You are here: Home / Archives for Search Engine Marketing

Using QR Codes To Boost Your Business

March 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Firstly, a QR code stands for quick response code and they are expected achieve widespread use this year because consumers want instant access to relevant content and QR codes can be used to enable this.

Although QR codes are a relatively new phenomenon here in the UK they have been around and in use in Japan for over a decade already.

Using QR Codes To Boost Your Business

Free Marketing Analysis

Now there are many uses for these QR codes such as:

  • Sharing – You can create a QR code that can link to any piece of content like a URL, Video or special offer
  • Building Community – You can create a code that gets people to LIKE your Facebook page or connect on LinkedIn
  • Calls To Action – You can create multiple special offers and send consumers directly to each offer
  • Going Mobile – a QR code can also be used to build subscribers on a mobile marketing list

Now you may be asking where can you use QR codes in your business? So here is a couple of places where you could add a QR code to help boost your business today:

  • On your business cards
  • On all your marketing materials, flyers, posters, menus etc.
  • You can add to the sides of your van or trucks
  • Place them in the windows of your business premises

Another place QR codes are already in use is in Google Places, when you have claimed your local listing you can create a special offer coupon and within your places account that coupon will create a QR code which will send consumers directly to that special offer.

Now this represents a huge opportunity for business owners and the potential is HUGE because QR codes are bringing people together through technology with a good user experience.

So with this in mind what ideas do you have to drive your business forward with QR codes in 2011? Please post your thoughts in the comments section below.

Filed Under: Mobile, Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Local Search Marketing – Amazing Statistics

March 11, 2011 By 5 Comments

According to the latest study by comScore it is reported that there are 14 billion searches on Google in March and of those searches at least 20% were local. That means that there were a total of  3 billion LOCAL searches like ‘fitted kitchens in Liverpool’ or ‘doctors L1 5TF’.

Also did you know that only 15% of small to medium size businesses have actually claimed the Google Places Page (Local Business Listing) which get millions of views each and every day.

Local Search Marketing Amazing Statistics

So if you are not actively marketing your business through local search optimization you are missing out on HUGE amounts of traffic and business every day. Plus by claiming your local listings you are also enabling your business to go MOBILE which is huge. How big you may be wondering?

Well consider this the mobile internet market is 3 times bigger than the regular internet based market!!! Also when users are searching on mobile devices the search results are based on the users current GPS, so if your business is not listed in the local search results they wont even know you exist.

Here’s some interesting stats which show the importance of local search:

  • 97% of Internet users gather shopping information online
  • 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline”
  • 73% of activity online is “related to local content”
  • 70% of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses.
  • 43% of search engine users are seeking a local merchant to buy something offline.
  • The Kelsey Group reports that 74 percent of Internet users perform local searches.
  • There were over 1 billion users in the UK on Mobile Devices in 2010

So if you are not incorporating LOCAL and MOBILE marketing strategies for your business you are leaving a lot of  traffic and money on the table for your competitors to cash in on.

For more information on local marketing feel free to fill out the form and we can help get your business listed ASAP…

Filed Under: Mobile, Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

Why Your Business Needs Internet and Mobile Marketing

March 9, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If has been found in a recent study by BCG that businesses who have adopted and implemented online marketing strategies have been growing at four times the rate than similar businesses who have yet to embrace the power of internet marketing!!! Now there is a definite digital divide opening up between companies who are getting it and active online and those who are not. The UK is the top economy in the world for e-commerce and if your business does not embrace the future and start marketing online you could very well get left behind in 2011.

Why Your Business Needs Internet and Mobile Marketing

Another factor that you need to consider is creating a mobile marketing strategy that is aligned with your online marketing strategy which will then allow you to reach your target market anytime and anyplace. It has been said that 2011 is going to be the year of the mobile but there has already been huge growth in consumers performing commercially relevant actions on mobile phones lets have a look at some of the stats mentioned:

  • eBay performed 1 transaction per second in 2010 via it’s mobile app
  • eBay also sell 3-4 Ferrari’s per month on mobile phones
  • 1 billion people already access the mobile internet
  • Google is generating mobile revenues at a billion-dollar run rate

So with this in mind the sooner you get your business online and actively start promoting your products and services the better. If you do not jump on the bandwagon now your competitors will and your business will forever after be playing catch up plus you will have missed out on a HUGE number of new prospects and customers.

To read more make sure you go and watch the video here to hear what Matt Britton Google’s managing director of UK and Ireland has got say about the growth of both internet and mobile marketing in 2011.

Filed Under: Mobile, Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , ,

Google SEO

March 7, 2011 By 1 Comment

Google SEO – There Are No No Short-Cuts

Businesses in Liverpool (and around the UK for that matter) often ask us about Google SEO (optimising your website to rank on the front page of Google). Many seem to think there is some magic formula or special code that clever it gurus can apply to their websites which would get them listed at the top of search engines like Google. Many believe promises from unethical operators that they can get their website listed on page one of Google within weeks or days.

