Market Addict

December 10th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Hello, my name is Ian and I am a market addict.

This summer I was selling ice cream on the weekends in Dunlaoghaire Market in the peoples park. Tomorrow I’m selling Christmas Wreaths in the Christmas Market in Laragh Co. Wicklow(also known as the Glendalough Christmas Market).

I always liked markets, but selling in them is positively addictive. This is particularly true for somebody like me who spends a lot of their working life in isolation, communicating only through the phone and keyboard.

I have also learned a lot while working in the markets. Things that translate well into all business. Things like, price is not usually the biggest issue, but if it is then you must have it really wrong! I have learned the importance of communication with customers. No communication and they move on. It’s the same for all business.

Most of all, markets are helpful for letting us observe human behaviour. What makes people buy? When does no mean no, and when does it mean “I’m not convinced yet”.

Here is one thing that is hard to translate into the world of online business. A smile. Put two market traders beside each other with exactly the same products. If one is smiling, friendly and approachable and the other looks bored, texting away and surly, you can be guaranteed that the smiler will do at least double the business. How do we translate that into an online business? How do we make online business personal? I believe that these are the biggest barriers to online sales at the moment.

I’m going off to think about it for a while. I’ll leave you with this though. < G R I N >

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Google+ allowing business pages (at last?)

November 9th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Huge brands are already doing it.  Burberry, Pepsi, O2 and Cadbury have already created their Google+ pages.

Google plus hype

Google+ Pages for business. Jump in now and count the cost later? How much time should be invested in it at this stage?

Google Pages is the answer to Facebook pages.  It is being widely heralded across the internet as a long awaited and much needed alternative to Facebook pages.

I’m not buying it! ……. yet.

A huge rush is taking place to be an early adopter.  Get in there first!  Be one of the leaders!  I don’t get it quite frankly. Google+ has been a bit of a damp squib so far.  After an early rush to get onto it helped by the clever tactic of only allowing invited people to sign up, activity has been less than breathtaking.

In an article on mashable not so long ago I was reading how most of Google’s own management team have not managed to start using it properly.  If the people in the company who make it aren’t using it why is anybody else?

Social Media Burnout

We are inundated with social media.  People have become anti-Facebook because it is taking up more of their lives than they feel it probably should.  Twitter is creating an alternate universe where people can no longer watch a simple tv programme without checking up what other people think about the same programme.  Add in instant messaging, RSS feeds, aggregators and specialist industry news sites that spit out content like a gatling gun and it is no wonder that many among us are suffering from social media burnout.

We simply don’t want another social media site that is going to take up even more of our precious time.  We use facebook because all of our friends do.  In Ireland it is THE social media site.  People have been fired because of using it too much, and other companies have blocked it on their office networks.  People may have a problem with lots of aspects of facebook, but the truth is that a huge number of people use it as their primary tool for staying in touch.

Why Google won’t oust Facebook

When Google introduced their search engine it caught on and got accepted, even lauded.  Why?  Because it offered better search results than any other search engine on the market.  Less spammy results meant that it was easier to find what you were actually looking for.

Google+ is doing nothing particularly new.  There are already complaints that a business page can’t have assigned admins like Facebook pages can.  That said, assigning admins is a relatively new phenomenon on facebook too.  I have not heard anybody say one single thing that Google+ is doing better than facebook.

If I open a florists beside another florists, I’d better be sure that I have a unique competitive advantage.  Without it I’m not likely to last all that long as a flower shop.  Show me the Google competitive advantage here and I will be sold.

Why listening to hype does more harm than good

The internet is really good at one thing in particular.  Hype.  Look at social media in general.  In fact, look back before that.  Business advice was “you must have a website”.  Then it was “you must be on social media”.  Now it appears that this weeks message is “you must be on Google+”.

Those messages are not necessarily wrong.  What is wrong about it is that there is no understanding behind why you should do any of it.  If somebody tells me to jump off a bridge, then there had better be a good reason.  Yes a business needs a website, but just having a website is no good.  It must serve a function for the business.  It must be marketed.  The bottom line is it must bring in business and just having a website does not do that.  Things like SEO have to be taken into consideration.  Who is your website targeting?  Will it reach your target market and if not how can you make it do so?  This is online marketing, the forgotten piece in the “you must have a website” statement.  The lack of clarification in this regard made it possible for the market to be openly abused.  Quick buck merchants were happy to take money for a website that was not worth the proverbial paper it was printed on.

