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7 Important Google Ranking Factors

By AdminBusiness, featured, MarketingNo Comments

Does your website have what it takes to reach page 1?

Reaching the peak of Mount Everest isn’t going to happen without the right precautions, just like reaching page 1 of Google! Yes, both are entirely different, but both follow the same principles (in a way, it’s the closest analogy I could think of).

It’s everyone’s goal to reach page 1, and we’re not going to promise that we’ll get you there in a week. However, we can guarantee to get you there eventually. Eventually is the key word though, the length of this ‘eventually’ is all down to your digital marketing commitment and how your website looks.

Google’s algorithm is unpredictable; it continually changes each day without warning anybody. This is the issue many business owners don’t realise – you may be on page 1 now, but maybe not tomorrow.

Geek has the job of keeping up with the trends (sorry Kardashians) to check for what Google is looking for in websites. This way we know how to effectively market a site and get it up the search result pages.

So, without further ado, I present the 10 MOST important ranking factors:

1. Metadata keywords

This stuff is explained more in our SEO guide blog; however, for now, this is a KEY contributor to your Google ranking. You will need to optimise your metadata with the keywords that you want your website to come up under.

However, you must do this precisely, don’t go adding every keyword in your industry in the title and description; instead, keep it short and concise. But don’t forget to make sure your titles and descriptions make sense too!

2. Content Refinements

Google much prefers fresh content. Google is always on the lookout for regularly updated content, so much so that it will pay attention to the website who do this.

Having high-quality content is good, but it will need to be updated every month to ensure that your site is noticed amongst the crowd.

3. Linking

Internal or Outbound – links are a critical ranking factor and so why are so many businesses forgetting them? Internal links reference and link to other pages on the same website, whereas outbound links link elsewhere.

Implementing links into your content will get you noticed, this is because Google bots will analyse the information on your site and the connected pages or websites.

4. SSL

Now there are arguments as to whether or not SSL makes any difference to your Google ranking and it a way it definitely does. Google will see your website as ‘secure’ in comparison to a site that hasn’t an SSL certificate and therefore ranks you accordingly.

Users are also much more likely to click on a site that has an SSL certificate. Google alerts the searcher that your website isn’t secure if you haven’t an SSL certificate which will scare of customers, especially if you take online payments.

5. Mobile UX responsive design

In this day and era, people use mobiles much more frequently than computers and laptops – it’s all about convenience. Google ranks website well if they feature mobile optimisation; this is because they know they’ll be of use to an inquiring user.

Websites that aren’t updated to suit a mobile or tablet device will fall down Google’s pages after all new and useful sites have always been favourable.

6. Keyword in URL

Along with keeping the URL as short as you possibly can, it’s always very important to implement your ranking keyword in there too. Google actually crawls your URL also to find out more information about the page and what to rank it under.

It’s important not to stuff all your keywords into your URL as said before, the shorter, the better (in Google’s eyes). It also helps your customer; no user wants to type out a long URL – KEEP IT SHORT GUYS.

7. Image alt tags

Sticking any image on your website to make it look pretty isn’t going to help you get to the first page of Google by any means. Google appreciates imagery on a website, but for images to come up under the right keywords, it requires optimisation.

Implementing the right keywords into your photo and describing what’s in the picture will rank your website. Your image’s alt text can often be left out, remember to do this!

These are 7 of the most important ranking factors; however, these are also 7 of the most commonly missed factors. Google will admire a beautiful, seamless website, but you will also need to carry out these elements. This is all to ensure you remain noticed by the algorithm.

Reaching page 1 either runs on luck or consistency. However, unless you feel lucky and know that your competition is easy to beat, then we need to think about what to do.

Geek has many tricks up their sleeves to get your marketing plans the best they can be. If you need assistance or are curious to begin marketing your site, then we can certainly help.

Click ‘free consultation‘ to get your journey kick-started.

April 10, 2019

The Real Ways To Get More Website Traffic

By AdminBusiness, MarketingNo Comments

If you’re tired of hearing promises and receiving no customers, then you’ve come to the right blog.

The thing is, the Internet is full of false hope disguised as good negotiation. Business owners have the all-important job to ensure that they fall for the right proposal.

Geek Designs often hear scary stories from new clients about how they spent thousands yet received no return on investment. Each customer was promised sales leads; however, the ones they did attain weren’t relevant or converting.

Well, let us tell you something honest.

Getting more traffic to your website will take time; however, sometimes it won’t (for the lucky ones). Everything is up to how persistent you are and how much you are willing to trust your marketing team.

