Eazytiger Blog

QR Boards Goes Live!

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 16:04:04 +0000

We build a good number of high quality websites here at Eazytiger; but we thought this one worth a mention...

Not only is QR Boards an innovative website from a design and development perspective (lavished with high-definition images and a funky colour scheme), it's also home to a cutting-edge company! QRBoards use QR codes to send tech-savvy smartphone users to online property listings as soon as they've seen the "for sale" sign. QR codes are blocky little designs which look something like this:

The code is affixed to a property label or sales board so that anyone walking by with a smartphone can quickly scan the code and view the property details. This saves time in addition to acting as a trendy feature which will undoubtedly engage the tech-generation as they browse for properties and first homes.

We recommend that anyone interested in technology or its implementation in the marketing world check this site out. Seriously cool stuff!

- Eazytiger

Going Mobile?

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:48:31 +0000

If you've been wondering how to go mobile, HowToGoMo (the new website from Google) may be able to provide key insight into why your website is or is not perofrming in the mobile sector.

HowToGoMo is a website which Google have created in order to help business owners evaluate the performance of their websites on mobile devices. A virtual mobile device is simulated for the user's full immersion:

But the website does more than simply render an image of your website on a virtual mobile screen. It simulates the processing power and bandwidth limitations of 3g (phone) internet. By simulating the download-rate and output of a mobile device, HowToGoMo can determine whether a web page loads in an acceptable amount of time for mobile web-users.

Additionally HowToGoMo presents users with a brief 5-question survey which adds to the generated mobile-performance report. The report which you get from HowToGoMo is fairly simplistic but it is another tool in the online-marketer's arsenal. Even designers might find this site useful to reference their designs with regards to mobile display and load-speed.

More soon!

- the Eazytiger Search Team

SEO Roundup | Best SEO Android Apps

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 12:55:05 +0000

If you've purchased a smartphone recently, you likely have either an iPhone or and Android device. Since I have an Android, I've taken the time (and expense) to browse the Android Market for some useful SEO-related Apps to give you information on the fly! Most (if not all) of the apps I will examine are also available for Apple's iPod, so give them a quick search if you're so inclined.

SEO Automatic / SEO Review

SEO Automatic (previously known as "SEO Review") is a neat little app which can give you a very brief on-site analysis for any website.

Currently the App costs a one-off fee of $9 (which is about £6.21) for the "pro" version. The pro version of the app can send generated SEO summaries to your email which is quite handy.

The app will provide you only with a very basic SEO synopsis of a website. Some of the ideas and comments made by the app are also out-dated or irrelevant. If you're an experienced SEO the app may be useful, if not then look elsewhere...

The app currently rates 3/5 stars on the Android Market. It works fine for me, but apparently some people have purchased the app and been unable to check their site's SEO profile since their hosting company regards the app's requests as intrusive. Buyers beware!

WebRank SEO

WebRank SEO is an app which monitors a given website's overall standing online (it's also free). It will tell you a web-page's Google Page Rank, Alexa Rank and the number of found backlinks. The backlink counter doesn't seem to work brilliantly but for a quick page-rank checker on your mobile the app works just fine.

The number of indexed pages feature is quite nice. If it suddenly returns a "0" you'll know that you've been penalized. To give Page Rank some perspective, google.co.uk only has a Page Rank of 8. If your site achieves a Page Rank of 3-4 you are doing very well for yourself!

SEO SERP Tracker

This free App allows you to enter a website and a list of keywords. It will then see where that website ranks (globally) for the given key-phrases. Local-search and region based SEO data is not supported, but for a handheld solution what do you expect? It's a nice little tool, however using it commercially would be a huge mistake!

(above: entry of a website and relevant keywords)

Above you can see the keyphrase and the "[1]" represents the global ranking for the entered website and key-phrase(s). Great, we're number 1! The ranking position monitor seems to be reasonably accurate in correlation with USA-based websites. The accuracy is decreased for UK/European websites.

Summary

Some great little SEO-based apps are becoming available. Unfortunately at the moment they are still all in their teething phases. If you're an experienced SEO, you may get some use from these apps on-the-move. However if you're not familiar with the ins-and-outs of SEO the data served up to you could be very misleading.

...well, that's all for today folks! Tune in next SEO Roundup for more SEO news and gadgets!

- The Eazytiger SEO Team

Google Toolbar Dropped & New Search Phenomena Examined

Tue, 26 Jul 2011 10:10:29 +0000

Google has decided to discontinue support for its well-known Google toolbar (an add-on for Firefox). From version 5 and above Firefox will not be compatible with the Google toolbar and there are no plans to add support for any future versions of Mozilla's web browser.

The Google toolbar enabled web-users to highlight search-terms whilst they browsed and view the "Page Rank" of various web-pages. The toolbar may continue to be supported in Internet Explorer for a time, but it'll probably be axed on IE eventually. Many SEO specialists working at an SEO company which relies on metrics from this toolbar may be panicking - but we're not!

If you're looking for an alternative search-toolbar there's always Groowe which has been around since 1996. It combines a number of features implemented within various browser search-bars including the handy "highlight search terms" function on the Google toolbar. Groowe.com adds:

"Groowe Search Toolbar also allows you to browse site's categories or directories and helps you to find wanted category or directory quick and easy"

It's not grade-A English but it's a pretty nifty search toolbar.

New Search Phenomena

Recently a few new search features have become available on the web. Some are fully featured search engines whilst others are niche searching tools designed to add to the experience of web-search overall.

Firstly there's blekko.com:

Blekko is a search engine aiming to eliminate spam, malware and content farms from its results entirely. You can also use advanced slashtags in your searches to perform actions such as ordering the results by date. It's pretty neat so check it out!

StumbleUpon have launched their "Explore Box" into (closed) Beta testing:

You can type in various subjects or areas of interest and the Explore Box will generate some suggestions. How does this differ from Google's auto-complete function? The Explore Box provides searchers with suggestions which correlate to their search terms rather than directly related suggestions.

Additionally the Explore Box has a segmented auto-complete drop-down with a section titled "you might also like" enabling searchers to view broader results. To put it simply, Google is more about the destination whilst Explore Box is more about the "web journey".

A handy little chrome extension...

This is "Tweet Button for Chrome":

It's a little button that sits in your browser-bar enabling you to quickly tweet pages you are currently viewing with a couple of clicks (and some typing). Far more useful however is the fact that the button displays how many times the page you are currently viewing has been tweeted. This can help to give you an idea of how well a page, domain or company is doing on the honest social scales.

You may be deciding whether or not to invest in a link from a website. The page may have a TBPR (toolbar page rank) of 0, but we all know that the toolbar page rank figures are inaccurate at the best of times (and out of date too). Maybe the page is young but in your opinion it still has potential as a valuable link asset. Why not see if it has some tweets? If a page has been tweeted thousands of times it's likely that it may have some link-authority too.

That's all for now! Keep on searching

- The Eazytiger Search Team

Facebook Fans or Twitter Followers?

Wed, 20 Jul 2011 15:37:38 +0000

Fans or Followers?

So you've heard a lot about the relationship between social networks and traffic. Social networks perform micro-blogging functions and help you to reach out to your customer base or perceived audience. But which social network is superior in terms of raw visits? Which platform draws more people to your business?

From the 1st of March running through until the 30th of June we had 254 visits to our site from Twitter and 247 visits from Facebook. At face value it seems as if Twitter is doing a better job of things (albeit only by a hair's breadth). However; when you consider that our site has 538 Twitter followers and 60 Facebook fans you start to get a very different picture of the importance of these two Social Networks in terms of driven traffic.

These numbers show that over a four month period Facebook gave us roughly 4 visits per fan and Twitter gave us about 0.5 visits per follower. We could say therefore that a single Facebook fan is worth 8 Twitter followers! An article on Search Engine Land by Greg Finn (June 24th, 2011) states that a Facebook fan can generate 20 visits to a website, though Greg gives no indication of the time-period this number relates to.

It's harder to make Facebook friends and fans than it is to gain Twitter followers because Facebook runs on personal connections whereas Twitter bases itself more around content feeding and sharing information. We think that a Facebook fan is more valuable than a Twitter follower but does the effort involved in gaining a Facebook fan outweigh the usefulness of that connection?

If it takes 8 times longer to gain a Facebook fan than a Twitter follower you could say that in terms of investment (both money and time) the two networks remain fairly on-par. However we believe that with the right strategy in place you can gain Facebook fans at a rate which gives you more return on the time which you invest on your social media campaign.

It's important to remember that you don't have to choose between the two social networks. If you don't gain followers on Twitter, those same individuals won't automatically become your Facebook fans instead! The key to social networks isn't to invest all of your time on one single channel but rather to invest the correct amounts of time on the channels relevant to your business.

If you want to learn more, take a look at our social networking training courses...

- The Eazytiger Team

Google Custom Search Snippets and "g.co"

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 11:47:23 +0000

Google Custom Search: Rich Results Templates "out-of-the-box"

SEO news has been a little slow lately but this SEO company has dug a little deeper to find something that may be of interest. Google have recently (July 18th 2011) improved their custom search element enabling increased usability and styling when implemented on 3rd party sites.

Rich Snippets markup has been added to several of the custom search templates enabling "out-of-the-box" interactivity and advanced data layout customization. If you're looking for a slightly snazzier search-function on your site then now's a good time to look into Google custom search. Rich Snippet markup can display ratings for the various results displayed and even expand panels 'on-demand' to expose rich-content user-driven reviews (if available).

The use of various microformats such as "hreview" is required across your website's pages in order for the rich-snippet markup to gather the necessary data to display. With a bit of tweaking you can add some really powerful and advanced search functionality for your users which displays relevant information. More here:

Google Custom Search Blog

Goo.gl? Try g.co

Google's URL shortening service "goo.gl" has been around since 2009 and has helped users of various services to track their clicks and shorten URLs across those services. This SEO company uses goo.gl quite often. We utilise goo.gl on Twitter to examine who is looking at our posts, Twitter activity timeframes in our industry etc.

Now Google is making the internet even smaller with "g.co" (July 18th 2011)! Unfortunately, g.co won't be accessible to the general web-public. g.co exists specifically for Google to create short-URLs linking to their own products and services. You'll be able to use g.co URLs once they're designated by Google to link your friends and colleagues to Google-related products, but you won't be able to create g.co URLs yourself.

The reason these URLs are useful is that you can be certain that when you click them you will be directed to an official Google product or service. It makes Google-product related URL shortening securer and safer.

That's all for now! Keep on searching...

- The Eazytiger Search Team

Yahoo Site Explorer Closes and Transit-Tracking Comes to Android

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:37:18 +0000

Yahoo Site Explorer to Close This Year

For around five years many an SEO company and internet marketing specialist has utilised Yahoo Site Explorer; a tool allowing anyone to gain a decent idea of the backlinks pointing towards any specified website.

This is set to change in the recent future however. This year Yahoo will be shutting down their back-link analysis tool for good! Other backlink checking tools are readily available to take the place of Yahoo Site Explorer (such as Open Site Explorer) but no other tools give the user such a large volume of back-link analysis data for free.

One problem percieved by many is that Yahoo was the only search engine to provide a fully-featured backlink-analysis tool. Without the complete index of one of the three main search engines behind it, competing back-link analysis tools may give disproportional or skewed data. This SEO company doesn't feel that this is a major issue; Open Site Explorer has always provided comparable (if not superior) data to Yahoo Site Explorer.

Still, Yahoo Site Explorer will be missed by many!

Google Introduces Mobile Transit Navigation

You may remember that we talked about Google's introduction of transit-tracking previously. About a week ago Google announced the release of Google Maps 5.7 for Android. The tracking of local public transportation networks has been added "From Bangkok to Baltimore".

Google Maps Navigation (in Beta testing) covers "over 12 billion miles" of GPS-tracked directions per year. Navigation is available for over four-hundred cities world-wide. Want travel directions related to public transit within the East Midlands? No problem. Head over here:

http://www.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&ll=52.925785,-0.260384&spn=2.054189,4.02435&dirflg=r

Google are really impressing us lately with their desire to truly understand local data and present it to users in a useful and easy to understand manner. Thanks Google!

That's all for this week. Until next time...

- The Eazytiger Team

New Gmail Layout

Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:05:39 +0000

A New Look for Gmail...

As a progressive SEO Company, Eazytiger is constantly looking to the future. We sometimes come across interesting new layout previews or web-tweaks which we think our customers and readers may find interesting. Without further ado, a way to preview Gmail's new layout:

If you want to check out the soon to be implemented new layout for Gmail, click the "cog" at the top-right of the GUI, then select "Mail settings".

Next, select the "Themes" tab.

Find the "Preview (Dense)" Theme and click on it.

Enjoy the new Gmail layout!

- The Eazytiger Team

Wheels of Wonder, Author Avatars and +1 Action

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:02:28 +0000

Where's Our Wonder-Wheel?

As of early July, the Google Wonder Wheel has been removed from Google's arsenal of online search-tools. The Wonder Wheel was created to visually represent the relationships between different keywords, keyword categories and industry-terms. It was utilised by many SEO specialists to help create their clients effective and relevant keyword campaigns for Organic search.

Google have not stated whether the Wonder Wheel will return. At this SEO company we're guessing Google's reluctance to state this one way or the other implies that it's not coming back anytime soon! It's a shame that the tool has disappeared but it makes the expertise of SEO consultants' world-wide all the more necessary. Now we'll have to rely on search-experts to provide insight into the relationships between different keywords, keyphrases and keyword parents.

Credit for Content Authors in Google's SERPs?

Near the end of June Google began including content-authors in their SERPs. A direct link to an article will (if the author has used the new rel=author tag) pull through author information and even display an author's avatar from their Google Profile. It's highly likely that Google will begin to pull information through about authors from their new social network platform, Google+. Here's an example of Google's author tag in action:

Google Adds "+1 Metrics" Section to Webmaster Tools

Google have added a +1 Metrics section to their Webmaster Tools to help webmasters monitor social and +1 activity across their domains. You can find the new section here:

Once you have installed the +1 button on one of your websites you will be able to see your +1 activity, search impact and information about your social audience. It's likely that Google+ will also integrate partially into Google Webmaster Tools or Google Analytics. We'll keep you posted!

- The Eazytiger Team

Clouds, Web-Apps and Behavioural Targeting

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:17:53 +0000

Microsoft Enters "The Cloud"

Microsoft has finally joined the online app-suite race with their new product "Office 365". Office 365 will compete with Google Docs, ZoHo and other online application suites in order to prove that Microsoft is ready for 'the cloud'. Microsoft has complete dominion of office-based software but Google are respected as the global web power. Where these two concepts converge it's obvious that there will be stiff competition and the victor will win a place as the office-provider of the cloud.

Boasting business-class security, full compatibility with desktop documents and simplified scheduling Microsoft appear to be attempting to dispel their image as the dead-weight of the web-world. But does Office 365 provide the same level of intuitive design and fast-loading pages/documents which Google are famous for providing across all of their services?

