• Drop in the number of daily visitors
• Large drop on where your website appears in Google

If you did then your website has probably been hit by the recent change of the Google search algorythm, a change they have named ‘Penguin’.

The Google Penguin change has been launched to try and address what Google refers to as ‘web spam’.  Websites that offer poor, sometimes duplicate content and / or engage in aggressive search engine optimisation  (SEO) practices to try and manipulate their position in search engine rankings.

Unfortunately, like with other changes by Google the end result is never perfect and some good websites have been caught in the crossfire.  The problem is that this is very unfair on the website owners, especially if it means in loss of business to competitors.

When Google make these type of changes it does act as a wake-up call, especially if you are guilty of (quite innocently) falling foul of these guidelines.

Link building can be risky

One area many small business owners get caught is buying a cheap deal to build 1000 links to your website for a very small fee.  What you don’t know is how those links will be built and, more importantly, the impact they will have.  For this reason it is very wise not to buy links.  In fact Google even states that links should not be purchased.

For a website with good content and serving a meanigful purpose, links will build up naturally over time.  The method of how these links are built will vary, not only by the ‘anchor text’ in the link but also the source.

For example, a natural link profile will come from directories, blogs, forums, press releases, social networks (like Twitter, Facebook, etc) and others.  They will also appear over time.  Buying links may result in 1000 backlinks all being built on the same day, all with the same anchor text and from the same type of source i.e. forum signatures.

Avoid duplicate content

Another important aspect of the change is to ensure that your website contains good quality content that is not duplicated across several webpages (or other websites).  Google can identify duplicate content and only gives credit to what they beleive is the source version.

This means that a small business owner should ensure that there is no duplicate content and ideally look to ensure that content is regularly updated.  This is where a pay each month service can be very cost effective by allowing regular updates to keep content fresh.

Google’s primary objective

I want to close by remnding you that Google is always thinking about search in respect of the user experience of the person searching.  If you keep this in mind when building your website and updating the content together with avoiding suspect SEO practices, you hopefully will not experience the wrath of the penguin.

If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

However, for those in the retail industry these “holidays” are the perfect time to entice the rest of us off the beach, from in front of the television and out of our gardens to spend our hard earned money on the wares they have to offer. How do they tempt us? By way of huge savings and discounts for a limited time only.

One of the first examples of this is what has become known as “Black Friday” in the United States. Thanks Giving is a major holiday for all Americans, and initially employers would give their members of staff the following day off work to recover from whatever “revelling” they had partaken in. Now…having clicked on to the fact that most Americans are not at work, retailers have taken to opening their doors as early as 4am offering promotional sales in order to “kick start” the Christmas shopping season

The UK’s best example of this has always been referred to as “The January Sales”. Having spent a fortune on presents and entertaining the family over the Christmas period, we are persuaded to part with more money by way of huge discounts in every retail store from the first working day of the New Year.  Why it is still referred to as the “January Sales” is now a question indeed, as well before Santa has left the North Pole, we are being bombarded with adverts from retailers stating “SALE STARTS BOXING DAY”.

With the way of world and the economic climate such at it is today, we no longer spend these holidays in the traditional way they were intended. We work hard to earn our money and when it comes to spending it we love a bargain, so retailers will continue to attract us through their doors with promises of huge savings, regardless of it being Easter, Mayday or Christmas and no doubt we will continue to be happy to oblige!

If you have a pay monthly website service, like those offered by Digital Ark, you can add offers to your website for holidays (and other times) and remove them without having to worry about additional costs.  Other options include adding discount coupons to your Google Places page.

If you would like more information, please contact me.

The main reason being that there has been a huge shift from established ways of attracting customers such as directories, parish magazines, leaflets, cards in shop windows, etc to more and more people searching for products or services online (either with a computer or increasingly a smartphone).

One of the alarming points the article states is “Research has shown that today people search the web even for services they can find next door, rather than look at their parish magazine or in a newsagent’s window”.

This article made me think of a recent conversation with one of my client’s.  They were expecting a visit from one of the long established directory services and wanted to discus advertising.  In the past they had been spending a lot of money on half page adverts.  While it was possible to advise the client on what size advert to take.  I did discus the trends of more people moving to online search and crowdsourcing to find products or service.  I also added that in many cases, hardcopies of directories do not make it out of the plastic wrapping before going straight into the recycling.  All very similar thoughts to those expressed in the article in the Times.  See our free resources on local mobile search that covers some of these points.

