Without wanting to sound like a broken record, here at the FirstFound Blog we’ve mentioned the importance of Facebook Business Pages once or twice.Or seven or eight times – we forget which exactly.

But our point stands, especially now that Facebook have announced that they’ll be working alongside online auctioneer Ebay to create a brand new integrated ecommerce system. Or, in plain English, Facebook and Ebay are bringing online shopping to social media.

Facebook will be working alongside eBay and subsidiary Magento to ‘seamlessly integrate’ Facebook pages with Magento’s online shopping software. And the data they provided when this partnership was announced demonstrates that there’s real money to be made for businesses who want to sell socially:

• Levi Jeans – Over 50% of Cyber Monday traffic on their online shop comes from Facebook referrals
• American Eagle – Customers entering the site via Facebook spend 57% more than those who don’t

Seems fairly conclusive to us – this is a system that’s not just going to attract more customers. It’s going to attract customers that will spend more in your shop.

Security

But customers still have fears about security and privacy on Facebook – and a partnership with Ebay isn’t going to do much to address those concerns. Which is why a select group of Facebook users are testing another product developed in partnership with another, widely trusted company. PayPal.

Facebook, PayPal and Ebay. Sounds like a recipe for success to us…

Don’t forget to like FirstFound on Facebook, and follow FirstFound on Twitter.

Don't Jump!

What better way to start the week than to learn that’s today is “Blue Monday”, the most depressing day of the year? Well, here at the FirstFound Blog we can think of dozens of better ways to start the week. But is Blue Monday really as bad as people make out?

In order to find out, we decided to take a look at what makes today just so bleak.

The Blue Monday Factors:

1. Weather: It’s cold and wet and grey. But what did you expect from Britain in January?
2. Debt: Overspending in December is easy. Paying for it all in January is hard.
3. Time until Christmas: Only 341 days to go!
4. Failed New Year’s Resolutions: It’s hard to avoid smoking/gambling/eating piles of cake.
5. Low Motivational Levels: Meh.
6. Need to Take Action: Something needs doing, but see factor #5…

Well, that seems singularly depressing (or it would, if all of those things didn’t apply to every Monday in January). But is it really the end of the world?

We don’t think so. So we’ve put together a quick guide to getting through this bleakest of midwinter days.

1. Weather: Turn the lights on, turn the heating up and set your desktop background to a picture of a beach. Then try and find a cheap flight to somewhere sunnier.
2. Debt: The quickest way out of debt is to make more money, and for a small business that can be as simple as setting up an AdWords campaign. Our team of certified Google Partners will be more than happy to help you out.
3. Time Until Christmas: Ok, it’s a long time until Christmas, but think of it this way. It’s only 95 days until Good Friday (and the start of a series of four day weeks!), it’s 28 days until Valentine’s Day (which is always fun, if you can get a date) and a mere four days and seven hours until the weekend starts!
4. Failed New Years’s Resolutions: Don’t worry, just start over. Or pick more achieveable resolutions like “giving up making resolutions that I have no ability to keep.”
5. Low Motivational Levels:  There’ll always be someone able to help you out. Like FirstFound. We’ll do everything from hosting your website to translating it into a foreign language. C’est bien!
6. Need to Take Action: Taking action to start building that new shed might seem like a mammoth task, but taking action to improve your search engine rankings couldn’t be easier. Just call 0161 909 3411, or request a free Search Engine Report.

So, there you have it. Monday doesn’t need to be so blue after all! Just follow our advice and you’ll be fine.

Image Credit

In the latest issue, you’ll find:

SEO Made Simple – What Is Google Instant?

Now the dust has settled on the launch of Google Instant, FirstFound examine whether this latest major update to the search engine giant will affect the SEO industry, or your results.

As soon as you start typing, Google Instant starts showing you the results it thinks you want to see. No more finishing sentences, and no more having to hit that troublesome ‘Enter’ key.