Likewise, we saw so called guru’s proclaiming that anybody without a facebook page was living in the dark ages and that they were getting left behind.

There was precious little talk about how to successfully utilise facebook.  How to make it work for your business.  The fact is that facebook simply does not serve a purpose for many business’s.  Lot’s more business’s put up a page, but had no idea what to do next.  A comparative handful made it work for them.  Some through luck, but mostly through planning and strategy.

Planning and Strategy

Planning and Strategy do not mix with jumping in feet first in order to be “one of the first”.  There is a time and a place for that.  Getting a domain name is a land grab, act first, think later time.  Launching an app that nobody else has yet is a time for action.  Google+ is not.

There are an estimated 40million users on Google+ now.  How many of those are in Ireland?  Nobody knows.  How many of those in Ireland are active?  Nobody knows.  How many of those active Irish users are in your target demographic group?  Your guess is as good as mine.  How much money / time / energy would you put into a print publication on the basis of information like that?  That’s what I thought.

Hang back, see what happens, let others make the mistakes and use their energy.  Then, if it seems that Google+ is here to stay and gaining ground, then and only then, make your move and do it well.

If you want help with your online marketing strategy call Ian at Webshed on 086 3817149.  Initial Consultation is free.

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What running a marathon taught me about content writing

November 8th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Marathon Medal Dublin City Marathon 2011

My marathon medal from the Dublin City Marathon 2011

What do running a marathon and writing content for a website have in common?

Both of them seem hard at the outset.  Both take a commitment.  Both can be rewarding in many ways.

All my life I watched marathons in wonder.  How could anybody run that sort of distance?  What does it take to keep going when every fibre in your body wants to quit?

Training

The first step (if you’ll pardon the pun) is simply getting started.  8 weeks before the marathon I started training.  I used a couch to 5k app on my iphone.  3 days a week it was time to run and out I went no matter what the weather and did it.  No excuses, no “I don’t feel like it today”, no “I have too many other things to do today”.

Writing content for the internet is the same.  It is very easy to put off that blog post or writing that article.  There are always other pressing issues that can help you avoid the first simple step of writing that first sentence.

Practice

The first day I ran, I completed 8 runs that were just 1 minute in duration with breaks of 1 1/2 minutes in between.  I felt like I was going to collapse at the end of it.  8 weeks later I was running 5k without stopping.  It got easier.  It only got easier because I went out and did it every week on schedule.

Similarly, with content writing, what takes ages at first becomes second nature.  It gets easier.  Practice, practice practice.  When I run I set myself achievable goals.  I wasn’t worried about not being the fastest person to ever run 5k (in fact I’m very slow).  I don’t have to be quick to be faster than all those people who never made it off the couch.  There will always be somebody fitter than me, but I have more energy and more drive as a result of exercising than I did when I was happy to sit behind my computer all day and in front of the tv all evening.  My mind feels sharper and I have even become more confident.

Confidence

Ah yes, confidence.  Confidence comes with practice.  The more I write the happier I am with what I write.  I don’t have to second guess it all the time.

How did I go from 5k to running a marathon?

Well, that bit was not really advisable.  I just did it.  I didn’t run the whole marathon.  In fact it took me 6 hours to complete the course.  As I said afterwards “the last 20 miles were the hardest”.  But I did it.  I didn’t quit.  I hurt, I even bled, but I kept at it.  The result – I achieved my goal.  I have the medal to prove it.  It will not be my last marathon either.  I will continue to practice and it will continue to get easier.

Running is about putting one foot in front of the other and repeating the process.  Content writing is about putting one word after another (preferably in a sentence that makes sense).

No more excuses.