 

Google SEO

Google SEO

 


Google SEO Is Doing Some Common Sense Things Correctly

The fact of the matter is that there is no magic formula or secret codes that get inserted into your web site to get in ranking. First and foremost your web site needs to be optimised for what is best for your visitors. They are your consumers and your content should reflect that.

If your web site is built according to the correct HTML specifications, has easy to follow navigation, and is unique and has content that your potential clients will be seeking, you are well on the way to having the type of website that Google loves. This is far more important for ranking factors than doing tweaks, “black hat  SEO” and other similar tricks to snare the search engine spiders.

When creating a page give some thought to the TITLE and DESCRIPTION of the content.

Again, this comes back to creating useful content for the user. Your title must be unique as well as accurate. For the description, try to sum up the page content concisely, using phrases that appear in the page content.

Make sure that your page title and description is clearly indicated within the proper HTML tags in the <head> tag of the HTML document. Ensure that you name each page distinctly and accurately, whilst at the same time using important keyword phrases that clearly identify the page content. These tags makes guide the the spiders and this is what will appear in the search engine results. Most often, the description will also be shown below the title. The description tells both google and your potential clients in summary, what your page is all about.

Site Structure

Another important point to consider is the STRUCTURE of your web site. Keep those urls simple. Ensure the filenames are as descriptive as possible, using no more than three to four words. The easier it is for a human being to navigate to all the important pages, the easier it will be for googlebot to crawl and index your pages.

Do not use “deep” directory structures such as: ../this/that/and/theother/page.html – rather keep to singular directory groupings, i.e. ../dir/page.html. Use text for navigation purposes in most cases. If the website design has an image based, flash based or JavaScript based menu structure, create an additional text based navigation structure where possible.

Web Site Content

The content of each page should provide unique and appropriate content to the page title and headings. Do not employ “keyword stuffing” techniques. By this I mean using a sought after keyword multiple times, in multiple paragraphs. By all means, make use of the keyword phrase you are targeting, but use it in a “natural” manner.

If you have named the file correctly, used a keyword rich phrase in the title and description, simply using the phrase in the first and last paragraphs will make that page relevant for the phrase in googlebot’s eyes.

The Importance Of Using  Sensible Anchor Text

What the h%!&^ is anchor text? Anchor text is a link that is clickable, which makes it easy for your visitors to find your other pages (obviously Google loves text links as well!). A text link to another page on your site is also a vote for that site using the text used in the anchor text. i.e. If you have a link on your page which is clickable, and it reads BLUE WIDGETS, your user (and Google) will rightly assume that the page is about blue widgets.

The steps outlined may seem like really simple navigation, but it is of paramount importance to Google! That is how it gathers it’s data about BLUE WIDGETS.

Make use of a regular HTML, text based sitemap. For maximum “spiderability” it is also a good idea to generate an XML sitemap, specifically for googlebot’s ease of use. This makes it far more simple for Google to discover and index all of your pages.

Resources

Information regarding XML sitemap creation

End of part one.

Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

How to Find Reliable SEO Services

March 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Search engine optimization is a vital aspect of online business success, and it can increase traffic to your website when carried out successfully. But many people cannot optimize their websites themselves for two reasons—it is a demanding job and it requires special skills. Some website owners want to focus on their business while hiring a staff to deal with optimizing their websites.

How to Find Reliable SEO Services

This is when SEO services come to the picture. You can always learn SEO yourself, but you need a lot of time to do it. If you cannot find time to learn it, then it is useless to even try. There are offshore freelance SEO specialists that can help you answer your needs. They can work for you and give results in a matter of time. There are freelancers and company based SEO specialists today, and they have varying skills and capabilities. Finding someone who can help you becomes the challenge.
Know what the SEO service provider can offer – When looking for an SEO company or freelance assistant, you have to see their offers.

The services they can give you determine the extent of their capabilities. SEO services include content production, article submission, link building, and social bookmarking. Other contractors offer more services like website development, graphics design, and customer support. The key is to stick to the only services you need—that is one way to save cost.

  • Plus think about it you would not hire a carpenter to six your plumbing would you, so be careful not to choose a company that specializes in web development to do your search engine marketing.
  • They are two separate areas of expertise!

Their strategies are important – Learn that some people do stuff that can ruin your positioning on the internet. For instance, black hat SEO can have instant results, but have awful repercussions like getting your websites banned from search engines. Only procure SEO services from reputable firms or service providers.

  • We would love the opportunity to earn the right to your business…
Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

Social Media and SEO HUGELY Undervalued

March 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In a recent study performed by TagMan it has been proven that the influence of search engine optimisation and social media campaigns have been HUGELY undervalued. This is parlty due to the fact that it can be hard to track all the various sources of traffic coming into your website or business.

Social Media and SEO HUGELY Undervalued

But if you set up tracking and track each individual channel you will then see the true benefits of not only SEO but also Social Media campaigns. It is very common for most people to over emphasize the effectiveness of PPC (Pay Per Click) marketing simply because it is much easier to track from click to sale.

So in effect most business owners focus primarily on PPC campaigns and dedicate a huge part of their marketing budget on these campaigns. Where if they applied the same budget and focus to search engine optimisation services and or social media campaigns their return on investment would be much higher.

