A survey by an online marketing company has discovered that too many small businesses are failing to keep their websites up to date, although they all say they want to stay at the top of the Google search ratings.

The poll of 300 small companies by Infoserve found far too much complacency among respondents. For instance, although 80 per cent agreed that it was important to stay on the first page of Google search results, over a third of websites operated by small businesses “rarely or never” updated the content.

Over 25 per cent of small businesses had no idea of what their rivals’ websites looked like – and 15 per cent were even prepared to admit that their competitors had better sites than their own.

Infoserve chief executive Steve Barnes stressed that regularly updated web copy was essential for any businesses wishing to achieve and maintain high rankings among search engines.

“It appears that a large number of small firms believe that once they have created a website the job is done, but nothing could be further from the truth,” Mr Barnes added.

“Having fresh, tailored and relevant content plays a key role in determining search engine results.”

SEO analyst Lucy Whittington warned that small businesses risked near-invisibility online if they failed to update their websites regularly.

“Think of the Internet like a big pile of grain ― new information is being added all the time and if you don’t keep up to date, you’ll slowly disappear from view,” she said.

Ms Whittington suggested that small businesses could maintain a “news section” on their sites to ensure that new copy was regularly uploaded.

An online marketing expert has urged professionals in the sector to be prepared for a change in the marketplace, due to the increasing use of real-time searches.

Symetri Internet Marketing chief executive Ron Jones said that everyone involved in online marketing will need to update their SEO strategies in order to be ready for real-time search.

In a post on the ClickZ blog, he pointed out that all the main search engines now include real-time search results from micro-blogging phenomenon Twitter, and this development should be exploited by canny SEO marketers.

Mr Jones said to “make sure you have content that supports real-time SEO,” urging online marketing firms to look out for trends on Twitter that were germane to their own business strategies, as well as taking instant measures, such as adding their keywords to Twitter messages and optimising the use of hashtags.

“Coordinate all of your content for your web pages, blogs, press releases, tweets and fan pages to work together,” he recommended in the post.

For its part, search engine giant Google has recently launched a number of new tools to assist Twitter users in their searches – with innovations such as a special app to help account-holders find new Twitterers to follow plus a way of searching the entire tweet archive on Twitter.

Twitter is fast becoming a major platform for online marketing. In a recent poll of firms that use it, over a quarter of them said that they would consider paying for extra “business functionality” on the micro-blogging site.

When you spend 12 hours a day online in front of a computer screen you certainly learn a lot about ways of promoting localised companies. In the vast majority of cases the tools available for localised companies such as your self employed carpenter, plumber or gas fitters as free of charge. The numbers of companies we meet in this position has lead me to write this latest blog it saves me going through the same list of free sources plus it enables viewers of the blog online to pass on the information to people they know that are perhaps self employed.

Ok the First stop for any company is Google Maps. Google offer a free business listing for all companies all you need is a Postcode and your away. One of the most common mistakes people do make is not considering what people will type in the search engine to find the product or service your company provides so take some time considering this prior to rushing in and making any mistakes.

Google maps listings are simple to complete here are my most important four points to consider -

• Title your listing properly according to your name and product/ Service you provide
• Add the relevant categories
• Additional Services add as many different services so for a carpenter – Doors – Yes   Windows – Yes  Guttering   – Yes add as many different services as possible
• Use the telephone authorisation method and not the Postcard method you will be waiting for 2 to 3 weeks and in that time you could have already had a visit or enquiry from the maps listing.

Look out for free submissions on sites such as Yell, Touch Local, Thomson Local, About us.org there are hundreds of different directories that offer this service. If you are a complete novice online and would like us take care of this for you simply give us a call using the free phone number above.

Over the years I have spoken to thousands of companies looking at improving the fortunes of there companies online through either SEO or CPC work. You will always get two points of view someone that has fallen out with CPC and is looking to move into SEO as they are of the belief it is “cheaper” or potentially there current CPC campaign isnt performing and generating them with a good return in investment anymore.

What I want you to consider and bear in mind with any CPC or SEO work when all is said and done even with SEO work for instance this could be classified and worked out for its value from a CPC Cost per click point of view.

Lets say for instance you invested £5000 into a SEO company to work on optimising your company in the natural listings. Lets compare that with the cost per click on google for your chosen keyword for this argument lets say the cost per click runs to an average of £0.50. Lets divide that £0.50p into the £5000 budget invested with the SEO company. This equates to 10,000 clicks on your website now if your seo company is confident in generating this number of clicks then great but no one can 100% hand on hart guarantee this and SEO is no exact science when it comes to the delivery of a specific number of visits.

It is possible to be listed on the first page naturally in the lower positions and receive a very low number of visits thats a fact. I want to use 365trampolines.co.uk as an example this site has been optimised to generae traffic under the keyword of trampolines but in off peak times during the winter a first page listing generated on average only 20 – 50 visits. Now in the spring and summer months it is generating 400 plus visits per day so this is an example of SEO working well.

But if on the other hand I had paid a massive £12,000 in order to gain this first place listing which is what I was quoted by a major UK seo company prior to my seo work this would have taken a massive volume of visits to get back my return. Trampolines on a cost per click on the first page of google can be generated by bidding a maximum of £0.40p so lets divide this into the £12,000 it totals 30,000 clicks !

