Customer research is an essential part of any business process. It gives companies insight into how the audience interacts with their specific products or services while also discovering key information about their user experience. Since user research has always been a long and complex process, many businesses have started implementing AI technology to take the workload off their shoulders. That’s why, this article will focus on the use of AI-powered customer insights, their benefits, and best practices in using them. 

By elaborating on the use of artificial intelligence in this field, businesses can discover which options best suit their needs and how to utilize this technology to their advantage. Furthermore, the article will focus on the impact these AI-powered customer insights have and how they affect the overall user experience. Continue reading to discover how to incorporate AI into customer research and its advantages.

Understanding AI in Customer Research

AI technology has experienced a consistent rise in popularity and effectiveness. With dozens of available online tools, such as User Evaluation, businesses aim to reduce the manual efforts in customer research by automating the most time-consuming aspects of this process.

Since artificial intelligence can mimic real-life cognitive functions, it’s constantly developing its learning and problem-solving abilities. When gathering precise and reliable customer insights, AI tools can utilize advanced algorithms and techniques to seamlessly process large volumes of data. By doing so, businesses can uncover valuable trends and patterns that may otherwise be missed or misinterpreted.

While it’s possible to manually analyze such data, researchers may overlook crucial information due to the vast amount of material. To minimize errors, AI utilizes sophisticated machine-learning models capable of classifying data, identifying correlations, and predicting behaviors based on previous results and patterns.

Furthermore, this technology uses natural language processing to aid in customer sentiment tracking and feedback analysis. This way, they can retrieve real-time insights into customer satisfaction gathered through various research methods and highlight potential areas for improvement.

The Impact of AI-Powered Customer Insights

So, how do AI-powered insights impact the user research process? Here are the main advantages researchers gain from implementing such technology:

• Time-saving
• Improved efficiency
• Customer-centric design

Time-saving

The main goal of utilizing artificial intelligence in user research is to relieve the burden of researchers. Instead of spending hours gathering and organizing research findings manually, this technology can review large volumes of data in seconds. 

Improved efficiency

Furthermore, AI minimizes the chances of human error and ensures fast and efficient results. Although these tools still require manual input for optimal results, businesses can rely on AI to minimize the risk of overlooking key information. Since the AI will take care of the most time-consuming aspects of the process, researchers can focus on analyzing the results and crafting appropriate strategies based on their findings.

Customer-centric design

With detailed insights into the user experience, many businesses can tailor their products to fit their customer’s needs. Moreover, by identifying the key pain points and recurring patterns, it’s easier to make data-driven decisions for enhanced customer experience. 

Understanding the target audience allows businesses to develop personalized marketing strategies that resonate better with customers. Alongside sentiment analysis features, they can deliver real-time customer feedback, enabling organizations to identify emerging issues and promptly respond to customer concerns. As a result, organizations can cultivate strong customer relationships, fostering greater satisfaction and loyalty.

Best Practices for Implementing AI in Customer Research

Having explored the use and power of AI in customer research, it’s also important to acknowledge the best practices for implementing such technology in the process. The first step for every business is to choose the right tool tailored to their unique circumstances. With numerous options found online, it’s of utmost importance to seek those that have features designed for customer research. 

Next, it’s important for companies to set clear research goals and objectives beforehand. Doing so will allow them to focus on the most important business matters and keep their research straightforward. By determining the specific insights they wish to uncover, businesses can select the appropriate research methods to achieve the desired results more effectively.

Lastly, it’s essential for companies to monitor and analyze their research efforts and findings. Even the most advanced AI technology won’t be of any use if the business doesn’t keep track of its results. By comparing the latest research findings with past ones, companies can easily determine if their strategies are effective or if there are improvements needed.

Conclusion

Having discussed the use and benefits of AI-powered customer insights, it’s important to remember that this technology is still evolving. While most functions still require human input and review, artificial intelligence can greatly accelerate the process and ensure efficient results. By aiding in the most time-consuming aspects of the process, it allows researchers to focus on more important matters, such as research analysis and crafting data-driven solutions.

Featured image by Adrien Delforge on Unsplash

The post AI-Powered Customer Insights: A Game-Changer for Businesses appeared first on noupe.

This is the 3rd post in a small series we are doing on form accessibility. If you missed the 2nd post, check out Managing User Focus with :focus-visible. In this post we are going to look at using a screen reader when navigating a form, and also some best practices.

What is a Screen Reader?

You may have heard the term “screen reader” as you have been moving around the web. You might even be using a screen reader at this moment to run manual accessibility tests on the experiences you are building. A screen reader is a type of AT or assistive technology.

A screen reader converts digital text into synthesized speech or Braille output, commonly seen with a Braille reader.

In this example, I will be using Mac VO. Mac VO (VoiceOver) is built-in to all Mac devices; iOS, iPadOS, and macOS systems. Depending on the type of device you are running macOS on, opening VO could differ. The Macbook Pro that is running VO I am writing this on doesn’t have the touch bar, so I will be using the shortcut keys according to the hardware.

Spinning Up VO on macOS

If you are using an updated Macbook Pro, the keyboard on your machine will look something like the image below.

You will start by holding down the cmd key and then pressing the Touch ID three times quickly.

If you are on a MBP (MacBook Pro) with a TouchBar, you will use the shortcut cmd+fn+f5 to turn on VO. If you are using a traditional keyboard with your desktop or laptop, the keys should be the same or you will have to toggle VO on in the Accessibility settings.. Once VO is turned on, you will be greeted with this dialog along with a vocalized introduction to VO.

If you click the “Use VoiceOver” button you are well on your way to using VO to test your websites and apps. One thing to keep in mind is that VO is optimized for use with Safari. That being said, make sure when you are running your screen reader test that Safari is the browser you are using. That goes for the iPhone and iPad as well.

There are two main ways you can use VO from the start. The way I personally use it is by navigating to a website and using a combination of the tab, control, option, shift and arrow keys, I can navigate through the experience efficiently with these keys alone.

Another common way to navigate the experience is by using the VoiceOver Rotor. The Rotor is a feature designed to navigate directly to where you want to be in the experience. By using the Rotor, you eliminate having to traverse through the whole site, think of it as a “Choose Your Own Adventure”.

Modifier Keys

Modifier keys are the way you use the different features in VO. The default modifier key or VO is control + option but you can change it to caps lock or choose both options to use interchangeably.

Using the Rotor

In order to use the Rotor you have to use a combination of your modifier key(s) and the letter “U”. For me, my modifier key is caps lock. I press caps lock + U and the Rotor spins up for me. Once the Rotor comes up I can navigate to any part of the experience that I want using the left and right arrows.

Navigating By Heading Level

Another neat way to navigate the experience is by heading level. If you use the combination of your modifier keys + cmd + H you can traverse the document structure based on heading levels. You can also move back up the document by pressing shift in the sequence like so, modifier keys + shift + cmd + H.

History & Best Practices

Forms are one of the most powerful native elements we have in HTML. Whether you are searching for something on a page, submitting a form to purchase something or submit a survey. Forms are a cornerstone of the web, and were a catalyst that introduced interactivity to our experiences.

The history of the web form dates back to September 1995 when it was introduced in the HTML 2.0 spec. Some say the good ole days of the web, at least I say that. Stephanie Stimac wrote an awesome article on Smashing Magazine titled, “Standardizing Select And Beyond: The Past, Present And Future Of Native HTML Form Controls”.

The following are 5 best practices to follow when building an accessible form for the web.

1. Make sure that you are using a form element. Forms are accessible by default and should be used over div’s at all times.

<form>
  <!-- Form controls are nested here. -->
</form>

2. Be sure to use the for and id attributes on label’s and input’s so that they are linked. This way, if you click/tap the label, focus will shift to the input and you can start typing.

<label for="name">Name:</label>
<input type="text" id="name" name="name" required aria-required/>

3. If a field is required in order for the form to be complete, use the required attribute and the aria-required  attribute. These will restrict the form from being submitted. The aria-required attribute explicitly tells the assistive tech that the field is required.

<input type="text" id="name" name="name" required aria-required/>

4. Use the, :focus, :focus-within and :focus-visible CSS pseudo classes to manage and customize how a user receives focus.

form:focus-within {
 background-color: #cfffcf;
}

input:focus-within {
 border: 10px solid #000000;
}

input:focus-visible,
select:focus-visible,
textarea:focus-visible {
 outline: 2px solid crimson;
 border-radius: 3px;
}

5. A button is used to invoke an action, like submitting a form. Use it! Don’t create buttons using div’s. A div by definition is a divider. It has no inherent accessibility properties.

Demo

If you want to check out the code, navigate to the VoiceOver Demo GitHub repo. If you want to try out the demo above with your screen reader of choice, check out Navigating a Web Form with VoiceOver.

Screen Reader Software

Below is a list of various types of screen reader software you can use on your given operating system. If a Mac is not your machine of choice, there are options out there for Windows and Linux, as well as for Android devices.

NVDA

NVDA is a screen reader from NV Access. It is currently only supported on PC’s running Microsoft Windows 7 SP1 and later. For more access, check out the NVDA version 2024.1 download page on the NV Access website!

JAWS

“We need a better screen reader”

– Anonymous

If you understood the reference above, you are in good company. According to the JAWS website, this is what it is in a nutshell:

“JAWS, Job Access With Speech, is the world’s most popular screen reader, developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content or navigating with a mouse. JAWS provides speech and Braille output for the most popular computer applications on your PC. You will be able to navigate the Internet, write a document, read an email and create presentations from your office, remote desktop, or from home.”

JAWS website

Check out JAWS for yourself and if that solution fits your needs, definitely give it a shot!

