angelfysh Christmas opening hours

angelfysh are taking a few days off in the upcoming weeks:

• Monday 23rd December: we'll be open 8am - 6pm.
• Tuesday 24th December: we'll be open 8am - 4pm.
• Wednesday 25th December - Wednesday January 1st: the office will be closed.
• Thursday 2nd January: we'll return to our normal opening times of 8am - 6pm. 

From all of the team here at angelfysh, we hope you have a lovely Christmas and a Happy New Year!

A guide to Google Search Result Pages (SERPs)

Each time you enter a search on Google you are provided with Search Engine Results Pages, also known as SERPs. 

In Google’s quest to provide searchers with the best results, SERPs have evolved to be much more than a list of links. Alongside AdWords ads and organic results you will now often see local listings, maps, images, videos and shopping products.

In this blog post we want to guide you through Google SERPs. Let’s begin by searching ‘buy shoes in Newcastle’, these are the SERPs that I was given:

You can see that there are several ‘types’ of result that come up, we will explain them here.

AdWords Ads / Sponsored Ads

These are websites that are running Google AdWords campaigns. The website owner has selected keywords that they want their website to appear in search results for and they pay Google every time someone clicks on their website ad. This is why AdWords is also known as Pay Per Click (PPC). 

Interestingly more women than men click on PPC results but only 6% of searchers in total click on paid ads. On the one hand AdWords can be set-up quickly but on the other it can be expensive.

Local Listings

Google recognises that often local results are most useful to searchers... especially in this case, 'buy shoes in Newcastle', as I was likely looking for a shop which I would need to get to... so Google will often provide a map showing the location of several results. These results often appear above organic results.

Moz recently did an eye tracking survey where they monitored which parts of the results page were most looked at. It showed that local results can attract more attention than the top three organic search results.

There are a few things you can do to make sure your business appears in local search results, the first being to register with Google Places for Businesses.

Organic Search Results

Organic search results are the ‘normal’ search results. In general, SEO primarily focuses on improving a websites position in organic search results. These results often come below Google AdWords results, and normally there are 10 organic search results per page. 

In comparison between paid (AdWords) results and organic results, 94% of searchers click on organic results and just 6% on paid results. We all know from our own searching behaviour that the top organic results are most likely to be clicked on, but what proportion of people click the first result?

Google SERPs click through rate, Google Page 1, positions 1 to 10.

Shopping Results

As part of Google’s never ending mission to be the most effective and helpful search engine out there, they have introduced a shopping section. If you search for a particular item or product Google will sometimes provide you with images and product information in the SERPs.

These results do catch the eye of searchers but according to SEO Moz’s eye tracking experiment organic results attract more attention than shopping results. 

Google Image Results

If Google thinks you are searching for an image it will likely bring up images in the SERPs. You can improve the likely hood of your images appearing in SERPs by naming them with descriptive file names and alt tags.

Video Results

In my above example of a SERP there are no video results, because videos aren’t particularly relevant to 'buy shoes in Newcastle' because Google guessed that my intention was to find a product or shop. However, if I had searched ‘how to pick the right shoes’ lots of videos would have come up because my intention was different. Google is quite clever really!

News Results

If there is a recent news article relevant to your search query then this could also appear in the SERPs.

Rich Snippets

A rich snippet contains additional information about a listing such as a review. They provide searchers with more information about the website, with the aim increasing the number of people who click through that website.

There are many types of rich snippets including events, recipes, ratings and products.

 

Google Knowledge Graph

Another feature in Google’s SERPs is the knowledge graph. Think of it as a spider’s web of connected info relating to the search terms. Google’s aim with the knowledge graph is to provide information to searchers on the SERP without them even needing to click through to a website. Google knowledge graph aggregates a variety of information and displays it directly on the SERP page.

Authorship

The last feature of Google we’re going to talk about is Authorship. This a feature aimed at helping individuals build their online following, through Google+ (what does Google not do?). To make use of this feature you should set up a Google+ profile and start producing quality, interesting and relevant content!

The main reason for this feature is it provides another way for Google to index the internet, by identifying the authoritative figures who are producing quality content. One of the best content producers in the UK is Richard Branson - here is a second SERP example searching for 'Richard Branson'.

SERPs will continue to change as Google continues in its quest to provide the searchers with the best ‘answers’ to the 'intentions' behind their queries. We hope we’ve helped you understand what you see on a results page a bit better and given you a few tips along the way.

8 tips to help you climb the Google rankings in 2014

2013 has been a significant year with regards to SEO trends, and updates from Google in particular. Encrypted searching is taking off, and this change from keyword data has left some wondering whether the tactics used by Google to defend against spam will make a major difference in getting your website out there and recognisable. While your approach has to change slightly, the need for an online presence is just as strong, with the competition growing all the time.

1. Focus on content

One important method to ensure success in climbing the Google rankings in 2014 is to anticipate what will happen over time so that you can be better prepared. Websites that use tricks to get to the highest rankings or offer nothing of value to visitors have been targeted to protect quality of both links and content. As a result, you should pay attention to the makeup of your incoming links and perform audits periodically to find and try to trim inbound links that are not put together naturally. As usual, high-quality content will remain important.

2. Increase supporting marketing efforts

Content marketing, previously buzzword focused, will move to a mature marketing method in 2014, and Google will be most interested in companies that have good supporting marketing efforts. This will show them that they are the kind of business worth supporting. To have good content, the information must be relevant to your audience, posted regularly, exude a sign that the website is active and still building, and be backed up by a presentation that shows authority and knowledge about the content being presented.