Running excuses:

  1. I’m too tired
  2. It’s too wet / windy / cold / snowy / hot out today
  3. I don’t want to overdo it and injure myself
  4. I’ll start next week
  5. It will take me ages to run 5k
  6. I’m too busy today
  7. I need to concentrate on work / home life / my favourite tv programme
  8. I’m too old
  9. I’m too overweight
  10. I don’t want people to see me running
  11. What would I get out of it anyway?

Content writing excuses:

  1. I don’t feel inspired today
  2. I don’t know what to write about
  3. My writing isn’t good enough
  4. I have too many other things to do today
  5. I’ll start tomorrow
  6. Somebody else already wrote about the same thing I was going to write about
  7. It will take me ages to write a blog / article
  8. What good is one piece of writing going to do?

Excuses.  That is all they are.  They are tricks you allow your mind play on you to prevent you from doing something that will really benefit you.  I’m not saying that everybody should go and do a marathon.  I am saying that everybody who owns or works on a website should write fresh content for it regularly.

We all put things off.  Why?  When it comes to websites the old adage “Content is King” is sometimes forgotten.  If you are not the greatest writer on the planet don’t let that stop you.  You will never get any better if you don’t actually practice.

If you have a busy schedule, then make the time.  Make it a priority.  If you don’t know what to write just start writing and see what happens, or take inspiration from somewhere else.

Oh, and the excuse that went “Somebody else already wrote about the same thing I was going to write about”…… have a look at this blog post that @copyblogger tweeted about just a few minutes before I wrote this post.  It’s probably better written than what I’ve just written, it’s drawing the same comparisons.  I choose to call it inspiration.  If I hadn’t pointed out that I got the idea from somebody else, then you would never have known.

The point is that it is ok to use what other people write about as a basis for your own writing.  Another day perhaps Jeff Goins will use something I write as inspiration for one of his posts.  Professional writers do that.  If a newspaper gets a scoop you can be sure that the next day the other papers will cary a version of the same story.

It’s time to start writing!

Even if it feels like a marathon task that may suck the will to live out of you just do it.  Get started.  It will get easier…. I promise!

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Posted in Copywriting | 2 Comments »

Recruitment Agency Website Relaunch

October 18th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

We have just relaunched the website of recruitment agency Jackie Brown Medical.  The brief was to add movement and life to the original website and give it a fresh look that was user friendly.

Integrated blog on Jackie Brown Medical

A fresh website layout with big buttons for most used features. The new Jackie Brown Medical Website is user friendly on the outside and very smart on the inside.

Online Marketing relies heavily on having a good website to back up all your other activities.  There is no point in directing traffic to a site that people then leave quickly.

Recruitment is a highly competitive marketing vertical.  It is also a market that exists nearly entirely online now.  The website for Jackie Brown Medical has been launched just in time for the National Recruitment Federation, Recruitment Industry Awards.  We are confident that the new website will do well for Jackie Brown Medical in these awards.  In fact the previous website (also designed by webshed) was shortlisted for “best online services” twice before.

Website Design Features

  • Database Driven Jobs pages including search features and job tagging. The website can accept jobs being posted from external sites or from Jackie Brown Medical itself. The website can also post to external sites.
  • Online Application Forms
  • CV upload feature, allowing job seekers to upload their CV to Jackie Brown Medical.
  • Advice Centre. Offering advice on CV tips, CV layout, Interview Tips and a Guide to Using Recruitment Agencies
  • Integrated Blog.  The blog is themed to look exactly like the rest of the website.  The blog is a hugely important feature in terms of driving traffic to the site.
  • Testimonials database.  Customers can view or add their own testimonials. Like any business, testimonials are very important to recruitment agencies.
  • Social Media Integration. Custom designed buttons to connect to Facebook, Twitter and Linkedin Pages.  Facebook and Twitter Share/Send/Tweet buttons on individual jobs.
  • Feedback Forms.  Forms to allow feedback on some site features.  Communication is vital in order to improve a website further.
  • Animation. Animated buttons features and slideshows help to make the site more interactive and a better user experience.
  • Web Standards Compliance.  All our coding is W3C compliant.
  • Search Engine Optimisation.  A great deal of care has gone into making the website as SEO friendly as it is User friendly (terms that are becoming more and more linked).

