“What you need to know”. Search engine optimization is not difficult if you understand, learn and implement the basic concepts. If you know what to do, your website will get the best possible rankings on Google and other search engines. The following pointers will help you understand SEO better.

Things you should know about link building.

1.Inbound links are extremely important. The more websites link to your site, the easier it will be to get high rankings on Google. Google considers links to your site as votes for your site. The more votes your website has, the better your rankings will be. If more pages link to the website of your competitor, then it is likely that your competitor will get better rankings than you on Google.

2. It is important to get the right links In addition to the number of links to your website. Google also considers the quality of the links. Links from unrelated websites won’t help your search engine rankings as much as links from related websites that deal with a similar topic as your website. A link from a trusted website that itself has many links pointing to it will help your search engine rankings more than a link from a website with few inbound links.

3. It is important to keep on link building. Many of your competitors will continue to work on their links. If you don’t keep on working on your links, your competitors will pass you in the search engine results sooner or later.

4.Google doesn’t like paid links. Google considers links to your site as editorial votes for its quality. A paid link is not editorial. Google’s anti-spam team has asked webmasters to report paid links. If your competitors report your paid links, Google might penalize your website.

Things you should know about web page optimization

5. Search engines rank single pages in the search results. You should optimize a single page of your website for a single search term. Do not optimize the same

“Oh My God, How Dreadful!” Creating a business website can be a major investment of time, money, or both.
So how can you ensure you’re getting the most out of your investment? Keep these 6 ideas in mind when creating or improving your website and you can’t go wrong...

1.Cleanlines is next to Godliness. Do not use speckled backgrounds. Do not use unreadable type fonts and do not use animated useless or worthless gewgaws running across the website. Websites must be user friendly, easy to find and easy to read the information. Think about your target audience and appeal to their needs.
 

2.Catch them in the first 7 seconds. Do produce a fast, effective messenger. Do allow the visitors to see what the site is about or what your business does or offers as soon as they land on your Home page. Do create a professional image for your business on line that reflects your brand, product and/or service. We all live in an instant society and the Internet had a lot to do with that. So make sure you can catch your customers attention immediately within 7 seconds when they go to your website, if not they’re likely to hit the back button and go to the next site which will be guaranteed to be your competition.
 

3.The first page should load fast so do not take 20 seconds to load the first page especially if you only have 7 seconds to capture the visitors interest. Ensure there are no plug-ins for the first page. Search engines gave the visitor 1,765,459 results. Therefore they can easily go to the next website instead of down loading a plug-in.

After all, you go through the trouble of getting someone to your website, only to turn them away because they don’t have the latest plug-in?

4. Use a Navigation System that a 6-year-old can master. Do make it is extremely easy for people to find their way around your website. Do make sure that your most important pages are on the navigation menu bar in order of importance. Unless you have 100 pages or more on your website, visitors should be able to get to most of your pages within one or two clicks
 

5.Update your site regularly with fresh information. Do give visitors a reason to return to your website. Do offer important information about related issues that link to your product of service. Take our website for example http://www.markedperception.com most website design companies in Yorkshire talk about how great they are, but forget the part about their customers are looking for information. If you want help you improve both your online and offline marketing why not contact us on +44 (0) 113 3944 522 and learn how we can help

“Why update your website”. Your business website is like most things in life. Website design procedures and technology constantly change and become more advanced. Consequently it is easy for a website to become outdated very quickly. A poorly designed website could potentially hurt the success of your company with more and more people now searching for products and services on line. Therefore it is important your business is perceived in a manner that appropriately reflects the quality of the product and/or services you provide.

With more and more people, both old and young becoming more ‘web savvy’ the time has come for many businesses to recreate their on line presence with a fresh new look and design for their site. So why update.  

1.Your content is outdated. It’s pointless marketing products or services that you no longer provided, plus people get very frustrated if they find something they need and go out of their way to contact a business, only to find what they are looking for is no longer available.

2.Your website does not reflect the quality of your business products or services that your reputation deserves.