3. Google+ is important

Google's updates are going to rely on social signals more and more, and a Google+ presence will be necessary. A strong SEO ranking is one that establishes Google Authorship of the content, and ties it to a Google+ account. +1's are becoming a big factor in the "social signals" component of Google's algorithm.

4. Social Media interaction will affect search ranking

Social media has become a primary force in digital marketing over the past few years, and now, it is necessary to be on multiple networks. Strong profiles on websites that matter to customers and search engines, good information, and ease of sharing of that content, as well as being active on social networks that are relevant to your area of specialty, are all critical.

5. Increase content for mobile

Companies looking to rise up the rankings should also pay attention to the role that mobile marketing plays. As the use of smartphones and tablets rises, websites that you're trying to rank must be designed for mobile from the get-go. Semantic search will increase in importance, and this is going to be massive as voice search becomes important. This is a critical area to focus on, with regard to how content is structured and what kind of content you publish.

6. Longer (and shorter) content length

Google values expertise, and as a result, the length of content you should be looking for has grown from roughly 500 words to over 1000 words. But on the other hand, keep in mind that mobile devices will cause people to want shorter content when browsing on an iPhone, and thus creating the challenge of mobile-oriented content that will be much shorter.

7. Catch trends on the way up

Strategies for climbing the Google rankings in 2014 may seem difficult, but it is easy to determine the ways in which trends are going. Continuing the tried-and-true methods and paying attention to the new critical areas that are currently changing will allow you to improve search visibility. The rules will be constantly changing, and being on top of that change will be favorable to you.

8. Diversify your marketing

A few more ways to increase your Google ranking include taking advantage of guest blogging, which is one of the most effective ways of building inbound links, traffic, and brand exposure, locate references to your website that are without links, setting up speaking engagements to promote your website, and simply targeting the right keywords.

Need help?

If all of this seems too much like hard work then angelfysh can help your business in all areas of online marketing and search engine optimisation including blogging, content marketing, guest blogging, social media and Google AdWords.

Get in touch with us to find out how we can help you.

SEO and PR - 5 reasons why they should be supporting each other in 2014

Even up to 2013, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was popular as a standalone technique adopted by internet marketers to promote online sales of products or services. But with Google making significant changes to their search engine ranking and result listing algorithm throughout 2013, the SEO marketplace has undergone a significant shift from link building strategies towards a more comprehensive methodology that also affords equal importance to the quality of content. Amongst other things, Google rates the quality of content based on the number of users who have shared the particular content in the online and social media space.

1. Modified SEO ranking methodology to be adopted by search engines in 2014

With the changes to the SEO ranking methodology adopted by Google, SEO and PR have moved closer than ever to each other.  Going forward from January 2014, SEO and PR agencies feel that both the functions will be required to support each other. They must complement each other’s actions in order to get good search results.

2. Creating and optimising the content

In the 'old days' when creating content, SEO professionals used to focus mainly on keywords when writing content. These days it's all about providing answers to questions. More and more people are using Google to find answers to their questions... "how to I..." and "where do I find..." etc. Content must be engaging and be of real value to readers. Of course it's still important to have relevant keywords within the copy in addition to LSI keywords (Latent Semantic Indexing).

And any decent PR agency will be singing from a similar hymn sheet... give your readers something of value, something they can share socially with their own followers, word of mouth from a trusted source is one of the best forms of marketing. And done well it's relatively low cost.

3. Social engagement and SEO

With the rapid proliferation of social networking sites, it has become imperative for SEO specialists to make their structured content socially engaging (as mentioned in the paragraph above). This is where the role of an experienced PR professional would come in handy. A PR specialist is able to understand the different types of structured content available for marketing including blog posts, case studies and white papers, brand information, website content, product reviews, and company profile videos. In order to make it socially engaging, the PR professional works on the language and style needed for a blog post to have the maximum impact. This means that content can be used from both an SEO and PR perspective.

4. Monitoring and measuring Search Engine Results

Both PR and SEO professionals use processes that require the effective monitoring of search results. SEO specialists use tools for monitoring the effectiveness of search campaigns, and PR specialists perform similar analysis on PR campaigns and social media. Looking merely at a campaign from an SEO perspective alone could make a successful campaign look like a failure without taking in account the PR perspective, and vice-versa.

SEO specialists traditionally collect data relating to the number of visits and the conversion rate to measure the effectiveness of search engine marketing campaigns. PR specialists can include metrics at the engagement level including bounce rate, the time on site, and the page views per visit. PR professionals have a better idea about the company’s goal and objectives and can come up with additional search engine metrics that can relate to the overall business objectives of the company.

5. Reducing cost

In essence, when a company is able work with an SEO agency and a PR consultant, the CPA is often much reduced as each visitor is more 'primed to buy' from your brand as opposed to your competitors. It now makes perfect sense to run PR and SEO together as closely knitted as possible.

How can we help?

For more information on how angelfysh can help your business be successful in Google, please get in touch with lisa@angelfysh.com.

And to talk to the North East's leading PR consultant +Sarah Hall about how to build your profile and your profits contact Sarah here.

20 top brands taking advantage of Social Media

In today’s highly competitive online market, most big brands are turning to social media to help boost not just their image, but ultimately their profits. Over the past couple of years, social media has become one of the most important places for consumers making purchasing decisions to turn to. With so many individuals using social media on a daily basis, businesses are learning that by supplementing their search engine optimization (SEO) strategy with this avenue for their marketing approach, they are reaching far more individuals.