Narrator

Narrator is a built-in screen reader solution that ships with WIndows 11. If you choose to use this as your screen reader of choice, the link below is for support documentation on its usage.

Complete guide to Narrator

Orca

Orca is a screen reader that can be used on different Linux distributions running GNOME.

“Orca is a free, open source, flexible, and extensible screen reader that provides access to the graphical desktop via speech and refreshable braille.

Orca works with applications and toolkits that support the Assistive Technology Service Provider Interface (AT-SPI), which is the primary assistive technology infrastructure for Linux and Solaris. Applications and toolkits supporting the AT-SPI include the GNOME Gtk+ toolkit, the Java platform’s Swing toolkit, LibreOffice, Gecko, and WebKitGtk. AT-SPI support for the KDE Qt toolkit is being pursued.”

Orca Website

TalkBack

Google TalkBack is the screen reader that is used on Android devices. For more information on turning it on and using it, check out this article on the Android Accessibility Support Site.

Browser Support

If you are looking for actual browser support for HTML elements and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Application) attributes, I suggest caniuse.com for HTML and Accessibility Support for ARIA to get the latest 4-1-1 on browser support. Remember, if the browser doesn’t support the tech, chances are the screen reader won’t either.

DigitalA11Y can help summarize browser and screen reader info with their article,  Screen Readers and Browsers! Which is the Best Combination for Accessibility Testing?

Links

https://support.apple.com/guide/voiceover/with-the-voiceover-rotor-mchlp2719/mac

https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/

https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/aria/

https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6283677?hl=en

https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6283677?hl=en

---

Demystifying Screen Readers: Accessible Forms & Best Practices originally published on CSS-Tricks, which is part of the DigitalOcean family. You should get the newsletter.

Have you seen the photo called “PSEUDOMNESIA: The Electrician”? It’s visually arresting; sure. But that’s not all. The photo won a major photography award in March 2023. 

But the photographer, Boris Eldagsen, did something unexpected – he declined the prize. Turns out, the image was created with AI. 

Eldagsen submitted his AI-generated photo in the competition, just to see what would happen. He might not have anticipated winning the competition, but the events triggered some deep and urgent discussions in the world of art. 

Among these was the question: what’s the role of a human expert in the artistic process?

Let’s chisel the question a bit and apply it to the world of design.

What’s the role of a graphics designer in the age of AI?

Let’s pick off from an interview that Eldagsen gave weeks after the event. In this interview, he had the following to say.

“I started with photography because drawing was a lonely job. I was always experimenting. So when AI generators started, I was hooked from the very beginning. For me, as an artist, AI generators are absolute freedom. It’s like the tool I have always wanted. I was always working from my imagination as a photographer, and now the material I work with is knowledge. And if you are older, it’s a plus, because you can put all your knowledge into prompting and creating images. If I were 15, I would have probably just generated Batman.”

In these words, Eldagsen has offered a thinking framework for artists (graphics designers included) who are grappling with the question of how they keep themselves relevant in the age of AI design. 

His experiment and his interview comments make some interesting revelations.  

• In the world of design, we need to shift the focus from “This looks cool” to “Okay, why does this work so well?”. AI can make pretty pictures, but understanding the principles behind great work is what separates a true designer.
• Effort still matters. Even with AI, Eldagsen made over 60 edits to his image. Great design, whether human-crafted or AI-infused, still requires thought, refinement, and plain old hard work.
• AI mastery will take you to the top. If you learn to harness AI, you can reach the top of your field. More importantly, you might find that the view from the top isn’t as impressive as you’d imagined. The real challenge starts then.

Intrigued? Now we’re ready to explore the essential skills that will make you an irreplaceable designer in this new landscape.

1. Think deeply about your work

Let’s start by asking a fundamental question: what does it really mean to be a designer? 

Let’s take an example. A rookie designer, when tasked with website design, might conceptualize the work as merely arranging elements in Figma. But true mastery lies in thinking deeply about the purpose of your work. After all, a website isn’t just a digital brochure; it’s the online embodiment of a brand. Just as a well-tailored suit projects confidence and professionalism, a well-designed website should instantly communicate the essence of the brand’s personality and values. If you think about your work in terms of why that work is needed, you’ll always stay ahead of AI. 

Let’s explore a few more examples:

• Sure, AI could whip up a logo in minutes. But a true design expert understands the power of symbolism, color psychology, and typography. A great logo distills a company’s mission into a single, unforgettable mark. AI doesn’t think like that; a great designer does. 
• Packaging design isn’t about making pretty boxes. For a customer, to unbox is a tactile, sensory experience. An expert packaging designer considers form, function, sustainability, and the unboxing ritual – all while communicating the brand story. AI can’t do this.
• An illustration isn’t just decoration. It can convey complex ideas, evoke emotions, and guide a user’s eye. Think of the difference between a generic stock photo and a custom illustration that perfectly captures the mood of your content. This is also the difference between a rookie illustrator and one who’s worked on 100+ projects. 

The key difference? AI operates at the task level – it can make things look good. But as a human designer, you can transcend mere visuals. You bring a deeper understanding of purpose, meaning, and the subtle nuances that resonate with your audience. This is your advantage, and it’s absolutely worth cultivating.

2. Strive to become a great service professional

One of the keys to becoming an AI-proof designer is to understand that your job goes way beyond what’s written in the job description. The JD might cover 25% of your actual work, but the other 75% can never be defined. It evolves in the real world, as you deal with real people and real situations.

Think about it – design doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Your work exists within the context of an organization made up of humans, each with their own personalities, experiences, and agendas. Every day, unexpected situations and curveballs get thrown your way. And you’ve got to be thankful for this. 

This is where you have a massive advantage over AI. While AI can crunch data and follow rules, it cannot understand human nuance, context and unpredictability the way you can as a living, breathing person. AI can’t deal with office politics, project constraints, or connect with the story of a brand. 

Your opportunity is to lean into this human element of design work. Don’t just go through the motions – be truly present, observant and excited about the inherent messiness of the real world you operate in. Embrace the chaos and complexity, because that’s where you shine.

3. Think of yourself as a leader and AI tools as smart freshers

Let’s talk about how you can co-design with AI tools instead of being anti-AI. The key is to think of AI as your smart assistant that can handle certain tasks, while you elevate yourself to a higher role of supervisor, mentor, and reviewer.

Imagine you’re a designer working on a new app. Brainstorming color schemes can eat up valuable time. Enter an AI design tool wherein you can describe your brand (think “energetic, youthful”) and instantly get a palette of harmonious options. Now you, the human designer, get to choose the one that best captures the app’s vibe. Moments before you were staring at a blank screen; now you’re reviewing a dozen possibilities. 

Here’s another example. A lot of designers are familiar with being stuck on a wireframe. Now imagine an AI design tool to which you can describe your app’s functionality – login page, user profile, etc. – and which can then generate a basic layout. This frees you up to focus on the user journey: how users flow through the app, and where to place key features for optimal usability.

These are just a few examples. Co-designing with AI isn’t about replacing your expertise. 

“AI is not the enemy; it’s the new paintbrush. The brilliance lies not in the tool itself, but in the artist’s vision and the skill with which they wield it.” 

Nevilson Christian, founder of SeekThem

So, are you ready to become an AI-powered designer? Don’t fear the AI wave. Grab your surfboard, charge at it, and ride it.

Featured image by Alice Dietrich on Unsplash

The post 3 skills to Beat AI and Thrive as a Designer appeared first on noupe.

Today healthcare leaders in both public and private sectors work to utilize the emerging and latest AI technologies to enhance patient experiences, reduce costs, and improve patient outcomes. There was a study that shows the global healthcare AI market is expected to reach $188 billion by 2030 with an increasing 37% of CAGR. Additionally, AI in healthcare has reduced 20% of the physician’s time in administrative tasks. 

In 2022, FDA’s have approved to use more than 500 medical AI systems in their research and maintaining the daily tasks. But somehow, there are several healthcare organizations still facing the obstacles to adopt the new technologies. 

To overcome these challenges, Levina said, “There are tasks like analyzing large data sets with accuracy that can only be handled with great speed using AI technologies, and the technology can do a better job than humans.” Let’s check insights about understanding how AI adoption in the healthcare industry can bring tremendous results.  

Overview of AI’s impact on various industries

With growing artificial intelligence has emerged as a transformative force across various sectors. AI using its innovation and efficiency helps businesses to operate and interact with customers easily. Here are a few of the industries that AI has been used in.

Healthcare

With AI revolutionizing the healthcare industry, it brings personalized treatments and accurate diagnoses of diseases. Along with this, they add machine learning algorithms to analyze medical pictures, such as MRIs and X-rays to check any anomalies. 

Not only this, AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants help in enhancing patient interactions by offering 24/7 support. Nowadays, professionals have started using AI-driven predictive analytics to identify any risk and provide early prevention to patients. 

Retail

Let’s understand this as an example, you’re scrolling through an online retail store and it suggests a pair of shoes that interest you. This is where AI predictive analysis comes in as it understands your preferences better than before. Moreover, it helps to manage and store inventory efficiently by offering customers what they are looking for.

Finance

Have you ever noticed any suspicious transaction or activity every time it happens? This is because your bank is powered by AI and it offers personalized advice via virtual assistants on finance apps. 

Manufacturing

Not only this, AI has revolutionized the manufacturing sector where factories have started running smoother than ever. AI maintenance predictive analysis now ensures fewer breakdowns with efficient production lines. From finance to manufacturing, AI has transformed various industries and shaped the world in remarkable ways. 

How AI-powered tools help in detecting diseases and their diagnosis 

First, let’s understand what is AI-Powered diagnosis,

AI-powered diagnosis uses machine learning and advanced algorithms to analyze patient’s medical records and detect diseases. The AI technology can easily manage large and complex data sets along with identifying the patterns that may go undetected sometimes using traditional ways.