So what does this mean to a small business?

1. You must have a website that contains basic business and contact details.

However, there are more and more websites being added to the internet every day and landing a position on the first page of search engines like Google is becoming increasingly harder. So:

2. To really give you business the best chance online you need an effective website that has been designed to provide the content that people are searching for.

This means ensuring that you conduct key search phrase analysis before designing the website.  You could design the best looking website.  But if it does not relate to what people are searching for it will never appear in the search engine results, you will have not visitors meaning no opportunity to win new customers.

Points to consider

You could build your own website, it saves money.  However, it will take a lot of your valuable time and it may not end up attracting visitors.

The flip side, you could choose a web design company that understands how to design a website to target the key search phrases for your market.  It will cost you money.  However, what it saves in time and more importantly, the visitors (aka potential customers) it may attract will prove a sound investment.

If you have any questions or would like more information of the comprehensive range of website design and online services provided by Digital Ark, do not hesitate to contact me.

Content

Good content needs to have a purpose whether to inspire, educate, inform, assist or entertain. It should engage the reader and provide something they can relate to. Fresh information is better than stale so even if you are writing about a topic that is timeless, it should be done in a way to make it new and exciting.

Headlines

The headlines of your blog will the first and perhaps the only impression you make. Without a headline that converts a browser into a reader, the content of your blog may as well not even exist. A headline can grab someone’s attention, a great headline will entice the reader into the body of the text you have written. In essence, a headline should promise some kind of advantage or reward for the person reading it in trade for their valuable time to do so.

Keywords and Phrases

In order for your blog to get noticed by people other than those working for your company you need to maximise the potential for it to get noticed on the various search engines used by potential customers. It is important that you use the best and most unique keywords and phrases for your blog as they provide these search engines with a brief description of what your blog is about and the easier you make it for search engines the better chance your blog has of being noticed.

Writing Style

A blog is not an advert or flyer for your company. The other sections of your website should provide these bits of information, so try to sound like you are chatting to someone when writing your blog. Read your blog back to yourself before publishing, does what you have written invite your customers to initiate a response?

Frequency

You need to ensure that your blog is updated regularly. Content should remain fresh but not overstretch your resources. At minimum you should set a time each week, however depending on your business requirements you may have a need to respond to or update on posts more frequently.

If you are interested in starting a blog to help your business or organisation and would like advice and guidance, please contact me on info@digitalark.co.uk.

If you are ready to start, you may be interested in our reliable web hosting packages with 1 click WordPress install.

Many companies will publish testimonials from the clients but how often do you see a negative review on a company’s website or within their other marketing materials? No-one likes to broadcast when a customer has had a bad experience or that their product is not all it’s cracked up to be.

With the introduction of the World Wide Web came a whole new way for companies for market their products. We no longer need to wait for a local directory or newspaper to be published or for an advert to appear between television programs. We now have instant access to millions of companies, products and services worldwide.

Further to this, social media websites like Facebook have not only changed the way we communicate with other socially but have also allowed us to express our opinions by way of forums and reviews on pretty much anything and everything and this includes the products and services we buy and use every day.

Many of us now refer to the masses rather than the few by way of these social media websites in order to build up a view on and ascertain if we would like to purchase a product or service. Client reviews are a powerful marketing tool; they give you independent opinions from other clients that have already used what you have an interest in and not just the company marketing it.

A lot of companies like Amazon that sell products from multiple manufacturers and businesses have taken on board just how important a tool crowd sourcing is and have adapted their websites so that both positive and negative responses can be left.

All companies small and large should embrace this approach as even if the response from a client is negative, honest feedback will help them review on a regular basis the products and services they have to offer, how their personnel are interacting with their clients but most importantly they will be able to implement changes in order to improve their products and services.

A very good service for local mobile search is Google Places please read our blog post 28. How Google Places can help a small business.

Look at the products you have on tender and make sure that new ones are advertised as soon as they are available. If you are advertising a special offer you need to ensure that you don’t leave out of date promotions on your site, this will look unprofessional and if you are no longer able to provide your customers with the offer on show this could not only cause embarrassment but the customer may not choose to use you again.

Do you provide photographs of the products you sell? If you do, look to change them every now and then. It may be the same product, but a different photograph can change and enhance the look of your website. This should also be applied to other photographs you may use, for example; location and personnel photographs.

