Sadly you don't have the opportunity to meet every prosective customer - it would be great if you could - but your website does!
Your website is the first impression people have of you and your business, not the great furniture you have in reception, or your firm handshake, or your passion for great customer service.
How your website looks reflects your attention to detail and your attitude to business.
How fresh it is and how quickly it gets updated reflects your agility and responsiveness to customers.
How relevant it is shows how you may understand your customers, clients or prospects.
A website communicates an essence of what a business is all about - make sure your website is communicating the right message.
If you would like to chat about your website, give us a call.
Telephone: 01625 821072 Mobile: 07784 128016
Email: michelle@yourwebstar.co.uk
Tuesday, 27 October 2009
Monday, 26 October 2009
Your Website - It's about first impressions
Why is a website so important to a business?
People do judge books by their covers - and websites too.
"Web users form first impressions of web pages in as little as 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second), according to research. In the blink of an eye, web surfers make nearly instantaneous judgments of a website's appeal."
Users who arrive at your website may have no idea who you are, how good your products or services are or what your company values are - but the first few seconds on your website will influence that.
Make sure they get the right impression on their first visit. Is the quality of your website consistent with the quality of your product, service and people.
If you need some advice on your website's first impression give us a call.
Telephone: 01625 821072 Mobile: 07784 128016
Email: michelle@yourwebstar.co.uk
Source: websiteoptimization.com
People do judge books by their covers - and websites too.
"Web users form first impressions of web pages in as little as 50 milliseconds (1/20th of a second), according to research. In the blink of an eye, web surfers make nearly instantaneous judgments of a website's appeal."
Users who arrive at your website may have no idea who you are, how good your products or services are or what your company values are - but the first few seconds on your website will influence that.
Make sure they get the right impression on their first visit. Is the quality of your website consistent with the quality of your product, service and people.
If you need some advice on your website's first impression give us a call.
Telephone: 01625 821072 Mobile: 07784 128016
Email: michelle@yourwebstar.co.uk
Source: websiteoptimization.com
Friday, 23 October 2009
Permissions required for Email Marketing
Email marketing is fast becoming the way that companies contact their clients, customers and subscribers to let them know what's happening. It's cheap, quick and funky to use this type of communication, but what permissions do you need to keep within the law?
First of all, let’s clarify what spam is, and then what kind of permission you will need to use email marketing safely. What is spam? and how do you avoid it?
Spam is any email you send to someone who hasn’t given you their direct permission to contact them on the topic of the email.
Permission is a fuzzy word open to interpretation. Let’s get into some specific scenarios so it’s clear what does and doesn’t constitute permission.
You can only email subscribers if you obtained their permission in any of the following ways.
They gave you their business card.
If someone gives you their business card and you have explicitly asked for permission to add them to your list, you can contact them. If they dropped their business card in a fishbowl at a trade show, there must be a sign indicating they will be contacted by email about the specific topic.
They purchased something off you in the last 2 years.
By making a purchase from you they have provided their permission implicitly. Feel free to email them but at the same time, we think it’s always better to ask anyway, so why not include an opt-in checkbox as part of the checkout process.
Scenarios that DON’T equate to permission.
Basically, anything outside the examples above doesn’t equal permission, but here are some examples to make sure it’s crystal clear.
You obtained the email addresses from a third party.
Whether you purchased a list, were provided one by a partner or bought a bankrupt competitor’s customer list, those people never gave YOU permission to email them and they will consider your email spam. No matter the claims of the source of this list, you cannot email them legitimately.
You haven’t emailed that address for more than 2 years.
Permission doesn’t age well. Even if you got their permission legitimately, they won’t remember giving it to you. If you haven’t sent something to that address in the last 2 years, you can’t start now.
First of all, let’s clarify what spam is, and then what kind of permission you will need to use email marketing safely. What is spam? and how do you avoid it?
Spam is any email you send to someone who hasn’t given you their direct permission to contact them on the topic of the email.
Permission is a fuzzy word open to interpretation. Let’s get into some specific scenarios so it’s clear what does and doesn’t constitute permission.
The type of permission you MUST have:
You can only email subscribers if you obtained their permission in any of the following ways.
They opted in via your web site.
This could either be through a newsletter subscribe form or by ticking a checkbox on another form. This checkbox cannot be checked by default and it must clearly explain that checking it will mean you will be contacting them by email.
This could either be through a newsletter subscribe form or by ticking a checkbox on another form. This checkbox cannot be checked by default and it must clearly explain that checking it will mean you will be contacting them by email.
They completed an offline form and indicated they wanted to be emailed.
If someone completes an offline form like a survey or enters a competition, you can only contact them if it was explained to them that they would be contacted by email AND they ticked a box indicating they would like to be contacted.
