Website Content Writing Archives

Website Building Guide: Costs, Tools & Pitfalls

A well-built website is more than a digital business card. It is your brand’s 24/7 representative, your sales agent, and often the first point of contact with customers. However, many businesses start web development without fully understanding the costs, tools, and potential challenges involved. The result? Unexpected expenses, missed opportunities, or a site that fails to deliver. Knowing what you’re paying for and what to avoid can save both money and frustration.

What Costs Are Involved in Having a Website?

Website costs depend on your site’s purpose, complexity, and design. Here are the essentials:

Domain name – Paid annually to secure your web address.
Website hosting – Keeps your site live and accessible.
SSL certificate – Provides security, especially important for e-commerce.
Design & development – Can range from a few hundred to thousands of pesos depending on whether you use a template or a custom build.
Content creation – Copywriting, photos, and videos that engage visitors.

While it’s tempting to cut upfront costs, cheap solutions often lead to higher expenses later due to fixes or redesigns.

Can You Pay Someone to Create a Website?

Yes, and for many businesses, hiring a web design agency is the smartest choice. Agencies like iManila bring expertise in design, coding, user experience, and digital marketing.

Unlike freelancers or Do It Yourself (DIY) platforms, agencies provide end-to-end service: planning, design, development, SEO, and ongoing support. This investment doesn’t just give you a working site, it gives you a site that performs well, builds credibility, and generates leads.

What Are the Essential Tools for Building and Running a Website?

Behind every great website are the right tools:

Builders & CMS: WordPress, Shopify, Wix.
Design tools: Figma for layouts and graphics.
Coding tools: Visual Studio Code for customization.
Analytics: Google Analytics for visitor behavior.
SEO tools: SEMrush, SEOptimer for rankings.
Security: Firewalls and malware scanners.
Marketing tools: Email platforms and social schedulers.

Using the right mix ensures your site stays functional, secure, and competitive.

Common Pitfalls in Website Building

Web projects often fail due to poor planning or shortcuts. Watch out for these common mistakes:

No clear direction – Leads to wasted time and confusion.
Over-reliance on DIY builders – Can limit functionality and performance.
Skipping mobile optimization – Risks losing mobile users.
Ignoring security – Exposes your site to hacks and breaches.
Undervaluing content – Weakens SEO and engagement.

Avoiding these pitfalls starts with a solid strategy and a focus on quality from day one.

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Building

What is the cheapest website builder?
Wix and WordPress.com are among the most affordable options for startups. However, while cheap plans get you started, they can be limiting as your business grows.

Which website builder is best for beginners?
For beginners, Wix is often the easiest to use thanks to its drag-and-drop editor. Shopify is another good option for those focusing on e-commerce.

Does Wix work in the Philippines?
Yes, Wix works in the Philippines and is widely used by small businesses. It offers local-friendly payment options and integrates with popular tools.

Final Thoughts

Building a website is both creative and technical. While a budget-friendly site is possible, cutting corners often leads to poor results. By understanding the full range of costs with setup, design, content, maintenance you can make smarter decisions and avoid costly mistakes.

Whether you do it yourself or work with professionals, prioritize a website that reflects your brand, engages your audience, and supports long-term business goals.

If you want a professional, high-performing website without the stress, iManila can help. From design and development to content and custom applications, our team builds websites that don’t just look good, they deliver measurable results.

Partner with iManila

With 29 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines and recognized as one of the best web developers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions.

iManila is a full-service business web development company in the Philippines ready to help you with WordPress website creation or building an ecommerce website for your business. From web design and development and website update and maintenance, to web hosting, email hosting, and technical, desktop and remote support, we are your team. Aside from this, we are also a website and mobile applications development company specializing in customized web

From Sunny Days to Search Wins: Why Content Optimization Matters

As the sun’s heat intensifies, so does the competition in the digital world. Standing out takes more than just being visible—you need to be easy for your target audience to find. Through smart content optimization, you can improve search rankings, attract more qualified traffic, and boost your conversion rates.

