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		<title>Top Tips for Writing a Marketing Email</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/top-tips-for-writing-a-marketing-email/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Apr 2019 08:39:36 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=737</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Most of us send emails, and for all sorts of reasons. Writing a really good marketing email can be useful</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/top-tips-for-writing-a-marketing-email/">Top Tips for Writing a Marketing Email</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Most of us send emails, and for all sorts of reasons. Writing a really good marketing email can be useful to give existing customers a nudge, or to let new ones what you can do for them. Here’s some top tips to get you started.<span id="more-737"></span></p>
<h5><strong>Don’t break any GDPR rules!</strong></h5>
<p>GDPR protects EU citizens from privacy and data breaches. It means that you can only send marketing emails to an EU citizen if they have freely provided specific permission for you to do so. If the customer is an EU citizen who hasn’t voluntarily subscribed to your mailing list, don’t hit send, or there may be big fines coming your way!</p>
<h5><strong>Write a successful email subject line</strong></h5>
<p>The subject line is the first thing your audience sees. The more engaging, relevant, and personal, the better. Avoid! Exclamation! Marks! AND ALL-CAPITALS. Over enthusiastic use of either can come across as aggressive, or even spammy.</p>
<p>Importantly, make sure it reflects what is actually going on in the email itself. Even though getting someone to actually open the email is part of the battle, getting them to do it under false pretences is likely to irritate them.</p>
<h5><strong>Check the preview text</strong></h5>
<p>A lot of recipients will be able to see a preview of the email, in addition to the subject line. Usually it’s first part of the email itself, so use this as another opportunity to get that email opened.</p>
<h5><strong>Who reads your marketing mails?</strong></h5>
<p>Know your audience! Why did they sign up to your mailing list? Deliver the content which they asked to receive. Otherwise they’ll start unsubscribing from future communications, narrowing the net of who you can make big announcements to.</p>
<h5><strong>Structure your marketing email</strong></h5>
<p>Keep your paragraphs short, and stick to one idea or theme per paragraph. This makes it easier for your reader to absorb information. Even the most complex subjects can be broken down into bitesize chunks.</p>
<h5><strong>Sound like a human being, not a stereotype</strong></h5>
<p>It’s horribly easy to use marketing-speak. Maybe it’s just something that we’re all so used to, that it’s just what comes out, especially when we’re trying to sound how we think our customers expect us to? It doesn’t have to be dull or clichéd. Try writing in a conversational style, see if that helps.</p>
<h5><strong>Why do you want to email your customers?</strong></h5>
<p>Make sure there is a point to your email, and actually make it. It doesn’t have to be abrupt, but make sure it’s obvious why you’re emailing.</p>
<h5><strong>Grammar. Punctuation. Spelling.</strong></h5>
<p>Not everyone is a copywriter. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are not something that everyone’s good at. Spellchecker can do a lot, or ask someone to sort it out for you, without losing the tone or message you wanted to get across.</p>
<h5><strong>Don’t be downhearted</strong></h5>
<p>After sending out a pitch or marketing email, it’s tempting to sit there refreshing your email inbox. Don’t fret if things don’t work out. Have a think to see if there’s anything you can do differently, and try again.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/top-tips-for-writing-a-marketing-email/">Top Tips for Writing a Marketing Email</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>Why Your Business Needs a Content Strategy (and how to make one)</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-your-business-needs-a-content-strategy-and-how-to-make-one/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-your-business-needs-a-content-strategy-and-how-to-make-one/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Tom]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Mar 2019 16:43:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=711</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>What is content? In the digital marketing world, content is information shared online for an audience. It can be written</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-your-business-needs-a-content-strategy-and-how-to-make-one/">Why Your Business Needs a Content Strategy (and how to make one)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<h5><strong>What is content?</strong></h5>
<p>In the digital marketing world, content is information shared online for an audience. It can be written word, video, images, infographics, a case study, a pod cast…</p>
<p>The idea is that your audience find your published content, and then find <em>you</em> and the services or products you can provide. It doesn’t always have to be news about your own activities.</p>
<p>It might not always be obvious how to do this, but don’t be afraid to be creative. For example? A plumber could provide an update about a new Government scheme to replace boilers, and how the company can help. <span id="more-711"></span></p>
<h5><strong>How to make sure your content is getting read</strong></h5>
<p>Putting your content on the internet is a start, but with so much new content appearing online every day, you might find yourself getting lost in the crowd. This is where your content strategy comes in. Having an organised approach sounds like another unwanted task on what is probably an eye-watering to-do list, but it’s definitely worth it (we promise).</p>
