Category Archives: Website Content

Do You Have The Time For SEO?

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As a business owner it is more than likely that you’ll want to see a rapid return on the money and time that is spent on SEO. You may well be keen to achieve the top rankings for specific keywords and maximise the amount of conversions that take place on your site. Unfortunately it may take a series of weeks and months until you reap any benefits in the competitive online world.

Setting Realistic Targets

It is important to note that sites which rank highly in your business niche have probably been the focus of sustained SEO campaigns. Your competitors may have spent considerable amounts of time creating shareable content and finding different ways of interacting with the online audience. It would be unrealistic to expect to crash their SEO party in the short term. You should set your sights a little lower during the earliest stages and see gradual progression as a positive.

Doing Your Research

Before taking the long march to SEO success it is very important that you take time to assess the battlefield. You will be required to thoroughly analyse the link profiles of rival websites that have a significant presence on Google and the other leading search engines. You will also have to research the types of long-tail keywords that you stand a reasonable chance of ranking for. It may not surprise you to hear that this research can take considerable amounts of time.

Creating Content

It is worth pointing out that every new website owner is behind the curve when it comes to the generation of good quality content. The major rivals may have spent a number of years building links from Youtube videos and guest blog posts. They may also have dedicated large amounts of time to engaging potential customers via the social networking websites. So if you’re new to the game then you can expect to have a tough time playing catch up.

Abusing The System

There are always going to be a number of eager online marketeers who are prepared to cut corners in a bid to shoot up the rankings. In previous years these webmasters have adopted black hat techniques, including the stuffing of meta tags with targeted keywords and the mass purchase of poor quality links. However, the leading search engines have become wise to such tactics and shown that they are prepared to impose considerable penalties.

Employing Expert Assistance

As a 21st century webmaster it is imperative that you play by the SEO rule book. If you don’t have the time to create exceptional blog posts and engage your target market then it would be advisable to use the top-notch services provided by Fusewave. We have the skills and knowledge to ensure ultimate success in the medium to long-term. So go ahead and give us a call on 0121 2851049 today!

Creating Effective Landing Pages

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Landing pages are often created by website owners as a means of promoting certain products or services to defined target markets. They are typically written in accordance with the overall brand message, in a style and language that potential customers can relate to. If you’re keen on developing effective landing pages then it would be worth following the tips in this article.

Technically Optimise Your Landing Pages

It is absolutely necessary to ensure that any landing pages you create are properly optimised. This means that search engine listings should point directly to the relevant page. Any meta-tags that you create should contain the right keywords and provide a good overview of the landing page. And don’t forget to check compatibility with various devices and browsers.

Use Persuasive Language

It is more than likely that the primary purpose of your landing page is to persuade people to invest in your products or services. You should therefore focus on the core desires of your target audience and outline the major benefits of your offerings. It is important to include the major details about your company and the sales message above the fold of the landing page. This is the area that prospective customers will see after the initial click-through.

Include An Effective Call To Action

If you’re keen on maximising the conversion rate of your landing page then it is essential to develop and feature a clear call to action. This may invite the potential customers to sign up for a newsletter or leave their contact details. A particularly effective call to action will create a sense of urgency and feature persuasive verbs such as discover or buy.

Create Visually Attractive Landing Pages

Research has revealed that landing pages featuring images stand a higher likelihood of engaging web users. So you should make sure that images of your products or happy customers are included. You might even consider the incorporation of videos highlighting the benefits of your products. Just make sure that visual elements do not distract your site visitors from the core message of the landing page.

Test Your Landing Pages

As a success driven online marketeer you should be constantly striving to improve the appeal of your landing pages. You should try out various calls to action and themes as a means of discovering what works and what doesn’t. If you want to simplify the process of split testing then it would be worth using online tools such as Optimisely and Unbounce.

Enlist Professional Support

If you need help with the general optimisation or design of your landing pages then please contact Fusewave on 0121 2851049. Our expert team have many years of experience with regards to the development and deployment of effective online content.

5 Ways Of Maximising Your Online Conversions

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As a website owner you probably realise the importance of keeping a tabs on visitor numbers and social media engagement. However, it would be fair to say that the ultimate success of your website and business will depend on the number of conversions that are made. In basic terms the conversions equate to the percentage of people who actually purchase a product or service from your website. You can keep the rate at a desirable level by following some of the tips in this article.

