Kevin T
Radio Advertising – Back to the 80s
This rant was prompted by a recent blog from Seth Godin in the US. Seth is one of the world’s top marketing gurus and published author with a huge following. To quote: “There are just a few radio stations in each market……. Scarcity of spectrum, inflexible consumption (listen now or it’s gone forever)…” (read more)
It’s Official – To be found online, Get a Blog
Google has been saying for the last year the importance of providing fresh content to your readers. Most have ignored the cry, focusing instead upon how a site looks and if it has the right image appeal. If any Google/SEO work is done (rare), it’s a one-off event to ensure you’ve the right keywords – A traditional ‘brochure website’ strategy.
Read more on It’s Official – To be found online, Get a Blog…
YOU Like Your Website – But Does Google?
SEO and the ability of a website to ‘be found’ by Google is ever-changing. Unfortunately design schools seldom teach the intricacies of search marketing – Which is why most small business websites today are ranked low by Google and will never get to Page One.
Online Directory Listings – Are They Worth It?
A number of my clients have been pestered by various directory providers the last few months, each selling a variety of products to help them be found online. But are these services any good?
Read more on Online Directory Listings – Are They Worth It?…
To know the future, watch your kids
I recall an amazing presentation at a TED conference with scientist Clifford Stoll a few years back, pondering on what the future will bring. He said, “Don’t ask a scientist or engineer about the future, ask a kindergarten teacher.” It this is true, there’s no place for printed books or magazines in the lives of the upcoming generation.
Do we really need graphic designers to build websites?
This came out of some debate on a linkedin forum recently. There was a comment from Mike Hihn, an industry veteran who does online marketing for business.
“As for what I call owner-build websites, I have marketing/sales/SEO packages which include no design at all – other than helping them determine how many landing pages to have, and their best keywords, BEFORE designing the site. And analysing what the competition is doing, which very few pure designers even ask about (so I’m told)… The two most important factors in a website are content and links, neither of which has anything at all to do with graphic design. …..anyone focused on the bottom line should build their own [content-managed] site, then hire somebody to help them with the marketing and search aspects…”
Read more on Do we really need graphic designers to build websites?…
Google’s sent you mail – The paper variety
This week I received two interesting things in the old post box, both from big online providers.
The first was a package from Google, providing me material on AdWords I’d asked about online. Much was a copy of their online stuff, but the printed, personalised AdWords vouchers with my name on it together with a Google-embossed (paper) notebook was slick.
Fastest Growing, Most Popular CMS – WordPress
We’ve had a few things to say round the benefits of WordPress technology over the last year for small business website projects. e.g. Best small biz CMS (Content Management System) web platform. Easily optimised for Google Search. Best upgrade path. Ease of use, being the ability to self-manage content. Mobile apps and compatibility. Support etc, These amazing feature-benefits have been acknowledged by website designers and developers worldwide. Here’s the latest stats of WordPress platform adoption.
Here’s the 12 major reasons Google hates you…
Not getting your share?
Successful websites get lots of traffic, with around 70% sent from Google.
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Site not well optimised for phrases or keywords that people actually search for.
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Site pages and their headings (H1/H2 tags) are poorly chosen and/or not relevant
6 Ways to BE FOUND online
Much of our time these days is around building websites for clients that ‘GET FOUND’.
In many respects, it’s never been more difficult. Competition is high for all sectors and keywords with millions of sites found. Any success comes from a complex art of on-site and off-site strategies. And when you talk to the ‘experts’, few agree on what works best. There is no single magic fix. Just hard work. However with Google sending most sites 60-70% of their traffic, the need for business to appear on Page one of Google is dire.
All advice and opinions here are offered freely on a no-liability basis.
