Timothy Carter - Sales & Digital Marketing Consultant

June 14, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at June 14, 2022

Is Pivoting Worth the Effort?

The idea behind the startup “pivot” is captivating. It certainly makes for a great story — especially if the pivoting startup eventually finds success. But pivoting isn’t a magic switch that can suddenly turn a failing business around. In fact, pivoting can backfire, putting you in an even worse position than when you started. If you find your startup in […]

June 10, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at June 10, 2022

The Communication Pain Points for Remote Teams (and How to Solve Them)

Working remotely offers an incredible assortment of advantages to businesses willing to adapt. Instantly, your workers will skip the commute, reducing stress and freeing up time. They’ll have more flexibility and more control over their work environments, thereby increasing morale and productivity. And of course, without a central office, the business itself will save a ton of money. Here are the […]

June 7, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at June 7, 2022

What Makes a Startup Resilient?

In the startup world, resilience is vital for success. As an entrepreneur, you’re going to face countless challenges, both internally and externally, that threaten your longevity and profitability. The best, most successful businesses aren’t the ones that are able to prevent or eliminate these challenges, since such a feat is practically impossible; instead, they’re the businesses that can survive through […]

June 6, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at June 6, 2022

What Every Entrepreneur Should Do Before Launching a Startup

Launching a startup is always exciting. This is your opportunity to accumulate wealth, make a name for yourself, innovate in some unique way, and possibly leave behind a legacy. But too many entrepreneurs end up failing because they were inadequately prepared. Before you even consider launching a startup, there are many preparatory steps you’ll need to take. Set the Right […]

June 5, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at June 5, 2022

How Startup Founders Should Practice Creative Brainstorming

Creativity is an underrated skill in the world of entrepreneurship, in part because it’s hard to exercise deliberately. We think of the biggest breakthrough ideas as being the byproduct of a coincidental flash of inspiration — not the final product of a focused creative brainstorming session. There’s an important takeaway from this idea. You can’t force creativity—at least not directly, […]

May 27, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at May 27, 2022

How to Optimize a Startup for Remote Work

Increasingly, startups are adopting a fully remote work model. With no headquarters, no central office, and no physical location for operations, startups rely entirely on digital forms of production and communication. Here is how to optimize a startup for remote work. It’s a viable model and potentially a very profitable, efficient, and fulfilling one for everyone involved. But if you […]

May 19, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at May 19, 2022

Getting Your First Rank One Position in Google: Everything You Need to Know

Are you completely new to the world of search engine optimization (SEO)? Or, are you an old pro launching a new campaign? If so, you’re going to be excited about the prospects of ranking first in Google for a given keyword or phrase. It’s an important foundational achievement to set the stage for the rest of your strategic development. And, it has the potential to send significant organic […]

May 15, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at May 15, 2022

How to Use Pop-Up Ads Without Annoying Your Visitors

Business owners from all backgrounds and all industries are interested in getting more conversions on their website. For some businesses, that means collecting email addresses to build a subscriber list. For others, that means closing more sales. Whatever your intentions, you might be able to boost your conversion rate with the help of pop-up ads. But as we all know, […]

May 9, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at May 9, 2022

Is the SEO Industry Dying?

From the time of its inception, search engine optimization has faced criticism and pessimism. But lately, the voices implying that SEO is on its last legs, or that the trend is finally fizzling out, have gotten stronger. People both inside and outside of the SEO community are making bold predictions that inside of this decade, the entire industry could collapse. Is […]

April 26, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at April 26, 2022

How Do Location Landing Pages Work in SEO?

Landing pages are a common staple in most digital marketing strategies. Even if you’re not heavily invested in marketing and advertising, you might have different pages of your website designed for different target audiences. Creating different landing pages allows you to customize your content for very specific types of people, ultimately increasing your chances of getting a conversion or at […]

April 11, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at April 11, 2022

What Is a Money Page, and How Do You Optimize One?

You probably already know that not all pages of your website are created equal. Some of them are simply more important than others and some of them are simply more valuable than others. The most valuable pages of your website are going to be called your “money pages.” But how exactly do you find a money page, and what steps […]

April 10, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at April 10, 2022

Written Content Is Dying. Or Is It?