Take Account Of User Behaviour

It would be a very good idea to analyse the types of content that interest your website visitors. If they spend great amounts of time looking at a particular product then you may consider organising a targeted promotion. You should also find out which pages have the highest bounce rate. Think about the possible explanations for this. Could it be that the text is hard to read or that the images take a long time to load?

Encourage Customer Feedback

It is worth bearing in mind that the majority of online shoppers are savvy. They will seek the opinion of other people who have purchased and made extensive use of your products. So it makes perfect sense to incorporate a website testimonial page. You may also create the impression that your company cares by asking for suggestions on how to improve your products.

Ensure That Your Website Is Relevant

You should track the developments in your industry and make website adjustments accordingly. For example, companies specialising in the provision of SEO assistance would be well advised to keep their customers updated on the latest Google algorithm updates. It would also be a good idea to consider the demographics of your site visitors and market your products accordingly.

Focus On Accessibility And Usability

It may be tempting to use snazzy fonts and feature videos on your website. However, it would be far more sensible and effective to create individual pages which are clear and easy to use. Make sure that the user experience is streamlined and that your site is compatible with various web browsers. And remember that the end goal is to convert your site visitors into customers.

Update & Test Your Website

It is well known that Google and the other major search engines give precedence to websites that are regularly updated with good quality content. So you should constantly be striving to develop your pages and develop content that engages the target audience. You will ideally use multivariate and split testing tools to ensure that your website is ultimately effective.

Fusewave Are Here To Help

It is quite likely that you’ll be keen on maximising the potential for website conversions. However, you may lack the time or expertise to dedicate to this task. That’s where the Fusewave team can be of assistance. Give us a call on 0121 2851049 for a no-obligation discussion about the ways in which we can improve your online fortunes!

What Are Bad Links?

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It is well known that Google and the other major search engines take links into consideration when calculating the rankings of different websites. However, it is also important to note that links are not treated equally. There are some that guarantee SEO benefit and others that have a negative impact. We will consider links that fall into the latter category in this article.

Paid Links

It is quite likely that you’ll have noticed the flashy advertisements offering the acquirement of 100′s of links for a nominal price. Perhaps unsurprisingly Google are firmly against the purchase of such links. The recent Interflora penalisation proved that they are also prepared to take tough action against businesses that insert links into paid advertorials. Businesses that adopt these tactics are apparently abusing the system in the quest for higher rankings.

Links From ‘Bad’ Sites

It would be fair to say that ethical boundaries are blurred on the internet. One moment Google may penalise a porn site, the next they might turn a blind eye to a site promoting misogyny. As a webmaster the best bet is to refuse association with any sites that are ethically questionable.

Reciprocal Links

In the days when SEO was a relatively new term the search engines encouraged website owners to adopt the strategy of establishing links with other relevant niche sites. However, they changed their tune after discovering that some websites were featuring pages with thousands of reciprocal links. Now the focus is on moderation.

Guest Blog Links

It is important to note that guest blogging is a valid and potentially fruitful SEO strategy. However, you should only devote your time to the development of top notch content for posting on high quality websites. If you post uninformative blogs on general sites purely for the purpose of building do-follow links then you’ll be opening your website up to the prospect of penalisation.

Broken Links

It is quite common for links to fail after changes are made to different websites. As an example, you might forget to remove internal links that point to updated or discarded pages. This will become an issue when the broken links start to build up, causing problems for the search engine crawlers and the categorisation of your site as bad quality.

Do Your Site Have Bad Links?

If you’re worried that bad links may be pointing to your website then it would be worth giving Fusewave a call on 0121 2851049. Our expert team will be able to identify and remove any links that are causing a problem with regards to SEO.

How To Optimise Your Website Images

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Image Reel

As an online marketeer you might well know that there are millions of images available for commercial use on websites such as Flickr and Shutterstock. You can find appealing pictures of everything, from the animals of Africa to pretty cottages in the UK. However, you may not fully understand how to integrate these images for the maximum SEO benefit. Thankfully the expert team at Fusewave have created this helpful list of tips.

