Opace - Web Design and SEO Blog

What is LinkedIn?

Alexis — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:30:29 +0000

Introduction to LinkedIn...

LinkedIn should be an integral part of the social media marketing for every business. In this video, we show how to make the most of your LinkedIn account to help you build brand, develop your client base and win more business. It’s the must have social media marketing for B2B and B2C – and our video will help get you started.

Why we have created this video

Have you found yourself asking the question, what is LinkedIn? This video is a plain English introduction to the social network that's designed for business professionals worldwide. In this his brief introduction to LinkedIn we will explain 'what is LinkedIn' and how you can leverage its power to extend your business network. We also highlight some of LinkedIn's key features and benefits to using it. This brief introduction to LinkedIn explains its origins, terminology, and covers what you can expect to get out of the 150 million strong social network for business professionals. An absolute must for anyone considering using LinkedIn for their business or personal use, and a concise explanation of what the service can offer you. If you found this tutorial helpful then please click the Like or Tweet button below or leave a comment.

Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing a range of social media marketing video tutorials over the coming months.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Introduction, LinkedIn Marketing, marketing through social media, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

What is Twitter?

Alexis — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:02:59 +0000

An introduction to Twitter...

Not using Twitter as part of your social media marketing? Our 3 minute guide gives you the basics, and shows why Twitter marketing is the #1 activity for social media marketing. Powerful, and so simple to use that any business can extend their potential customer base through Twitter marketing as part of their social media strategy.

Why we have created this video

Have you found yourself asking the question, what is Twitter? Well you're not along and many of our clients ask the same question. This is a plain English video introduction to Twitter, encompassing 'what it is' and how you can use it for personal or business use. This brief introduction explains twitter's origins, terminology, and covers what you can expect to get out of the world's most popular micro-blog turned social network service. A must for anyone considering using twitter for their business or personal use, and a concise explanation of what the service can offer you. If you found this tutorial helpful then please click the Like or Tweet button below or leave a comment.

Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing a range of social media marketing video tutorials over the coming months.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Twitter, Twitter Background, Twitter Basics, Twitter Guides, Twitter Marketing, Twitter Tutorial, Twitter Video Tutorials, Web Marketing

Go mobile before your customers go elsewhere

Alexis — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:38:46 +0000

It’s a well know fact that this Christmas (2011) was a good time for tablets and apps. It was estimated that over 4,000,000 apps were downloaded at Christmas and over half a million smart phones and tablets sold. Less well reported but more significant for anyone with a business is the estimate from IBM: Mobiles accounted for 16% of all online buying on Boxing Day – an increase of 275% from the same day in 2010 Of course the two facts are connected. With smart phone and iPad sales far outstripping the sale of laptops and PCs, more and more searches and sales will be done via these gadgets. And the demographic is widening – it’s not just the younger market. A CMS web design will most often allow you to offer a mobile version of your website and take advantage of the following benefits:

Your customers will have a better experience when viewing your site if it is optimised for mobile devices. An unoptimised site can become unusable, unreadable and a real turn off. Typically with open source CMS based websites, plug-ins are available that will allow you to easily offer a fully optimised mobile site.
A mobile version allows you to offer a genuinely alternative site – focussing on goods and services that will appeal to the mobile and tablet user. Again, the latest open source CMS web designs will help you to refocus the site for better sales levels.
Mobile sites are generally faster and more accessible.
More sales - Research from the US suggests that on average, website visitors are 51% more likely to do business with an online retailer if it has a mobile site.

With all these advantages, it is good to know that a mobile version can be created quickly and easily. Open source CMS websites offer a range of free plug-ins created, tested, debugged and supported by a worldwide community of developers. Some providers even offer professional help to install to your plug-in, the change is immediate and cost-effective. For popular CMS platforms like Joomla there is a large number of plug-ins available. For example Mobilebot can detect visitors using mobile devices and change the Joomla template automatically. It can detect iPhone, Blackberry, Android and Opera Mini separately and load a particular template for each of them and it has two extra spaces so you can add your own custom mobile devices. The same is true for the most popular open source CMS web design apps, for example WordPress. The WordPress Mobile Pack is a complete toolkit to help mobilize your WordPress site and blog. It includes a mobile switcher to select themes based on the type of user that is visiting the site, a selection of mobile themes, extra widgets, device adaptation and a mobile administration panel to allow users to edit the site or write new posts when out and about. Even if you don’t use an open source based CMS web design to power your website, it is still possible to make mobile versions of your website but it might be time to consult a web design company that specialises in open source so that you can make the change to such a system. This will allow you to keep your website up-to-date with future technology and changes in the Web cost effectively.

