First impressions absolutely matter, both on and offline. Whether one is on a first date or sketching the wireframe for a new website, visual appeal is essential to attracting one’s desired audience. Since the “work from home” lifestyle seems to be here to stay, learning to impress others by making a dazzling digital impression is more important than ever — and a lot of it has to do with proper font pairing.

One of the things we always loved about small businesses (veruses massive corporations, for example) is that these are the organizations and brands who actually care about what is going on in their community. In addition to being in-the-know around town, these companies tend to be a part of the local fabric in more ways than one.

Let’s be real. For most of us, coding a website is a scary, difficult task. Regardless of how much brand recognition you have or compelling your content is, having a general understanding of HTML is key to executing a successful online marketing campaign and attracting new visitors through the search engines. Whether you need to realign a photo, install analytics or are just sick of turning to your web developer for every minor edit, becoming familiar with HTML coding is a smart move for every brand or small business owner.

Digital marketing best practices have evolved tremendously over the years, but one thing will always remain true: optimized content reigns supreme. Nearly every business owner, blogger, digital marketer and tech-savy person is well aware that the most effective campaigns are unique, relevant and share-worthy for a targeted audience or demographic. What fewer Webmasters know is that the secret sauce for a successful content marketing campaign truly lies in how it is intercepted and understood by the search engines.

When I first founded District Maven, most conversations with potential new clients (and current ones, for that matter) revolved around why one should engage in online marketing in the first place. Thankfully, the public’s general understanding as grown alongside technology, ultimately leading to far more insightful, advanced conversations. However, just because more people know they need to utilize digital marketing strategies doesn’t mean that they understand what any of it actually means. Even fewer people know to implement them — and with good reason.