You’re currently reading a written article. But how many written articles have you read in the past week? How does that compare with the other forms of content you’ve consumed, such as videos you’ve watched, podcasts you’ve heard, and even social media conversations you’ve been apart of? If you like most American consumers, you’ve found yourself gradually shifting toward other […]

March 28, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at March 28, 2022

Why You’re Using Drip Emails All Wrong (and What to Do Instead)

Drip email campaigns have a lot of potential. In case you aren’t familiar, drip email campaigns are designed to automate the process of sending multiple successive emails to members of your target audience. Over time, you can significantly increase interaction rates and conversion rates this way; as a consumer gets more emails from a given brand, they become more familiar with the brand, and they’re […]

March 25, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at March 25, 2022

How to Squeeze More Value Out of Your Best Content

Content is a keystone of most modern digital marketing strategies. For some, it’s a direct way to build an audience and improve a brand reputation. For others, it’s a tool to boost search engine rankings and organic visibility. However you choose to use content, there are two pivotal ingredients for your success. First, you have to study which pieces of content are most effective, […]

February 28, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 28, 2022

Is It Possible to Have Too Much Web Traffic?

After starting an online business and launching a website, digital entrepreneurs typically have one, all-encompassing goal: Increase web traffic as much as possible as quickly as possible. For the most part, this motivation makes perfect sense. Getting more people to your website means you’ll have more people becoming familiar with your brand and a path to growing your visibility and reputation. Assuming your conversion rate remains the […]

February 24, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 24, 2022

Should Your Business Spend Thousands of Dollars on a Strong Domain Name?

Let’s face it. Domain names are getting expensive. If you’re lucky, and you’re trying to get a domain name that’s long, strange or not hotly contested, you can probably pick up the name for just a few bucks. But if you want something short, attractive and marketable, you could end up shelling out several thousand dollars — or even millions for the most lucrative […]

February 17, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 17, 2022

Being a Better Marketer Is All About Embracing Failure

We’re all looking for ways to become better marketers, in one way or another. Sometimes, we take new classes or attend seminars that allow us to acquire new skills. Other times, we do online research and talk to peers in groups to learn more about a subject that was previously unfamiliar. But some of the best and most transformative changes […]

February 11, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 11, 2022

Could SEO Permanently Ruin Your Website?

Despite the long history of the strategy and the ample availability of tutorials and guides on the subject, there’s still a lot of confusion and a lot of irrational fear around search engine optimization (SEO). It’s true that your site can be penalized if you practice SEO with the wrong tactics or if you intentionally try to manipulate your rankings […]

February 7, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 7, 2022

How to Shake Up a Stale Link Building Strategy

Link building is an indispensable part of search engine optimization (SEO) in the modern era. In case you aren’t familiar, link building is the practice of establishing links pointing to your domain on external websites, usually publishers. Each link you build to your domain is going to pass some “authority” to that domain. Over time, you’ll end up with a […]

February 1, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at February 1, 2022

Why So Many Entrepreneurs Don’t Know Their Digital Marketing ROI

Let’s place a bet. Currently, 55 percent of small business owners are planning on investing more in their digital marketing strategies. It’s unclear what percentage of businesses owners are already investing in digital marketing, since this is a broad concept that’s difficult to precisely define. But let’s assume at least three-quarters of existing businesses are spending money on digital marketing in some […]

January 29, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at January 29, 2022

When is it Right to Fire Your Marketing Agency?

Businesses typically hire a marketing agency when they need help. Their internal marketing efforts aren’t working, or they don’t have the resources or capacity to handle marketing by themselves. In any case, this arrangement is a show of trust — clients trust their agencies to handle their marketing in a streamlined, effective and profit-generating way. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. […]

January 25, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at January 25, 2022

Digital Marketing is Crowded, So How Can Your Agency Dominate?

Digital marketing has been a lucrative industry for the past couple of decades. Just about every business you can think of needs to have an online presence. Every online presence needs to be supported with a collection of marketing, advertising and PR strategies. Perhaps you were ahead of the curve or you have an incredibly talented team. If so, you’ve no doubt made […]

January 18, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at January 18, 2022

Why Nobody is Reading Your Company Blog

It’s common for entrepreneurs, marketers and other business personalities to espouse the benefits of content marketing. They tell you to put together a great blog, optimize for some SEO keywords and build some links. Over time, they say, you’ll attract more people to your website thanks to a combination of more loyal customers, increases in your organic rankings in SERPs and […]

January 12, 2022

Published by Timothy Carter at January 12, 2022

Why Is Your Backlink Profile So Important for SEO?

