The Great Northern Blog

Who looks at Banner ads?

AndyAdmin — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:37:04 +0000

Following on from our recent post about unfortunate banner ad placement, you may wonder who actually takes notice of banner ads and clicks thru?

Prestige Marketing in Canada have created a nice infographic which tries to shed some light on that question.

Who Looks At Banner Ads Infographic

Unfortunate Banner Ad Placements

AndyAdmin — Tue, 15 May 2012 09:18:22 +0000

The challenge with advertising, whether online or off-line, is to get your ad in front of the right people. The more you can target, the better the results from the campaign.

Online banner ad syndicators offer many ways for their advertisers to reach selected audiences. The most common is contextual advertising which matches ads to the content found on a page. This can increase relevance and click through rates, though sometimes it doesn’t always work out that way!

A recent post on the Econsultancy blog has some ‘great’ examples of what can go wrong. Some are just bad luck, but others could have been avoided by much more careful thought on contextual keywords – positive and negative.

Here’s one example

To read the full article, and explore more unfortunate banner placements, click here.

Why Is Web Access From Mobile Devices Overtaking Desktops?

AndyAdmin — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:57:26 +0000

The era of mobile devices is definitely here. People are spending more time than ever on their mobile devices, using Internet applications to connect to their entire world of friends and information. According to a Microsoft study, by 2014, mobile Internet usage will overtake desktop Internet usage and already more than 50% of all ‘local’ searches are done from a mobile device. Driven by bandwidth and a rich ecosystem of ‘anytime, anywhere’ wireless capabilities; mobile online activity is rising dramatically along with communication, entertainment, social networking and media capture.

Those who use computing devices to access the Internet, e-mail, watch videos, listen to music or play games now rely on mobile devices to do it better, easier, faster, more portably and more conveniently. They also have more fun and enjoy being online in a manner that is ‘cool’.

What Gives Mobile Devices That Edge?

Today’s smart phones are driving the increased use of networked applications and Web content. What is it that has so greatly enhanced their appeal?

While service providers now bundle mobile devices with Internet access on 3G and 4G networks, the growing number of public Wi-Fi spots makes it more practical to browse with a mobile device than using a laptop.
With GPS services, your phone knows where you are. Businesses can provide geo-targeted information, guiding users to local products and services, monetizing this local intent through advertising and offers.
Internet applications for mobile devices or ‘apps’ allow you to customize a phone to your specific set of wants and needs. They range in size and complexity from a simple flashlight application, to a navigational system that will let you plot positions on a marine chart, to a medical reference guide.
In-phone cameras facilitate video calls, point-and-shoot photography, recording videos, reading QR codes and interpreting barcodes. Capturing and sending media in the same motion on a mobile is much faster and easier than transferring images from a camera, or using a camera on a PC/laptop. The microphone too, is always ready to go.
Phones are soon becoming the consumer’s wallet and the retailer’s storefront. Mobile access is being spurred on by ease of e-commerce, featuring location-based services, time-based offers, mobile coupons and push notifications, etc.
Smart-phones and tablets provide a more interactive Internet experience since they use browsers custom built for mobile devices. Exciting capabilities like precise location information from GPS, user orientation from a digital compass, multi-touch input from one or more simultaneous gestures, device positioning from an accelerometer, etc. have surpassed PC-based Web browsers.

Smartphones are connecting us to our friends and to the information we want and need. Its no wonder that these powerful mobile devices are overtaking desktops.

Designing Landing Pages for Mobile Users

AndyAdmin — Tue, 01 May 2012 08:14:07 +0000

We have all heard the expression “life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

Mobile web access is “what happens while your visitors are doing something else” – such as watching TV, shopping, waiting for a bus, or just killing time.

A mobile user’s attention span is short and they are easily distracted back to Facebook or Angry Birds, so it vital to deliver not only a user friendly landing page tailored to the mobile user but also one which is designed to be useful i.e. designed to help them complete their task as easily and quickly as possible.

For example, if a user is searching for a product with their mobile whilst shopping or even watching TV, it is highly likely that they are comparison shopping – ‘Can I get this cheaper online?’ So the mobile landing page must clearly announce the unique advantages you offer. This might be a ‘beat any price’ guarantee, extended warranty, special offers, fast shipping, ‘no quibble’ returns policy.

It is vital that this key information is presented as quickly as possible, as once the visitor clicks on, they may never return!

Finally keep the page simple. The limited space means extra care should be taken with the headlines and the copy – short and simple, using urgency and emotion to provoke action is often a good strategy. Graphics need to be suitably sized so that they are fast to load. And don’t forget to avoid the use of Flash as it is not supported on the dominant Apple mobile devices.

WSI Chester regularly assists local companies to develop an appropriate mobile strategy for their business. Call 01928 787026 today for more details.

SEO Primer – Increasing Your Website Search Ranking

AndyAdmin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:30:35 +0000

By now, smart business owners know that every enterprise needs a website in order to succeed. And not just any website, but one that can easily be found online. Otherwise, it will be a wasted investment. Therefore, all website owners should focus on improving their search ranking in the top search engines such as Google and Bing (Yahoo search results are now provided by Bing).

Landing on the top of the search engine results page (SERP) and becoming a sensation in the World Wide Web is not easy. Theprocess can be complex and confusing, especially to those who are new to Internet marketing. To help guide you, we have listed below a few helpful tips on how to increase your website’s search engine ranking:

Create a search-engine friendly website. Have an SEO focus starting from day one. Don’t wait until you have spent a fortune in developing your website only to discover later on that it’s not being crawled by search engine robots. Good search ranking is built on the foundati0n of a well-designed site.

Come up with a solid seatch optimisation plan. SEO is often categorized into two area: On-Page (techniques within your site) and Off-Page SEO (techniques outside your website). On-Page SEO means your website content is well-written with relevant keywords, can be easily navigated, has a site map, has minimal Flash elements, etc. Off-Page is the process of creating links from related, authority sites. Off-Page techniques employed include social media marketing, blogging, forum posting, article marketing, etc.

Improving your search engine ranking is an on-going, long-term process because the search engines’ criteria change regularly as does your online competition. Therefore, you must seriously consider search optimisation (SEO) as part of your overall marketing strategy, especially if you want to succeed and dominate the search rankings in the future. And once you’ve accomplished your initial SEO goals and desired results, a maintenance plan is needed to maintain that position and visibility.

Attaining the most coveted top spot is far from easy. However, the top three search ranking positions can generate the most traffic. So if your site is not to be found , it means you haven’t completely taken advantage of your site’s potential to dominate the rankings. This also means there are further opportunities for you to grow your business by improving your search results.

Of course, climbing the top search rankings for the most relevant keywords takes a lot of work, time and patience, but this is the only way you can succeed in a highly competitive online environment. Eventually, the fruits of your labour will pay off and you will gain a significant Return on Investment.

If you are interested in improving the search engine ranking of your website, why not call Andy at WSI Chester for a free initial consultation – 01928 787026.