Technorati Tags: CMS, cms design, cms development, cms web design, Joomla, Joomla design, joomla theme, mobile marketing, mobile web, mobile web design, mobile website, mobile websites, Open Source, Web Design, WordPress, WordPress design

Opace Company Overview 2012

Alexis — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 13:55:32 +0000

Who we are

Opace are a UK based web design and internet marketing company. In a world of fast changing technology, Opace understands that what doesn’t change is the need for IT web solutions that deliver results. That’s why our teams work closely with organisations to understand their business needs and objectives. That’s how we can deliver result-focussed solutions – no jargon, no IT speak but clear, measurable and effective steps that will improve online marketing performance.

Technorati Tags: company overview, e-commerce, Opace, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Web Design

How to link Facebook, Twitter & YouTube

Alexis — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:57:25 +0000

In this video we will show you how to link your social media accounts (Facebook, Twitter & YouTube), by using apps for your Facebook page/profile, authorising your Twitter account and connecting accounts via YouTube. This video is designed for people who are new or intermediate users of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. How to link Facebook, Twitter & YouTube is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Over the last few months we have released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing and Facebook Marketing so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest video. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing a range of social media marketing video tutorials over the coming months.

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook how to, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, how to facebook, how to use facebook, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Startegy, Twitter, Twitter Marketing, Twitter Tutorial, Twitter Video Tutorials, Web Marketing, YouTube, YouTube Marketing

DIY SEO – a complete guide to SEO!

Alexis — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:21:47 +0000

DIY SEO - Part 2 in our SEO Made Simple series

Our SEO e-books are part of our wider “do-it-yourself” series of Internet marketing guides and video blogs, all of which can be accessed FOR FREE when you Like our Facebook page.

Introduction

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can seem like a daunting process to learn for any person who is unfamiliar with it. However, the process of SEO is one of the most important skills that you can learn and master if you plan on making your website an online success. This is a step-by-step guide showing you how to Plan, Run and Manage a successful SEO project. In this DIY SEO e-book, we will work through a real example, showing you all of the steps involved in carrying out SEO, from beginning to end – we’ll discuss keyword research and analysis, we’ll show how to carry out your own on-page SEO so you can perfect you web page for search engines and we’ll discuss a range of valuable link building strategies (and great places to get links) that you can use in your off-page SEO and link building work. E-Book Highlights:

Carry out keyword research
Identify the right keywords
Optimise your web page (in 10 simple steps)
Build high value links and where to get them
Use great free SEO tools

The only real pre-requisites to DIY SEO are time, patience and willingness to learn the basics.

Technorati Tags: DIY SEO, Internet Marketing, keyword analysis, keyword planning, keyword strategy, keywords for seo, off page optimisation, off page seo, On-Page SEO, Online Marketing, SEO, SEO Basics, SEO E-Book, seo guide, seo hints, seo keywords, seo steps, seo strategy, seo tips, Web Marketing

Maximise your SEO Strategy: 7 ways to convert your number 1 position into sales

Alexis — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:06:00 +0000

Congratulations. Your SEO strategy has worked and you find yourself #1 on Google - time to sit back and let the £s roll in. However for most businesses the truth is somewhat less rosy. All the SEO strategy is wasted if customers cannot find what they were searching for or worse – they find just the product but don’t know how to buy it. Here are some easy to implement steps, hints and tips for converting your SEO strategy and number 1 position into sales:

1 - Web Design

Perhaps the most important part of any SEO strategy – and the easiest to overlook – is the actual web design of the site itself. It doesn’t have to win any design awards but buyers – B2B or B2C – want to enjoy a good experience whilst on the site. How easy is it to navigate the site and find the products and services you offer? Does it look like you have taken care with the website? If not, why should buyers believe you will take care with them?