In search engine optimization (SEO), your success is dependent on your ability to effectively strategize and execute that strategy. There are many ways you can plan incorrectly or set the wrong goals, and there are many ways you can incorrectly execute your vision. You can evaluate your progress by studying a number of different metrics. You can check your search […]

December 27, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at December 27, 2021

How Good Is Google at Detecting Rank Manipulation?

Google provides an excellent service to the world, enabling us to search the web for information, products and whatever else we’re looking for. It even does the heavy lifting of determining which results are a “best fit” for our queries, providing us only with contextually relevant entries and ranking them in order of how trustworthy or authoritative those entries are. […]

December 22, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at December 22, 2021

What Makes Copy Persuasive?

Persuasive copy can benefit your business in a number of contexts and situations. It could help you win more conversions on a landing page of your website. It can make your direct mail campaign more effective. It could even help you win back a customer on the verge of canceling their subscription. So what exactly is it that makes copy persuasive […]

December 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at December 1, 2021

Should You Simply Ignore Keywords When Writing Content for SEO?

Few marketing strategies have undergone as much evolution and development as search engine optimization (SEO). It’s been around for about as long as search engines have, but the modern approach is radically different than what people were doing in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Back then, the SEO game was all about keywords. Choose the right keywords for your strategy, stuff […]

November 30, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at November 30, 2021

Is SEO or PPC Better for Your Business?

One of the most frequent questions I get from business owners is some variation of the following: “should I be spending money on SEO or PPC?” It’s a complex question, and there’s no one right answer. But I can help you understand the factors you’ll need to consider when making the decision for yourself. The basics: SEO vs. PPC We’ll […]

November 19, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at November 19, 2021

How to Be Seen as an Expert in Anything

It pays to be seen as an expert. Depending on your goals, being seen as an expert could help you get leverage in a tough negotiation. It could help your brand achieve more visibility and earn more trust from its customers. It could also help you build your career, giving you access to more job opportunities and a better growth […]

November 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at November 1, 2021

How to Reduce What You’re Spending on Marketing (Without Losing Results)

For most businesses, marketing is a practical necessity. It’s the only viable strategy to increase your brand visibility, attract more people to your brand and ultimately grow the business. But let’s face it; marketing is expensive. Sure, you could reduce what you spend on marketing directly. You can downgrade the plan you have with your marketing agency of choice. You could […]

October 27, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 27, 2021

How to Keep Your Startup Team Adaptable

One of the most important traits in a successful startup is adaptability. Over time, you’ll face new competitors, and your existing competitors will launch new products and services to try and out compete you. New technologies will emerge that could drastically change how your business operates (or even render your business obsolete). Market conditions will change, and consumer preferences will […]

October 23, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 23, 2021

Is AI Going to Radically Transform the SEO Industry?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is working its way into every imaginable industry. With it, we’re opening the door to automation, better data analytics, higher productivity and a host of other business benefits. But we’re also seeing radical industrial transformations, with some market segments reinventing and redefining themselves in the wake of this new technology. AI is already here, at least in […]

October 16, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 16, 2021

Why Are Most SEO Campaigns Unsuccessful?

Open a conversation with a business owner or a marketing professional and ask them what they think about search engine optimization (SEO). Depending on the context and the experiences of the people involved, you might get a glowing review of how great SEO was for their brand. But you might also get an eye roll and an excoriation of the […]

October 8, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 8, 2021

Why Good Content Isn’t Always Enough To Compete In SEO

Not long ago, if you wrote good content on a regular basis, you had a decent chance of trouncing your competition in search engine results pages (SERPs), attaining a higher search ranking and therefore getting a higher share of organic traffic. These days, good content is still a major boon for your website — but it’s not enough to compete […]

October 7, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at October 7, 2021

How to Avoid Scams in SEO

Let’s be honest. Search engine optimization (SEO) sounds a bit like a scam on the surface. Google is a search engine designed to give people the best, most relevant and most authoritative results possible. SEO is a collection of tactics designed to “game the system” in a way, ensuring that your site ranks higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). […]

September 29, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at September 29, 2021

Why Is Link Building So Controversial?

It’s loved. It’s hated. It’s promoted and criticized. And in my opinion, it’s misrepresented and misunderstood. Link building, in the general sense, is a marketing tactic closely associated with search engine optimization (SEO). The idea is simple. Construct links pointed back to specific pages of your website, using external domains (and preferably, high-authority ones). Allow those links to funnel traffic to your […]

September 21, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at September 21, 2021

What White Hat SEO Looks Like In 2021

If you’ve ever watched an old Western, you know the person in the black hat is the villain and the person in the white hat is the hero. The person with the white hat will do what’s right. They’ll fight for justice. They’ll speak honestly. They’ll even show restraint and mercy when defeating their opponent. By contrast, the person with […]

September 20, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at September 20, 2021

Is It Too Late to Start a Podcast for Your Business?