Match The Images With The Words

There are such a wide variety of images to choose from that you may have trouble picking the right ones for your website. The final selection should really depend upon the types of keywords that you are targeting. If you’re attempting to rank for a keyword such as ‘affordable holidays’ then pick some images of sun kissed beaches and aeroplanes. Simple!

Use Keywords In Your File Names

It is well known that the search engines take the names of image files and folders into account when ranking websites. So you should use keywords and phrases in place of non-descriptive titles such as ‘Pixma000001′ or ‘Flickr0023′. Google has also urged webmasters to ensure that all images are contained within a single folder and use well known file types such as ‘PNG’ and ‘JPEG’.

Create Alt-Descriptions

Crawlers from Google and the other leading search engines will not see the images on your website. Instead, they will rely upon a snippet of alt-text to tell them what the images are about. This text will also show up in place of any images that cannot be loaded on people’s computers. So make sure that it is relevant and meaningful. If you want to avoid SEO penalisation then do not stuff your alt tags with keywords.

Manage Image Sizes & Settings

No matter how pretty a picture looks, it shouldn’t be incorporated at the cost of your website’s navigability. Oversized or highly detailed images should be discarded as they take up too much browser space and may even cause slow loading times. However, it may be possible to overcome such problems by using online resizers such as Picresize or one of the well known desktop imaging programmes.

Build Links To Your Images

If you want your pictures to feature highly on the search engines then you should build keyword rich image links. You may integrate these within your own website and as part of any guest blogs or descriptions that you upload to third party sites. Such tactics would be a particularly good idea for the owners of specialist photography or artist websites.

Let The Experts Guide You

The team at Fusewave have a great amount of experience with regards to the optimisation of images and other aspects of online marketing. If you’re in any doubt about the complexities of SEO then please give us a call on 0121 2851049.

Dispelling The Search Engine Myths

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Search pic

Those of you who have attempted to learn about SEO will know that there is an abundance of information online. Some of it has been provided by knowledgeable experts with a track record of online success. However, there are also a number of shady marketeers with an interest in spreading search engine myths. If you aren’t entirely confident about the identification of outdated and ethically questionable online data then it would be a good idea to have a read of this Fusewave blog.

Search Engine Submissions

Back in the days when Google was on a level playing field with MSN and ASK webmasters were expected to fill out lengthy website submission forms. However, it soon became clear that the system was being abused by spammers. The search engines responded by sending crawlers out irrespective of the submissions. It is now widely recognised that the best means of search engine promotion is by earning good quality links.

Google Page Rank

People who are new to SEO sometimes fixate upon the green page rank bar in the mistaken belief that it is the most important measure of online success. However, there are a number of websites that manage to achieve high organic listings without having PR scores of 5 and above. Why is this? Well Google actually take account of many other factors, including, keyword usage, link profiles and social media engagement.

Meta Keywords Tag

If you have a look at some of the more dated books on search engine optimisation you’ll undoubtedly find passages regarding the correct use of the keywords meta tag. Unfortunately the time taken to select and deploy keywords from your well researched list will not be worthwhile. That’s because the search engines now ignore this tag in the ranking of websites.

Keyword Density

There have been a number of articles written concerning the suitable density of keywords. Some of the ‘experts’ suggest that you should aim for a deployment rate of between 3% and 5%. Others claim that it’s possible to avoid penalisation even if your website has a keyword density of over 10%. That’s all very well. However, it doesn’t mean that your customers will be happy finding multiple mentions of ‘cheap plumbing services’ or ‘discount holidays’. It’s far better to produce interesting content that reads naturally than keyword stuffed junk that puts people off.

Google Adwords

Some of you may be under the impression that there is a direct link between your organic website ranking and the amount of money that is spent on adwords. However, the cold-hearted Google bot won’t care if you spend all of your marketing budget in return for advertising space. As the Google CEO Matt Cutts has said ‘If you buy adwords on the right hand side the page … it doesn’t give you any sort of algorithmic boost so that you like higher in the search engines … there’s always a few conspiracy theories but for the most part people know that that’s true’.

If In Doubt Contact Fusewave

In order to to learn more about the search engines and latest SEO techniques you should give  Fusewave a call on 0121 285 1049. We’ll provide the right kind of guidance to ensure that you achieve online success!

