Transcript

Mia: Hello, everyone!

Welcome to the very first episode of Technically, A Podcast. I’m Mia, your host, and I’m thrilled to have you join me today. I am a professional web developer and software engineer. I work in freelance web development with clients in many different industries.

The world of technology is constantly changing, and it is important to keep up with the latest trends and best practices. This podcast episode will be an introductory discussion of the latest techniques, and how to utilize them for your small business. If you’re looking to unlock the lucrative potential of web technology you’ve come to the right place. This episode is part one of our two-part series on building your online foundation. In this series, we are going to cover the essentials for a strong social media and website presence.

If you’re already set with a well-established website, and know your way around the online realm, some parts of this episode might seem like a refresher. However – we’ve still got some fascinating topics lined up! In the upcoming segments, we’ll dive into the intriguing history of the page rank algorithm, explore the world of search engine optimization, and the journey through the transition from Skeuomorphic to neumorphic web design trends. So, whether you’re already a tech wizard or just starting out, there’s something here for everyone.

Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s crucial in our technologically driven world – the indispensable role of a strong online presence for your business. Whether you’re a startup or a well-established company, a strong online presence is like having a 24/7 virtual storefront that’s accessible to the entire world. – We will dive into the two most important aspects of online presence: social media, and a business website.

We’ll go over the strategies that offer the biggest bang for your buck, ensuring your time and investment are truly well spent.

Ready?

Let’s get started.

First off, let’s talk about websites. Nowadays, without a doubt, everyone needs a website. You might have an Instagram, Facebook Page, or other social media, but you still need a good website. Your website is your digital headquarters. It’s where potential customers come to learn about your products, services, and unique story. It’s like the foundation of your online presence. If a customer looks you up online and finds no trace of you, or an out-of-date website they might assume your company doesn’t even exist.

I’ve had the privilege of working with clients across various industries, from pharmaceuticals to nonprofits and believe me, a well-crafted website can be a game-changer. Not only does it establish credibility, but it also serves as a hub for all your other online efforts. 

Having a website that’s outdated, unresponsive on mobile devices, difficult to navigate, or sporting an outdated design is not much better than no website at all. A subpar site casts a shadow on your brand’s credibility, and might lead potential customers to question your reputation. It is important to have a website that looks modern, and follows best practices for search engine optimization, and security. This will speak volumes about your professionalism.

But watch out. Trends in web design change fast. Be wary of picking a design that  is just a fad and will look outdated in a few years. If you do not want to invest a lot of time and money on constant website updates, it is better to go with a timeless look that may not look super trendy now, but will stay relevant, and low maintenance as trends change. 

Let’s take a second to talk about trends in web design, and get a better understanding of how things have changed, and where they might be headed. 

Remember the days when websites opened with extravagant flash animations that seemed more like mini-movies? These attention-grabbing intros were a great chance to show off fancy web design skills, but users began valuing quick access to content over cinematic flair. These days, you want to make any loading animation fast and straight to the point. And let’s not forget the era of over-the-top gradients and excessive drop shadows. These designs once brought depth and dimension to web pages, but eventually they found themselves on the back burner as minimalism took center stage. Skeuomorphic design had its moment too. Skeuomorphism refers to a design style that aimed to mimic the physical world in the digital realm. Think the first iPhones, and how the YouTube app looked like a TV, and the camera app had a mini lens on it. As devices evolved, and people became more knowledgeable about how to navigate apps, flat design swooped in to steal the spotlight. Gone were the days of heavy textures, ornate embellishments, and drop shadows. Flat design took over, relying on crisp typography, and bold colors to convey messages effectively. Fast forward to today, and we find ourselves amidst a design renaissance. Web design is embracing a harmonious blend of minimalism and depth, sometimes referred to as ‘neumorphism.’ This trend combines the elegance of flat design with subtle shadows and highlights, creating an interface that appears to be part of the screen while maintaining a clean, user-friendly aesthetic.

Amidst the continually shifting landscape of web design and user experience, there are certain principles and trends that have stood the test of time. Focus on these in your site design, and you won’t have to worry about investing money into a site that will quickly go out of style. These timeless elements have consistently proven their worth, regardless of the prevailing design fads. 