So, how does this AI-powered diagnosis work?

Here the process starts with filling all medical data into the AI system such as lab results, patient’s general records, imaging scans, and more. As more data is added, the more accurate results the industry will get.

Next, the system uses this data to identify any particular condition or disease. One of the benefits of using AI for diagnosis is it helps to improve the process with time and provides early disease detection which can potentially lead to better health outcomes for patients. 

Some of the real-life examples of AI-powered diagnosis tools

Artificial intelligence diagnosis tools can make a real difference in disease detection and prevention. A few of the real-life examples are given below.

Predictive diagnosis of heart disease

As we know heart disease is one of the major health concerns, and detecting the disease can effectively help in prevention. By using AI technology, researchers have designed predictive models that can analyze data from all sources identify the patient’s health, and provide personalized treatment. 

Early detection of breast cancer

In the year 2022, nearly 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer. It is a disease that can lead to death and has occurred in 157 countries out of 185. However, with AI-powered tools it can easily detect the disease in an early stage and can be cured easily. With this technology, doctors can take preventive steps to stop the cancer from spreading and initiate treatment as soon as possible. 

Future of AI adoption in the Healthcare industry

Today, artificial intelligence in healthcare has created a boom in the recent few years. As technology is continuously growing, the healthcare field has revolutionized the patient’s health as it comes to the early detection of diseases. 

AI has grown globally by using its significant impact, one among them being to diagnose diseases and provide accurate information much faster than humans. But what AI in healthcare future will bring, here are a few possibilities,

• Personalized medicine: It will enable doctors to treat patients based on their lifestyle, genetics, and other environmental factors. 
• More accurate diagnosis: By using these AI-powered diagnostics tools, physicians can get precise data which can save a lot of time and faster treatment can be initiated.
• Predictive analytics: AI algorithms use large amounts of data from wearable devices, patient’s electronic health records or any disease record, and other sources to predict the risk of an individual before symptoms start showing. 

Potential impact of AI advancements in NLU, robotics, and precision medicine

The impact of AI in healthcare comes with personalized treatment potentially saving lives and reducing overall healthcare cost. Learn more about the potential impact of AI in healthcare.

• NLU (Natural language understanding): NLU helps to increase natural language interactions between AI systems and patients along with providing excellent communication and enhancing patient experience.
• Robotics: With AI-driven robots, the industry can automate tasks, improve surgical procedures, and enhance patient care. 
• Precision medicine: AI-powered precision can analyze patient data to personalize treatment for better outcomes and proactive disease management. 

Conclusion

The above blog post clearly defines AI as a transformative technology that has already refined many industries, especially healthcare making things more efficient and improving how patients are treated. 

No doubt there would be few challenges like bias and privacy exist, but proper steps need to be taken such as EU’s AI act to handle them responsibly. With moving forward, it’s essential for everyone including software development companies to work together to make sure AI benefits everyone and improves our world. 

Featured image by camilo jimenez on Unsplash

The post How is AI adoption transforming the healthcare industry? appeared first on noupe.

People who communicate effectively are the backbone of successful teams and organizations. In every workplace, communication sets the mood and defines a culture which influences the level of participation by employees as well as productivity and team spirit.

Good communication skills help leaders inspire and motivate their workers so they can trust each other more. Without effective communication, misunderstandings and disengagement may occur, thereby affecting organizational success and growth.

In this blog post, we will go over 10 best practices for effective leadership communication that will enable leaders to build their communication skills as well as create an atmosphere of positive work. These practices involve various strategies and techniques that can be employed to motivate, inspire, and align members of a team towards common objectives.

Putting these practices into use improves leadership’s ability to communicate and helps in achieving individual team member or group goals.

What Is Leadership Communication?

Effective leadership communication involves exchanging information, ideas, and directions between leaders and their team members to inspire, motivate, and guide them towards common goals. 

This involves both verbal and non-verbal communication, such as speeches, meetings, written messages, and body language, among others. Effective leadership communication goes beyond just clear and effective communication and incorporates active listening, rapport building, and trust creation among team members.

Why Is Leadership Communication Important in the Workplace?

Let’s talk about why strong leadership communication is so critical in the workplace.

• Improves alignment and clarity: For starters, it brings much-needed alignment and clarity. When leaders regularly communicate goals, plans, and expectations, it ensures everyone is on the same page. Team members understand their roles better. There’s less ambiguity about objectives and things run smoother.

• Boosts employee engagement: Good communication also does wonders for employee engagement. People feel informed and involved when leaders keep them in the loop. They get excited about the company’s vision and mission. And an engaged workforce is a very productive one.

• Builds trust and relationships: On top of that, communication builds solid relationships between leaders and teams. An open, honest, and empathetic style creates trust. And trust means people collaborate instead of competing. You get a tight-knit group working together towards shared success.

• Enables better decision-making: Let’s not forget decision-making either. When leaders encourage employee feedback and diverse views, it leads to smarter choices. More heads are better than one, even if they don’t always agree. But hashing out ideas leads to decisions that benefit everyone.

• Facilitates conflict resolution: Speaking of disagreements, communication is key for solving conflicts too. Leaders skilled at facilitating constructive dialogue can bring people together, and they can guide teams through challenges in a positive way.

• Manages change effectively: Finally, in times of change, transparency and frequent updates are crucial. They diminish uncertainty and anxiety while giving people confidence that leaders have their backs during transitions.

The bottom line? Leadership communication binds teams and propels them to success. It’s the ingredient you can’t do without, no matter what’s on the menu!

Barriers to Effective Communication

So we’ve talked about why leadership communication matters. But it’s not always easy to communicate effectively. There are a few common traps that can really muck things up. 

Let’s break down some of the biggest barriers.

Unclear or Inconsistent Messaging

When leaders aren’t crystal clear about goals, plans, and needs, people get confused. Like playing a giant game of telephone, the message gets garbled and collaboration takes a nosedive. Lack of clarity in communication ultimately leads to misunderstandings and errors, which can be harmful in crucial departments like marketing. Frustration in such cases could hinder productivity and your ability to sell your product or service faster.

Lack of Listening and Feedback

Effective communication is a two-way street that involves not only conveying messages but also actively listening to others and providing feedback. When leaders fail to listen attentively to their team members or neglect to provide timely and constructive feedback, it can result in disengagement, resentment, and missed opportunities for improvement.

Poor Timing or Setting

Also, timing and setting are everything. If you need to give critical feedback, do it privately. For example, flooding inboxes or slamming someone in a team meeting is counterproductive. Effective leaders consider the timing and setting of their communications to show understanding and keep the dialogue productive.

Micromanaging VS Lack of Communication

Tight-lipped leaders can be just as problematic as micromanagers. People need the right amount of direction to spread their wings, not total radio silence. Give them autonomy, but stay connected, whether it’s during onboarding or active operations.

Overreliance on One Channel

Finally, mix up your communication channels. Lean too hard on one, like always defaulting to email, and messages get missed. Plus, people need information delivered in different ways, depending on the urgency, complexity, and preferences involved. Relying on one channel only causes information overload, miscommunication, and overlooked messages.

Best Practices for Improving Leadership Communication

By implementing these best practices, leaders can boost communication effectiveness and drive greater success within their organizations.

1. Be Accessible and Approachable

As a leader, you should make yourself readily available to connect with your team. Keep an open door whenever possible and invite team members to come to you with any questions, concerns, or ideas they may have. 

Also, keep your calendar optimized for access and block off time for open office hours each week. Use calendar management strategies to schedule communication touchpoints with direct reports. You want to cultivate an environment where employees feel comfortable approaching you freely, so that open communication can flow.

2. Check for Understanding

After communicating key messages or decisions, take the time to check whether your team fully grasped what you conveyed. You can ask if anyone needs clarification on certain points or has additional questions. Checking for comprehension helps ensure everyone is on the same page, avoiding potential confusion down the road. Even small misunderstandings can hamper progress, so it’s worth taking steps to confirm mutual understanding.

3. Give Constructive Feedback Regularly

Effective leaders provide timely, constructive feedback to help their team members develop. Be specific with praise so people know what they’re doing well. Offer thoughtful suggestions for improvement, too, not just criticism. Giving respectful, actionable feedback on a regular basis shows you’re invested in supporting each person’s professional growth.

4. Communicate With Empathy and Care

Demonstrate that you care about your team as people, not just employees. Listen attentively when they express concerns and acknowledge their feelings. Provide encouragement if someone is struggling. Leading with compassion and emotional intelligence strengthens workplace relationships and builds trust.

5. Encourage Open Dialogue

Look for opportunities to spark an open, honest dialogue with your team. Collaborative meetings, brainstorming sessions, document sharing, and even outbound calls can all serve as catalysts for fruitful dialogue. The more freely ideas are exchanged, the more your team can learn from each other.

When reaching out for feedback via outbound calls, follow some best practices like having a clear objective, preparing questions in advance, and taking detailed notes during conversations. Following these proven outbound call tips will make dialogues more productive.

6. Lead By Example

Your team looks to you to model effective communication skills. Strive to exemplify qualities like active listening, respect, transparency, and conciseness. When you walk the walk as a leader, your team will follow suit. Your actions speak louder than words.

7. Foster Inclusivity and Diversity

Draw out quieter voices and give equal respect to differing viewpoints. Seek to include diverse perspectives and experiences that people from all backgrounds bring. Wide participation enhances creativity: value what makes each person unique.

Whether it’s a junior analyst or a seasoned hedge fund manager, everyone’s input contributes to a richer dialogue and more robust decision-making processes.