Podcasts can be an amazing marketing tool, giving you increased publicity and a built-in platform to advertise your products and services. Over the last decade or so, podcasts have grown from niche hobby to mainstream media channel. In line with this growth trajectory, superstar podcast creators have won big; Joe Rogan, for example, recently landed a $100-plus million deal to become exclusive to […]

September 16, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at September 16, 2021

What is Google Page Experience, and Why Does it Matter?

Have you heard of Google Page Experience? If you haven’t, and you prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) as a strategy to support your business, you’re behind the times. Google’s Page Experience is described as, “a set of signals that measure how users perceive the experience of interacting with a web page beyond its pure information value.” But what exactly does that […]

August 18, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at August 18, 2021

How to Use Authority to Boost the Power of Your Content

Most business owners investing in content marketing know that you have to distinguish yourself if you’re going to be successful. There are millions of people competing for visibility, and although the web is a big place with billions of potential readers, you’ll still have your work cut out for you if you want to stand out. One of the best […]

August 12, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at August 12, 2021

How Content Creation and Content Curation Should Work Together

Most entrepreneurs realize by now just how valuable content can be. With excellent content, you can improve your reputation, attract more people to your website and ultimately score more conversion. What’s more, your content can work synergistically with a variety of different marketing and advertising strategies. You can use it with email marketing, social media marketing and even paid advertisements to […]

July 27, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at July 27, 2021

Should Your Business Try Domain Hacking?

Domain hacking sounds like a nasty cyber attack, but the terms refers to an increasingly common domain selection process. As a business owner, you already know that it’s incredibly important to choose the right domain name. With a better domain name, your company website will be more memorable, more marketable and more highly differentiated. It can even have SEO benefits […]

July 22, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at July 22, 2021

Is It Better to Stay Evergreen or Jump on Trends in Content Marketing?

One of the most common pieces of advice in content marketing is to write as much “evergreen” content as possible. Evergreen content, as the name suggests, has the potential to remain relevant indefinitely. Just as evergreen trees remain lush even in winter, evergreen content remains relevant even as seasonal trends come and go — and even as the news cycle rises and […]

July 14, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at July 14, 2021

6 Ways to Increase Average Order Value for Your Online Business

If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’re always thinking about ways you can optimize your business to make more money, whether it’s increasing revenue or cutting costs. If you’re running an online store, one of the best steps you can take is increasing its average order value — in other words, the average dollar amount of products purchased by a single user in a […]

July 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at July 1, 2021

The Beginner’s Guide to User-Generated Content

By now, most entrepreneurs are familiar with the tenets of content marketing. You write, record or produce content from scratch, promote it, then reap the rewards of higher brand visibility and traffic. But what if someone else developed that content for you? That’s the idea behind user-generated content. Put it to work for you, and it could elevate your brand to new […]

June 25, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at June 25, 2021

What Makes a Customer Valuable to Your Business?

Every entrepreneur knows that customers are important. Without customers, you wouldn’t have a business. These are the patrons who buy your products and services, supplying your company with revenue so it can serve other customers; they’re the biggest link in the chain. Naturally, most entrepreneurs focus heavily on what they can do to become valuable to a customer. They want […]

June 22, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at June 22, 2021

How Much Education Does an Entrepreneur Really Need to Succeed?

Common sense might tell you that the more educated an entrepreneur is, the greater their chances of success will be. Going to college, getting an advanced degree and undergoing multiple training programs should equip them with more knowledge and experience they can use to build their business. But at the same time, there are plenty of stories of entrepreneurs who […]

June 15, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at June 15, 2021

Does Being an Influencer Mean Anything Anymore?

A few years ago, you could have made the claim that we were in the “era of the influencer,” where influential experts on social media held tremendous power to direct narratives, persuade followers and even motivate purchasing decisions. Today, I’d argue we’re entering the “post-influencer” era, where declining trust in influencers (and in each other) and the over saturation of […]

June 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at June 1, 2021

When Is It Time to Give Up on an SEO Campaign?

