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 Have you been gripped by World Cup fever? Wherever you live in the world, it would be hard to avoid the pull of watching two teams of grown men kicking a ball about. Whether you’re an ardent fan or occasional watcher, like myself, every four years I find that I am drawn into the highs and lows of watching a sport that unites the world. It’s the world-wide appeal of this tournament that intrigues me. That a ball, kicked about by 22 men, is able to grab the attention of so many different people, from countries across the world, that are from such varied walks of life. A marketer’s dream! Imagine having a target audience of billions that is ready to buy a wide range of products associated with the event and the nations home team… football kits, balls, books, clothes, teddy bears and hair accessories are just a few items that established businesses and budding entrepreneurs with a keen eye for making quick money are ready to sell to a hungry public. If you are one of the billions of people already glued to their TVs – here are a few facts about this event that may surprise you:
Whilst these amounts of money are positively eye-watering, it just shows that money really does make the world go around! Are you ready to get your portion by having your website reach the target audience it deserves? Get in touch on 01708 578 015 if you’re ready to make that happen.
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 The Perfect Layout has a team of copywriters that can create relevant content for your website. Having a team means that we are able to provide a wide ranging bespoke copywriting service that caters for all markets. You will have seen us write about content in our blogs before. The importance of content on your website relates not only to the visitors to your site, but also when it comes to being found by search engines like Google. We understand the importance and will ensure that the language of the text: • reflects you – the face behind the business • your ethos – what your business stands for • and describes your services and products in a way that will engage your customers and allow them to quickly grasp what you do  It’s paramount to create content that people will be interested in reading and that’s exactly what we do. Our process is simple. We will meet with you face-to-face or arrange a time to Skype or talk to you on the phone. We are good at asking questions and the more questions we ask, the more we will be able to write in a way that sounds like you. We want to hear how you would speak to prospective clients so that when it comes to writing about what you do, it will be as though you wrote it yourself. We will ask questions like:
These are questions you could ask yourself now. Does the content on your website answer these enquiries? If not, it may be time to either re-write your content or give us a call. The fact is, whether you are in the line of work that provides a locksmith service or have just started your own firm of solicitors – the principles behind asking these types of questions remain the same. For every service, we’ll incorporate relevant facts that are appropriate. For example, your new firm of solicitors will need to include an overview of how the law impacts on what you do for your clients. It’s always key to remember who your target audience is to ensure that your services can be understood and accessed by as many people as possible. The content we produce will also incorporate keywords relevant to your sector. Are you a locksmith that is able to change the locks to only certain doors? If so, describe the type of doors. Do your services cover a certain area? If so, describe the services you provide and where. Does your business offer a 24 hour lock changing service? If yes, then say how and where your out of hours facility works.  Let your content build a picture of how you are... Think of pertinent questions that your customer might ask and answer them. That way you will begin to build a picture of your business that will contain relevant keywords to get you found by your customers as well as the search engines. Other than listening to what you need, our service also includes offering ideas that will help draw out the best aspects of your business. For example, ideas that will: • make you stand out from your competitors • incorporate current trends within your industry that should be included in your content • include changes that are occurring in the local area that could have an affect your service Get in touch if you feel that your content is in need of being re-worked. The bottom line is, great content will get you noticed for all the right reasons! Give Perfect Layout Digital Marketing a call on 01708 578 015, email us at hello@perfectlayout.co.uk, or complete the contact form below.  If your business has a website, it is important not to see yourself as a stand-alone island with no links to other shores. If you want your island to be successful it needs to have connections with other islands that are well connected too. In other words, having your website is just one of the steps of having a good online presence. However, it is imperative to take the time to list your business on other online directories too; so that they not only promote your services, but also add authority that you’re a current and valid business to approach. When creating your listing on directories, like Thomson; on websites like NetMums, or on social media platforms like Facebook, you should include as much information about your business as possible. This includes giving obvious information such as your name, address and phone number (NAP). Google My Business has made many changes to their features (read our article: What's new with Google My Business?). All businesses should list their information on it as a starting point in creating citations.  