2 - Maximise the Home Page

Maximise the effectiveness of your home page. Research shows you have 1/20^th of a second to form the right opinion! All you web SEO strategy is wasted if you have an ineffective home page. Don’t try to make it do too much. If 20% of your products/services deliver 80% of your sales, then give them 80% of your home page.

3 - Content

Is the content clear, relevant, up-to-date and interesting? And don’t be over reliant on words – web users like good photographs, audio and especially online video to sell the benefits of your products/services. Developing good content should always be part of your overall SEO strategy.

4 - How to Buy

How easy is it to buy? If you have an e-commerce site, make sure the process is easy to begin and follow without complicated stages or barriers to purchase. If there is no e-commerce system, make sure there is the necessary information on how to buy clearly and regularly – whether that is a phone number, email address or physical address. You should have clearly seen contact details on every page.

5 - Reassurance

Buyers, especially first time buyers, will want reassurance that you are trustworthy. Your SEO strategy may include some social media marketing and that will allow you to collect valuable feedback and testimonials – ideal for providing new customers with the reassurance they seek.

6 - Returns

What if something goes wrong? Again make sure your returns policy is easy to find and clear – more reassurance for your potential buyer.

7 - Sign-ups

Building a marketing database maximises your SEO strategy. Make sure visitors can sign up easily – and incentivise the sign-up with the promise of exclusives and offers. An excellent way to make sure you turn visitors into customers is to ask people unrelated to the business to look at the site as if they were potential customers. Listen and action their feedback. Keep your eye on your rivals too: your SEO strategy may have got you to #1 but you can still learn from the competition.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, SEO, seo hints, seo steps, seo strategy, seo tips, Web Design, Web Marketing

How to Facebook Ads (Facebook PPC – Part 2)

Alexis — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:53:36 +0000

This is part 2 of our overview on how to use Facebook Ads or Facebook PPC, designed for people who are new/intermediate users of Facebook. In this easy to follow Facebook Ads guide we will show you how to successfully optimise a Facebook Ad campaign and target your audience very specifically using the data that Facebook has available, including Sex, Age and even specific interests. This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. PART 2 in our Facebook Ads video guide PART 1 in our Facebook Ads video guide If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook ads, facebook how to, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, how to facebook, how to use facebook

Great January resolutions for your business website and internet marketing

Alexis — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:40:32 +0000

The New Year is behind us but January is a still a good time for business of all types and sizes to review, plan and implement their business website and Internet marketing activities. So here is our guide to getting the best out of your Internet marketing:

1. Review, review, review

You are doing your business a big disservice if you do not thoroughly review your website design. Use free Google Analytics to find out how your customers find your website, what pages they like and what pages they don’t. Reviewing the website design is more than being happy with the look of the site; the review should cover content - images, video, words – Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), social media marketing etc. Get you staff involved – and get people not involved in the business to rate your website design and overall customer experience. Check out your rivals and research the latest in web design software.

2. Plan, plan, plan

If January is a quiet period, take advantage of the downturn to put together a plan for the whole year. Search engines rate websites that have regularly updated content that is unique, relevant and interesting – and they do that because that’s what customers’ value. So make sure your website design allows you to update regularly and put together a plan for the next 12 months copy.

3. Put yourself in control

If you do not have a Content Managed (CMS) based website, 2012 is the year to put that right. With low-cost and well-established free / open source CMS apps like Jooml and WordPress, you can make a cost-effective change that will allow you to offer a great customer experience, updatable and future proof.

4. Get Social

Social media marketing may seem like something that only brands or bigger businesses do, but it is playing a bigger role in how customers choose the companies they do business with – so that makes it something that you should be doing. Your web design should incorporate your social media activities such as Twitter and Facebook marketing and Blogging.

5. Get Plugged-in

CMS web design offers a wide range of plug-ins designed to improve your customer experience but also to improve back-end activities such as admin and integration with other business accountancy and stock systems – saving you time and money. Make 2012 the year of integration.