First up, Clarity and Simplicity. No matter the era, the importance of clear and simple design cannot be overstated. 

Websites that prioritize easy navigation, concise messaging, and uncluttered layouts, have always resonated with users. A clutter-free interface ensures that users can quickly find what they’re looking for.

Next, Responsive Design. This design type ensures that websites adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes, especially mobile phones. As the range of devices used for browsing continues to expand, responsive design has remained a staple. If your site is not mobile-friendly, search engines like Google will actually rank it lower in the search results. I’m going to talk more about search engine optimization referred to as SEO a bit later and share some ways you can check how Google views your website SEO scores.

Now back to our list of timeless web features. Number 3 on our list and another feature that will affect SEO is fast loading speed. In a world where attention spans are shrinking, fast loading speed is paramount. Regardless of design aesthetics, users have always valued websites that load quickly. Optimizing images, leveraging browser caching, and minimizing unnecessary code are practices that are imperative to a great website with good SEO.

Number four is Accessibility. Web accessibility is not just a trend; it’s an ethical responsibility. You want to design for all users. You don’t want to exclude potential customers who have hearing, or visual disabilities. Incorporating features like alt text for images, proper heading structure, appropriate color contrast, and keyboard navigation ensures that everyone can access and navigate your content.

Last on our list is user-centered design. While design styles come and go, the user, your customer, should always be at the heart of design decisions. User-centered design focuses on understanding your potential customer’s needs, preferences, and behaviors. Conducting user research, creating user personas, and usability testing are traditional ways of understanding how to facilitate effective digital experiences on your site. However, not everyone has the time or resources to conduct expansive user testing. If you have a few minutes, talk to some of your customers, or even just some of your friends that fit the target audience for your business. Ask them about what they love, and more importantly, what they hate in a website. Ask them if they can take a look at yours, and if there is anything confusing or a feature they wish you had.

As design trends come and go, these foundational principles continue to provide a solid framework for crafting exceptional digital experiences. So, whether you’re embracing the latest design trend, or opting for a classic approach, these timeless elements are here to ensure that your users’ needs are met, now and in the future. 

We’re shifting gears from all the design and aesthetic talk and diving into something that’s super important for any business with a website, – making it easy for your customers to find you and connect with you.

Imagine this: you’ve got a fantastic product or service to offer, and you want your customers to reach out to you. But here’s the thing – putting your personal email or phone number out there on the internet can lead to some unwanted attention. Bots will crawl the internet, and find your number and email. Your inbox will get flooded with spam messages. Trust me, we’ve all been there.

So, what’s the solution? Enter the superhero of customer communication: the contact form! It’s like a friendly virtual assistant that helps people get in touch with you, without exposing your email or phone number to those spammy bots.

Unlike publicly listing your information online, contact forms can include a test called captcha. You’ve probably come across it when you have to check the box that asks if you are a real human, or when you are asked to click on all the squares with a crosswalk. 

Captcha stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. The Turing Test is a way to determine if something is a computer or not. It’s named after Alan Turing, a brilliant scientist. If you’ve seen the 2014 movie, The Imitation Game, with Benedict Cumberbatch – that movie is about Alan Turing. 

Here is a clip from The Imitation Game, with Cumberbatch as Alan Turing, explaining the basis behind the Turing test:

 

Investigator: Could machines ever think as human beings do? 

Alan Turing: Most people say, no, 

Investigator: you are not most people.

Alan Turing: Well, the problem is you are asking a stupid question.

Investigator: I am?

Alan Turing: Of course, machines can’t think as people do. Machine is different from a person since they think differently. The interesting question is, just because something, uh, uh, thinks differently from you, does that mean it’s not thinking? 

 

Mia: So when you see a captcha test, like little distorted letters or sidewalk images, It’s a way to figure out if you’re a real person using the website. The idea is, that computers find it difficult to read those distorted letters or recognize certain pictures, but humans can figure it out personally, I hate the distorted letter captcha tests. It always takes me a couple tries. 