Should I use a digital marketer?

The real question is, do you want to hand the responsibility to a professional or do you believe that you can get results?

Digital marketers understand how to optimise campaigns effectively and use organic SEO to your advantage. Quite often you’ll find ‘top tips’ on doing this yourself, but without a strategy, what’s the point?

Professionals can also put together a marketing plan that is unique to your business and goals. These plans detail exactly what they’ll do and what it will achieve, all with realistic figures.

So, before I bore you, here are some REAL ways to get traffic heading to your website:

LOCAL SEO

Organic SEO, the one thing most people will question with ‘is it worth it?’ Hell yeah, it is.

This type of SEO is mostly free. Unlike paid SEO which charges you every time someone clicks the link to your website, organic SEO requires a one-off payment each month for many website visitors.

Local SEO is in that category.

Nearly 1/3 of all Google searches feature ‘near me’ or a set location. If you’re looking for customers that are local to you, well, you’ll need this SEO on your website.

Digital marketers set up localise pages that rank under a particular location, therefore when someone searches for ‘pubs to escape the Mrs near me’ then your pub businesses will appear in the search results.

Post HELPFUL and ENGAGING blogs.

When we say put together blogs for your site, we don’t mean that a home improvements company should be telling their customers how they manufacture a wooden door. Instead, tell them why they should buy that wooden door.

Funny, emotional, surprising and useful blogs will get people heading to your website.

When you post about a new blog that you’ve got on your site, you’ve got to give a reason why they should.

Time is expensive; people will click onto your blog and bounce right off if they find it boring or irrelevant.

Do you find yourself often reading blogs? Admittedly, most of us will only pay attention to the interesting ones. We all like blogs that show failure, victories and information that provide us with ‘life hacks.’

Each industry is different, that’s why you’ll need to research competitors and put together a plan. Bullet point blog topic and see what your peers think.

Love it or hate it – Social Media.

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn the lot. As a population, we either love using them or don’t. However, each business WILL benefit if they use the right channels.

Once you have a polished website up and running, then you can get sharing it to social media.

However, make sure you’re targeting the right visitors. Posting your website on the Facebook giant predominantly focuses on your homeowners and full-time mummies.

LinkedIn will open your website doors to professionals, making it a highly useful platform for B2B. Are you a creative industry? Get yourself on Instagram and Pinterest now!

Market your emails to existing and even potential customers.

I won’t lie; email marketing can be a right pain. However, despite its tendency to annoy people it has a high conversion rate– if you do it right.

Creating bespoke, eye-catching email designs will capture your customer’s attention. So while you’re at it, stick a link to your website on the email to show them where the beautiful email came from.

Digital marketers quite often take care of all the design work for you, all they’ll need is your preferences and your approval.

Email marketing is a direct form of marketing, it comes as close as waving your product in their face and demanding money (but much more subtle).

Use these tips and you will get more traffic to your website.

Trust me, I didn’t spend all this time writing a blog for nothing, these 4 pointers will work and maybe not today, but in 3 months time, oh definitely.

Geek has a marketing team at hand that can answer your queries regarding website traffic.

However we won’t tell you all the secrets to get website traffic or what would we be?

We can put together a free marketing plan for you. We have the questions, you’ll just need to ring us or email us to answer them.

But you can also try these 4 tips yourself. It’ll take experimentation and determination (not trying to sound to inspirational) to get results, but it’ll be worth the work.

Call us on; 01733 686100

or arrange for a free consultation.

April 5, 2019

Your Logo Is More Important Than You Think

By AdminDesign, MarketingNo Comments

Without your logo, your business would be no more.

Being the first focus of our attention, a logo plays a powerful role in your company, (obviously). When we see someone’s logo, we will instantly make our own opinion of the business.

It takes 7 seconds for one person to make their first impression of someone; don’t let your logo be the reason why you don’t receive the interest.

A professionally designed logo generates trust, making your customers much more likely to do business with you. Your logo reflects your professionalism, capability and dedication to your services. With a poorly designed logo, consumers won’t believe in you.

When someone views your website, they will be welcomed by your logo, so it should incorporate a friendly ambience. The logo also embraces your products and services; it sums you up in a figure. Whether you want to express boldness, friendliness or independence, your logo can help shape the image.

Investing in a high-quality logo design that encompasses the talent of your company is more valuable than a poor brand identity that looks like it was drafted on Paint (we still love you Paint).