So adwords could deliver 30,000 clicks from £12,000

The same SEO work with a first page listing in peak season so April to September is generating 400 visits a day. So within 75 days the SEO will start to take over its CPC counterpart and make its money back on the CPC alternative.

What I want to say to everyone is consider both points of view ok people will always back SEO over CPC and some will always back CPC over SEO but please consider both there are so many variables to consider.

1. The cost of the SEO work

2. The cost of the CPC bids within your industry

3. Do you offer a product or service – If you sold plants for instance for £3.99 each CPC might be difficult to find a good return on investment but lets say you provide a plastic moulding service and require just one job per year to pay for the cost of your advertising then CPC could very well work well for you long term.

Also consider online searches and visitors of google there will always be a percentage of people that will click on sponsored results as opposed to natural results and visaversa. What we say is you will always need to cover both bases.

Apply these thoughts and arguments to your own business and industry before making any decisions.

Online Media Direct were please to help an innovative new site the Blue Ribbon Network website that offers a wide range of ground transportation services across the Uk. It is one of the UK’s only price comparison websites in this industry. The innovative design and feel allows prospective new customers the ability to sign up through the website and receive there desired information.    

The Blue Ribbon Services Include -

• Chauffeur Hire
• Limousine Hire  
• Coach Hire    
• Wedding Hire    
• Coach Hire UK    
• Coach Hire London   
• Coach Tours London

Improving the performance of Google Adwords

These are just a few of the different transportation options at a wide range of different events. The company already provide coach hire services to local football teams including Barrow football club. Our task was to improve the existing fortunes of the Google AdWords campaign which was already setup and running.

One of the common problems we find when taking over any adwords account is the amount of keywords being served from one single adgroup this was one of the first changes made. We have been able to increase the quality score and click through ratios on a large number of keywords. What this means in real terms to the customers is by having the more relevant ads that generate better Click through ratios you receive a reduction in cost over position on google.

So the more relevant your ads is to the keyword the better the performance. Adwords cpc loves relevant information irrelevant information in frowned upon by google as it effects the quality of there product.

As Blue ribbon also has its very own log in system we have been able to integrate the all important conversion tracking which will enable us to further fine tune the campaign and reduce those all important wasted clicks. If your company are looking for any further help with travel arrangements this year we would fully recommend the Blue Ribbon network experience a very hard working dedicated team who offer a excellent money saving service.

Well there off over the next 4 weeks we will be inundated via the television, newspapers on the election from each different political party. Equal billing is given to prevent bias towards a particular party on television but media that is very much in its infancy in the form of social media networking sites such as facebook and twitter has no bias controls.  We will be following it closely of course and keeping an eye on any trends but already we have seen the conservative poster being adapted to suit particular comedy slogans.

The power social networking sites have over some of the other forms of media is astonishing. The ability to target via advertising on these sites to a particular age range or gender for instance is so precise. The campaigns messages can be finely tuned in order to appeal to this particular partys political message. Lets take this as an example a political party had a policy that provided an increase in national pensions a campaign could be set to target this particular age range. The potential is massive and the variables are also long and wide.

Will political parties take advantage of this medium I should hope so if not they really will be losing out. Not only does it provide a up to date image for the party concerned but it helps the message reach people on a daily basis and parties will reach people they might otherwise never be able to communicate with.This election has already been mentioned as having the potential to provide a hung parliament . Do I feel the use of the Internet to market a political party could make the difference between a labour or conservatory victory,  Yes I do. OK you may think coming from a company that provides Internet marketing services that is a hollow message.

You only need to look at the way Barack Obama used his website and email marketing to reach people on a regular basis.

The email inbox, twitter pages and Facebook profiles are the new battle buses in 2010 and the party not taking full advantage of this medium will probably lose the election in our humble opinion.

Google have launched there new add on to Google maps you can now view street level in 3D. Warning 3D glasses are required and unless you still have a pair from the 3d cartoon annual your received in 1988 (aged 5) you will be like the majority requiring a new pair. I have not yet tested the street view in 3D but you can clearly see without glasses there is a definate 3D view created when you click on the icon that represents the 3D view. One can only presume that at the time of photography the camera used for google maps street view took a 3D image. I am no expert when it comes to what is required to create the 3D image but from what I seem to remember it has something to do with the green and red colours and two images being taken.

Please note rumours online are that this could have been a April fools joke with the timing of the launch but the feature still remains and I cannot see this being a prank.

 Before the Change the icon displays a grumpy chap with blue and red glasses above his head,

 After the change the glasses are added leaving a happy yellow chappy,

It seems 3D technology is here to stay this time.

If Google have added this 3D with prior planning then this is a very clever move 3D is the next HD if you catch my drift. Sky sports are already screening a number of Premier League football games at selected Pubs across the UK in 3D it is surley only a matter of time before high street TV shops and mainstream brands together with sky cash in on this new technology. I say new technology but 3D was for me something of the 1970 and 80s that never really took off. Flimsy glasses made of card were used but technology has progressed real life live events in 3D is a totally different kettle of fish indeed.

So visit google maps order some 3D glasses and away you go take a look at some famous landmarks if its that good perhaps some people will stop travelling and remain rooted in front of there laptop screen permenantly .

That was a joke by way.