6. Try e-commerce

The growth in online sales is unstoppable, even in a difficult economic climate. Whether selling products or services, whether local or international, most businesses can benefit from using e-commerce to sell online. Not only is it easier for customers, it can have cost-savings benefits for the organisation. And with low-cost apps like Magento, e-commerce is within the budget of many organisations.

7. See It Through

Perhaps the most difficult aspect for any business is to maintain the discipline of maximising the effectiveness of their website design – adding copy, media, new functions. If business is good, time is squeezed; if business is poor, motivation is low. So allow proper time on a weekly basis to make amends, and involve as many people as you can in social media marketing and providing new content to your website – from those on the team to friends and family. And, of course, getting expert advice on all aspects of web design and internet marketing can really help. How was it for you? Please feel free to tell us about your experiences and tips reviewing your website design.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, internet marketing strategies, Joomla, Magento, Online Marketing, Open Source, Social Media Marketing, Web Design, Web Marketing, WordPress

4 strategies for making your social media marketing pay

Alexis — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:40:24 +0000

Why friends are never enough

For big brands, using social media strategy for brand development only is a luxury they can afford, but for smaller companies and SMEs their social media strategy needs to both build brand AND lead to sales. Recent research that suggests that what consumers want from their social media activities with companies is not ‘engagement’ or ‘greater communication’ but bargains, offers and incentives. That’s great news for smaller business because it means their social media strategy will help develop a willing audience just waiting to be turned into paying customers. So here are 4 great social media marketing tactics for turning ‘likes’ into ‘buys’:

1 - Make them an offer they can’t refuse

As we’ve said, customers want offers, incentives and bargains from the businesses they follow, so make sure that is what you can give them. There is no business that can’t come up with some sales incentive. And don’t make it a one-off – use your social media strategy to develop a year offering and make sure your followers know that they are regular, credible and genuine offers so they will keep coming back.

2 - Feedback fuels sales

As a further social media strategy, encourage followers to post feedback on Facebook, Twitter , YouTube and blogs etc. This generates further great content for future marketing. Make sure it is easy for them to do this, and add this ‘call to action’ on all your marketing material. Customers put increasing faith in other customer’s reviews so if you have them - and your rivals don’t – you will get the sale.

3 - Keep them engaged

As any social media strategy specialist will tell you getting ‘followers’ and ‘likes’ is the beginning and not the hardest part – making sure you keep them engaged often is. Don’t just post sales-related items, but add engaging copy offering insights, tips and reviews. Keep it interesting and even provocative – always remember to get feedback.

4 - Make it easy to make a sale

Get people who don’t know the business well to check you website, blogs and all social media activity. Ask them how easy it is for them to buy. So many websites neither ask for the sale nor show people how to buy. If you don’t sell online, are you certain potential customers will know how to make a purchase? We said they were great social media marketing tactics, but they are easy too! Plus, there is always expert help to turn your social media strategy into paying customers.

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook marketing, Internet Marketing, marketing through social media, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Startegy, Twitter, Twitter Marketing, Web Marketing

How to Facebook Ads (Facebook PPC – Part 1)

Alexis — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:32:05 +0000

How do Facebook Ads work?

This is an overview on how to use Facebook Ads or Facebook PPC, designed for people who are new/intermediate users of Facebook. In this easy to follow Facebook Ads guide we will show you how to successfully create a Facebook Ad campaign for your business page or to promote a particular Facebook story. This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook ads, facebook how to, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, how to facebook, how to use facebook

How to Customise a Static HTML: (iframe) tab

Alexis — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 10:47:45 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to customise a Static HTML: iframe tab is an intermediate guide to Facebook, designed for people who are familiar with Facebook's basic settings. In this easy to follow guide we will show you how to customise your Static HTML iframe or Welcome page, using an image URL location. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Business page, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to install a Static HTML (iframe) tab

Alexis — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 14:43:42 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to install a Static HTML (iframe) tab is an intermediate guide to Facebook, designed for people who are familiar with Facebook's basic settings. In this easy to follow guide we will show you how to successfully install a Static HTM: iframe tab onto your business page. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
How To Create Facebook Groups & Events
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a Business Page (Fan Page)
How to use Facebook polls
How to install a Static HTML (iframe) tab
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Business page, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

Opace on YouTube

Alexis — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:35:59 +0000

We've just launched our latest promotional video and would love to get some feedback. Please LIKE or leave a comment on YouTube.