In this blog, we’ll explore why content optimization is vital for your business success, especially when you want to shine in the digital world.

What Is Content Optimization?

Improving your website’s content means making it more visible, relevant, and engaging for both users and search engines. By using the right keywords, enhancing structure and readability, and encouraging user interaction, you ensure your content is both discoverable and valuable to your audience.

Why Content Optimization Is Crucial for Your Business

Better Search Engine Rankings

Standing out in search results takes more than just publishing—it requires the right strategy. By using relevant keywords, enhancing readability, and applying structured data, you can boost your rankings and make it easier for potential customers to find your business online.

Improved User Experience

An easy navigation and engaging experience keeps users on your website longer. A website that’s well-organized, mobile-responsive, and user-friendly encourages visitors to stay longer, engage more, and take action. Great user experience also signals to search engines that your content is high-quality, which can further boost rankings.

Targeted Audience Engagement

Content optimization goes beyond ranking high on search engines; it’s about creating valuable content that resonates with your audience. By using well-researched keywords and addressing their needs, you encourage engagement, build trust, and turn visitors into loyal customers. Tailoring your content to specific interests leads to stronger connections and long-term growth.

Maximizing Conversion Rates

More traffic is great—but converting that traffic into action is the real goal. Optimized content leads users through a journey, from discovering your brand to taking the next step. Whether it’s filling out a form, making a purchase, or signing up for a newsletter, effective content helps move users down the funnel.

Stay Competitive in the Market

Staying competitive in a crowded digital space requires ongoing updates and smart strategies. By optimizing content with fresh keywords, improving user experience, and using high-quality media, your business can adapt to SEO changes and stay ahead of the competition.

Final Thoughts

Content optimization isn’t just about driving traffic—it’s about reaching the right audience that connects with your brand. By improving user experience, creating valuable content, and positioning your business strategically, you lay the groundwork for long-term success. At iManila, we combine smart SEO strategies with strong content solutions to boost your online visibility, improve rankings, and drive qualified leads. Let’s work together to make your content shine this summer and deliver lasting results beyond the season.

Partner with iManila

With 29 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions.

iManila is a full-service business web development company in the Philippines ready to help you with WordPress website creation or building an ecommerce website for your business. From web design and development and website update and maintenance, to web hosting, email hosting, and technical, desktop and remote support, we are your team. Aside from this, we are also a website and mobile applications development company specializing in customized web systems for businesses in different industries and a top digital marketing agency that provides a wide range of digital marketing services. Talk to us!

10 Reasons Why WordPress is the Best Platform for Your Site

WordPress powers over 43% of all websites, solidifying its position as the go-to platform for businesses and individuals alike. Whether building a brand or launching a personal project, WordPress offers unmatched versatility and ease of use. With thousands of themes and plugins, users can effortlessly customize their sites to fit their style and meet specific needs, making it one of the most user-friendly platforms on the web.

In this blog, we’ll delve into the top 10 reasons why WordPress is the best platform for your site, highlighting its unique features and advantages that cater to a diverse range of needs.

1. Content Management

WordPress is a powerful content management system (CMS) that makes it easy to create, organize, and publish different types of content like blog posts, web pages, and media (images, videos, and more). Its user-friendly editor allows anyone to update and manage content without needing technical skills. You can also schedule posts, organize content with categories and tags, and control how and when everything appears on your site. This makes WordPress perfect for businesses, bloggers, and anyone who needs to regularly update and share content.

2. Versatile Customization

With its extensive selection of themes and plugins, WordPress empowers users to design a website that aligns with their specific preferences and needs. Whether adjusting layouts, colors, or fonts, the platform facilitates seamless customization of branding, ensuring your site accurately reflects your unique identity and goals.

3. SEO-Friendly

WordPress is designed with SEO best practices at its core, offering a range of tools to enhance your site’s visibility in search engine results. Features like customizable permalinks, optimized headings, and title tags make it easy to keep your content search-engine friendly, helping your website rank higher and reach a wider audience.