<h6><strong>Writing Content for the Right Audience</strong></h6>
<p>Having a proper understanding of who is actually using your products and services will give you a better idea of who to pitch your content at. Basically, who are they, and what do they want to read?</p>
<p>Thinking you know who your customers are is a common mistake, and most people are surprised to discover the real demographic of their audience. Getting some proper information is essential; use Google Analytics, a survey, or poll social media – whatever works for you.</p>
<h6><strong>What Topics and Keywords Should your Content Include?</strong></h6>
<p>Keywords are a big part of what makes your content appear in search results. You want to understand what your customers are looking for, and make sure you use those as your keywords, or cover them as topics.</p>
<p>For example, a physiotherapist might write content about the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric as a way of connecting with people who are in pain, and make them aware of other solutions that are available.</p>
<p>The important thing here is not just volume, but the <em>right sort </em>of volume. Using high-traffic keywords is great, but the chances are everyone else will also be using them. Look at the niche terms which apply to your topic and business.</p>
<h6><strong>Scheduling Your Content</strong></h6>
<p>Another good way to build a regular audience is to be reliable. Plan when you are going to publish new content, and what it is going to be. This helps you to get everything ready, and with enough time for a double check of any clangers.</p>
<p>If you plan something, and then a news story breaks that is relevant, you can always cover that instead, and reuse your planned content another time.</p>
<p>There are lots of online apps that can help you schedule your content, or even publish it for you when it’s time. Making a list somewhere, having a spreadsheet, or marking it in your diary also works.</p>
<p><em>If this sounds daunting, or you just don’t have time but want to upgrade your blog or social media content, we might be able to help. Contact </em><a href="https://teamorganic.co.uk/"><em>Team Organic</em></a><em> for more information. </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-your-business-needs-a-content-strategy-and-how-to-make-one/">Why Your Business Needs a Content Strategy (and how to make one)</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>What Engagement Metrics Mean for Your Content Marketing</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/what-engagement-metrics-mean-for-your-content-marketing/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/what-engagement-metrics-mean-for-your-content-marketing/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jul 2018 11:16:46 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=610</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Metrics can be a confusing realm for the untrained eye to be lost in; luckily we’ve got some top tips</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/what-engagement-metrics-mean-for-your-content-marketing/">What Engagement Metrics Mean for Your Content Marketing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Metrics can be a confusing realm for the untrained eye to be lost in; luckily we’ve got some top tips on how you can use them to your content’s advantage.</p>
<p>Creating content isn’t all planning and punctuation.</p>
<p>There’s a lot more to a sound content marketing plan than simply thinking up an idea and hoping it works in your favour – if you want something to do well you need to create a cohesive plan that will take into account what content currently performs the best.</p>
<p>If you’re creating content that’s only vaguely related to your business in hopes that you’ll get more traffic to your site you might want to rethink your current methods.</p>
<p>Engagement metrics are a huge part of coming up with a content marketing plan that works. Here’s just how – used in the right way – they can help you improve your content marketing.<span id="more-610"></span></p>
<h5><strong>What is engagement?</strong></h5>
<p>Briefly put, engagement is exactly what you might think it is. When someone interacts with content on your website you’re able to see this and define from this what works well and what doesn’t.</p>
<p>Content engagement metrics, unlike views or visitors, can tell you whether your content is actually creating an impact on the people reading it. This in depth overview allows you to work out what kind of content garners the best response and what you should continue to create (and what you shouldn’t).</p>
<h5><strong>How it’s tracked</strong></h5>
<p>Engagement is measured through a variety of means, which means you’re able to determine exactly how it’s performing and see which method of pushing it is working best.</p>
<h6><strong>Google Analytics</strong></h6>
<p>The main way you’ll be able to view the performance and engagement of any given metric is via Google Analytics.</p>
<p>Through this you can see specific data relating to a piece of content, such as time on page, average session duration, bounce rate and any comments which have been left.</p>
<p>The time on page determines how long an individual stayed on the content for. This is usually quite a telling metric – especially when coupled with the average session duration metric.</p>
<p>With these two metrics you can see which content encourages people to stay on for longer. You can then determine what types of content going forward will gain the same reaction, although it’s worth noting that timing and circumstance can often have an input, so it may take multiple posts at various times to determine what really does work.</p>
<p>The bounce rate determines how many users click off the content right after they have arrived on the page. You might do this if you’ve been taken to the wrong page or if there was a click-bait headline that doesn’t reflect the content within the article.</p>