8. Adapt Communication Style

Be prepared to adapt your approach to suit different individuals’ needs. Adjust your style, pace, and method of communication to optimize understanding and engagement. What resonates with one person may not work as well with another. Tailor communications for maximum impact.

9. Leverage Multiple Channels

People have different preferences when it comes to communication channels. Some may favor quick chats; others want details in writing. Consider using email, instant messaging, video calls, texting, and in-person meetings to connect. Your messages will come through clearly when you leverage multiple platforms.

Along with traditional communication methods, consider utilizing technology like auto dialers which automatically call contacts from a loaded list. Understanding how auto dialers work enables you to use them effectively to supplement in-person talks.

You can also consider incorporating modern communication tools like live chat which can significantly enhance accessibility and responsiveness. But make sure to implement live chat best practices to ensure real-time support and to foster immediate engagement with team members, especially in fast-paced environments where quick decision-making is crucial.

10. Foster Trust and Transparency

Build credibility by being honest and upfront with your team, even when it’s uncomfortable. Avoid withholding important information – transparency empowers people. Share details freely, involve your team in decisions, and admit mistakes. Doing so fosters mutual trust and respect.

Promote Teamwork Through Efficient Communication

In essence, the ability of leaders to communicate effectively is the single most important factor that determines successful team dynamics within an organization. Leaders can share goals clearly with others without excluding anyone from them by actively listening to feedback with empathy. This kind of conversation breeds trust, ignites participation, unlocks innovation, and unifies people around purposes they share in common. 

So if you are already in charge or have dreams of leading one day, then never stop improving your communication skills. Always be open to different styles of communication so that you can always develop innovative ways of relaying your message. 

Continue striving for inclusivity and enhancing relationships while motivating and providing reassurance through your words as well as your actions. As you practice more authentic empathetic communication, this positive trend will spread across the organization. Then, everyone will want to work alongside you – the model leader who brings out the best in people.

Featured Image by Jason Goodman on Unsplash

The post 10 Best Practices for an Effective Leadership Communication appeared first on noupe.

Gone are the days when consumers relied solely on advertising and product descriptions to make purchasing decisions. Now, they turn to user reviews to determine the quality, reliability, and overall experience of a product or service before hitting the “buy” button.

Customer reviews help business owners and marketers understand how happy customers are with their products, services, and marketing. When customers share their thoughts, it helps businesses improve their brand and build trust.

Online reviews are extremely important for any company operating in the digital space, as they help attract customers and keep a good reputation.

The Power of User Reviews in E-commerce

Let’s find out why user reviews matter in e-commerce and how they influence consumer behavior.

#1. Establishing Trustworthiness and Credibility

When potential customers see positive reviews from other users, it validates their decision to consider purchasing from the brand. Positive reviews act as endorsements from real people, reassuring shoppers that they are making a wise choice.

Unlike marketing messages or product descriptions, user reviews are perceived as authentic, unbiased opinions from fellow consumers. Consumers trust the experiences and insights shared by other users, knowing that they are based on real interactions with the product or service.

Transparency is essential in building trust with consumers. By openly displaying user reviews, e-commerce businesses demonstrate transparency and confidence in their offerings. Even if a product receives some negative reviews, the transparency of displaying all feedback, both positive and negative, reinforces the brand’s honesty and integrity.

Shopping online involves a degree of uncertainty for consumers, especially when they cannot physically examine the product before purchase. User reviews lower this risk by providing details about the product’s quality, performance, and suitability. When shoppers see positive reviews from others who have had positive experiences, it reduces the perceived risk associated with the purchase.

#2. Increasing Conversions

User reviews show that a product or service is good and reliable. When potential buyers see good reviews from other users, it makes them believe the product will work well and do what it says. This validation encourages hesitant shoppers to proceed with the purchase, thereby increasing conversion rates.

Positive user reviews can create a sense of urgency or FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) among potential buyers. When shoppers see glowing reviews and high ratings for a product, they may fear missing out on the positive experiences shared by others. This fear of missing out can prompt them to take immediate action and complete the purchase.

Products with a higher number of positive reviews often receive better visibility on e-commerce platforms. Many platforms prioritize products with positive reviews in search results or featured sections, making them more visible to potential buyers. Increased visibility leads to higher traffic and, consequently, higher conversion rates.

#3. Enhancing SEO and Search Rankings

User reviews provide fresh, relevant content that search engines like Google value. Search engines prioritize websites with regularly updated content, and user reviews continuously add new content in the form of product feedback, testimonials, and discussions. This fresh content tells search engines that the website is current and helpful, which can make it appear higher in search results.

User reviews often contain long-tail keywords and phrases that are specific to the products or services being reviewed. Long-tail keywords are more targeted and less competitive than generic keywords, making it easier for e-commerce websites to rank for them. By incorporating these long-tail keywords into user-generated content, e-commerce businesses can attract organic traffic from users searching for those specific terms.

Websites with user reviews tend to have higher levels of user engagement and longer average time spent on the site. When users read reviews, they are more likely to stay on the website longer, browse additional products, and interact with other content. Search engines interpret this increased engagement as a positive signal of the website’s relevance and usefulness, which can positively impact its search rankings.

User reviews can be shared on different online platforms, like social media, review sites, and other online stores. When user-generated content is distributed widely across the web, it creates more backlinks and references to the e-commerce website, boosting its authority and credibility in the eyes of search engines.

Implementing schema markup for user reviews can enhance their visibility in search results by displaying rich snippets, such as star ratings, review counts, and review snippets. These rich snippets make the search results more visually appealing and informative, increasing click-through rates and improving the website’s overall search visibility.

#4. Fostering Customer Engagement and Loyalty

Let’s find out how user reviews can foster customer engagement and loyalty:

• Interactive Communication: User reviews create a platform for interactive communication between customers and the brand. When customers write reviews, they are interacting with the brand and giving useful feedback. Responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, shows that the brand values customer input and is committed to addressing their concerns. This fosters two-way communication and strengthens the relationship.
• Sense of Community: User reviews contribute to creating a sense of community among customers. When shoppers read reviews from other users who have purchased the same product or used the same service, they feel connected to a community of like-minded individuals. This improves their satisfaction level and shopping experience which would ultimately make them come back to the brand for more purchases.
• Feedback Loop: Customer reviews allow businesses to make the necessary changes to their products or services to improve the overall experience for customers. By listening to customer feedback and making necessary adjustments, brands demonstrate their commitment to customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. This ongoing communication strengthens the bond between the brand and its customers, making them feel like partners.
• Word-of-Mouth Marketing: User reviews can act as powerful word-of-mouth marketing tools. Happy customers who write good reviews might tell their friends, family, and others about the brand, helping to bring in more customers. Word-of-mouth recommendations from trusted sources are incredibly influential and can drive new customers to the brand, which in turn can increase customer engagement and loyalty.

Final Thoughts

Adopting reviews can facilitate business growth by boosting sales and providing insights into customer expectations. Although there are multiple approaches to gathering customer reviews, streamlining the review submission process can simplify the task for them and help you get more reviews quickly.

Understanding how important reviews are and using them well can help you stand out from competitors in the competitive online market.

Featured image by Sarah Vombrack on Unsplash

The post Unveiling the Power of User Reviews in E-commerce appeared first on noupe.

When copying text from a website to your device’s clipboard, there’s a good chance that you will get the formatted HTML when pasting it. Some apps and operating systems have a “Paste Special” feature that will strip those tags out for you to maintain the current style, but what do you do if that’s unavailable?

Same goes for converting plain text into formatted HTML. One of the closest ways we can convert plain text into HTML is writing in Markdown as an abstraction. You may have seen examples of this in many comment forms in articles just like this one. Write the comment in Markdown and it is parsed as HTML.

Even better would be no abstraction at all! You may have also seen (and used) a number of online tools that take plainly written text and convert it into formatted HTML. The UI makes the conversion and previews the formatted result in real time.

Providing a way for users to author basic web content — like comments — without knowing even the first thing about HTML, is a novel pursuit as it lowers barriers to communicating and collaborating on the web. Saying it helps “democratize” the web may be heavy-handed, but it doesn’t conflict with that vision!

We can build a tool like this ourselves. I’m all for using existing resources where possible, but I’m also for demonstrating how these things work and maybe learning something new in the process.

Defining The Scope

There are plenty of assumptions and considerations that could go into a plain-text-to-HTML converter. For example, should we assume that the first line of text entered into the tool is a title that needs corresponding

tags? Is each new line truly a paragraph, and how does linking content fit into this?

Again, the idea is that a user should be able to write without knowing Markdown or HTML syntax. This is a big constraint, and there are far too many HTML elements we might encounter, so it’s worth knowing the context in which the content is being used. For example, if this is a tool for writing blog posts, then we can limit the scope of which elements are supported based on those that are commonly used in long-form content:

,

, , and . In other words, it will be possible to include top-level headings, body text, linked text, and images. There will be no support for bulleted or ordered lists, tables, or any other elements for this particular tool.

The front-end implementation will rely on vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to establish a small form with a simple layout and functionality that converts the text to HTML. There is a server-side aspect to this if you plan on deploying it to a production environment, but our focus is purely on the front end.

Looking At Existing Solutions

There are existing ways to accomplish this. For example, some libraries offer a WYSIWYG editor. Import a library like TinyMCE with a single and you’re good to go. WYSIWYG editors are powerful and support all kinds of formatting, even applying CSS classes to content for styling.

But TinyMCE isn’t the most efficient package at about 500 KB minified. That’s not a criticism as much as an indication of how much functionality it covers. We want something more “barebones” than that for our simple purpose. Searching GitHub surfaces more possibilities. The solutions, however, seem to fall into one of two categories:

• The input accepts plain text, but the generated HTML only supports the HTML


  and

  tags.

