A combination of hi-tech Christmas gifts and seasonal discounts led to the milestone finally being breached, but leading mobile analytics firm Flurry expects that we’ll see the mobile market continue to increase throughout 2012. Currently the USA is the top app downloader, responsible for over half of all app downloads in the record breaking week:

Top App Downloaders (Final week of 2011)

1. USA – 509 million
2. China – 99 million
3. UK – 81 million
4. Canada – 41 million
5. Germany/France – 40 million each

It’s estimated that around 7 million new smartphones were activated on Christmas Day alone (with Google Android phones accounting for over half), and unsurprisingly this has led to predictions that (just like 2010 and 2011) 2012 could finally be the year of mobile:

“Looking forward to 2012, Flurry expects breaking the one-billion-download-barrier per week will become more common-place.   While iOS and Android growth continues to amaze, the market is still by all measures relatively nascent.  We look forward to continuing to chart the unprecedented adoption of mobile computing devices, usage of applications and the way in which this technology is changing consumer behavior worldwide.”

Peter Farago – The Flurry Blog

If this does mark the start of a trend, then you need to make sure that your website works on mobile platforms. And that’s something that FirstFound can help you with.

Follow FirstFound on Facebook
Follow FirstFound on Twitter
Follow FirstFound on Google+

It’s that time again! Issue Nine of FirstFound’s quarterly newsletter is here – chock full of interesting features, helpful hints and the latest online marketing and SEO news.

This month sees a Facebook theme (we’re not out of touch – Google+ wasn’t launched until Optimise was in the final stages of post production) as we explain why your website needs to be on the world’s most popular social network, and we take a closer look at local listings:

SEO Made Simple – Google Local: Local search is becoming an ever more important search vertical. Optimise explains the basics of Google’s ‘Places’ local search function, and you can download our free PDF factsheet, helping you submit your business.

How To Lose Leads and Alienate People: Are you making one of these five fatal marketing mistakes? If you are, then you might as well dig a hole, throw your advertising budget into it and set the whole thing on fire. Because you’re doing your business more harm than good.

Why Should You be on Facebook?: We’re on Facebook. Are you? If you’re not, we’re hoping that this informative article changes your mind and opens your business up to whole new markets.

Go Green, Get Business?: We take our environmental commitments seriously here at FirstFound, and we’re hoping that you do too. So we’ve put together five quick and easy tips for you to reduce your carbon emissions and make the world a brighter place – your customers will appreciate it!

Staffer in the Spotlight – David Green: From Green Tips to Mr. Green. We catch up with FirstFound’s charity runners and riders. Beware! This article may contain photos of sweaty men…

Promotion – Facebook Fan Pages: A professionally designed Facebook Fan Page for just £250. Need we say more?

Summer Success Stories: While you’re off on your summer holidays, we’ve been catching up with our customers working for the Ilfracombe and District tourist board – so read all about the sun, sea, sand and the three-letter ‘s’ word on everyone’s lips. Yeah, SEO. What else could we mean?

Optimise News: All the news you need to get through the summer.

If you’ve got any feedback on this issue of Optimise, or you’ve got something you’d like to see in Issue 10, let us know in the comments section below.

But are you placing enough importance on one of the key marketing tactics you’ll need to use in 2011? Or are you ignoring search engine optimisation?

So before you sign off on your to-do list, make sure you’ve added SEO in the right places:

Web Design

It’s a cliche, but lots of people get to January and think “New Year, New Site“. Unfortunately, they tend not to think “New Year, New Site, New SEO Campaign“. If you’re having your website redesigned, then make sure you use designers that will consider the SEO implications of your design. It’ll mean that your website ranks quicker, and starts to provide a return on your investment.

New Content

Maybe in 2011, you’re going to re-do some of the wording on your website. Refreshing your copy can be beneficial to your search engine rankings, but only if the copywriter you use knows how to write for the search engines as well as your clients. If you’re having trouble finding someone to do the job, you can always ask your FirstFound search engine consultant for advice.

Networking

If your plan for 2011 is to make some new business contacts, make sure you’re considering search engine optimisation. Can the person you’re befriending help your SEO with a link, or by providing you with a slot for a guest blog post? If they can, your prospects for the year will start to look a little brighter.

Suppliers and Clients

And of course, it’s not only new contacts who can provide you with a link. Don’t forget to ask your suppliers and your clients – it’ll help your relationship and your search engine optimisation!

Whatever you’ve got planned for 2011, make sure you keep search engine optimisation in mind. And if you’re having trouble, remember – the friendly SEO team here at FirstFound are always ready and willing to help!

There’s no easier way to ensure that your website won’t bag you a return on your initial investment than having the whole thing designed and built in Flash.