3.You have had complaints about your website. If you’ve had a complaint from just one person or business then that should set the alarm bells ringing that there’s something on your site that needs your prompt attention.

4. It is not easy for visitors to navigate around your website making it hard for traffic to find what they are looking for and the benefits of what you are offering.

5.It has not helped your business to profit or attract new custom. If you find that visitors are not viewing your site frequently or your website is not generating the uptake of enquiries and calls and/or sales then you are wasting one of your most valuable marketing tools.

6.It is not receiving any or as much traffic as you hoped then you need to be looking at the content and SEO (Search engine optimization.

7.The site takes a long time to load. People hate slow sites and if yours does not respond quick enough, chances are they will look at another provider.

If you are unsure if you need to re-design your website why not ask our Leeds web designers to give you a free inspection of your current website. Once we’ve made an assessment and if you feel you are in desperate need of a re-design then we can assign one of our web design consultants in Leeds to your current site who will give objective feedback. Should you already know the answer to your question then drop us a line +44 (0) 113 3944 522.

“Here’s our tips to evaluate a Web Designer”.
Choosing a website designer or website company can be a daunting task. So it is important above all that you like the company you choose and you feel you can communicate with them. Additionally, you should feel like when you talk to them they are listening to you and making new suggestions for your website.

However liking the website team is only one thing you should consider and there are also a few other things you should consider that may assist you in choosing which website designer is right for you.

1.Look at their past work. To put your mind at ease it is important you request to see samples of their work. They may not all be forced to be in the same industry sector, however If you are pleased with the results they have given to past clients then there is a great chance you will like and be pleased with the design they create for you.   

2.What skills does the web developer have?  Does the web designer or agency offer “design only”, or can they offer programming and maintance support after the website is developed? Can the website design company offer dynamic web development and database design to collect visitors contact details?

3.Is the website design company a one-stop shop? Be sure the website design company will be able to take your website from start to finish or will you need to look for other contractors to help finish the job. The total cost of the job will be less if you can work with one company who can design, build and program the site.

4.Will the website design company offer a written proposal? Be sure to agree on costs that will be incurred for the creation of the website and get a detailed estimate. To many design firms have a low price to get you working with them, then double, sometimes even triple their price at the end. So you should ensure they provide a proposal stating the entire content of the website they are proposing to build.

5.Does the web design company understand your goals for your website? It is important that your goals for the website are the same as the website designers. Ensure that the web designer is aware of your objectives and target market. Remember, your website is an extension of your business and is a great marketing tool if used correctly.

6.Ask how the development process is handled. Make certain that you will be able to see the progress of your website and offer approval at each stage of the process. You don’t want to start a project and then two months later be given the final website without ever seeing it along the way.

7.Ensure your web designer understands the value of marketing. A large percentage of web designers are exactly that “a designer” who will make your site look great but not add any more value. Unless you are a household brand, people need to identify the value of your product and/or service to be confident; therefore you must build your site with marketing in mind. By designing a “marketing” website you will gain visitors interest, ensuring they leave their details to receive up-to-date information “permission marketing” or at the very least return to your site.

8.Will the website design company be able to handle Search Engine Marketing after the website is complete? Be sure the company you choose is able to continue working with you after your website is completed. There is no sense in having a website unless you want to attract visitor via Google and other search engines.

We’re sure you have your own questions too and would obviously love to work with you, but even if you just want more advise or your questions answering we help in every way we can so feel free to call our website designers in Leeds at Marked Perception +44 (0) 113 3944 522 we’d be happy to answer all these questions for you and many more.   

If you’ve viewed our site www.markedperception.com then you’ll see we can handle the website design, the marketing and the search engine optermization (SEO) for your website.

“Ensure your website doesn’t turn Customers Away" A potential customer browsing the web looking for a company to work with or purchase from wants to be reassured that the company is legitimate, credible and reliable so here’s a few pointers from our website designers in Leeds identifying the Red Flags and mistakes websites you want to avoid. As customers are leery if....

1.There’s no phone number on the website even though customers are finding your website online, they are reassured that they can call to talk to someone live. Always make sure a phone number is on the top of your website and is easily identified. It also so helps your search rankings in Google if your phone number and address appears on every page, this can appear on its own or in news articles, features and general body copy.