Most website service providers will offer the ability to change the background and page designs of a website. Whilst you will require your company logo to stay the same, think about changing the background colours and themes that you use.

Do you have a page that allows your customers to leave testimonials? If you do, then make sure that new clients offer you their feedback and remove the older ones and upload the new.

Maintaining your rankings within the search engines like Google is paramount to ensuring that your website is a successful tool for your company. The keywords and phrases that are used in the production of your website are vital to ensuring your status within these rankings. Changes that you make including new products or editing will automatically generate keywords and phrases.

It is not enough to just design a website, let it go live and then leave it in the hope it is working for you. Your website is a powerful marketing tool and it is vital you update it on a regular basis to ensure you continue to get traffic visiting both old and new which in turn will ensure your company continues to profit.

One option to keep your website fresh with updated content is to use a pay monthly website maintenance service like the ones provided by Digital Ark.  For a sensible, simple fixed monthly fee, you can have your website updated on a regular basis without having to worry about how much it will cost you.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact us on info@digitalark.co.uk.

The greatest source of traffic for your website is those that are free. Usually these are people who have used search engines such as Google and typed in words or phrases relevant to what they are looking for. Research shows that many people using search engines like this will usually not investigate companies past the first three pages of results. So…you need to think not just about the obvious words that relate to your business but how to use them uniquely.

You may be using phrases that relate to what you have to offer but if they match what thousands of other companies offering the same as you are also using, the chances of your business showing near the top of the search engine results will be greatly diminished. The significance of your website being located near the top of search result lists cannot be overstated. If you are not positioned in the top percentage of listings then the amount of people using your website could be negligible.

Most SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools will contain a keyword and phrase tool as part of the package they tender or these tools are available separately. It is worth researching these as the cost of these tools varies from company to company. Ensure that you find one that is capable of generating lots of varying ideas for keywords and phrases and that also affords you the ability to organise and report the results.

If you are still unsure of the importance of using the right keywords and phrases within your website, carry out a simple test. For example: – If you were a plumber and typed this into your search engine it will return over 69 million results! Obviously this is worldwide coverage, however if you entered it along with your location the results will probably still astonish you and show you just how many companies offer the same basic service as you therefore further  illustrating the need for unique keywords and phrases.

Key phrase analysis is a fundamental part of the website design process at Digital Ark.  If you would like more information please contact us by sending an e-mail to info@digitalark.co.uk.

The problem

The disadvantage is that it is highly unlikely that a small business can afford a 24 hour human workforce to respond to clients who engage with the website.  This creates the risk that by the time you respond to an e-mail, a competitor has already beaten you and won the business.

The solution

A smart way to address this problem is through the use of e-mail auto-responders and e-mail forwarding.

E-mail Auto-responder

An auto-responder allows for an automated e-mail response to be sent to the potential customer when an e-mail is sent to a defined e-mail address.

For example, you could set up a page on your website that gives the option to ask for more information by sending a mail or form to info@<Your e-mail address>.  You then can create a rule within your web hosting Control Panel that will automatically send a predefined e-mail as a response.

he response can thank the person for the enquiry stating you will respond in xxx hours / days.  It should also include additional information that is relevant to the enquiry and not available on the website.  If possible include links to additional resources and ask questions you would normally ask as part of the process.  This will continue the engagement and hopefully prompt a response.  This will then mean that you are better placed to respond when you are back in the office.

There are dedicated services like Mailchimp that allow you to set up a sequence of auto responses, set at defined time intervals if you require a more sophisticated solution.

E-mail Forwarding

This allows rules to be set in the Control Panel to automatically forward an e-mail sent to a specific address to a different address.  You may want to do this so that e-mails are sent to a general address and then automatically forwarded to a personal address.  This will ensure that you personal address is not bombarded with enquiries.

It also means that you can pick up enquiries when you are out of the office and then decide if they need to be responded to.

Free Auto-Responders and E-mail Forwarding

The great news about these services is that the functionality is usually provided free by most reputable web hosting services through a Control Panel.

If the web host also provides a large amount of e-mail addresses, you can set up different e-mail addresses with different responses tailored to the nature of the enquiry.  The options are endless and can really help engage potential clients.

I am pleased to advise that Digital Ark provide this functionality as standard with all web hosting packages.  Even our Web Starter web hosting package provides 1000 e-mail addresses which should be more than enough for your needs.