<p>Finally, comments. These are the most insightful pieces of data you can gather, as they’ll show you exactly how a person responded to the content. Often people choose to comment on a piece because they’re passionate about the cause it represents – or because it evokes another strong emotion (such as anger).</p>
<p>Whatever the reason is it will become apparent in the comments left. Comments are an important metric because a lot of commitment has to come from a user; first they have to read the whole post so they can comment on its entirety, then they have to form an opinion of what they want to say themselves and then potentially log in in order to comment.</p>
<h6><strong>Social media</strong></h6>
<p>Another way to measure the engagement of your content is to see how well it performs when pushed on social channels. Other factors could influence its performance here, so it’s important that you look at all the metrics as a whole, rather than just in isolation.</p>
<p>On social media your likes, mentions, shares, comments and follower growth all act as an indicator as to whether your content is working or not.</p>
<p>While likes, comments and shares will determine the success of a specific piece of content, measuring your follower growth will help you see if your content as a collective is interesting enough for you to gain followers from.</p>
<h6><strong>Email</strong></h6>
<p>As well as through Google Analytics and social media, you can also monitor engagement metrics via email.</p>
<p>As with any channel you push through, how you push will be a big determining factor on whether the content performs well.</p>
<p>Another factor to consider when you’re sharing content is how it’s branded and what images you’re using to depict the content. High quality photos directly related to the subject will usually perform well – however unless you hire a photographer or are willing to run the risk of a fine for use of a copyrighted image you’ll need to think up something different.</p>
<p>There are plenty of creative commons images and low cost stock site images that can be used to help you boost your post and give it the branding it deserves.</p>
<p><em>Are you in a tizz over engagement metrics? Or do you have your content strategy perfectly planned with metrics in mind? Leave your comments in the section below or get in touch over on Twitter by tweeting </em><a href="https://twitter.com/MyDigitalWirral"><em>@MyDigitalWirral</em></a><em>. </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/what-engagement-metrics-mean-for-your-content-marketing/">What Engagement Metrics Mean for Your Content Marketing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>Why Content is a Reliable Marketing Technique in 2018</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-content-is-a-reliable-marketing-technique-in-2018/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-content-is-a-reliable-marketing-technique-in-2018/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 12 Jul 2018 15:05:38 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=599</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>There are many different aspects to a good SEO marketing plan, and one of the important ones is content. It’s</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-content-is-a-reliable-marketing-technique-in-2018/">Why Content is a Reliable Marketing Technique in 2018</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are many different aspects to a good SEO marketing plan, and one of the important ones is content.</p>
<p>It’s a huge aspect of organic SEO, especially if you’re hoping to grow your business and increase the amount of traffic coming through – that hopefully convert to leads!</p>
<p>However, it seems like search engines are forever changing the rules, and things that used to be important yesterday aren’t today.</p>
<p>If you’re unsure about the relevance of content marketing in 2018, here are some points that could sway you.<span id="more-599"></span></p>
<h3>Become a resource</h3>
<p>Writing content that’s fact-based and insightful to your target audience is a sure fire way to get them coming back to your site for more advice.</p>
<p>We’ve all seen the websites that offer poor content. There’s little solution, minimal accurate grammar and keywords galore. Instead of trying to trick your way to the top of Google as these websites do, you’d be much better off by actually helping out your clients and offering them some much-needed advice in the form of resources.</p>
<h3>Gain authority</h3>
<p>While you’re working on becoming a resource for your clients and readers, you’ll also be gaining authority as an industry brand.</p>
<p>Other ways that you can build your authority in the industry is to create niche content that won’t apply to as many of your customers but will have a higher chance of being read by those who it does apply to. Keeping up to date on industry news and incorporating this into your blog is also a sure fire way to keep your website on the good side of Google (and your readers).</p>
<p>By becoming an authority you’re also gaining the trust of customers, and this trust is what both sales and customer loyalty are built on.</p>
<h3>Guest blogging</h3>
<p>By guest blogging, you’re not only helping to increase your own website’s ranking, you’re working on building relationships with other sources and networking – which in turn increases your brand awareness.</p>
<p>This is a reliable type of marketing because so long as you choose the right sites to guest blog on, you’ll be creating connections that will prove that your website is genuine and a highly-regarded resource.</p>
<p>The process of reaching out and finding a blog that replies to you and is happy for a placement can be quite arduous, but once it’s gained it’s certainly worthwhile.</p>
<h3>Keep your website active</h3>
<p>Content helps to prove that your website is active and adding value on a regular basis, which is all good in Google’s view.</p>
