One of the first questions we hear from new customers is: what the heck is web hosting, and why do I have to pay for it? Think of a website as an apartment. You own anything that goes inside your apartment, but you still have to pay rent to live there. In order for your website to appear online, you have to rent out the space. That's where a web
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How to Create Compelling CTAs (Calls-to-Action)
Here's a million-dollar question: how do you get people to do what you want them to? It isn't enough to just dump words out into the universe and hope that does something. Whether you're putting together a website, sending out an email, posting on social media or drafting up a blog, you want to drive people toward a specific action. What that
Why Your Website is Scaring People
Gather round, I have a terrifying tale. And every last word is true. There was once a website...a seemingly normal website. But underneath the surface, dark forces were at work. Visitors would come, but they wouldn't stay. The contact form was so unused it gathered dust. No one could find it on Google. Business began to die. Sound familiar? If
How Do I Market When My Business is Boring?
Let's face it: we can't all be the cool kids. You know the type: those renegade, cutting-edge startups that shake the status quo. Some of us have to be the doers - the invisible forces that keep the world turning. Sometimes our product isn't sexy and our services are, well, kind of boring. At least when it comes to social media, blogs and website
5 Ways to Rock the Holiday Season
You can't deny it any longer: it's now officially Pumpkin Spice season. The plastic bats are coming out of hibernation, skeletons are gracing storefront windows and you can't walk three feet without seeing orange. Now's the time to dust off your strategy and start gearing up for Holiday 2016. Even if you're not selling a tangible product, you can
How to Use Email Marketing Automation, Without Turning Your Subscribers Off
Do you want more time in your day? Of course you do. While you're busy juggling all your obligations, it's easy to overlook marketing. Email marketing is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to connect with your audience...but who has the time? That's where email marketing automation comes in. Set it once, then walk away.You don't have time
How to Create Gorgeous Social Media Pictures in Seconds
We've said it before and we'll say it again: images are the bread and butter of social media. On Facebook, posts with pictures on average see 37% more engagement than text posts alone. Instagram and Pinterest are almost exclusively photo content, with very little text. To compete with the big boys, your social profiles need high-quality images. But
Snapchat VS. Instagram Stories: What’s the Difference?
Instagram Stories is the shiniest new toy, and everyone is talking about it. Launched last month, Instagram Stories lets users share snapshots that disappear after 10 seconds. Sounds familiar. Facebook, Instagram's parent company, clearly launched Instagram Stories as a response to the wildly popular Snapchat. And now every small business owner is
8 Online Tools Every Business Needs
We spend so much time chasing after the shiniest new toy that it's easy to get sidetracked from the basics. Today we're tacking it back, slowing it down and giving you a play-by-play of the 8 tools your business needs online and how we can help you get there. Every business is different, but when it comes to online marketing there are 8 tools every
Which Social Network Is Right For My Business? [Quiz]
Are you ready to take your business social? With all the choices out there, it's hard to know which social media network to start with. Cut through the chatter with the quiz below and find which network you should start with. Don't see the quiz? Click here. The Top 5 Social Networks:Facebook is the largest social network for a good reason. This
5 Social Media Tips for the Trades
Show of hands: who set up their social media, posted a couple of times and then never returned?Don't worry - we get it. You're trying to run your business. And you may be thinking: "What do I even talk about?" It's easy to look to big brands with their flashy videos and professional photos and get discouraged. But here's the thing: you
WordPress Alert: Will The New Update Break Your Site?
