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Search Engine Optimisation... Why is it so important?

posted by: Heather  /  13 July 2009

Our extensive experience as web developers, has taught us that having a dynamic and professional website design is only the first step toward an effective online presence. This is because the Internet is a vast and highly competitive medium and no matter how good your website is, if potential customers are unable to find you then it is completely useless.

How do I get potential customers to find my website?

If I told you that 91% of web users use search engines to navigate their way through the web wouldn't you agree that this would be an essential area to dominate?

More specifically, if I said that 8 out of 10 searches are done through Google, Yahoo and MSN can you imagine how beneficial it could be if you were among the top 10 results for searches in your field?

That is where Search Engine Optimisation (or SEO) comes in. Here at Fivesite we are experts in implementing outstanding SEO programs that aim to get you to the top of all the major search engines with keywords and phrases that are relevant to your service. We don't want to move you from page 40 to the first 5 results pages on Google; we want you on the first page. Furthermore we want you at No.1 because we know how beneficial the No.1 slot is for generating new business and boosting sales.

The importance of being on Page 1

A recent survey by Jupiter Research (2008) cites that 68% of web searchers don't look beyond the first page of results when using online search engines. This is an increase of 42% since 2002. These stats not only show the importance of being on the first page of results (thus gaining maximum exposure to potential clients), but it also shows us the increasing importance search engine placement bears on the searcher.

This is because today's internet users are savvy and experienced, therefore they know that the companies at the top of the search results page are going to be the most relevant and the most trustworthy. They think:

High Search Rankings = Leader within their Field

Therefore they are more likely to click through to your website and read more about you, hopefully provoking them to make an enquiry or even buy something directly.

In the report below you can see where web searchers focus their attention when analysing search results. As you can see Google users barely even reach the bottom of the page when viewing results, nor do they pay much attention to the right hand side of the page where PPC adverts are placed. Although Yahoo and MSN users are a bit more sporadic in their viewing, it is still clear that the main focus of attention is the top left hand side of the page... this is where your organisation needs to be.

Beneficial whether you're big or small

The wonderful thing about SEO is that it allows even the smallest company to compete against large organisations. This is because achieving the top slot on Google, for example, costs nothing – search engines offer a free online service which aims to connect searchers with the most relevant websites possible. It's all down to hard work and skill rather than budget that will get you to the top.

Call us on FREEPHONE 0800 292 2014 for more information on how our superb SEO programs can improve your online presence.

Twitter - How to use the latest social networking craze to your brand’s advantage

posted by: Heather  /  02 July 2009

More and more brands are realising the benefits of Twitter and are jumping on the band wagon. Some brands are simply listening to Twitter, finding out what users are saying about their products; some are snapping up their brand names and making sure the twitter-squatters don't get them; and some are being really brave and actively taking part in the conversation.

The great thing about Twitter is that it is unlike any other social networking site. Some may find this a bit scary but once you realise the rules and the boundaries that you should work within it could be extremely lucrative and valuable for the development of your brand.

1. Don't preach to your fellow Tweeters...

Twitter is a ‘social' media which means that getting involved and engaging in conversations is essential in inspiring a reaction. Using the site as a platform for PR announcements and stuffy business jargon will just not do - people don't want to be advertised to, they want to be part of the debate.

2. Make friends and start following...

To be involved in Twitter means actively following other tweeters and getting involved in their debates as well as your own. You cant simply wait for people to follow you, you need to be out there following others and making friends. Twitter is one of the few social networking sites where there is no shame in having a similar following/follower ratio: Stephen Fry is currently following 54,000 people!

3. Don't be afraid to get personal...

You've got to communicate in the same 'language' as other users, or you've got no hope of them interacting with you. Fine, tell consumers about your new product launch or big event, but don't shy away from talking about the little things too - tell them how your day is going!

4. Reply to questions, and get involved in conversations...

When you talk to big brands like Zappos and Wholefoods on Twitter, they reply to your questions and thoughts - that should be a given for a brand on Twitter. If people feel that they have an influence or closeness with your brand you will infinitely increase their loyalty to you. Even if their comments are sometimes uncomplimentary, if they see that their thoughts matter and you reply with solutions or apologies then that will be greatly valued by them and other tweeters. Many a great brand advocate has been created by just the smallest interaction with a brand, and Twitter is the perfect way to do this!

5. Don't be afraid to have multiple accounts...

Lots of the big brands who are doing well on Twitter have multiple accounts for different areas. Dell have almost a dozen - one for their outlet store, one for their UK store... even one for 'Alienware' etc. ASOS have loads too - as well as two or three corporate accounts, loads of their employees are encouraged to use Twitter, and it's really working well for them.

6. Drive traffic to your Web site...

By posting links to news articles or blogs on your website you will no doubt see a spike in your site traffic. As you continue to secure relationships and gain dedicated followers you will soon notice more and more people becoming regular visitors to your site as well as your tweets. At the moment, there isn't a more immediate, effective, interactive marketing tool than Twitter.

Here at Fivesite we are not only website designers, but we can guide you in all aspects of online marketing and improving your online brand awareness.

For any more information about Twitter or improving any aspects of your online presence please contact us on FREEPHONE 0800 292 2014

In-house Web Designers vs Outsourcing

posted by: Mark  /  01 July 2009

One of the dilemmas faced by companies that are in the process of launching their website or web application for their business is whether to hire a team of in-house web designers and web developers or to outsource the entire project to a third party. If you too are in such a dilemma, here are some factors that you need to take into consideration to make your decision.

Firstly, you should consider the nature and the size of your web design or web development project. If you are going to develop a website just to showcase your products and services, then you will only need a small content managed website, which ranges from 5 to 25 pages depending on the nature of your products and services. Here it may not be worth taking the trouble to recruit in-house web designers and website developers. Here the best option is to outsource the project to a third party web design company.

On the other hand, you may want to launch a huge website with thousands of pages with elaborate programming modules to run the entire operation online. Here the duration of the project may run anywhere between 6 months to 1 year.

In such a scenario, you may consider hiring a temporary team to develop your website. But, it may work out to be much easier to get the project done by a third party company with the required expertise. Finding the right team of web designers and web developers for your in-house team will be both time consuming and an expensive affair.

You need to find experts that can review the skill sets of the web designers and web developers.

Moreover, when you have an in-house team in place to develop your website, you will end up managing the entire project. This will distract you from concentrating on the core function of your business. Therefore, you should also take into consideration factors such as the overall time, cost and effort before deciding to have an in-house team. You must take into consideration the amount of time that you are willing to spend on the project as well.

One of the reasons why some companies may like to hire an in-house team for their web development project is related to confidentiality issues. If you are worried about confidentiality issues and about the safety of data, you can split the project in to multiple parts and have the aspects of project which you think will raise confidentiality issues developed in-house and outsource the rest to a third party web design and web development company.

By doing this, you can guard your corporate data as well as reduce the over all cost of the project because the third party company that you hire can do major part of the web development at a cheaper rate.

Overall, by hiring a third party company to deal with your website development needs will work out to be the cheapest and easiest option. This will also allow you to concentrate on your core business which only you can handle.