Your logo reflects you

How do you want your customers to see your business? I’m talking about your perfect client, what do you want them to think of you? Are you a plumber who wants to demonstrate reliability? Or are you a coffee shop who wants to get thirsty customers through the door with a captivating logo? Your logo needs to capture the persona of your brand yet stand out from the sea of competitors that follow.

Consumer loyalty

Two words we pay very close attention too when we’re a business owner. Developing a memorable logo should be the aim of every brand, as it saves you a massive amount of marketing. If you create a distinguishable logo, then your customers will remember you, just like kids do when they drive past McDonald’s big M.

Achieve the right logo and soon enough you’ll become recognisable in a glimpse. If your logo shows that you’ve taken the time and money to create a good design, then people will trust in your brand.

Develop ownership

Your logo proves your legal ownership, acting as a safeguard against forgeries. You can sue the companies who sell cheaper versions of your product using your unique logo. Third-world countries are notorious for replicating logos of overseas business. A logo can be easily duplicated and used to another’s advantage.

Plan carefully

You can have your logo developed cheaply, however, you have to prepare for low-quality graphics, a damaged reputation and loss of customer interest. Paying more for a logo that will be with you for life, not only looks good on you but express your company’s message and values.

The more simple, the better. A logo doesn’t have to feature every single thing related to your industry, instead take a look at Coca-Cola, you couldn’t get any more obvious with that logo.

It’s also important to decide on the colours you want to be implemented into your logo. It’s crucial for your website, logo and graphics to incorporate the same colours, fonts and styles all the way through so customers know it’s you.

Stick to your opinion

Asking your friends and family of their opinion on your logo is okay, to an extent. Everyone looks at things differently and not everyone has the same preferences. For instance, logo designers will often show you what logo would work best and you may agree, but asking your spouse who likes the colour green over red won’t think so.

Varied opinions can lead to complications and a waste of time and money. It’s so important that you, the business owner decides on the logo since it’ll be supporting your growing business.

Be creative and open to ideas

It’s always good to have an idea for your logo before you contact a designer, however, it’s not compulsory. We often recommend that our client has a design brief for what they want their logo to look like or feature, this way we can generate something we know they’re looking for.

However, if you haven’t the time or are feeling trusting of your designers, they can come up with several ideas for you to adapt on or accept. Your logo is important to you, therefore it’s important to us.

If anything, you want to have the best logo out for your competitors, so with our research and your enthusiasm we can achieve just that. The logo design process should not be rushed, it is important that you are 100% happy with the logo before you publicise it to your customers.

Have no idea where to start? That’s no problem at all!

Whether you’re new to the business or looking to freshen up your logo, it’s never too late or too early. However, when you finally find the logo that works to you, you’ll know it. Eventually, the perfect logo will have your customers remembering who you are, thus leading to more conversions and sales.

The good thing about logo designers is that they understand a new business owner’s struggles and are here to help. At Geek we understand the stress of coming up with a logo, that’s why we offer a free consultation to help you find your brand.

Trust us when we say that your logo is more important thank you think.

March 5, 2019

You can’t afford to have a poorly designed logo on your vehicle.

By AdminDesign, MarketingNo Comments

Vehicle livery can bring you many benefits, but first, you need a high-quality logo.

A shocking 38.2 million cars drive on Britain’s roads (according to the Society Of Motor Manufacturers and Traders). Among the vast number of drivers, at least one potential customer is looking for your product or services. So, what better idea than to slap your brand on the side of your company vehicle and do some circling of your area?

The world may be becoming much more digitalised, but there will always be commuters and that way your transport should be used to its advantage. Whether you’re a floral service, own a small fleet of vans or a web design company that has a company car – a branded vehicle is an excellent form of direct marketing.

Logo design has always been a vital asset to your brand.

If you haven’t already got your logo, it’s highly advised that you seek a professional for the design plays an essential factor in how good it’s quality will be. Settling for a cheap, online logo generator over carefully executed logo development will leave you out of pocket and cheapen your business name.

Achieve an abundance of impressions.

A branded vehicle can generate around 30,000 to 70,000 daily impressions, reaching more than billboards, radio and direct mail do. Not only will you be marketing your business on your journeys, but also when you’re stationary. Say for instance you visit Tesco, you can expect a densely populated area of customers who will notice your vehicle – and one of them may need your help.

Also, the inconvenience of being stuck in traffic will still be contributing to your brand awareness. If you think about it, what else do people have to do when held up by other cars? People will acknowledge your branded vehicle; they’ll memorise your logo and be interested in what you’re advertising. Display your business wherever you can on your car, whether a van or car. You need to ensure you cover the sides and rear view to capture as much interest as you possibly can while mobile.