• The input converts plain text into formatted HTML, but by ”plain text,” the tool seems to mean “Markdown” (or a variety of it) instead. The txt2html Perl module (from 1994!) would fall under this category.

Even if a perfect solution for what we want was already out there, I’d still want to pick apart the concept of converting text to HTML to understand how it works and hopefully learn something new in the process. So, let’s proceed with our own homespun solution.

Setting Up The HTML

We’ll start with the HTML structure for the input and output. For the input element, we’re probably best off using a </code>. For the output element and related styling, choices abound. The following is merely one example with some very basic CSS to place the input <code><textarea></code> on the left and an output <code></p> <div></code> on the right:</p> <p>See the Pen <a target="_blank" href="https://codepen.io/smashingmag/pen/OJGoNOX" rel="noopener">Base Form Styles [forked]</a> by <a target="_blank" href="https://codepen.io/geoffgraham" rel="noopener">Geoff Graham</a>.</p> <p>You can further develop the CSS, but that isn’t the focus of this article. There is no question that the design can be prettier than what I am providing here!</p> <p>Capture The Plain Text Input</p> <p>We’ll set an <code>onkeyup</code> event handler on the <code><textarea></code> to call a JavaScript function called <code>convert()</code> that does what it says: convert the plain text into HTML. The conversion function should accept one parameter, a string, for the user’s plain text input entered into the <code><textarea></code> element:</p> <pre><code><textarea onkeyup='convert(this.value);'></textarea></code></pre> <p><code>onkeyup</code> is a better choice than <code>onkeydown</code> in this case, as <code>onkeyup</code> will call the conversion function <em>after</em> the user completes each keystroke, as opposed to <em>before</em> it happens. This way, the output, which is refreshed with each keystroke, always includes the latest typed character. If the conversion is triggered with an <code>onkeydown</code> handler, the output will exclude the most recent character the user typed. This can be frustrating when, for example, the user has finished typing a sentence but cannot yet see the final punctuation mark, say a period (<code>.</code>), in the output until typing another character first. This creates the impression of a typo, glitch, or lag when there is none.</p> <p>In JavaScript, the <code>convert()</code> function has the following responsibilities:</p> <ol> <li>Encode the input in HTML.</li> <li>Process the input line-by-line and wrap each individual line in either a <code><br /> <h1></code> or <code></p> <p></code> HTML tag, whichever is most appropriate.</li> <li>Process the output of the transformations as a single string, wrap URLs in HTML <code><a></code> tags, and replace image file names with <code><img></code> elements.</li> </ol> <p>And from there, we display the output. We can create separate functions for each responsibility. Let’s name them accordingly:</p> <ol> <li><code>html_encode()</code></li> <li><code>convert_text_to_HTML()</code></li> <li><code>convert_images_and_links_to_HTML()</code></li> </ol> <p>Each function accepts one parameter, a string, and returns a string.</p> <p>Encoding The Input Into HTML</p> <p>Use the <code>html_encode()</code> function to HTML encode/sanitize the input. HTML encoding refers to the process of escaping or replacing certain characters in a string input to prevent users from inserting their own HTML into the output. At a minimum, we should replace the following characters:</p> <ul> <li> <code><</code> with <code><</code> </li> <li> <code>></code> with <code>></code> </li> <li> <code>&</code> with <code>&</code> </li> <li> <code>'</code> with <code>'</code> </li> <li> <code>"</code> with <code>"</code> </li> </ul> <p>JavaScript does not provide a built-in way to HTML encode input as other languages do. For example, PHP has <a target="_blank" href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.htmlspecialchars" rel="noopener"><code>htmlspecialchars()</code></a>, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.htmlentities" rel="noopener"><code>htmlentities()</code></a>, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.strip-tags" rel="noopener"><code>strip_tags()</code></a> functions. That said, it is relatively easy to write our own function that does this, which is what we’ll use the <code>html_encode()</code> function for that we defined earlier:</p> <pre><code>function html_encode(input) { const textArea = document.createElement("textarea"); textArea.innerText = input; return textArea.innerHTML.split("<br>").join("n"); } </code></pre> <p>HTML encoding of the input is a critical security consideration. It prevents unwanted scripts or other HTML manipulations from getting injected into our work. Granted, front-end input sanitization and validation are both merely deterrents because bad actors can bypass them. But we may as well make them work a little harder.</p> <p>As long as we are on the topic of securing our work, make sure to HTML-encode the input on the back end, where the user cannot interfere. At the same time, take care not to encode the input more than once. Encoding text that is already HTML-encoded will break the output functionality. The best approach for back-end storage is for the front end to pass the raw, unencoded input to the back end, then ask the back-end to HTML-encode the input before inserting it into a database.</p> <p>That said, this only accounts for sanitizing and storing the input on the back end. We still have to display the encoded HTML output on the front end. There are at least two approaches to consider:</p> <ol> <li> <strong>Convert the input to HTML after HTML-encoding it and before it is inserted into a database.</strong><br />This is efficient, as the input only needs to be converted once. However, this is also an inflexible approach, as updating the HTML becomes difficult if the output requirements happen to change in the future. </li> <li> <strong>Store only the HTML-encoded input text in the database and dynamically convert it to HTML before displaying the output for each content request.</strong><br />This is less efficient, as the conversion will occur on each request. However, it is also more flexible since it’s possible to update how the input text is converted to HTML if requirements change.</li> </ol> <p>Applying Semantic HTML Tags</p> <p>Let’s use the <code>convert_text_to_HTML()</code> function we defined earlier to wrap each line in their respective HTML tags, which are going to be either <code></p> <h1></code> or <code></p> <p></code>. To determine which tag to use, we will <code>split</code> the text input on the newline character (<code>n</code>) so that the text is processed as an array of lines rather than a single string, allowing us to evaluate them individually.</p> <div> <pre><code>function convert_text_to_HTML(txt) { // Output variable let out = ''; // Split text at the newline character into an array const txt_array = txt.split("n"); // Get the number of lines in the array const txt_array_length = txt_array.length; // Variable to keep track of the (non-blank) line number let non_blank_line_count = 0; for (let i = 0; i < txt_array_length; i++) { // Get the current line const line = txt_array[i]; // Continue if a line contains no text characters if (line === ''){ continue; } non_blank_line_count++; // If a line is the first line that contains text if (non_blank_line_count === 1){ // ...wrap the line of text in a Heading 1 tag out += <code>&lt;h1&gt;${line}&lt;/h1&gt;</code>; // ...otherwise, wrap the line of text in a Paragraph tag. } else { out += <code>&lt;p&gt;${line}&lt;/p&gt;</code>; } } return out; } </code></pre> </div> <p>In short, this little snippet loops through the array of split text lines and ignores lines that do <em>not</em> contain any text characters. From there, we can evaluate whether a line is the first one in the series. If it is, we slap a <code></p> <h1></code> tag on it; otherwise, we mark it up in a <code></p> <p></code> tag.</p> <p>This logic could be used to account for other types of elements that you may want to include in the output. For example, perhaps the second line is assumed to be a byline that names the author and links up to an archive of all author posts.</p> <p>Tagging URLs And Images With Regular Expressions</p> <p>Next, we’re going to create our <code>convert_images_and_links_to_HTML()</code> function to encode URLs and images as HTML elements. It’s a good chunk of code, so I’ll drop it in and we’ll immediately start picking it apart together to explain how it all works.</p> <div> <pre><code> function convert_images_and_links_to_HTML(string){ let urls_unique = []; let images_unique = []; const urls = string.match(/https*://[^s<),]+[^s<),.]/gmi) ?? []; const imgs = string.match(/[^"'>s]+.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|webp)/gmi) ?? []; const urls_length = urls.length; const images_length = imgs.length; for (let i = 0; i < urls_length; i++){ const url = urls[i]; if (!urls_unique.includes(url)){ urls_unique.push(url); } } for (let i = 0; i < images_length; i++){ const img = imgs[i]; if (!images_unique.includes(img)){ images_unique.push(img); } } const urls_unique_length = urls_unique.length; const images_unique_length = images_unique.length; for (let i = 0; i < urls_unique_length; i++){ const url = urls_unique[i]; if (images_unique_length === 0 || !images_unique.includes(url)){ const a_tag = <code>&lt;a href="${url}" target="_blank"&gt;${url}&lt;/a&gt;</code>; string = string.replace(url, a_tag); } } for (let i = 0; i < images_unique_length; i++){ const img = images_unique[i]; const img_tag = <code>&lt;img src="${img}" alt=""&gt;</code>; const img_link = <code>&lt;a href="${img}"&gt;${img_tag}&lt;/a&gt;</code>; string = string.replace(img, img_link); } return string; } </code></pre> </div> <p>Unlike the <code>convert_text_to_HTML()</code> function, here we use regular expressions to identify the terms that need to be wrapped and/or replaced with <code><a></code> or <code><img></code> tags. We do this for a couple of reasons:</p> <ol> <li>The previous <code>convert_text_to_HTML()</code> function handles text that would be transformed to the HTML block-level elements <code><br /> <h1></code> and <code></p> <p></code>, and, if you want, other block-level elements such as <code></p> <address></code>. Block-level elements in the HTML output correspond to discrete lines of text in the input, which you can think of as paragraphs, the text entered between presses of the Enter key. </li> <li>On the other hand, URLs in the text input are often included in the middle of a sentence rather than on a separate line. Images that occur in the input text are often included on a separate line, but not always. While you could identify text that represents URLs and images by processing the input line-by-line — or even word-by-word, if necessary — it is easier to use regular expressions and process the entire input as a single string rather than by individual lines.</li> </ol> <p>Regular expressions, though they are powerful and the appropriate tool to use for this job, <a target="_blank" href="https://blog.bitsrc.io/threats-of-using-regular-expressions-in-javascript-28ddccf5224c" rel="noopener">come with a performance cost</a>, which is another reason to use each expression only once for the entire text input.</p> <p><strong>Remember</strong>: <em>All the JavaScript in this example runs each time the user types a character, so it is important to keep things as lightweight and efficient as possible.</em></p> <p>I also want to make a note about the variable names in our <code>convert_images_and_links_to_HTML()</code> function. <code>images</code> (plural), <code>image</code> (singular), and <code>link</code> are reserved words in JavaScript. Consequently, <code>imgs</code>, <code>img</code>, and <code>a_tag</code> were used for naming. Interestingly, these specific reserved words are not listed on the <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Lexical_grammar#reserved_words" rel="noopener">relevant MDN page</a>, but they are on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3schools.com/js/js_reserved.asp" rel="noopener">W3Schools</a>.