SEO vs. Social Media 

With 2014 nearly upon us, businesses need to turn more to social media when marketing their brands. While SEO is still an important part of online marketing, social media is slowly catching it up in its usefulness. The popularity of social media can even be seen with search engines such as Bing, who take an individuals search and not only gives them the best search results but also compares their results with those of their Facebook friends. With Bing becoming nearly as popular as Google, it is obvious that the influence social media has on people’s everyday habits is substantial. It’s simply not possible to think as the two wings of the marketing machine as completely separate and distinct.

Businesses using Social Media


Many businesses have already realized this. In fact, in 2013 alone Facebook saw more businesses turn to the social media giant to advertise their Black Friday sales then any year before. As an example of just how important social media has become, here are ten big brands that have already supplemented their SEO with social media outreach, and have learned that it pays off in big numbers.

 1.   Argos - Social media has played big part in the evolution of the UK’s leading digital retailer (as the company now describes itself). One of the social principles of the brand is to be an active listener, responding quickly to customers queries on Twitter and Facebook. Also feedback received on the Argos Aliens ads via social media platforms led to the launch of the Alien children as collectable toys.

2.   Red Bull - No introduction needed to who or what Red Bull is. The company keeps their Facebook page upbeat, fun and exciting for their 32 million followers. Red Bull posts ‘full of energy’ photos of athletes, dancers and regular people enjoying life on their Facebook page. They also have more than 1 million Twitter followers.

3.   Starbucks has been known for a while as being one the best brands out there when it comes to social media use. They have it all, from Instagram to Twitter and Facebook. By promoting specials and new drinks, Starbucks has reached millions through their social media strategy.

4.   L'Oreal India decided to market their new hair color product known as Casting Creme Gloss, through their Facebook page. They created a Facebook app in which consumers who bought the hair product could enter a code found on the back of the product. From there the consumer could upload a video of themselves and a friend using the product to get a chance to star in an upcoming commercial. By offering this unique campaign, L'Oreal India saw a 45% increase in their sales.

5.   Shoppers Stop ran an exclusive offer on their Facebook page once they hit the 1 million fan mark by offering fans a special coupon deal. Within two days, the online retailer saw over 10,000 Facebook fans make purchases.

6.   Amazon may be one of the largest online retailers around, but they still use social media on a daily basis to promote their sales. In fact, they recently just ran a promotion in which Facebook users could share their wish list on Facebook in order to earn money off their next purchase.

7.   Carrabba’s, the Italian restaurant has seen a substantial growth in their sales since joining Facebook. By keeping their content always up-to-date, they have done an amazing job of keeping hungry eaters engaged with their page.

8.   Threadless was one of the early adapters to use Instagram for their marketing strategies. By sharing photos of new t-shirts on the popular social networking site, they have seen their products quickly become more popular around the world.

9.   H&M being one of the top 25 brands it’s no wonder that H&M are doing something right with regards to their social media. H&M has over 14 million fans on Facebook and updates its Facebook page several times a day. Competitions on Instagram included a chance for customers to win clothes from the H&M Brick Lane Bikes collection by posting photos of their best bike style image using the hashtag #HMBikeStyle. They also take advantage of Twitter and Google+ (with more than 2.5 million fans on G+) You can read about their social media strategy here.

10.   Hestia Tobacco - With tobacco slowly fading in popularity, Hestia Tobacco has used its Facebook profile to try and gain support. Through its social media approach, this small tobacco company earned itself a write-up from a giant business publishing group for its marketing approach.

11.   John Lewis had an excellent start to 2013, announcing a 44% increase in online sales over Christmas 2012. John Lewis doesn’t publish its own social media guidelines online however we know that content is key with a tailored approach for each social media channel. John Lewis keeps Facebook well updated and does a good job of interacting with fans. They use Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

12.   JCPenney is one company that listened to their social media fans. During Black Friday last year many shoppers of the popular retail store were extremely disappointed and upset with their decision to discontinue the popular Disney Snow Globes. Through social media, consumers engaged with the retailer and were able to bring back the Snow Globes for the 2013 Holiday Season. By doing so, the declining retail giant saw an uptake in their sales this Black Friday.

13.   Seamless - an online service that features over 12,000 restaurant menus and discounts, has become popular through its social media marketing approaching reaching over 72,611 followers on Twitter and over 388,000 followers on Facebook.

The other seven

Click here to read detailed social media case studies of another 7 brands from 2013.

As you can see, social media is a great way to promote products and services online. With more and more people using social media as one of their trusted forms for gathering online information, businesses need to embrace this profitable marketing technique.

As a supplement for SEO, social media may even gain businesses more followers. In the year 2014, it’s no longer going to be just about where businesses’ websites falls in Google’s top 10, but how many Google+, Facebook and Twitter followers a company has.

To find out how angelfysh can help your business with SEO and Social Media get in touch today.

Penguin, Panda and Hummingbird - Evolution or Revolution?

If you are a website owner, you must have felt Google has dropped yet another bombshell on you by rolling out the recent algorithm update, Hummingbird. You must be thinking of all those strings you will have to pull to cushion your fall and earn your footing again. Don’t worry. The situation is not as bleak as you may think, unless you have been using some black hat tactics to earn search engine love. 

When it comes to updates, Google is not the one to shy away from improvements. So, the million-dollar question is: what exactly is Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird? Animals or algorithms? Well, in this particular scenario, the three fall in the latter category. They are algorithms crafted by the industry giant Google in a bid to generate more relevant responses to the new search trends that are now part and parcel of the consumer behaviour.