The importance of logo placement.

Painting your logo on your vehicle to look as close as it possibly can to the original isn’t the way to go. Almost any part of your car can be adorned with your logo, whether you’re looking to cover your entire vehicle or install a sign atop your vehicle – it’s possible.

We need to consider the perspective of the people on the road; they’ll be concentrating on their driving. So, it’s the people behind you who need to be informed first. Applying a logo to your vehicle itself can be a risky task and costly for that matter if you get the application wrong. Luckily, if you’re in or near Peterborough, the Geeks here can ensure your brand is applied to your vehicle correctly.

Do you have a part-time business? Or maybe the company car is also your everyday family car? Well, that’s no problem at all you can also find magnetic vehicle signs. This way you can selectively choose when you’d like to advertise your brand or keep a low profile. Vehicle livery is a highly flexible marketing method.

The mobility of your logo

Most signs used to market businesses are limited to a geographical reach. Presenting your company via a billboard or banner is excellent, but it’s not going to reach a bigger audience. However, owning a branded vehicle will help you achieve a diverse audience of people. The mobility offered by holding a car or van with your logo will introduce potential customers to your business better than stationary marketing ever could.

Driving to work, we always see the same advertisements on the same billboard and don’t think twice about it. But instead with a branded vehicle, you can showcase your brand to new customers each day as you take the same path to work. A new set of eyes increases the probability of customer and brand awareness for that matter.

Branding your business

Your logo is the foundation of which you build your business on; it becomes the face of your company. Whether it’s McDonald’s, Coca-Cola or KFC we recognise these places just from their logo and colours. Driving your logo around saturates more awareness and visibility for your brand and drives (ha get it?) customers towards your business.

Without a branded vehicle, your business could lack professionalism, especially when you are called out to a meeting or someone’s home. A branded car or van appears much more trustworthy than a low profile vehicle.

A logo slapped onto the side and back of your company car is hard to ignore on the road. A high-quality logo goes the extra mile. From your local shop to the petrol station to your home, you can show off your new logo. You can market your business better than any paper and could do.

March 2, 2019

Email Subject Lines That GET Replies

By AdminMarketing, ResourcesNo Comments

Email marketing can land you rewarding conversions, but first, you’ve got to fish for them.

We are all guilty of brushing over marketing tips, picking out keywords and working with what we’ve got.

But that is where you go wrong, you need to understand the concept behind the advice to ensure you carry out the approach in the correct way.

This guidance is most prominent in email marketing. The average person will receive around 90 emails per day, with most ending up in the ‘junk’ or ‘trash’ folder.

We have been taught that first impressions matter, we can judge how nice a person is by their facial expressions, how someone dresses or how someone presents himself or herself verbally – it’s the same with emails.

If you want your email to be seen and opened for that matter, then you need to shine through the others. For you to succeed in email marketing, your subject line needs to almost instantly persuade the user to take a look at what you have to say.

So, if you’re planning on setting up an email marketing campaign, then read this blog to teach yourself what the most successful email subject lines are. Remember, don’t brush through, take everything you can in and this will help you understand further.

Different types of email subject lines

The following tips are so important because they prompt the most engagement. When you’re sending out an email to new customers or existing clients then you will need to consider these pointers:

Relevance:

Before you click send, think to yourself, is this content relevant to your customer’s issues or current situation?

There’s no point offering your services when they’re already using them or provide the same. Consider, has this consumer subscribed to your email list for a particular reason? Are you suggesting something useful or are you going in cold? If you want your email to reach your customer, then you will need to keep it relevant to your audience.

You then need to ensure that your subject line relates to the content. Although clickbait is an effective way to get someone to open your emails, it’s frowned upon and could consequentially put you in the block list. If your subject line has no or little relevance to the contents, then you may as well expect a bounce.

Personalised approach:

Today there is mass competition to get emails opened and to close a sale, so much so that we forget one key element – emotion. It’s natural for us as people to connect more effectively face to face because we can interpret communication much easier. On emails, we are limited; people often tend to ‘guess’ how an email is coming across.

This reason is exactly why you need to relate to the customer and offer a solution to their potential problems or reassure them of what you’re suggesting. Also, you are more likely for someone to read your emails if you have shown your efforts to research them.

This could mean anything from looking at what the client has recently shared on social media or is looking for – then you can mention this in your email to show that you have taken your time to get to know them individually.