2.There’s no broken links - links are not working on your website. If links do not work, customers wonder about the reliability and credibility as a company, Get frustrated and will go to the next website, especially if there is more than one link not working.

3.There’s no out of date information. Keeping your website updated with current information is essential. When was your website created? 2 years ago, three years ago, or more? Has your business changed in this time? If so, make sure the changes to your product or services are reflected on your website. It is also advised that if your website is more than 3 years old and you have not been updating the content and its image you may want to give it an MOT or trade it in for a newer version, this shows your business is a success and moving with the times. 

4.There’s no Testimonial page. People do business with people. Customers are reassured reading testimonials and referrals from customers about your company.

5.Waiting for websites. Flash introductions take time to load down on a computer and customers may be impatient to watch and wait and may go to an alternative site. Websites need to function well and down load easily to be seen.

If your website is in need of an MOT and you need advise drop of Leeds web designer a line on +44 (0) 113 3944 522.

“What’s the advantages of having a great website"and why is it so important for your business to have one?

Here’s the advantages.

1.It’s well known that consumers now search for products and services online before making purchases. Being found on the internet will give certainly give you a massive advantage over your competition when they pick up the phone and call you rather than your competition to arrange a visit or enquire about your product and/or services.

2.You are able to do business when it is convenient for your client or potential customer whether it be during your busy working day or during the middle of the night. Having a website means you are never actually closed and if you choose an e-commerce website to sell your products, your customers can shop with you 24 hours a day.

3. Many consumers can become educated about your business and can easily find answers to many of their questions which will help customers identify your products and services and will cut back on wasted calls and time wasters.

4.Your website can provide further support to existing customers by offering them valuable information such as product specifications and features, help solve their problems, how-to procedures, diagrams, pictures and help lines. By having this on your website for visitors to access means help is available 24 hours a day and some companies have been able to decrease the number of customer services employees they have.  

5.There is potential for your website to become a resource of information for the public. By supplying helpful tips and articles that are relevant to your industry, you can share your knowledge becoming an industry expert which will give visitors a reason to save/ bookmark your URL and revisit your website in the future.

6.Consumers have more confidence in people and prefer doing business with companies that they know something about. Inform visitors about the structure of your company, your staff, the products and services you offer, testimonials, case studies, your special offers, competitions, awards, employment opportunities, community involvement, newsletters.

7. You can start a relationship
Having a website allows you to collect the details of people who visit your site. By offering them something of interest… a newsletter, 10% off, FREE report in exchange for their details allows you to stay in contact with them until the point they buy or unsubscribe. Unless you can build deep, meaningful relationships with your customers, they'll always treat you as just a vendor, buying solely on price, leaving you wide open to rival businesses.

7. Your website gives you a bigger advert for less money. You can have pages upon pages of information about your latest products or services in much greater detail than you would ever be able to have if you were to pay for an advert in a traditional newspaper or magazine.

8. Your website can reach a wider audience. Having a website allows you to reach potential customers locally, nationally and worldwide at no extra coast

effectively putting your business on every street corner around the globe.

9. Your website can be updated for less. We’re sure you have been in a situation where your prices or products have changed, so your catalogue/price list/product literature/marketing literature becomes out dated. Not only is all your existing literature now worthless, but you also need to make a substantial investment in order to produce new updated material. With a website, these problems are minimal as a website can be updated with new prices and information at the click off a button.

10. You can test out new products or services instantly and less expensively by sending emails to your list of current customers and contacts. By uploading a new website page setting out the relevant information and sending an e-mail to your database of existing (and relevant) customers, on receipt of your email they can then visit your website for more details and information, creating a simple and inexpensive way of testing out new ideas (you can also ask them for their views) allowing you to acquire very quick customer feedback from a large audience with an online form that could be filled out in seconds - providing valuable information to you, with minimal inconvenience to your customer.

If you are ready to join the world of the Internet and boost your on-line presence contact us on +44 (0) 113 3944 522.