4. Commerce-ready Platform

WordPress is great for e-commerce due to its integration with WooCommerce, enabling users to easily turn any site into an online store. You can add payment options, shipping features, and manage products without much hassle. It’s also highly customizable, so you can design your store to match your brand. WordPress can grow with your business, whether you’re small or large, and it’s built with SEO and mobile-friendly designs to help attract more customers. Plus, it offers strong support, making it a reliable choice for any online business.

Commerce-ready Platform WordPress iManila

5. Cost-Efficient

WordPress is cost-efficient, being free to use with affordable hosting options that reduce initial setup costs. It requires low maintenance, thanks to regular updates and a supportive community. Additionally, a wide range of free plugins and themes allows for easy customization without high expenses.

6. User-Friendly

It is considered user-friendly due to its intuitive dashboard, which allows easy navigation for managing content and settings. The block editor simplifies content creation with a drag-and-drop interface, allowing users to format text, images, and media easily. Users don’t need coding skills to customize their websites, thanks to a wide selection of themes and plugins.

7. Multilingual Support

If you’re an online business owner aiming to reach a global audience, WordPress is the ideal platform for you. With plugins like WPML, Polylang, and TranslatePress, you can easily translate your content through user-friendly interfaces. This feature improves user experience and expands your market reach, making your website more inclusive and appealing globally.

8. Ensures a Secured Platform

Plugins may pose security risks as third-party tools, but WordPress enforces strict rules to ensure only reliable ones are available. It includes built-in features like password protection and two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access. Additionally, it provides trusted security plugins that users can install to further enhance the protection of their website.

9. Media Management

WordPress simplifies the process of uploading and organizing various types of media, including images, videos, and audio files. It also provides image editing tools like cropping and resizing to optimize media within the platform.

10. Large Community Support

The strong community support for WordPress is a major advantage. With millions of developers and users, you can easily find help, tutorials, and resources for any challenges you face. This collaboration leads to regular updates and improvements, making it a reliable choice for building your website.

WordPress excels in accessibility and adaptability, making it an ideal platform for both beginners and experienced developers alike. Its versatility has cemented it as a top choice for individuals and businesses seeking to build a robust online presence.

Partner with iManila

With 28 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions.

iManila is a full-service business web development company in the Philippines ready to help you with WordPress website creation or building an ecommerce website for your business. From web design and development and website update and maintenance, to web hosting, email hosting, and technical, desktop and remote support, we are your team. Aside from this, we are also a website and mobile applications development company specializing in customized web systems for businesses in different industries and a top digital marketing agency that provides a wide range of digital marketing services. Talk to us!

How to Prepare Your Website for Holiday Traffic Spikes

The holiday season is a joyful time for everyone, including businesses. As the holiday spirit fills the air, online shoppers scour the internet for the perfect gifts. This surge in online activity can result in significant traffic spikes for your website. While this is an excellent opportunity to boost sales and engage with your audience, it can also lead to performance issues and even website crashes if you’re unprepared.

In this blog post, we’ll guide you through the essential steps to prepare your website for holiday traffic spikes. By implementing these ten strategies, you can ensure that your website handles increased traffic seamlessly and provides visitors with a positive experience during the festive season.

Conduct a Performance Audit

Before the holiday season kicks in, evaluate your website’s current performance. Use website performance tools to assess its speed, responsiveness, and overall health. Consequently, identify any bottlenecks or issues that could hinder performance during traffic spikes.

Optimize Images and Media

Large media files can significantly slow down your website. So, compress images and videos to reduce their file sizes without compromising quality. This optimization ensures faster loading times, even when multiple users access your site simultaneously.

Upgrade Hosting Plan

If your site is hosted on a shared server, consider upgrading to a dedicated server or a cloud-based hosting solution. These options offer better scalability and can handle increased traffic more efficiently.