Office 365 seems a bit like the latecomer or runner-up of the two competing web-suite packages. Having said that, according to Beta testers Office 365 appears "more visually appealing and polished than its Google counterpart", however "overall the two seem roughly equivalent in features" (Tony Bradley, PC World)

I'll be interested to see whether Office 365 matches up to Google Docs and whether its release will cause a migration of users from Google Docs back to the most trusted office suite provided for decades. At this SEO company we don't think it's likely (especially since Office 365 isn't free), but time will tell.

Behavioural Targeting in Adwords

On June 23rd Google implemented behavioural targeting in Adwords. What this means is that advertisers will finally be able to indirectly utilise the browser-cookie data of searchers (types of sites visited, etc) in order to provide their adverts to a more relevant audience. In theory this should make Adwords a more effective advertising tool without intruding upon the user's search experience (they'll see the same number of ads as before, the ads will just be more relevant).

One might argue that this was already in place to some degree since the keywords a user types into Google are a form of behavioural search-intent. This being said it's easy to demonstrate why this additional targeting will be beneficial.

If a user types "music CDs" into Google the information in their web-browsing cache may reveal that they are only interested in rock music. This will cause Google to display rock music CD advertisements in the ads section rather than generic music stores or albums. The advertiser has a higher chance of converting impressions to clicks and conversions whilst the user has a higher chance of seeing a product they may actually wish to buy. It will be interesting to see whether the ads which are displayed during my own searches become any more relevant...

That's all for this week - keep on searching!

SEO Company | Chromebooks, Apps Search & Instant Pages

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 12:53:55 +0000

Google's New Web-Based Operating System: Now Available!

On June 15th web-stores began to fill with Google "Chromebooks". But what have Google done differently to Microsoft, Apple and the open source community? Google claim to have embraced the future more fully than any of their OS competitors by removing most core operating system files and functionality. It might seem a bit mad but the idea of the Google OS (Chrome OS) is that users won't save files locally or even make use of offline-based programs and applications.

Connect to "the cloud" and have all your files accessible from a simple web-browser? It sounds a bit too good to be true. If you're planning on looking for a button to minimise the web-browser to return to the desktop then you're out of luck. On Chrome OS everything happens online. Who needs an offline gallery of downloaded images when you have Photo-bucket? Who needs to download messaging clients when you have Facebook chat? The world is becoming increasingly web-based but will a Chromebook replace you standard PC or Mac?

This SEO company doesn't think so. The technical specifications of the Chromebook don't appear to be enough to run all the software that many of us use in our everyday lives. A fully-featured image editor such as Photoshop requires hard-disk space and system resources. Even were an equally effective web-based version of the software available, what good is that if the Chromebook can't supply the necessary processing power and resources?

A fully web-based notebook and operating system... It's a great vision and a novel idea. I think perhaps though; that the Chromebook will be remembered as a pioneering piece of technology that was too ahead of its time. Software processing and web applications haven't fully realised this vision and until they do the Chromebook will never replace your desktop machine.

People are still too attached to their data and like to think of it as being within a box in their house which they can keep an eye on. In the future Chromebook 2.0 may shake the web-world but for now it's more of an interesting technological muse than something which could seriously change our lives.

Yahoo Launches App-Based Search Engine

Apps, the term we commonly use to describe applications for mobile devices and Smartphones. Currently there are several Smartphone operating systems competing and they often share apps or apps are built across multiple mobile platforms. Yahoo has just launched apps search for desktop PCs (and Macs) and additionally a compact version named "AppSpot" for Android and iPhone.

It gives a nice little overview of the highest quality, highest rated apps for both Android and iPhone (both free and paid). However, Android already has the "Market" system built-in to find apps and the iPhone also has its own app-searching facility. If it's already on your phone - why bother to install an app to find more apps?

It's a good point. Yahoo seem to be saying though that their app searching system is multi-platform, unbiased and contains better algorithms for searching for mobile apps. Being a major search engine provider not tied to any of the current Smartphone devices (financially) this much may be true. However there is one small issue that the app and Smartphone community keeps raising with both Apps Search and AppSpot. Apparently AppSpot doesn't tell you if an app you're viewing is already installed on your Smartphone. This can be a bit infuriating but it's not a major issue in my opinion. Google it, give it a whirl and see what you think!

Google Instant Pages (not to be confused with "Instant Previews")

On June 14th Google announced on their webmaster central blog that they're introducing a new feature into their search engine results. If Google believes that its first result has a high chance of being clicked by the user it will pre-render it so that it loads instantly for the searcher. This makes Google much faster to use than its competitors (considering that the majority of clicks go to number 1 results).

If you'd like to see Google Instant pages in action then take a look at this YouTube video placed on the webmaster central blog by Google:

That's all for this week. May your instant-searches be fruitful!

4 crucial aspects to consider when planning your own website

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 14:54:48 +0000

When thinking about developing a new website, it’s very important to remember that your website is an extension of your business, another form of contact between you and your future customer. You want to create the right impact and convey your business brand values as clear as if you would be meeting your client face to face.

It is also good to remember that having a website nowadays is something already expected by any of your clients. So you want to make sure that, when designing one, it will look and convey the right message straight away. The design needs to be aligned with your business brand, its target market and look professional.

However, a website does not reach its best on its own. It needs good planning and it needs to be executed properly. Otherwise it will be an investment that won’t bring you the return you could have.

For that reason, it’s very important to remember that writing good and meaningful content is as important as its good design.

Here are five crucial aspects you need to remember to cover on your website content.

1. Your expertise

This section of your website is where you talk about your own business. You will find that many sites call this section the ‘about us’ page.

You want to show your future customer your background knowledge, how long you’ve been in this business and specially, your values. You want to show here that you are worth of their trust and that you are the business they should buy from.

2. What you offer

Many would think that this is an obvious section, but you might be surprised to see many websites that are not clear about what they are trying to sell to their customers.

Here is the opportunity to make it nice and clear. Do you sell products or services? List everything that your business offers that is relevant to your customer. Make this section as clear as possible so your customer can find that information quickly.

3. Show what you’ve done

In the previous items you’ve covered your business background and you listed the products or services you have to offer. Now you need to show what you’ve actually done.

This is a very important aspect of your website to reassure your customer that you are capable to deliver what they want. Display your business portfolio, the clients you’ve worked with, your case studies. The way you prefer to show your work and experience will vary according to your field of work.

Testimonials are good to convey the experience of working with your business, but many would prefer to see something concrete, like a sample of your work or a case study.

4. Give a good customer service

Surprisingly, this is the most crucial and the most ignored aspect of your website.

You’ve finally manage to get an enquiry from your website. What do you do? Wait for a week before replying an enquiry? Of course not! Give prompt response. Don’t wait for the customer to forget about the enquiry he made. You want him to remember you and you want to show good customer service. Reply to them as soon as possible.

Conclusion

The website is an important marketing tool to increase trust between you and your customer. Think about you website content carefully. Think about who will be visiting it and choose the words accordingly.

Once you’ve got a good idea of what you want from your website, come and talk to us. We will make sure your website will look and work the way your business needs it to be and they way your clients will be familiar with.

How to Use Social Media to Enhance your SEO Campaign

Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:07:49 +0000

Some SEO companies will tell you that you need to pay organisations in remote countries to spam your Facebook profile with Likes. Some SEO companies will tell you that when you link all of your Social Networking profiles together there is a magical synergy which embellishes your SEO campaign. Working closely with our resident Social Networking expert; this SEO company understands the true value of community-based exposure.

The best way to benefit your SEO campaign with Social Networking is similar to the way in which we suggest you enhance your SEO ventures with PPC: indirectly. The internet is vast and Google have not yet directly or fully begun to listen to social signals to influence their rankings.

If you don't believe me, then do a bit of reading. Recently Google and Facebook were unable to reach a compromise on the sharing of their vast sets of user and marketing data (including some of Facebook's internal social signals). With the Facebook IPO coming in 2012 they may feel more compelled to share data in the future but this s not certain. Look at the number of SEO articles still being written titled things like:

"Facebook Shares: Does Google Use Them?"

Since they are being churned out on such a regular basis, we can conclude no certain consensus has been reached. So if we're saying that Facebook likes, shares etc are not a major ranking factor (since Google does not always have access to this data) then how can Social Networking be useful for SEO? To be honest, I think Twitter holds the key.

With Twitter a large chunk of the community are information consumers rather than producers. You follow the people, networks and organizations you want to follow. With apps like TweetDeck you can break the information down into comparable columns. Facebook is who you are but Twitter is what you want; it's feeding you information (I guess it should be called "gobbler").

Which parts of your website, industry or business are interesting? What can you share with people to gain visitors through Twitter to your website? For example, the canvas photo printing business 48 Hour Canvas has a really cool little web-app:

Basically, you upload a photo or digital image from your PC to their web-store. You can see what the canvas might look like in your home, and then decide whether to purchase it or not. Handy!

This web-app could potentially be shared all over Twitter. Linking tweets to this app would enable users to try it out for themselves. They may re-tweet; they may find it a novelty and decide to buy a canvas themselves. Excellent. But how does this translate to SEO benefit?

When you gain exposure you have the opportunity to gain interest and a presence in the online community. Once enough people know your business, what it does and where it fits in you naturally begin to form inbound links to your website. If people don't see your website, they can't make a conscious decision to link to you. Use Social Networking to expose your target audience to your novelties and quirks. Add a few gimmicks to your site (as long as they are fun or useful) and see what happens.

People always underestimate indirect SEO techniques which is a shame; they are some of the most potent (especially for hands-off link building)!

To Tweet or not to Tweet

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 15:58:53 +0000

Social media has taken the marketing world by storm over the past few years as businesses engage more effectively with their customers, increase their web traffic and maximise conversions. But in spite of the benefits and accessibility of social networks, many companies still do not recognise their potential. Whilst they ignore this new online reality; nearly half of the UK population visits Facebook for at least 30 minutes every day…

Social media has become part of everyday life, allowing for the online engagement with friends and relatives. The content on these platforms is co-created by the users. Content is granted the same prestige regardless of the author's position, industry or budget. This democratisation of the internet means businesses do not have full editorial control over content related to their brand. They’re no longer able to manage all of the information about themselves in the marketplace. Instead they have to accept the new rules of ‘open talk’ marketing.

So, how do you feel comfortable in a world where consumers can speak so freely with each other? It’s worth remembering that social media in its most natural form is about communication. The most effective strategies are those that develop meaningful relationships with the target audience.

It’s important to participate, and to listen to what is being said about your company online. Consumers will still be talking about your products and services on Facebook (even if you haven’t got your Facebook Page) - so just take advantage of the free marketing research tools supplied by social media.

It’s crucial to be active and responsive. Take our word for it; you'll be able to engage in direct end-consumer contact at a relatively low cost and with higher levels of efficiency than with more traditional methods. Your online presence will be dynamic, up-to-date and Google will love you!

Social media marketing may require new ways of thinking but it offers incredible online exposure. Social media will be the engine driving the next online evolution. So; businesses take note and don’t miss the boat!

Want to find out how? Check out our Social Media For Business Page...

This article will be published in July Edition of Federation of Small Businesses Magazine.

SEO | Panda Progress, Voice Search and Late Buses

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 13:24:25 +0000

Panda Update Announced

On June 7th at SMX (the Search Marketing Expo) Google's Matt Cutts spoke of an incoming change to the Panda algorithm. It hasn't been released yet but it will "happen soon". It may seem foreboding, but a white-hat SEO company can breathe a sigh of relief. Webmasters began to complain (after the original Panda update) that their sites were being out-ranked by site-propagation websites which had lifted their articles. Panda put an emphasis on content; unfortunately the websites holding the most content aren't always the ones containing original content.

According to Matt Cutts, this new update will at least begin to tackle this issue. The revised Panda will be better at sniffing out content scrapers and plagiarists. This is good news for everyone including white hat SEOs who try to rank their client's sites more highly by genuinely improving them! However, if you're a black-hat content thief you may want to think over your ethics.

Shout at an XBOX?

Bing have announced their new search-market: gamers. Bing will provide the XBOX community with voice-based search so that they can play video-games and search with ease all from their console. This makes sense because most consoles do not come equipped with keyboards or full-keypads. A gaming controller is not suited to performing complex web-searches so a slightly simplified voice-based system will probably do well in this market.

Will console-based voice search change the SEO world dramatically? This SEO company doesn't think so. This is a niche product for a niche market. Obviously Microsoft are seeking to capitalise on their already secured gaming market and community by integrating Bing into XBOX technology. It will be interesting to see what the results are though.

Where's my bus..?

From the 8th of June Google have been trialling live transportation updates for Google mobile! Two European and four U.S. cities have had this technology integrated with their public transportation systems.

Google say that people will be able to use this technology to tell when their bus is late or whether their train has been cancelled. This is actually my favourite update from Google in a while; for anyone who has invested in the Smartphone revolution this service could be a real lifesaver...

That's all for this week. Stay tuned and keep searching.

SEO Section and Reports Piloting for Google Analytics

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:58:30 +0000

SEO Companies; prepare for SEO-based reports in Google Analytics...

It was officially announced 7th June 2011 but as an investigative seo company we couldn't wait another week to share this information! The only reason this wasn't posted earlier is that we were in shock. Essentially, two big things have happened recently. Primarily Google announced (simultaneously between the Google's Analytics and Webmaster Central blogs) that they would be adding a "Search Engine Optimization" section to Google Analytics:

It's interesting to see Google reference the SEO industry so directly, especially within a tool which will now provide additional reporting functionality.

Secondly, this new section will pull data and information through from Google's Webmaster Tools. Webmaster Tools is designed and maintained by an entirely different team than Analytics. Previously Google didn't appear interested in linking functionality between the two tools. Matt Cutts himself on several occasions seemed to suggest that there would be too many overheads and that the teams and tools were too different for full integration.

However, this is a step towards that possible integration that everyone in the SEO industry is so desperate for. Eazytiger continues to investigate...

Thumbs, Trolleys and Google Plus

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 10:03:09 +0000

Thumbs Up

Recently Google announced on their "Inside Search" blog that they are making some changes to the ways in which image thumbnails behave in standard search results. Now when you hover your mouse over an image thumbnail on a web-based search you'll be treated to a pop-out preview of the image at a larger size. Additionally, if you perform a search such as "plant images" or "flower photos" Google will automatically detect the intent for an image-based search and return a higher volume of image results above the standard SERPs (Search Engine Ranking Positions).

As an established SEO company we recognise this as an enrichment of Google's Panda update. This conclusion is drawn because the change means that websites with higher volumes of unique image based content will gain more clicks. Get some images up on your site, name the files correctly and make sure that search engine spiders can find them!

Ditching the Trolley

Google have confirmed that they will be removing Google Checkout badges from AdWords advertisements displayed in their search results. The badges will still appear on product-based searches, however. This could make ads less appealing to click on and negatively impact click-through rate. Alternatively, removing the gimmicky button may increase user-trust. Time will tell.

Google Plus

Google have now made their "+1" button available to webmasters and +1 data will soon be available in analytics. The +1 button will appear in SERPs and on websites (where webmasters have placed them). In essence, the Google +1 button is an attempt to get in on FaceBook's much loved "like" button which has been circulating the web for a long time now.

Google have stated that +1 activity will impact their search results so if your SEO company hasn't already done this; make sure to add +1 buttons to the relevant pages of your site. Find out which of your contacts have Google accounts and ask for some +1 love...