Three Top Reasons Why Flash Websites are a Really Bad Idea

1) Google thinks you’re building an invisible site

Let’s face it. If your site isn’t ranking well on Google, you’re not going to do much business through it. So you need to create an SEO-friendly web design that the search engines like. And the search engines don’t like Flash.  They don’t just dislike it, they can’t even read it. Any text or information displayed through Flash might as well not even be there. And guess what? Google isn’t going to put a site that it can’t read at the top of a search engine results page.

And if you’re not ranking on Google, just how are your customers going to find you?

2) Customers might not be able to see your site

It’s not just the search engines that have trouble seeing Flash websites. Some of your customers do too. To see a Flash website properly, you need a browser that supports Flash, backed up by the correct Flash plugin. And straight away, that rules out the majority of mobile customers. iPads and iPhones don’t support Flash at all, and they’re forming an ever-increasing section of the online market.

So why are you spending money on something that a selection of potential paying customers can’t even see?

3) Flash websites just aren’t usable – for visitors or businesses

Every visit to this blog is noted. We can see what you read, how long you spent reading it, and whether or not you went on to read something else. If the site was built in Flash, we’d only know that you dropped in. That’s because analytics software isn’t compatible with Flash websites, robbing you of the ability to see how visitors respond to your site and products.

And it’s not just analytics that have trouble with Flash. Navigating through a Flash website is much more difficult and cumbersome than using other types of navigation. You see long loading times, hard-to-use interfaces and the inability to use things like the back button. When your customers see these things, they leave.

And you don’t want your customers to leave your website without buying anything, do you?

So how should I build my website?

Don’t use Flash. There are many other ways to build a website, all of which are more attractive to the search engines, and less irritating for your customers. If you choose to build an SEO-friendly website without the use of Flash, then you can expect to see better search engine rankings, more visitors and, most importantly, more sales.

By steering clear of Flash, you’ll recieve a real return on your web design investment. So make sure you think carefully about how your new website will be built.

For more SEO and Web Design advice, follow FirstFound on Twitter.

Our design and development team have slaved away to create a brand new design that’s up to date with the latest web design trends, and that showcases some of their greatest work.
If you don’t have a professional website, there’s never been a better time for you to go for an upgrade – expecially when you consider that for a short time only, we’ll be offering some great deals on our template packages and our bespoke sites!

Template Websites From Just £299

When you need a website fast, choose one of Leven Internet’s sleek and stylish website templates. Professional, engaging and built with the search engines in mind, these templates are perfect who needs a website fast and doesn’t want to compromise on quality.

Bespoke Designs by Professional Designers

For those who are looking for something that’s truly one-of-a-kind, our professional web design team are on hand to produce something special. Guaranteed to catch your customers’ eyes and hold their attention, our bespoke websites are streets ahead of anything else you’ll find online.

To discuss your requirements with our Leven Internet design team, get in touch with FirstFound now.

And you haven’t had a single, solitary enquiry.

Why?

What’s gone wrong? Has your designer sold you a lame duck? Is your copywriter’s clever prose just all smoke and mirrors? Have your SEO team dropped the ball?

Or has something else not happened?

Have you made a mistake that’s rendered all their hard work and your investment almost useless?

Four Common Mistakes that Stop Your Website Generating Enquiries

In the excitement of making your online presence felt, it’s all too easy to miss something that on the face of it seems glaringly obvious. But don’t worry. You’re in good company. Hundreds of people have made the mistakes on this list, and there’s no shame in it. So long as you fix it!

Who’s Answering Your Phone?

This might seem obvious, and anyone with a full time call centre at their beckon call can skip this one, but who’s answering your phone?

If you’ve plastered your office number all over your website, people are going to call it. And when you spend all day out on site with your mobile for company, they’re going to get your answer phone.

And people hate answer phone messages. You might not think you want your mobile number on the Internet, but it could be just what you need to turn a click into a client.

Of course if you desperately need to have an answer phone, make sure it’s personalised, and make sure it picks up quickly. Nobody’s leaving a message for “Orange. Answer. Service. 0 – 7 – 7…” and nobody’s hanging round for six rings to give you money.

You Need to Know What?

When you asked for a contact form, your web developer wasn’t trying to make his life easier by suggesting you didn’t need nine separate fields. He was just pointing out that visitors to your website won’t submit an essay when they want to buy a product.

If you’re asking for more than a name, contact details and general enquiry, you’re asking for trouble. And it’ll still be a rare click that will stick around to give you any.