In order for your website to land in Google’s good books, it is crucial to understand these algorithms in and out. As they say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer, we are now going to get a grip of these three algorithms. By understanding the purpose of each of these algorithms, we will help you find out what you need to do to iron out all those wrinkles that stand between you and your website’s everlasting success. Hop on the machine to embark on a ride to Google’s animal kingdom.

Panda - cute or cruel?

Emerging on the SEO scene in February 2011, Panda was an update to Google’s existing algorithm code. Focused at keeping low quality content websites from ruling the ranking charts, Panda demoted all those websites that fell short of providing valuable and relevant content to readers.

Fortunately, the Panda update was not as cruel as one may be led to believe. Updates were launched so as to allow penalized websites to join the race to the top once again. For instance, if a website acknowledges its mistakes and makes an effort to rectify them by publishing meaningful content, the Panda update might embrace you with arms wide open. If you start noticing a surge in your impressions, you can pat yourself on the back. You were hit by the release and now back in the game.

How to make Panda love you

First and foremost, break the vicious cycle of copy-pasting content off someone else’s website or blog. Say no to duplicate content. Clear your website of any automatic content generating methods. Fine tune content on your website and keep an eye open for grammatical errors.

How to tell if you’ve been a victim of Panda’s wrath?

Are your page views and impressions taking a dip? E-commerce websites are an easy target for Panda because having a unique description for every single one of the listings takes time and effort. If you have been a victim of Panda, don’t panic. Instead, to regain your footing, channel all your energies into creating high-quality unique content. Another idea is to remove all those pages you think can keep you from recovering quickly.

Penguin - lovely or lethal?

Following Panda one step at a time, the Penguin reared its head almost a year after Panda’s release in April 2012. Looks do deceive because as harmless as this update may seem, behind the innocence lies the ninja that intended to retaliate all those websites blossoming with the use of spammy content and shady linking techniques.

Giving ranking manipulators a taste of their own medicine, it demoted all those websites that failed to understand the difference between optimisation and overkill. So, what exactly falls under the umbrella of spammy content? If you are forcefully inserting keywords in your content, if you are using links that lead to nowhere relevant or important and if you have always championed link farms, you have left no stones unturned to earn the Penguin’s anger.

Penguin 2.0 was released on May 22nd 2013 which affected more websites than the Penguin 1.0 update (Matt Cutts chats about the update in this video here).

How to convince Google into giving you one more shot?

Get down to the task and start producing relevant content. Please your target audience and employ the modern marketing mix of PR, infographics, videos and social media and you will easily have a website that will serve as a synonym for success.

How to find if you have been hit by Penguin?

It’s simple. Search your domain name on Google. If you receive a listing of all pages on your website, congratulations! You are clear. However, if you receive a message that says something like nothing found, it’s time to get into action as you have been demoted by Google for hosting spam content.

Hummingbird - the new tool in Google’s ever-growing arsenal

Unlike Panda and Penguin, Hummingbird is not an update but rather an entirely new algorithm Google proudly released on 27th September 2013 to mark its 15th birthday. While Hummingbird had been in use since 30th August, 2013, the change was only announced on 26th September.

The way consumers search for information is now changing. In order to take search effectiveness to an entirely new level, Hummingbird was introduced. Incorporating the key features of Panda and Penguin, Hummingbird will allow consumers to find you faster, provided you are doing a great job at creating engaging, relevant, unique and high-quality content that audience approve and appreciate.

Hummingbird was introduced to accommodate the conversational search that is now a prevalent trend. Consumers are now using Google voice or Siri to initiate search. Instead of searching for ‘cheap hotels in Birmingham, they now search ‘where can I find cheap hotels in Birmingham’. Instead of offering keyword-based results, Hummingbird rewards websites that answers these questions with realistic results.

With sole focus on need and intent, Google is no longer looking for keywords. Rather it attempts to comprehend the intent behind the search query. To keep your website from falling on the wayside, knowing your target audience is more important than ever before. What is it that your audience is looking for? Was the information relevant to them?

Another aspect to realize is that like Penguin and Panda, Hummingbird doesn’t penalise. It simply rewards websites on accuracy, speed and relevancy. While Hummingbird is still in the cradle, tweaks and updates will soon be introduced to elevate its effectiveness to new heights.

Bottom-line is, you have just uncovered the secrets to sustained SEO successes. To become Google’s best friend, make sure you have a website with content that benefits its audience. Give your audience whatever it is they are looking for and watch your ranking soar high in Google Zoo.

What next?

For a no-obligation chat to see how angelfysh can help your business with integrated SEO, content marketing and social media get in touch today and speak to Lisa and Henrietta.

Be prepared to spend more on SEO in 2014 - here's why

Increase your SEO budget in 2014: grow your business online

 

Industry experts are predicting that SEO spending will increase in 2014. Certainly, digital media and digital marketing communications have been gaining more traction than traditional media in recent years. Therefore, not only will SEO spending increase in 2014, but digital marketing budgets are expected to increase overall. I'll show you the figures which support the expected increase in SEO budgeting along with the strategic reasoning behind it which lies in the difference between paid traffic and natural traffic. Finally, I'll give three reasons why you can expect your SEO budget to increase in response to Google algorithm updates.