Why is it worth taking the time to cite your business on directories? It allows you to be found by a greater number of customers through search engines like Google. The more directories your business is cited on, the better chance you will have for your business to rank highly in organic search. With the majority of users turning to their mobile device to look for products, information and services, online directories help facilitate being found at any time, from anywhere. Do you want to miss out on potential business because you didn’t take the time to invest in this digital strategy? Each directory company will offer different features, but this is what you may be asked to provide:
Listing a business on a directory is not difficult, but it can be time consuming. If you choose to give it a go yourself, make sure you do the job properly. If you don’t, it could affect your income, online rankings as well as your reputation. Follow these tips to ensure that search engines, like Google, view you as a business that’s real and trustworthy and ultimately worth ranking:
Remember, citations that are accurate will help your business get noticed. So what are you waiting for? If you don’t have the time, or the inclination, to do this, the team at Perfect Layout can help you. Fill in your details below and we’ll get in touch to find out more about your business. By filling out this form, we will only contact you regarding this matter; we respect your data.  If you have accessed your Google My Business (GMB) listing recently you may have noticed some changes. Whilst you may think, ‘here we go again, another thing to add to my to-do list’ it is worth taking the time to update your profile and ensure that everything is relevant and fresh. If you are a small business you will know that reaching a wide customer base can be tricky. With this free-to-use profile, invest the time to make your business shine. Be one of the leaders in this change making sure that your profile is singing your praises from the rooftops. If you haven’t created a Google My Business listing, Perfect Layout Digital Marketing recommends that you do. Not only does it show the essence of what your business has to offer, but the new features means that this platform is more attractive than before. Why is local SEO so important? If you are a local business, local SEO could have a huge impact on the success or failure of your business. You can use local SEO to outrank the competition. The relevant information is accessible for everyone to take advantage of and whilst many local businesses spend their time running their business, digital marketing is usually at the bottom of their list of things to do. For companies making use of local SEO and in the case of Google My Business, taking advantage of the new features demonstrates to potential customers that they are: staying up-to-date, that they are knowledgeable and well-informed and that they are taking strides to separate themselves from the competition. The result is that it can help secure potential customers more easily. Would you like this to be you? So what’s new with the Google My Business Listing? Information section This is a snapshot of the most important information that a potential customer may be interested in The information section includes opening hours, reviews, address, phone number etc. Company Description Ok, so what’s so great about the description feature? Well it’s back! And that IS exciting. When Google My Business was called Google Places, the description section about your company was available, but then they took it away. Now all businesses have the opportunity to describe the wonder of their business on GMB in 750 words or less. Make sure you spend time writing a description that will attract customers to engage with you. Messaging In 2017, Google released a new messaging feature, which allows you to 'live message' with customers directly from the search results page. So if a customer has a quick question, when you have this function enabled they can send you a message and in an instant you can reply…talk about fabulous customer service before they have even come to you! If your information changes, like your business location, name, or telephone number, Google will allow you to easily make updates to your dashboard. This is another feature that they once removed but has resurfaced again and it is this tool that will help you make changes more easily. Videos Yes Google My Business Photos has added video content as a feature. Posting videos on your listing can help encourage customers to stay on your listing for longer and therefore find out more about you. These videos can give you the edge to your competitors. Currently, video clips are limited to 30 seconds in length and they will feature next to the photo section.  