It's been just over a month now since we launched the new and improved website for Ipswich car servicing and repair garage, Landspeed.  So I thought a quick update on the Local SEO work we're doing for them would be a good thing to cover...

That and the fact I've bought 2 more cars from them in the same time frame, so they're definitely on my mind and in my wallet :)

First page search engine results In 1 month

There are four main keywords we've decided to target initially; car servicing ipswich, car repairs ipswich, main dealer servicing ipswich and mot ipswich.

I'm glad to say Landspeed now ranks on the first page of Google and Yahoo for all four terms and are obviously number 1 for their name Landspeed. The amazing thing to understand though, is the fact the search engines are now the main marketing channel for the website.  In other words, the Landspeed website is visited by more people who type in these phrases at the search engines than by any other source.

To put that in perspective for you, it's more than doubled the amount of visitors to their business in just ONE MONTH. Now doubling visitors to any website isn't that difficult, but when you consider the terms we're targeting, car servicing ipswich, car repair ipswich etc., these are not just visitors, they're highly targeted visitors and therefore convert at a much higher rate.

Getting in the top 3 positions will make these figures look laughable

It's a well documented fact in SEO circles the only places to aim for are the top three positions on Google for the simple reason the most people click these links.

I'm not talking a small amount either. In an eye tracking study conducted by Cornell University they found approximately 80% of all searchers click on the first three rankings and then it's like falling off the side of a mountain - The fourth result gets just 4% of the clicks.

As the top three positions are the most wanted, it's rare to be able to achieve this with just on page SEO, so now the game for Landspeed turns to link building.

In my humble opinion, building strong, one-way text backlinks from high quality sites is the single most important thing any website owner can do. You see, Google sees every link as a vote, just like the ones we're about to cast in the up coming election. So the site with the most and highest quality links pointing to their pages - Wins.

Sounds too simple doesn't it? It's often the simple things people overlook, which is why every one of our clients enjoy not only first page rankings on the main search engines, but top 3 rankings where the lions share of potential clients are.

If your website only has a trickle of visitors and you'd like to turn it into a torrent of high quality leads, find out more about our local search engine optimisation services.

Watch this short video and in less than 4 minutes from now you'll be able to add, edit and republish your website without the need for any technical knowledge whatsoever.

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One of the biggest issues small business owners have when it comes to adding and editing content on your website has just been solved.

You no longer have to write out web site updates and edits, email them to your web designer and hope the updates are done quickly and affordably.  With our new In Context Editor all you have to do is login, make the changes or additions and click save.

Google just keep on releasing application after application; Google Wave, Buzz and now Google Translate for animals.

This is breakthrough technology which allows you to translate a huge amount of animal noises and sounds into English, making it possible to literally talk to the animals.

Just head over to: http://www.google.co.uk/translateforanimals/

Landspeed have undegone a massive change in the last few months and have decided to concentrate solely on car servicing, car repairs and MoT's. They'll still be able to find you a car at the best possible price using their car sourcing system, but their central Ipswich showroom is now full of exotic cars provided by Proveeda.

They're a friendly, enthusiastic bunch with all the experience and diagnostic equipment needed to compete with the main dealers but at much more wallet friendly rates, and I should know, they've been supplying and servicing my cars since 2001:)

This has led to the re-launch of their new web site which includes full lead capturing and automatic follow up using The Hub automated marketing system.

Their new car servicing site went live 4 days ago and Google already have them on the first page for the keywords we agreed to target, namely:

• Car servicing Ipswich
• MoT Ipswich and
• Car repair Ipswich

Using the drag and drop web form creation wizard made it simple to create customised lead capture forms on each of the main selling pages, which automatically create a customer record in the back end CRM, making it simple to follow up with any future promotions and offers with just the click of a button.

Now we know the site has been set up properly for Google it's time to start stage 2 of their marketing, a link building program to make sure the pages already listed are soon in the first 3 places for maximum traffic and conversions.

Watch this space...

When was the last time you took a good look at your website?

I'm not talking about a loving glance at the pretty images and graphics you have on your home page, I mean when was the last time you looked through your whole site?

Nothing stays the same. Everything is changing including your company and your customers' needs. What was a great selling point six months ago may not be so relevant today.

Time for a spring clean

It's good business practice to review your web copy every six months or so. Not only will you have changing products and prices, but your customers will have new problems for which they'll be looking for answers.

