The Top 5 Ways a Website Can Benefit Your Business
Did you know that there are still a surprisingly large number of companies who do not have any type of online presence? Even some of those that do are yet to reap the benefits of having a ‘good’ website as opposed to simply having a website.
The creation of a top notch website can benefit your business in a variety of ways and to help you identify some of the more important benefits for any business, we have identified 5 of the more important ones below:
Benefit No. 1 – Establishing a Creditable Image
The creating of a high quality website will enable you to start taking steps towards establishing an online reputation and building levels of credibility through it.
For example, by providing a great user experience for visitors, you are likely to create an positive reputation amongst your customers.
Benefit No. 2 – Excellent Method of Advertising
A website effectively acts as an online ‘shop window’ for your products and services, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
An attractive and effective website with good quality content (along with a bit of SEO magic) can result in new customers continuing to find your business, without you actually having to do anything!
Benefit No. 3 – Offer Easy Access For Customers
We all lead busy lives and there is a very strong possibility that many potential or existing customers may need to find out information but do not have the time to phone you to do so.
Without an effective website offering a comprehensive level of information, frustrated customers may feel as though they are being forced to go elsewhere.
Benefit No. 4 – Opening Channels of Communication
A great website offers the perfect way to interact with your customers. On the most basic of levels, you can implement easy to use forms and it a more advanced level, you could incorporate a blog or forum on your website offering a great way to communicate with customers.
Benefit No. 5 – Increasing the Reach of your Business
The creation of an effective website offers the opportunity to expand into new areas simply by promoting a new product or service, or targeting a geographic area which is covered by your business.
These are just a small number of the benefits offered by the creation of a website for your business, so if you still deciding whether a website is right for you, the time to make that decision is now!
Further Information
Footprint specialise in creating bespoke websites designed to help take your business to another level. We have been providing SEO Surrey since 1998 and if you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
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5 Online Marketing Myths To Ignore!
With search engines and social media platforms all trying to push their pay-per-click options to help boost online traffic (think Adwords and Facebook post boosts), it can be all too easy to think that SEO has fallen down the pecking order when it comes to effective online marketing methods. However, the truth is very different.
For anyone who is still undecided whether to push forward with an SEO campaign to help promote their products and services, we have drawn up a list of 5 untruths which may could your judgement.
Myth No. 1 – SEO Simply Doesn’t Work
With figures suggesting that as many as 81% of all shoppers now conduct online searches before making a purchase, choosing to ignore online marketing can be a very expensive mistake to make!
As people become more accustomed to using their computer, laptop, smart-phone and tablets to search for products and services, you simply must take steps to maximise your online presence if you wish to remain competitive in your market.
SEO works by making your making your website easy for both users and search engine robots to understand and without the implementation of effective SEO, your website is very likely to be fighting a losing battle.
Myth No. 2 – SEO is Too Expensive
One of the most common mistakes regarding SEO is viewing it as an expense rather than an investment. As opposed to pay per click advertising which disappears the moment you stop adding funds to your account, a well run SEO campaign can offer long term benefits.
When taking advantage of professional SEO services you will receive work tailored around a variety of complex tasks:
- Industry research
- Keyword analysis
- Website optimisation
- Link building
- Monitoring and results analysis.
Each of these tasks takes time and effort — and there’s just no SEO without them. So while you do need to pay for someone to implement these tasks, keep in mind that SEO keeps bringing results long after you finish a project with the person.
Myth No. 3 – Traditional Marketing Is All That’s Needed
The Office for National Statistics reported that in 2017, 88% of all adults used the internet at least once a week! When you think about these staggering numbers, even if you estimate that a very small percentage of the users are likely to be interested in your products/services, the numbers are still going to be huge!
By not promoting your business online, you are going to be missing out on one of the biggest opportunities to grow your business. Perhaps even worse than this is the fact that forward thinking competitors may leave your business behind.
Myth No. 4 – SEO takes too long; PPC is faster.
Whilst there can be no denying that PPC offers fast results, this type of advertising is no more than a quick fix. PPC advertising will only remain visible whilst there is money in your account, the moment it dries up is the moment that you adverts will fail to show.
It is also worth considering what the initials PPC actually stand for. PPC actually means Pay Per Click, that’s right, you will get charged each time your advert is clicking upon, not each time it converts to a sale.
Although SEO can take longer to get off the ground, once things start to work, the results should be long term.
Myth No. 5 – SEO will require me to change my website.
Whilst we made need to change a website to improve SEO, as poor design, confusing structure or weak content is likely to act as an anchor around the neck of any SEO efforts, it doesn’t mean that your website will be blown up and started again.
There are many different factors which can effect SEO and we will look at all of them. Slow page loading time for instance can make a significant difference to conversions with data from KISSmetrics indicating that even a 1 second delay can reduce conversions by up to 7 percent!!
We will give you website a thorough audit and many of the changes we make will take place behind the scenes without altering the external look of a well loved and well performing site.
Further Information
Footprint specialise in creating bespoke websites designed to help take your business to another level. We have been providing SEO Surrey since 1998 and if you’d like to speak to us regarding any of our services, give us a call on 01883 372488 or contact us via Facebook and we’ll be happy to talk you through your options.
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Never Underestimate The Power of Google Maps
With Google trying to provide search results based upon the location of the person making the search, Google Maps listing have never been more important.
Does your business have a Google Maps listing yet? Even if not, did you know that Google may have created one for you already and it could be waiting to be claimed?
Google Maps (aka Google Local) is a free service offered by Google with the goal of allowing businesses to engage with customers based within their local area. It also provides the perfect platform for local residents to discover businesses located in the near vicinity.
For example, should you search for ‘Driving lessons Surrey’, you are very likely to be directed to the screen highlighted in the screen shot below. As you can see, the Google Maps/Local listings take a very prominent position in the listings and follow a set format with the reviews being clearly visible. Should you choose to click on one of these driving schools, you would then be able to access additional information about that particular driving school.
Please Note – Surrey Driving Force is a Footprint Web Design client.
What Are The Benefits of Obtaining a Google Maps Listing?
The benefits of having your business listed on Google Local include:
- Google Maps listings typically appear at the top of the search results pages. Therefore they are very likely to be the first thing that people see.
- Accessing Google Maps listings on a mobile phone or smart device will offer customers an easy way to either call your business or get directions to your location.
- The easy access to the impartial ratings left by current and previous customers can go a long way towards giving new customers confidence in your products and services.
- Potential customers visiting your listing are very likely to be local to your business, therefore giving you a definite advantage over businesses based further afield.
How Can We Help?
Setting up or claiming an existing listing is just the start of the process. We will make sure that you squeeze every last drop of potential from your listing.
We will do this by completing the following steps:
- Making sure that all of the information listed on your account is accurate, relevant and verified.
- Add images to your listing
- Make sure there are no duplicate listings which could prove harmful in the future.
- Submit a number of citations which will help to confirm your listing’s details in Google’s eyes.
- We would actively seek to encourage customer reviews. For example if you have an e-mail database for current and past customers, we will contact them on your behalf with links to your listing and a guide for the best and quickest way to leave a review.
- Keep your listing up to date.
The above information is designed to offer a guide towards maximising the exposure and potential of your Google Maps listing. There are also additional factors which must be taken into consideration. If you would like Footprint Web Design to help optimise your Google Maps listing, simply give us a call today on Tel. No. +44(0)1883 372488.
For more information regarding Google Maps/Local listings, please visit https://www.google.com/business/
Contact Us Today
If you would like to speak to our dedicated team regarding the creation of a dedicated Google Maps listing for your building, please contact us today on Tel. No 01883 372488.
