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 Digital marketing is an integral part of any growing business. Your website’s interaction with users plays a big role in where Google will rank your site. Websites need to engage their audiences and thus should be well-designed. User-friendly navigation is also important in sparking and maintaining customer interest. Keeping reading to learn more about the 7 signs we have identified that will let you know whether or not it's time for you to redesign your website.
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 Are you failing to get leads from your website? Does it feel like a ghoul has hijacked business leads? Are you scared about this ever-changing world of digital marketing? Well, Perfect Layout are here to rescue you from your nightmares as we explain how Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) works. If you put in place these strategies, you will see your ranking improve. Are you ready to handle more leads coming to your business?
If you’re serious about wanting people to find you through a Google search, Search engine Optimisation (SEO) must be at the top of your priority list. For example, you you're a structural engineer looking for people planning major works to their property, you want to be sure that you website can be found.  Your web design can make or break your website. While a good site also includes other aspects like quality content and fast loading times, the design is the first thing users see. Thus, it serves as the basis for their first impression and affects what they decide to do on your site.
Given how influential your web design can be, you want to make sure you take your time laying out each element in your site. To achieve this, one of the most important design principles you need to consider is colour. Selecting the right colour scheme might seem like a trivial matter, but it can have a huge impact on how visitors perceive your site and what actions they take while browsing your site.  A website create a first impression for a company. It is therefore important to choose a design that will be attractive and easy to use for potential customers. A poorly thought-out website design may cause potential customers to close the browser and switch to a competitor’s website. Likewise, poor website design will impact the effectiveness of your content marketing strategy.
What is content marketing? Content marketing is the strategy of digital marketers to publish interesting, helpful, and relevant content related to a brand without directly advertising the brand.  As the internet continues to accelerate into an ever-growing marketplace, it means that your competitor's websites are becoming as frequent as stars in the night sky. They sell the same goods or services as your company does online and the question is, what will set your company apart?
With increased competition, your website must impress customers when they visit. An impressive site can help your brand to stand out from your competition and great web design will seize and keep a customer's attention. So, what are the elements that make a good website? Here are four areas that we recommend you consider. If you have a business based in the Brentwood area, get in touch so that we discuss the requirements for your new website. We offer affordable websites that will improve your online presence and have customers knocking on your door. So don't delay in finding out how we can help your Brentwood business target the right people - call 01708 578 015 now.
 Recently, we were approached by Squirrels Heath Junior School, Romford, Essex to give a presentation to their Year 6 children. We were happy to oblige and be the introductory element to a topic they were about to start called, ‘Tomorrow’s World’. The children’s project will culminate in them creating their own website, so our talk was to help them understand better the role of a website designer and digital marketer. We explained the components that make up a good website. This encompassed, not only the visual aspects, but also the work that needs to be undertaken to make a website perform well in search engine results. The children were engaged and participative and they asked great questions. We gave them some tips about what to think about when designing their sites in a few weeks’ time.
The teachers of Year 6 will create a shortlist of the best websites and we have been asked to judge the overall winner from each class. We look forward to seeing what they come up with! If you would like us to come and give a talk to your group, school, or work place about web design and digital marketing get in touch by calling 01708 578 015 or emailing hello@perfectlayout.co.uk. Whatever type of Brentwood business you may have - get in touch with the Perfect Layout team today to discuss your digital marketing needs. Our affordable website services offers something for everyone and being local means that we can visit your premises, at your convenience, for a face to face meeting. If you're pushed for time - we can Skype or undertake a conference call. Get in touch today on 01708 578 015.  The end of another year is almost upon us and as a chapter closes, it’s always a good idea to reflect upon the events of the preceding months. At Perfect Layout we regularly work on the business in this manner. It’s a positive way of learning and growing the business – as well as learning and growing ourselves as successful people and business owners. Once in a while we also think that it’s really important to blow ones’ own trumpet. To boast about the good things that are happening in the business and to give each other a cheesy high five! So, read on to find out about our most recent success stories…  Revamped website for Antino and Associates One of our most recent clients came to us seeking help with his current site. It was old fashioned, clunky and outdated. Whilst the content was good, it was too technical, and it wasn't the right tone for their ideal clients. Based in Chelmsford, this Chartered Surveyor wanted a website that highlighted his skills to do with: party walls, injunctions and being an expert witness. The owner works across the UK and wanted his website to reflect this, whilst giving focus to East London, Norfolk, Cambridge and Essex. We worked with him to achieve a website that was attractive to all. It needed clear navigation, relevant images and monthly blogs. His site went live 30 August and all of the keywords we are monitoring are already ranking well. Happy days…  Make-over for RBSS Consulting This client came to us as a result of a networking event. He felt that our services were just what he needed. He wanted to update his website and to be found by more local businesses. His website already had a good amount of content and used video to help draw in traffic from different avenues. Based in Romford, this Business Consultant, was ready to invest in his business. He requested that we write new content that was keyword rich. Our aim was to maintain the language of his profession as well as describing his services in a way that would appeal to potential clients. We also repurposed the blogs that were on his original site. For a site that was relaunched on 1 October, to date his website is doing remarkably well. All of the keywords and keyword phrases that we are monitoring have appeared on page 1 of Google search. We will continue to apply our digital marketing strategies to ensure that his website remains in those top spots. Another satisfied customer… One year on for Arco  Last month, one of our clients reached their one-year anniversary. Arco, run a central heating and plumbing business in Collier Row and have clients across, Romford, Upminster, Gidea Park, Chelmsford, Shenfield, Billericay, Brentwood, Harold Wood and Dagenham. They came to us wanting their site to be more visible. Their previous website had been built by a big, well known, website provider. The previous website did not rank highly and neither did it generate new business leads. This company is now visible on page one for the following search terms: central heating Romford, central heating Dagenham and central heating Upminster. We are still working with them on implementing some basic digital marketing strategies. But what’s holding them back, I hear you ask? Are there actions that we should have taken but failed to do? No. The truth is, that like many businesses, there has got to be time put aside to work on the business. If not, the results just won’t be as they should be. We are passionate about what we do. We get excited when websites we’ve worked on show up on organic search in the number one spot or within the map pack. Our job is to ensure that this continues to happen and by working alongside our clients (however busy!) we know that this will become a reality. Watch this space… We'd love the opportunity to do SEO for your website, or to discuss how we can bring more leads to your door with no upfront costs to you. Call us on 01708 578 015 today!  In short, yes! When it comes to branding and awareness of your company, you should try to be as visually consistent as you can. You want your customers to instantly recognise you. First you must start with your logo and then build out your brand from there. Ensure brand consistency across all your channels Brand consistency refers to your brand identity, brand voice and brand guidelines. Does everything you create follow these guidelines? Doing so is a major step towards letting consumers get to know you as an organisation. When they know you, they will identify with you and your purpose. And when consumers feel like they know you and can trust you, they will be more likely to buy from you. They will also be more likely to recommend you to their peers.
The content on your website, social media channels, newsletters and any offline marketing should all have the same 'feel'. Making connections between the content you own is a great way to maximise your presence. This way you can ensure you get the largest number of eyes on your products and services. When it comes to your website you should ensure that it is consistent with all your other marketing. You should also be mindful of how user-friendly your site is. Can customers navigate around your website easily? Structure: how well structured is the content on your website? You need to aim for a minimum number of navigation layers. Customers want as few clicks as possible to get to what they want. The website section division must be clear, logical and predictable. Minimalism: efficient web page navigation is always simple and user-friendly. Add only those elements to your menu design that are essential for the effective communication. The key to success is a menu bar consisting of a minimal number of sections that goes to what they need. Design: when selecting a design focus on readability, integrity, and harmony. Too many icons, buttons and shortcuts will put visitors off your site. The simpler the web navigation, the likelier customers will stay on your website. Remember that: navigation can affect traffic and how high you’ll rank and how much traffic you’ll get from search. Navigation affects conversions: how easy the site is to use effects what percentage of visitors convert into leads and customers.  Social media icons Social Media Integration Do you want to grow your market and reach a broader audience? Then the key is to integrate your business into social media. Social media channels and your website should work together to promote your online brand. Opening accounts in these platforms is completely free. They are a very good tool to increase your popularity and online presence. Add links to your social channels from your website to increase the chance that search engine users will find your website. Being active on social media channels can help build (or retain) a solid audience. Post regularly and keep your audience updated on your products and services as well as what's new on the market. Unless you are able to do it yourself, marketing requires a lot of time, effort and money. But when it is done correctly and consistently across the various channels, it can be extremely powerful and rewarding. Getting your brand, marketing strategy, website and social media platforms to where you want them to be, takes time and a lot of effort. If you are a small company, it might be worth considering hiring external professionals to help you. If you want to know more about this important topic read our blog How important is branding for my company? You might also like: 50 meticulous style guides every startup should see before launching by Canva.  This blog has been inspired following a friend’s recent experience with the medical system in the UK. Said friend went in for a routine operation about seven weeks ago. The procedure lasted only five minutes and the recovery was supposed to be a week. To cut a long story short. She was nowhere near better by the end of that first week. In the past seven weeks she has been back and forth to GP’s, consultants and hospitals, being misdiagnosed. It took four days of waiting in a hospital bed and a lot of pain-relief drugs before they did any scans. As it turned out she needed another operation. I am keeping my fingers crossed that she is now on the path to a full recovery. As this story unfolded, I despaired at the way things were being run. It seemed such an inefficient use of time, money, medication etc. It got me thinking. How can hospitals - or any business for that matter - afford to be inefficient? And so, I have identified some areas that you might want to look for in your business. Check if you are running an efficient and profitable company.
Maybe the institution itself has such rigid and old ways of doing things. Just because ‘that’s the way we always do it’, doesn’t mean it is still fit for purpose. Here are some common mistakes to avoid: 1. Bad financial management Many businesses find themselves running out of money. Cash flow is key for all businesses. How this happens usually falls into one of these categories:
To avoid this, you have to know your figures inside and out. You need to keep an eye on them regularly, so that you can spot dips or downward trends. Make sure that your financial projections are on track. If you see things changing, then something elsewhere may need to change too. Try to stick within your budget. Cut any unnecessary expenses. Always invoice straight away and get paid on time. Where possible set up automatic billing that you can be in control of. 2. Bad Management Every organisation needs someone at the helm, leading, taking charge. They have to ensure that no matter how big the company is, that the right processes and procedures are in place. The entire organisation should be seamless and efficient. This is true for both the staff and its customers. For that to happen, there needs to be regular training, communication and policies. Everyone must be on the same page. No one person or department should be the ones doing it all. Every role should work as a cog to help the wheel roll smoothly. There also has to be a single point of authority. Larger companies often appoint department heads and team leaders to make decisions. So, do you have the right staff in place? Do they do the job with pride, care and attention. Are you paying them what they deserve? Do you offer rewards and incentives? Your staff are your biggest asset, so you need to treat them well. Good management also recognises when they don’t have motivated staff. First you need to address it to see if you are able to change this, otherwise you face the tough task of letting them go. Dead weights can also hinder a company and have devastating consequences. Can you honestly say that your company is working as efficient as it could be? Do you conduct regular days on the business with staff? Do you ask them how things are, what could be better, what needs to stop, what to introduce? The people on the ground can often find solutions. Do you spend time thinking about what the business might look like in 12 months’ time, or in five years? Be forward thinking, be proactive. 3. Bad customer service It is surprising to see how many businesses have bad customer service. This could be because of what we have discussed about management and procedures. Yet, without any customers, you wouldn’t have any business. Giving good customer service should come easy. Ask yourself, how would you like to be treated and map that out. Use your common sense. Good customer service doesn’t need to be expensive. If you do get complaints, listen to your customers and put it right fast. Then tell your staff what you have learned from the experience. Explain how you want them to do things from now on, so that you ensure that it doesn’t happen again. Good interdepartmental communication will pay dividends. You don’t want to end up with a bad reputation. Some businesses never recover. 4. Staying up-to-date with technology Technology covers a wide range of things. Computers, phones, broadband and IT servers. It can also include websites and social media platforms. Whatever it is, make sure that you invest in the best technology and support that you can afford. If all your computers are old and staff are struggling to complete simple tasks, invest in new ones. This downtime could start costing you thousands. Is your website current? Does it reflect your business as it stands today? Is it mobile optimised? If the answer is no to any of these, you need to plan to change this. If you are not active on the right social media channels, you could be missing on potential clients. I know that social media is a hungry beast that needs feeding all the time, but it’s essential to do it these day. Now more than ever you must have an efficient website, that it is mobile and SEO friendly. You need to be active on social media and posting every day (or more). If this is not part of your expertise, don’t hesitate to seek advice from a professional, like us at Perfect Layout Digital Marketing. Running a business is about always being willing to learn. Things around us are changing all the time. We all will make mistakes. It’s those that carry on doing it, ‘because that’s the way we do it’ will find that they will get left behind. Acting fast and making necessary changes can determine the future of your business. Regularly check that your business is in good health. If there are signs that things need a reboot, then do something about it before it takes over.   Christine Huntingford, CEO, Perfect Layout Digital Marketing will be one of the guest speakers at the Havering Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (HCCI) breakfast meeting this Friday (13 July). She will talk about how businesses need to invest in their website and digital marketing; in order to stay ahead of the competition. Breakfast meetings are free to members and guests are welcome too.
 Christine Huntingford, CEO, Perfect Layout Digital Marketing will be one of the guest speakers at the Havering Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (HCCI) breakfast meeting in July. Many business owners are busy working ‘in’ their business and rarely take the time to work ‘on’ their business. Are you one of them? When was the last time you really looked at your website? Does it really work for you in the way that you want it to - i.e. are you getting leads from it? Do you know how easy it is for potential customers to find you? Is your social media activity where it should be? We all know that there is more that we can, and should, do. Often the, ‘time thief’, prevents us from taking action. But there are simple and relatively quick things that you can implement (if you haven’t already) that can make a big difference. Some elements cost you time, not money. And those that do cost money, can be scaled to what is affordable for you.  Come along on Friday 13 July to the Havering Museum in Romford and join the members and guests of the Havering Chamber of Commerce and Industry to hear Christine share ways for you to check if your website is easily found (or not) and things that you can implement quickly. The meeting starts at 7:30am for networking and the speakers will be presenting between 8am and 9am. There is a further opportunity to network until 9:30am. Guests welcome: £10 on the door.
 There are good websites and there are bad websites. If you have had a website for a while, but you find that you are not getting much from it, in terms of traffic, leads, calls etc, it could be that people are finding your website tricky to navigate or difficult to find the right information. I know it’s hard, but every six months or so, it is worth doing an audit of your website with, 'a fresh pair of eyes’, to check that everything is relevant and it all still makes sense.
 If you’re thinking about having a website built from scratch it may be wise to shop around. Prices can vary as well as the details of the packages that some companies offer. Here at Perfect Layout we are upfront about the cost of all our services to ensure that you are kept clearly in the picture, right from the word go. The relationship that we develop with you is important to us as our aim is to always to give you an honest and professional service.  Building a website from scratch can be paid for under two package systems. The first we call a website build only with hosting. The cost? £500 for a 10-page site. This is based upon you providing us with all content and images. The cost for hosting in year one is included in this price and there is a separate cost for hosting thereafter. Regardless of which package you opt for, our consultation process remains the same, which is us trying to understand you and your business inside and out. Your success means our success and we are in this profession to help grow your client base as well as your profits! Our second package is for those who understand the impact of having a fully optimised website and the revenue it could bring to the company. For £150 per month (for 12 months) we will build you a: 10-page website; identify and monitor keywords for your sector; provide monthly analytics of these keywords and where they rank when searched for as well as other important techy stuff that will help your website rank well. Our ongoing support package also includes undertaking changes to ensure that keywords consistently rank when searched for. We also include listing you on up to ten online directories. The website build and hosting cost is included as part of this cost. Because digital marketing is a constantly evolving entity, our package provides the reassurance that your website will be tweaked to reflect any emerging changes. New online businesses are being formed daily and to keep ahead of the competition, a website should be regularly reviewed so that it doesn’t look dated and keeps in touch with the tastes and needs of its clientele. Need another service in addition to a website build? Take a look at our other services. We look forward to hearing from you!  Having a website in 2018, is not the financial investment that it was a few years ago - where even a simple website would cost thousands of pounds. These days there are many platforms that you can use to build a site yourself. For those of you less courageous or who want to ensure that your website not only looks good, but is going to be found at the top of search engines, commissioning the redesign of your website to a professional company will be the right choice. At Perfect Layout Digital Marketing, we have website packages at affordable prices for all businesses, whether large or small. For companies that already have a website and are looking for a redesign, we would charge an hourly rate for our services. We would have a consultation meeting to determine what your current website offers and what you want from your new site. We would advise whether the platform that your site is currently built on is one that we would work with, or whether we recommend changing to another one. Following the consultation meeting we would agree on the website’s site navigation.  If you are not confident at writing content, the copy editors at Perfect Layout Digital Marketing can do an analysis of your sector and determine the correct keywords that should be incorporated into your pages. They will then write keyword-rich content for each of your pages. This work is charged on an hourly basis. We would also determine the colour scheme, photos and look of the website before beginning the construction of your pages. However, if a client wishes to write the content and provide all the images for the website, the build-only cost for a redesign for a 10-page website would be in the region of £500. If you are considering a monthly support package (which can help you move towards to the top of the search engine rankings) take a look at our other website packages. Call Perfect Layout Digital Marketing Services today to talk through your website redesign.  No two websites are the same and no two clients have the same requirements or work in the same way. Perfect Layout offers a content creation service for customers who don’t like writing or simple don't have the time. If you require this service on top of us building your website, your product will take longer for us to complete. In the consultation stage we will decide on a site map for your website – determining the pages and subpages most appropriate for your site. We will also determine how visual your site will be and how many images you may need for each page.  If you have a collection of your own photos we may be able to use those, alternatively, Perfect Layout Digital Marketing can source high-quality stock images for you. So once the foundation is in place and all content and images have been approved – the turnaround time for showing you the first draft of your website can be as short as two weeks. Call or email Perfect Layout Digital Marketing to find out how we can help you: 01708 578 015 or hello@perfectlayout.co.uk  I am thinking about buy I have getting a new website and the current website address I have is great. I'd really like to keep it - is that possible or do I need to buy a new one when I have a new website built? Also, what will happen to the Search Engine Optimisation efforts from my current site? The quick answer is yes! If you have a website address (domain) that you want to keep, then you can - that's not a problem. Websites can be built on other platforms. All you need to do is re-point the settings to the new platform's servers. In order to do this, you will need to have access to the domain account, rather than your current web provider. If your website was created and set up by your current provider and they have access to your account, ask them to transfer it over to you. So how does it work? Think of it a bit like moving home. When you move house, the shell of the property changes (this is your website platform) and when you want mail to come to you, you give everyone your new address (this is repointing the DNS settings on your account). Then, hey presto, the move is complete and people can find you in your new home. What else might you want to consider when creating or updating a website? If you are going to the effort of redesigning your website or creating a website from scratch, now might be the time to check that your company name and your domain are still a good fit for your business. Read one of our previous blogs on domain name registration–3 tips to getting it right, which is about how to choose your company name correctly. The world of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be hot topic, with opposing views on what the right approach is for your website to climb to the top of search engines. Google is continuously evolving its algorithms, so what might be the right approach today may be different tomorrow. While there certainly are benefits of having targeted words in your domain, they are not as important as they once were for SEO. However, spend some time thinking over the following points to help you decide on an appropriate domain for your business. Things to consider are: Domain ending These days there are many new domain endings available, but where possible, we recommend our clients to buy a .com or .co.uk extension (where relevant for their business). Is your domain memorable? If you over complicate it or have unusual spelling of your company name, it will make it harder for clients to remember you so keep it simple! Keep it short Websites with long or confusing names can impede you. It is recommended to use one or two words in your domain. Try not to abbreviate words as only YOU will remember this. Should you choose keywords or build a brand name? What business are you in? Consider whether the inclusion of location and business keywords related to your business is better than trying to establish a brand name. Will your brand name resonate with your business, or will it get lost and forgotten? Does it sound professional and authoritative? Are you attracting your ideal clients with your name? A name that doesn't fit in with your business could prove costly. Think about what your customer will be attracted to.  Will I lose my existing SEO when I change platforms? If done properly you shouldn’t see any impact of changing your website to a new platform. These are some key points, as recommended by Digital Marketing Pro:
Talk to your web designers about any concerns that you may have and ensure that they are following all the recommended steps to ensure that everything transitions smoothly. Now you can see that changing platform, but keeping your existing domain and SEO, is a straightforward process.  As the saying goes, ‘you shouldn’t mix business with pleasure’…In our business, quite often we are told by clients that their friend or a family member was building/has built their website but: …they have spent months (even years) working on it and it’s still not finished ...it doesn’t look the way they thought it was going to ...it's not working the way that they want it to Usually, when they are a friend or family member (and not a web designer), they invariably take an off-the-shelf package thinking 'how hard can it be?’. It’s true that building a website from one of these off-the shelf-packages isn't necessarily hard, but do they really know what they are doing? Do they really understand how to make a website perform well and not just look good? There are thousands of cook books out there and it's easy to follow a recipe, but that doesn't mean the results will always be the same, or that what you make will even taste nice. There is a knack to good cooking and the same principle applies when building a website. Often it's the things that look simple that can be complex underneath.  Building a website in itself isn't rocket science, but there is a method to making a website great. A website with all the right elements in place will add value to your business. A nice looking website, may simply be aesthetically pleasing but does nothing for the growth of your business. The fundamental components you need include: Superb content By that it needs to be clear, well-written, grammatically correct and keyword rich. Content IS King. Being found in search results is determined by the search engines algorithms matching the users’ keywords with the content on the site. If your content is sparse, poorly written, not properly thought through (using a range of keywords) it is likely that you will feature low down in the rankings. Search Engine Optimised headings Headings carry more weight than body text, so ensure that your headings are relevant to what your audience is searching for. Using keyword-rich content in header tags will improve the search engine visibility for your target keyword. Mashable also recommends not having the same article title as you would for your page title, and advises how to write a good meta description. Easy to use navigation If your user experience is cumbersome and clunky, it's likely to put customers off. Make sure that you think carefully about how your users might navigate through your web site. Keep it clean and simple. Before you ‘go live’, test your website out as if you were visiting it for the first time. Can customers navigate your website easily? Is it clear and easy to understand? Could any steps be simplified? High quality images, but not high resolution There are so many stock photo agencies these days, that having low quality images is not an excuse any more. Your photos need to be clear and crisp, but they must also be saved as smaller files. Large image files will make loading your page slow, which may put people off staying on your website. Calls to Action A Call to Action (CTA) on a website is a prompt to get the user to take some specified action. It could be a button asking you to ‘Buy Now’ or ‘Subscribe’. Visually it can be a button or hyperlink. When designing your website consider how your customer might want to get in touch with your business. Are you making it easy for them to do so? Are you giving them choice; email, online forms, telephone numbers? Find out more about why Calls to Actions are important.  When Perfect Layout Digital Marketing works with customers, these are the core principles which we adhere to as the starting point for building their website. These fundamental steps are the foundations to having the building blocks for great online presence. Though don’t be mistaken with thinking that the work starts and ends with a website alone. Consider the website edging of the puzzle - there are still other pieces to put together before the picture is complete. Perfect Layout Digital Marketing can talk you through what other digital strategies would work best for your business. Perfect Layout can of course create a website that looks great and functions well - but we prefer not to do that. Because we want your business to beat your competitors and bring in a consistent stream of genuine customers, we encourage our customers to take up a support package. Month-by-month we will monitor your website against the competition, check where it is ranking in organic search and, if needed, suggest tweaks. We also apply other digital strategies to ensure that your visibility online is not just limited to your website. Are you active on the right social media channels? Is your business listed correctly in external directories? If you are unsure of what your next step should be, give us a call and let’s have a chat today.  Looking back at 2016, I can’t help feeling what a remarkable year it was. The month of September was the most memorable as Perfect Layout Digital Marketing was born. Like many small business owners venturing into the world of self-employment, feelings were mixed; excitement, anticipation, enthusiasm, fear, trepidation, worry…the list goes on. I’m delighted to report that the negative emotions have dissipated somewhat, due to the early success of our business. We’ve worked hard to understand our sector, the needs of our customers and diligently apply our style of website design and SEO to meet their needs. We have passion for what we do and hope that this comes across when you meet us. Our aim is to understand you, as well as your business, to ensure that our website creations represent your services and products in the best possible light. We also want you to start being found for relevant keyword searches on organic search. Let’s be honest, who goes beyond page 2, when looking for a product or service? When we meet a client for the first time and talk through their needs, we always make sure to tell them that it will take a while for their websites to begin ranking. Whilst we can’t guarantee that your business will be found on page 1 within 6 months – what we can guarantee is that we’ll try our hardest to make it happen. We are realistic as well as eternally optimistic about the services we provide.One year ago today...On 1 December 2016, our very first website: Carly's Ice Cream Vans went live. We were excited and nervous at serving the needs of our very first customer. Recently, she was kind enough to undertake an interview with us outlining her journey so far…  I know the clue is in the title, but could you explain what services and products Carly’s Ice Cream Vans sell? We sell soft and hard ice cream locally and attend school fetes, weddings, christenings, birthday parties, corporate events, festivals and football tournaments etc. Our ice creams range from the traditional 99’s, different flavoured hard ice-creams and various lollies. Bubblegum flavour is really popular at the moment. How long have you been in the ice cream business? I’ve been in the ice cream business for over 20 years now. My partner, Peri, has been around ice cream for even longer - over 30 years! Together, we know about ice cream, inside and out! Before you had a website how did you promote your vans/get business? Purely by word of mouth. We also supply our ice creams to people in local shopping centres. What made you diversify and invest in having a website? Whilst getting work via word of mouth is okay, a website is seen by everyone and offers me the chance to get around to different areas and attend different events. It also means that I’m making more money. Why did you choose Perfect Layout as your website providers? You were very nice and approachable. During our consultation, things were explained to me really well and I was able to understand exactly how my website would be laid out. I was also impressed with the amount of communication and quick response rate that I had from you whilst the site was being built. I was also pleased that I knew exactly what my website would look like before it went live. How has the site made a difference to your business? Local people are hearing about us, which means more jobs. This wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have the website. What kind of interest have you received since your website went live? We’ve had loads of leads via the forms and direct calls. Are you surprised at the number of leads the site has generated? Yes, I’ve been surprised at the amount of extra work the website has generated - and very pleased! What would you say to business owners who have not yet committed to having a website for their business? Definitely get one! It’s made a real difference to our income and weighed against the cost of the site, it paid for itself quickly. How do you see the future of the business evolving in the next 5 years? I hope to be doing more of the same. To continue getting leads from the website and responding to the needs of those that fancy an ice cream!
The proof is in the pudding, or should I say ice cream! To give the sceptics out there something to munch on, below is a snap shot of statistics showing how well her site did in a very short space of time. The information relates to just a couple of the keyword search terms we track as part of our ongoing SEO. Please note that not all months have been detailed. Go live date - 1 December 2016 7 December 2016 Ice cream vans Romford – page 2, position 12 Ice cream vans Essex – page 5, position 47 24 February Ice cream vans Romford - page 1, position 2, Ice cream vans Essex - page 1, position 4 7 June Ice cream vans Romford - page 1, position 3, Google My Business (GMB) listing showed Ice cream vans Essex - page 1, position 8, position 2 on Map Pack 29 September Ice cream vans Romford – page 1, GMB showed, plus 4 mentions on the organic page Ice cream vans Essex - page 1, position 3 on Map pack and position 5 30 November Ice cream vans Romford - page 1, position 1 on Map pack and positions 3, 4, 6 and 8 Ice cream vans Essex – page 1, position 2 This demonstrates that the various digital strategies that Perfect Layout Digital Marketing implemented are making a difference. You’ve got to admit that these are pretty impressive results! Carly is happy and so are we. If you would like your business to have results on page one of organic search, give us a call and let’s see how we can help your business be more visible online.  The term ‘Content is King’ has been bandied about for many years. It’s something that you may have heard mentioned on one of the blogs at Perfect Layout or whilst perusing the internet for news and top tips on how to make your website attract customers.
 It was earlier this year, when we were away for my son's rugby tour, when the stars seemed to align and offer me another opening for a client for newly formed Perfect Layout. As you do (when staying in a holiday camp as part of a rugby tour) I headed to the club house to socialise with other parents from the team and partake in a little beverage - mine was a white wine! As I arrived at the table, I heard one of the dads moan about his website and how it was doing 'nothing' for his business. In the seven years that he had been with this reputable household-name web design company, he said that the only calls he was getting were cold calls. All of his work came from word of mouth. He was thinking of ending the contract, as he was paying a considerable amount of money each month with no real results and couldn’t see the point in continuing.  I decided to join in the conversation and let him know about Perfect Layout Digital Marketing and the work that we do. I didn't lay it on thick; that's not how we work. But I asked him what the domain was and that when I had a moment I would take a look, do a quick website analysis and let him know my observations. Over that weekend, when I found a connection to Wi-Fi (not so great in the middle of the country) and had a look. I was shocked! This reputable company was taking a fair amount of money each month, for nothing. Their web account manager appeared to be always on the upsell telling him if he did x, y and z, their organic search would improve. What a joke!!! The only credit I can give - and don't get too excited - is that their website was on a mobile friendly platform, but the content was next to nothing! Across the entire site was a total of approximately 500 words. How would his company ever be recognised for the services he offered when there was no content talking about what he did on his website? How were search engines expected to return his company in organic search when there was so little to go on? Through a few sketchy headings, you got a sense of what they did, but it didn't even come close to what the recommendations are today regarding the amount of content there should be on a website. It also failed to explain the services they provided and there was no geographic explanation of which areas they served. No wonder he was miffed in spending money each month on this. To cut a long story short, we recently launched his new website (Oct 2017). We created a comprehensive home page giving a full overview of the company and developed unique pages for each of the services offered. Each page is rich in keywords, making it easier for the algorithms to decipher the business that this company is in. We are confident that in the next few weeks, we are going to see his site climbing up in organic search and that in the near future he is going to be receiving calls and winning new business.  This is the point where most companies would hand the website to the client, say thank you very much and leave you to it. Not with Perfect Layout. With all of our customers who are on a monthly package, we will invest our time on other digital marketing strategies. In our opinion, having a great website is like making a cake with all the right ingredients. If you want a fantastic cake you will need to enrich it with flavours and toppings. In today’s world, being basic just won’t make you stand out. So the moral of the story is: listen, because you never know what you might hear...and more importantly, speak. Don't ever be afraid to tell people what you can do, especially if you can offer your services. Whilst it was a 'win' for Perfect Layout to sign another client, our mission is always to strive for a 'win-win' all round. We will monitor the site month-on-month and continue to apply digital marketing strategies to ensure that this website gets noticed. If you're not sure why your website isn't delivering leads to you, give us a call. Let's have a chat and we will schedule a free website consultation. If you’re a business with offices in Emerson Park, how do you get seen online in other Essex areas like Romford, Hornchurch, Upminster and Chadwell Heath, or further afield like Brentwood, Chelmsford and Loughton? Read on as branching out may not be as difficult as you first thought.  Here are some commonly asked questions...answered!Question 1 Will I get more business if my website name reflects the area I’m working in? Yes and no. For businesses that are looking to service one area only, putting the location in the domain name may help get you more customers. For example, Website Designers Essex is okay if Essex is the only location to be serviced. However, if your long-term plan is to seek clients in London, Kent and other home counties, making your business name broader (i.e. Perfect Layout Digital Marketing) would be more beneficial. Question 2 If I have more than one website to represent other areas I work in will this bring in more customers? There are many companies that use this method and whilst some yield results, it isn’t the most productive use of resources. The more sites a business has the more marketing input into each site it will have to make. Duplicating content is hugely frowned upon so each site would again need individual attention to ensure that it’s unique. If your business is cited on business directories it’s important that the name, address and phone number (NAP) being listed appears on only one site. If not, search engines like Google and Yahoo, will become confused and their confusion may negatively affect your rankings. Question 3 How can one website be designed to incorporate all the areas where I want my business to be seen? A website designer that can’t create for you a site that reflects multiple business areas is not doing their job! Along with the usual page headings there should be an areas we cover page that lists the services offered in an original format, including naturally interweaved keywords to get each page found. What this goes back to is having a plan. Having a strategy helps your business focus and maximise what you already have. Well designed, optimised city pages may be the breakthrough you’ve been looking for to beat your competition. So how far does your business go geographically? Are you missing out on being visible in these areas? What's your website status? If you’re a business that’s just starting out, jotting down ideas, creating a strategy, it’s never too early to start thinking about the type of website design you might have. Perfect Layout is a company that gets excited about helping new and established clients obtain a website that’s designed just right for their business. Every project is met with enthusiasm and we are happy to offer our advice about how your ideas can be translated and understood by your customers when in website format. Identifying your target audience is key to ensuring that your future plan takes into account the ebbs and flow of the ever-moving online traffic. Your website design should include photographs that are personal and reflective of the service you provide. Content should be interesting and applicable to your product and written in a language that draws people in. During your free consultation, Perfect Layout can help you focus and offer ideas that you may not have thought about. As an online business, it’s paramount that you get this right or otherwise you’ll end up stuck, going nowhere fast. Be inspired - have a well thought out strategy Travelling home on the motorway recently (from a wonderful week in Cornwall!) the strangeness of people’s behaviour whilst driving really struck a chord. All lanes had traffic, but it didn’t stop many drivers constantly swapping lanes. The effect? The traffic slowed down even more rather than speeding up. And there I was thinking that us British were always patient whilst queueing! If you’re a business that is constantly changing its strategy, trying to get ahead of your competitors but getting nowhere fast, it may be time for you to take a new approach. If you’re a new start up business or your website hasn’t been looked at for a while or you’re a business working without a website – now is the time to make that change and get in the right lane to making your business work. We’re not like some motorway drivers that can’t help but change lanes when they come up to a bit of traffic. We think long term and avoid reactionary behaviour. A constant 55 mph is way better than bombing it at 70mph for a quarter of the journey then travelling at 30mph for the remainder.  Let Perfect Layout clear your path for the perfect website.  Are you ready to have your website updated? If the number of online leads for your business has fallen and you're wondering why, try casting a critical eye over your website. Perfect Layout Digital Marketing can revamp websites or create websites from scratch that are clean, professional looking and easy to navigate. The end result is more business. But in order to achieve the high numbers you must put in the hard work of ensuring that your updated website consistently reflects the services and products that you are offering. A quick look at your competition will often show websites that are lazily managed. They have website designs with:
These are just a few don'ts if you want a website that will bring in new and repeat visitors. Be inspired and upgrade your website This weekend I’ve had great fun watching the World Championship Athletics Competition 2017. Whether or not you’re into viewing this as a pastime, you’ve got to admire the perseverance and determination of the athletes and their desire to win. Years of training can boil down to being in the limelight for as little as 10 seconds…..a false start and you’re disqualified. Harsh rules that take true commitment to adhere to. In the same way that an athlete tones his body to suit his sport, we can tailor make your website to reflect the services or products of your business. Google will think that your website has been online for years when they come across your keyword rich content that will be interesting and informative. Copywriting, another service that we provide to our customers. So leave the techy internet stuff to us and start training yourself to letting go. We will build you a website that generates leads, increases your profits and ultimately grows your business. |