If you’re like most modern companies, you’ve at least flirted with the idea of starting a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. Maybe SEO has allowed you to capture a massive stream of inbound traffic and currently represents the most successful element of your marketing strategy. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between. The appeal of SEO is pretty obvious. Rank higher […]

May 26, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at May 26, 2021

How to Project Confidence as an Entrepreneur

Skills, knowledge and experience all come into play when you’re defining yourself as an entrepreneur and growing your company. But you also need to think about your image. In your personal brand, in meetings with clients, in pitches to investors and even when talking to your team, you’ll need to learn how to project confidence if you’re going to succeed. […]

May 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at May 1, 2021

Why Marketers Are Suffering From Bad Content

Content marketing is one of the dominant strategies in the modern digital marketing world. That’s partially due to its accessibility (since anyone can write and publish content on the web). But it’s also a testament to its effectiveness. Of course, practicing content marketing isn’t a surefire way to generate traffic or even build your brand reputation — especially now. The truth is, marketers […]

April 16, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at April 16, 2021

The Benefits of Using Multiple Domains for Your Business

You already know that choosing a domain is important. In fact, it’s one of the most important early decisions you’ll make for your business. Choosing the right domain can impact your visibility, your memorability and even your reputation. It’s going to influence your marketing and advertising strategies for years to come. And for the right domain, you might need to shell out […]

April 1, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at April 1, 2021

How to Stand Out in a Crowded Content Marketing Space

For more than a decade, content marketing has been a favorite marketing strategy for businesses of all sizes in nearly all industries. It’s straightforward, it’s cost-efficient and it has the potential to scale almost indefinitely, so its popularity is neither a surprise nor a secret. Entrepreneurs and marketers are often eager to begin a content marketing strategy, especially because it […]

March 24, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at March 24, 2021

Here’s Where First Impressions Can Make or Break Your Brand

You’re likely already familiar with the power of first impressions. Maybe you’ve utilized it as a tool while professionally networking. Or maybe you’ve been the victim of a bad first impression experience. Whatever the case, the psychological principle is pretty straightforward. The first few minutes a person spends with you — and sometimes, the first few seconds — have the power to […]

March 19, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at March 19, 2021

What Every Entrepreneur Can Gain From Mindfulness

Most entrepreneurs understand the importance of demonstrating confidence, leadership and patience in their role. They know the elements of good decision-making and are seasoned experts when it comes to time management. But there’s a less frequently discussed tool that entrepreneurs can use to improve their performance in almost every area that counts: mindfulness meditation. What is mindfulness meditation? Mindfulness refers […]

March 19, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at March 19, 2021

How to Use Automation (and Avoid the Pitfalls) as an Entrepreneur

All over the world, entrepreneurs are turning to a powerful tool to improve their efficiency and raw output: automation. Often hailed as the ultimate weapon for increasing productivity, automation certainly has a lot of advantages. But it’s not guaranteed to be effective. In fact, when used incorrectly, automation can end up working against you. To use automation effectively, you need to […]

March 12, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at March 12, 2021

How to Spot Entrepreneurial Burnout (Before It’s Too Late)

Entrepreneurship is challenging. Some days, it’s downright exhausting. For many entrepreneurs, there comes a “last straw” breaking point where the conditions are too stressful or too overwhelming to continue. But for most others, the eventual loss of passion for entrepreneurship — better known as burnout — is something slower and more gradual. It’s a creeping feeling that grows from day to day and eventually […]

March 4, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at March 4, 2021

Why Entrepreneurship Is the Engine of Economic Development

We often hear that entrepreneurship is important, but it’s hard to overstate just how vital entrepreneurship is for the economy at large. Entrepreneurial activity, or in other words, the creation of new businesses, is what supports local economies, what supports our country’s GDP and what helps the stock market continue to grow. So why is it that entrepreneurship is such a […]

February 19, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at February 19, 2021

How to Form Better Habits as an Entrepreneur

For better or worse, our habits define us and, if significant enough, can shape our future. The habits we practice every day, whether big or small, eventually add up as the sum total of our behavior. They impact our decisions, our actions and even our internal thoughts and feelings. Good habits can make us smarter, more physically fit and better […]

February 11, 2021

Published by Timothy Carter at February 11, 2021

How to Host Better Virtual Meetings

If you’re like most professionals, you spent a lot of time in virtual meetings in 2020 and will in 2021 — more than you ever thought possible in, say, 2015. And if you’re like most professionals meeting virtually, you’ve lamented the fact that they could be better. Virtual meetings suffer many of the same drawbacks as traditional meetings, including poor organization, bloated […]