Technorati Tags: Opace, web design birmingham, YouTube

How to use Facebook Polls (Questions)

Alexis — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 16:45:41 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to use Facebook polls (questions) is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to successfully create a Facebook poll (questions) on your business page. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
How To Create Facebook Groups & Events
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a Business Page (Fan Page)
How to use Facebook polls (Questions)
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook marketing, Facebook Polls, facebook video tutorials, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to Create a Facebook Business Page (Fan Page)

Alexis — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 09:40:24 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to create a Facebook business page (Fan page) is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to successfully create a Facebook fan page for your business. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
How To Create Facebook Groups & Events
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a Business Page (Fan Page)
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Business page, Facebook Fan Page, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to use Facebook privacy settings

Alexis — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:26:36 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to use Facebook privacy settings is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to successfully set Facebook privacy settings on your Facebook profile. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
How To Create Facebook Groups & Events
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook marketing, Facebook privacy settings, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to create Facebook groups & events

Alexis — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:54:41 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How To Create Facebook Groups & Events is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to successfully create groups and events on your Facebook profile and Business page. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
How To Create Facebook Groups & Events
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook groups and events, facebook marketing, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Web Design and SEO – An Unequal Partnership?

Alexis — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 15:15:18 +0000

A marketer I know and respect said to me:

“with all of the open source content management systems and free templates seemingly by the million, it must be great for businesses today because they don’t have to pay £1000s for their websites”.

He’s right of course – but that is only half the story. In the complex relationship between web design and SEO, the shift is definitely towards SEO. This is something businesses need to take account of – and budget for. For too long, businesses considered web design and SEO as the same process and agencies, with their often historic background in branding and graphic design, were complicit in this. While a great deal of time, energy and expenditure was spent on the web design side, little or no attention was paid to the amount of work required to make the SEO element work. Perhaps a bit of ‘on-page’ SEO was carried out, but not much else. Now the web design and SEO dynamic has changed irrevocably. Web design is still important of course but it has very little value in itself – the most beautiful website is only a success if it achieves its aim of delivering business cost-effectively. And it’s now true that for most small or medium sized businesses using open source CMS like Joomla or WordPress that they can now build great websites without it breaking the bank. The available plug-ins and almost future poof nature of the most popular CMS software is an essential factor for any business looking to grow. So while the budget for web design is greatly reduced, the spend on SEO in all its various aspects is probably increasing. The investment needs to be based on sound financial planning, including ROI, but it needs to done and should probably also include:

‘Traditional’ SEO centred around keywords and ‘on-page’ SEO
Ethical ‘off-page’ SEO and link building
New media
Blogging
Social Media marketing

And those agencies involved in web design and SEO are now showing businesses the value of an integrated online strategy – not just delivering a pretty website. While many aspects of internet marketing are getting easier and lower in cost, maintaining and indeed improving online performance is a dynamic process that still requires help from professional web design and SEO specialists that have a proven track record in delivering results.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, search engine optimisation, SEO, Web Design, web design and seo, Web Marketing

How to change your Facebook username – Vanity URL

Alexis — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 13:05:34 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to change your Facebook username or Facebook Vanity URL is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to change your Facebook username - we will show you how to successfully assign a vanity URL to your Facebook profile and Business page. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
How to change your Facebook username - Vainty URL
Creating a Facebook group/event
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook marketing, facebook short url, facebook username, Facebook vanity url, facebook video tutorials, facebook videos, Internet Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Need a new website? Think again.

Alexis — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 12:33:15 +0000

In a recent edition of design journal The Drum, CEO of Brightfire John Hornell advised businesses who were thinking of redesigning their website to think again and offers some very cogent reasons why. Really this argument is another strand in the debate between the importance of web design and SEO. Perhaps too many companies still blame their failing website on poor web design and SEO is not given enough blame. With the increasing relevance to all businesses of social media and other forms of internet marketing, it might be time to rethink your strategy rather than calling in a digital agency.