Market Trends in Digital Marketing Spends

According to market research on marketing spends for 2013, 53% of companies’ budgets have gone to marketing. 75% of the company's marketing budget has gone to digital media instead of traditional marketing and the digital marketing budget is expected to increase by 28% in 2014; while the overall marketing budget is expected to increase by 23% overall in 2014. This research shows that there is a growing trend towards digital marketing, which is quickly gaining preference over traditional marketing tactics. To be specific, Search Engine Optimisation, which intends to capture natural traffic, and e-mail marketing techniques, which intend to retain customers, have received the most budgeting and attention by companies in 2013.

This data demonstrates that companies are valuing retention over acquisition; meaning that they are sensitive to the needs of their technically savvy consumers and are trying to gain customer trust through SEO, online content and e-mail marketing in an effort to create long-term relationships with customers, rather than simply getting a conversion.

The use of SEO techniques and e-mail marketing also affords companies the ability to add variety to their portfolio; not only can companies offer their usual products/services, but they can also use online advertisements and sponsored e-mail advertisements in order to add another source of income. However, these advertisements will only offer a sizable income stream if the company can garner enough viewership from natural search engines, and gain the trust of their viewers through continued effort.

Online content offers a way to connect with people, and build a relationship. You choose the type of relationship you want with your consumers; why not build a positive relationship with mutual benefits?

Paid Search vs. Natural Search: use SEO to seize the market

What is even more interesting is the inequity between spending on paid traffic (Google AdWords) and spending on SEO tactics. Currently, most companies are spending up to 20 times more on PPC and other modes of paid traffic than SEO tactics which will gain natural search traffic. This inequity is interesting because paid search traffic only accounts for 25% of all search traffic. Whereas, natural traffic accounts for 75% of all search traffic. Can you see where this is going?

Companies are currently spending about 85% of their budget on paid traffic, when paid traffic only targets 25% of the entire online search market. How much more effective would your marketing efforts be if you spent 85% of your budget on trying to capture 75% of the entire online search market?

It seems that companies put a lot of attention on paid traffic because it's an easy way to get a quick conversion without much maintenance. However, a bit of effort can go a long way and allow you to increase your market share exponentially if you spend more on SEO marketing then paid traffic. Focusing your budget on SEO marketing techniques will also allow you to enter markets that have little to no competition. Hence, you can take advantage of market gaps and opportunities by targeting markets which are not already saturated with marketers.

Think of SEO as like buying a house and Google AdWords as renting.

By spending more on SEO tactics and less on garnering paid traffic, you can effectively target 100% of the online search market and increase your market share exponentially.

Already budgeting for SEO marketing? 3 reasons it will cost you more than you think in 2014

You may have already researched predictions for trends on SEO in 2014, however keeping up with these trends comes with a price tag. I'll give you three areas which will require a greater SEO budget in 2014 if you want to keep in front of market trends and off of Google's de-indexed list.

1.    High-quality back-links

The new Google algorithm updates are expected to instantly spot unnatural back-links, possibly purchased cheaply, and penalize the website for them. Therefore, natural back-links, which have been earned by guest blogging and as a result of social sharing will help your website to rise to the top of Google. While, cheap back-links will definitely make your site sink to the bottom of Google and could even get your website penalized and de-indexed. Expect to not only budget for the creation of new quality back-links monthly, but also expect to pay for an audit of your website’s back-links which will destroy any links that will affect your ranking negatively.

2.    Extensive, high-quality content

Not only will you be expected to have well-written, quality, informative content, but each blog post/article will be expected to be at least 1,000 words. This means that if you're currently paying for 2-3, 500 word posts, you can expect to double your content creation budget. Google's algorithm is getting better at recognizing when an article is trying to game them. They want you to provide valuable content, not just an article that passes Copyscape and repeats the same word a few times. If you aren't a writer, now is definitely the time to hire one.

3.    Outsourced Social Media management

Social Media has become a necessary tier of SEO. Your Social Media interactions on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Google+ are expected to factor highly in Google’s PR ratings. Social Media is also a great way to siphon natural traffic to your website, where you can capture viewer’s attention and possibly win new business/increase sales. If you aren't already partaking in Social Media or haven't already outsourced your Social Media management, this service is no longer optional; rather Google has made it obligatory if you want to stay ahead of the curve.

Staying competitive in the online market means trying to ensure your business keeps in front of the trend. Being behind trends in SEO, can make the difference between being on first on Google’s page rankings and being de-indexed. The online market moves so quickly that you need a team of people that can help you manage various aspects of your digital marketing communications.

So take advantage and invest in search engine optimisation, social media marketing and content marketing/blogging that will help you grow your business and scale upwards.

...

Get in touch with Lisa Forster to find out how angelfysh can help you in 2014.

Get online or fail - Why your business needs an online presence

We've just written a blog post for onebestway, one of the design agencies that we collaborate with.

Our article tells you why you need to take your bricks and mortar business online.

You can read it here if you're interested.

Thank you and happy Thursday!

Marketing for Law Firms - SEO, Social Media, PR

Since the referral fee ban back in April 2013, the legal sector (namely personal injury solicitors) have had to be more creative and rethink how they generate leads and new business.

Law firms that once used to pay for leads/referrals can’t anymore.

So, firms of solicitors that didn’t change their marketing strategy significantly were either already pretty much getting it right or have now gone bust.

It’s been a tough 7 months for most law firms.

Here’s just a few options to consider for 2014:

Online marketing

• Search Engine Optimisation - hire an seo agency with a proven track record and make sure you budget for seo in 2014.
• Social Media - essential to help build brand awareness and a must if you want to rank highly in Google.
• Online PR - goes hand in hand with brand, seo and social media.
• Google AdWords - an ideal way to generate initial traffic and test how your website converts.