Building Links For Your Small Business Website

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people circle

It has been mentioned in previous Fusewave blogs that the acquirement of good quality links is an essential part of any successful SEO campaign. They act as votes of popularity from other industry experts and loyal customers. Google and the other search engines take these votes into consideration when ranking different websites. However, it is important to note that the big businesses have more time and resources to devote to the establishment of links. They can spend money on the creation of snazzy infographics and detailed industry reports. How do you react as a small business owner?

Create Guest Posts

You could see it as a mixed blessing that there is so much interesting and freely available content available on the internet. On the one hand it may help you to keep up with the latest industry developments. On the other it may mean that you have to put in a considerable effort to win the battle for customer attention. Even if you do spend considerable amounts of time crafting extremely valuable resources, they may still not be seen by the target audience. You can address this issue by posting examples of your best work to websites that already have a large community of visitors.

Make The Most Of Business Relationships

It is quite likely that you’re in regular contact with a network of local businesses and suppliers . It would be a good idea to build on these relationships by asking to be featured on the ‘links’ pages of companies that aren’t in direct competition. You might even opt to send out a regular newsletter with an invitation to feature a link. And don’t forget to spread the love by pointing site visitors to websites of general interest.

Offer Freebies To Your Customers

People are generally very happy at the prospect of receiving something for nothing. They might tell their friends and family members about the free lessons that they managed to discover on a guitar website. Alternatively they may spread the word about discounts and free delivery offered by local restaurants. Such companies will generate a buzz and stand a great chance of attracting website links.

Take The Opportunity To Be Social

You may find it hard to decide which of the many social media websites to target. The best advice would be to discover which ones your customers visit most frequently. Take some time to research their online habits and consider the use that direct competitors make of social media. Then set about the process of uploading link worthy content and posting special offers for those who are happy to interact.

Hire The Expert Link Builders

The team at Fusewave have considerable experience with regards to the creation of targeted link building campaigns for small businesses. Give them a call on 0121 285 1049 for advice on how kick start your SEO campaign today!

Website Copywriting Mistakes That You Might Be Making

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web writingWith so much focus on keywords, website design and link building, it would be very easy to forget the importance of creating highly engaging web copy. However, if you don’t take the time to write good quality web pages then there is every chance that your visitors will move on. You are advised to take your time in the production of drafts and ensure that you don’t put people off by making the following mistakes!

Failing To Think From The Customer’s Perspective

As a passionate business owner you may feel particularly excited about the finer details of your products and services. As an example, you may have produced a car tyre that guarantees a high level of grip, no matter the road conditions. Unfortunately the typical website visitor will have neither the time nor the inclination to read about the superior rubber moulding and various design processes that were used. Rather than incorporating mundane details, you should write in a clear and concise way, highlighting the features and benefits that will be of general interest.

Writing Dull And Boring Copy

Although you might start out with a high level of motivation, the process of creating various web pages could quickly become an uphill challenge. After a while you might be tempted to sacrifice quality for quantity. The problem is that your website visitors will become bored and frustrated if they encounter tedious product descriptions and company profiles. The chances of making all important conversions will therefore decrease. However, it is possible to prevent negative customer reactions by breaking the writing tasks down into manageable chunks and spending a short amount of time writing well styled, engaging copy each day.

Keyword Stuffing

You might well be interested in generating large amounts of web traffic and boosting your search engine rankings. The temptation might even be to write large amounts of content containing your targeted keywords. However, it is worth remembering that potential customers will be put off by multiple mentions of ‘cheap holidays’ or ‘quality writing services’. You should also resist the inclusion of misspelled words and grammatically incorrect phrasings as a means of building the number of click-throughs.

Failing To Build A Sense Of Community

The most successful websites are generally those that engage fully with the online community. They might feature blogs which inspire conversation and invite customers to suggest ideas for improvement. It is also a good idea to give your website a personal touch by including a mixture of client testimonials. Webmasters who don’t follow these guidelines will be missing out on the opportunity to build a loyal community of followers and brand advocates.

Refusing To Ask For Help

It’s an unfortunate truth that few people are born with the same literary skills of Shakespeare or the ability to persuade in a similar style to David Ogilvy. Thankfully it is possible to enlist the assistance of professional writers who can make your web copy shine. You can even build copywriting into the overall process of website promotion with Fusewave. Give us a call on 0121 285 1049 today!