If someone completes an offline form like a survey or enters a competition, you can only contact them if it was explained to them that they would be contacted by email AND they ticked a box indicating they would like to be contacted.
They gave you their business card.
If someone gives you their business card and you have explicitly asked for permission to add them to your list, you can contact them. If they dropped their business card in a fishbowl at a trade show, there must be a sign indicating they will be contacted by email about the specific topic.
They purchased something off you in the last 2 years.
By making a purchase from you they have provided their permission implicitly. Feel free to email them but at the same time, we think it’s always better to ask anyway, so why not include an opt-in checkbox as part of the checkout process.
Scenarios that DON’T equate to permission.
Basically, anything outside the examples above doesn’t equal permission, but here are some examples to make sure it’s crystal clear.
You obtained the email addresses from a third party.
Whether you purchased a list, were provided one by a partner or bought a bankrupt competitor’s customer list, those people never gave YOU permission to email them and they will consider your email spam. No matter the claims of the source of this list, you cannot email them legitimately.
You scraped or “copy and pasted” the addresses from the Internet.
Just because people publish their email address doesn’t mean they want to hear from you.
Just because people publish their email address doesn’t mean they want to hear from you.
You haven’t emailed that address for more than 2 years.
Permission doesn’t age well. Even if you got their permission legitimately, they won’t remember giving it to you. If you haven’t sent something to that address in the last 2 years, you can’t start now.
If you need any advice don't hesitate to contact us.
Telephone: 01625 821072
Monday, 14 September 2009
Happy Mondays Networking Group
Happy Mondays have now launched their new website. A networking group for Mums who have returned to work they are proving a valuable support to Mums with new businesses or who want to start a business.
If you want some support and a chance to meet other Mums in the same boat come along on a Monday morning they alternate between Caffe Latte in Handforth and Fina Bar & Grill in Macclesfield http://www.happymondaysnetworking.co.uk
We loved designing this website and working with Sue & Helen and if you need any advice for your website give us a ring.
We make websites better. It's what we do.
Telephone: 01625 821072 Mobile: 07784 128016
Email: michelle@yourwebstar.co.uk
SEO Myths
Confused about SEO? You're not alone. We uncover the truth behind the most common myths.
Talking recently to business owners about search engine optimization, one fact became apparent almost immediately: There is a ton of misinformation out there when it comes to SEO.
We’ve looked at some of the more common myths about SEO Here's what we found.
Myth #1: SEO is a secret
Reality: I'd say the most common myth is that SEO is a deep, dark secret which only a few people actually know about. In reality, there are a lot of simple but effective techniques that you can do to increase your traffic.
A good place to start the process is to look at your analytics or web stats. There are a variety of tools, including some from Google, that spotlight if you have problems being accessed by search engines. These tools are free and can be added onto any website.
Many people either don’t have the time to look at their analytics or simply don’t understand the reports, if you need help to work them out give me a ring - Tel: 01625 821072
I won't charge you to have a chat and will look over your reports and give you an honest opinion about what they are showing.
Myth #2: SEO means optimizing only for Google
Reality: True, Google is the dominant search engine in many parts of the world, accounting for 60 to 90 percent of all search traffic; but if you think all search engine optimization is for Google, you have missed the online marketing boat, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
So, what's the best SEO strategy? While being aware of technological pitfalls and linking advantages is important, stop optimizing for Google and start optimizing for your intended audience. Building search-friendly sites in a content-friendly environment is the best way to win.
Myth #3: Submitting your site to thousands of directories helps
Reality: Web directory submissions do help. However, it's better to cherry pick a handful of the most reputable/authoritative and relevant web directories instead of taking the easy way and shooting yourself in the foot by using an automated process to submit your site to thousands of directories.
Myth #4: SEO is free
Reality: SEO is never, ever free! Most SEO will inevitably result in website updates which will cost money because it’s useless paying for SEO if when your user gets there you have not delivered what you promised. DIY SEO can be even more costly than employing a professional to do it for you.
Myth #5: Keywords need to appear everywhere
Reality: A popular myth (brought on by people reading old SEO information that is not relevant to the current marketplace and optimization software that was programmed many years ago) is that you should put your keywords everywhere to rank as best you can.
The truth is that search engine algorithms favour more natural writing that includes a more diverse and realistic set of text with more variation in it. Some common variation strategies include using both the plural and singular versions of a keyword, changing the order of words in a phrase and adding relevant modifiers to page titles and headings.
Myth #6: PageRank is the critical measure of a site's success
Reality: PageRank was a rather defining aspect of early Google search. This means that sites who focus primarily on PageRank today are missing the bigger picture and overlooking aspects of their website that they have more control over.
PageRank is focused on the issue of a page's importance, whereas a larger component in determining search results is relevance. A key point here is to aim to deliver results that are relevant to the query typed into the search box, the area where the person is searching from and making sure that your site is targeted to your users.