Urgency:

Nobody enjoys being pressured into a sale, that’s why you need to avoid using capitals in your subject lines. There are many clever ways to create a sense of urgency in your email, without coming across as too demanding. Your email attempts will most likely be ignored if it comes across predictable – so try using more persuasive language.

There’s a thin layer of ice when it comes to using urgency for your email marketing, however, step carefully, and you’ll start seeing results. By convincing people that they need to read your emails, you can ultimately expect your client to open your campaign. Remind yourself, be persuasive, not pushy!

Discount and Offers:

Everyone loves to receive an offer of some kind, whether it’s 10% off or buy one get one free, it makes us much more willing to take a look at what we can get for ourselves. If your email offers promotional content, then state what the customer can expect to receive in your email subject line. You want to make sure that they see this before anything else.

It’s quite exhausting cleaning out our inboxes from boring and ‘sales’ emails, but when we receive an offer or discount, then we’re nosey. It’s human nature that we are drawn to offers which is why if you’re looking for your email campaign to prevail, you can expect this approach to be one of the most successful.

Other points that matter a lot:

The length:

Think about it, it’s quite easy for a desktop user to see the length of your subject line, but most of the population use mobile devices.

Subject lines of emails are optimised so that the user can see the whole subject line instantly – instead, they’ll see the first few words. It’s important to keep your subject line short and catchy.

Send at peak times:

Sending your email at 10 pm or 5 am isn’t going to work for you, you need to research and think when your customer will be free and much more likely to see your email.

1 pm and 8 am are quite often the best times to send emails to your customers, one because they’re most likely on lunch and the other, you’ll hit their inbox first before any other emails.

Now for some examples:

If you came here for some examples to use, then lucky for you, we’re generous enough to help you with that. Take a look at these email subject lines and see the difference in approach.

‘MASSIVE 50% OFF’
‘HURRY limited time offer.’
‘Hey, ‘Joe Bloggs’ can I have one minute?’
‘Please see this.’
‘Important tips inside.’
‘8 tips to get more sales.’
‘Is it me you’re looking for? It may just be because…’
‘It’s not 50 shades of grey, but it’s worth a read.’

So how’d we do?

We do apologise in advance if you were bored by this conversation on email subject lines – but on the other hand, I hope that it has helped you in some way or another. But, enough talking – put these tips to good use and start improving those conversions!

February 26, 2019

Thinking Of Starting Up A Website? Follow Our Step-by-Step Guide

By AdminBusiness, Development, MarketingNo Comments

Starting your own business can be scary, let alone moving everything online.

Allow us to simplify everything for you.

We perceive ourselves as unique to the web design and digital marketing industry as we prioritise one thing – our relationship with the customer.

That is why we have decided to help out the people who we aren’t yet familiar with but would love to work alongside.

Yes, this guide is for the courageous business owners who have decided it’s time to get their business off the ground by joining the World Wide Web.

However I understand, for newbies, the Internet is a pile of advice and strategies, so how would anyone know what’s right or wrong? Read this and you’ll find out.

After years of adapting to ins and outs of the digital industry, we want to assist you in making the right decisions for your brand when it comes to your website, marketing and social media.

So, let’s not bore you any longer with the introduction. Instead, let’s get your business onto the right path towards successful brand recognition.

1. Have you got a design brief?

Before you do anything, I can’t stress how important it is to create a design brief.

A design brief will tell your web design company precisely what kind of a website you are looking for and how you want your business to be viewed by your consumers.

I get it though, where do you even start with a design brief? Well, that’s easy just start by bullet pointing USP (unique selling points), your brand colours and the persona you prefer.

Your brief can be detailed or simple; it’s however clued up you are about how you want your website to look. However, some web designers will provide bespoke designs.

For example, a customer can come to us and say that they have utterly no idea what they want their website to look like and that would be no problem.

From there we would only ask a few details and create a layout that is entirely unique to their business, no website of ours will ever look identical.

So, let’s go over what you need to consider:

What does your business do?

What are you trying to achieve through your website?

What’s your persona? (Who is your customer?)

Do you have content and pictures or will the agency provide these?

Do you have any specifications for your website?

What is your budget?

All of these points will help towards the design process of your website, resulting in accuracy and a quicker time for completion.

However as I mentioned, this isn’t mandatory; instead, your web designer can talk you through what they recommend, and you can add or subtract from their opinion.

2. Be careful when choosing a web designer

Okay, we won’t be biased here (well try not to) but you need to find a web design company that you are comfortable with.