A stale marketing message will turn your readers off faster than anything. If, when they look at your site, you are telling them the same thing again and again they are going to get bored and look elsewhere. You must ensure your key message moves with the times - after all you don't want to try and sell your customers flares when straight-legged jeans are all the rage.

How do I know what they want?

Knowing what problems your customers have is always going to be tough. So how do you ensure you're giving them what they want?

The simple answer is to ask them. A frequent survey of your customers to find out what they think of your products, how satisfied they are with them (and your service), and even whether they have any suggestions that can improve your product/service, is priceless.

You'll be gathering information directly from your consumers - how powerful is that?

If they tell you what they want and you act on it there's a pretty good chance you're going to sell shed loads!

If you're worried about motivating them to complete the survey, combine it with a free prize draw so they have a reason to respond. It doesn't have to be anything ridiculously valuable - perhaps 10% off their next order, a bottle of champagne - use your imagination, but it should be something that will appeal to your customers.

Shout about it

If this reasearch brings about big changes - new products, new services, new pricing structure, new website - let everyone know about it.

Send out an email to all your existing customers, send out press releases (both on and off line), mention it in your next newsletter...the possibilities are endless. One simple survey could result in a load of free publicity for your business.

By following these simple techniques you're going to be seen as a proactive company; one that listens to its customers and reacts to their feedback. This will help gain trust and bring in business through exisiting clients and referrals.

So make sure you diarise regularly to review your website. Survey your customers and keep one step ahead of your competitors.

5 Reasons why you should be blogging

Blogging is hardly a new concept. It's been around a number of years. At one time it was seen as the realm of the 'geeky techy types' (not wishing to offend anyone) but today it is something that everyone should be doing, especially if you are in business.

What blogging gives you is a platform from which you can discuss your opinions and impart information to the masses. And that's a lot of people. Consider for a moment the number of people using the internet today. There are millions of receptive ears and eyes out there ready and waiting to read your inner most thoughts.

Why should I blog?

That's an easy one - because it is the most cost effective and powerful way to market your business.

Today's market is different to the 'good old days'. People are far more savvy now and it takes more than a flashy looking advert or catchy strapline to make them part with their cash.  Today it's all about relationship building and nurturing trust. After all, if someone doesn't trust you why would they want to buy from you?

You are probably sat there (especially if social media marketing hasn't 'got' to you yet) thinking you are perfectly happy with your Yellow Pages ads. Well, if that's the case, good luck to you. Just watch out for the stampeed of competitors who are dashing past you.

How much do you spend on your Yellow Pages advert every year (or its equivalent)? Is that really value for money? You might argue that it reaches a wide audience. Sure, it probably does, but how many of those people are likely to be potential customers? Advertising like that to the masses doesn't mean you will get an equivalent ROI.

By using social media and especially blogging, you will be writing and giving information about your particular field. The people who read your blog posts are interested in what you have to say (if they weren't they wouldn't have been searching for the content in the first place). Therefore the traffic that your blog will drive to your website will be targeted traffic - they are people looking for what you are offering.

Therefore your blog will be constantly delivering targeted traffic to your website. A constant stream of willing buyers - how powerful is that? Plus you don't have to stump up a heafty annual fee for the priviledge.

When you consider how many people are turning to the internet today to find service providers, the internet is where your company needs to be before it's too late.

Now, earlier I mentioned 5 reasons why you should blog, well, here they are:

1. Simple

Before you throw your hands in the air and claim to be a complete non-techy let me tell you something - you don't need any advanced technical knowledge to blog. Simply write about your industry, 'how to' articles, experiences, industry news etc.

2. Authentic

Your blog will be sharing information with your readers. You won't be overtly selling  them something. Therefore this subtle marketing approach will help you build relationships with potential customers and elevate you to expert status in your field. If they can see you know what you are talking about they are more likely to come to you when the time is right for them to buy.

3. Free

That's a fabulous word, isn't it? Apart from the initial set up of your blog the only cost in running it will be time. Why pay  for expensive off line ads (or online for that matter) when you can reach far more people (targeted people) through your blog?

4. Credibility

I touched on this one earlier. The idea of your blog is to impart your knowledge. People love to find out information on line. It might go against the grain to give away free information like this but just think how powerful it is. By giving help and advice you are building trust between you and your reader. You are building an association between your company name and a particular field - when they want to buy who are they going to go to?