SEO Company | Snippets, Ads and Pandas Abroad

Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:46:31 +0000

Display URLs on SERPs - Above or Below Snippets?

Recently Google has been testing a new SERP layout. To be honest, it doesn't seem to make much difference, but as an accomplished SEO company we're obliged to investigate! Google are utilising SERPs which include the display URL (the URL in green) above the page description/snippet but below the page title. Usually the display URL is found under the snippet. Time will tell whether users find this layout more or less useful.

YouTube First Watch Ads

For a long time Google have been attempting to capitalise upon YouTube's potential advertisement revenue. They tried pre-roll ads with some success, but most people hated them. Popular videos would gain advertisements; the users would take the videos down and re-upload them to circumvent the ads. But now things may be shaken up a little...

The New York Times says:

"Now, YouTube is expanding opportunities for advertisers with what the company is calling First Watch. The name tells the story: an advertiser can buy a preroll spot on most people’s first view of a YouTube video each day."

So you watch an add, watch a video and then if you decide to re-watch you won't have to worry about more ads. Neat. Being able to target specific videos and specific audiences (as well as the audiences of "related" videos) gives these ads a massive reach.

It may not be long before ads and YouTube channels become standard procedure in any SEO company. Yes a lot of people record videos that no one is really interested in and claim they have SEO benefit; but I think this is a step in the right direction for more creative SEO.

Panda News?

We all knew Panda was coming and now it's here; but is it there? On May 25th on Google's "Webmaster Help" YouTube channel, Matt Cutts confirmed that the Panda update will continue to be implemented on an international scale. There has been much speculation around this subject. Websites in many other countries have very different structures to English Language based websites. This being the case the Panda update has had to undergo 'language adaptations'.

The Eazytiger SEO company continues investigation...

SEO | Previews and Percentages

Mon, 23 May 2011 10:52:05 +0000

Want to Preview your Preview? Google Says No Problem...

As a competent SEO company we know all about Google Instant. When you mouse-over a Google Instant result, a page-preview pops out allowing you to gain an insight into a website's quality before you click. Some like it some hate it; but whichever way you look at it, it's something search users will be taking into account from now on.

Recently Google has added a new tool to their "Webmaster Tools" utility. It allows you to preview the Google Instant previews for the pages on your site! The benefit of this is that you can use these previews to help increase the CTR (click through rate) of your keyword landing pages.

You can amend web-pages until you are satisfied that their previews will draw more clicks than the competition. Clicks are still a factor in Google's ranking algorithms so it doesn't take a scientist to figure out that this new preview tool could be really useful for any SEO company (though it's not a "magic bullet").

Clicks are no longer one of Google's most potent ranking factors but SEO is about making all the necessary changes and viewing the net effect. Anything new to optimise is another chance to show Google how relevant you are for your keyphrases. Make use of it!

How is Google Performing in Other Countries?

Recently, comScore has shared data stating that Google owns 90% of the search market in Latin America. This is fascinating for anyone remotely interested in search and SEO because it shows the potential of organic search advertising. There's not much to say about this statistic right now but it does demonstrate the amount of exposure it's possible to gain from SEO (even if you only optimise for Google!)

That's all for this week's SEO Roundup. See you next Monday...

SEO Company: Charm and Pandas

Mon, 16 May 2011 12:46:28 +0000

How to be a Good Link Builder

An interesting article posted by Justin Briggs (a well known SEO consultant) on May 15th highlighted the key skills an effective link builder requires. He noted these skills as being:

Internet Culture
Creativity
Analytical Skills
Technical Skills
Sales Experience
Sociable Geek
Ingenuity
Hustle

SEO Company Overview:Some of these are more-so personality traits than skills, but the list seems to add up. You could argue that "Sales Experience" and "Hustle" are basically the same thing (as are "Ingenuity" and "Creativity"). The basic point he gets across is that a link builder needs to be technical enough to know what links they're looking to ascertain, social enough to enter dialogue and charming enough to get the resources they're after.

Surviving Panda

On February 24th Google rolled out their Panda update, lowering the rankings of many sites. The Panda update was aimed at making content more crucial in terms of site rankings. Seoforumsorg has this to say (Monday May 16th):

"Questions that Panda trys to answer in the SERPS:

would you give this site your credit card?

Would you be comfortable giving medicine prescribed by this site to your kids?

would it be okay if this was in a magazine?

Does this site have too many ads?

Is the content mass produced by or outsourced to agencies, or is it hand crafted, loved and relevant content?

If the answers are wrong, panda will kill your rankings."

SEO Company Overview: In order to survive the Panda update we suggest that you make your site appear credible (include some testimonials), write high quality well thought out content (include sources) and don't saturate your website with ads. Just be a good little panda and don't spam!

- That's all for this week's roundup...

How to use Google Analytics for SEO.

Wed, 11 May 2011 15:52:49 +0000

Think of the benefits of being able to get down to the nitty gritty aspects of how many people visit your site and what behavior they demonstrate whilst looking through your pages. The integration of Google Analytics into the code of your website will allow you to do just that plus much more.

Google Analytics gives excellent dimensions to the types of reports you and your SEO company can make discoveries from and these reports allow you to take the required actions to continually keep improving your website to ensure you maximise your conversions.

We all love the buzz we get when we first see the fantastic new design of our website but what we have to remember is it’s the visitors experience of our website which is the real important aspect. If they are able to navigate your pages easily and be subtly guided to that point of conversion i.e. a sales transaction or an email conversion, then the pathway we aim on them taking from the keyword they type to the end conversion will work more smoothly and frequently.

A few simple reports to get you started will ensure you keep this conversion pathway as free flowing as possible:

Check that your increase in traffic is coming from the keywords you use for your SEO by looking at the keyword report (Location: Traffic reports > Keywords report). Are there also keywords you receive traffic from that you don’t have in your current SEO package? If so, get them integrated properly so you can harvest the full potential of opportunities open to you.

Explore the success of individual pages of your site (Location: Content > Top Content report). Are your optimised pages receiving the traffic you expect? Do people navigate to your contact page? Are visitors dropping out of the pathway set up in your site to complete a conversion on a particular page? All of these clues give big signals on where you can make improvements to your content and increase your online profits.

Examine what people think of your website on entry. (Location: Dashboard > %bounce rate). What % of visitors take one look at a page and click straight off your site without navigating further into your site? Does your content represent what is expected from the keywords people enter that page from using within the search engine?

All of this is just the tip of a very big iceberg of reports and answers that Google Analytics provides and web owners can gather unlimited amounts of information which can give you the vital signals required to keep any website current, up to date and ultimately successful.

Take action now and get your Google Analytics tracking code installed into your web pages and good luck in discovering the many reports showing how well you website works.

To drop or not to drop

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:17:58 +0000

And we are especially welcoming the mega drop down navigation trends.

Not a long time ago, if you even considered asking your web designer to add a drop down navigation would be considered a very bad practice. It’s fair to say that yes, this bad practice idea was and it is still mostly related with the idea that this option is not user friendly as it hides part of the information from the user.

That is an understandable worry, however is also important to remember that the fundamental bit of any website functionality and usability is related to how you structure it from the start. If you group the information and categorise the pages correctly, the user will find it easier to use your website and find the information they are looking for.

It’s also important to consider that, if the code and CSS have been designed properly, this drop down functionality won’t make the page load slowly and won’t hide any important information from search engines, making it SEO friendly.

Now, taking into consideration the design perspective, drop down navigations are a great way of grouping relevant information together and helping reduce the website visual. Grouping information is particularly useful in an e-commerce site, but you can see its relevance to content rich websites or blogs as well.

Just as a basic example, imagine how many links you would have to fit in the main navigation if you even tried to display all the products PC world or John Lewis are selling. A total nightmare I would say the least.

So there it is.... a brief but truly big welcome back to the drop down navigations trends.

A Plea to Web Developers

Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:32:12 +0000

But please, developers, think whether you actually need to validate, and what you're checking for.

My surname is double barrelled. Without a hyphen. I'm in good company: Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen and Andrew Lloyd Webber to name a few.

So, please, please, when I'm in a hurry trying to fill out a form on your website, don't keep stopping me to try and tell me "Your surname is invalid".

ok, rant over...

How screen resolutions influence a website design?

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:38:02 +0000

We often find ourselves questioning some basic questions on and on again, such as: what screen resolution should we be designing for?

One would think that this would be an easy question to be answered, however in a market that offers so many screen resolutions and browsing options for its users, we need to constantly check to see if the website is designed properly for all these different platforms.

Now, as designers we are used to the vocabulary of screen resolutions, but as a user, you might not be exactly aware of what that means and how it directly related to the way we design our websites. So before we carry on too far off, let's make clear what this actually means.

The screen resolution is directly related to the size of your monitor and how your operating system displays the information within your monitor.

Do you still remember that old big commodore Amiga monitor? In those times, screen resolutions would not pass 640X400!

In the nineties, websites were designed to fit 800 X 600 screens and then a decade later, around 2000, there was a shift to 1024 X 768 designs. Websites back then were designed to fit exactly the screen size, with very little margin or space from the monitor edge.

Thankfully, technology evolved since then and nowadays we have high resolutions LCD screens, which occupy much less space and provide far better image quality. This is also bringing us a new shift for the website design industry.

Since 2008, the market seems to be moving towards a new shift of higher resolution on desktop computers. Bigger monitors and bigger resolutions are invading the market day by day. As a consequence of this shift, designers need to consider how they will be using the screen space to make the most of their designs and website purpose.

Even though technology evolved and many buy big screen for their desktop computers, the 1024 x 768 screen still hold a large share of the market, and, for that reason, many designers still use these proportions as a basic guide when designing websites.

However, they now also consider what the user will see in their screen in case they happen to have bigger screens.

At the moment there are a few ways to approach the use of the screen space. Designers can design a website with a fixed width, which usually makes the website look tidy in different screen sizes, or use fluid layouts, which allow some level of flexibility on how the information is displayed on the screen.

Let's look into some practical examples to visualise this difference.

If we use a 1024 x 768 screen to visualise both John Lewis and Amazon websites, this is what we will see:

However, if we use a 1680x1050 screen to visualise both websites again, this is what we will encounter if the website uses the monitor full width:

Only when visualising in a bigger monitors that the user can see this difference.

John Lewis is using a fixed width layout. It was designed to fit a 1024 x 768 which allows the website to look tidy and clean. Because the website has a fixed width and it's centralised in the screen, we can see some empty space on the surrounding of the main website area, focusing your attention to the middle of the screen.

In the case of Amazon, they use a fluid layout. That means that the website will display all its elements using the maximum width of the screen, leaving no white space around.

There are a few down sides that one can encounter with a fluid layout which is the fact that sometimes the text occupies the full width of the monitor, becoming very tiring for the user to read the information on screen.

The decision to use a fluid or fixed width layout will be directly related with the website purpose and needs.

It's understandable to consider having a fluid layout when designing a website that wants to display as many products as possible in front of the user. However it's important to consider that, here we are visualising it in a 1680 x 1050 monitor. Imagine what will happen to a 1920x1200 monitor? Maybe that design might look quite lost in space if not careful with the way the website is designed.

The important role of the designer is to guide and explain to the client which layout style is more appropriate to their website and make sure the design is designed considering these different platforms.

New Trends

Almost as an opposite direction as desktop computers, a new market is gaining more and more space nowadays. More and more people are now using their smart phones, ipads and netbooks to browse the internet and use websites while travelling. While net books and ipads still follow, respectively, 1024 x 600 and 1024 x 768 screen resolutions, the mobile market requires another approach completely different.

In the mobile market, smart phones allow their users to visit normal websites, and more and more users are expecting to find faster websites working on their mobiles.

If the website has been well designed, the user should be able to navigate through its basic functions. However, most of the time to get the best output of your website in a mobile platform, they should be specially designed and optimised to function well on mobile phones. This comes as something extra then the normal website look and feel that you would expect on a desktop computer or laptop.

Conclusion

As you can see, from this small topic, it brings big questions when designing a new website in our studio.

From the moment a client brief us about their needs, we will advise them on how their website should be designed. That will define how we should use the screen space and if they should think about optimising their websites to small screens and mobiles. It will all be down to the website purpose and the client's needs.

Have you ever checked how your website has been designed?

A Christmas gift that really counts

Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:21:49 +0000

We'd like to wish you a wonderful Christmas, and thank you for your continued support during a difficult economic year.

But, rather than spend £2 and send you a bit of card-board, we thought you'd like us to give a truly beneficial gift on your behalf.

Edith and George have not eaten a hot meal in months. Our donation provides them with a cooker.

Instead of giving Christmas cards this year, we wanted to give a gift that really made a difference to someone this Christmas.

We're donating to Leicester Charity Link, who help by providing everyday items that the majority of us take for granted, such as a bed to sleep in, a cooker to prepare a hot meal and, in emergencies, food.

You can find out more about their work, and join us in supporting them at www.charity-link.org.

The Importance of Customer Reviews

Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:56:48 +0000

"Google Engineers have repeatedly stated that positive reviews will not affect rankings. However, we all continue to see a close correlation between ratings/reviews and better-ranking sites." - Chris Silver Smith (SEO Specialist)

However, it seems to be clear that there is a strong link between customer reviews and SERP movement. Some have theorised that any reviews can have a negative effect on a website's SERPs - but Google have repeatedly denied this:

"As you can probably imagine, we at Google cannot divulge any details about our scoring mechanisms, as that might lead to unfair advantages for businesses wishing to optimize their search results. However, I wish to ensure you that the presence of a new, positive rating should in no way demote a business's position in the search results. That would be more than unfortunate; it would reduce our quality and utility as a search tool." - Jeremy Sussman (Google Employee)

Most recognised SEO specialists believe that even the context of a review left by a customer is insignificant. Whether a review is good or bad, to be talked about is good in the eyes of Google:

"The magic number seems to be once you hit 5 reviews, and then it is all dependent on the number of reviews a listing has in relation to its competition." - Dev Basu (SEO Specialist)

A solid five reviews will get you 'noticed' but if you have more reviews than your immediate competition (and thus perceivably more customers and more importance / relevance) you have a higher chance of rising through the SERPs to dominate your rivals.

Obviously, Google count the reviews from their own web pages (Google Places) to be the least biased, since no 3rd party can tweak them. But other than reviews gained on Google places - are reviews from customers placed on 3rd party sites worth getting?

"This is absolutely a factor for certain verticals. Find out which 3rd party review websites matter for your industry and make sure to get some reviews there" - Ed Reese (SEO Specialist)

There are some respected 3rd party review sites out there which Google does look to in addition to their own data. By having a volume of reviews (no matter the context) on Google Places and other known review sites of note, you will see a boost in terms of your ranking positions (and not just in Google).

We at Eazytiger highly recommend gaining valuable reviews from your customers, or incentivising them to place reviews on Google Places. By gaining customer reviews you can help Google to observe your relevance!

With this in mind, if you have made use of our services - please leave us a review

jQuery optimisation for newbies

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:27:19 +0000

Why should you care about site optimisation?

