the site inventory. 

7. Other items and accounts 

When moving agencies, you will also want to take an inventory of your social media accounts, Google My Business, Google Analytics, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and accounts, usernames, and passwords of any other software integrated into your marketing efforts. Make sure that you have ownership of them, and you can add your new agency while removing or revoking access to the old one.

Final thoughts

When Cube Creative Design started in 2005, moving your website from one agency to another was a much simpler process. As time went on sites, have gotten more complicated, asked to do much more than just be an online version of your brochure. They have since become an integral part of many small businesses and may be your biggest marketing effort. If you are considering moving agencies, I implore you to be cautious and consider all your options. Have a conversation with your current agency about what you want to do and where you want your business to go to ensure you are both on the same page.

Now, if you are looking to move your website and marketing efforts to an agency that thrives on helping small businesses grow, then reach out to us for a free consultation. We will be happy to discuss your options and see if moving is the best option for you and your business.

Good content drives good traffic. So if you’re new to the online realm, what does that even mean? 

Content strategy involves the planning, creation, delivery, and governance of content. Its goal is to make a good user experience on your website by using words, images, and interactive elements in a well-structured and relevant way.

When it comes to online reviews, they help show prospects valuable social proof and create trust. It can also help your small business’s website rank higher in search results. In this guide to getting online client reviews, we want to help you learn how to get more and respond to them.

Are online customer reviews trustworthy?

A quick and simple answer is yes. In general, you can trust reviews online. For one, a lot of platforms have been successful in their efforts to crack down on fake and unverified reviews. They no longer let anonymous reviewers post on their sites.

Online reviews provide consumers with detailed feedback from their point of view. This provides readers with a perspective other than that of the business. The business is likewise not always capable of providing such feedback.

It is important, however, for users to exercise due diligence when browsing online reviews. It is a good idea to read numerous reviews of the same product. This can help you appreciate and understand the product through a wide variety of customer experiences. 

When reading reviews, you also need to be selective on what to believe and which ones to take with a grain of salt. For example, if you come across a review that seems too exceptional to be true, then it probably is something to be skeptical about.

From its inception, social media was designed to be a way to connect with people. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, and other social media sites provide innovative ways to connect with friends, businesses, share recipes and even find your soulmate. With all the benefits, it also seems to be where there are people there are criminals and scalawags that want to take your hard-earned money. Unfortunately, the global pandemic didn’t help matters as the sites and apps became a haven for scammers. 

According to the FTC, “people lost money to scams that started on social media more than tripled in the past year, with a sharp increase in the second quarter of 2020.”

As you can see reports of social media scams are nothing new. Many of the reports to the FTC had an e-commerce hook, where often an ad was shown targeting a particular audience. Often times the ads look legitimate but the company name may be unusual or “fishy” sounding.

 

Here are a few common scams by the platform they are most likely found on:

Twitter traps

One of the more popular Twitter Traps is the “Twitter Cash Starter Kit.” In this scam, you can use Twitter to make money from home by paying a small sign-up fee for the kit. To purchase the kit, you need to provide a credit card number. Sound familiar? 

In another scam, you’re contacted by a “bot” (software that mimics a human being) pretending to give you access to a “pay-for-follower” service. If you take the bait, your bank or credit card information may be compromised. You could be accused of distributing spam and may be banished from the networking platform.

Facebook cons

With more than two billion active monthly users, Facebook is a prime target for rip-off artists. One type of scam is called “catfishing.” The crook trolls the user base to find a victim, then begins establishing trust and building a relationship. Once an online “friendship” is in place, the crook agrees to meet the victim offline. Unfortunately, the “friend” needs travel funds or help with some other financial crisis. That’s when they ask you to provide the requisite funds, preferably via wire transfer.

Snapchat hoaxes

You receive a message that your “memories” (photos) will be deleted unless you copy a message and share it with friends. The goal, of course, is to gain access to your online contacts and exploit them.

YouTube

Gift card generating scams are extremely common. Many videos will redirect a user to a website that claims to “generate” mobile game resources or gift cards. There is usually some of to “hack” that you have to do as well. 

According to Elijah Bouma-Sims and Bradley Reaves of North Carolina State University in their article “A First Look at Scams on YouTube,” they state that, 

Before these gift card generators provide the currency or gift cards that they claim they can produce, they state that “human verification” is required to prevent overuse of the tool. This “verification” is achieved through a web survey or application download, likely providing a stream of income to scammers. The videos try to increase the realism of these scams by showing a gift card being redeemed or in-game currency rapidly increasing. Gift card generators often pretend to try automatic verification before requiring a survey or app download. In this way, these scams take advantage of fake feedback to try to fool users into thinking the scam is legitimate.