Screen shot of the Control Panel showing e-mail options

If you would like more information or assistance, please e-mail info@digitalark.co.uk.

Four Square

If you run a location based business such as a bar, coffee shop, hairdressers, beauty salon, restaurant, etc, you definitely should consider registering with Four Square.

Four Square allows you to register your business / premises on their social network.  This is done by registering an account and claiming your business.  You then will need to wait for a confirmation code to be mailed to you through the post (to make sure you actual are registered at the address).  This code is then entered and your business is live on the network.

Card that you should receive to verify your business / organisation on Four Square

You can then set up details about your business, products, opening times and even special offers.  This information is then available within the Four Square social network.

Like other social networks it allows people to add reviews.  This is very powerful as there is an increasing trend for people to use ‘crowd sourcing’ (seeking the opinions of others) before visiting or buying.

Mobile Search 

The real power in Four Square is mobile search.  You can download a free app to your smartphone (i.e. iPhone).  This then allows users to search for venues that are near to their location.

So imagine you are in a new town, you want somewhere to eat but have no recommendations.  Launch Four Square, it will use the location services in your phone to advise you of the locations nearby, with reviews and if the owners have any offers for users of Four Square.

Checking-in and Offers

An important feature that sets Four Square apart from other social networks is the ability to check-in to a location.  This is achieved by clicking the check-in button when you are in or near to a location on your smart phone.

Points and badges are awarded for every check-in and you can compete on leader boards with your friends.

However, some clever businesses have also been smart and made use of the offers feature.  This allows a business to set up offers that are available to Four Square users who check in i.e. 10% off the price of a meal.

Become the Mayor

Another interesting feature is that you can become a mayor of a location.  This is achieved by having the highest number of check-ins over a period of time.  If you continue to visit and check-in you remain as the mayor.  If someone else achieves more check-ins, you get ‘ousted’.

Now being the mayor of a location can be rewarding.  For example, a number of Dominoes Pizza offer a free small margarita pizza to the current mayor of the location on a Wednesday.  There are many others who have offers, you just need to find them.

So as a small business, why not offer a special offer for the mayor.   This will encourage people to come and check-in, hopefully bringing more trade.

Let People Know

Four Square is becoming widely known so let people know you can be found on Four Square.  Add it to your promotional details, website, display on menus, etc.

When you register you may even receive a window sticker to use at your location like the one below.

Four Square window sticker

Conclusion

Used correctly Google Places and Four Square can help expand the reach of your online marketing.

Remember, Digital Ark will set up Google Places free of charge for all clients who have our pay monthly website service.

If you would like more information or would like to discus the options for your business or organisation, please contact me simon@digitalark.co.uk.

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The internet has fast become the most popular way in which to locate businesses as customers can find several companies in their area, relating to their requirements in just a few seconds. Google is one of the most used internet search engines and can offer a business an optimised business place page (Google Places) which can help them benefit from consumers using Google to locate their trade.

Google Places is a Free Service

Google Places is a free listing that not only helps businesses get found but allows them to offer potential customers so much more than just their company name, address, telephone number etc… Those using Google Places can upload photographs, videos, vouchers, customer reviews and so much more in order to inform customers of as much as possible, therefore standing a better chance of generating new and maintaining existing clientele.

Google Places Benefits from Optimisation

When creating a Google Places page optimisation is vital, search results displayed to a customer rely heavily on keywords and you should list as much information as possible. The best way to achieve this is not only with the use of photos and offers etc… but to ensure all keywords relating to what you can offer are specified.

Google Places Helps with Mobile Search

Using Google Places can also benefit businesses in respect of other technology. “Smart Phones” are fast becoming the latest trend in mobile phone technology and research has shown that ninety percent of owners have used their phone to conduct a search for a local business through Google. There are also numerous applications available with this technology that offer customers enticements such as vouchers and special offers for dealing with local businesses.

Keeping track of how the listing for your business is performing on Google is valuable information. When using Google Places, you will have a personalised dashboard that will show you information such as how often you were located on Google and from what areas customers are from. These and the other features of Google Places will help a business make more informed choices about how they interact with their customers and how they can get found on Google.

If you would like more information, please check our free resources for local mobile search.

Remember, if you have chosen our pay monthly website service, we will set up Google Places for free as part of the set-up of your website.