Offline marketing

• Offline PR - builds credibility and brand awareness.
• TV Advertising - gets your brand in front of potential claimants.
• Radio Advertising - offers efficient targeting, radio ads aren't as easy to ignore as they are on TV.
• Outdoor Advertising - Includes billboard / vehicle advertising. Has a lower cost per thousand than other forms of advertising.
• Other Marketing (printed media, beermats, leaflets etc) - Be creative, think outside of the box. Think: where, why and how.

What about brand?

Of course, you can spend all the money in the world on marketing and advertising but without considering brand first you could well be throwing money away. Choosing a firm of solicitors following an accident isn’t as simple as choosing a new pair of shoes or deciding where to buy insurance from… it’s a big thing to make a claim for compensation so people will, more often than not, choose a brand they know and feel they can trust. A brand that will do them justice.

They’ll choose a brand they can relate to, a brand who’ve been referred to them by friends and family (word of mouth), a brand they’ve ‘seen around’ (TV advertising, Social Media, SEO, PR, Billboards, Taxi's, Buses) and read or heard about (Radio, Social Media).

So it’s hugely important to know what your brand is and what it stands for. Getting this right will give your marketing efforts a better chance to be successful.

We think the following law firms are getting it right:

 

Brand

TRUE Solicitors
First4Lawyers

Social Media

Irwin Mitchell

SEO

Irwin Mitchell
Slater & Gordon Lawyers
Thompsons Solicitors 

 

TV Advertising

InjuryLawyers4U
First4Lawyers

The above list is only a small percentage of solicitors who are obviously doing something right as they’re at the forefront of our minds. 

Are there any other law firms that you think are getting it right and any who are getting it wrong? Let us know your thoughts… leave a comment further down.

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7 major reasons why your website isn’t converting

Okay, so you’ve hired an SEO agency to increase website visitors and improve search engine positioning hoping for more sales. You‘ve possibly also setup a few Google AdWords campaigns. And you’re also partaking in social media. 

As a result of your online marketing efforts you now have an increased number of relevant visitors to your website, and what's more, you know that your traffic is of a high quality. 

But you're still not seeing an increase in sales. Why?

The rate of success you achieve on the internet depends on two things: traffic and conversions.

The internet is a game of numbers and you winning or losing this game depends on the number of people you get to your website and more importantly how many of them convert into paying customers.

So just why isn’t your website converting?  Here are 7 major reasons:

1. Poor content

Nonexistent or ‘thin’ content and content written specifically for search engines is probably one of the biggest reasons why you are struggling to convert your visitors into sales. The truth is, your visitors don’t care about how many times or where a keyword appears on a page and neither do the search engines to an extent.

So forget keyword density and keyword placement, do you want to know what gets websites to the top of the results pages and in front of prospective customers? Google and other search engines rank pages according to these two factors:

• Popularity
• Value

Of course, to have very popular content, it must be valuable and by this I mean it must address the needs of internet users who come across it. Now, this does not mean that you should ignore keyword research, meta data, page descriptions and the like, however, it does mean that you should focus more on your readers. In short don’t write for robots write for humans.

Know your audience, connect with them and build that trust. Think about it, what kind of content goes viral on social media? Inspirational, funny, whacky and weird. Informative, educational and helpful. People will share your content with their own followers/fans but only if it adds value. 

2. You’re a copycat!

What’s worse than publishing boring content is copying other people’s work and presenting it as your own. Too many businesses and entrepreneurs are held back on their growth by trying to write like the ‘guru bloggers’.

The need to develop your own unique blogging voice cannot be overemphasized. It’s important to remember that on the internet your credibility is much more important than anything else. People follow people, not companies.

Developing your own unique blogging voice will help to distinguish you from your competitors and establish you as an authority in your niche.

3. You don’t know your target audience

Only a con would sell anything to anyone. A salesman/woman would (or should) only sell you products and services you need and want. The truth is, we are all in sales whether directly as a vocation or indirectly.

The problem is, most of us don’t know that! Today most businesses that are successful offline are struggling online because they don’t know who they are marketing to. They don’t understand their market and yet they still expect to make money from it.

Taking the time to identify your market and ways to reach them can save you a lot of money that can be used for other areas of business.

4. Poor website design – page pollution

First impressions matter a lot and the same is true on the internet. Your website is a reflection of you and your business. By not taking the time to invest in good design, you are literally leaving a lot of money on the table.

Within 5 seconds of landing on your website, users have already made a decision whether to continue reading your content or close the window. Having an effective website that clearly explains what your business is about and guides your readers on what to do can put you miles ahead of your competition.

Your homepage should be simple, clean and welcoming. It shouldn’t be crowded, confusing and messy. This is your ‘shop window’, make it welcoming and tell your prospective customer clearly what it is you do or sell.

5. Lack of engagement with your readers

Would you leave your guests unattended in your home? Of course not, but how many of us do that with our blogs, websites and social media platforms?  We publish great content and promote it well but when the traffic starts trickling in, we are nowhere to be found. In essence what you are doing is like sending out invitations to your party and when everyone turns up, you are missing in action.

Before long your casual attitude becomes negligence. Comments, emails and questions are not responded to and readers feel unappreciated. The few relationships you had built start crumbling and before you know it, nobody reads your blog, Twitter page or website anymore. Responding to comments, questions and emails is a key metric that will greatly determine the success of your online real estate.