Think about it; these designers will be with you from the start to the very end of your website; therefore you need to consider if they’re worth your time carefully.

The key things you need to remember is that if you’re looking for low prices, the website and customer service will quite certainly be inadequate. You can usually tell that a company is only interested in the money when they are willing to give you a quote over the phone.

I know you’re eager for a price on your website, however, be wary of companies who don’t hesitate to throw a price at you over the phone without getting to know your business.

Geek Designs ensure we achieve a detailed memo of what the customer is looking for, ensuring we cover everything, including researching their services/products before providing the quote.

You can tell if a company cares about your business depending on how much they want to know about your brand and how you aim to improve its presence.

You may want to research your web designers; this could include checking testimonials on their website, Google reviews and Tripadvisor opinions.

It’s more than essential to leave your business in the hands of a trustworthy company who provides the right quote for what you need, not the cheapest.

But you also need to make sure the company isn’t charging you too much, as this can be a common problem.

3. Have you got a marketing plan?

Google Adwords, SEO pages, PPC campaigns – all of that confusing stuff. A marketing plan will help significantly towards the success of your business in regards to marketing.

Marketing your business will only be as successful as you want it to be. Paying little will contribute to a negative ROI, but then so can spending too much.

This is where you need professional guidance, but then that’s just my best recommendation, you can still give it a go yourself.

However, if you are, you have to watch out for several factors that could impact the performance of your marketing. For one your Google Adwords need to lead to a useful ‘sales page’ that makes the website visitor want to stay.

The same works with PPC and PPI, your website needs to be engaging for your marketing to even work in this scenario.

SEO pages (localised pages) however can be added to make your website appear in different locations, for instance, your site may say that you’re situated in Peterborough, but you could then have a page that comes up under ‘Huntingdon’ which will link to your website.

Marketing is a significant process, and there are so many considerations needed to ensure you make the most of your money. However, it’s always best to consult a professional before making any advancement with this step as you could harm your business.

But most importantly – your website needs to be perfect because you need your customers to stay on your site. If you have too many users looking at your site then immediately falling off then your bounce rate will heighten.

The higher the bounce rate, the more likely that you’ll de-rank on the Google search engine.

4. Social Media

The first question is, have you set up a business page on the right social media?

Whether you have set up a page or haven’t, you need to think about what social platform is worth the time and hassle.

You may think it’ll be useful to have your business on every social media there is, but this will do you more harm than good.

It’s no good if you’re a plasterer and have a Pinterest account or being a lawyer and tweeting what you had for your breakfast. Instead, you’ll need to consider this carefully.

LinkedIn – Predominantly professionals, this platform is ideal for any business that wants to develop a brand identity (so any company should use this if I’m honest).

Facebook – Focuses on promoting content to the domestic sector, therefore if you’re a home improvements company, hairdressers etc. it will be worthwhile.

Instagram – A visual portfolio of work, ideal for businesses of a design nature including interior designers, digital agencies and e-commerce.

Twitter – General chitchat platform, ideal for corporate firms to discuss business and news matters.

6. Consider these too

I have guided you through the basics of composing an online presence for your brand; however, it doesn’t stop there.

There are still many other ways to get your business prompted further, for instance, you can pursue brochures, leaflets and vehicle livery to get your online business heard of.

Furthermore, you can also consider logo re-design. You may like your logo; however, if you think it could be refined more effectively, then this is definitely worth considering especially since it’s the identity of your business.

However, if you are stuck in any way, we will help guide you further towards the success of your online empire.

We understand that it can be a headache especially if you are only just looking to get yourself online.

Geek Designs can happily help you get your business heading in the right direction, all to make sure your website shows the real potential of your brand and that your marketing gets you the leads you need to prosper.

So, I hope I have delivered this guide clearly. I know that many things will still be going over your head; however, this is where we can come in a personally speak with you through the process.

If you are looking to get your business kick-started, then why not speak to our friendly team and have us talk you through what you should consider and the best approach to marketing your brand.

January 23, 2019

Your website is great, but do you have a LinkedIn profile to match?

By AdminBusiness, MarketingNo Comments

LinkedIn is the online forum for professionals and business – if your website looks good, so should your company page.

With over 500 million users and TWO new members each second, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network. Out of the population, the potential of people finding your profile is high – in fact, a whopping 80% of LinkedIn members want to connect or follow companies.