The website was launched yesterday and we are already seeing positive changes in traffic patterns. Search Engine Optimisation, a good layout and an Online Marketing approach have made the Jackie Brown Medical site one of the best Recruitment Agency sites in the country and without a doubt the very best in the Medical Jobs sector.

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Blueface Join Arthurs Day

September 21st, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Blueface are an Irish Voice Over Internet Provider (VOIP) phone service provider.  Arthurs day (22nd September) has been a hugely successful marketing idea by Guinness.  The idea is that at 17.59 (or one minute to six pm) everybody raises a glass of Guinness to Arthur Guinness.  It originally started a few years ago to mark their 250th birthday.

Blueface Arthurs Day Guinness Advert

A blue Head on the Black Stuff

What is the connection between Guinness and Blueface?

Ah, surely it’s obvious.  Guinness must use Blueface for thier phones.  If they do they certainly aren’t listed in the blueface phonebook.  If Guinness are not using Blueface as a telecoms supplier they certainly should be in my opinion.  They would save themselves a fortune on telephone costs using VOIP (voice over internet provider) instead of POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).

No, it appears that the link between Blueface and Guinness is that the staff in Blueface like the odd pint of Guinness and think that Arthurs day is a great idea.

Edit: It appears that I missed a link!  Earl of Iveagh, Edward Guinness invested in Blueface in May through VentureWave and is a director of Blueface.  He is also a direct descendant of Arthur Guinness himself!

Blueface make a blue pint of Guinness

Blueface have added a blue head to a pint of Guinness and put their smiley logo onto it. One might imagine that Guinness may not be over the moon with this hijacking of Arthurs day by blueface.
This is actually a very clever online marketing move by blueface. They sent out their offer of an extra 17.59% credit by email. As such it may never come to light over at James gate and the Guinness marketing department.
Even if Guinness do get wind of it, making a fuss about it would do them more damage than good. Blueface are after all propagating Guinness’s own marketing campaign and truly buying into the idea of Guinness being an Irish drink… Even if this is scarcely the case anymore.
I for one will be availing of the free credit, and I may even raise a glass to Arthur too (despite not being invited this year).

Why Guinness should not object to blueface jumping on the back of their marketing.

I have already mentioned that the blueface campaign actually promotes the Guinness campaign. As such, any backlash would come across as being petty and because of social media in particular could potentially start an avalanch of online bad feeling towards Guinness at exactly the time when they are trying to achieve the opposite. The internet loves a David and Goliath story. While blueface are the largest VOIP company in Ireland, they are still very definitely in the “David” category when compared to the might of Guinness and the Diageo group.

What is voice over Internet anyway?

VoIP is technology that allows you to make phone calls over the Internet. The benefits include cheaper calls and WAY more flexibility with your phone service. Need a phone number that can ring in two different physical locations? You can do that and much more with voice over Internet. I will write more about it in my next post.

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Google launches Google Wallet – Pay with your mobile phone

September 20th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer
Google Wallet

Google Wallet - The future of retail payments?

Today Google launched Google Wallet, a neat innovation that allows you store your credit card details on your phone and use it to pay in shops.  Today saw the start of what is likely to be a big and prolonged online marketing campaign by Google as they roll Google Wallet out.

Google Wallet Security.

Just how comfortable people will be with storing their cards in their mobile phone remains to be seen.  Google point out that unlike a card in your wallet, your cards in your phone will be protected by a pin number.  They say that this makes it more secure than carrying your card.  However, people are more likely to leave their phones sitting on a table while they eat or drink than a credit card and smart phone thefts are constantly rising.

Where can I get Google Wallet?

It will be a while before we see Google Wallet rolled out in Ireland in any case.  Visa and Amex have yet to be integrated and at present the system is only available in the US.  In face, the system is only available on the Nexus S android phone at the moment.  This begs the question, will apple allow the system to be integrated into the iphone.

We have already seen Apple fail to reach agreement with Google about Google Maps navigation, leaving iphone users a much pared back version of free satnav than android users.  Apple have also not added support for flash for some reason.  The end result is a growing wave of people thinking that Apple should get off their high horse before they leave themselves sitting in the wake of android wondering what happened.