Stress Test Your Website

Simulate heavy traffic loads using stress testing tools to identify how your website performs under pressure. This allows you to pinpoint weaknesses and address them proactively.

Mobile Optimization

With increasing users accessing websites on mobile devices, ensure your site is responsive and optimized for mobile. Slow-loading or poorly formatted mobile pages can lead to high bounce rates.

Monitor Website Performance

Continuous monitoring is essential. So, use performance monitoring tools to monitor your website’s health and set up alerts for unusual activity. This enables you to respond quickly to any issues that may arise.

Update Software and Plugins

Outdated software and plugins are vulnerable to security threats and can slow down your page. Regularly update your Content Management System (CMS), plugins, and themes to the latest versions.

Load Testing

Conduct load testing to determine your website’s breaking point. This helps you understand how many concurrent users your site can handle before performance degrades. Use this information to set realistic traffic goals.

Have a Scalability Plan

Prepare a scalability plan outlining steps to take if your website experiences unexpected traffic spikes. This could include temporarily increasing server capacity or implementing traffic management solutions.

Backup Your Website

Before the holiday season, ensure you have up-to-date backups of your site. In case of a catastrophic failure, having a backup will allow you to restore your site quickly. You may start backing up your website with iManila’s Website Backup Services as early as today.

Final Thoughts

The holiday season can be a make-or-break period for online businesses and websites. By following these steps and staying vigilant, you can keep your website running smoothly during the busiest time of the year and make the most of the holiday rush. While these could be a lot, with iManila’s Web Maintenance Services, you no longer have to think about these things. Prepare now, and be ready to shine when the holiday lights are aglow!

iManila is a full-service business web development company in the Philippines ready to help you with WordPress website creation or building an ecommerce website for your business. From web design and development and website update and maintenance, to web hosting, email hosting, and technical, desktop and remote support, we are your team. Aside from this, we are also a website and mobile applications development company specializing in customized web systems for businesses in different industries and a top digital marketing agency that provides a wide range of digital marketing services. Talk to us!

Write Like a Pro: Tips to Writing Website Content That Attracts and Engages

“It only takes 15 seconds to grab your readers’ attention in the first line of your website content”. You may have read this advice a million times already, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Whether you’re an experienced or an amateur writer or marketer, there’s so much to learn in crafting compelling website content.

Today, search engine rank pages (SERP) are filled with website links competing for attention and clicks. This is why you must know how to capture your readers’ attention to gain a competitive edge. In this blog, we’ll explore 8 valuable tips to help you create website content that attracts and engages your audience from start to finish.

Outline your objectives

First, you have to know what your audience needs. Your website content should fit the search intent of your readers. By learning what your audience needs, you’ll easily understand your content’s purpose and end goal. This way, the content aligns with your goals, and you can easily create an ideal call to action. Remember that your content is the perfect avenue for convincing your audience to take action.

Know your audience and competitors

Understand your target audience. Research their demographics, pain points, and interests. Get into their minds to convince them to take action. Writing website content with your readers in mind is a great way to establish trust and reliability, and learning about your competitors is also as important. Get ahead by analyzing your competitors’ content strategies to identify your positioning.

Craft an attention-grabbing first line

You only have 15 seconds to grab your readers’ attention on the first line of your content. Create a strong, powerful, and intriguing opening first sentence to convince your audience to read more. You may include questions, data, or a one-sentence story. Your main aim is to make them feel hungry for more.

Have a clean layout

Make it easy for your readers to find information quickly by breaking your content into smaller sections with subheadings, bullet points, and numbered lists with adequate white space between paragraphs. This helps your readers easily navigate your web page and ensure everything is clear.

Talk casually to your readers

It’s vital to keep your content simple and easy to understand so it gets retained in your readers’ minds. Remember to talk in layman’s terms. Don’t bombard your readers with technical jargon. They’ll likely misunderstand you. Remember to proofread your content and eliminate spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Never forget your CTAs

This is the perfect time to encourage your readers to take action. Include clear CTAs like “Sign Up,” “Subscribe,” or “Learn More” to initiate the desired action. It’s also a good practice to include proof like testimonials or success stories to convince them further to take action. This is also an excellent strategy to eliminate doubts that may inhibit them from making a move.