Studies have shown that if Google's load time was 500 milliseconds slower, there would be a 20% drop in traffic. 400 milliseconds slower and Yahoo's traffic would drop 5%. Don't run a search engine? A mere 100ms slower and Amazon's conversion rate would drop 1%. (source)

Since April 2010, Google has starting taking page load time into account with its rankings. With the continual increase in mobile browsing, we also have to take into account that devices such as the iPhone will only cache files smaller than 15Kb in size.

Whilst making sure that your jQuery is small, sleek and efficiently coded isn't the only way to optimise page load time, it can play a big part. Especially for those of you who love to cram as many jQuery plugins onto a single page as possible.

The Most Beneficial Javascript Optimisation Method

The most beneficial optimisation method is to write pure Javascript as opposed to jQuery. jQuery is simply a wrapper for Javascript. Anything that is written in jQuery is rewritten as Javascript by the jQuery library. If you have the time and skills, then cut out the middle-man and write pure Javascript.However, for those of us with tight deadlines there's no doubt that jQuery is the best way to get things done quickly and easily.

Keep Up-to Date

First and foremost, you should always ensure you are using the most up to date jQuery library. Many people are using the Google Libraries API to serve their sites with jQuery. The theory is that if everyone uses this central server, browsers will load the file already stored in their cache from other sites. Additionally, you should always make sure you are using the compressed/minified version of jQuery.

Selector Caching

The majority of new jQuery developers completely ignore selector caching, especially those without previous Javascript knowledge.

The basic rule here is that if you need to use the same selector more than once, then you should cache it. Every time the DOM is traversed, valuable milliseconds are wasted and browser resources are used unnecessarily. You simply need to assign the selector to a variable.

Bad...

$('#bar').fadeIn(); setInterval(function(){ $('#bar').fadeOut(); }, 500);

Good...

var foo = $('#bar'); foo.fadeIn(); setInterval(function(){ foo.fadeOut(); }, 500);

Correct Selectors

I think almost everyone could optimise their code, by simply using correct selectors. Using correct selectors means the DOM doesn't necessarily have to be traversed completely, which in turn increases speed. In each instance that you only need to select a single element in the DOM, use an ID selector. For example:

$('#foo')

When you need to select more than one element, use a class as your selector where possible and prefix it with a tag. For example:

$('div.foo')

Selector Context vs. Find

Another easy way to improve selector performance is to use context. For example:

$('div.foo').click(function() { $('span', this).addClass('bar'); });

When this code is parsed by jQuery, however, it simply calls its own .find method. This means we could further improve this by cutting out the middle-man again. For example:

$('div.foo').click(function() { $(this).find('span').addClass('bar'); });

Avoid Unnecessary Styling

Though jQuery provides us with methods to style elements inline, it is best to avoid using them. You should apply a class to the element and use your CSS to style it as an alternative.

Bad...

$('#foo').css({'font-weight' : 'bolder', 'color': '#000', 'font-size': '15px'});

Good...

$('#foo').addClass('bar');

Avoid Performing Unnecessary Methods

It's best to avoid unnecessary browser resources. If you are calling a method, regardless of whether the element is currently in the DOM, then it's a waste. It is much better to check if the element is in the DOM first.

Bad...

$('#foo').addClass('bar');

Good...

var foo = $('#foo'); if (foo.length) { foo.addClass('bar'); }

Conclusion

jQuery is a great Javascript framework that helps to make developing Javascript quick and easy. Just make sure you use it only when necessary, and when you do use it, use it correctly.

Movember at Eazytiger

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 11:12:53 +0000

What's Movember?? Well Movember is where you have one month to grow the best possible moustache you can from scratch, so on Shadow-een (31st October) you must clean shave your entire face, and for the rest of November only grow back the moustache. You can find out more about Movember here: http://uk.movember.com

Now you may wonder why we might do this, given that in general people with moustaches in the modern era are likely to get stared at. Well its all in aid of charity and awareness of men's health issues such as testicular and prostate cancers. Over the month of November, we'll be sharing our progress with you on our twitter
(www.twitter.com/eazytiger or @eazytiger) and would love it if you could donate to one of us to help a really worthwhile cause.

If you'd like to donate, why not visit my Mospace page here and give whatever you can to support us in our manly moustache quest to raise money for charity.

Josh's Mospace - http://uk.movember.com/mospace/608040/

If you, or anyone at your business is taking part in Movember, then please tweet us pictures of your/their moustache progress as we'd love to get involved with others taking part.

Happy Mo Growing!

Josh

5 reasons why it is important to define your brand identity

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:24:44 +0000

Here at Eazytiger we work with many different projects from clients from many different backgrounds. What we come across sometimes though is that people come to us asking for a logo design thinking that that alone is their ?brand identity'.

Now, let's just say it: that is NOT true. A logo is part of what would be called ?brand identity' but in reality, it involves much more.

As our team are always willing to help our clients to reach best results, we always advise our clients with whatever help we can give them when they come through our doorsteps.

But what happens to many people out there? I do think this article is dedicated to them. I believe that anyone that is building a business should increase their knowledge of how much more than a ?logo' is involved in the branding world.

And remember, when you need it, we are here to help you build your brand identity.

So, here we go! Let's start from the start.

?Getting the right brand identity for your business is crucial to allow you to compete in the current market place.?

That is a common affirmation that you will most probably hear from every marketer and designer you encounter.

Now, the question you might be asking yourself and it's one of my colleagues favourite phrases is WHY? Why is it important to define your brand identity?

1) To show your Values

This is the very first stage you need to look at, before going to the fun visuals. You need to define the values of the company you are founding. What do you stand for?

Your values should convey something deeper and meaningful that you want to show throughout your business activities. You want to show to your customers what your company stands for. You want your customers to recognise the human side of your company. You want to connect your company values to your customers.

Whatever values you choose for your company, you must stand by them and convey that throughout every aspect of your business, including your logo, promotional material and behaviour of your staff.

It is important to remember though that these values need to be genuine, they need to be real. You and your staff need to believe in it and stand for it. Nothing build in a vain attempt to attract customers will last if you don't practice what you preach.

2) To be recognised

Just as you have a name and are recognised by your family and friends, your brand identity is exactly that. Your brand is unique and it should represent what your company is, you are recognised both emotionally and graphically in the market.

Then comes the time to define how you want to visually convey and build your brand image. Here is the stage in which all the logic and graphical side of your brand identity will be developed and designed: logo, typeface style, corporate colours, tone of voice of your communication and style of images.

You will then have your brand guidelines, in which you should always refer to whenever you decide to promote your business. Every aspect of the visual communication should be chosen to follow and represent the message you want to pass to your customers.

3) To create coherence throughout all your communications

Once you have your brand identity visually defined and your brand identity guidelines, you will then apply it throughout all your communication or touch points.

It is very important to present your brand identity coherently and consistently on all the offline and online promotional material.

It is also very important to carefully check if you company and employees behave coherently with your brand guidelines. Do your employees wear a uniform? Do they answer the phone in a polite manner? Is your store/office transmitting your brand personality? Does your PR reinforce the message you want to convey?

Coherence throughout all aspects of your business communication is crucial for your brand identity to be recognised in the market place.

4) To build and maintain Trust

Trust. I think this aspect of the brand identity is one of the most important ones, particularly to a service based company. Do you encourage your customers to trust your company and brand?

By talking to your staff and receiving the same message throughout all the promotional material of your company, your potential customers will gain trust in your company and thus encourage them to trust your services. They do not only trust a service here, they trust your brand.

By fulfilling the expectations of your clients and delivering the promised results, your company's brand identity can only grow stronger as your clients will maintain their trust in your services.

Good customer relationship can only bring positive results and trust to your brand identity. And very importantly, by building trust in your customers you increase chances of a repeat business and good word of mouth.

5) To help you connect to your public

So, after so much thinking and design, you have now your brand identity defined! Fantastic!

Now...What are you doing with it? Don't tell me you have a fantastic brand identity sitting there in the corner, just waiting to be promoted.

Brands have bold personalities and like the attention and spotlight that they deserve. You need now to create brand awareness. People need to know you exist and what you stand for. Here is where you need to think, are you reaching your public? To you listen to what they want? Are you showing your brand to potential business partners and competitors? Are you competing for a share of the market?

One of the most revolutionary aspects of our century is the development of communications. Did you explore all the communications that your company can use to reach your target public? Are you using communications in your favour?

Make a list of all the possible communications you can use to promote your brand and create awareness in your market niche.

Here is a small list of the most popular ones:

Business cards and stationery
Website
Signage / interior design of your store or office
News letters
Press Releases (PR)
Social Media platforms (blogging, twitter, youtube channels, facebook, etc)
Flyers
Brochures
Posters

The list would be endless!

Each business have their own communications strategy, but the important thing is that your brand identity is there, waiting to connect to your customers. Why should you hold it back?

So, now that we've been through these points? Do you agree that you can't depend on your logo alone to define your brand identity?

Search Engine Suicide - The Top 5 List of SEO Blunders

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 09:52:55 +0000

#5 ? Placing your content inside Javascript widgets

Some of the new-fangled Javascript gadgets, widgets and gizmos can make your site look amazing. However, have you considered their impact on your search engine rankings? Whilst presenting your content with the help of Javascript and jQuery can make it look stunning to us humans, search engines such as Google are blind to it and will ignore it completely.

A common example that you'll see a lot is the good old jQuery accordion and tabs plugins. I think these are great ways to present users with content without using lots of precious screen real estate. However, as these devices rely on Javascript delivery, Google (and the rest) will completely ignore the content. Therein lies the trade-off, folks.

A favourite work around of ours is to also present the content in HTML for Google but hide it for users. As the user is still seeing the content, you won't fall foul of any Google anti-blackhat rules. Simple!

#4 ? Keyword stuffing

After researching some of the out-of-date or less-reputable SEO information sources out there, many people rush to stuff their content chock-full of keywords.

Ever read something like this?

"Are you looking for a plumber London? Plumbers London can often be hard to find so when you're looking for a London plumber, try Acme Plumbers Ltd. Our plumbers in London have the lowest rates for plumbing in London of any London plumbers or plumbing company. In London."

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and keyword stuffing will inevitably ensure you come a cropper with the big G sooner or later. Google doesn't like being tricked, and if its smart little spiders decide you're trying to pull the wool over its eyes, it'll decide your fate in a nano second and delist you into digital oblivion. And that's not good for business.

Writing content that's keyword and relevancy rich whilst remaining on the right side of the law is part art, part science. Talk to the Eazytiger online marketing team if you're interested in really great content.

#3 ? Doorway pages

"Welcome to Acme Plumbers. Please click the button below to enter our site"

We've all seen doorway pages on websites. You have to click a little link or button to even see the site. If you're really unlucky, you'll have to watch something boring before you even get the option.

If this common SEO blunder was a fashion faux pas, it would be wearing socks with sandals. It really is that bad. There is absolutely no useful content on a doorway page.

In addition, Google doesn't like doorway pages and advises against their use because they can be spammy and deceptive.When Google advises that you 'avoid' doing something, take this as a Papal Bull; don't just avoid it, run in the opposite direction. Better still, cover it in petrol and set it on fire, because you're never going to rank well or even get indexed otherwise.

What's more, doorway pages are also terrible for your users because you're making them jump through a hoop before you even let them in the front door. Many people just hit the back button. And you want them to buy something?

#2 ? Content within Frames

If your current site uses frames, a way of presenting different web pages to users in a single page layout, then you're going to struggle to achieve a good ranking. Search engines aren't very smart at deciphering frames and may ignore them altogether.

So even if your site is full of great content, chances are its not being seen by Google and you're missing a big trick.

The ideal solution is to have a site that's perfectly designed for viewing by users and search engines simultaneously. That's where we come in. If your site is looking tired, then talk to us ? we can help!

#1 ? Image-heavy sites with missing alt tags

By now, you will have twigged that search engine spiders - the autonomous, robot users that Google sends to your site periodically - aren't very smart. They don't see your site the way you do and can't see clever things like Javascript and Flash. They also lack to the capacity to see your images and any wording used within them.

So if your site relies on flashy images and lots of eye-candy to get its point-across, then you won't rank as well as you could.

If you absolutely must put so much of your text within images, and there are times when this will be necessary, then you'll need alt tags. Alt tags are like little text descriptions of what your images are about, and help you tell Google what your images say and mean.

Alt tags aren't just important for boosting your rankings. Additionally, visually-impaired users with screen-reading technology will find your site difficult to use and understand if it is image heavy.

Conclusion

So there you have it, Eazytiger's top 5 list of SEO blunders. However, there are many more pitfalls out there for the unwary and the world of search engine optimisation is a dynamic one, evolving all the time in reaction to the big search engines like Google and Bing.

Why not talk to the online marketing team about boosting your search engine profile the right way?

On the trail of Hänsel and Gretel

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 16:04:34 +0000

Recently, a very passionate debate broke out about the use of breadcrumbs in our websites.

If you've not come across the term before, a breadcrumb trail is a navigational aid that typically shows the that path you've taken to get to the current page. It comes from the fairy tale of Hänsel and Gretel dropping breadcrumbs as markers to enable them to return back the way they'd travelled.

I've always maintained that the use of the breadcrumb trail stems directly from the fairy tale - that is, it marks the route that you've taken to get to the current page, enabling you to easily back track and return to earlier junctions and, from there, take a different path to new content.

The debate was sparked primarily from a search engineering suggestion: that these are high level links, and because they contain the category names (which are often the keywords required for a given page) they are very beneficial to Google understanding what a page is about. The point was made that instead of showing the route the user had taken, the page could show the ideal route to this page.

An example here would probably illustrate this more clearly:
Imagine a user coming to an eCommerce store, and using the Search box to look for a particular product. When they are on the product details page, the breadcrumb typically presented to them would be:

Home » search results » this product

But the links here have no search engineering benefit. They don't contain any of the site's keywords, or even link to given categories. The suggestion was that it would be better to generate the breadcrumb from the category that this product was assigned to, so you'd be shown something like this instead:

Home » category » sub-category » this product

This does contain the keywords for the site, and is much more valuable from a search engineering point of view.
This was where the room divided.

It felt wrong to me. It seemed that it broke the user's expectation and understanding of how the site should behave. If a site doesn't behave the way I expect it to, then I am very liable to leave it and go to one that does work as I expect it to. I'm a lazy website user (and I have a very strong suspicion that I'm not alone) - I don't want to have to think about what I'm doing, the site should flow and be intuitive.

The breadcrumb (by its definition) shows where you've been, and that's how I'd want the site to work. So if I wanted to go back to my search results page and look at one of the other products, then I can click the 'search results' link in the breadcrumb and return to that page easily. However, if I'm presented with a series of pages that I didn't browse through to get to the current page then it's going to throw me. Yes, I can just click the 'back' button, but still, the website hasn't behaved the way I'd expect and I'm expected to stop and think of an alternative method for how to get back to previous pages.

The counter argument was that this presented a better way of navigating, because you already have the back button functionality, so this breadcrumb trail give you additional information, telling you where this product was in the store, so that you could then browse similar products much more easily by stepping out to browse the whole category for that product.It's a valid point, and it's this thinking that means that on every product details page in our eCommerce system there is always a link to browse all products in the same category.

So which should it be? A series of markers to show where you've already been, or a sign post to let you know how this page fits in with the other pages?

