Impact Media's SEO Blog

UK Security Events Specialists Limited provide Security Services, ranging from retail and event security to alarm and CCTV monitoring.

We are delighted to announce that we have been selected as UK Security’s professional Search Engine Marketing (SEM) partner to manage the organisations natural and paid search activity.

To read more about our range of services please visit our Search Engine Marketing page.

Google’s Street View has been around since 2007, but was only recently launched in the United Kingdom. It is an extension of the Google Earth and Google Maps tools that allows users to have panoramic street level views of areas all across the country. Street View has been met with a mixture of wonder and suspicion, is it a fabulous and invaluable mapping tool, a bit of fun or an invasion of privacy with sinister purpose and potential?

Within only a few days, the UK version of Google Street View was attracting considerable criticism and condemnation. But were the villagers of Broughton in Buckinghamshire right to refuse one of the Google Street View cars access to their village? Surely it’s not really used to ‘facilitate crime’ or ‘invade privacy’ as they have expressed? It may be an overreaction; but Downing Street and the Police and Army in Northern Ireland have all demanded images removed from Street View.

Google Street View is breaking no laws; the face and car registration plate blurring technology has allowed Street View to be used by Google legally in the United Kingdom without having to comply with Data Protection law. Google defended its service by claiming that it is nothing more than what people see with their eyes every day. It also highlighted that it had created accessible ways of ‘flagging inappropriate or sensitive imagery for removal.’ It is difficult to see how a static view of anywhere could have too many criminal uses. But privacy activists counter-claim that the tool will eventually lead to someone losing their job, getting hurt or ending their marriage, and on that day, there will be no recourse against Google’s omni-present permission-less intrusion.

But Google don’t seem too concerned; there are many benefits to having a three dimensional aspect to their Street View web tool. Now if you are going somewhere unfamiliar, not only can you map out the route on Google Maps, but you can also look at the place that you are going to, before you go there.

Of course, there are many future business uses, someone trying to find your business will now not only be able to plan their route but also see what your business looks like before they arrive. Google have begun to integrate their search technology with Street View, so that businesses have a new way to advertise their services and market themselves online. Now someone searching for businesses in their local area will be able to see exactly where that business is, if they choose to shop with you online or visit you in person, they have a direct connection to your business, through the imagery. This also further enhances a company’s credibility because seeing the business is a good way to feel comfortable about buying from that business.

Inevitably, Google built this new toy at great expense for one reason, to further enhance their own business opportunities and whilst some people complain about it, the reality is that innovation is hardly ever welcome until we see a purpose for it ourselves. If it doesn’t serve a purpose, if it doesn’t make revenue for Google and for the companies that use Google to generate business, it will become obsolete. The more successful it becomes, the more carefully the world will have to pay attention to how it is used.

When selecting a UK-based SEO Agency, many companies struggle to get a grip on what they should look for and how much they should pay.  The need for SEO assistance has never been greater, but a reliable, expert and cost effective SEO Agency can be hard to find.

SEO is not a matter for amateurs; a great SEO Agency is part design team, part IT whiz, part business analyst, part marketing guru and part copywriter.  In order to test the mettle of any potential SEO Agency, here are ten questions you should ask:

Q1:  What guarantees can you give us about Search Engine Ranking Positions?
Whilst all SEO Agencies will aim to improve and increase your SERPs, the truthful answer is none.  Search Engine Rankings cannot be guaranteed by anyone other than the Search Engines themselves.  If the SEO Agency claims they can guarantee ANYTHING, they shouldn’t be trusted.

Q2:  How much will increased website traffic cost me?
The cost won’t always indicate the quality of SEO service you’ll receive.  But clearly, with a bona fide SEO Agency, the more money you spend, the more dedicated time and effort they can place on your SEO work.

Q3:  Can we meet in your office to discuss this in person?
If you’re based in the UK, you’ll want to deal with a UK-based company.  Face to face contact builds trust and rapport and gives you a point of contact with your SEO Agency.  Outsourcing your SEO to someone in Pakistan, India or Mars doesn’t give you the same customer experience.