This Tuesday, WordPress unveiled their latest update - WordPress 4.6 Pepper. The update comes with some slick new features (more on those later) but also a warning - make sure you install it correctly, otherwise your site will be kaput. Do I Need to Do Anything?Well, that depends:✓ I Host With BizzyWebIf you host with BizzyWeb, we automatically
10 Commandments for Millennial Marketing
A few weeks ago, we told you how to appeal to Gen Xers. Continuing on our generational journey, here's a bit of insight into millennials. This list from Rustin Nethercott of Constant Contact shows the 10 commandments of millennial marketing. Read the full article and nab an infographic here.1. Mobilize Your EffortsIt’s safe to say that mobile
Schrödinger’s SEO: Search Engine Optimization is Both Dead and Alive
Schrödinger's cat is a quantum mechanics paradox in which a cat trapped in a box with a bottle of poison may be simultaneously both dead and alive. Schrödinger's SEO is a paradox in which Search Engine Optimization is dead or alive, depending on whichever headline makes more waves. Everyone has an opinion on SEO: it's dead and over, it's alive and
60 Ways To Grow Your List in 60 Seconds [VIDEO]
Earlier this week, Dave shared 60 tips for growing your email list. It's a fantastic resource (if we do say so ourselves) but there's only one problem...it's a little long. We decided to give it another try, without any pesky things like "slide transitions" or "pausing to breath" eating up precious time. We try to be efficient. We had to tap into a
6 Dos and Don’ts of Marketing to Generation X
Poor Generation X. Wedged between the Baby Boomers and Millennials, Generation X frequently gets swept to the side. Which is a shame, because Gen Xers are the managers and entrepreneurs. In other words? They're the decision-makers.These folks, aged 35-51, have a monumental influence on the market that isn't being tapped into. Millennials are the
The Ultimate Social Media Image Size Guide [Infographic]
A picture is worth a thousand retweets. When Facebook and Twitter first launched, they were text-only and word-heavy. Now, virtually every social network has become more and more streamlined and picture-friendly. Pictures dominate social networks and consistently see more engagement.We’ll say it straight out: if your images aren’t optimized for
How To Secure Your Website Like a Fortress [Checklist]
Let's imagine for a second that your website is a real, physical object. You're holding it in your hands, doing whatever it is you'd do with a tangible website, when in the distance you see an attacker running at you full speed with a mace. Now, which would you rather having standing between you, your website and the incoming, mace-wielding
The Top 3 Takeaways From Facebook’s New Friends>Business Algorithm
They're at it again. Just when you think you've started to understand how the Facebook algorithm works, they go and change it. This Wednesday Facebook announced that they were shaking up the News Feed once again – and this time, business pages are taking a hit.The new algorithm will be prioritizing users friends' content above any business, news or
Same BizzyWeb, New Look
It’s official: we’ve got a new look. If you’ve been following us on Facebook and Twitter, you probably noticed we were up to something. Well, the honey-brick road has led us here.We’ve been working our butts off behind the scenes to get this new site live, and we couldn’t be happier! We talk the talk, but it’s time for us to walk the walk. Our new
Dave Meyer Wins 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year Award
Dave Meyer has won the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce. The award recognizes those who take the risk of starting and running business enterprises. Candidates were judged on business strategies, financial success and community involvement. Dave was honored to receive the award, and had this to say during the
3 Simple Design Tips that Will Double Your Customer Base
By Jessica Moretter, Creative Director, BizzyWeb There are always a series of questions that I have when I approach a web design project. They are pretty typical among all web designers and no matter who you work with they will (or they should) ask you at the very least these two questions: What do you want to accomplish with your website, or
4 Ways to Segment Your Email List
What does your email list look like? No, not how many emails you have. How is it organized? Is it organized? Too many companies overlook list segmentation, when it's one of the most important features of email marketing. By breaking out your list, you can send targeted emails to the people most likely to act. That's powerful.Azure Collier
Creative Email Call-to-Action Ideas That Really Drive Action [Infographic]
If you send out regular emails to your customers, you know the frustration of crafting the perfect email and seeing those open rates shoot up...but the click through rates stay at rock-bottom. Once your readers open your email, they don't click on anything. Why is that?The answer is frustratingly simple: you're not giving them something they want
4 Strategies for Facebook Live
Only one month after launching, Facebook Live has already cemented itself as more than just "the next big thing." It's clear that video streaming is here to stay, and is only going to continue to furiously grow in the months moving forward. Why do you need to take note? Facebook Live is a powerful way to share your brand's personality and story.