Evidently from how passionately we shared our opinions, it's a personal choice, and I don't think there is an absolute answer. But, personally, I still can't shake the need to satisfy the expectation of the breadcrumb showing where you've been...
...assuming the birds haven't eaten them, that is.

What is your expectation? Let us know by adding your comments.

Cavells Country; Looking Horny!

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:57:07 +0000

The large independent store Cavells has recently launched a new online product catalogue and online shop. The launch of Cavells Country in response to their successful store of the same name includes a brand new website, blog section and an aptly horned logo!

Cavells Country

The Eazytiger team took great satisfaction in architecting Cavells' stunning new stag of a website:

"The design brief of making something looking rustic and country style seemed an interesting concept for a website, but with some rich mahogany texture and fantastic colour palette we've created a site that's both contemporary and in keeping with country style " - Josh McCarthy

Selling a variety of high quality country-wear for both men and women, Cavells Country is certain to please fans of country living as well as those looking to gain that country chic look (think Barbour and Schoffel jackets and Dubarry boots). Best of all you don't even have to go out to look so darn stylish as their online store gets items sent straight to your door.Cavells Country have a browse through and if you visit their store don't forget to tell them how pretty their new site is ;)

Cavellscountry.co.uk - a Web Design project by Eazytiger...

Great photography? you spoil us Mr. Angrave

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:12:06 +0000

We love designing great looking sites which engage the user. That's why when local furniture manufacturers Angraves came back to ask us to redesign their site we were already excited, especially when they told us they were going to have brand new photography for us to use in the design.

The value of great photography can transform a design project, as adding it in to cutting edge design is not just icing on the cake but sprinkles and a cup of tea to go with it! It helps lift products off the page, and generate a real desire to buy from the user. That's why when we saw their new outdoor range, we got especially excited because it looked fantastic. So when contrasted against our modern black design it exudes style.

It's been great to work with Angraves, as they're so forward thinking. This is no surprise for a company that has evolved and changed since 1912 when they first started building their furniture. Almost one century on, the company have launched their newest website, and their second to be built with Eazytiger and you can see it here:

www.angraves.com

We look forward to working closely with Angraves for the coming future.

Eazytiger Recommends: Harvey Ingram LLP

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:04:30 +0000

Eazytiger is proud to announce the recent online launch of Harvey Ingram LLP. Harvey Ingram are a group of solicitors, landlord lawyers and tenant eviction specialists. Harvey Ingram provides commercial and private legal services in addition to the various property based services they offer.

Harvey Ingram have taken online based solicitor practices to the next level by offering online debt recovery and tenant eviction services. Now the difficulty of evicting tenants will become a relatively painless process, which you can finish by filling out a few simple web-based forms.

Harvey Ingram gives advice on a vast array of legalities. For example, if you are thinking of selling your business, there are legal issues which could save you a lot of money. Providing digestible, transparent legal advice, Harvey Ingram have the potential to make large financial savings.

Holder of Leicestershire's "Law Society Annual Award" (2009), Harvey Ingram promise honesty and integrity when giving legal advice and preparing legal documents. Whether you're looking to evict tenants or whether you are looking for some simple legal advice; Harvey Ingram's law experts are capable and well trained.

If you are looking for solicitors in Leicester, Birmingham, or any of the surrounding areas; Eazytiger recommends Harvey Ingram.

Standby Teachers Purchase PURSE

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:38:55 +0000

The Eazytiger team are proud to announce a new PURSE campaign with the online provider of teaching jobs in Yorkshire , Standby Teachers. Standby Teachers have asked us to promote their website for a competitive keyphrase - and Eazytiger are confident that Standby Teachers will see impressive improvements on their current Search Engine Ranking Positions!

Standby Teachers offer quality teaching jobs in Yorkshire. With Standby Teachers, you can be sure to cement a great opportunity with the possibility of realising your teaching potential. Additionally, Standby Teachers can help local education authorities or schools to get in touch with fresh new teaching talent.

You can find more information about the teaching jobs in Yorkshire offered by Standby Teachers at their website, StandbyTeachers.com.

For more information on how the Eazytiger PURSE team can build your online profile, see our search engine optimisation page.

Mitsy Launches!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:51:10 +0000

Eazytiger are proud to announce the launch of LoveMitsy.co.uk! Mitsy stands at the forefront of the vintage shopping experience. Mitsy's Hollywood-esque retro stylings will have you rocketing through their easy to use eazyCommerce based checkout system in seconds. Being built upon Eazytiger's powerful and ever evolving eCommerce system, Mitsy has easily manageable content and integrates seamlessly with tools which allows the monitoring of on-site traffic.
Boasting over 30 years experience in clothing design market, Mitsy are sure to provide you with that little bit of glamour you have been looking for. To quote Mitsy themselves :
"The Mitsy brand stands for innovative fashion that's as individual as you are. We specialise in producing small quantities to help keep your wardrobe extraordinary and not ordinary."
"We pride ourselves in our tailoring and attention to detail. By using the best choices of fabric and accessories our range offers prestige quality that not only looks good but feels great.Our priority is our customers."
Aiming to eliminate the "stresses of the high street", Mitsy offer a unique twist to any wardrobe with their specialist design skills. An item from Mitsy is sure to impress your friends and help you stand out from the crowd. Mitsy products can also make a wonderful gift for loved ones! Stocking dresses, tops, skirts and leggings Mitsy provides variety in addition to quality and luxury.

DIY Deals at The Hardware Centre

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 12:45:50 +0000

We'd just like to remind our readers and clients of the excellent services offered by TheHardwareCentre.co.uk. If you're in the market for DIY supplies and cutting edge (no pun intended) power tools, then search no further! The Hardware Centre provides fantastic DIY products at discount prices, enabling you to get the job done faster and more accurately - for less.
Redoing your bathroom? How about some high quality yet affordable Bristan taps? Bristan also design ladder rails for towels, shower heads and shower mixers.
Maybe you're looking for a complete power tool package that won't let you down when you're hard at work in the garage or garden shed. Luckily for you, a Makita cordless set has found its way into The Hardware Centre's promotions section. At such a price this assortment of quality power tools may seem too good to be true! Once you purchase this set, it's highly likely you won't be buying any power tools for many years to come.
Rather than cutting through timber and steel, you might be looking to attach one surface to another. Well that's no problem either; the Everbuild range of industrial strength adhesives stocked by The Hardware Centre certainly lives up to its name.
Whatever you're looking for, The Hardware Centre has the solution to your DIY problems without the price tag. So head on over and check out their products today!

Eazytiger Launches in Nottingham

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:23:01 +0000

Eazytiger are proud to announce the launch of our eCommerce and SEO services in Nottingham. Due to the ongoing success which Eazytiger has been experiencing, we are fast becoming the premiere Web Design and Search Engine Optimisation company operating throughout the entire Midlands area and feel that a Nottingham presence is the next natural step.
We are confident that expanding our services into the Nottingham area will continue our recent trend of sustained profitable growth and look forward to winning new clients across the Nottinghamshire region.
The reasons why both PURSE and eCommerce are such successful products (in some instances crossing international waters) are actually quite simple:
? eCommerce looks to provide clients with a fully customisable, easy-to-manage online store capable of meeting modern online consumer demands. Integrating seamlessly with any brand, eCommerce provides a firm base for displaying your products in the most attractive manner possible.
Web design in Nottingham will be forever changed. The eazyCommerce package combines ease of use, security and flexibility, making it the best option for online businesses now and in the future.
?Our second offering Payment Upon Results Search Engineering (PURSE) is the ideal companion to our eCommerce packages - driving targeted customers to your ecommerce website. PURSE provides recently constructed or pre-existing websites with better online visibility from within leading search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo. This is performed by a combination of white hat link building and content generation techniques. A website is optimised for certain key-phrases so that when these words are entered into a search engine the client's site becomes clearly visible. Because you only pay upon the delivery of the agreed SEO results, there can be no possibility of wasting financial or other resources by investing in PURSE.
If you're based in Nottingham and are looking for a search engine friendly eCommerce solution to surpass your competitors, or if you are looking for standalone Payment Upon Results Search Engineering (PURSE) then your choice is now Eazy, Tiger!

Vision Coaches Ascends the Rankings

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 11:14:08 +0000

Eazytiger is glad to announce noticeable success with our client Vision Coaches in our PURSE (Payment Upon Results Search Engineering) campaign. The keyphrase "Coach hire Liverpool" has been pushed to position 12 for our client's website in the past few weeks. We have achieved Search Engine Ranking Positions (SERPs) for our client which we hope will polish our solid SEO reputation. Many keyphrases have come to excellent positions from outside the first 100 Google results, including "School bus hire Liverpool" which has blazed through the rankings to a current position of 2; we expect this SERP to reach number one in the next month or so.
Eazytiger are pleased to be working with such a dynamic and successful business. Vision Coaches are a premier provider of transportation throughout the Liverpool and Widnes areas. Supplying the very best coach hire Widnes has to offer, Vision Coaches is also able to supply mini coach hire in Liverpool at very reasonable prices. The competitive pricing offered by Vision Coaches means that their customers and clients gain quality transportation for less.
If you happen to be looking for coach hire in the midlands, why not head over to our client's website in order to make use of their outstanding prices and transportation services?
PURSE has proven its ability to push clients up through the rankings of leading search engines on many occasions. Because our clients don't have to pay until they see themselves within the top-ten search engine ranking positions for agreed keyphrases, there really is no reason to pass up the PURSE package! If you're interested in our PURSE product; head over to the relevant page of the Eazytiger Website for additional information or give us a call on 0116 269 2699.

SEO Success with LOF Direct

Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:11:28 +0000

Eazytiger is proud to announce huge success with our client Leicester Office Furniture in our Payment Upon Results Search Engineering (PURSE) campaign. The keyphrase "budget office furniture Nottingham" has been boosted to position 2 for our client's website in just under 2 months. We have achieved Search Engine Ranking Positions (SERPs) for our client which really stand out from the crowd. Many keyphrases have come to top positions from outside the first 100 Google results, including "filing cabinets Nottingham" which has risen through the rankings to a current position of 6; we expect this SERP to improve in the next few weeks.
Eazytiger are proud to be working with such a profitable and forward thinking business. Leicester Office Furniture are a premier provider of office furniture throughout the Leicestershire and Nottingham regions. Supplying the very best office chairs Nottingham has to offer, Leicester Office Furniture is able to distribute budget office furniture at discount prices. The competitive pricing offered by Leicester Office Furniture means that their customers spend less on quality products.
If you happen to be looking for office furniture in the Nottingham area, why not head over to our client's website in order to make use of their great prices and services?
PURSE has proven its ability to push clients up through the rankings of leading search engines on many occasions. Because our clients don't have to pay until they see themselves within the top-ten search engine ranking positions for agreed keyphrases, there really is no reason not to give Eazytiger a try! If you're interested in our PURSE package; head over to the relevant page of the Eazytiger Website for more information or give us a call on 0116 269 2699.

Eazytiger Recommends: Towequipe Tow Bars

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:08:26 +0000

For those of you who lead an active lifestyle, you know the importance of owning a secure towbar or cycle carrier. When you're serious about the great outdoors, the last thing you want is for your professional mountain bike to slip off your car as you travel through the country in search of an idyllic cycle destination. A quality and secure cycle carrier is not only important for you as a bicycle owner but also for those around you - a bike sliding from your vehicle can be very dangerous on the roads.Our partners Towequipe sell some great towbars at discount prices! The quality of these tow bars is astonishing. One brand of tow bars which Towequipe stock is particularly eye-catching, the Thule line of towbar and car accessory parts.To quote directly from Thule:"Because everything we do is based around making life easier, we make sure all aspects of production work together. Beginning with design, every step of the process receives the same high degree of attention by dedicated experts. Our innovations and designs go through research and development, and fitting and testing to make sure we are delivering the safest, most durable product that makes your life easier and compliments the look of your vehicle."Thule towbars are safe towbars! If you happen to be looking for a strong tow bar, we recommend you head over to our friends at Towequipe and pick up a product which won't let you down when you need it most!

SEO Client: Oakland Stairlifts

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:04:44 +0000

The Eazytiger team are proud to announce a new PURSE campaign with provider of quality stairlift solutions and curved stairlifts - Oakland Stairlifts. Oakland Stairlifts have asked us to promote their website for the competitive keyphrases - Stairlifts and Curved Stairlifts. Eazytiger are confident that Oakland Stairlifts will see impressive improvements on their current Search Engine Ranking Positions!
It's important to consider the safety and living standards of those close to you suffering from old age or disability related mobility problems. These issues can do more damage than simply preventing a sufferer from maintaining mobility in their own home. People living with mobility restrictions can often feel trapped in their own homes; everyone needs to feel free to be happy.
Oakland Stairlifts offer quality stairlift solutions at discount prices. With an Oakland stairlift, you can provide someone close to you with the mobility they need to maintain a healthy living standard. Additionally, curved stairlifts can help to avoid nasty trips and falls on the stairs by circumventing hazardous objects which may have been left on the stairway.
For more information on how the Eazytiger PURSE team can build your online profile, see our search engine optimisation page.

SEO Client: Vittles Foods

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:02:32 +0000

The Eazytiger team are proud to announce a new Search Engine Optimisation client, Vittles Foods! Wholesale cake provider Vittles Foods supply wholesale deserts throughout the United Kingdom.
Utilising the finest ingredients and award winning dessert recipes, Vittles Foods ensures that their clients provide outstanding dessert menus and products for their customers. Many caterers nationwide trust in the expertise and fine practice of Vittles Foods, the premiere UK provider of wholesale cakes.
If you're a UK based hospitality or catering company, why not get in touch with Vittles Foods today? Sporting sales team field support as standard and free sample boxes which will ensure your customers are hooked on Vittles, there really is are no better cake suppliers in all the country!
You can find more information about the wholesale desserts offered by Vittles Foods at their website.

Eazytiger Works With Bauer Media

Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:00:09 +0000
Bauer Media have chosen Eazytiger to help spread the word about their website - motorcyclenews.com. Motorcycle News is one of the many well established magazines published by Bauer media. Not only do Motorcycle news offer motorcycle expertise and updates on motorcycle events across the UK - but they also offer very cheap motorcycle insurance. Having their Motorcycle News publication promoted online could give Bauer a keen edge to cut through the competition.Bauer provides the UK with many other best selling magazines such as "Kerrang!" and "FHM". Eazytiger is excited to be working with such an influential client who is able to provide information and expertise nationwide. The history of Bauer reaches back to 1953 when the "Angling Times" was launched. The first acquisition Bauer made was Motorcycle News in 1956. Being the first acquisition of Bauer Media, it should be an interesting experience to provide PURSE for the Motorcycle News website.As well as having a history dating back over half a century, Motorcycle News provides cheap motorcycle insurance with a broad range of cover options. If you're looking to insure a motorcycle, then why not head over to Motorcycle News now to see what they could do for you?