What Are High Quality Back-links & How Can You Obtain Them?

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The Freeze On Unethical Link Practices

The development of back-links has long been seen as an essential way of boosting search engine rankings. Such emphasis has been put on the importance of these online connectors that some webmasters have been tempted to partake in mass linking schemes and register with low quality online directories. However, in 2012 Google sent their mighty Penguin into action with the aim of cleaning up the linked landscape. Websites that had been promoted in unethical ways were to be heavily penalised.

Website owners and the community of SEO experts have been in a state of shock and anxiety since the release of the Penguin. They realise that links are still an important part of the SEO mix. However, they can’t afford a drop in rankings and search engine traffic. That’s why the knowledgeable Fusewave team have come up with this handy little guide.

Defining High Quality Back-links

First of all it is worth outlining the kind of high quality back-link that will not land you in trouble with the search engine authorities. This kind of pointer will generally come from a related and highly trusted third party website. As an example, the website of a reputable local college could link out to a seller of high quality stationery for students. The ideal back-link should also come from a website with a relatively high page-rank and use relevant anchor text. It should ideally been given a do-follow attribute.

Commenting On Blogs

So, we’ve established some of the key specifications of high quality back-links. Now it’s time to outline some of appropriate ways in which to build them. To begin with you might like to consider leaving blog comments containing all important links. If done in the right way, this is an excellent way of establishing yourself as an authority. For example, you could provide the answer to a highly technical question that has left other members of the online community stumped. You could even link back to a report that you’ve written, as long as it is relevant.

Producing And Publishing Content

While we’re on the subject of blogs, you might like to consider writing some top notch posts for websites that operate in your niche area. As the owner of a website specialising in environmental issues, you could write a post on the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. It is possible to find websites offering guest blogging opportunities on myblogguest.com.

As a considerate and respectable member of the online community you might even like to reward other producers of good quality content. You could encourage top notch writers to upload pieces onto your own blog. Alternatively you could post pictures or videos that are being freely distributed by multimedia experts. They might return the favour by linking back to your website in the future.

Fusewave Can Help

For more ideas on how to generate high quality back-links you are encouraged to give Fusewave a call on 0121 285 1049. Our team of experts can produce content that engages people and search engines in the right way.

Expert Opinion On Google’s Link Disavow Tool

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Google released their link disavow tool earlier this month to a mixed response from the community of SEO experts and webmasters. The search engine giants explained that their new utility was designed as a means of enabling the removal of ‘bad links’. They warned that it should only be used as a last resort, after web site owners had tried more traditional methods of cleaning up their link portfolios. However, leading analysts have argued that there is the potential for unethical and potentially harmful use of this tool.

A Threat From The Inside

Companies who really upon the marketing power of Google have been warned that discontent and angry workers could use the link disavow tool to ill effect. An IT manager set for redundancy could bring their employer’s website down by removing links that have taken time and effort to build. The risk of such an occurance will be of considerable worry to bosses all over the world, especially after Google has warned that it will take some time to re-integrate any links that have been disavowed.

The Potential For Negative SEO

There is also an external threat from competitors who stand to benefit from seeing your search engine rankings plummet. As an extension to the expanding list of negative SEO tactics, webmasters could deliberately remove all links that they have to your website. Moreover, they could post negative forum comments and send emails outlining the supposedly shady aspects of your website. This could cause the mass removal of valuable links and perhaps even signal a need for inspection by Google.

Webmasters Urged To Be Careful

The final danger is that webmasters could react to Google spam warnings by performing a mass purge of existing links. They might well see the link disavow tool as their last chance for salvation against Google penalisation. This is despite Matt Cutt’s advice to Use caution. Don’t just start disavowing links. Please start slow.’ It is important to note that a simple error in the detailing of disavowed sites could lead to a great fall in the search engine rankings.

Web site owners are reminded that the link disavow tool has been designed for users with an advanced level of knowledge. Anybody who has received warnings regarding link spam should seek the assistance of the SEO experts at Fusewave (call 0121 285 1049), rather than take matters into their own hands with the use of the link disavow tool!