<p>This doesn’t mean you have to write a new post every 4 hours though. Updating your website’s blog once or twice a month is plenty to keep it busy, although you may choose to post more if you have more to say!</p>
<p>Regular posting also encourages engagement from your followers, which means you’re more likely to get shares on social and comments on your website.</p>
<p><em>How does your business use content marketing? Do you have your own blog on your website? Maybe you write guides that your customers can use as resources? Join the conversation below. </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/why-content-is-a-reliable-marketing-technique-in-2018/">Why Content is a Reliable Marketing Technique in 2018</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>8 Ways Small Business SEO Trumps Big Firms’</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/8-ways-small-business-seo-trumps-big-firms/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/8-ways-small-business-seo-trumps-big-firms/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2018 12:58:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=591</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>For small businesses, it can be intimidating to even consider competing against those big-budgeted brands, especially when you’re trying to</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/8-ways-small-business-seo-trumps-big-firms/">8 Ways Small Business SEO Trumps Big Firms’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>For small businesses, it can be intimidating to even consider competing against those big-budgeted brands, especially when you’re trying to keep a hold of the purse strings.</p>
<p>However, you shouldn’t let major firms come between your business and its success, and in the age of technology that success comes hand in hand with a good digital marketing strategy.</p>
<p>While you’ll do well to keep an eye on your social media and content marketing, the most important aspect of your digital marketing is the SEO.</p>
<p>Lucky for you, there are a few areas of SEO that work more in favour for the small business than for big brands. To help you make a start of your SEO strategy, here are some of the areas that small businesses can boss.<span id="more-591"></span></p>
<h3>1. Niche</h3>
<p>Small businesses are more likely to be targeting a specific need of their customers, compared to larger businesses who are able to cater for a variety of needs.</p>
<p>While this may sound like a negative, it’s actually helpful in terms of SEO. Because of their niche market, small businesses are able to tailor their SEO strategy at long-tail keyword optimisation.</p>
<p>These longer terms are more specific to a certain need and because of this, it’s more likely that smaller businesses will rank well for them.</p>
<h3>2. Room for manoeuvre</h3>
<p>As a small business, you’re able to easily chop and change and have a quick turnaround. While this may seem like a by-product of inexperience, it’s actually a good thing when it comes to managing your SEO strategy.</p>
<p>This flexibility means easy management, compared to large businesses who require lots of notice and many hands on deck to make a change in proceedings run smoothly.</p>
<p>This agility means you have more potential for growth, perfect for a business finding their feet in the world of SEO.</p>
<h3>3. Local SEO</h3>
<p>Small businesses often have the advantage of operating locally. This can seem like a restriction at first, but in terms of SEO it’s a blessing.</p>
<p>Where large businesses battle for the simple keywords that cover a variety of locations, small businesses are able to nip into the search on their area thanks to it being a less competitive space.</p>
<p>Even if you operate online, as a small business you can benefit from local SEO, simply because you will be based within a certain area and as a result can appeal to those people first and foremost.</p>
<h3>4. Personal brand</h3>
<p>Large firms might have a big marketing team on board, but here’s the hitch; their customers know that.</p>
<p>Their big budget means customers won’t identify with them as well as they will with the small business who’s able to build their own personal brand.</p>
<p>Your personal interaction with customers and personality can be conveyed on social media and through your content, which in turn will mean active social media channels and a well-respected blog, both of which are vital when it comes to managing your SEO rankings.</p>
<h3>5. Creativity</h3>
<p>Letting your imagination run wild is one of the most exciting parts of owning your own business and thanks to your independence, you don’t have anything to stop you getting as creative as you want.</p>
<p>Whereas a big company will manage their social media with a keen eye to ensure they align with their brand tone and the level of professionalism that’s expected of a business of their size, small businesses have a freedom to try out something new on whim.</p>
<p>This carefree attitude means you’re more likely to resonate with individuals, particularly if focus your efforts an emotion that will drive your followers and readers. Often the more original the idea, the further it will go and the more attention it will garner, so don’t be afraid to step outside that box.</p>
<h3>6. Focus</h3>
<p>One of the downsides of operating as a small business is usually the budget. It’s often a case of ‘If I could buy this software’ or ‘When I can pay for that equipment’ that rules your SEO strategy.</p>
<p>However, there is an upside to having a keen eye on your finances – that you know where it’s best spent.</p>
<p>Because you’re working on a tight budget you know not to squander your spends on something that doesn’t have a high chance of helping your website get in search, which is why you’re more likely to do your research than say yes to anything. As a result, you know just where to focus your efforts, which means you have a tight handle on where your site is and what needs to happen next.</p>