Royal Robbins scoops another design award

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:26:22 +0000

I'm proud to say that the Royal Robbins website has been awarded another design award. DesignFirms has scored the site 91 out of 99 for creativity, programming and ease of use. This is on top of the MyDesignAward and the CSS Awards recognition the site has already received - which I'm delighted about as this project was a joy to work on.
It was one of those great design meetings where an enthusiastic client conveyed the brand so clearly that I walked out with how I wanted the site to look in my head.
The Royal Robbins site doesn't set out to sell anything directly, but to get visitors excited about the brand and the lifestyle that comes with it. We wanted to encourage the visitor to explore the site and engage with it, so using representations of real objects seemed wholly appropriate. I wanted the site to feel more organic and to have a texture to it to encourage visitors to interact with it, and to reward exploration with nice little features (like the tape measure on the size guide which many visitors may not see) and to tempt users to respond on the blog with the postcard comment feature instead of a standard, dull web form.
See for yourself - let me know what you think of it - www.royalrobbins.eu

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 9/10

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:32:36 +0000

Blogging
Blogging is highly regarded by Google. Blogging ticks all the boxes ? new content updated regularly, links to and from other websites, tagging so that you can label your content, authoring so that you create personal content rather than company speak, a website that is structured and large amounts of text to index. But blogging isn't the silver bullet for all your SEO problems. It can take a lot of work and if you don't keep on top of it the site can look amateurish. In my experience the best thing to do is to merge the blog with your website. This can be done by integrating it into your current site or as a link to an independent blog on one of the many platforms out there. That way you get control over the look and feel of your website, and the flexibility that that gives you, and at the same time impress Google by your constant updating of content ? and keep users engaged because you are creating new things for them to read all the time.Google is only ever interested in offering the most user friendly search results. This means that they spend most of there time creating code and rules for guaranteeing that website 1 is more relevant on a search result than website 2. Google is trying to read websites like a human brain would ? scanning a site to make sure that what the searcher wants to the find is what the searcher finds ? this is the only way Google are going to retain their market share. So the best rule to remember is that as along as you keep writing for your customers eventually your customer will find you and that's what a blog facilitates, the ability to keep writing new stuff for your customers to read. To learn more about SEO and what we can do to improve the online visibility of your business check our online marketing section.

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 8/10

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:31:11 +0000

Linking Part 2 - Directories or Networking
The big issue with link building is the amount of time it takes to build those links. Information can be submitted to directories but unless you have done the research beforehand to find out which directories yield to highest levels of PageRank. In addition to researching the directories you have to decide whether you want to be included in pay for directories, for example Yahoo has a paid for directory that will cost you $399 a year to be included in. The upside to using this directory and other paid directories is that you will cut down on spammers submitting their sites as only true and authentic sites would be paying to be included on these directories. The other way of building links is to ?network'. Find a website that has a good level of PageRank, find out who controls the site and build a relationship with them. Now this can take a long time - if you are looking for a link from a good quality website you can spend days trying to build a relationship and, still there are no guarantees. The best thing to do is show that you understand the audience of the other site and that your website has something interesting and different to offer. You can build up a relationship by commenting on their site, emailing them or even going to meet them in person but the long and short of it is that you want to show them something they don't have that their users would enjoy and ask them to link to you. As I said this is a long process but can be extremely beneficial as one high quality link from a similar website can push your website into the higher echelons of the search rankings.Link building is an important element of SEO but you need to decide how you want to go about it. You can submit to hundreds of low quality directories or spend time building a relationship with one or two high quality websites ? then there is always the option is to pay someone else to do it - but whatever you do make sure you don't misconstrue the importance of inbound links.If you think that your business would benefit from our online marketing or search engine optimisation services then give us a call on 0116 269 2699.

Looking for Search Engine Optimisation in Leicester?

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 18:25:22 +0000
If you're looking for search engine optimisation in Leicester, you've come to the right place! Eazytiger provide a full range of Search Engine Optimisation and Search Engine Marketing services from our offices here in Leicester.We have 9 years experience and success in online marketing, SEO and new media, so you can be confident that you're in safe hands with us. You may have used an SEO company before, and been either disappointed by their performance or even ripped-off for ranking improvements that never happened. We're just as wary of these phony Search Engine Optimisation companies as you are which is why we launched our revolutionary new service PURSE?PURSE stands for Payment Upon Results Search Engine optimisation and does just what it says on the tin. We provide our PURSE customers with full-spectrum online presence management to work towards a top 10 ranking in Google, MSN and Yahoo.We don't pretend this will happen overnight, but our experience in using solid on-page and off-page SEO techniques rather than gimmicks will ensure positive results. In fact, we're so confident about the quality and performance of our SEO service, you only pay once we achieve a top 10 ranking for your keyword or keywords.Now doesn't that make sense?So if you're looking for a local, Midlands-based company to handle you're all important online presence, choose Eazytiger's results based search engine optimisation. For more details on our service, please see the PURSE SEO Leicester page.

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 7/10

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:21:27 +0000

Linking
Google use a tool called PageRank to measure the quality of a website, Yahoo and MSN have their own versions but basically they are a way of grading a website. Search engines want to make sure that the websites they are showing users relate to what the user has been searching for. The quality of a website is a big factor in this. If your website is linked to from a useful authority site in your field you will receive a boost from the PageRank quality checker and your search results will improve. The best way to describe this is that the high quality website is a pool of water and if that pool of water has streams coming from it then water would eventually move from the pool down the stream. This is the same for websites, if website A has a good rating and it links to website B, website B will eventually get some of the good rating from website A. In a lot of ways this is a PR mechanism because you have to speak to the human who controls the good rating website and ask them to link to you. If you are thinking about link building then you need to set aside a lot of time ? in a lot of cases you won't have a prior relationship with the controller of the other website, you'll have to research what the site is about and what is the best way to ask for a link. In some cases sites of similar weighting will exchange links with each other and in other cases you can cross exchange sites with sites of similar subject matters.Link building can be the most difficult part of SEO because very soon after you start, things get into a muddle ? keep a record of who you have spoken to and keep a record of the people who have start yes. You need to get into a routine if you are link building, you should create content on your site and research blogs where people are saying similar things ? if you can include positive links to other sites then there is a good chance they will do the same for you. Alongside creating new content you should search for things that interest you and find websites that would welcome the question of you linking to them ? this way you have the best chance of getting a high conversion rate and also of staying interested.Contact us to find out more about our online marketing and search engine optimisation services.

SEO Client: Central Flooring Services

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 22:09:52 +0000
The Eazytiger PURSE team are proud to announce a new online marketing campaign with Leicester antislip floor coating leicester manufacturer and supplier Central Flooring Services.You may not have considered the importance of the floor coating in your workplace. However, if you work in industries such as electronics, pharmaceuticals or food and drinks, a hygienic nonslip flooring solution is vital for health and safety.The floor coating solutions provided by Central Flooring Services ensure clean, hygienic and safe working environments for thousands of people nationwide and ultimately clean and safe products for the consumer. Other applications of the Leicester firm's antislip floor coating solutions include warehousing, retail and leisure and engineering.You can find more information about the services offered by Central at their website.For more information on how the Eazytiger PURSE team can build your online profile, see our search engine optimisation page.

Eazytiger Provides PURSE for Great Gardens Online

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 14:21:12 +0000
Another nice win for the Eazytiger PURSE team ? Great Gardens Online! Eazytiger are providing results based search engineering for online retailer Great Gardens. They sell every type of garden products you can think of, including the likes of plastic planters and the high quality garden obelisk. Our results based system sits well with Great Garden's business plan because they are looking to grow their online business in the search engines from a standing start. Eazytiger's results based offering means a company can choose their keyphrases and only pay when the keyphrases are in the top 10, this saves a big upfront spend.They have commissioned us to work on their search engine rankings for Google, Yahoo and Bing (formerly MSN). Great Gardens online are a major supplier of Spear and Jackson tools and this is one of their key areas for online growth. When you have an online store the size of Great Gardens you have to strategise the best form of attack. What we are doing is to create campaigns of related keyphrases, achieve top results, and then move onto the next set of keyphrases.Great Gardens online, based in Derby, offer their products to anyone throughout the UK through their online shop which can be found at www.greatgardensonline.co.uk.

Eazytiger Provides PURSE for Peter Smith Interiors

Wed, 03 Feb 2010 10:36:51 +0000
Eazytiger is proud to announce that we will be working with Peter Smith Interiors in order to provide them with our SEO services package - PURSE. By utilising the Payment Upon Results Search Engineering package, Peter Smith Interiors will be much easier to find within the main search engines (such as Google) for key terms relevant to their business.Peter Smith Interiors, based in Leicester, supply simply stunning interior designs specialising in bathrooms and kitchens:

Peter Smith Interiors provide some of the best fitted bedrooms Leicester has on show. Of all the fitted kitchen companies Leicester is home to; Peter Smith Interiors have by far the most sheik designs and the best customer services.So, If you're looking to re-design your kitchen or bathroom areas - take a trip to petersmithinteriors.co.uk!

Eazytiger Provides PURSE for The Hardware Centre

Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:12:45 +0000
Eazytiger is proud to announce that we will be working with The Hardware Centre in order to provide them with our SEO services package - PURSE. Through Payment Upon Results Search Engineering (known as PURSE), we hope to supply The Hardware Centre with greater online visibility and conversion rates. Eazytiger shall endeavour to bring The Hardware Centre to the top of Google and other leading search engines so that more business can be generated - and we won't be paid until we achieve top-notch results!The Hardware Centre has developed a solid reputation as a provider of high quality DIY fixtures, ironmongery products and hardware tools. With low prices and great customer services we'd recommend The Hardware Centre to anyone!You can find some really good bargains in the promotions section of thehardwarecentre.co.uk; you'll often spot relatively new models of power tools or bathroom fixtures there at very reasonable prices. It's well worth a look, even if you're not thinking of redecorating.If you're thinking of purchasing shiny new Bristan taps or some sticky Everbuild sealing solutions, head on over to thehardwarecentre.co.uk!

Eazytiger Re-Launches Cavells Site

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 16:21:59 +0000
Eazytiger are proud to announce the re-launch of Cavells.co.uk! Cavells, the ultimate high fashion shopping experience - stocks over 130 designer brands of clothing. Over 100 of these brands include specialist clothing designers, whilst also having 30 specific footwear brands. Soon the spring season will be upon us, and with pay-day coming up there's no excuse not to head on over and have a gander at all the glamour!If you're still in the mood for a last minute winter ramble through the woodlands; why not check out Cavells Outdoors and Cavells Country? These new stores, sister shops of Cavells.co.uk, contain all you need to get to grips with the great outdoors; in style, of course!If you feel like visiting one of Cavells stores, you can find Cavells in Oakham. You're sure to be blown away by their impressive range of designer-wear and clothing for all environments.

Subdomain Outranks Primary Domain

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 09:14:49 +0000
Here's something that we thought was interesting, Eazytiger SEO have increased the Page Rank of WeAreFish to five! This is made even more interesting by the fact that the root/parent website has a PR of four (WeArePets). This may seem a strange result which does not follow the usual Page Rank hierarchy found on many domains; however there are reasons for this outstanding achievement.WeArePets as a whole has almost 1000 inlinks whilst WeAreFish has around 265. Why then is it, that WeAreFish has a higher Page Rank than WeArePets? The two main answers to this question are somewhat broader and simpler than one might think. Quality and relevance!You can have any number of inlinks to a website or web page, but their benefit in the eyes of the main search engines such as Google will be minimal if they are perceived as either irrelevant or being of low quality. Many Search Engineering companies and departments rely purely upon fully automated link building techniques which utilize black-hat software to spam web directories with link submissions on their client's behalf.If used correctly, a web directory can become the bread and butter of the Search Engineer. Having said this, most SEO operatives will perform a vast amount of directory submissions wrongly - placing their client's website in the wrong area of a directory or within directories which are entirely unsuitable to begin with.The best way to gain quality, relevant links is to embark upon a natural search journey. A good Search Engineer will undertake a journey through the client's "scene", discovering subject experts and areas where the client's business and the public's interest diverges. We set out every day to manually, personally and naturally network our client's websites to sources of high quality and relevance which will benefit our clients as well as the search engines.To put it simply, quantity is no substitute for quality and hard work.

Fluval EDGE Charity Auction

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:14:05 +0000
Presenting the Eazytiger Fluval EDGE auction - in aid of Leicester Charity Links.Usually, Eazytiger buys a large amount of Christmas cards to send out every year; however, in the interests of being green we've decided to do something a little different. This year we have decided to buy a Fluval Edge aquarium instead. Showing that we are environmentally-friendly isn't all there is to it, though. We are auctioning this aquarium on eBay and hope to raise money for a truly outstanding local charity.The charity we are in aid of is known as Leicester Charity Link. Founded in 1876, Leicester Charity Link helps over five thousand people every year who are living under harsh conditions such as poverty, crisis and extreme hardship. They raise money to pay for standard living necessities such as a bed or a simple cooker. Leicester charity link is officially supported by big names such as Jessops and even HSBC. Giving aid to those in need, Leicester Charity Link helps a vast range of people - they have improved the living standards of 1944 children, 724 carers, 652 disabled people, 486 elderly people living in poverty, 423 people facing a future without a home and 324 individuals with mental health conditions over the last year alone!Leicester Charity Link can take the money you donate and multiply the value of it by collaborating with other well established charities. If a Fun-Run is set up for example; the event will draw more donators and participants if other charities join in too. This is why the typical fun-run consists of many charity runners and staff working towards a common goal. By generating interest and awareness with its partners; every £1 that Leicester Charity Link invest in an event gains them five times the financial support which they would usually generate on their own.The way in which Leicester Charity Link multiply the value of their funds got us thinking. By auctioning this Fluval Edge aquarium rather than just selling it straight for the retail price, we might be able to multiply the value of the aid which could be achieved even before the donation reaches Leicester Charity Link. This auction has the potential to make a massive difference for a lot of people who deserve the same treatment we do. The best Christmas gift of all is the one that makes a real and positive change to the life of someone who matters.Every penny this auction raises will be donated to Leicester Charity Link. By working together, we can make a real difference in the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.A very merry Christmas to everyone! Clients, suppliers, and anyone that knows us!!!

Eazytiger Scores an Incredible 99/100 in the Website Grader

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:04:31 +0000
Eazytiger has just scored very highly (99/100) on the well known and recognised "Website Grader". Below, find a link to our report:http://websitegrader.com/site/www.eazytiger.netNow; how are we going to set about gaining ourselves one extra point for a perfect score..?