While this particular type of scam does not seem to harm a user’s device or extract private information, it does mislead users and uses them to earn money. Additionally, with the scam’s prevalence on terms related to mobile games, young adults and even children may be particularly vulnerable.

Final Thoughts

The above social media scams may sound alarming, but there are ways you can protect yourself and your personal data. Consider the following:

• Set privacy controls.
• Choose strong passwords.
• Use caution when sharing personal information online.
• Never send money or give credit card information to someone you don’t know.

If you are just getting started with social media or if you find yourself in need of help managing your social media accounts for your small business or organization, feel free to reach out, we are here to help you with your social media management and marketing!

As someone who makes their living helping small businesses grow, I am often asked about advertising on the internet. An acquaintance, friend, prospect, or client will ask what do you think about Facebook ads, Google Ads, or Pay-per-click (PPC). My reply is usually it depends. Not to be vague, but it is an impossible answer without more context. With that being said, I see many pros and cons of them. In this post, I will attempt to educate you on how we got here, the pros and cons of using Google Search Ads so you can make an informed decision as to what is best for you and your business. I will also give you a few tips if you choose to go at it alone.

According to a report by CNBC, "American companies hold an estimated 11 million meetings every day." Now that was pre-pandemic, but that is still a lot of meetings! 

Now I am sure we have all walked away from a meeting and said that was a complete waste of time, that could have been an email, or I don't even know where I was there. We have also been in meetings where people are so disengaged it is not even funny. Take the person who stays on their phone the entire time as if to say I have better things to do.

If searchers search for a specific business in your area, it's important to appear near the top to get the maximum benefit. The question is, how do you ensure that you are showing up? The answer is simple, by utilizing local search engine optimization (Local SEO) techniques. 

If you think of SEO as a broad category, local SEO is but a subsection of it. However, if you are looking to attract local businesses, then local SEO is key to your success. Organic SEO refers to any method of marketing that relies on natural, organic listings in the search results instead of paid links such as paid social media marketing or pay per click (PPC). For most small businesses, paid social or PPC can be cost-prohibitive. However, utilizing organic SEO techniques, you ensure your website ranks for key searches.

Before going any further, let us agree on one thing. The main goals of your website are to leave a lasting impression, to educate, and to inform your prospective clients. To achieve this, you need a functional and high-quality website. 

Sure, you can sign up for an online web design course or use one of the many do-it-yourself web page building solutions you can find online. You can even ask your neighborhood whiz kid to put together a decent website for you. It may only cost you some pizza money.

However, you need to understand that what you are investing in is a website that will showcase your business to your customers. You can best do that with a website that provides a great user experience, reliability, and design.

Having said that, here are some factors to consider when choosing between do-it-yourself websites and professionally made ones:

Which is better, a small digital marketing agency or a large one? The short answer is it depends on your needs. Don’t you love the vagueness there! Before we dive into this topic, let’s first examine what the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) says is a small business based on their table of standards.

If you are a Wireless Telecommunications Carrier (except Satellite), you are considered a small business if you employ 1,500 or fewer. Motor Vehicle Parts (Used) Merchant Wholesalers or, the junkyard, is 100 or less. Now you might think that they would base the size on the number of people employed. Well, you would be wrong. Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores need to have $35 million dollars in total income to qualify. So that means if your local, regional grocery store chain is $35 million in size, then they would be considered a small business. 

Take Cube Creative as an example, we consider ourselves to be a digital marketing agency. The SBA doesn’t have a classification for that. Therefore, I looked at what might be closest, which varied from $16.5 million to $30 million.

I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t consider an agency with $16.5 million a small business. Therefore, for this post’s purpose, I want to reference Dunbar's Number and look at it as in the number of clients an agency actively manages. You may be asking what is Dunbar’s Number is and what does it have to do with a small agency versus a large agency.

Dunbar's number is a suggested cognitive limit to the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.

Wikipedia

 

Ideally, it is somewhere around 150 people. This includes your work colleagues, clients, family, and friends, or any other interpersonal relationships you might have. Therefore an agency that has around 100-150 active monthly clients is a good starting number as this is most likely spread across a handful of people.

Let’s look at a small agency versus a large agency.

If you are a small business owner or you have been tasked with helping to make a small business you know how hard it is to get the word out and get the business noticed. Now one would think that if we as consumers are going online at a rate of 97% then we should be able to find your small business. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Now the bigger question is not WHY is it harder but WHAT can we do about it. Below we look at the nine reasons why SEO is harder and six things you can do about it.

As a growing business, it's more important than ever to have a social media presence. Whether your business is new to the social media scene or whether you gave it a try and got overwhelmed, there is a valid place for social media in your online marketing plan.