<h3>7. Authentic underdog</h3>
<p>Being a small business you’re much more authentic than the big name brands. This works in your favour. Guaranteed, it’s with a smaller audience, but that’s all you need for now.</p>
<p>You can use your personal brand (see above) to help you get your audience on side by connecting with them in a genuine way. This might include by sharing your own story on your website, or by updating your social media with snippets from your everyday routine.</p>
<h3>8. Authority</h3>
<p>Bigger brands might have the advantage of money and a team, but as you’re working in a much more niche area you’re able to focus on becoming an authority in a very specific way that will benefit your customers.</p>
<p>There may be more trust in small businesses with good reviews compared to brands with good reviews – while reviews are good signs it’s clear that there’s a big team behind managing their online presence. For you if you have multiple good reviews it’s clearly because you’re doing what you do best, well.</p>
<p><em>Are you making the most of your SEO strategy? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below! </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/8-ways-small-business-seo-trumps-big-firms/">8 Ways Small Business SEO Trumps Big Firms’</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>How to Make the Most of Voice Search in Your Small Business</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-make-the-most-of-voice-search-in-your-small-business/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-make-the-most-of-voice-search-in-your-small-business/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jun 2018 11:02:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=582</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Just a few years ago voice search seemed like a consideration for a far off future, with a clumsy Siri</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-make-the-most-of-voice-search-in-your-small-business/">How to Make the Most of Voice Search in Your Small Business</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Just a few years ago voice search seemed like a consideration for a far off future, with a clumsy Siri being the closest anyone would come to voice activated assistants.</p>
<p>Fast forward to today and voice activation is rapidly on route to being an everyday occurrence.</p>
<p>Over the Christmas period 2017, Amazon sold ‘tens of millions’ of Alexa devices in a gadget-buying craze that doesn’t look like it will be slowing down anytime soon.</p>
<p>However, unlike other crazes (think fidget spinners and pocket drones) this is one that will only become bigger and more incorporated into our everyday lives.</p>
<p>Research by Capgemini Digital Transformation Institute revealed that 51% of consumers already use the voice assistant on their smartphone, citing convenience and an ability to multitask as the main reasons.</p>
<p>If you want to keep up-to-date with your customers’ needs, you’ll need to embrace voice search and all the SEO practices that come with it.</p>
<h4>Keep on top of your digital strategy</h4>
<p>The first way you can get up to speed with voice search is to update your digital marketing strategy. Despite what you might think, this doesn’t involve getting everything specifically ready for voice search.</p>
<p>Instead you should focus on your overall digital marketing strategy by taking a look at your website. Is the content accurate, easy to read and effective? Are there enough website pages for everything your customers need? Is your site mobile-friendly?</p>
<p>Get everything that needs it up to speed before you jump in and try to get ready for voice search, otherwise you’re simply setting yourself up to fail.</p>
<h3>Improve your local strategy</h3>
<p>Once your website is up to speed and mobile-friendly, you should turn your attentions to localising your SEO strategy.</p>
<p>Often those using voice search will be looking for things in the area, such as a Thai restaurant with availability, or somewhere to buy a computer lead.</p>
<p>In light of this, you should aim to localise your SEO so those in your local area know you’re there. The best way to start this is by ensuring your Google My Business listing is accurate and up-to-date. By doing this, your business will appear in ‘near me’ searches.</p>
<p>Once this is in order, you should update your website’s blog with localised content. While it shouldn’t be keyword heavy, it should add value to local searches and answer questions that people in your area may be asking.</p>
<h3>Check out your reviews</h3>
<p>For customers the most reliable source of information for any product or service is the reviews. While you can include testimonials and customer reviews in a section on your website, the reviews that people leave on third party websites are out of your hands.</p>
<p>While you may not be able to delete any negative reviews, you can reply to them calmly and respectfully, ensuring you address the key issues they bring up.</p>
<p>Alternatively you may wish to contact them directly if you’re aware of the issue already and attempt to address it and then ask them to remove the review.</p>
<h3>Optimise conversational keywords</h3>
<p>When using voice search, people are less likely to use the same words they would enter when typing into a search engine bar.</p>
<p>For example, rather than searching ‘Electrical shop in Leeds’ they might say ‘Where can I find a HMDI cable near me?’.</p>
<p>In this example you would also need to rank for the term HDMI cable in your local search, which you should consider when updating your website’s blog.</p>
<h3>Step into their shoes</h3>
<p>Often the only way you can truly understand something is if you try it out yourself. You can read all the articles and prepare as much as you want, but until you’ve given it a go you really don’t know what your customers are experiencing.</p>