Zealotry Isn’t an Attractive Feature

Especially in a spam filter. Chances are that a large proportion of your online enquiries are going to come from the Internet. And the main way people communicate over the Internet is email. So far, so obvious. The issue comes when you think about who’s going to email you. People you don’t know. People with webmail addresses. People that your over-zealous Spam Filter might incorrectly label as Nigerian Royalty with amazing investment opportunities.

Do yourself a favour. Check your spam filter once in a while. You never know what could be lurking in there.

Search Quantity isn’t Everything

Yes, wedding bands gets more searches than wedding musicians. You know this because you’ve argued the point back and forth with your SEO until you thought you might have to introduce their skull to a snare drum. But you stood firm, got what you asked for, and you’re on page one for wedding bands in your town.

So why is your bounce rate so high? A quick image search will show you a few 24 carat, diamond encrusted reasons why. Sometimes a phrase gets more searches because it’s a synonym. And no matter how good your site, you’ll find it hard to sell three hours of guitar pop to someone who’s looking for a ring.

Of course, there are dozens of other reasons that your site might not be living up to its potential, so it won’t hurt to get a second opinion. For expert advice on SEO and online marketing, call FirstFound now on 0161 909 3411.

Just what kind of impact does your website design have on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)? It’s easy to think of your layout and usability as totally unconnected with your search engine rank, but the truth is that all of these factors play a subtle but important role. Getting the visit is the first obvious step. But keeping the user on your site and encouraging them to browse your products is an essential part of SEO which will have a direct impact on your average time spent on site and therefore your search position. By following this simple checklist, you can be sure to use your design to maximise your SEO and chances of making that conversion into a sale!

No Second Chances for a First Impression – Establishing Trust

They say that a book is judged by it’s cover, but this is also true for your website and products.  Most people will have decided whether they feel comfortable purchasing from you within the first 30 seconds, before even browsing your site! First impressions are not only important to be taken seriously in your industry, but are especially important for businesses taking payments online. You are asking potential customers to trust you with their credit card details, and even the slightest doubt in a customers mind can cause them to look elsewhere. Be mindful of your industry, take a look at competitor websites in your industry. How does yours measure up? 

There are a number of neat ways you can further bolster your first impression. Could you include testimonials or positive feedback somewhere within the pages? Are you approved by any major dealers, trade organisations or perhaps have any awards, logos or stamps of approval which might be tidily included in the design of your pages? Perhaps you have worked with a particularly big client which the public might recognise. All of these devices can be used to give your website professional feel.

Behold! A Call To Action! Just How Usable is Your Layout?

Remember that your website is here to server a purpose – we want your visitor to pick up the phone or write an email and place an order. Just how easy is for them to contact you? Are your contact details clearly visible on every page? Remember that it is just as easy for a visitors to click back as it is for them to click ‘contact us‘ in the menu!

Navigation plays a key role in the usability of your site. You may view your website on a day-to-day basis, so it makes sense to you. But people have a very short attention span on the Internet, and the easier you make it for them to find what they want, the longer they will stay! Perhaps you could get a second opinion from a fresh pair of eyes that does not regularly view your website? Take all feedback very seriously!

Greater numbers of links between pages are almost always better to include than too few. If you discuss a topic in the text itself, don’t be afraid to include links to relevant pages when you use important phrases (even if these pages are already linked to from the navigation menu itself!). Think of your website as a shop, the more connectivity you have between paths, the better your traffic will flow. Do not rely exclusively on your navigation menu!

Avoiding Any Barriers

I often see people attempt to control this first impression with a ‘welcome’ page (or ‘splash page’) which is usually displayed before the homepage. It may seem like a good idea, but pages like these usually present an extra barrier for search engines to get around, and it moves your products one extra click away from your customers! Also, a lot of traffic will not enter your site from the ‘front door’, but will land on an inner page, making the whole thing rather pointless. There are some exceptions where this extra page might be helpful – multinational companies or businesses with multiple offices may wish to direct people to a particular branch or language website. Or perhaps just different departments of a very large company.

Bear these points in mind when next reviewing your design and you’ll not go far wrong. If in doubt, simply give your website to someone else to test and listen to their feedback carefully. As we enter 2010, I predict we will see a lot of new websites as companies prepare for the new year. If it has been a while since you last did some interior designing, perhaps now is a good time to consider a website revamp?

SEO Friendly Websites - Leven Internet

Over the past few weeks, our web design and development team have been working hard on a new offering – SEO friendly websites. Now, after much tweaking and fine tuning, we’re finally proud to announce the new offering from Leven Consultants & FirstFound…

Drum roll please!

SEO Friendly Websites from Leven Internet

We’ve started by designing all of Leven’s websites with SEO in mind. There won’t be any stumbling blocks to stop the search engine spiders from completely crawling, indexing and ranking the websites we produce. That’s not just good news for search engine consultants, it’s good news for businesses too.