That said, comments are not only meant to make your readers happy, they are a way to add value to them. Usually, readers will ask questions about your services or products through comments and by responding to their questions you will be increasing their trust in you and building your credibility.

6. No sharing options – anti-social

If you are like most people, the first thing you want to do when you hear good or bad news is to spread it. However, by publishing great content and not having avenues that let your readers share it, you will be impeding your own growth.

With 1.19 billion people on Facebook alone (Source: Facebook) and 231 million active Twitter users (Source: socialmediatoday.com), chances of your content being of value to someone else is very high. Therefore, by neglecting to include social sharing channels on your blog or website you are limiting your own reach.

7. Lack of Consistency

Eating seven apples on Saturday instead of one a day just isn’t going to cut it. Similarly publish 5 pieces of content today and none for the rest of the week is bad. You must have a systematic approach to your content marketing efforts otherwise your ROI will be in the red.

Moreover, sporadically publishing content on your website/blog confuses your readers and shows a lack of seriousness on your part. You must be consistent in your content marketing campaigns if you are to increase your conversions.

What do you think? Do you agree with this list? Want to add to it? Let’s continue this discussion on in the comments. We would love to hear your thoughts on this.

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End note

There are of course lots of other reasons why your hard earned visitors don’t buy from you. Even making small tweaks and changes can see an upturn in conversions. 

Want to find out how angelfysh can help you?.. Contact us today… we’d love to help.

Congratulations Sam, Overall Winner at the Superstar Awards

Last night Samantha Jackson, our group accounts manager, was recognised as Overall Winner at the Superstar Awards.

We're very happy for Sam; no one works harder or deserves the recognition more. This was said about her:

“Starting at the company over a decade ago as an apprentice, she has grown into a professional, tenacious and reliable individual. The every day reality of customer service levels across the group are set and driven by her. We all try to meet her standards and whilst we may get close we never match them.””

Well done Sam. 

We’re lucky to have you as part of the team.

Blog Content Ideas - 10 tips on what to blog about

Do you struggle for ideas of what to write about when blogging? Not sure what to write about?

You’re not alone. Quite often we’re asked if we can provide ideas and advice on what our clients should be writing about in their news / blogs and on social media. So we've put together a list of 10 blog writing tips below.

Here's a list of blogging ideas

1. Lists - People love lists. Top 10 lists - 5 tips for… type lists - 7 ways to… lists. Start with a number and fill in the blanks.

2. How-to-guides - People are now searching Google using questions instead of keywords. How do I 'blah blah blah' - which type of 'widget' is best - step by step guide to 'whatever'. People love easy to follow instructions that answer their questions.

3. Industry news - Comment on what’s in the news with regards to your industry. Become an authority on your subject / market, have an opinion.

4. Own news - Give updates on what’s going on in your own business. This can be anything from employees taking part in charity events, new products/services, showcasing your own work etc.

5. Reviews - This is dependent on your market of course but here’s some suggestions of what you can write a review type article about:

• Product reviews
• Website reviews
• Books
• Music
• Restaurants
• Hotels

6. Tips - Write a post full of tips to help your readers. Try starting with ’10 tips to…’ for example. This type of post is very ‘shareable’ on Twitter, Facebook etc.

7. Recommendations - Create an article of websites your recommend, books, software, places to visit, cars, product recommendations… anything really.

8. Interviews - Try interviewing an expert in your field or create a series of expert interviews. This is a great way to provide interesting content for your readers. It also encourages the interviewees to help promote your blog post to their own network of readers and followers.

9. Links to interesting content - Compose a blog post that includes links to other websites/articles/blogs that you think your readers will find useful.

10. Guest Posts - Invite experts in your field to contribute to your blog by writing a guest blog post.

Blog in-house or outsource?

Whilst some of our SEO clients here at angelfysh are comfortable blogging themselves following our advice, others do prefer for us to write blog posts and articles on their behalf as part of their SEO strategy. Either way works. 

Get in touch if you'd like us to help you.

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Other resources you might find useful

What to blog about - 187 ideas for blogs

Blog content ideas and creative writing tips

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SEO in 2014: How you'll be affected

SEO is expected to continue to be a necessary practice if businesses want to rank highly in Google's search engine. Ranking highly in Google is especially important for getting potential customers to your website. Although SEO updates to the Google search algorithm such as Penguin, Panda, and Hummingbird have had a harrowing affect on some business websites, the predictions for next year's algorithm updates are expected to be less drastic. In addition to the predicted SEO trends and algorithm updates in 2014, we'll provide a deeper look into the importance of social media and what you can do to increase your online presence in 2014. Start the New Year with a bang!

Predicted SEO trends in 2014

It’s predicted that SEO practices will continue to be the same in 2014 in respect to the importance of unique and relevant content with relevant back links. However, the current Google algorithm continues to allow certain websites to fall through the cracks.

For instance, the popularity of link buying may still work during the current updates of Google. However, Google is working hard to give credence only to links which are done in a natural manner. For instance, having 100 links with variations on the keyword "hair dye" as anchor text will be more effective than having 100 links which all contain the exact same keyword (known as exact match anchor text).

Although content and links will continue to be the main pillars of SEO success, social media has quickly become the third pillar which must be addressed in order to maintain and increase the ranking of your website.

Quickly following the importance of social media is the importance of multimedia in SEO tactics for 2014. Website content such as relevant images, videos, and audio should be encouraged in order to gain more visibility on Google's search engine.