LinkedIn allows your business to boost the presence of its services to professionals both local and international. Amidst the abundance of LinkedIn members, you must maintain a killer LinkedIn profile. Your page encompasses your brand, and your website – a good site and LinkedIn page go hand in hand. If you want to generate the best online presence, a professionally designed website sets the foundation for your growth. Without a successful site, your business isn’t ready for LinkedIn.

If you own a website that you’re proud of, then carry on reading my friend. Having a dated, unresponsive web page that doesn’t appeal to customer demands won’t appeal to 500million professionals. Engagement and conversions will be almost impossible if your professionalism isn’t reflected in your online ‘shop window’.

Once you have completed your website, that’s when we recommend ‘strutting your stuff’ to the expert-only social media platform. Following these tips will help you generate leads, establish partnerships and create brand recognition – LinkedIn is an invaluable social tool for your marketing strategy.

Deliver Good Content

The content you submit to LinkedIn must reflect that of the professional nature you’ll find on LinkedIn. The slightest hint of informality is quite often picked up upon, and this is where you’ll experience negative backlash. What you need to do is detect your customer’s ‘pain’ and provide a solution in your posts.

Share content that is engaging, sparks a conversation or debate, don’t bore your readers with promotional material. When sharing information regarding your company such as industry-related news or service announcements, ensure the consumer benefits from the information.

Submit blog posts, slide-shares, podcasts and articles devised by company colleagues and keep your followers updated with job opportunities or relocations. Always put your audience first, post content that enriches a customer’s knowledge, teaching them how to solve problems or improve on their skills.

Target Valuable Connections

So you know what you want to post about, but who do you want reading your content? This is where you take advantage of LinkedIn’s targeting filters. Small businesses can aim their posts at a specific industry, company size and job roles of an individual. This way you can target the customers who would most likely invest in your products or services.

For example, a post from a printing company in the UK advertising brochures might prefer to appear in newsfeeds of businesses with less than 100 employees that are UK-based. Aiming your content at specific individuals will make your marketing efforts more successful. Expressing matters that reveal your company’s services, as a solution to your target customer’s issues will certainly drive them to invest.

Used sponsored updates

By promoting your employees to create and complete a LinkedIn profile, will help the development of your business. Encouraging your staff to maintain a LinkedIn account that includes relevant photos, content and information on your business will help get your brand out there. The more employees you have using LinkedIn, the greater the connection and page visitors you’ll receive, thus driving your LinkedIn engagement.

Asking your employees to market the business and generate organic interactions will help you take your business further. A personal profile with a photo, reassures connections that they are indeed, human. A customer is more likely to approach a company when they can see that the employees are friendly and reputable.

Give A Face To Your Employees

Track Your Progress

Your company page includes useful analytical data, showing changes in the size and performance of your LinkedIn follower community. You can access this data at any time to see how your shared content and page is performing. You will be able to see demographical information as well as location and job titles of your visitors.

Use these insights to start posting content that your most common audience wants to see. LinkedIn analytics allows people to view their content, analysing how many people have seen, interacted or hidden your efforts.

LinkedIn provides great opportunities:

Your marketing skills and motivation will help you to put together the best LinkedIn profile. Now that you’ve got an aesthetic website, it’s time to promote your work to the professional customer base. LinkedIn is only of the most reliable platforms for coming across industry-leaders and businesses, which is why you need to ensure you are prepared to market on the social site.

Geek Designs spend hours researching new updates and news regarding LinkedIn and its algorithms, helping businesses to prosper on the social media platform. If you are stuck on how you plan to transform your LinkedIn profile, then leave it to our expertise.

December 26, 2018

Keeping Your Audience Engaged With Your Website

By AdminBusiness, Design, MarketingNo Comments

If you don’t update your website, your audience will go elsewhere.

Your website is an essential marketing tool to have.

In a world that is becoming virtual, how your site looks – is crucial for any successful business.

To stay current in this dynamic world of technology, we recommend that your website has a new design every two years. For your site to maintain its rank each time it has a redesign, we implement a variety of factors.

Platform selection, competitor analysis and consistent blogging are all essential factors that will increase your website’s ranking. Make your website redesign worth the time spent on it – without a highly ranked site, your newly refined site won’t even be appreciated.

Throughout this blog, we will improve your knowledge of the tips and information needed for redesigning a website, and how this will influence your marketing.

Using the right platform

Beginning your website redesign – the foundation of your site must be carefully considered. Choosing which platform that you construct your website on is critical. A platform that is straightforward and suits your business best is favoured. We use WordPress as it’s easy to use for novices and gives you full control of your website.