How Useful is Social Media?

We know that social media can help businesses  – but can sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn really replace search engine optimisation or AdWords?

You can’t go from having no website to being a dot com billionaire just through social media. It just doesn’t work that way. We’re not saying that it’s useless, or we wouldn’t have spent time on our Social Media Guide. So here’s what it can do…

11 Marketing Tips for 2011

There’s a lot you could be doing to take your business to the next level in 2011, and our team of experts have come up with 11 top tips that you can’t afford to ignore!

Open up your website, dust off your brochures and take some time to re-read your marketing copy. Is it clear to the uninformed reader what you do, or will they be scratching their heads in confusion?

FirstFound’s Crystal Ball – Our Predictions for 2011

We’ve shared our 2011 SEO calendar with you already, here on the blog. But if you want to know what’s going to happen outside of the search engine field this year, you need to read these predictions.

So sit tight as we polish our crystal balls, look for patterns in the bottom of our teacups and shed some light on what will come to pass in the next 12 months…

Staffers in the Spotlight – Daystar

A musical interlude for you this issue, as we catch up with Steven Woods and Simon Monaghan. Salesmen by day, rock and roll stars by night.

I’m not in the band for the money, I just love playing music. That’s the same for the rest of the lads too. I believe in keeping my feet firmly on the ground, and I love working for FirstFound.

Second Site Offer

If you’re an existing FirstFound customer, you can choose from one of three fantastic special offers. And all you need to do is sign up an additional website!

Client Giants

We talk to Crown Celebrations, The Valle Academy and Refix Maintenance about  how FirstFound have helped them reach their online potential.

News

And finally. Google in the dock, Justin Bieber, Bank Holidays and providers of commercial office space all feature in our news round up.

Optimise Issue 7 – more than enough to keep you going until Issue 8 is released, so dive in and enjoy!

Welcome to The FirstFound Blog, the official blog of the UK’s leading Search Engine Consultants.

Updated and written by FirstFound’s expert Search Engine Optimisation specialists, the blog covers everything you need to know to make your website a success.

With over ten years’ industry experience, FirstFound have seen everything that the SEO field can offer – and with thousands of satisfied customers, we can safely say that we’ve learned a fair bit.

To see what we have to say, read up on one of the following categories:

FirstFound News

Keep up to date with the latest news from FirstFound, and the wider world of online business. We’ll also bring you regular updates from FirstFound’s quarterly magazine, Optimise.

Online Marketing

From AdWords to Web Design, FirstFound explain the online tactics that you need to take your business to the very top.

Search Engine Optimisation

Our specialist subject. The FirstFound Blog’s masterminds cover the latest developments in the field of SEO, and explain how to get the very best our of our search engine optimisation service.

“Other Stuff”

Technology news, film reviews and sport – anything we can think to blog about that doesn’t fit into the categories above can be found here.

Contact FirstFound

If you’d like the experts behind the FirstFound Blog to handle your Search Engine Optimisation, give us a call today on 0161 909 3400.

As anyone who’s read up on FirstFound will know, we’ve been providing expert search engine consultancy services to clients for over ten years. That being the case, we’d like to hand today’s blog over to our clients, so that they can share some reviews of FirstFound’s services:

I can honestly say, without SEO, my business would not have survived longer than three years.   We would have been overtaken by competitors. We really feel that for the relatively small amount FirstFound’s search engine optimisation costs, we get a far better service than we are paying for.

Open Fireplace Centre

SEO Client since 2009

As the country tightens its belts, there’s never been a better time for businesses to market themselves online. That’s why we contacted FirstFound to get us higher up the search engine listings.

Art House Design

SEO Client since 2009

For the first six months of this year a staggering 78% of our business was generated from online enquiries.   90% of our new customers say they found us via Google.  Timing-wise the work carried out by FirstFound has been a life-saver for us.