Personally I think Google Wallet is a great idea.  I am one of the few that manage to lose cards with much greater frequency than my phone.  The ability to have my payment method with me anywhere I have my phone would be an absolute bonus.  No more getting to the till and realising that I left my card in my other trousers.  Lets face it, how many of us EVER leave the house without our phones?

How does Google Wallet work?

Google Wallet works by tapping your phone on a reader at the paypoint (yes hardware needed by retailers).  The technology is called Near Field Communication (or NFC).

Extra benefits of Google Wallet for users and retailers.

Google wallet has one more huge benefit that will make many users very happy.  It can also be used as a loyalty card system, negating the need for a wallet full of Coffe chain loyalty cards and swipes.  All you will need is your phone in any place that offers the payment system.  Fabulous!  I know I have a drawer full of partly used loyalty cards with stamps on them, many of them from the same places.  For the retailer it makes customer loyalty easier and makes keeping tabs on it easier too.  It is an all round, win win.

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Wedding Florist Site Launch

September 17th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Webshed has just launched a site for the Wedding Florist, Fussy Peacock. The site is based on Wordpress since it is an excellent Content Management System (CMS). The theme is customised and based on artwork designed for Fussy Peacock by Julie at inkedup.ie.

Website snapshot of fussy peacock

Melanie at Fussy Peacock is a really talented florist.  Her work is unique and we needed to create something that showed off her work.  For that reason we decided to include a slideshow as part of the main banner of the site.  We also included a gallery page.

Online marketing is massively important in a business like floristry (or indeed just about any other business).  Fussy Peacock creates some of the very best wedding flowers in the country, but they need to be seen by brides.  Part of the package for Fussy Peacock has been to work out an online strategy and implement it.  This had to include short term and long-term goals.  It takes some time to establish a website, but that need not slow down online presence building.

Social Media was an important consideration.  Websites should encourage interaction.  Fussy Peacock is integrated with Facebook and Twitter.  We have automated posting to these from the sites blog.  This means that information written once can reach a wider audience and that it is not always necessary to update three different sites manually.  For a busy business it is important to have a social media presence which allows interaction with your customers.  It is equally important that your social media efforts do not take up so much time that they impact on the daily running of your business.

Why we used wordpress for Fussy Peacock

The beauty of wordpress is that it is a fairly straightforward system that allows clients update and edit their own websites.  This makes maintenance far less expensive than having to pay for small text changes.

Clients with wordpress sites can add in new pages themselves, upload pictures and videos, blog and alter existing content.

Of course, there is an art to writing web content, and understanding these principles is a requirement for getting your site to show up in Google.  This is why Webshed includes content writing as part of the website package.  After all, getting a website with no training would be a bit like getting a car with no idea how to drive it.  It may look good in the driveway, but more people will admire it when it’s out on the road!

Fussy Peacock

We wish Fussy Peacock all the success in the world.  I have been genuinely impressed by the quality of Melanies’ work and working with her is an absolute pleasure.  Webshed will be adding to the Fussy Peacock website in the coming months.  In fact, there is going to be no other wedding flower site in the country like it.  .  .  .  as is only fitting for such unique floristry.

Fussy Peacock are based in Wicklow and if you are planning on getting married, Webshed is exceptionally happy to recommend them for your wedding flowers.  If you live outside Wicklow, you should still get in contact.

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Domain renewal scam warning

June 2nd, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

I got a new scam email this morning.  It says that one of my domains is set to expire and offers domain renewal for just $75 USD for the year.  The thing is that the domain in question has only just been renewed last month and for a lot less than $75.

Here is the email in its entirety (links removed):

Priority Notice of Expiration

Domain: RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM (<- – payment link removed here)

Bill To: WEBSHED Invoice # 1307005999
159 Charlesland Court Invoice Date Jun 2, 2011
Co, Wicklow Terms Net 14
00000 – US Due Date Jun 17, 2011
+353.16854806 P.O. #
ONLINE PAYMENT 128BIT SECURE (<- – payment link removed here)
Domain Name Registration Price Term
RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM (<- – Payment link removed here) Jun 2, 2011 – Jun 2, 2012 $75.00 1 Year

To: WEBSHED

This solicitation is to inform you that it’s time to send in your registration for RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM. DRS is a search engine ranking and submission service organization.