Some businesses might not be suited to our platform if you need e-commerce systems or a website that is focused heavily on the database, platforms such as Shopify, Magento etc.

Importance of updating your website with fresh content.

Possibly the most vital aspect of your site is your content. Failure to update it regularly will lose you traffic in abundance. Take shopping, for instance. When browsing in shops such as Next or John Lewis, you expect there to be new stock constantly.

Do you think these shops would be as big if they had the same clothes or products all year round?

Bringing out new fashion and products maintains their audience’s attention. The same goes for your content – you must consistently update it to manage your audience’s interest. If you’re not active, how will potential customers know that your business is running?

Do you have any pets? Does your fish swim to the surface of your pond or its tank, knowing that it is feeding time? Think in marketing terms. Generally, your pet fish expects to receive food consistently at a particular time. However, if you stop providing food for some time – e.g. in winter – your fish won’t be waiting at the surface expecting it anymore.

When my colleague stopped feeding his fish for two weeks, he noticed that at their usual feeding time, they’d be in different places of his pond – they’d lost interest. Apply this to your website. Keep feeding your customers new content. New blogs, a new design – without this, like my colleague’s fish; your customers will end up in other places.

Is it time that your website has an update? We recommend these simple tips for a well-ranked site.-

November 30, 2018

Are Consumers Receptive To Advertising While Travelling?

By AdminMarketing, NewsNo Comments

It’s important to know your audience. The question is, are commuters paying attention?

Digital marketing, it’s such a vague name yet such a diverse subject. Although you’re actively promoting brand awareness through digital strategies, there is a lot of sociological research behind the end product. Every company tweet or Facebook status, every catchy slogan; they all exist because of a digital marketer. However, with great brand recognition comes great responsibility.

Every day people are on the move with a mobile device, whether they’re on a train, bus or cruise ship. The real question for digital marketing experts is ‘how engaged are they with online advertisements?’

There is no insight on Google showing what form of transport a user is on, nor how many paid attention to an ad while on the move. We have to make sure we become innovative and cater for all possibilities.

While commuting, the attention of a user is shorter than usual; even the typical attention span is only 8 seconds.

It is crucial that your advertising strategy is concise and eye-catching from the first reach. Whether it’s colour choice, easy navigation or clear objectives, your advertising needs to be better than good. If you want to achieve an effective ROI from a commuter, you need to plan.

But, let’s be real here. How engaged are our mobile customers? When speed walking to work or waiting for a bus, there usually is a set amount of time available for the customers to use for Internet browsing.

However, although they have time, whatever they look at or are looking for must be brief and straight to the point; otherwise, you will lose your potential customer permanently. Digital advertisements must have small content and headlines that are punchy and straightforward. Your wording needs to demonstrate your product or service in a limited amount of characters to ensure it catches your persona’s eye.

While people are on the move, the time they spend looking at their phones to make their journey faster is when you need to put together the best, most captivating advertisements.

Customers will be looking for something entertaining or practical; therefore you need to create something that catches their attention immediately. Businesses spend millions researching ways to accommodate the short window of interest of commuters. Companies aim to produce the best marketing techniques for travellers to prompt sales.

60% of mobile audiences were aware of adverts during their travels. The results help us to understand that the public does take an interest in advertising.

Although few people will be sleeping or reading, most of your ideal customers will be passing the time by using their phone. During this time, you have to consider your best marketing ideas to generate as much interest as possible.

What is your user looking for?

The most difficult audience to unravel is the younger generations, this is because they have a diverse taste in what they find appealing due to the influence of technology. When advertising to younger generations, you need to provide an advert which is visually capturing. You will need to use bold titles that scream ‘offer’, or something that is recent and relevant. To achieve the best engagement, you should publish holiday offers and brand awareness in the early morning. Inspirational posts, images and news should be scheduled in the evening.

Research. Plan. Publish

You can make commuters into valuable customers; it just takes patience and creativity.

Although people are highly active on mobile phones during travel, it is much harder to market these audiences. With an unpredictable attention span and such strategic planning needed, marketing to commuters is harder than you think. We have three rules; first, you must consider researching your persona then work out their typical day-to-day routine. Next, you will need to plan how you aim to promote your business and get it noticed by the travelling user.

Lastly, when you think you have considered every aspect, publish your work and be patient for results. If the results aren’t what you expected, take a look at what you could change about your approach and test the theories.

August 1, 2018

Marketing

Social media can benefit your business, but first, you’ll need to stop doing these 10 things.