The real answer to “what makes a site successful?” is original and compelling content that gives consistent happy users: people who bookmark and share your site and understand and respect your brand and who can confidently and seamlessly make that purchase.
Myth #7: Inserting keywords in the keyword meta tag will help list your site for that keyword
Reality: Most major search engines do not use the meta keywords tag as a ranking factor and those that do, if the keyword is not also in the copy of the same page, it’s considered a factor which could lower your rankings, not raise it. At best the keyword tag is used by directories or social bookmarking sites when submitting your site. The only really important meta tag is the description as it is displayed in the search results by Google.
Talking recently to business owners about search engine optimization, one fact became apparent almost immediately: There is a ton of misinformation out there when it comes to SEO.
We’ve looked at some of the more common myths about SEO Here's what we found.
Myth #1: SEO is a secret
Reality: I'd say the most common myth is that SEO is a deep, dark secret which only a few people actually know about. In reality, there are a lot of simple but effective techniques that you can do to increase your traffic.
A good place to start the process is to look at your analytics or web stats. There are a variety of tools, including some from Google, that spotlight if you have problems being accessed by search engines. These tools are free and can be added onto any website.
Many people either don’t have the time to look at their analytics or simply don’t understand the reports, if you need help to work them out give me a ring - Tel: 01625 821072
I won't charge you to have a chat and will look over your reports and give you an honest opinion about what they are showing.
Myth #2: SEO means optimizing only for Google
Reality: True, Google is the dominant search engine in many parts of the world, accounting for 60 to 90 percent of all search traffic; but if you think all search engine optimization is for Google, you have missed the online marketing boat, do not pass go and do not collect £200.
So, what's the best SEO strategy? While being aware of technological pitfalls and linking advantages is important, stop optimizing for Google and start optimizing for your intended audience. Building search-friendly sites in a content-friendly environment is the best way to win.
Myth #3: Submitting your site to thousands of directories helps
Reality: Web directory submissions do help. However, it's better to cherry pick a handful of the most reputable/authoritative and relevant web directories instead of taking the easy way and shooting yourself in the foot by using an automated process to submit your site to thousands of directories.
Myth #4: SEO is free
Reality: SEO is never, ever free! Most SEO will inevitably result in website updates which will cost money because it’s useless paying for SEO if when your user gets there you have not delivered what you promised. DIY SEO can be even more costly than employing a professional to do it for you.
Myth #5: Keywords need to appear everywhere
Reality: A popular myth (brought on by people reading old SEO information that is not relevant to the current marketplace and optimization software that was programmed many years ago) is that you should put your keywords everywhere to rank as best you can.
The truth is that search engine algorithms favour more natural writing that includes a more diverse and realistic set of text with more variation in it. Some common variation strategies include using both the plural and singular versions of a keyword, changing the order of words in a phrase and adding relevant modifiers to page titles and headings.
Myth #6: PageRank is the critical measure of a site's success
Reality: PageRank was a rather defining aspect of early Google search. This means that sites who focus primarily on PageRank today are missing the bigger picture and overlooking aspects of their website that they have more control over.
PageRank is focused on the issue of a page's importance, whereas a larger component in determining search results is relevance. A key point here is to aim to deliver results that are relevant to the query typed into the search box, the area where the person is searching from and making sure that your site is targeted to your users.
The real answer to “what makes a site successful?” is original and compelling content that gives consistent happy users: people who bookmark and share your site and understand and respect your brand and who can confidently and seamlessly make that purchase.
Myth #7: Inserting keywords in the keyword meta tag will help list your site for that keyword
Reality: Most major search engines do not use the meta keywords tag as a ranking factor and those that do, if the keyword is not also in the copy of the same page, it’s considered a factor which could lower your rankings, not raise it. At best the keyword tag is used by directories or social bookmarking sites when submitting your site. The only really important meta tag is the description as it is displayed in the search results by Google.
Thursday, 13 August 2009
New clients
Webstar have some new clients and we're really excited. Mortgages SK12 is a mortgage advisor based in Poynton who wanted to provide a friendly, local service. The brief was to design a modern and contemporary website with a traditional feel. Flash on the front page made this website stand out from the competition. Have a look and let us know what you think.....http://www.mortgagessk12.co.uk
We're currently also designing websites for Recovo Limited who supply stylish and contemporary office furniture both new and refurbished to distributors across the UK and Europe and for Happy Mondays Networking Group who are an informal networking group for Mumpreneurs in East Cheshire.
In addition we've recently been updating lots of our clients websites to get them more business in this current difficult climate.
If you need a new website or need some urgent updates give us a ring.
We make websites better. It's what we do
Telephone: 01625 821072 Mobile: 07784 128016 Email: michelle@yourwebstar.co.uk
Monday, 13 July 2009
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