5. Increase your marketing 

Give your readers ways of subscribing to your blog (e.g. by RSS or email) so they can always be kept up to date. Build a marketing list by offering a newsletter (either  through the blog or your main website). You can even use your blog to run an informal survey to guage your readers' interest in new ideas. Link your blog posts back to your main website to drive traffic to it.

I hope this post has whetted your appetite to dip your toes into the world of blogging if you're not already doing so.

Blogging will reach so many more people than traditional marketing methods. It will drive targeted traffic to your website and help your search engine rankings. GIve it a try - what have you got to lose?

Google Local is quickly replacing the Yellow Pages as the most used tool for finding local and regional businesses. Google has spent millions developing this service which remains free to all businesses right now but many unclaimed listings are being hijacked by spammers and crooks.

When you perform a local search at Google eg. 'accountants ipswich' the first results you'll see will be a map with local results to the right.

Because they appear at the top of the results page, they are an easy and highly effective way to drive quality visitors to your business - Whether you've a web site or not.

We've been working with local Ipswich companies and helping them claim their listings with some spectacular results, so if you haven't claimed your listing and want more customers this month take a look at our Google local business listings service. 



 

6.2 Billion searches performed online, in the UK, in December 2009

Take a look at these recently released search statistics from ComScore comparing 2008 to 2009.

In December 2009 there were 6.2 Billion searches performed in the UK, the vast majority of which were conducted at Google. This figure adds up to a massive 35% increase in searches performed in December of 2008.
 

...Someone's losing out.

We all know the Newspapers are having kittens about collapsing advertising revenues and Yellow page advertisers have noticed a big dip in the number of enquiries compared to the golden days of yesteryear, so getting to grips with marketing and advertising online is no longer an option for business owners, it's an absolute must, or face the consequences.

I know this sounds like a bit of a rant, and it is - This is too important to mess about with. This is happening right now and there's no sign of it slowing anytime soon.

If you were thinking of gettng round to optimising your website in 2010, don't delay. Here's a search engine optimisation case study where we helped our client increase her website traffic by over 6,100% and her return on investment is currently well over 10 times her outlay.

I was speaking to a small business owner this morning and he was telling me how the web couldn't help his local carpet fitting business.

How much did you pay?

Demented pitbull syndrome

Your content should be relevant to your products and your local area

When creating their web content, many businesses concentrate on the bigger picture SEO aspects.

Many are caught up in a desire to be on the front page of Google for incredibly generic search terms. The problem with this is that, even if it does happen, it is a very long game you'll be playing.

Take for example a regional business such as a wedding photographer. Yes, they could spend a small fortune (not to mention a huge number of man hours) trying to get to the top of the pile for wedding photographer but why bother?

Target your market

If you are a Suffolk wedding photographer the likelihood is that 90% of your clients are going to either come from Suffolk or will be getting married in Suffolk. It would be fair to say, therefore, that they'll probably begin their research by using terms such as Suffolk wedding photographer.

So let's take an example of how this will work:

1) Un-optiised copy:

Bruce Wayne offers a wide range of wedding photography packages.  You'll want your wedding day to be perfect and, although we can't guarantee the weather, we can ensure your wedding photography captures every moment of your special day.

You can also obtain through our studio individually designed wedding photograph albums in which to display your photos in an inspired way that will be enjoyed for generations. We have something to suit all tastes, from a modern story book style to something more traditional, it will enhance every moment of your special day.  

Wherever your venue, we are here to make your day perfect and capture every second.

2) Optimised copy:

Bruce Wayne, a leading Suffolk wedding photographer, offers a wide range of wedding photography packages.  You'll want your wedding day to be perfect and, although we can't guarantee the weather, we can ensure your wedding photography captures every moment of your special day.

You can also obtain through our Suffolk studio individually designed wedding photograph albums in which to display your photos in an inspired way that will be enjoyed for generations. We have something to suit all tastes, from a modern story book style to something more traditional, it will enhance every moment of your special day.  

We work mainly in and around Suffolk as well as nationally. Wherever your venue, we are here to make your day perfect and capture every second.


OK, not the greatest copy in the world but it's only meant as an example.

Competition is a lot less for local keywords so use them. You won't be limiting your market and you'll be getting great exposure while you work on more compeitive keywords.

So give it a go - think local!