<p>Get your hands on the gadgets so you can see what using it is like for yourself. This will help you understand the consumer’s mind-set and become better prepared for any customers looking for your business through voice search.</p>
<p><em>What steps is your business taking to get ready for voice search? Join the conversation in the comment section below! </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-make-the-most-of-voice-search-in-your-small-business/">How to Make the Most of Voice Search in Your Small Business</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>The SEO Starter Pack: Everything You Need to Get to the Top of Google Search</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/the-seo-starter-pack-everything-you-need-to-get-to-the-top-of-google-search/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/the-seo-starter-pack-everything-you-need-to-get-to-the-top-of-google-search/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:46:29 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=424</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>When starting up your website it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of trawling through countless WordPress themes</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/the-seo-starter-pack-everything-you-need-to-get-to-the-top-of-google-search/">The SEO Starter Pack: Everything You Need to Get to the Top of Google Search</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When starting up your website it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of trawling through countless WordPress themes and deciding which font will look best.</p>
<p>However, there’s much more to running a successful website than these first impressions, which is why you should get your SEO up to scratch. Without it, you run the risk of wallowing at the bottom of Google, limiting the amount of traffic your website will receive and as a result, the number of sales your business will make.</p>
<p>To get you started, here’s a comprehensive starter pack of everything you need to kick start the SEO of your website.<span id="more-424"></span></p>
<h4>Get speedy</h4>
<p>The performance speed of your website is a very important factor in how Google views and ranks. This will mean that any plugins slowing down your website should promptly be discarded to make room for speedier loading times.</p>
<p>This is particularly appropriate if you’re looking to speed up your mobile loading times, which you can read more about below.</p>
<p>Another way to speed up your website’s overall loading time is to optimise the images on there. Images can take up a lot of space and subsequently, time to load.</p>
<p>A couple of things to remember when optimising images is that you don’t want them to be so small so they’re pixelated. Consider different image formats for different types of images, for example PNGs work well for images with few colours, while PEGs are ideal for photos.</p>
<h4>Be mobile ready</h4>
<p>With over half of transactions now taking place on mobile, it’s important for any business (big and small) to have their mobile game on form.</p>
<p>When managing your website’s SEO, make sure you check you’re ready for mobile traffic by optimising your site for mobile. You can do this by not placing images or text in a fixed position and by choosing a theme that’s mobile-friendly.</p>
<p>To see how well you website performs on mobile, you can check your loading speed on <a href="https://testmysite.withgoogle.com/intl/en-gb">Google’s own tool</a>.</p>
<h4>Answer relevant questions</h4>
<p>One of the main ways your website can gain authority in its field and as a result climb the Google ranks is by answering questions that are relevant. These may be very specific questions that have complex answers or more generic questions that require a step-by-step guide.</p>
<p>By creating a blog post or page with the answer to a specific question, you’re more likely to appear as a result when someone enters that question into Google. While there may be fewer people searching for that question compared to a more generic term, there will be more likelihood of your result being clicked on.</p>
<h4>Use natural language</h4>
<p>One of the problems people have when attempting to make their website SEO-friendly is mistaking black hat SEO and white hat SEO.</p>
<p>While some practices will get you short term results, they won’t last and could even result in penalties. This includes the overuse of keywords on your website.</p>
<p>This may have been something you could get away with a few years ago, but the same is not true for today.</p>
<p>Instead, you should use language that represents your brand on your website, and you should do this without shoehorning in words that may or may not work in your favour.</p>
<p>The best way to manage this balance is to write blog posts centred on specific keywords or questions regularly asked in Google relating to your industry. This will allow you to rank for these phrases whilst also offering an authoritative take on the subject, a win-win for you, those searching and Google.</p>
<h4>Manage your local SEO</h4>
<p>Getting your local SEO sorted is important for appearing in the ‘near me’ searches. This will help people in your area looking for a local business.</p>
<p>You can optimise your local SEO by managing your Google My Business page, for which you’ll need to provide the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>An in depth description of your business</li>
<li>Correct categories relating to your business</li>
<li>Information of opening times</li>
<li>Images</li>
<li>Regular updates</li>
<li>A local number and business address</li>
</ul>
<p>Another helpful factor to include here is customer reviews.</p>
<h4>Check your quality</h4>
<p>Touched on previously is the quality of your website, which Google will determine from the content, images and pages it has. From this Google will decide how relevant you are to any query or term, with the higher quality answers more likely to appear near the top of page.</p>