Failure to complete this order by Jun 17, 2011 may result in the cancellation of this offer (making it difficult for your customers to locate you using search engines on the web).

RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM registration will include search engine submission for 1 year. You are under no obligation to pay the amount stated above unless you accept this offer by Jun 17, 2011. This notice is not an invoice. It is a courtesy reminder to register RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM for search engine listing so that your customers can locate you on the web.

Act Soon! This Offer for RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM will expire on Jun 17, 2011. Act today!

For Domain Name:

RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.COM

ONLINE PAYMENT 128BIT SECURE  (<- – payment link removed here)
S39K5GZVJ7RF

This is a scam email!

This is a scam email.  At worst they will just take your money.  At best they will take over your domain registration at an inflated price.  When you follow the links through there are options to pay even more money (offering longer renewal terms).

The email was sent from :

Attention Domain Registration Ending <kelleyhan@wifun.com>

The subject was:

RE: RECRUITMENTAGENCIESIRELAND.com Expiration Notice

If you should receive such an email then you should trash it immediately.  It was a worrying email because it looked authentic enough and I can see lots of people falling prey to this.  This sort of scam is not new, but it is the best presented one I have seen other than the ones that arrive by post.

Keep your domains safe

In order to keep your domains safe and where you intend them to be it is a good idea to never respond to any emails other than those sent by your current hosts.  In this case the domain is hosted on Blacknight and I bought it through them too.  Therefore anybody else asking for a renewal is without any doubt a scamming impostor.

Domain renewal is hugely important.  If you fail to renew your domain you can lose it to somebody else.  Nobody actually owns a domain, you merely rent it and have first option on renting it again at the end of the term (usually once a year although you can purchase longer terms).

If you are ever unsure about an email like this do nothing.  Contact the company where you host your website and ask them about it.

Other current scams

There are lots of scams out there currently.  I have heard of a few people falling prey to a caller claiming to be from Microsoft and saying there is a problem with your computer (windows to be specific).  They ask for remote access to fix it.  They may ask for payment for a new antivirus product and will install malware through the remote access link.  Never give remote access to anybody you do not know!

These calls seem to originate from India in all cases.

I got one of these calls myself a while back and let them talk for a while before letting them know that I use a Mac and don’t have windows.  Another great response is to ask for their certified Microsoft engineer number (non existant).  They usually hang up at that point.

As with emails supposedly coming from banks and all the other scams there are, the best bet is to bin them straight away.  Never do what I did and follow the links in them.  Lastly make sure your antivirus software is up to date.

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New Twitter Follow Button

May 31st, 2011 by The Online Marketeer

Today Twitter launched a new “Follow Button”.  The idea is that it allows people to follow you with just one click.  You can add it to your website where it will look just like this:

There is no way to change the styling yet, but that is sure to come soon enough.

The advantages of the Twitter Follow Button
The main advantage is that visitors to your website can now follow you with just one click of the button. Until now twitter buttons only brought you to the profile of the twitter user where you could decide to follow them or not.

The new button should theoretically increase the number of people that follow you simply by eliminating a stage in the follow process.

The follow button launched today on high profile sites like those of Jenifer Lopez, Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. (they didn’t seem to mention this post on my site for some reason).

You will notice that I have not rushed to change my old twitter button at the top of the site to the new Follow button. I will probably do it, but I want control over how it looks first.

Roll up, Roll up, Get your button here.

Google Rolls out +1 button at the same time.

Interestingly Google has launched its new inovation the +1 button today too.  Unfortunately it is not available in Ireland yet but you can be sure it will be.  The +1 button allows you to show you like content and share that through your Google account, so in many ways it is a bit like Stumbleupon, but with Google behind it.  Read more about it here.  From an SEO perspective this is interesting because Google has been saying that social media will be the place of most innovation when it comes to search algorithm changes.

We have already had the very public slating of Google by facebook over privacy issues to do with social search.  It will be interesting to see what happens next.