Dave Meyer is a 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year Award Finalist
Our very own Dave Meyer is in the running for the Entrepreneur of theYear Award from the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce:This award gives much deserved credit to those who take the risk of starting and running business enterprises. Candidates for this award are judged on business strategies, financial success and community involvement. The
Why You’re Losing Website Traffic (Without Even Realizing It)
When it comes to web browsing, Tom Cruise said it best: "I feel the need...the need for speed." Visitors don't like to be kept waiting. It takes as little as a second of delay for users to navigate away. If your website doesn't load quickly, you could be losing visitors. So how do you know if your website is loading slowly and driving visitors
6 Things You Can Learn from Your Email Analytics
By Miranda Paquet, Constant Contact Making sense of your email analytics can be tricky at first.How do you know which numbers to focus on? What do all those numbers really mean anyway? Is this really worth your time?To approach your email reports with confidence, you have to understand what information you have available and how to use that
10 Words You Should Never Use in Email [Infographic]
Are you addicted to exclamation points?! Perpetually signing-off with "thanks?" Sorry, but interjecting an apology into each sentence? You may be coming off as rude in your emails. A vague phrase or easily-misinterpreted word is the difference between a successful email campaign and a flop. This infographic from Outsource-Philippines outlines 10
7 Ideas for Your First Autoresponder Series
Every day, you've got a thousand things demanding your attention. Can you really afford to spend time emailing out each one of your leads? Autoresponder emails are a sleek, automated way to follow up with new contacts. The best part? With Constant Contact, they take only minutes to set up.Miranda Paquet of Constant Contact has 7 simple ideas for
BizzyWeb Receives 2015 Constant Contact All Star Award
BizzyWeb has been named a 2015 All Star Award winner by Constant Contact®, Inc., the trusted marketing advisor to hundreds of thousands of small organizations worldwide. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10% of Constant Contact’s customer base, based on their significant achievements leveraging online marketing tools to engage their
Let It Go: Removing Products From Your Website
Let it go, let it go Can't sell this thing anymoreSometimes, your business needs to tap into your inner Elsa. If a product has stayed its welcome, it's time to let it go. With e-commerce sites, we spend so much time adding products that the idea of removing one is horrifying. So when you have to cut a product, a grand solo on top of a mountain is
[Infographic] The Email Obstacle Course: What Happens Between Send and Receive
We've all lost a couple emails to the nebulous void of cyberspace. Why is that? At what point between "sent" and "received" does an email just...vanish?This infographic via Constant Contact breaks down the life cycle of an email to get to the bottom of disappearing emails: * * *Rethinking your email strategy? Check out our Buzz Builders online
Improve Your Open Rates with These 12 Subject Line Tweaks
You have two seconds to capture your audience. Go.A great subject line and an ok subject line is the difference between a click and an instant trip to the trash bin. This week, Dave will be showing you how to make your subject lines stand out. Looking for a quick fix? Miranda Paquet of Constant Contact has some tips for tweaking your subject lines.
4 Facebook Tips for Nonprofits
You know your cause. You know your supporters. But how to reach them? Facebook is an authentic and simple way to connect directly with your audience. This February, Facebook launched a brand-new site aimed at nonprofits. We've rounded up the top 4 tips from Facebook to take your nonprofit's page to the next level.1. Optimize Your PageIf your
How to Make Your Website and Email Work Together
It's no secret that we're a little obsessed with Constant Contact. Alright, maybe more than a little obsessed. Can you really blame us? Constant Contact makes it easy to streamline your online marketing with emails, promotions, events, surveys and more. One other important feature of Constant Contact: you can sync it with your website. Today, we're