</p> <p>We’re using the <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Global_Objects/String/match" rel="noopener"><code>String.prototype.match()</code></a> function for each of the two regular expressions, then storing the results for each call in an array. From there, we use the <a target="_blank" href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Reference/Operators/Nullish_coalescing" rel="noopener">nullish coalescing operator</a> (<code>??</code>) on each call so that, if no matches are found, the result will be an empty array. If we do not do this and no matches are found, the result of each <code>match()</code> call will be <code>null</code> and will cause problems downstream.</p> <div> <pre><code>const urls = string.match(/https*://[^s<),]+[^s<),.]/gmi) ?? []; const imgs = string.match(/[^"'>s]+.(jpg|jpeg|gif|png|webp)/gmi) ?? []; </code></pre> </div> <p>Next up, we filter the arrays of results so that <strong>each array contains only unique results</strong>. This is a critical step. If we don’t filter out duplicate results and the input text contains multiple instances of the same URL or image file name, then we break the HTML tags in the output. JavaScript does not provide a simple, built-in method to get unique items in an array that’s akin to the PHP <a target="_blank" href="https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.array-unique" rel="noopener"><code>array_unique()</code></a> function.</p> <p>The code snippet works around this limitation using an admittedly ugly but straightforward procedural approach. The same problem is solved using a more functional approach if you prefer. There are many articles on the web describing <a target="_blank" href="https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-get-all-unique-values-remove-duplicates-in-a-javascript-array/" rel="noopener">various ways to filter a JavaScript array</a> in order to <a target="_blank" href="https://chrisengelsma.medium.com/filtering-an-array-to-get-only-unique-values-in-javascript-and-typescript-3342e47b9448" rel="noopener">keep only the unique items</a>.</p> <p>We’re also checking if the URL is matched as an image before replacing a URL with an appropriate <code><a></code> tag and performing the replacement only if the URL doesn’t match an image. We may be able to avoid having to perform this check by using a more intricate regular expression. The example code deliberately uses regular expressions that are perhaps less precise but hopefully easier to understand in an effort to keep things as simple as possible.</p> <p>And, finally, we’re replacing image file names in the input text with <code><img></code> tags that have the <code>src</code> attribute set to the image file name. For example, <code>my_image.png</code> in the input is transformed into <code><img src='my_image.png'></code> in the output. We wrap each <code><img></code> tag with an <code><a></code> tag that links to the image file and opens it in a new tab when clicked.</p> <p>There are a couple of benefits to this approach:</p> <ul> <li>In a real-world scenario, you will likely use a CSS rule to constrain the size of the rendered image. By making the images clickable, you provide users with a convenient <strong>way to view the full-size image</strong>.</li> <li>If the image is not a local file but is instead a URL to an image from a third party, this is a <strong>way to implicitly provide attribution</strong>. Ideally, you should not rely solely on this method but, instead, provide explicit attribution underneath the image in a <code><figcaption></code>, <code><cite></code>, or similar element. But if, for whatever reason, you are unable to provide explicit attribution, you are at least providing a link to the image source.</li> </ul> <p>It may go without saying, but <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pixsy.com/image-protection/hotlinking" rel="noopener">“hotlinking”</a> images is something to avoid. Use only locally hosted images wherever possible, and provide attribution if you do not hold the copyright for them.</p> <p>Before we move on to displaying the converted output, let’s talk a bit about accessibility, specifically the image <code>alt</code> attribute. The example code I provided does add an <code>alt</code> attribute in the conversion but does not populate it with a value, as there is no easy way to automatically calculate what that value should be. An empty <code>alt</code> attribute can be acceptable if the image is considered “decorative,” i.e., purely supplementary to the surrounding text. But one may argue that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2021/06/img-alt-attribute-alternate-description-decorative/" rel="noopener">there is no such thing as a purely decorative image</a>.</p> <p>That said, I consider this to be a limitation of what we’re building.</p> <p>Displaying the Output HTML</p> <p>We’re at the point where we can finally work on displaying the HTML-encoded output! We’ve already handled all the work of converting the text, so all we really need to do now is call it:</p> <div> <pre><code>function convert(input_string) { output.innerHTML = convert_images_and_links_to_HTML(convert_text_to_HTML(html_encode(input_string))); } </code></pre> </div> <p>If you would rather display the output string as raw HTML markup, use a <code></p> <pre></code> tag as the output element instead of a <code><div></code>:</p> <pre><code><pre id='output'></pre> </code></pre> <p>The only thing to note about this approach is that you would target the <code></p> <pre></code> element’s <code>textContent</code> instead of <code>innerHTML</code>:</p> <div> <pre><code>function convert(input_string) { output.textContent = convert_images_and_links_to_HTML(convert_text_to_HTML(html_encode(input_string))); } </code></pre> </div> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We did it! We built one of the same sort of copy-paste tool that converts plain text on the spot. In this case, we’ve configured it so that plain text entered into a <code><textarea></code> is parsed line-by-line and encoded into HTML that we format and display inside another element.</p> <p>See the Pen <a target="_blank" href="https://codepen.io/smashingmag/pen/yLrxOzP" rel="noopener">Convert Plain Text to HTML (PoC) [forked]</a> by <a target="_blank" href="https://codepen.io/geoffgraham" rel="noopener">Geoff Graham</a>.</p> <p>We were even able to keep the solution fairly simple, i.e., vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, without reaching for a third-party library or framework. Does this simple solution do everything a ready-made tool like a framework can do? Absolutely not. But a solution as simple as this is often all you need: nothing more and nothing less.</p> <p>As far as scaling this further, the code could be modified to <code>POST</code> what’s entered into the <code></code> using a PHP script or the like. That would be a great exercise, and if you do it, please share your work with me in the comments because I’d love to check it out.</p> <h3>References</h3> <ul> <li>“<a target="_blank" href="https://www.w3docs.com/snippets/javascript/how-to-html-encode-a-string.html" rel="noopener">How to HTML-encode a String</a>” (W3Docs)</li> <li>“<a target="_blank" href="https://www.educative.io/answers/how-to-escape-unescape-html-characters-in-string-in-javascript" rel="noopener">How to escape & unescape HTML characters in string in JavaScript</a>” (Educative.io)</li> <li>“<a target="_blank" href="https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/how-to-get-all-unique-values-remove-duplicates-in-a-javascript-array/" rel="noopener">How to get all unique values (remove duplicates) in a JavaScript array?”</a>” (GeeksforGeeks)</li> <li>“<a target="_blank" href="https://chrisengelsma.medium.com/filtering-an-array-to-get-only-unique-values-in-javascript-and-typescript-3342e47b9448" rel="noopener">Getting Unique Array Values in Javascript and Typescript</a>,” Chris Engelsma</li> <li>“<a target="_blank" href="https://blog.bitsrc.io/threats-of-using-regular-expressions-in-javascript-28ddccf5224c" rel="noopener">Threats of Using Regular Expressions in JavaScript</a>,” Dulanka Karunasena</li> </ul> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="under"> <span class="categories">Categories: </span><span><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Others</a></span> <span class="tags">Tags: </span><span></span> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="post-6870272"> <h2><a class="title" href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/17/how-to-write-world-beating-web-content/" rel="bookmark">How to Write World-Beating Web Content</a></h2> <div class="info"> <span class="date">April 17th, 2024</span> <span class="author"><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/author/admin/" title="Posts by admin" rel="author">admin</a></span> <span class="comments"><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/17/how-to-write-world-beating-web-content/#respond">No comments</a></span> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="content"> <div class="ftpimagefix" style="float:left"><a target="_blank" href="1" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.webdesignerdepot.com/assets/posts/featured/web_writing.jpg"></a></div> <p>Writing for the web is different from all other formats. We typically do not read to any real depth on the web; we scan-read.</p> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="under"> <span class="categories">Categories: </span><span><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/category/design/" rel="category tag">Designing</a>, <a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Others</a></span> <span class="tags">Tags: </span><span></span> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="post-6863738"> <h2><a class="title" href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/16/a-wordpress-agency-advises-on-seo-migrations/" rel="bookmark">A WordPress Agency Advises On SEO Migrations</a></h2> <div class="info"> <span class="date">April 16th, 2024</span> <span class="author"></span> <span class="comments"><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/16/a-wordpress-agency-advises-on-seo-migrations/#respond">No comments</a></span> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="content"> <div class="ftpimagefix" style="float:left"><a target="_blank" href="0" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/pexels-kindel-media-7688336-1024x768.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></a></div> <div></div> <p class="opener">When you’ve invested a lot of time and resources in a new website design, the last thing you want to happen is to start optimizing the restructured site from scratch. In fact, nothing negates the enthusiasm of a new platform migration more than the danger of tanking SERPs rankings. </p> <p>Most times, site owners are reluctant to migrate their already established websites. However, in case there is no workaround solution, each step needs to be well-thought and measured.  Without proper planning and execution, the transition can lead to significant losses in organic traffic, revenue, and market share. </p> <p>SEO migrations imply serious changes and you need a really, <em>really </em>good reason to bite the bullet. It is usually inevitable if you decide to change your business name, offerings, server, CMS platform, add a mobile version, or add a security certificate.</p> <p>Common pitfalls include failing to create a migration plan, overlooking information architecture, and implementing sloppy 301 redirects. Content pruning, mobile responsiveness issues, slow page load times, and crawlability bugs are also common challenges. It’s crucial to set up analytics and tracking, prioritize XML sitemaps, and ensure that non-indexable content remains out of search engine indices. Post-migration monitoring is essential to spot and address issues promptly. By proactively addressing these risks, businesses can navigate website migrations successfully and maintain their SEO performance.</p> <p>In this article, we will discuss the implications of site migration on SEO and illuminate the strategic steps that businesses can take, under the expert counsel of the WordPress agency <a target="_blank" href="http://devrix.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-wpel-link="external">DevriX</a>, to ensure a seamless transition that not only preserves but enhances their digital visibility. </p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Site Migrations vs. SEO Migrations</h2> <p>Just so we are clear, these terms are not the same thing although often used interchangeably.