Restaurant Menus If the business you own is a restaurant and your listing is categorised as a restaurant (vs a café or bistro), Google have been thinking hard about you guys. Restaurant owners can now add and edit menus on their Google My Business listing. There is now a facility that will allow you to categorise the food into sections, such as starters, mains and desserts, as well as adding descriptions and prices. Again, this is a powerful tool that can help you stand out from the crowd. Why is your restaurant different from the others in your area, what makes you special? Do you have something unique? Do you have special offers? Remember to include as much information as you can to help you stand out and get the diners through the door. Posts ‘Posts’ is the most exciting feature that looks to have a big impact on local businesses and their local search engine optimization (SEO) strategies. The feature will allow businesses to quickly connect with customers, both new and old, in a unique and attention grabbing way. Posts allow you to share content with people who are searching for terms related to your business. It can be seen as a cross between social media marketing and search engine optimisation. It not only allows you to increase the visibility of your business, it also offers a way in which you can give deeper information about your services and products, that otherwise wouldn’t be possible. You can also post links to your website and include call to action buttons like ‘Buy’ or ‘Learn More’. Using Posts also helps you to get more of the organic search impressions and clicks. When you decide to include Posts on Google as part of your local SEO strategy, remember that this task will never stop. This is another beast that will need constant feeding. However, it is worth giving it a try. What have you got to lose versus how much do you have to gain? If all of this just seems too much, help is at hand. Give Perfect Layout Digital Marketing a call on 01708 578015, or fill out the quick form below so we can get in touch with you. If you complete this form, we will only contact you to ask you about GMB listings. Three months ago my life changed in an amazing way. What happened? I hear you cry! Did I get married, move home, win the lottery, have a baby? It was none of the above, although I would liken it to having a baby - we got a puppy!  So what’s getting a puppy got to do with websites? Nothing directly, but the stress, newness and challenges it has bought into my life has yet again altered my perspective on business life. Let me explain… My husband had been researching the Basenji breed for the last two years and over that time he’d been like a scratched record talking about the benefits of owning one: the privilege it would be to own a primitive breed, the exercise and fresh air it would force us to get and the responsibility it would give the kids whilst learning to care for her. What he failed to elaborate on was exactly how hard it would be in the beginning. The sleepless nights. The biting. The constant peeing and pooing everywhere....It’s a lot to take on board when you’re working full time and running a home! To be honest, I think he too was surprised at the massive impact she has had on our lives.  But life is too short not take risks on the unknown he told me – and he was right. It was time to take a leap of faith and take on a challenge that would ultimately benefit the whole family. I’ve put the time in with training her each day, creating a family rota of who does what/when and voila - things have gotten soooo much better! Now I can really see the advantages of having a dog. Getting a website, may feel a little like getting a dog. Daunting, hard work, uncharted territory...but do the research with various suppliers before you commit. Ask questions about how they will provide support for your website and make sure you’re getting value for your money. Our dog Darcy has added a new light and element of joy to our household. She has benefited our well-being. Having an online presence will benefit your business by bringing new customers your way and turn those leads into real profits.
Perfect Layout can speak your language and dissect the ins and outs of how our services can help your business. The results may not be immediate, but the payback from investing your time and money will eventually see a return. You can expect from us:
You never know until you try – so get in touch today so that we can help grow your business. Call us on 01708 578015.  The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force on 25 May 2018. This is a new legislation, enforced by the European Commission, which aims to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the European Union (EU), whilst also addressing the use and dissemination of personal data outside the EU. The two main objectives of GDPR are to: 1) give individuals back control of their personal data 2) simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU The key changes of GDPR from the Data Protection Act 1998 fall under the following areas:
To understand the full details for each of these areas take a look at the EU GDPR website.  GDPR is intended for every business that collects and stores data and the GDPR recognises that smaller businesses need to be treated differently to large or public companies. Article 30 of the regulation declares that organisations with fewer than 250 employees do not need to strictly follow GDPR. That said though, when you read the stipulations, it is highly recommended that they do. The penalties for not being compliant are high; including individuals being able to seek for compensation from businesses that abuse their data. This applies to both large and small companies. How will this change when we leave the EU? Although the UK has voted to leave the EU, UK businesses will need to follow these regulations if the data they handle is about EU individuals. GDPR replaces the UK 1988 Data Protection Act (DPA), and will continue to do so once Brexit has been implemented. Perfect Layout hopes that this article has helped you to understand some basics about GDPR and has signposted you to some useful resources. We highlight to all our clients the importance of GDPR, especially when it comes to collecting data via their websites. If you have any question, give us a call on 01708 578 015. |
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