So this study is a very interesting read make sure you check it out  here are some of the best points:

“we are discovering that natural search and social media are chronically under-rewarded. Or that paid search (both brand and generic) appear overly so.

  • Generic SEO gets credited for 14 times less sales than it deserves on [a flat attribution model].

By the way, brand term natural search, on the same methodology, is under-valued by a factor of nine.

  • Therefore, generic paid search gets 1.6 times more credit than it should.

Why is this? The simple answer is that, because paid search is so often the last click that it gets attributed with a greater proportion of sales than channels that appear higher upstream but which are still drivers of sales.

  • Social media gets eight times less credit for its direct contribution to sales than it should.“

Click the link below to learn more about the study:

Social media and SEO massively undervalued: study | Econsultancy:

Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , , , ,

10 Mobile Marketing Tips

March 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you are currently doing B2B or B2C marketing and you are not yet incorporating mobile marketing into the mix you could be missing out on huge amounts of traffic and business. More and more people are slowly moving away from their computers and going on their mobile devices for all their internet activities.
10 Mobile Marketing Tips
So are you or Your business moving with them or not? Here are 10 tips to help you with mobile marketing :

1. Give the Finger – Yes you reading this right – if you can read and access your content with only 1 finger you are along the right path. Users don’t want to zoom in just to consume your content so make it easy for them…

2. Keep it Simple – Keep your message short sweet and to the point. K.I.S.S.

3. Be Bold – Be true and be strong to command attention

4. Keep it on Purpose – Mobile users usually have purpose and intent not just browsing they are there for a reason!!!

5. Match tightly – Matching the focus of your ad to your landing page is vital.

6. Be Advanced – Mobile sites should look and feel better than your website. This is not your father’s web!!!

7. Be Compatible – Simply put everything should just work!

8. Consider the source – Mobile smart-phone users are affluent, engaged and progressive opinion leaders who should matter to you and your business

9. Handle with Care – Give users the best experience possible

10. Test Test Test- Testing turns into consistent learning and improvement!

To learn more make sure you download the free report here…

Please post your comments and feedback below?

Filed Under: Mobile, Search Engine Marketing Tagged With: , , ,

PPC – New Keyword Targeting Feature in the UK

June 2, 2010 By 1 Comment

Google have introduced a new feature to Adwordswhich will help advertises increase clicks and conversions by driving more focused traffic through your pay per click campaigns. This feature is only availible in the UK and Canada so if you are running an Adwords campiagn with broad match keywords you can now get more reach with the same keywords.

Here is what you have to do to modify your current campaigns:

To implement the modifier, just put a plus symbol (+) directly in front of one or more words in a broad match keyword. Each word preceded by a + has to appear in your potential customer’s search exactly or as a close variant. Close variants include misspellings, singular/plural forms, abbreviations and acronyms, and stemmings (like “floor” and “flooring”). Synonyms (like “quick” and “fast”) and related searches (like “flowers” and “tulips”) aren’t considered close variants.

PPC New Keyword Targeting Feature in the UK

Just a quick tip if you just modify your existing broad match keywords you could decrease click throughs and conversions BUT if you create new ad groups using the same broad match keywords with the + modifier to broaden your reach and improve the ROI from your campaigns.

By adding new ad groups you tap into more traffic with more precise control with extra broad match keywords. This is something you need to incorporate into your campaigns today!

If you are looking for pay per click mangement services call us now 08448794763

To read more on this:

New keyword targeting feature for advertisers in the UK and Canada – Inside AdWords:

Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing

New Ad Planner Feature in Adwords

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Google have recently introduced new features into their advertising solutions which help in building ad campaigns based on key data. One of these new features is the ad planner 1000 list, which is a list of the top 1000 websites based on unique visitors, number of page views and reach of the individual sites.

This feature now allows you to plan your ad campaigns to make sure you include these top websites when you are advertising on Google’s content network. This can really boost your traffic and results of your pay per click campaigns by placing your message on the most visited websites online.

Click here to learn more about pay per click marketing.

New Ad Planner features: the Ad Planner 1,000 and greater integration with AdWords – Inside AdWords:

Filed Under: Business, Search Engine Marketing

Online Video Is Boosting E-Commerce Retailers

May 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Based on a study done by eMarketer retailers know what consumers want and that is online video. Video enables them to stand out in their marketplace and gain valuable clients and ROI. Video is the absolute best way to connect with your market and boost traffic too.

Online retailers have had incredible results by incorporating video marketing strategies into their arsenal. Plus these same strategies can be apllied to boost any brick and mortar business too by generating leads and helping convert leads into customers.

Take a look at some of these stats they will blow your mind…

Top 50 retailers that are offering some form of video on their websites skyrocketed 378% last year over 2008 and was up to 68% says a Forrester Research study, “Online Retailers’ Adoption of Online Video Content Is Ahead of Consumers’ Preferences,” published in November 2009.

E-Commerce Retailers Find Value in Online Video:

Filed Under: Search Engine Marketing, Web Video Tagged With: , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »