More progress made on the great SEO project:
web site design swansea from position 173 to 132
website design swansea from position 154 to 101
web design swansea from position 157 to 99
swansea web design from position 172 to 154
It's great to see this working as I was a little sceptical especially as I decided to publish my progress to the world! However now the hard work will begin as once we get to the top 10 pages progress will slow down as the competition is higher.
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Thursday, 27 November 2008
Search Engine Success for Huw Davies
Having launched the new website on November 12th, I was delighted to see that already Huw Davies appears on page one of Google for 'Learn to Drive Swansea' and in POSITION 1 for 'Learn to drive Llanelli'.
Monday, 24 November 2008
Do we need SEO?
Since starting my SEO project I have spent a lot of time searching the web to find out about search engine optimisation, what other people are doing and techniques that work. There is a lot of discussion on the web at the moment about why you don't need SEO. A lot stemming from this post - 7 Reasons Why You Don't Need SEO .
While I disagree with the statement, I agree with everything that is said in the post and I was quite relieved when I realised that the majority of issues highlighted are generally not an issue with websites we design. We build websites with clean and semantic coding that comply to web standards, and are generally search engine friendly.
However, there's only so much we can do and while we can help and advise you throughout, things like writing content is down to you. Especially on a content managed website.
Content & Link Building
To get peole to link to your website for authentic 'link building', you need to start giving people good content. This is why people and companies blog, why How To guides are popping up everywhere and why company sites are containing more news and useful information rather than just promoting their products. Link building can also get a bit out of hand. It only works if the links to and from your site are relevant, they need to make sense and be useful to your users.
How do you feel when you read content that doesn't really make sense because it's just been crammed full of keywords? If your content is well written, and gives people the information they need the keywords will be there, userswill visit AND STAY on your site and other websites will link to you. It's all very logical really.
And the answer is...
I think we need SEO, but you shouldn't necessarily be paying through the nose for it. If you have had a website for a few years the chances are you may have just missed out on the SEO wave and your site may not be best optimised. Although if your site is more than a few years old it may well be time for a change anyway....
While I disagree with the statement, I agree with everything that is said in the post and I was quite relieved when I realised that the majority of issues highlighted are generally not an issue with websites we design. We build websites with clean and semantic coding that comply to web standards, and are generally search engine friendly.
However, there's only so much we can do and while we can help and advise you throughout, things like writing content is down to you. Especially on a content managed website.
Content & Link Building
To get peole to link to your website for authentic 'link building', you need to start giving people good content. This is why people and companies blog, why How To guides are popping up everywhere and why company sites are containing more news and useful information rather than just promoting their products. Link building can also get a bit out of hand. It only works if the links to and from your site are relevant, they need to make sense and be useful to your users.
How do you feel when you read content that doesn't really make sense because it's just been crammed full of keywords? If your content is well written, and gives people the information they need the keywords will be there, userswill visit AND STAY on your site and other websites will link to you. It's all very logical really.
And the answer is...
I think we need SEO, but you shouldn't necessarily be paying through the nose for it. If you have had a website for a few years the chances are you may have just missed out on the SEO wave and your site may not be best optimised. Although if your site is more than a few years old it may well be time for a change anyway....
Friday, 21 November 2008
How to... use Twitter
You may have noticed a block on the right hand side of the main website titled 'Twitter Updates'. For those of you that don't know, Twitter is a micro-blogging tool. It gives you 140 characters to tell people what you are doing, what you're looking at, how you're feeling, what you're thinking about. It's a quick and easy way to update your site and keep people informed without having to write whole blog posts.
Follow and be Followed
Once you have set up your account with Twitter you can find and follow people - your friends and family, companies (for example Firebox are on Twitter) or people you're interested in. You can even send direct messages.
What are the Benefits?
These are the benefits according to me...feel free to Tweet or blog others.
Follow and be Followed
Once you have set up your account with Twitter you can find and follow people - your friends and family, companies (for example Firebox are on Twitter) or people you're interested in. You can even send direct messages.
What are the Benefits?
These are the benefits according to me...feel free to Tweet or blog others.
- It's easy to do
- It eases you into blogging and the mentality behind it
- You're likely to find some interesting people, websites and blogs
- It's fun (really, I enjoy tweeting!)
- It's a great way to promote new services, products and events
- You can add a feed to your site so it's always getting updated
Step 1 - Sign Up
First of all you need to set up a Twitter Account so go to http://twitter.com/ and click 'Join the Conversation'. Simply fill in your details and off to go!
Step 2 - Your first Tweet
Now the pressure is on - what will be your first tweet? Tell people why you have started, tell them what you are thinking RIGHT NOW, tell them what you had for dinner. The more interesting the better. Maybe you want a theme for your tweets? I have found a guy that tweets everything he has to eat, for Picseli it's all about the company and what we are up to.
Step 3 - Find some Friends
It can take time to get a huge following on Twitter, but so that people can find you - you need to find people. So look up your friends or send them an email, go to http://search.twitter.com/ and search for people tweeting similar things to you then follow them.
Step 4 - Keep it up
So that people who find you want to follow, you need to make sure you keep tweeting! If you have decided on a theme - stick to it. Why not provide links to useful blog posts you've found? If you have decided to set up a feed on your website there is nothing worse than it showing your last tweet was months ago!
As a first step why not follow Picseli?
ADDED 27/11/2008:
A great list of ways to use Twitter can be found here http://www.doshdosh.com/ways-you-can-use-twitter/
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Quick SEO Update
I am not the most patient of people when it comes to seeing results and thought I would check today to see whether the changes I have made to the website have made a difference. In many cases the results have improved by up to 2 pages!
web site design swansea from position 194 to 173
website design swansea from position 161 to 154
web design swansea from position 176 to 157
swansea web design from position 179 to 172
I know that the results do fluctuate regularly based on everyone else's changes and Google's feelings, but I was pleased to see that we are progressing.
web site design swansea from position 194 to 173
website design swansea from position 161 to 154
web design swansea from position 176 to 157
swansea web design from position 179 to 172
I know that the results do fluctuate regularly based on everyone else's changes and Google's feelings, but I was pleased to see that we are progressing.
Friday, 14 November 2008
How to...add a 'Find us on Facebook' button
---------------
UPDATE 11th March 2011: With the new Facebook pages this tutorial is no longer completely accurate. For other ways to link to your Facebook page check out our new post: How to link to your Facebook Page. Thanks for all your feedback!
---------------
If you have followed last week's 'How To create a facebook page for your company' post you'll be wondering how you let people know about it. Apart from sharing it with all of your Facebook friends, you need to let customers, potential clients and non-facebook friends know about it.
The lovely people at Facebook have produced a button that you can add to your website telling people about your page. So how do you add it?
Step 1 - Find your page
Log in to Facebook and get to the page you want to promote. On the menu on the right hand side click 'Edit Page'.
Step 2 - How to promote your page the Facebook way
On the next page in the right hand menu under 'Communication' click 'Promotion Guidelines' and this page will tell you all you need to know about promoting your page and what you can and can't do.
Step 3 - Download the Badge
About 2/3 of the way down the page you will find the badge - simply right click and save to your computer.
Step 4 - Get the link to your page
Now, either send this to your web developer with the full link to your Facebook page (you are not allowed to link to the Facebook log in page) or add the button to your website where you'd like it to be with the link.
To get the link or URL to your facebook page simply get back to your page and copy whatever is displayed in the address bar of your web browser. For example, the link to the Picseli page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swansea-United-Kingdom/Picseli/33433262689
You'll have plenty of fans before you know it. Just remember to read and follow the Facebook guidelines.
UPDATE 11th March 2011: With the new Facebook pages this tutorial is no longer completely accurate. For other ways to link to your Facebook page check out our new post: How to link to your Facebook Page. Thanks for all your feedback!
---------------
If you have followed last week's 'How To create a facebook page for your company' post you'll be wondering how you let people know about it. Apart from sharing it with all of your Facebook friends, you need to let customers, potential clients and non-facebook friends know about it.
The lovely people at Facebook have produced a button that you can add to your website telling people about your page. So how do you add it?
Step 1 - Find your page
Log in to Facebook and get to the page you want to promote. On the menu on the right hand side click 'Edit Page'.
Step 2 - How to promote your page the Facebook way
On the next page in the right hand menu under 'Communication' click 'Promotion Guidelines' and this page will tell you all you need to know about promoting your page and what you can and can't do.
Step 3 - Download the Badge
About 2/3 of the way down the page you will find the badge - simply right click and save to your computer.
Step 4 - Get the link to your page
Now, either send this to your web developer with the full link to your Facebook page (you are not allowed to link to the Facebook log in page) or add the button to your website where you'd like it to be with the link.
To get the link or URL to your facebook page simply get back to your page and copy whatever is displayed in the address bar of your web browser. For example, the link to the Picseli page is http://www.facebook.com/pages/Swansea-United-Kingdom/Picseli/33433262689
You'll have plenty of fans before you know it. Just remember to read and follow the Facebook guidelines.
Thursday, 13 November 2008
Keywords
Having done some research into what Google users search for I will focus my SEO efforts on 'web site design swansea' - wish me luck!
The whole Picseli site has now been indexed in Google, so this is a good time to start a concentrated effort to get the site well ranked.
Current Position
According to http://www.mynameissteve.com/google-page-rank picseli.co.uk currently ranks at position 175 (page 18) in Google for 'web site design swansea'. However when I did the search myself found us at position 202 (page 21).
For 'website design swansea' we can be found on page 17 (position 161) and for 'web design swansea' we're on page 18 (position 179). Not bad as a starting point, but still plenty of opportunity to improve.
The whole Picseli site has now been indexed in Google, so this is a good time to start a concentrated effort to get the site well ranked.
Current Position
According to http://www.mynameissteve.com/google-page-rank picseli.co.uk currently ranks at position 175 (page 18) in Google for 'web site design swansea'. However when I did the search myself found us at position 202 (page 21).
For 'website design swansea' we can be found on page 17 (position 161) and for 'web design swansea' we're on page 18 (position 179). Not bad as a starting point, but still plenty of opportunity to improve.
Monday, 10 November 2008
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to analyse our websites - it's available online, is easy to use and understand and provides plenty of information.
Baseline
So as a baseline to mark our search engine progress, between 21st October and 9th November we have had 153 visits to the website from 51 unique visitors. Of these visits, only 16 came via search engines, all using the keyword 'picseli'. We currently appear number 1 in Google for Picseli (One advantage of choosing an unusal company name!)
Baseline
So as a baseline to mark our search engine progress, between 21st October and 9th November we have had 153 visits to the website from 51 unique visitors. Of these visits, only 16 came via search engines, all using the keyword 'picseli'. We currently appear number 1 in Google for Picseli (One advantage of choosing an unusal company name!)
Currently it is only the Picseli home page and blog that have been indexed by Google. To find out which of your website pages are indexed by Google enter site:yourdomain.com in the Google search box. The search results will then return every page from your website that Google knows about. If it returns no pages or very few, you need to do something about it!
Choosing Keywords
Over the next few weeks I will keep an eye on these statistics and keep you posted. However, the first thing to do is identify the keywords I want to be found for. Picseli is one, web design swansea will probably be another, but the competition is high for this and many of the sites currently on the first page have been around for a lot longer than us. But what else is a challenge for?
Friday, 7 November 2008
How to...create a Facebook page for your Company
Number 2 in our How To guide is about promoting your company on Facebook. I have set up Picseli on Facebook and can now message users about promotions, new websites, events and general information.
Why Use Facebook?
I access Facebook every day to find out what my friends are up to and to catch up. If they have had a good or bad experience they tend to mention it, and word of mouth from someone you trust is worth an awful lot. For example, if I am looking for a particular product or service - a web designer perhaps - and a friend tells me she has just had a website designed, the service was great, the people were easy to get on with and the website is fab, I am much more likely to make contact with them than have to search through countless other web companies.
Facebook allows potential customers access to your company via someone they trust - their friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. You can also upload images, marketing leaflets, and videos to help promote your service, and add a 'Find me on Facebook' button to your website.
Step 1 - Get a Facebook Account
First of all you need to have a Facebook account, or find a colleague with one!
Step 2 - Create a Page
The easiest way I have found is to get to the Picseli Page (a bit of a plug I know, and if you fancy becoming a fan, please do!) and scroll right down to the bottom of the page. Here you will find a link 'Create a Page for My Business', click this!
Step 3 - Enter your Details
Enter your details on the first page - choose between Area of Business, Brand or Product and Artist, Band or Public Figure. Selecting the option thatbest describes your business. Enter your name and click 'Create Page'
Step 4 - Add some Information
From here, there is plenty you can do to make your page useful. Enter your opening hours, upload your logo or photograph, include contact details, upload photos, write reviews - anything you want. The more information you add, the better!
(The on-screen instructions are pretty good, so I won't go into details, but let me know if you want a more detailed tutorial and I'll put something together.)
Step 5 - Tell people about it!
Once your page is ready, please don't forget to Publish your page, or it won't be seen by anyone. Once you have added some information you will see a message at the top of the screen telling you that 'This page has not been published' with a link to Publish your page.
The next step is to become a fan youself (simply click the 'Become a Fan' link on the right hand side) as this will appear on your profile, letting all your friends know.
Then you will find a link that says '+ Share' - click this and it will let you post a link to your profile with more details or send a message to everyone you know.
And there you have it.
What next?
The worst thing you can do now is to not update the page regularly. Use it to keep your fans informed of news, let them use it to get in touch, upload photos, start discussion, give them handy hints. Anything to keep it interesting!
If you do set up a page following this post, please post your link here and I promise I'll become a fan!
Why Use Facebook?
I access Facebook every day to find out what my friends are up to and to catch up. If they have had a good or bad experience they tend to mention it, and word of mouth from someone you trust is worth an awful lot. For example, if I am looking for a particular product or service - a web designer perhaps - and a friend tells me she has just had a website designed, the service was great, the people were easy to get on with and the website is fab, I am much more likely to make contact with them than have to search through countless other web companies.
Facebook allows potential customers access to your company via someone they trust - their friends, family, colleagues and acquaintances. You can also upload images, marketing leaflets, and videos to help promote your service, and add a 'Find me on Facebook' button to your website.
Step 1 - Get a Facebook Account
First of all you need to have a Facebook account, or find a colleague with one!
Step 2 - Create a Page
The easiest way I have found is to get to the Picseli Page (a bit of a plug I know, and if you fancy becoming a fan, please do!) and scroll right down to the bottom of the page. Here you will find a link 'Create a Page for My Business', click this!
Step 3 - Enter your Details
Enter your details on the first page - choose between Area of Business, Brand or Product and Artist, Band or Public Figure. Selecting the option thatbest describes your business. Enter your name and click 'Create Page'
Step 4 - Add some Information
From here, there is plenty you can do to make your page useful. Enter your opening hours, upload your logo or photograph, include contact details, upload photos, write reviews - anything you want. The more information you add, the better!
(The on-screen instructions are pretty good, so I won't go into details, but let me know if you want a more detailed tutorial and I'll put something together.)
Step 5 - Tell people about it!
Once your page is ready, please don't forget to Publish your page, or it won't be seen by anyone. Once you have added some information you will see a message at the top of the screen telling you that 'This page has not been published' with a link to Publish your page.
The next step is to become a fan youself (simply click the 'Become a Fan' link on the right hand side) as this will appear on your profile, letting all your friends know.
Then you will find a link that says '+ Share' - click this and it will let you post a link to your profile with more details or send a message to everyone you know.
And there you have it.
What next?
The worst thing you can do now is to not update the page regularly. Use it to keep your fans informed of news, let them use it to get in touch, upload photos, start discussion, give them handy hints. Anything to keep it interesting!
If you do set up a page following this post, please post your link here and I promise I'll become a fan!
Tuesday, 4 November 2008
Search Engine Update
I have finally had the website handed over from the developers, and just need to add the content. (BTW - It looks great!) Before I begin the great SEO experiment, I thought I'd just check to see if Google has indexed the site at all - bearing in mind it only has an index page with very little content, and this blog - and yes, it has.
I haven't submitted the site to Google and haven't altered or amended the content since it was uploaded exactly 2 weeks ago today! (See 'Beat the Credit Crunch' post) I actually thought it would take longer than that.
Planning
So now the planning begins. I have the shell of my site and just need to write the content and begin my search engine optimising. Wish me luck!
I haven't submitted the site to Google and haven't altered or amended the content since it was uploaded exactly 2 weeks ago today! (See 'Beat the Credit Crunch' post) I actually thought it would take longer than that.
Planning
So now the planning begins. I have the shell of my site and just need to write the content and begin my search engine optimising. Wish me luck!
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