Another important reason to utilize contact forms is, they keep your customers on your website. I’m sure you know first hand how switching screens to send an email can sometimes lead to a dangerous rabbit hole of distractions. Well – a contact form keeps your visitors engaged, and right there on your page. When your customers send you messages through this form, those messages go straight to your email, so you can respond quickly. You can also set up your form so these messages hang out in a safe and organized database. That means no more digging through a cluttered inbox to find that one important message from a customer. Of course, I can’t say you’ll never see any spam again – it’s an inevitable part of the online world. But with a contact form, you can cut down on those annoying spam messages, giving you more time to focus on what you do best.

So now, you have your great website with a timeless and user-centric design, you have your contact form, but what good is a website if no one can find it? Have you ever typed in a keyword for your business such as “Flower Shop Maine” – and noticed the website for your flower shop doesn’t show up until halfway down the page? 

Now we are going to dive into a critical aspect of web success – SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. You probably see SEO listed as a buzzword all the time. I even mentioned it myself a couple times earlier in this podcast. But what exactly is SEO, and why should it be on every small business owner’s radar? 

Let’s dive right in. Imagine your website is treasure, hidden somewhere in a big town. SEO is the treasure map that guides search engines like Google to find and showcase your treasure to the right people. In essence, SEO is a set of strategies and techniques aimed at improving your website’s visibility on search engine results pages. When someone searches for a product or service related to your business, you want your website to be right there, waving its digital flag. 

As a small business owner, you understand the value of each potential customer. S E O becomes your digital marketing ally, driving organic traffic to your website without the need for constant ad spending. It’s a cost-effective way to reach your target audience, precisely when they’re actively seeking solutions that your business provides. You can pay for ads that will boost your site to the top few results in the “ad section,”; – but below that section, the playing field becomes more equal. With the right strategies, even newcomers can outrank established competitors and own their digital presence. It’s like having a spotlight on your business, without the astronomical advertising budgets of larger corporations. 

To really grasp the concept of S E O, it’s important to delve into the evolution of page ranking algorithms, and how they have transformed into their current form today. Back in the early days of the internet, search engines primarily relied on simple algorithms that counted the number of keywords on a webpage to determine its relevance. This approach led to keyword stuffing and manipulative practices that diluted the quality of search results. However, as the importance of user experience grew apparent, – search engines got clever and evolved the way results show up. In 1998, Google Introduced the PageRank algorithm, revolutionizing search.

PageRank, which took into account both the number and quality of links pointing to a webpage, marked a significant shift towards valuing credibility and authority. Websites with more reputable links received higher rankings, incentivizing genuine content creation, and encouraging connections with authoritative sources. This development was crucial for small businesses, as it emphasized the importance of building a trustworthy online presence that resonated with both users and search engines.

Fast forward to today, Google’s ranking algorithm has evolved into a complex blend of over 200 factors that determine a website’s position on the search engine results page. Factors like relevance, user experience, mobile-friendliness, and site speed play a pivotal role in determining a website’s ranking. For small businesses, this means that focusing on delivering exceptional user experiences, providing valuable content, and optimizing their websites for mobile devices are essential strategies to enhance their S E O efforts.

Moreover, Google’s algorithms continually undergo updates to refine search results and combat spammy practices. Small businesses benefit from these updates, as they create a more level playing field. By embracing ethical S E O practices and consistently producing high-quality, relevant content, small businesses can establish their authority, attract organic traffic, and rise in the ranks of search engine results, all while delivering valuable solutions to their target audience.

If you have heard of or participated in “SEO” hacks in the past that attempt to add extra keywords, or make all your outgoing links “;no follow” links, those tricks are not really helpful anymore. This is one of the many examples of why it is important to stay up to date with technology. Strategies that worked in the past, are no longer relevant. To see your sites S E O and performance scores Google provides a free analytics tool at WWW dot pagespeed dot web dot dev – it is also linked in this episodes transcript found on our website and in the episode description.