To begin with, we’ll be offering two main products:

SEO Friendly Website Templates

Our starter website package consists of a three page search engine friendly site, a free domain name, ten email addresses and one year’s free hosting. Everything a small business needs to get things started on the web. Just pick from one of our eye-catching templates, and we’ll make sure it all ties in with your company’s branding.

Our business website package gives companies a little more room to grow. Six pages, 20 email addresses and free hosting for the first year. We’ll still register that domain name for free, and you’ll get the same professional standards of design and coding.

Of course, we know that you can’t adopt a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to a business’ online profile, which is why we’ll also be offering custom built websites.

Bespoke SEO Friendly Websites

If you’re looking for a little more bang for your buck, our design team will be more than happy to build something that’s tailored to your every whim. CMS Systems, ecommerce packages – if you want it, Leven Internet will deliver.

 So if your website’s looking a bit tired or outdated, head on over to Leven Internet now. We’re certain that you’ll like what you see!

But after some careful thought, I realised it actually made perfect sense. The Internet offers more choice, operates faster and more efficiently, ultimately ensuring that sales are less expensive for most businesses to make. In a recession, why wouldn’t everyone turn to the Internet to do their Christmas shopping? The added bonus is not having to depend on the British weather, nor negotiate your way though hordes of people to grab yourself a Christmas bargain!

The Second Busiest Online Trading Day … Ever!

But this is no isolated spike, either. Early data from research firm comScore suggests that yesterday was actually the second busiest online trading day in the Internet’s history. Sales are up 15% on this time last year, which was itself a new record, beating the one set in 2007. Despite my television constantly reminding me how gloomy the economic world is behind my curtain, it is clear that a vast chunk of these sales have not dried up … they have simply moved to the web.  This is a trend we can expect to see continue for some time.

We are now in December, with only 24 days until Christmas.  It is very easy to lose focus of our goal once the short-term flurry of activity has died down.  It is tempting to walk away with the message that: ‘Christmas is becoming an Internet thing’, rather than taking a step back, and seeing the bigger picture which indicates a steady migration of business to the Internet, year upon year.  As a search engine consultant who spends his life matching patterns, I can tell you that Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is for life, not just for Christmas! 

Quite a number of people ask me to optimise them for seasonal phrases to ensure they are able to catch a lot of the holiday traffic. This makes perfect sense on the surface – but in reality – SEO itself responds quite slowly and is probably not the best tool for the job. The smart person will be investing in their website now, carefully manoeuvring yourself ready for Christmas 2010.

The Most Effective Way to Target Seasonal Traffic

Does your website have a blog or news section? If not, you should probably look at getting one installed. This is an increasingly popular self-promotion tactic that will allow you to post news about your seasonal promotions and offers. You will find search engines are far more responsive to blogs and news which will prove more effective at capturing your slice of the seasonal traffic. What about your websites page structure? Could you add more information pages to your site, or improve your websites page structure to allow for better quality traffic? When was the last time your website had a face lift? Trends in programming techniques on the web are constantly shifting. A few years ago it was acceptable to use table structures for the design, but this has become a tactic that is now frowned upon.

If you have an SEO consultant, then perhaps it would be worth having a chat about web development work that will help you get more out of your online presence in the long term? Rather than a sudden reaction to short term trends, this is best done in response to the gradual trend which shows the Internet is likely to play an increasingly dominant role in our shopping habits in 2010.

1999 – Larry Page and Sergey Brin invent Google…

Now, a good ten years since anything of note has happened to the online world, comes another Earth-shattering and epoch-defining moment:

 October 2009 – FirstFound launch The FirstFound Blog!  

 That’s right. Leading UK search engine consultants FirstFound have finally decided to enter the blogosphere, ten years after the company first formed. Still, good things come to those who wait, and you’ll be treated to all of the SEO news, insights and tips that your heart could desire.

 That’s not all though – this isn’t just another SEO blog. We’ve put together our company’s best and brightest minds to offer everything from social media strategies and E-commerce advice to web development assistance and PPC hints. We’ll even be giving you reviews of the latest movies, and developments from the world of sport.

 What we offer isn’t set in stone. We want to hear from you, our readers, to find out what you want in a blog. If you think we’re wittering on too much about Twitter, or we’ve completely ignored an important development from Google HQ, let us know.

 For now though, sit back, relax and enjoy The FirstFound Blog. You never know. You might just learn something.

 This week, Andrew’s been working like a dog to get content ready for the site, and isn’t going to let some Johnny-come-lately steal the kudos that comes with the first post.