Not only will the inclusion of multimedia possibly increase your Google ranking, but it will allow you to create synergy within your marketing campaign by integrating your brand, website, and social media presence: think viral marketing.

Expected Google algorithm updates

Google is no longer ranking pages for particular words. Rather, they are trying to find the best answer to users' queries. Hence, the new Google search engine is trying to be more conversational rather than informational.

This means that Google will ignore content that is too optimized for a particular word, and will instead try to gather the meaning of a particular page through the interrelationship of a variety of keywords and of media on a web page.

In short, they are trying to contextualize their search results. For businesses, this means that your content should answer questions by giving relevant answers. This will give your readers value which may get them back on your website and possibly make your company profitable in the long term.

The importance of Social Media: an SEO game changer

Google updates in 2014 seem to be instigating a global, online popularity contest in which the most socially popular websites will get the highest-ranking.

A company's Facebook likes, Google+ likes, and how socially active a company's profile is will factor heavily into a website's page ranking.

For businesses, this means that social media management has become a must. It is highly advisable that you hire a social media manager or commission an SEM/SMM agency to market your brand on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, and other social media platforms.

In terms of new SEO practices, it's important to note that Google doesn't care what you say you do, rather it gives more status so what other people say you do. Meaning, that reviews, comments, likes, retweets and posts will weigh heavily on a website's PR. So now is the time to get those social media icons on your web site and start tweeting; it could be the difference between 1,000 visitors per month and 10,000 visitors per month.

Summarized trends for SEO in 2014:

1. Forget about just keywords, and focus on providing valuable answers to valuable questions.

2. Social media marketing: do it or die.

3. Integrate natural links and multimedia.

Now that you have an idea of where SEO is going in the future, you may wonder how you can use this to your advantage to grow your business by increasing your online audience. 

Here are 5 ways to make an impression on Google and on potential customers in 2014:

1. Make your website Mobile accessible

Google's release of Hummingbird was entirely geared towards optimizing their search results for mobile web users. This means that there is a growing trend towards mobile web use and it is highly advisable that businesses ensure their websites are optimized for mobile use to stay on-trend.

One easy way to achieve this is to increase the use of multimedia on your website. Mobile users are more likely to interact with photos, video, audio, and social media icons than they are to read long blocks of text when using their mobile devices. And of course it’s recommended that your website is a responsive website. 

Responsive websites are websites that adapt the layout to the viewing environment whether it be a 20” monitor, 11” widescreen laptop, iPad, iPad mini, other tablets, iPhones and other mobiles. Basically the purpose of responsive web design is to make websites that fit multiple screen sizes.

2. Get Reviewed

Reviews of your product/services will contextualize your company in the eyes of Google. Using reviews is the primary way that Google ascertains who you are, what you do, and how well you do it.

Because Google is concerned with giving users the best answer possible to the question typed into their search engine, it follows that companies with reviews within your industry will be ranked higher in the page results than companies with no reviews or poor reviews.

Reviews will also influence potential customers heavily because consumers are more likely to Google your company's products/services before making a purchase. So, make it easy for them to find you online by inspiring your current clientele to write about you.

3. Use content marketing techniques

Today's consumers are more highly educated and suspicious of traditional marketing tactics. This makes it harder to build trust with your potential market. A way in which you can do this is by offering them valuable content that puts your brand name in their good books. Although they may not make a purchase instantly, it helps you build and maintain goodwill: that is priceless.

More importantly, it gives people a reason to visit your site. Most people are entering a query into a search engine for a reason; they are trying to find the solution to a problem. If you can provide the solution to a problem in the form of a blog post, an FAQ page, a ‘how-to’ guide, or perhaps even a funny photo or video, you can gain their trust and their viewership.

4. Build a brand community

This takes time to do, but it could be the difference between success and failure. Think Facebook, Jeep, and Mac. What do all of them have in common besides being extremely successful companies? They all have passionate consumers who identify themselves with the product.

More importantly, they have opened up dialogue between the company and the consumers using social media platforms and other modes of online communication. An online presence can not only give your company publicity and create a brand identity, but it can allow others to make your brand culturally significant. This cultural significance makes it easier for people to identify with your company, products, and services.

Integrate social media into your website, but try to go above and beyond. By using multimedia platforms such as YouTube, Vine, and Pinterest, you can create a culturally stimulating marketing campaign that encourages your customers to interact and identify with your brand.

5. Get users back to your website

Ninety-five percent of people who come to your website will never return.
If you could get people back to your website by providing amazing content, or some other valuable incentive, you can increase the profitability of your website simply by getting more out of your regular clientele.

One very simple way to get repeat visitors is to use social media and continue to communicate with your fans/customers. The more you post on Twitter and Facebook, the more exposure your brand is getting, and the more likely someone is going to click, link, and share your website.

Although an increased online presence may not directly result in increased sales, it is definitely an important step in authenticating the quality of your products/services and is a cost effective method of generating brand awareness on a global stage.

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Sources:

Ball, Jon. “Local link building: an easy win.” Search Engine Watch. Inclusive Interactive Marketing, 14 June 2013.

DeMers, Jayson. “The top 7 social media marketing trends that will dominate 2014.” Forbes Magazine, online.  Forbes, 24 Sept 2013.

McCoy, Josh. “3 SEO success factors for 2014.” Search Engine Watch. Inclusive Interactive Marketing, 14 October 2013.

“What’s the Future of Online Marketing in 2014? Predictions and Projections.” Syndacast, 25, Oct 2013. 

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