If you want to perform a do it yourself SEO audit on your site, I would recommend starting with pagespeed.web.dev and seeing how your site scores. You will also be provided with suggestions and fixes to common SEO problems. If you are tech savvy, many of those fixes can be easily done such as adding useful descriptions to the meta tags on your website’s images. If your site has more advanced issues with things like loading speed or responsive layouts, – it may be a more involved project, and you may want to consider hiring a developer or taking a few SEO courses, and watching a bunch of YouTube videos. We also have some free resources on our website and will be adding some D I Y courses.

That’s all I am going to say about SEO in this episode, but if you want to hear more about it, send us a message on our website: – curie and dot co, or on social media, at curie and co.

We will talk more about website creation a bit later. For now, let’s talk a little bit about social media, and the role it can play for your business. 

When it comes to social media, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the multitude of platforms out there. But remember, quality beats quantity. You don’t need to be everywhere. Research your target audience and find out where they hang out online. If you’re in the B2B space, platforms like LinkedIn might be gold mines. For visual industries, Instagram could be your sweet spot. If your audience is younger, TikTok could be a good place to gain some customers. 

Coming up, we are going to break down the pros and cons of TikTok, and Instagram, and discuss some new money-making features that were just added within the past few months.

According to recent reports, TikTok’s organic reach is second only to Facebook and Instagram, making it an attractive avenue for businesses to explore. One of the driving factors behind this is TikTok’s unique “For You” page or FYP. 

Tik Toks FYP stands apart from platforms like Instagram because users interact more frequently with content from people who they are not currently following. If you are not familiar with TikTok here’s a brief overview of the FYP. 

In short, TikTok’s For You Page is designed to show users videos that match their interests and keep them engaged on the platform. The algorithm is very good and can pin down niche interests based on a user’s past interactions, and show them videos that match. This means if you market a product in a specific niche, TikTok’s algorithm will be very good at tracking down user’s in your niche, and showing them your videos. This fosters an environment where even newcomers can experience viral success driven by engagement, not just by account popularity. This quality has turned TikTok into an exceptionally cost-effective platform in terms of organic reach. By crafting videos that resonate with their target audience, businesses can naturally find their content shared on users’ “For You” pages, all without the need for paid promotions. Furthermore, the platform’s preference for low-budget, short-form video content makes it incredibly accessible; all you need is a smartphone and an internet connection to dive into TikTok’s dynamic world of marketing possibilities. 

The trends and video formats on TikTok and Instagram reels are very similar. You can post the same video on Instagram Reels that you do on TikTok, without having to spend time creating more content. I will say, that as of now, the trend cycle tends to move faster on TikTok, and then trickle down to Instagram Reels. For this reason, If you really want to capitalize on TikTok, – I would recommend staying up to date on the trending TikTok sounds, filters, templates, and video formats. Coming up, I’ll give you some tips on how to stay on top of trends without having to spend hours on social media to find them. 

 

Jumping on trends fast and posting to TikTok is crucial. Even a matter of days could make you late to a trend, and result in much fewer views on your video. Because Instagram Reels is a bit behind on the trend cycle, something that is no longer trending on TikTok could still be popular on Reels. Meaning if you’re late to a TikTok trend, don’t give up. Check what is trending on Reels, and you might still have time to get a video up.

 

If you are new to social media or don’t spend time following the trends, here are some tricks to quickly identify what is trending. Simply open Instagram, and navigate to the Reels Explore page. You can identify a trending song by the presence of a small “Trending” arrow next to it. Clicking on the song will provide information about its origin, the number of Reels created with it, and a collection of the Reels that have utilized it. If you find the sound appealing, it’s a good idea to click the “save audio button,” and the sound will be saved for future use. Alternatively, if you’re ready to start recording a reel, click the “Use Audio” button, and the audio will be incorporated into your Reels video. 