Optimize for search engines

Now that you’ve written your content, it’s time you optimize them for search engines. You must be familiar with the basics of boosting your website’s SEO. Make sure that relevant keywords you want to rank for are included in titles, meta descriptions, and subheadings. Avoid keyword stuffing, as this can damage your rankings. When writing website content, remember that your main aim is to create relevant and valuable content for your audience.

Now that you’re already familiar with creating attractive and engaging website content, you’re well on your way to crafting content that converts. Keeping it simple, relevant, and optimized for search engines can easily convert your site visitors into loyal customers.

Crafting compelling website content can be complex; sometimes, you find yourself looking for professional help. With iManila, we can help you create website content that not only adheres to the tips outlined in this blog but also aligns with your business goals and target audience.

With 27 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions.

iManila is a full-service business web development company in the Philippines ready to help you with WordPress website creation or building an ecommerce website for your business. From web design and development and website update and maintenance, to web hosting, email hosting, and technical, desktop and remote support, we are your team. Aside from this, we are also a website and mobile applications development company specializing in customized web systems for businesses in different industries and a top digital marketing agency that provides a wide range of digital marketing services. Talk to us!

Proven and Tested Ways to Improve Your Website Conversion Rates this 2023

Conversion rate is the core and one of the most important metrics to monitor in any digital marketing campaign. If you’re new to e-commerce, conversion rate is the number of conversions divided by the total number of web visitors.

How does it work? Basically, you run a campaign to encourage people to do a desired action. Conversion rate reflects how well your strategy is. A good campaign gets people to take action and convert while ineffective ones won’t.

If you have a low conversion rate, better to reassess your marketing plan. Study what makes users convert and where they bounce. Take this blog as a guide!

Include social proof to your site

Your audience won’t always believe everything you say. So, if you make a claim, it would be best to provide evidence in the form of customer reviews to support it. In fact, according to Trust Pulse, 83% of people are more likely to trust a review than an advertisement. Similarly, 97% of consumers look at reviews before making a purchase. With this in mind, incorporating social proof would definitely help boost your conversion rate.

Shorten your forms

Imagine discovering an e-commerce site that sells high-quality goods at reasonable prices. But then it requires you to fill out lengthy forms to get more information or seal a transaction. What a bummer, right?

Long forms can help you know your audience but can also drive them away. It’s annoying to fill out so many fields before accessing information or buying a product so, consider reducing it. Take Marketo as an example – a conversion rate of 10% was observed with their 9-field form. Reducing the number of fields to 5 increased the conversion rate for the same form to 13.4%. Shorten your forms or drive your potential customers away.

Keep it simple

Aside from shortening your forms, make the buying process easier by simplifying the whole user experience. People’s attention spans are shorter than they were years ago which was proven in an experiment conducted by Etsy. The team added 160KB images to their pages to intentionally slow down their load speed. As a result, their bounce rate increased by 12%.

Remember, people will abandon your site if it takes too much of their time navigating it. With that, make sure to have a straightforward UX design, clear instructions, obvious CTAs, and make it a point NOT to offer too many options.

Don’t require a login

People choose online shopping for convenience. However, if it requires extra effort to have access like registering or logging in, chances are they will dodge you. Just like in the study conducted by the Baymard Institute, 37% of customers completely abandoned their checkout process when they were required to create an account. In the same study, 38% of the e-commerce sites examined did not even provide customers with the option to create a temporary account prior to completing their purchase.

Don’t risk lowering your conversion rate. Make login or sign up fields optional. Let users browse your shop as a guest. And having a clickable “Checkout as Guest” button is a plus too!

Make personalized content

As the cliché saying goes, “content is king” – and nothing could beat a personalized one! According to Accenture, 91% of consumers say that they are more likely to shop from a brand that offers deals and recommendations that are relevant to them. This only shows personalized content is something you shouldn’t sleep on.