<p>That’s why you should aim to produce quality content for your website, rather than use shortcuts that will only promise short-lived results.</p>
<p>Some steps you can take to improve quality is to source images either by hiring a photographer or signing up to a stock photo site that can provide access to good quality photos on a monthly rolling contract.</p>
<p>You should also proofread any written content multiple times to ensure there are no typos or spelling errors.</p>
<p>Another way to improve the quality of your website overall is to produce and upload videos. These can portray the message of your website in a much quicker than text would, and will also keep you one step ahead of competitors.</p>
<p><em>What steps do you take to keep your SEO practices in the green? Drop us a comment below or join the chat on </em><a href="http://www.twitter.com/mydigitalwirral"><em>Twitter</em></a><em>! </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/the-seo-starter-pack-everything-you-need-to-get-to-the-top-of-google-search/">The SEO Starter Pack: Everything You Need to Get to the Top of Google Search</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>How to Get Mobile Friendly as Google Rolls Out Mobile-First Indexing</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-get-mobile-friendly-as-google-rolls-out-mobile-first-indexing/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-get-mobile-friendly-as-google-rolls-out-mobile-first-indexing/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2018 14:36:12 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=420</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Google have this week announced the roll out their mobile-first indexing following a year and a half of testing. The</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-get-mobile-friendly-as-google-rolls-out-mobile-first-indexing/">How to Get Mobile Friendly as Google Rolls Out Mobile-First Indexing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Google have this week announced the roll out their mobile-first indexing following a year and a half of testing.</p>
<p>The internet giant first unveiled its plans to change the operation of its search index in 2016.</p>
<p>In December 2017 Google had begun to switch a small number of sites to mobile-first indexing but did not specify which sites.</p>
<p>The introduction of mobile-first indexing marks the beginning of algorithms being shifted to use the mobile version of a website’s content to index pages, and to understand structured data and show site snippets in search results.<span id="more-420"></span></p>
<h4>What is mobile-first indexing?</h4>
<p>The use of mobile-first indexing means the mobile version of a web page is used “for indexing and ranking, to better help our – primarily mobile – users find what they’re looking for,” the company wrote in a blog post.</p>
<p>The majority of people today search Google on their mobile device, and have done since 2015.</p>
<p>However, despite this increase Google claims that for those times when a non-mobile friendly page is relevant, if it has the best information available it will still appear higher in search than mobile friendly pages.</p>
<p>Recently Google added a signal using page speed to help determine a page’s mobile search ranking. From July this year, content that’s slow to load will be down ranked.</p>
<p>Google said the new mobile-friendly indexing won’t directly impact how your content is ranked, however mobile-friendly content will “perform better” in mobile search results.</p>
<p>Google has not said when the rollout of the mobile-first indexing will be complete.</p>
<h4>How to make your site mobile-friendly</h4>
<p>While there may not be that much you can do about Google’s roll out of mobile-first indexing, there are steps you can take to make sure your website is as mobile-friendly as possible.</p>
<p>The first is to use a mobile friendly preferred width. This means that a mobile viewer visiting your site won’t need to zoom in or out to see the site – the extra space to the left and right that would usually appear is removed.</p>
<p>To do this, simply load your website in your desktop browser and resize the window to the narrowest available width where the text can still be read. Look up the size of that window and use it as your site’s preferred viewport width. Do this by adding this meta tag to the page’s head:</p>
<p>&lt;meta name=viewport content=&#8217;width=700&#8242;&gt;</p>
<p>Another way to help make your website mobile friendly is to set image widths to 100%. Once you’ve sorted your preferred width, it’s time to take a look at those images. Some images will now be too wide as you’ve changed the width so to manage this you must give your images a maximum width of 100%. This will automatically resize images if they become too large for mobile viewing.</p>
<p>To set image widths to 100%, add this code to your website’s CSS stylesheet:</p>
<p>img {</p>
<p>max-width: 100%</p>
<p>}</p>
<p>Another problem regularly encountered when viewing a website from a mobile device is fixed positioning obscuring the site when zooming in and out. If your website has a fixed header or sidebar, this is something you’ll want to sort immediately.</p>
<p>The best way to go about this is to disable the fixed positioning by using this:</p>
<p>&lt;style&gt;</p>
<p>/* regular css */</p>
<p>#header {</p>
<p>position: fixed</p>
<p>}</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>@media screen and (max-width: 500px) {</p>
<p>/* applies only if the screen is narrower than 500px */</p>
<p>#header {</p>
<p>position: static</p>
<p>}</p>
<p>}</p>
<p>&lt;/style&gt;</p>
<p>The final tip to help you get your website mobile friendly is to use standard fonts. While custom fonts can give your website a professional look, they can slow down the loading of a site, and show a blank screen for some seconds before the text appears.</p>