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Site Migrations</h3> <p>Different types of site migration include domain migration, where the website’s domain name changes, design migration, involving visual updates while retaining content and URLs, platform migration, moving to a different CMS or e-commerce platform, URL structure migration, altering URL organization, content migration, transferring and updating site content, and server migration, shifting to a new hosting environment for better performance or security. Each type serves specific purposes, from rebranding efforts to technical optimizations, requiring careful planning and execution to ensure a smooth transition without compromising user experience or SEO.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">SEO Migrations</h3> <p>SEO migrations are a core aspect of website migration, encompassing critical adjustments to maintain or enhance search engine visibility, traffic, and rankings. This process involves meticulously managing various elements such as URL structures, redirects, content optimization, and technical configurations to ensure seamless transitions while preserving or improving SEO performance.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How Does A Site Migration Affect SEO?</h2> <p>Embarking on a site migration is akin to orchestrating a complex symphony where every note, or in this case, every aspect, must be meticulously aligned to maintain the harmony of SEO. Understanding the <a target="_blank" href="https://searchengineland.com/site-migration-seo-checklist-dont-lose-traffic-286880" data-wpel-link="external" rel="noopener">impact of SEO migrations on a site’s rankings</a> is paramount for businesses looking to evolve their online presence. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">URL Changes and Link Structure</h3> <p>Changing URLs during a migration can disrupt the existing link structure. Links, both internal and external, contribute to a website’s authority. Implementing 301 redirects is crucial to seamlessly guide users and search engines from the old URLs to their new counterparts, preserving link equity.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Content Structure and Keywords</h3> <p>A shift in content structure can affect keyword relevance and page authority. Careful content mapping ensures that existing SEO value is retained and aligns with the new site architecture. This involves mapping old content to its equivalent or optimized version in the new structure and maintaining keyword relevance.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Technical Aspects and User Experience</h3> <p>Technical considerations, such as site speed, mobile responsiveness, and schema markup, play a pivotal role in SEO. A well-optimized website not only enhances user experience but also aligns with search engine algorithms. Prioritizing technical optimization ensures a smooth migration that positively impacts SEO.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Indexing Challenges</h3> <p>Mismanaged migrations can lead to indexing issues, where search engines struggle to crawl and index the new site. Proper handling of sitemaps, ensuring all relevant pages are included, and addressing potential crawl errors promptly are imperative to maintain visibility in search results.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Monitoring and Analysis</h3> <p>Post-migration, diligent monitoring is essential. Analyzing performance metrics, search engine rankings, and user behavior provides insights for ongoing optimization. Identifying anomalies and addressing them promptly safeguards the SEO health of the migrated site.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">14 Steps for Successful SEO Migration</h2> <p>In case you didn’t already get the hint, site migrations are very clever traps. Navigating this intricate process demands a strategic approach and the expertise of a seasoned web developer to ensure a smooth transition. Let’s explore the essential steps for a successful SEO migration, where every move is calibrated to preserve and enhance digital visibility.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">1. Thorough Site Audit</h3> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="486" height="1024" src="https://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-6-486x1024.png" alt="" class="wp-image-321421"></figure> <p>Start site migrations with a comprehensive site audit. Understand the current SEO landscape, identifying strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. This audit serves as the foundation for crafting a tailored migration strategy aligned with business goals.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">2. Strategic URL Mapping</h3> <p>URL changes are inherent in most migrations and require meticulous planning. Develop a strategic URL mapping plan, ensuring that redirects (especially 301 redirects) are implemented for old URLs to guide users and search engines smoothly to their new destinations. This step is critical for preserving link equity and maintaining SEO continuity.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">3. Content Mapping and Optimization</h3> <p>Content is the lifeblood of SEO and is crucial for successful SEO migrations. Map existing content to the new site structure, optimizing for relevant keywords. Align meta tags, headers, and other on-page elements with SEO best practices. Ensure that the migration enhances content relevance and aligns seamlessly with the new architecture.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">4. Technical Optimization</h3> <p>Address technical aspects to bolster SEO. Prioritize site speed, ensure swift loading times, and optimize for mobile responsiveness. Implement schema markup to enhance rich snippets in search results. Technical optimization contributes not only to SEO but also to overall user experience, a key factor in search engine algorithms.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">5. Implement 301 Redirects</h3> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.noupe.com/a6a6f0e3-7008-4376-b09b-e214e1ed1a7b" alt=""></figure> <p>Implementing 301 (permanent) redirects is fundamental to SEO migration success. This step ensures that old URLs are seamlessly redirected to their new counterparts, preserving both user experience and link equity. It’s a critical strategy to communicate the structural changes to search engines effectively.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">6. Update XML Sitemaps</h3> <p>Update and submit XML sitemaps to search engines, guiding their crawling and indexing processes. This step helps search engines understand the new site structure and ensures that all relevant pages are indexed. Regularly monitor crawl errors and address them promptly.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">7. Create A Custom 404 Error Page</h3> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="713" src="https://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-8-1024x713.png" alt="" class="wp-image-321441"></figure> <p>When carrying out an SEO migration, the emergence of broken links and error pages is inevitable often due to URL changes. As a WordPress developer, understanding the root cause of these errors and coming up with a clever error page design is crucial for seamless website functionality and good user experience. To effectively resolve this issue, consider utilizing the .htaccess file. Also, make sure you customize the design so that it helps visitors navigate to the Home page or other relevant sections of your website to locate the desired content. Look at it as a branding opportunity – it will not only suppress the turnover rate and the disappointment of an empty page, but it will also build trust in your brand as it shows “You have it under control”. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">8. Crawl the Staging Site</h3> <p>It’s crucial to thoroughly crawl the staging site before launch to identify and address any potential issues such as broken links or missing metadata. Employing tools like JetOctopus or Screaming Frog is recommended for this task, especially when dealing with password-protected or no-index-tagged staging sites. It’s essential to ensure that the staging site accurately mirrors the final version of the website to prevent any unexpected challenges or discrepancies after the launch. This proactive approach helps streamline the transition process and minimize the likelihood of post-launch surprises.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">9. Monitor Post-Migration Metrics</h3> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://searchengineland.com/seo-pitfalls-website-platform-migration-434215" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">Post-migration</a>, closely monitor essential metrics, including organic traffic, keyword rankings, and user engagement. Analyzing these metrics provides insights into the impact of the migration on SEO performance. Swiftly address any anomalies to maintain a healthy SEO profile.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">10. Backlink Preservation</h3> <p>Identify websites linking to the old URLs and reach out to them. Request updates to ensure that backlinks redirect to the new site, preserving link authority. Backlinks are crucial for SEO, and their preservation contributes to maintaining and enhancing search engine rankings.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">11. Engage with Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools</h3> <p>Leverage tools like Google Search Console and other webmaster tools to monitor how search engines perceive the migration. Address any issues highlighted in these platforms promptly. Regular engagement with these tools provides valuable insights into ongoing SEO performance.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">12. User Communication</h3> <p>Transparent communication with users is essential. Inform them of the migration through on-site announcements and social media. Managing user expectations helps mitigate any temporary disruptions and builds trust. Users who are aware of the changes are more likely to adapt positively. Also, don’t forget to update your Google My Business, Bing Places and any directory listings you have online. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">13. Post-Migration SEO Analysis</h3> <p>Conduct a detailed analysis of SEO performance post-migration. Evaluate the impact on search engine rankings, organic traffic, and user engagement. Carry out SEO forecasting to identify areas for further optimization and fine-tune strategies based on the analysis.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1024" height="613" src="https://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/image-9-1024x613.png" alt="" class="wp-image-321451"></figure> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">14. Ongoing SEO Maintenance</h3> <p>SEO is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Continue to monitor and adapt SEO strategies as the digital landscape evolves. Regularly update content, address technical issues promptly, and stay informed about industry trends and algorithm changes.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Wrapping Up</h2> <p>Each step in site SEO migrations, from strategic URL mapping to ongoing SEO maintenance, shapes the success of your newly launched website. The symphony of technology and strategy ensures not only a seamless transition but also an optimized online presence. Remember, migrating a website is not an easy decision, and if you lack the expertise to DIY it, partner up with a web developer to ensure success.</p> <p><em>Featured image by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/people-in-the-office-discussing-a-project-7688336/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" class="broken_link" data-wpel-link="external">Kindel Media</a></em></p> <p>The post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.noupe.com/wordpress/a-wordpress-agency-advises-on-seo-migrations.html" data-wpel-link="internal" rel="noopener">A WordPress Agency Advises On SEO Migrations</a> appeared first on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.noupe.com/" data-wpel-link="internal" rel="noopener">noupe</a>.