To get you started, here are some things you could try for a more personalized content:

Establish your target market’s persona then share content that connects with them.
Give each customer a discount that is unique to them based on their location, customer behavior, or how they use your website.
If you want to reach more people in your area, make sure your website and content are optimized for local SEO.

While there’s no thing such as “one size fits all” when it comes to your website, these tips could be your starting point. And if you need help in implementing these, you could always hire an all-in-one team that specializes in web design and development, web maintenance, and content writing like iManila!

With 27 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, a web development company and a top digital marketing company in the country, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions. As one of the best web hosting providers in the Philippines, iManila is also a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, website update and maintenance, web hosting, email hosting, dedicated server, technical, desktop and remote support, and digital marketing services needs. Talk to us!

The Best Way to Start the Year Right – by Updating Your Website

The year 2023 has arrived! This is the perfect time to give your business website a fresh new look. While there are a lot of ways and strategies to do this, website revamps don’t always have to be extravagant. Sometimes it could be as simple as updating your website and making sure everything is working properly. Doing these can keep your business website stay relevant and offer better customer experience than the previous year.

Having said that, what aspects of your website do you think needs some updating? Does your website need some maintenance? Well, think no more as we provide a list of things you need to update on your website.

Verify and update your contact information

One of the most common mistakes business owners make with their website is forgetting to update their contact numbers and email addresses whenever they change it. Bottomline is when your potential customers cannot reach you, you are losing out and failing to attend to their needs. Don’t fall for this. Check the contact information in your header, footer, and “contact us” pages to make sure it is up to date.

Bonus tip, don’t forget to update your Google My Business page and other directory listings in which your company appears as well.

Examine WordPress plugins

If you are running a WordPress website, the start of the year is the best time to examine your plugins. Check for plugins that are not serving its purpose anymore or are no longer useful for your site. Look for substitute plugins that do the work of multiple plugins. Remove unnecessary plugins and those that don’t receive updates anymore. Do this to ensure that your website continues to function properly.

Just as well, examine the version of the WordPress CMS integrated into your website. Your entire WordPress version may just be outdated together with ALL of your website plugins.

Review your privacy policy

Privacy and security has greatly changed in the past years. Spend the time and effort to hire an attorney who can assist you in protecting yourself if these changes are not addressed in your privacy policy, or worse, if you do not have one at all.

There are also online tools that can help you create your own privacy policy. While this may be a good start, we still recommend having it reviewed by an attorney to ensure that it adequately covers you and your business.

Test your website’s accessibility

It is always a good idea to conduct tests to verify that your website is accessible or not, especially if it was designed to be so. If your website isn’t accessible, now is a good time to have it fixed. In recent years, accessibility has become a hot issue. By fixing it as early as now, you can cater to all possible website visitors while also protecting yourself.

Update your keywords

Having keywords on your business website is important. By targeting the right keywords, it can make your business website rank in the internet, increasing your visibility. Check and consider changing some keywords especially if they are not helping your website rank higher.

Publish relevant content

Nothing screams an updated website more than fresh and timely content. Invest some time in content writing. Create brand new high quality contents to get the attention of your customers. Updating your website content can provide a boost on your search rankings and help you reach more customers online.

We hope these tips will help on how to create a better business website this 2023. If you need further help with updating your website or if you’re looking for help with website repair and website maintenance, talk to the experts in iManila!

With 26 years of experience in the industry and an IT company at its core, iManila, having been one of the first Internet Service Providers in the Philippines, a web development company and a top digital marketing company in the country, is committed to providing our clients with innovative information technology, web, and digital solutions.

As one of the best web hosting providers in the Philippines, iManila is also a full-service business web development company and digital marketing agency in the Philippines ready to help you with your web design and development, website update and maintenance, web hosting, email hosting, dedicated server, technical, desktop and remote support, and digital marketing services needs. Talk to us!

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