<p>Sticking to standard faults will remove this problem and make text appear instantaneously for mobile users.</p>
<p><em>What do you think of Google’s mobile-first indexing? Have you optimised your website for mobile in preparation? Drop us  a comment in the section below with your thoughts.  </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/how-to-get-mobile-friendly-as-google-rolls-out-mobile-first-indexing/">How to Get Mobile Friendly as Google Rolls Out Mobile-First Indexing</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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		<title>Organic vs PPC: Which One is Right for You?</title>
		<link>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/organic-vs-ppc-which-one-is-right-for-you/</link>
					<comments>https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/organic-vs-ppc-which-one-is-right-for-you/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lauren Wise]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2018 15:15:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Small Business Advice]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/?p=383</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>As you begin to look into the best course of action for your website to get seen, you’ll probably be</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/organic-vs-ppc-which-one-is-right-for-you/">Organic vs PPC: Which One is Right for You?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>As you begin to look into the best course of action for your website to get seen, you’ll probably be weighing up your options.</p>
<p>Two of the main contenders are<a href="https://www.yangseo.co.uk/organic-seo-services/"> organic search</a> and <a href="https://ads.google.com/">pay per click advertising</a> (PPC). While each has their positives and negatives, it’s important to weigh these up to see which one will work for you.</p>
<h4>Long term results</h4>
<p>When it comes to picking the most important aspect of your digital marketing strategy, long term results should be at the top of the list.</p>
<p>Those investing in PPC will do so only while the advertisements are in place. Once these come down there is a noticeable drop as people stop clicking through to the website and your website becomes less visible.</p>
<p>However, for those choosing to invest in organic search, the hours put into your website will last long after the work has stopped.</p>
<p>This is because rather than working by placing ads and getting immediately seen, organic search focuses on building your website’s reputation – something that won’t get instantly wiped away once the work stops.</p>
<h4>The rise and rise of ad-blockers</h4>
<p>According to research released in September last year, <a href="http://smallbusiness.co.uk/half-britons-use-ad-blockers-online-2540574/?platform=hootsuite">more than half of Britons admit to using an ad-blocker whilst browsing the internet.</a></p>
<p>In fact, more than three fifths of those who do use ad-blockers said they do so because they find advertisements ‘annoying’ with another two fifths saying they’re ‘intrusive’ and ‘disruptive’.</p>
<p>It’s worth noting that this increased use of ad-blockers means that with PPC, there are some people you simply won’t reach.</p>
<p>On the other hand, organic results are <a href="https://moz.com/blog/via-enquisite-ppc-agencies-make-45x-what-seos-do-for-the-same-value">8.5 times more likely to be clicked on than paid search results</a> and are not affected by ad-blockers.</p>
<h4>Brand awareness</h4>
<p>Another aspect of digital marketing that you will need to consider is how your chosen method will affect your brand awareness.</p>
<p>Brand awareness is affected by how others perceive your brand and by gradually building up your reputation.</p>
<p>PPC can help your brand appear on certain websites and can be tailored to specific users who have been searching for services similar to yours.</p>
<p>Organic digital marketing agencies improve brand awareness through the use of well-written content, clever social media and SEO. This impacts across multiple channels and can include writing guest blogs for other websites within the industry, increasing your website’s authority.</p>
<h4>Value for money</h4>
<p>For many small businesses, this will be the deciding factor on organic or PPC.</p>
<p>In terms of price, PPC is less favourable. You can spend thousands each month on PPC, yet there is no guarantee that the return on investment will be any higher than it would be with organic search.</p>
<p>On the other hand, organic search is much cheaper in comparison, and in terms of value for money gets you much more than PPC does.</p>
<p>For example, you will receive the expertise of a whole digital marketing team focusing on different aspects of your website. They will dedicate time to building your profile and organically getting you seen in search.</p>
<h4>Summary</h4>
<p>In an ideal world, you’d have the resources to run both PPC and organic search alongside each other, so you can gain the benefits of each.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, most small businesses don’t have the funds to for that kind of expenditure, which means you need to make a choice on which one is right for you.</p>
<p>If you need short term results in a hurry, with cash to burn, PPC is the choice for you.</p>
<p>However, for those with a low budget, looking to steadily grow their website, organic is undoubtedly the best option. For a comparatively low monthly fee you’ll receive experience, guidance and most importantly, long term results that last.</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk/organic-vs-ppc-which-one-is-right-for-you/">Organic vs PPC: Which One is Right for You?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://mydigitalwirral.co.uk">My Digital Wirral</a>.</p>
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