Another trick is to follow a TikTok or Instagram account that posts trend breakdown videos. These videos will explain trends, and give tutorials on how to make content that matches the trend. This can save you time, and allow you to focus on your business, rather than on scrolling through social media. A good one to follow on Instagram is the at creators account. It has over 15 million followers, and posts daily about the latest trends, and gives you helpful tutorials. Another account to follow is at by sandy lin. She has the same handle, at, by, sandy, lin, on both Instagram and TikTok. She is a TedX speaker and social media expert. Her posts are always an example of what’s on trend. She often posts tutorial videos on how she made her reels and tik tok videos. She includes what filters she used, camera angles, shooting techniques, templates and more. If you missed, or aren’t sure how to spell either of those account names. Don’t worry, you can check this episode’s description for links to the accounts, and a full transcript of this episode. 

There are downsides to TikTok because of how the company handles user data. TikTok is banned from being downloaded on the phones of many US federal employees. If you have sensitive data on your phone, it can be a serious concern. This is less of an issue if you download the app onto a phone that isn’t storing lots of sensitive data. TikTok’s privacy issues are much less of a concern for most people who are not working in sensitive fields like government, defense or security. There is tons of information online about the controversy and security of TikTok, and the company ByteDance which owns them. Feel free to look into that if that is a concern for you. I am not going to go much further down that rabbit hole in this podcast episode. Another downside of TikTok, is that their for you page algorithm is constantly changing. You could be used to getting hundreds of views, and then suddenly, your videos are only getting one to ten views. Depending on if TikTok is trying to promote a new feature on their, app or certain agenda, the for-you page algorithm can change and the changes are hard to predict. 

In March of 2023, TikTok introduced a new feature called Series, that allows you to offer exclusive content that users have to pay for. This can be a great way to earn a little money through social media, and also bring customers to your brand. This is a new feature, and it is going through lots of changes. But as of August 20th, this is how TikTok Series works. TikTok users, often referred to as creators, can create groups of videos that other users pay to access. These groups, composed of up to 80 videos each lasting up to 20 minutes, offer an extended format for viewers to engage with their preferred content and creators. Creators have the freedom to set the price for their Series, aligning it with the value they place on their exclusive content. Access to these exclusive collections can be gained through direct in-video links, or by visiting the creator’s profile. 

We are now going to switch gears from TikTok, and talk more about new features that have launched on Instagram. If you want to hear more about TikTok, leave us a comment on our website curie and dot co. or on our social media at curie and co.

Alright – now let’s talk Instagram. Instagram also released a new feature in February of this year. It is called Broadcast Channels. Instagram’s broadcast channels serve as a versatile means for creators to keep their followers updated in a more relaxed manner than posting to the Instagram feed, a story, or a reel. It is almost like sending a group D M (direct message) to an exclusive subsection of your followers. The broadcasted messages can utilize text, photos, videos, and voice notes. Moreover, you can create interactive polls to gather insights from their audience. Within this space, only creators possess the ability to initiate messages, while followers can engage by reacting to the content and participating in polls. You are probably thinking, how can I utilize this feature to make money for my business? Let’s go over a few ways to use it, so you can evaluate if an Instagram Broadcast channel would be a useful investment of your time. 

If you have in-person pop-up events or your business participates in things like farmer’s markets or Bazaars, – a broadcast channel could be a good way to alert your customers about schedule or location changes. 

If you post something on your story or feed with urgent information like, "I will be at the Farmer’s market today at 1pm," that post might not appear in people’s feed until 2pm, or even the next day. By then it will be too late. If you use Instagram, you have probably noticed by now, that your content feed is not always chronological. You might see something posted 5 days ago at the top of your feed, – ahead of something posted even a few minutes ago. The Instagram algorithm uses a complicated mix of metadata from each post, to determine where it will rank in user’s feeds. We will go more in-depth on the algorithm, and tips on how to get your posts seen, later and in future episodes. If you want to hear more about the Instagram algorithm, visit our website linked in our profile, and leave a comment. For now, all that is important to note is that, you cannot rely on Instagram posts to get across time-sensitive information, because the algorithm is not chronological. For time-sensitive updates, a broadcast channel could be a useful tool for your business. 

Looking ahead, Instagram has announced plans to introduce more features to broadcast channels, including the option to involve another creator for collaborative discussions, and employ question prompts to interact more with your audience. The potential for creators to leverage broadcast channels as a tool for fostering connections and engagement is large. We are excited to see how this feature grows and help our clients utilize it to its full extent.