Web Design and/or SEO

If your website is failing to generate business, it might be that is has failed to keep up with consumer’s increasingly varied approaches to online business. Rarely do consumers look only at your website when thinking of buying. They will look at your social media, online reviews, blogs and forums. Bearing this in mind, it is probably in these places that you need to be focussing your efforts, rather than at the cutting edge of design. If nothing else, the budget for web design and SEO needs to shift dramatically to the latter. Free or low-cost templates for open-source CMS such as Joomla and WordPress will help with this, and brings other benefits documented elsewhere in our web design blogs. Hornell makes three simple but valuable points:

Think of your website as a magnet - use all available channels to draw people to your website and then keep them there.
Create an abundance of content and promote it - write it, optimise it, publish and promote it. Repeat this process regularly.
Build online authority and influence - “75% of your SEO efforts should focus on building your off-page reputation”.

Web Design AND SEO

It’s not to say that some websites could not do with a makeover, but there are important factors to take into consideration before you start on the redesign journey:

Think of web design and SEO together; don’t try to bolt SEO onto what you think is a brilliant design, but also consider whether the content is SEO friendly.
Any new web design has a shelf life; content does too, but it is much easier to replace dated content than a dated website.
At the same time as planning and implementing the new design, plan and implement your internet marketing strategy – this needs to include web design and SEO, as well as social media, blogging and other forms of internet marketing.

For lots of good reasons, the look of the website continues to be of critical importance for lots of businesses, whilst SEO is still seen as everything from a waste of money, boring to a dark art. Perhaps now is the time for businesses to see that when it comes to web design and SEO the real value for business is with the latter.

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, search engine optimisation, SEO, Web Design, web design and seo, Web Marketing

How to Add Facebook Friends and Create Lists

Alexis — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 11:13:00 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to Add Facebook Friends and Create Lists is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to search for and add Facebook friends to your network and how to create lists for your contacts. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
How to add Facebook friends and create lists
Getting the vanity URL in Facebook
Creating a Facebook group/event
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, facebook marketing, facebook tutorials, facebook video tutorials, how-to, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to Upload Photos and Videos To Facebook

Alexis — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 11:25:46 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to Upload Photos And Videos To Facebook is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to upload photos and videos to a Facebook profile. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
How to upload photos and videos to Facebook
Getting the vanity URL in Facebook
Creating a Facebook group/event
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: Facebook Guides, facebook marketing, facebook tutorials, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, upload photos to facebook, Web Marketing

How to Build a Facebook Profile

Alexis — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 11:03:15 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to Build a Facebook Profile is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to build a Facebook profile by adding info such as hobbies, interests, work, contact details and your profile picture. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
Getting the vanity URL in Facebook
Uploading photos/video and sharing
Creating a Facebook group/event
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Basics, Facebook Guides, facebook marketing, Facebook Profile, Facebook Tutorial, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

How to Create a Facebook Account

Alexis — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:09:24 +0000

This is one of our series of social media marketing video tutorials that we’re planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn. Last month we released some great video tutorials on Twitter Marketing, so if you found these useful we hope you like our latest videos. How to Create a Facebook Account is a beginners guide to Facebook, designed for people who are new to the Facebook social network or social media marketing as a whole. In this video we will show you how to successfully register your details with www.facebook.com in 3 simple stages. If you found this tutorial helpful then please LIKE or leave a comment below. Remember to watch this space as we will be releasing Facebook video tutorials on the following hot topics over the next couple of months:

How to create a Facebook account
How to setup your Facebook profile
Getting the vanity URL in Facebook
Uploading photos/video and sharing
Creating a Facebook group/event
How to use Privacy settings
How to create a business page
How to incorporate iFrames with your Facebook business page
Adding a custom landing tab to Facebook business page
How to use Facebook polls
How to add an opt in form to your Facebook business page

Technorati Tags: facebook, Facebook Account, Facebook Basics, Facebook Guides, facebook marketing, Facebook Tutorial, facebook video tutorials, Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Web Marketing

Facebook Timeline Features and Overview

Alexis — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:18:37 +0000

Facebook Timeline Features

An overview of the Facebook Timeline features including:

Cover
Views
Activity Logs
Stories
News Ticker
Star or Hide

This is one of a number of Facebook video tutorials and Facebook How To guides that we will be creating in order to help social media users and business professionals to make the most of Facebook profiles, pages, groups and features. This video provides a detailed insight into the new Facebook changes being rolled out on October 13th 2011. Please leave your comments below : )

Technorati Tags: business facebook, facebook, facebook changes, facebook features, facebook help, facebook how to, facebook layouts, facebook marketing, facebook time line, facebook timeline, facebook tips, facebook tutorial video, facebook use, facebook video tutorials, how do you use facebook, how to facebook, how to use facebook

Facebook Timeline Layout

Alexis — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:24:22 +0000

Please note this video tutorial was made for people who wanted very early access to the Facebook Timeline. This is now out-of-date and you can update your profile by simply going to http://www.facebook.com/about/timeline and clicking the green “get timeline” button at the bottom of the screen.

How To Set up The Facebook Timeline

An easy to follow, step-by-step tutorial on how to set up the Facebook Timeline in only a few minutes. This is one of a number of Facebook video tutorials and Facebook How To guides that we will be creating in order to help social media users and business professionals to make the most of Facebook profiles, pages, groups and features. This video tutorial provides some useful tips on the new Facebook changes being rolled out on October 13th 2011 and how to get Facebook's new Timeline layout NOW. You don't need any programming experience or technical ability whatsoever! Please leave your comments below : )

Is running a website now for experts only?

Alexis — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:25:22 +0000

In theory, recent changes in web design and related-areas should mean that small businesses can design, build and manage their own website without any expert help or outside guidance. The reality, however, is a different story. For small businesses and small businesses looking to revamp or launch a website, times apparently could not be better. When it comes to web design, there is no need to consult those lovely but ever so costly web design people. Not only are there literally thousands of designs available for download instantaneously, but most of them are free! And what is more they are templates based around free CMS software, so there is no need to consult those lovely but ever so costly web development companies. When you want to add to or update the website, upload video or manage the website’s SEO, this can all be done in no time – and no cost - at all from your laptop. And with hosting now demystified and available for less than the cost of a pint each month, it really is a golden time for any business to successfully run their own website. What in A-level economics we called the cost-barriers to market entry were swept away in one glorious march of technology. Choose your web design, add some copy then up goes the website, and in comes the business.

Is Google to blame?

The reality for most businesses is very different. While the web design element has become less expensive, and user-friendly CMS software such as Joomla and WordPress have made building and maintaining websites accessible to non-specialists, suddenly changes in Google’s algorithm and the continual rise in ‘social media’ now means the investment comes largely in the content and marketing side, and not in the web design or build. Is Google just out to create business for website developers, digital agencies and SEO specialists? The real blame lies with us, the website users. After all, Google’s so-called Panda changes are just an attempt to improve the experience of those who use their search engine. Users want to be directed to best sites – ones who are the best match for their enquiry. Suddenly we all want relevant and unique content that is fresh and up to date. Today we like a variety of delivery methods – words, audio, photos and video. Most of all we want websites to be an interactive tool in which our voices play a part– reading reviews, getting feedback, communicating directly – and the raise of social media is the result of this. For the SME and small businesses, this creates additional burdens that makes old-school paying for a web design seem like the good old days. Larger brands can afford to outsource or add to their marketing department’s duties. For smaller companies, the investment is not just financial, but something more precious: time. Time to source, write and upload new content on a regular basis; time to put together videos and non-written content; time to engage with customers directly and regularly. No wonder many are going back to those lovely but ever so costly web-specialists to develop and implement web marketing strategies that now include Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, blogging, guest blogging, forums etc. etc. – in addition to running the website.

The permanent revolution

As with many business decisions, how much investment – time and money – goes into the web marketing strategy is a matter of ROI. Businesses need to come to understand that web strategy is an on-going process, almost a kind of permanent revolution: when one area has been conquered a new wave appears that needs to be taken onboard in order to build a competitive advantage. As long as customers search online, you can guarantee in five years time there will be a whole new area to be understood: increasingly bespoke searches and mobile searches are just two obvious areas. There is no simple answer as to whether an small businesses can run a successful website without professional help. Much will depend on their ability to meet the challenges that come from ongoing changes in how the Web is used – today and in the future. Perhaps fortunately, the cost for much of the professional help has seen a relative decline. Like web design, there is much help online that is free. If nothing else, professional advice can help you develop the right tools for the challenges ahead. As a Birmingham website design company, Opace would love to hear from small businesses on how they view the challenges of online marketing.