Task Development

AdWords Customer since 2007

In the past year, directly due to AdWords, business is up by 30% I have absolutely no qualms about recommending FirstFound to handle your AdWords account.

Online Signs 4 U

AdWords Client since 2007

Hits to our website have quadrupled since FirstFound came on board. All in all, our campaign has seen turnover in the first quarter of 2009 exceed the whole turnover of 2008, which in itself was our record year. Our search engine optimisation costs us under £60 a month. It is an absolute bargain.

Motorsport Developments

SEO and PPC Client since 2008

We’d like to thank all of the clients who’ve provided case studies, testimonials and reviews of FirstFound’s services over the years – and hope that there’ll be many more to come!

Take a look at the latest Optimise for more FirstFound Reviews, or call our experts on 0161 909 3400 so that your business can benefit from our expertise.

This does include other, competing broadband companies, but it does show how many Britons are now online.

A recent Ofcom report indicated that over 71% of UK residents are hooked up to broadband, a statistic which is backed up by BT’s latest release.

So with so many people using high speed internet for everything from chatting to shopping, it’s never been more important to make sure that your business has a website that’s performing well. Get in touch with FirstFound to see how your site can be improved.

Will Twitter Make You The FirstFound?

Being the FirstFound – SEO Steps That Secure Success

FirstFound Social Sharing Tips

FirstFound Reviews and Reputation

Have You Chosen the Right SEO Company?

Blogging – the Key to Online Success

Social Media Sites to Take Your Business to the Next Level

Spotting Scam SEO Techniques

The Importance of Being the First Found

Making the Most of Social Media

Rookie Mistakes that Ruin Websites

Ten Weeks’ Hard Labour for FirstFound’s Charity Volunteer

What Social Media Platform Should I Join?

Become a Better Blogger in Two Minutes

Four Cliches to Create Compelling Content

So we’re throwing our next guide open to you readers. What do you want to see from us?

What topics can we cover that’d help you make the most of your online marketing campaign?

Leave us a comment, and we’ll see if we can help.

On the off chance that you’ve missed it, here’s what you’re missing out on:

• First Birthday Bonanza – 50% off AdWords
• Is Your Finger on the Pulse? Find out with our survey
• Free Stuff!
• Bikes, Tubas and Google’s New Design
• Can you establish trust visually?

Plus even more SEO News, Views and Comments.

Whether you’re a FirstFound client or not, it’s well worth a look.

Finding it Hard to Understand Social Media?

Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, Digg, Mixx… Do any of those words actually mean anything to you? If you’ve spent the last few years building your business instead of surfing the web, then the rise of social media might have passed you by.

But now you’ve heard about it, you’ve probably got some questions. What is Social Media? Who’s using it? And the big one…

Wondering How it can Benefit Your Business?

How can social media benefit your business? Thousands of self-styled gurus have written millions of blog posts calling social media everything from a magic salve to snake oil, and you just don’t have the time for trawl through everything that’s ever been written on the subject. What you need is some help. What you need is…

Need Expert Advice and Assistance?

Expert advice and assistance. A helping hand from someone who knows what they’re talking about. Someone who knows online marketing inside out, someone who’s been around for a while and has seen everything the Internet has to offer to businesses.

Not to be too cocky, but you want someone like FirstFound to show you what’s going on.

Help Is At Hand!

That’s why our online marketing experts have spent the last month putting together a guide for you.

Making the Most of Social Media - The FirstFound Social Media Guide

Covering everything you need to know about putting together a social media strategy for your business, Making the Most of Social Media is a free 13 page ebook designed to get you on the road to social success.

With overviews of popular sites, explanations of how social media can help your business, and a sample campaign to inspire you, Making the Most of Social Media is an indispensable guide for anyone looking to take their business into the social networking sphere.

So don’t delay, click here to download your free copy!

And please, leave any feedback you have in the comments section below.

Photo Credit

For more social media advice, visit the FirstFound Blog Archives or follow FirstFound on Twitter.