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Free Websites for Irish Business!

May 30th, 2011 by The Online Marketeer
Getting Irish Business online logo

Getting Irish business online

The initiative named “Getting Irish Business Online”  (GIBO) is underway.  Essentially what is on offer is a FREE website if you are a registered Irish Business.

What you get for Free

  1. A free domain name (http://www.webshed.ie for example).  This includes .ie, .com and .eu
  2. Free hosting.  You have to have your website on a server and Blacknight are providing this!
  3. An easy to use website builder
  4. A choice of 17 different themes
  5. Upgrades like a free picture gallery or adding Twitter/ blog feeds (FREE too!)
  6. €100 of Google adwords advertising
Templates for Getting Irish Business Online Websites

The 17 templates available to build your website. Click for larger view

Why are Webshed advertising this? Don’t you sell websites?

Absolutely.  Websites are at the core of what Webshed does.  What Webshed offers is significantly different though.  In a previous post on website pricing I had a little rant about people offering much the same thing as the Getting Irish Business Online initiative but charging handsomely for it.

For that reason I absolutely welcome this initiative.  It gets Irish business’s online that may not have otherwise invested in any web presence at all.  Some if not all of the county enterprise boards will be offering training and there will be support emails sent (if you opt in).

What you don’t get with this package.

It is hard for me to write about what you don’t get with the Getting Irish Business Online package without sounding picky. This is not my intention.  I think it is a great idea for the people it is aimed at.

  1. E-commerce possibilities (This is not shop software)
  2. Website Design unique to your business and taking into consideration your company colour branding (unless by happy coincidence)
  3. An online marketing strategy
  4. Advice on how to optimise your site for both visitors and search engines (heuristics and SEO)

Who should take up the offer of a free website?

The short answer is “everybody”.   There are of course limitations to the software, but considering that it is costing nothing and you will have a functioning website, it is great.  Will the website look really professional?  That is up to you and your abilities within the framework.  Will the website get you more business?  That depends on how you promote it.  It is a starting point and it is free.  If you have been scared of setting up a website in the past because of cost or lack of IT knowledge, now is the time to jump on board.  The following is my advice for companies setting up a free website…..

Advice on Setting up a free website

  1. Choosing your domain name: Your domain name has to match your company name or your site will be removed. This means that unless keywords that you want to be found for exist in your company name, you will have a harder time ranking for those keywords. If this is the case for your business you can set up a free external blog (follow the instructions on the main page).  As an example, if your company name was Maggen Ltd and your business was furniture sales, then you could try getting the domain name as www.maggenfurniture.ie.  If that got deleted you could just have www.maggen.ie and set up furniture.columnists.ie using the free blog link above.  You could then use the blog to link to your main site using relevant keywords.  It is not ideal, but it keeps everything free.
  2. Writing your content: You MUST have relevant keywords in your text.  It is incredible how many sites there are that do not have words they would like to show up in Google for contained in their website text.  The content must also read well to human visitors.  After all, they are your customers.
  3. Pictures: Use sites like istockphoto or shutterstock to get good quality pictures.  Neither of these services are free, but they are less expensive than hiring a photographer by a long shot!  Pictures are really important for keeping visitors engaged with your website.
  4. Google Adwords: Your €100 of free adwords advertising is not going to last long.  You will need a long term plan of action for keeping up visitor traffic.  Ideally you do not want to be completely reliant on adwords or other online advertising for your traffic stream.  By coming up high in Organic search results (the normal google search results) you will be getting more natural traffic.  When you are ranked highly for your keywords your traffic is free, however, getting to rank highly will cost in terms of learning how to do it.  This process is known as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).  It is a long term strategy and will reduce costs in the long run.
  5. Use current resources: Add your website to your email signatures, your business cards and other stationery.  Put it on Linkedin if you have an account and any other professional online presence you may already have.  If you have listed your website in directories in the past update them with your new website.
  6. Most importantly: Have a plan.  Set goals for your website.  You would not be in business if you had not set yourself goals.  The same applies to your website.  What do you want your website to do for you?  How is it useful to your business and to your customers?

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