Technorati Tags: birmingham web design, cms design, cms development, small business web design, SME web design, Web Design, web development, website design

Can SEO be DIY?

Alexis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:50:08 +0000

For many businesses, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is perhaps a little like a motor car – easy to understand in theory but almost impossible in practice. The idea that connecting the ‘keywords’ that your customer searches for to your website is obvious; but implementing that is another matter and one perhaps left to ‘the experts’ or forgotten about altogether. It’s a shame that when so many of the elements of a website are becoming easier for non-experts to access, that the belief that SEO is a specialist area still persists. We can download free website templates, upload free CMS systems and tweet and blog away to our hearts content, but still see SEO as off limits. Of course, SEO is a specialist area and there are probably hundreds of companies nationally offering SEO services. Additionally SEO is an ongoing process, not a fixed set of rules that once learned never change. But none of that means people and companies who run websites, or who want a website cannot do some SEO DIY. Unsurprisingly, the Web and search engines is a very good place to start. SEO experts love to write about what they do and offer guidance to anyone who wants to manage their own website and carry out some DIY SEO. Naturally, there is a lot of jargon and quite often smoke and mirrors, but there are also lots of clear, concise and, importantly, up to date information.

SEO training courses

Increasingly SEO courses will also cover the basics of SEO and offer practical help no matter what your level of expertise. When looking around for SEO courses, some basic areas that you will want to cover will include:

Creating and submitting sitemaps
Creating webmaster accounts
Using site analytics
Finding the best keywords for your website
Optimising your website copy
Understanding meta tags
Link building

When choosing your training course, consider some of the following:

Can you tailor your training to maximise its effectiveness for you/your business?
Is it one-to-one or can you train up several people within your company?
Can you speak to the trainer before you book? You will need to get on with them to make the most of the training.
Where does the training take place?
What are the trainer’s experience and expertise – in training as well as SEO?
What is included in the cost? Are there any ‘extras’?

For many, SEO training courses are a great way to learn SEO skills – they cut through the often conflicting information that can be found online and give you the chance to interact with the trainer so that you have a clear understanding before you move on. You can use the training to concentrate on the specific needs of your website, and use the skills learned to get your website – and your business – noticed.

Technorati Tags: DIY SEO, search engine optimisation tips, SEO, SEO courses, SEO training, SEO Training Courses

Twitter Basics (Part 7) – Direct Messaging & Retweets

Alexis — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:20:47 +0000

Direct Messaging (DM's) and Retweets on Twitter

This is the seventh in a series of social media marketing video tutorials that we're planning to roll out over the next few months covering Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. We’ll be looking at the basics then moving on to more advanced uses for business marketing. For Twitter Basics (Part 1) - see How to set up a Twitter account For Twitter Basics (Part 2) - see How to set up a Twitter profile For Twitter Basics (Part 3) - see How to change a Twitter background image For Twitter Basics (Part 4) - see How to follow people on Twitter For Twitter Basics (Part 5) - see How To Use @Mentions and #Hashtags on Twitter For Twitter Basics (Part 6) - see Trending Topics and Twitter Search How to use Direct Messaging (DM's) & Retweets on Twitter is the seventh of our Twitter Basics series offering one of several video tutorials that we'll be releasing on Twitter. The following video tutorial covers how to send a private Direct Messages (DM) on Twitter and how to retweet a post. It offers a basic guide on how to send a DM, what a Retweet is and how to send one to your followers. Please let us know if you find this useful and would like to see more?

Technorati Tags: Internet Marketing, Online Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Twitter, Twitter Basics, Twitter Direct Message, Twitter DM, Twitter Guides, Twitter Marketing, Twitter Messaging, Twitter Retweet, Twitter Tutorial, Twitter Video Tutorials, Web Marketing