We will talk more about social media in upcoming episodes. If you feel like you missed something, the podcast transcript and resources are available on our website. If there is a social media topic you are interested in hearing about, or if you want us to go over some ideas for how to leverage new features like Instagram Broadcast Channels or TikTok series – please drop a comment on our website. 

In part one of our social media and Website Essentials series we’ve covered a lot! – website aesthetic tips, the importance of S E O, how to utilize contact forms, and some social media hacks. Remember, in today’s digital world, your website is your business card, your showroom, and your customer service desk, all rolled into one. In part two, we will be discussing website platforms. There are plenty out there, Wix, SquareSpace, WordPress, GoDaddy…. It can be hard to know which is right for you and your budget. We are going to dive into the differences these platforms have and how to choose one for your business. We will also talk about ecommerce and how to best integrate an online store into a website and on social media.

Now I’m going to pass the mic to my co-host, Ethan, for this week’s tech wrap up.

 

Ethan: Hey everyone. For the first segment of this week’s tech wrap-up, I’m going to introduce the tech tools we use section. This segment is an unbiased and unsponsored look into some of the best tools we use here at Curie and co. This week, our feature tool is Visla. This all-in-one video editor is a game changer for anyone trying to create recorded content for your business. While there are many great features on Visla. I want to especially highlight at teleprompter tool. Anyone who’s had to record a video of themselves, understands the pain of trying to maintain eye contact with your camera while also keeping tabs on your script. This’ll changes all of that with this tool. With the teleprompter you gain one of the biggest benefits of studio TV without ever having to leave your desk. You just input your script hit record and Visla will create a virtual and automatically scrolling overlay of your script. Check it out for yourself at visla.us. 

Next up. We’re going to dive into the tech headlines making waves this week. First up, Chat GPT goes enterprise. Despite having an impressive user base of over 200 million users. It’s been a challenge for the service to break into the corporate arena. Currently on non enterprise plans, open AI, retains the right to use your interactions for model training, storing everything you share with Chat GPT for AI development As a result, some companies have outright banned their employees from using the tool, fearing potential leaks of sensitive company information. The latest offering aims to address these concerns by offering enterprise grade data security with enhanced performance and customization options to boot. In related news, the heat was turned up and the generated AI arms race on Thursday as China relaxed its regulations, allowing the first batch. Of domestic Chinese AI chat bots to go internationally public. China’s main chat, GPT competitor. The Baidu, Ernie bot. Topped the charts of China’s iOS store on launch day. With the company claiming over a million users registered within the first 19 hours. However don’t expect it to topple open AI anytime soon. Last Thursday’s launch was fraught with irregularities and concerns about the accuracy of the data. Many users have claimed the bot would often get stuck. Especially on political questions. And request to instead talk about something else. 

In other news last week invites were sent out for Apple’s annual launch day event. Hundreds of journalists and tech influencers will descend upon Cupertino on September 12th. Likely getting the first glimpse at the iPhone 15 and the rumored apple watch ultra. While this year’s iPhone rumor mill has been rather quiet. Many expects the new line of phones to feature the EU’s mandated switch from the old lightning charger to a new standard USB-C. Get ready to buy even more cables. Finally, on the business side of the news, despite mixed earning reports. The market seems to be signaling a slight rebound in the tech market. 

The general market edged higher following the release of the August us labor report. However tech by far may have the majority of the gains. In addition analysts at Bernstein research have openly declared the tech job recession is over and to expect more firms to begin, reaccelerating hiring just like Meta and Amazon have been doing this summer. Thanks for listening. This has been Ethan with your tech wrap-up.

 

Mia: That’s a wrap for today’s episode of Technically, A Podcast. I’m Mia, a professional web developer and software engineer passionate about the latest design trends and helping small businesses succeed online. Stay tuned for more insights, tips, and web wisdom in our future episodes. If you have questions or topics you’d like me to cover, feel free to drop me a message on our website.

Join us next time for part two of our social media and Website Essentials series. 

It will be out on Monday – everywhere you get your podcasts!

You won’t want to miss it! 

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