</p> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="under"> <span class="categories">Categories: </span><span><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Others</a></span> <span class="tags">Tags: </span><span></span> </div> </div> <div class="post" id="post-6863739"> <h2><a class="title" href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/16/harnessing-the-power-of-pay-per-call-in-local-marketing-campaigns/" rel="bookmark">Harnessing the Power of Pay-Per-Call in Local Marketing Campaigns</a></h2> <div class="info"> <span class="date">April 16th, 2024</span> <span class="author"></span> <span class="comments"><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/2024/04/16/harnessing-the-power-of-pay-per-call-in-local-marketing-campaigns/#respond">No comments</a></span> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="content"> <div class="ftpimagefix" style="float:left"><a target="_blank" href="0" rel="noopener"><img decoding="async" src="https://www.noupe.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2149288225-1024x683.jpg" class="attachment-large size-large wp-post-image" alt="" loading="lazy"></a></div> <div></div> <p class="opener">As the number of smartphone users rises and our phones become indispensable for connecting with people and businesses, pay-per-call marketing emerges as the most pertinent and cutting-edge digital marketing model to ensure your brand presence.</p> <p>In our blog post, we’ll discuss the benefits of pay-per-call advertising and the importance of call tracking for running successful pay-per-call campaigns for local businesses.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Is Pay-Per-Call?</h2> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://phonexa.com/blog/pay-per-call-marketing-guide/" rel="noreferrer noopener" data-wpel-link="external">Pay-per-call marketing</a> is akin to striking gold in digital marketing. Simply put, businesses only pay when the inbound calls from potential customers actively seek their services after spotting an ad or listing. This approach differs from traditional marketing channels, where businesses usually fork out much on impressions, conversions, or placements.</p> <p>Wonder how businesses track call leads? That’s when <a target="_blank" href="https://leadflowexperts.com/call-tracking-software/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">software for call tracking</a> comes into play. Digital marketing is getting more and more challenging, so every small business and enterprise needs the right tracking and lead distribution solutions to get ahead of the competition and keep tabs on their marketing performance.</p> <p>Pay-per-call capitalizes on our plugged-in world, where practically every grown-up owns a smartphone and leans toward calling service providers when in need. In fact, 59% of people prefer reaching out via phone, and 57% of customers prefer to talk with a real person.</p> <p>Pay-per-call marketing is a surefire way to drive and convert more leads, especially in scenarios where customers crave human interaction over the phone. Take, for instance, emergencies demanding a swift contractor hire or the quest for thorough health insurance advice; in such cases, a direct phone conversation has more value than an email conversation or online form submission.</p> <p>These junctures present a golden chance for service providers to flex their customer service muscles and ace the art of converting calls into prospective customers, as these callers are already poised for action—you just need to seal the deal.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What Are The Benefits of Pay-Per-Call Marketing?</h2> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Driving High-Quality Leads</h3> <p>In the realm of digital marketing, pay-per-call stands out due to its knack for driving top-notch leads. For example, when potential customers initiate a call to a certain business directly, it means that they have a high level of interest and engagement. Unlike in any other advertising campaign, pay-per-call leads have already shown intent by picking up the receiver, making them more inclined to convert into prospective customers. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">High Conversion Rate</h3> <p>Furthermore, pay-per-call advertising boasts a superior lead conversion rate compared to other digital marketing avenues. By engaging directly with customers over the phone, businesses can address their specific needs and queries in real-time. This personal touch nurtures customer trust and credibility. In addition, it heightens the chances of conversion. Moreover, phone conversations provide businesses with a chance to pitch additional products or services and increase sales. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Targeting Local Customers Effectively</h3> <p>Another feather in the cap for pay-per-call advertising is its superiority in targeting local customers. Many businesses, particularly local service providers or brick-and-mortar shops, rely on attracting their target audience within a specific geographical area. Pay-per-call advertising helps businesses to focus on customers based on their location. Consequently, incoming calls hail from individuals who are more likely to become local “fans.” This localized approach turbocharges the efficiency of a local marketing campaign and aids businesses in increasing a robust presence in their locale. At the same time, you can convert local audiences into your customers if you <a target="_blank" href="https://viralqr.com/dynamic-qr-code-generator/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">generate dynamic QR code</a> that includes all relevant information about your business like the phone number to distribute near your local area. This way, interested people could learn more about the business and become paying customers.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Valuable Insights in Business Performance </h3> <p>Moreover, in digital marketing, pay-per-call advertising delivers a treasure trove of valuable information and data for businesses to dissect and refine their digital marketing strategies. Thanks to call tracking and recording technology, businesses can gain deeper insights into their customers’ preferences, pain points, consumer behavior, and shopping habits. Thus, armed with this call analytics, businesses can fine-tune customer acquisition strategies, enhance customer service, and optimize overall business performance marketing. By leveraging this intel, businesses can make data-driven decisions that bring more sales opportunities (a higher return on investment rate).</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Industries Benefiting from Pay-Per-Call in Local Marketing</h2> <p>Pay-per-call marketing does wonders for businesses dealing in services where a personal touch matters. It’s particularly effective for those with longer sales cycles as the advertising model provides a means to track and attribute leads, unlike other marketing channels.</p> <p>Moreover, PPCall offers a level of transparency, unlike many other marketing methods. It makes the pay-per-call model a magnet for companies seeking quality pay leads and ready to enhance their sales while delivering outstanding customer service.</p> <p>In essence, to measure whether your company can reap the rewards of pay-per-call marketing, you’ll need to crunch the numbers: analyze your average cost per job, evaluate the average cost per lead from a pay-per-call network, and realistically assess your ability to convert calls into bookings or purchases.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Some Industries Making Strides With Pay-Per-Call</h3> <ul> <li> <strong>Healthcare:</strong> dentistry, chiropractic, physical therapy, optometry, podiatry</li> <li> <strong>Home services:</strong> electricians, plumbers, HVAC, water damage restoration, mold removal, roofing, pest control, appliance repair</li> <li> <strong>Automotive:</strong> auto body shops, auto glass repair, towing services</li> <li> <strong>Legal & professional services:</strong> lawyers, accountants, credit repair, tax specialists, wealth managers</li> </ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Drawbacks of Pay-Per-Call Lead Conversion</h2> <figure class="wp-block-table"> <table> <tbody> <tr> <td>Restricted audience targeting</td> <td>Pay-per-call marketing may have a narrower reach compared to online advertising since it relies on potential customers initiating phone calls.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Call quality and scam</td> <td>Advertisers might encounter difficulties related to call quality and fraudulent calls, which could hinder the effectiveness of the campaign.</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Increased lead expenses</td> <td>Although Pay-per-call marketing can provide value, the costs of digital leads may rise in comparison to other advertising methods, especially in situations with low call volumes.</td> </tr> </tbody> </table> </figure> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How to Utilize Pay-Per-Call Marketing in Local Campaigns</h2> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Optimize Landing Pages</h3> <p>The initial step for businesses is to enhance their landing pages, transforming them into effective lead generators. This involves optimizing for mobile accessibility and user experience. If you utilize responsive designs tailored for seamless interaction, it will facilitate easy navigation on the brand’s landing page. In addition, it’ll provide access to essential information such as phone numbers or click-to-call options. </p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Implement Efficient Call Tracking</h3> <p>After a pay-per-call marketing campaign is devised and set out, it’s time to choose and employ call-tracking software. The latter captures data related to both incoming and outgoing phone calls (audio recordings, <a target="_blank" href="https://mallumusic.info/how-does-call-tracking-work/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">call locations</a>, etc). Why is it important? Local businesses and marketers tap into call tracking to refine customer service, gain valuable business insights, and optimize various operational processes.</p> <p>Wonder how it works? Call-tracking software operates seamlessly in the cloud. When a customer makes a call routed through a VoIP service or similar cloud-based platform, it generates a log of the interaction. Then, being digital in nature, call-tracking software enables businesses to link <a target="_blank" href="https://bmmagazine.co.uk/business/how-call-tracking-and-ivr-functionality-may-be-helpful-for-your-business/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">customer journeys to individual phone</a> numbers. It reveals their primary digital marketing channels. Thus, callers can reach companies through customizable webpage buttons, smartphones, or traditional landlines.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other Benefits Of Call-Tracking Software </h3> <ul> <li>Increased sales and conversions</li> <li>Optimized advertising expenses </li> <li>Enhanced customer insights </li> <li>Refined customer service</li> </ul> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Tap Into Pay-Per-Call Marketing To Drive Business Growth</h2> <p>In the end, the success of pay-per-call marketing relies on you as a business owner, the skills of your team, and the efficiency of your call center, if applicable.</p> <p>By embracing this swiftly expanding marketing tactic, you can capitalize on the opportunity for steady, enduring revenue streams. Therefore, don’t overlook this hidden gem in marketing—embrace pay-per-call and witness a surge in your return on investment.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/close-up-person-working-call-center_22896194.htm#fromView=search&page=1&position=3&uuid=aa32570c-4b7d-4c7c-b3a6-0fec61562a05" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" data-wpel-link="external">Featured Image by freepik</a></p> <p>The post <a target="_blank" href="https://www.noupe.com/business-online/harnessing-the-power-of-pay-per-call-in-local-marketing-campaigns.html" data-wpel-link="internal" rel="noopener">Harnessing the Power of Pay-Per-Call in Local Marketing Campaigns</a> appeared first on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.noupe.com/" data-wpel-link="internal" rel="noopener">noupe</a>.</p> <div class="fixed"></div> </div> <div class="under"> <span class="categories">Categories: </span><span><a href="http://www.webmastersgallery.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category 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