It is hard to believe that yesterday (or was it two days ago…) I was working from Sydney Airport, creating several new web pages for a tidy client.
Working remotely truly is a perk of the job; wireless technology, smartphones and laptops make it all possible… That said; I am glad to be back from our trip to the southern hemisphere, keen to open up the office tomorrow morning and get down to business.
As another busy year comes to an end, now is the perfect time to reflect and plan for the New Year ahead – Last week we emailed our clients to say “thank you”, they truly made 2013 another good year for Tidy Design.
So, what do we have planned for 2014? Well, I think the most important thing is staff. Hiring someone new to help us maintain a quality service to both new and existing clients. If you are a web developer based in Portsmouth then please do send in your CV, we will be interviewing in the New Year.
Another part of our business we look to improve in 2014 is the FREE Stuff section. On this page I would like to see far more freebies and items for sale – This is quality link bait and should boost brand awareness.
Last but not least we have customer care and the strengthening of business relationships – This means a lot to me, people invest in people and I don’t want to loose sight of existing clients as new contracts come our way… Recruiting more staff will make this all possible.
One thing is certain as I look ahead to 2014; running a small business and adapting to change is pretty hard work – That said; it is also the most rewarding job I know!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
I have greatly enjoyed my time working at Tidy Design as both a part time admin/marketing assistant and a content writer, working on SEO campaigns.
During the last two years, I have watched the company go from strength to strength, participating in its evolution from a business run from home, all the way through to its present incarnation in a superbly located office suite in picturesque Old Portsmouth.
In all the time I have worked for Tidy Design, I have been consistently impressed by how the company’s values have never waivered. Mike demonstrates great integrity in his work, always putting customers at their ease and prioritising their needs and wishes, fully appreciating the importance of creating great bespoke website designs that truly represent the heart of their business or organisation.
Furthermore Mike is a family man, with wife Rosie very much an intrinsic part of the team. Alongside my fellow colleagues, Jason and Jordan, I have greatly enjoyed my experience of working at Tidy Design.
As I leave to seek new full-time employment, I shall greatly miss my time here and will always value the friendship and kindness that comes from being part of ‘Team Tidy.’ I wish everyone the greatest success as the company goes forward.
Kerry McPhail
Reaching global audiences has never been easier thanks to the increasing rise of technology and social media. So when it comes to utilising SEO – Search Engine Optimisation – to raise awareness of your company internationally, what methods can you best employ to achieve success?
First of all, as with any great campaign, you will need to examine all your resources and set clear objectives as to who your target audience is.
Next identify what it is that you wish to share with them and how you would like them to respond by way of return. Explore ways to ensure this process is creative, enjoyable and measurable and you have the beginnings of a great SEO campaign.
Strategically targeting potentially profitable markets from the outset of your International SEO campaign will enable you to test and engage with specific audiences appropriately. Adjusting to language and cultural preferences, remember to consider the differences in international web structure as you proceed. You will also need to allow for differing behaviours, attitudes and seasonal variations in each country you are seeking to connect with.
Take time to research your competitors closely, in relation to which content works best with which audience groups. It will help you to connect more readily with your potential customers as your international SEO campaign progresses.
Be friendly and helpful, alerting your readers to more suitable versions of content, rather than simply setting automatic redirects.
Employing a native translator can be a wise move, enabling you to tailor bespoke content to your readers’ needs, rather than simply utilising Google Translate.
Undertaking keyword research with the countries and languages you have selected by identifying local search volumes for relevant keywords in each county and language via the most used search engine of that country – Google’s Keyword Tool will stand you in good stead.
As with any great SEO campaign, offering fresh compelling content that adds value to your readership, inspires, informs and assists them, will greatly increase the likelihood that they will remember your company, recommend you to others and return to use your products and services time and again.
Kerry McPhail
Google’s free Webmaster Tools have provided approximately 100,000 backlinks in recent years when you click “Download links”.
Initially these were selected in lexicographical order. This tended to give prominence to data towards the beginning of the alphabet.
Google have subsequently improved this selection process, giving sites a greater overall picture of their backlink profile. Sampling from the entire range of backlinks, these will still be sorted alphabetically. However the new process allows for a greater diversity of links. This means that site owners will obtain a better overview, enabling them to work on clearing up any bad link practices while more effectively employing their existing resources for the future.
Kerry McPhail
Two years ago my wife (and partner in the business) was literally about to pop, AKA give birth to our first child. Since then a lot has happened and a lot has changed, parenthood really does transform your life!
Running a business can be tricky at the best of times, having a child adds a whole new dimension! Following the birth of our little boy, it took several months for me to move Tidy Design away from the home office and into business premises. It was pretty clear we needed to separate our home and business life, minimising distractions to regain more focus, deliver a better working environment for our staff etc…
It is hard to believe we have been in Old Portsmouth for just over a year now! This is a move I would highly recommend to any home run business expecting a new arrival; a work-home divide really does help :)
Google search is inclining steadily towards simpler methods of data retrieval, merging personalised searches and social searches in their results pages.
As expected, the changes are having a major impact on traditional online marketing techniques. Billions of searches take place worldwide daily, so building your company’s brand up via Google+ is essential to your continued success.
Google+ will greatly improve your business’ search visibility. Choosing to be proactive and building a presence on Google+ involves increasing the number of people you have in your circles in addition to re-shares and +1’s of website content.
Why not optimise your content on Google+? Including the rel=”author” tag and reciprocating it with your Google+ profile, this is a highly effective way to increase a page ranking. Opting to make your Google+ button / account highly visible is vital as it will increase the likelihood of your readership clicking it.
Finally, why not make the most of any existing social networking site you have that already have a following – including Twitter and Facebook. Promoting links to your Google+ profile/page via these networks will enable you to build up a highly effective online presence.
Kerry McPhail
With tablets widely predicted to overtake shipments of desktop PCs and laptops later this year, it remains likely that tablets will continue to enjoy strong growth in the years ahead.
The mobile devices market is gaining strength, with tablets and smartphones gaining on the PC market and continuing to do so.
Hybrid phone-tablet devices may eventually merit recognition as a separate category in their own right and it is widely believed that smartphones will represent the vast majority of connected device shipments.
It will be interesting to see how technological developments proceed in years to come. One possibility is that a convertible device – capable of running both Android and Windows – will emerge as a stand-alone tablet.
With the advance of mobile technology, the question of how your business chooses to respond and adapt to meet customer demand becomes increasingly important.
Kerry McPhail
Matt Cutts head of the webspam team at Google posted an interesting video yesterday that asked the question “What should a site owner do if they think they might be affected by Panda?”
The bottom line here is “high quality content”, giving your website visitors a good user experience and offering value…
When it comes to SEO and the analysis of site data, Google Webmaster Tools offers a “Search Queries” report that is pretty cool…
If you select “Filters” you can view by “Location” which will show you the trend of search queries in certain countries… You can also view other data such as impressions, clicks, change, your average position and the CTR (Click Through Rate) … Interesting data for SEO and marketing folk to digest.
