Most business owners know that SEO is important. An estimated 80 – 90% of consumers check online before buying a product. So if you aren’t doing SEO right, you’re leaving money on the table and it would pay to get some reliable, expert advice. If you have local customers though, what you really need is a local SEO expert.
That doesn’t just mean an SEO expert in your area. It means someone who knows how to optimise a site for search terms that include location information. Like “yoga Newport” for instance (a key term for this client), or the even more competitive, “web design Newport”.
Why Local SEO?
For many businesses, local SEO can be more effective than general, or “national” SEO. That’s especially true for SMEs, because lots of us serve specific areas.… Read the rest
1.96 billion. That’s how many people are on social media. It’s expected to grow to 2.5 billion this year. Social media has made the world smaller and more accessible. As such, social marketing can promote your business to a massive audience, making it a key advertising channel.
Still, many small businesses in and around Cardiff and Bristol target local markets, either across the UK or specifically in South Wales and the Southwest. Having an international reach isn’t always a priority.
So, how do you reach a local or niche audience with social marketing? Here are a few tips:
Know Your Audience
Do you know who your target audience is? Who are you talking to when you create a marketing campaign social media?
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25th 2018. It will affect every business and change many established business practices and business models. It will also require a fair bit of work to ensure compliance, so if you aren’t already working on that, you need to learn about this and start now.
I was going to do a lot of research and attempt to write something about how all businesses need to be ready for it. However, I’m not a lawyer, and giving bad advice could be risky. Also, there is no way that I could come up with something as clear or comprehensive as Heather Burns’ white paper on GDPR for Business Owners & Senior Executives.
If you have a business of any size, whether it’s online or not, or if you’re even just at the stage of considering setting up a business, you need to read that.… Read the rest
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is vital for the success of small firms on the web. That has been an established fact of business life for years. There’s no point having a wonderful website if no-one can actually find it. SEO draws visitors to your site, generates leads, and can ultimately be the difference between your company’s success and failure. Yet, despite the importance of getting this right, many small businesses still make these 5 common SEO mistakes.
Are any of them holding your business website back?
#1 — Not Taking SEO Seriously
Okay, so SEO can be obscure. If you try the DIY approach, it can be complex, time-consuming and technical, too. If you own a business, you’re probably bombarded by “Guaranteed Google Top Spot” spam from self-proclaimed SEO “gurus” every day.… Read the rest
So, 2018 has started with disclosure of two huge cybersecurity vulnerabilities, called “Meltdown” and “Spectre”. These are not like most of the “exploits” that hackers use. They affect almost all modern computers.
Most vulnerabilities affect software. Meltdown and Spectre affect CPUs — the core computer chips — mostly those built by Intel since 1995. So they don’t just affect PCs, or Windows, or Macs, or Linux. They affect computers, regardless of what software or operating systems you use. In short — yes, this affects your computer(s) and phone(s).… Read the rest
Just a quick video to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year!
I have to admit that website building projects usually go a little quiet over Christmas — but not this year! That could have something to do with all the new services I’ve launched over the past 12 months, of course — including making the sort of short video marketing content you see above. Between launching that, SEO, social media marketing, content marketing, site maintenance, mobile appsand providing my usual e-commerce and pro website building services, 2017 has been a pretty busy year. Not to mention rebuilding this site from scratch, too.
So, have a great Festive Season and watch this space for even more improvements over 2018 — onwards and upwards!… Read the rest
For any business in Wales, a successful, strong web presence relies on first impressions. If you don’t capture a visitor’s attention within the first 7 seconds, you might as well say “goodbye.”
The internet can be a cruel mistress or a huge opportunity for small businesses. There are a lot of things to get right — visual design, usability, coding, content creation, search optimisation, conversion rate optimisation, digital marketing and more. Each of these has its own pitfalls and learning-curve.
This means that there are a lot of things that DIY, amateur or just plain inexperienced designers can get wrong. Your main competitors are almost certainly the ones who paid for professional help.
So, you need to approach web design and marketing the right way. This guide is intended to give you a better idea of what your web presence needs to focus on to succeed as a business in Wales.… Read the rest
Did you know that social media offers tons of unique business opportunities?
95 percent of young adults reported following a brand on social media. That’s a lot of potential customers.
But as a business owner, you may not always have the time to reach them. That’s why it’s important to enlist the right help.
Here are some of the unique benefits of using social media management services.
Social Media Management Services Can Help Your Brand Craft A Story
People have become increasingly resistant to advertisements. Now, advertisers are trying to switch up their strategies for a brand-centric approach.
Make no mistake, your audience cares about your product. They just don’t want to be talked at.
So talk to them instead, by letting a management service craft your brand’s story.… Read the rest
Well, that was a nice surprise. Seems I’ve just been listed as a best rated website designer in Newport and am now entitled to display the badge you see to the right.
It’s easy to be cynical about web awards. Most have strings attached or a price tag in the small print. So it’s refreshing to see that this one seems to be free, genuine compliment, based on testimonials from my lovely clients. It didn’t even ask me to link back to the award site in return — so of course, I’m happy to volunteer that.
Besides, I certainly aim to provide the best web services I can. Many do, of course — but I do pick up a worrying amount of trade from those who haven’t bothered.… Read the rest
These days, consumers expect reliable businesses to be available anytime, anywhere — and on convenient platforms. So, what’s the best way to achieve this for your client base? Get a mobile app!
With the simple touch of a screen, anyone will be able to view information about your business such as services offered, store hours, prices of goods, and physical locations. You can also constantly update your content to keep customers informed and interested.
Need more convincing? Read on to learn three reasons why you need to get a mobile app.
1. An App Will Grow Your Consumer Base
The numbers are in. In 2016, there were almost forty-four million smartphone users in the United Kingdom alone. By 2022, it’s projected that there could be close to fifty-four million!… Read the rest
Most business owners know that SEO is important. An estimated 80 – 90% of consumers check online before buying a product. So if you aren’t doing SEO right, you’re leaving money on the table and it would pay to get some reliable, expert advice. If you have local customers though, what you really need is a local SEO expert.
The new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) comes into force on May 25th 2018. It will affect every business and change many established business practices and business models. It will also require a fair bit of work to ensure compliance, so if you aren’t already working on that, you need to learn about this and start now.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is vital for the success of small firms on the web. That has been an established fact of business life for years. There’s no point having a wonderful website if no-one can actually find it. SEO draws visitors to your site, generates leads, and can ultimately be the difference between your company’s success and failure. Yet, despite the importance of getting this right, many small businesses still make these 5 common SEO mistakes.
on first impressions. If you don’t capture a visitor’s attention within the 
Did you know that social media offers tons of unique business opportunities?
Well, that was a nice surprise. Seems I’ve just been listed as a 
These days, consumers expect reliable businesses to be available anytime, anywhere — and on convenient platforms. So, what’s the best way to achieve this for your client base?