Eazytiger Ranking Report

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:04:10 +0000
This is our first "ranking report", a new weekly segment showcasing our successes in the world of Search Engine Optimisation.This week, our happily visible clients include:A+ Data Recovery; The best providers of drive repair Colorado has to offer! If you search for "drive repair Colorado" using either Google.com or Google.co.uk, our client comes right at the top of the list of web pages. A+ even have a testimonials section on their website with positive comments left by people such as Richard D. Lamm ? the governor of Colorado from 1975-1987. Having been around since 1999 (a decade) weathering the brunt of the recession, it's no surprise we're proud to be working for a client like A+.Ace Cleaning - a leading cleaning Coalville based company, which provides top-notch cleaning services throughout the Midlands. If you open up your browser and navigate to Google, Ace Cleaning comes first in the list of resulting web pages for they key phrase "Cleaning Leicester". Once again this result is achieved for both Google.com and Google.co.uk. Established in 1969 Ace Cleaning have had a number of prestigious clients. These include the Leicester City and County councils - as well as the Leicester, Loughborough and De Montfort university institutions. With well over 200 staff Ace Cleaning has both an impressive record of clients and a consistent rate of expansion.Presenting our results for CMS Cepcor, crusher backing and rock crusher part-providing extraordinaires. They're number one for no less than ten negotiated keywords, including "hydrocone spares" and "extec crusher parts". Nuff' said, we think! Although there's no need for us to boast of our own achievements here; you might be interested to know that although CMS Cepcor was formed in 1989, its roots stretch back still 14 further to 1975 when Cepcor Limited was founded.Before a client arrives at their number-one position on Google, we undertake large SEO campaigns to ensure they have both a solid foundation in link building and on-page Search Engineering. This means that before our clients reach their final destination, they often take large leaps on the way up. Within one week, our client 'Flowers Associates' have jumped from position 18 to position 8 on Google for the key phrase "recruitment east midlands". If this seems slightly strange to you - Flowers Associates provide some of the best employee recruitment Leicestershire has available.Lastly, increasing over the past week from position 4 to 3 is our client Main Electrical Training. This is for the key phrase of "electrician training course London". Main Electrical Training supply the best 17th Edition Training Course London London has running, both in terms of affordability and overall quality. In the same fashion as A+, Main Electrical Training have a testimonials (don't waist a link on the testimonials page) section on their website brimming with positive feedback. We like to ensure that we work with clients who provide the best possible service they can to their customers, this ensures that we are helping and not hindering search engines such as Google with providing the most beneficial and relevant results possible to their users.

Morningside Online Pharmacy Launches

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 12:02:46 +0000
Eazytiger are proud to announce the launch of the online pharmacy Morningside. Having eight branches open within the midlands and over twenty years worth of experience, Morningside are both accessible and highly qualified. Morningside handles everything that you would expect of a pharmacy (prescriptions etc.) and also offers home delivery. Additionally, since you can make orders on the Morningside website any time of day, it's fair to say that Morningside never closes ? brilliant!Not only can you order what you need online at Morningside in order for it to be delivered to your doorstep, but you can also book appointments online. The online booking, payment and delivery systems are very useful for those who may be elderly or mobility impaired; these services certainly negate the long walk down the high street.As if this isn't enough, Morningside also go out of their way to offer genuinely useful in-store health services. Examples of these include allergy screening, a "stop smoking" service, emergency medicine supplies and medicine use reviews. Great services from a great UK pharmacist.We are proud to have worked with Morningside who aim to bring simplicity and ease of mind to their customers combined with their solid medicine-based expertise ? and of course, their new fully featured eCommerce website.If you would like to view a full listing of the various Morningside branches, please click here.

Our Design Award for www.RoyalRobbins.eu

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:50:07 +0000
Everyone likes a good pat on the back every once in a while, and here at Eazytiger we're no different. As a result we were delighted to receive an award recently for the European website we did for Royal Robbins (www.royalrobbins.eu), an outdoor clothing brand. The brief was to create a rich and engaging site that appealed to the users through exciting and vibrant lifestyle imagery, whilst also being very friendly in tone. We were delighted with the results, and so were the client! So much so that the main USA part of the brand was very envious of their European arms jazzy new design.The award means we'll now appear in the featured section of the My Design Award's site so please go and check out our page here:http://www.mydesignaward.com/COMMENT/www.royalrobbins.eu/10355.htmlAnd because we're featured, we get this nice stamp of approval as well! Thanks a lot www.mydesignaward.comLast, but not least well done to John for this award winning design! * Insert virtual thumbs up here *CheersJosh

Launch of We Are Pets

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:06:35 +0000
Eazytiger is proud to announce We Are Pets, the newly launched online pet supermarket. We Are Pets offers a complete range of pet products such as cat food and fish tanks. We Are Pets will soon have over two-and-a-half thousand product lines and provides some of the cheapest pet-product prices on the internet. Eazytiger will be working with We Are Pets to provide them with better search engine visibility. The previously successful business We Are Fish has done so well through ranking highly in search engines that it is expanding to accommodate products for almost every variety of pet!We Are Pets spans almost the entire pet spectrum, from Labrador to lizard. The same great deals and products which We Are Fish previously provided can still be found in the We Are Fish section of We Are Pets, but now there are many more bargains to be had. We Are Pets aims to provide quality products for great prices - and competent pet advice through its blog!Eazytiger has already taken We Are Pets from concept to the delivery of their new website. Now we are developing a complete online marketing program for We Are Pets. We Are Fish believed in EazyTiger's ability to bring them to top-ranking positions in leading search engines - and as a result their business has flourished. Search engine optimization is an ongoing process and we will continue to achieve high level rankings for We Are Pets just like we did for We Are Fish.

Document OCR with Google Docs

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:37:31 +0000
Google are intergrating OCR software into Google Docs which means you can upload a scanned image and Google will pick out the text and turn it into an editable format within a document. Why is this interesting? Well it is interested because of how advanced the software is ? the software has a very good understanding of what is text within an image and a very good ability to understand the specific words. This blog shows an example of a scanned image and the editable text that is generated from it.This is an important advancement because if Google has software that allows it to understand and contextualise images then a big flaw in the search engine intelligence is overcome. Currently Google can't read images, if you have images on a page then Google has to use some code in order to figure out what the image is about ? this code is called ?alt text?. The fact that the search engines have to use representation code that the user doesn't see instead of analysing the image that the user does see has long been an issue for search engines. Now Google has software to analyse and understand an image so it no longer needs alt text and when this software gets rolled out to their search engine you will see more weight being given to images within website and also you are likely to see a mixing up of the search engine results.There is no guarantee when this will get included in the natural rankings but you can be sure that if Google are testing new functionality that can have a benefit to the way they rank websites then they will use it.

Google Squared ? a nod towards the future

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:43:03 +0000
Google have released a new ?labs' application called Squared. Labs is Google's testing bed for new creations, such apps that have come out of Google Labs include Gmail and Trends. Squared is a particularly interested app for us at Eazytiger because it is based on future search functionality. Type something into the search box and ?square it'. It will bring you a range of results in list format. Try ?cars? and you can see the results. Try ?plants? and you get results for different types of plants. Interestingly the search results are contextualised so columns of data that follow types of plants are different to columns of data about cars. If you go more indepth then you can add your own columns of data and then save or export the list. With plants I added a column of data called ?scientific name? and with cars I added a column of data to tell me when the company who produce the car was founded.By far the most interesting part of Squared, though, is the semantic nature of the search query. Plants and cars don't show this at its best but make a search for ?singles by the smiths? and the technology understands string you are typing in. This technology means that Google are far ahead of where previously thought, if Google can understand the query you are searching for, it can give you very specific answers quickly. Also if Google can understand your query it will no longer have to rely on keyphrases it will understand a web page like a human and on the fly judge its suitability when a user is making a search.It's a very interesting time for SEO's because the nature of what we do is changing rapidly and if we don't stay ahead of the curve we will find ourselves out in the cold.If Google are testing this computer intelligence in Labs then it won't be long before it gets incorporated into their standard search engine. RSS the Eazytiger blog for the latest updates.

PURSE SEO Team works with Packaging Machinery

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:53:51 +0000

The EazyTiger PURSE team are glad to announce a new results based client Packaging Machines - they provide high quality strapping machinery throughout the UK and internationally.
Packaging Machines stock over 100 models of different strapping and packaging machines, who would have through there were so many variations of machines. Have a look at their range of wrapping machines and banding machines.
Packaging Machines can even assess your current packaging needs in order to provide you with relevant packaging or strapping equipment. Once the assessment is complete, bespoke solutions can be found and installed on-site by the Packaging Machines team.
There are currently some fantastic deals on packaging and strapping machinery. If you're not aware of which pallet strapping or packaging machine you need the Packaging Machines team have updated their site sections with specific information for the equipment they offer. Weigh the pros and cons of each individual machine for yourself.
The PURSE team will be promoting Packaging Machines' online presence and look forward to working with the team in the coming months. Click here for more information on our SEO services or contact our SEO team Leicester online marketing team.

Eazytiger Sets Sail with Overseas Property Specialists

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:45:24 +0000
As part of their successful payment-upon-results search engine optimisation scheme, Eazytiger are now working with overseas property specialists Property Direct From the Owner.This experienced property firm use their vast experience in the overseas property sector to connect holiday home buyers and tennants with sellers and landlords. For those daunted by the holiday home market and the challenges it traditionally presents, Property Direct From The Owner provide the tools to make the process easy and save you money to boot.The PURSE team are looking forward to embarking on a fruitful journey with the Property Direct team to bring their wonderful service to the widest audience possible. Now where did we put that factor 80 suncream?

Yahoo and Bing Align

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 16:40:05 +0000
It has been announced today that Yahoo and Microsoft have a completed a deal to make a challenge to Google in the search and search advertising field. The deal which was completed by way of a press release (still needs regulatory approval) will make Bing the exclusive search engine on all Yahoo properties for the next 10 years.The deals also gives Microsoft access to the Yahoo search algorithm ? which can only improve their rankings competitiveness against Google.Microsoft will also mobilize their AdCenter (Pay per Click) advertising across Yahoo search ? what the deal does say is that Yahoo and Microsoft will keep everything else separate ? display ads, IM and email.So how does this deal affect everyday users and our current search engine optimisation clients?Yahoo and Microsoft want the merger complete with 24 months following the regulatory approval, which they hope to gain in early 2010.Then users will have two major search options Google and Microsoft. Google's results appear only on their website properties while Microsoft will serve results across both Yahoo and Bing at the same time.Microsoft will use the merger to expand their current market share through search innovation and better indexing of multimedia content as well as pushing further into the current search areas that Google excel in.When the deal is complete Microsoft will have a product that has the size to complete directly with Google, but to put things into perspective Google's current market share is 65% of the total search market so there is a way to go to for Microsoft, but this deal is a step in the right direction.

Prospect Leicestershire Delivering City Regeneration

Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:57:53 +0000

Prospect Leicestershire is the latest client to be secured by Eazytiger in the place marketing sector. Following on from the branding of our own city with the One Leicester campaign. Eazytiger are pleased to have again fought off immense competition to win this pitch.
The newly formed Leicestershire economic development company was branded as Prospect Leicestershire by in-house brand development team. It captures the essence of the emergence of Leicester and Leicestershire as an aspirational place to live work and enjoy time.
If you haven't heard about the Leicester's full scale rejuvenation campaign, where have you been? Whilst some lament economic uncertainties, our client Prospect Leicestershire has gone from strength to strength at the forefront of the massive improvements taking place in our city.
The unique alliance, between Leicester City Council and Leicestershire County Council, have allowed Prospect Leicestershire the opportunity to deliver regeneration and growth in the city and county; Securing the economic development of both places through the compelling offering of a vibrant large city and an abundance of natural countryside.
Investors and developers in Leicestershire are finding it easier than ever before to do business thanks to Prospect Leicestershire's team of regeneration, relocation, development and investment experts.
We're proud to have designed the Prospect Leicestershire online presence and look forward to hearing of the company's continued achievements in the county.

Eazytiger are Green

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:53:10 +0000
With it being Green Britain Day today I thought I would tell you about Eazytiger's green commitment. Over the last couple of years web design companies have come under fire for their lack of green credentials but Eazytiger are having none of it ? we recycle everything we can get our hands on ? we even have a special out building purely for storing cardboard to be recycled. Not only that but now that the summer has hit we have a bike shed in full operation for employees like myself would prefer to use a non-petrol mode of transportation to get to and from work.So now you know what Eazytiger are doing to make the world a greener place, tell us what you are up too?

Too Much SEO: Is Your Website Over-optimised?

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 13:50:56 +0000

You can definitely have "too much of a good thing". Shakespeare coined this phrase in his 1600 play "As You Like It", and the bard was on to something. Vitamins are a prime example. Vitamin E is an important anti-oxidant that contributes to normal immune function. However, take an exessive amount of Vitamin E suppliments (around 130mg daily) and you risk an early death.
Exactly the same principal applies with SEO. Before Google's "Florida" update in 2003, search engine optimisation was pretty simple. Advice up until this time was to stuff as many keywords into your content as possible; the more, the better! However, the Florida update rolled in like a tropical hurricane and changed all that forever.
Now SEO is hard. The rules have changed and you can't just stuff a page full of keywords and expect the search engines to credit you for it. We've all seen these kind of sites and Google's advanced algorithms drop them like a spammy stone.
However, we still routinely see and hear this pre-2003 advice everywhere. Many SEO companies are stuck in a time warp and continue to spam their clients' websites with heavy keyword densities - a recipe for ranking disaster. It's just a matter of time.
So what's the alternative? Mix up your keyphrases in sentences that actually make sense. Look for plurals, synonyms and related phrases and use those interchangably throughout your content. For example, if your page title is "Tropical Aquarium & Fluval Edge | WeAreFish.com" then you should be using "Complete Fluval Edge Range of Tropical Aquariums" as your page heading, and fluval edge fish tank as a hyperlink. This is an example of a related phrase that will get you more credit than simply repeating the same keyword ad nauseum.
In fact, you can use Google's own Wonder Wheel to give you ideas for alternative related phrases. Use related phrases instead of hammering the same old keyword to some arbitrary density throughout your content and Google will thank you for it...

Royal Robbins Website Goes Live

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:23:27 +0000
The Eazytiger team are proud to go live with the new Royal Robbins website. Royal Robbins offer a range of exciting outdoor clothing via their new XHTML and CSS-based, content managed website.The new website features a bespoke product explorer the team developed in Flash, and a stunning, tactile explorer-themed interface that conveys the spirit of outdoor adventure associated with the Royal Robbins brand.The sites new blog page allows Royal Robbins to reach their customers quickly with important and interesting information. Who could resist leaving a blog comment using the vintage postcard-themed form?You can see the new site at www.royalrobbins.eu.To see how Eazytiger can launch your business online, visit our services page.

PURSE SEO Team Up With Premier Van Roof-Rack Manufacturer TrukRax

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:23:21 +0000

The Eazytiger PURSE team are proud to announce their latest client, TrukRax.
With over a quarter of a century of experience in the van rack sector, TrukRax reputation as the leading British manufacturer of van roof-racks, tube carriers and ladder clamps is well-founded. These systems are vital to ensure the safety of the UK's light commercial vehicles.
TrukRax are one of a few British firms to design, manufacture and sell their accessories in-house, enabling them to tailor bespoke solutions to the needs of their fleet customers.
PURSE will be managing TrukRax's online presence in the competitive van roof bars and accessories market, we look forward to forging a successful partnership in 2009 and beyond. This is a great example of the kind of accomplished, all-in-one website and marketing solution Eazytiger can provide for your business.
For more details on the online marketing and web design services offered by the Eazytiger Leicester team, please see the services section.