Q4: Will you need to change my website?
To optimise a website often requires changes to it. All changes should be mutually agreed, expertly actioned and made in-line with the design of your website.

Q5: What linking process do you use?
A good SEO Agency will be open with you about the entire linking process and give you weekly linking reports.  They will use acceptable linking techniques that won’t get you banned.

Q6: What’s your company’s history?
Clearly, the fly-by-night cowboy will have a sketchy past; the trustworthy company will have years of experience and a researchable online presence.

Q7:  What does your pricing include?
Ask for a full list of services included and compare this with their competitors.

Q8: What length of contract do you require?
Flexibility is the keyword.  All companies need to tie you into a contract, that’s business, but look for flexibility and no lengthy tie-ins.

Q9: Are you certified in Google AdWords?
Let’s face it, Google still accounts for the lion’s share of all search engine traffic, and AdWords remains the obvious choice for your Ad campaign. But anyone with a credit card can set one up, so Google offer certified status to professionals completing AdWords qualifications. Consider this as the benchmark for AdWords expertise.

Q10: Can you provide examples of the results that you’ve previously achieved?
If the SEO Agency can really do what they say, they should be teeming with testimonials and evidence of their success rate.  It’s a competitive marketplace where SERPS can shift on a daily basis, but happy clients show you that this SEO Agency really know their job.  If you get the opportunity to talk directly to one of their clients – do it, it will speak volumes.

Asking these questions is essential to choosing the best SEO Agency.  Don’t be dazzled or distracted; the answers to these questions and your common sense will indicate to you which SEO partner you should select.

Obviously we’re biased but we believe that if you’re looking for a professional SEO Agency, you should consider discussing how Impact Media could help you.

Comscore have just announced in a press release (spookily dated 30th November) that fourteen and a half million of us in the UK visited at least one blog during August this year, accounting for some 41% of the total UK Internet traffic.

Unsurprisingly, Google came out on top-spot with its Blogger platform taking just over nine million visits followed by Wordpress with just under five million visits.

Thank you for being a visitor to our blog! 

Unless you’ve been living in a cave (on holiday, of course), you’ll be well aware of the downturn in the global economy and the fact that even our politicians are now confirming the UK is entering a period of recession.

Is this the end of online shopping as we know it? Not at all. Web based businesses should see this as an opportunity to forge ahead and gain a competitive advantage. If consumers are looking to cut back, where will they start searching for bargains? Of course, it’s not always about being cheapest but whatever online business you operate, you should be looking to position your site infront of your prospects.

Perhaps now would be a good time to review your site (design, copy) and your online marketing activities (SEO, PPC)? You may need to get creative with your offers and offer more incentives? One thing is certain. Now is not the time to be cutting back on your online marketing budget!

It has long been known that searchers very often search for a brand for research purposes or even as a preference to typing the URL straight into their browser.

By way of example, Google estimate that there are an average of just over 300,000 searches for ‘coca cola’ every month.

To reinforce this message, Hitwise UK have announced in their recent newsletter that 88% of searches for the top 2000 most popular keywords performed during May 2008 were for brands. Not surprisingly, ‘facebook’ was top of the brand searches accounting for 1 in every 72 searches performed. (Facebook Becomes Third Most Visited Site in UK)

Clearly, it is impossible to know the intent of the individual user when they search for a specific brand but UK online advertisers will need to consider the implications of this, particularly after Google removed restrictions on bidding on trademarked terms within their AdWords Pay per Click platform back in April.

According to a recent survey commissioned by Internet Advertising Bureau UK, the amount of money invested in online advertising has risen to £1.33 billion for the first six months of this year compared to £917.2 million for the same period in 2006.

The survey goes on to suggest that UK online advertising spend could reach £2.75 billion by the end of 2007.

Such has been the growth in UK Internet advertising that it now accounts for almost 15% of all UK advertising. Again, this is a figure that most expect will continue to rise in the coming years as more businesses and individuals move over to the Internet.

57.1% of the total spent to date has been invested in paid search, or Pay per Click (PPC). With £762.3 million spent, this is a 44% increase compared to 2006.