Eazytiger Feature in Prestigious Design Leicestershire Book

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:22:26 +0000
Eazytiger are to feature in the preeminent design book Design Leicestershire. The book highlights and celebrates the design achievements of Leicestershire's creatives.The 2009 book features John's sleek, streamlined design work on the Haley Sharpe website. The site deftly provides a careful balance of sleek design and client-maintainability.The sophistication of John's design is supported a bespoke content management system which allows for total control of the content, from portfolio work to latest news. Haley Sharpe Design's stunning photography completes an exemplary piece of design work.In addition to design features like our Haley Sharpe work, the Design Leicestershire book also explores the wealth of international design research at the Leicestershire's three universities. You can also read more about the historic origins of Leicestershire's status as the UK's largest regional centre of design and architectural talent.The book was launched on the 23rd of June 2009 in Leicester, and you can also download chapters at the Design Leicestershire website.

How Much Does a Web Design Company Drink?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:43 +0000

The Eazytiger water cooler is generally a high-traffic area of our Leicester web design Studio. It's where the team come to rehydrate during their daily struggle to bring the finest web design to the world.
As it's right next to my desk, the water cooler also seems to serve a second function as an excuse for people to come over and give me extra stuff to do. Nobody's that thirsty!
After Gary gave me the idea, I decided to track the water cooler usage. My goal for this test was simple. To see who drank the most water from the water cooler in a typical day.
In the spirit of the scientific method, I decided to run the experiment single-blind so that the participants didn't know they were part of the experiment. Any prior knowledge that an experiment was being performed would bias the experiment and do strange things to the Eazytiger team's drinking habits (which are already quite strange!) For this reason, Gary's results also weren't counted as he came up with the whole idea.
To log my results, I used an Excel spreadsheet which could be hidden from my participants. Results weren't logged during any of the 4.7 seconds I spent away from my desk today. I also didn't count my own water consumption, as this may be influenced by the fact that the cooler tower looms temptingly right next to me.
So on to the results. Who drinks the most water at Eazytiger?

Name Visits

Andy 9

Tim 3

Josh 3

Shane 2

John 1

Matt 1

Victoria 1
There was only ever going to be one winner. As you can see, our online marketing specialist Andrew Gaukrodger drinks a phenomenal amount of precious Swithland spring water. Assuming he fills each cup to its 200ml capacity, Andy drinks a staggering 1.9 litres a day, or 10.5% of an entire water cooler refill each day.
This also means that Andy has consumed 119.7mg of Magnesium, 41.8mg of Chloride and nearly half a gram of Bicarbonates. Tasty!
Andy was also the most chatty of the experimental subjects, engaging me in conversation for an average of 22 seconds per refill. This used up a total of 7 minutes 33 seconds of our lives, never to be returned.
Extrapolating these figures out to a year, Andy's water consumption habits cost Eazytiger an estimated £72.96 annually. A small price to pay for a fully-hydrated Account Manager though, I feel...
Feel free to use my results to conduct your own follow-up experiments. I have some ideas for related experiments in the future, including an experiment to show a correllation between the amount of cups of coffee drunk and level of job stress... I think I might need an assistant to help me count that one!

Web-safe Fonts in Web Design: Still Relevant in 2009?

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:30:34 +0000

Web-safe fonts, web designers know them and love them. Web-safe fonts are those that are likely to be present on the major Operating Systems used by web surfers. Most developers stick to using core fonts such as Verdana, Georgia and Courier New to ensure a consistent user experience across platforms.
Traditionally there weren't many fonts shared by major operating systems like Windows and Mac OS, so most websites use very similar fonts.
However, is this still the case in 2009? Operating system font sets have burgeoned in recent years, with ubiquitous software like Microsoft Office expanding the range even further. Common installs like this extend the range of 'nearly-web-safe' fonts massively.
This gives web designers the option of presenting the majority of users a widely-installed custom font such as Calibri. Those who don't have Calibri could instead be presented with a suitable sans-serif alternative using CSS font substitutions.
This is similar to Eazytiger designer John's concept of providing a great cake for users with older browsers, and an amazing one with sprinkles and icing for users with the latest software.
For designers, web-safe fonts are like the carpenter's favourite chisel; sturdy, reliable, and simple to use. So as with designing for cross-browser compatibility, I think it will take some courageous web design to break away from web-safe fonts. However, those that do break from tradition and myth will reward their clients with exciting, yet compatible sites.
This said, the browsers may already hold the keys to web font nirvana...
Browsers such as Safari allow fonts to be embedded using CSS3, with others like Firefox soon to follow suit. As always, John is one step ahead of the game with this, and is experimenting with an Internet Explorer work around. The rest of us can find the latest developments in font embedding browser compatibility here.

Are Web Designers responsible for Bad Browsers?

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:30:07 +0000

We can't sit in the studio all day creating websites - we need to keep up with the latest techniques and technologies to build better and better websites. With this in mind, Matt and I attended Andy Clarke's seminar "transcending css: modern techniques for designing a beautiful web" at Leicester's LCB depot yesterday.
(For those who don't know, CSS is what allows us to style the look of a webpage - we can control the font used, the colours, the sizes, add background images and so on.)
So along with learning some great new techniques - learning why some of things I've tried to do in the past didn't work (and now how to make them work) and seeing how Andy's approach to building columns in a webpage can enable us to not only build better sites, but design better looking sites as well. With Andy's column's technique, we can create much more creative solutions for a web design, and not have any technical problems with then building that design. But, aside from these new techniques, the one idea that I can't stop thinking about is trifle.
The Trifle and High Definition TV metaphors
Now, I've always tried very hard to make sure that when I design a website, that it looks the same in every browser. This seemed to me to be the way it should be done - I'd presented a concept to a client, they'd approved that concept and so that's how it should look on the final site regardless of what browser the client was using. Which is fine, but we have a problem in that not all browsers are the same.
In fact, some are downright awful.
And, even worse, the browser that most people use - Internet Explorer 6 - is one of these awful browsers.
What this has meant in the past is that I've designed and built websites that I know will look great in Internet Explorer 6, but of course, this then means that people using more advanced browsers get the same "lowest common denominator" experience.
What Andy is proposing - and is doing with his designs - is that we adopt the trifle metaphor.
Essentially, everyone gets the same sponge, jam, custard and cream, and it's delicious and everyone enjoys it.
But people who are using Firefox, Opera, Safari or any of the more advanced browsers get the hundreds and thousands sprinkled on top. The website is just that little bit better for these people.
Extending this idea, it's very similar to the state of television now. I know that when I watch a film on the little telly in the bedroom that it's not going to be as good quality as if I was watching the same film on an HD Widescreen tv with surround sound. I accept that - I'm still enjoying the film, but I'm aware that someone else might be getting that little but more enjoyment from it.
And this then leads me on to the point of this article - and I only started thinking about this because Andy spoke so passionately about it - are we, as web designers, responsible for allowing bad browsers to continue to be used so predominately? Aren't we our own worst enemies because we build sites that look great in bad browsers, so everyone then keeps using the bad browsers?
Shouldn't we be building websites that look great in bad browsers, but then build them in such a way that then look amazing in better browsers? If people then start to notice that when they look at the same site on their friend's computer that it looks much better - would then they switch to using a different browser?
And if they do, do we then get a state where the lowest common denominator is actually much higher?
What a great place to be in for web design then.
If our baseline becomes that much higher, how astounding are the websites going to be where the designers push the limits again?
So, I accept my responsibility.
I will be sprinkling hundreds and thousands across my website designs from now on!

More new faces join the Eazytiger Leicester Team

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:07:18 +0000
Last week, we were delighted to welcome a new member of staff to the Eazytiger Leicester team! Louise Allatt has joined as an Account Manager and will be working alongside Gary, Emily and Josh. Louise's background is in publishing, design, marketing and advertising and even in her first week been thrown in at the deep end, working on lots of exciting projects!To view Louise's profile and to read more about Matt and Ramon who have also recently joined the team, click here

All Moved In to Our New Leicester Home!

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:06:23 +0000

The Eazytiger team is now back together under a new roof! Last Friday, the Sales, Marketing/PR, Admin and Accounts team joined the Studio at the new Eazytiger pad ? The Old Vicarage in Syston, Leicester.
Everything is up and running smoothly and we are already looking forward to showing existing and new clients around our swish new offices! Just to recap, our telephone and email address remain the same, but we do have a new address which is:
The Old Vicarage
26 High Street
Syston
Leicester
LE7 1GP

Google Is Keeping Busy Doing SEO On Itself

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 10:05:00 +0000
Google were busy last week.Tuesday brought the launch of Android in association with T-Mobile, which, by the way, will go on sale in Europe at the same time as US. Soon after their former Product Manager (he is now head of mobile product operations at MySpace) slated the look and design of the phone ? has he never heard the old adage don't judge a book by its cover. Another product, thought not as much of a big deal, called ?in quotes' launches. Read the full story at Techcrunch but you're going to find it difficult to find the product on Google's search because it's way down the rankings at the moment. This goes to show that even Google themselves can't just expect to be at the top of their search engine without putting some work in. On one hand this might seem strange, but on the other hand it is quite comforting to know that Google are too precious about their core product (search) to ruin it by manipulating search to artificially improve the rankings of one of their services. As a search marketer I take comfort in the knowledge that I am on the same footing as Big Bob in London and Little Larry in Chipping Sodsbury and the only two things stopping any one of us improving the search rankings for a client is the knowledge I have and the content the client has.

6. Reasons to be cheerful

Mon, 16 Mar 2009 11:48:23 +0000
Some of my best ever ideas have floated into my head whilst in the bath?. Usually a place where I don't have music or reading material, just silence and thought. Last night was different though and I read the local paper ? sometimes you need to know about Gladys from Beaumont Leys losing her cat, and then finding it again!There, nestling in the middle of the page (difficult to see in the bath because of the limited arm span available!!) was a story that just had to be our good news story of the day?Our great clients, Notts Sport who is the leading supplier of the synthetic grass, multi purpose games area and playground surfaces, under the headline; ?this is our biggest deal ever?. The contract for supplying playground surfacing to playground equipment firm, Playforce, involves 86,000m2 (or 14 football pitches worth of area) in the next two years.Shaun Patrick, CEO, and major sports fan (to be found, in a working capacity of course) at almost every test match, LCFC and England game (and who's always very, very generous with his spare tickets!!) was delighted with the deal, ?Playforce is a market leading company attracting huge interest from play providers in the UK and we are pleased our surfacing has been chosen to partner it's high quality equipment?Well done to the team at Notts Sport, a great local business success story ?.. more to come tomorrow!!!

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 10/10

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:56:50 +0000
Write a lot, write the truth and write for your customers and you will already be a good position for search rankings ? but if you need any more help then using a specialist company can be a great benefit and time saver.There are loads of websites and companies out there that offer SEO assistance. Steer clear of anyone who promises you any position on a search engine results page ? no one can promise that. Look at what they have done in the past and ask them to talk to you about how they go about SEO, what results they expect you to see and obliviously how much they charge.Eazytiger use a system called P.u.r.s.e Optimization. This stands for Pay upon Results Search Engine Optimization - basically we only charge you for the results you get and we never charge you for anything less than the front page.

Internet can help beat downturn?

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 15:37:31 +0000
When your respected accountant friend sends his email newsletter with a headline like that you really know that the world has changed for good.According to a study carried out by the Federation of Small Businesses of over 8,000 of its members, 43 per cent of respondents said that sales rose by as much as a fifth after they used the internet to promote their businesses.Full article link can be found at www.cunnington-130.co.ukHave a great weekend!!

The Internet is 18 today

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:57:46 +0000
The internet is 18 today and oh my God isn't it all grown up. Well OK, maybe not but the fact is that change and technological advancement is growing at a rate like never before ? that's the big reason why I don't want to sign up to an 18 month contract for the iPhone you never know what is coming around the corner. We have been through a dot com crash and web 2.0, Social Media, user generated content and citizen journalism. We have been through hackers, crackers and military level personal encryption. We have seen Microsoft rise and drop, Adobe rise and drop (and rise again) and Google rise and rise and rise. Web video streaming from your mobile and ordering through the internet, live-blogging and twittering, embedding content and sharing widgets. We've grown from portable computing to ?offline mode' to cloud computing and from megabytes to gigabytes to terabytes of information stored on servers all around the world.And has anything really changed?Well yes, everything has changed ? so happy birthday internet, and let's see what's going to happen in the next 12 months.

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 6/10

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 14:16:56 +0000

Submission
Submitting your website to search engines has, and still remains the best way for a website to get noticed by search engines. Include a sitemap submission at the same time! Each search engine lets you submit in your own way. If you go to Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask and run a search for ?submitting website? they will show you how to do it.

Do you want to see the 3 billionth photo uploaded to Fickr?

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 15:06:21 +0000
Because you can.Here it is --!http://mashable.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/flickr3b.jpg(Flickr-3b)!Do you ever stop to wonder what Yahoo looked like ten years ago, well you don't have to wonder ? it's hereAnd do you want to see what Google looked like in 2001, well you can do that here, you can even search the results from back then.There is a clique that comes with internet speak that there is a world of knowledge out there. And that is something I think about every time I write a blog post. Web 2.0 has given an individual the tools to publish content to the internet, but it has also meant that individuals are creating stuff to go into databases and get indexed and, like I have just demonstrated, searchable in years to come.User generated content is important and extremely useful but remember that it is accessible to the masses and it can pop up years into the future when you least expect it.

Facebook's getting funky

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:37:56 +0000
With the recent release of a new application called PageRage users can now style up their Facebook profiles in much the same way as those MySpacers can.If you are interested in checking out the application then you can find it here.Or if you are interested in what people have to say about the app you can see the positive and negative comments on this group

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 5/10

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:11:58 +0000

Local
When users search for businesses or services in the offline world they generally include their location, i.e. ?plumbers in Leicestershire? in online searches. Make sure you mention where your office is located and include in your text areas of the country that you work. You will be surprised by the different traffic volumes when simply adding a town or city to the end of the keyword. In fact this technique has become so popular that in some cases keyword bidding for the localized key phrase is more expensive that the generic one. A good example of this is last week when I was putting together a quote for a car hire company, I researched the approx Adword bidding price of car hire and car hire + four or five major cities and the cost of the latter greatly outweighed the cost of the prior.This localization is quite a current theme in the life of the internet. The internet is such a vast place where you can always find what you need and there are always people who you share the smallest crazier connection with. But what about the normal people ? who want normal things, and have normal interests, well the wealth of the internet can drown these people purely because of the vastness of what is available. This is where localization comes in. I might be normal and there might be a hundred million people who feel the same way as I do about something but they don't all live in the same town as me and they don't all travel to the same places as I. Localization has brought a new overlay to the internet (due is large part to Facebook and the localized privacy features) where small pockets of users are interacting on both a common community level and also on a local, real-world, level.

Top ten tips for better Search Engine Optimization 4/10

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:25:39 +0000

Headline Act
The last three posts have focused of things that you can do with a non technical background. This post is slightly more geared to the nuts and bolts of a web page but don't fear it's quite simple when you get to grips with it.Inclusion of H1 ? H5 tags (especially H1-H3) is necessary for search engines to begin to understand what your website is about. Search algorithms are quick to reference your title tags and are the first port of call when keyword searching. The reason for this is that using HTML tags to accentuate any part of your text illustrates importance. So if I want to make the words ?buy shoes online' big and bold then I want users to see this more than the rest of the text. Google uses this as a guide to what the subject matter of your website is. There are other tags that you can use to make certain words or phrases stand out but they all follow this same principle.How this is by no means the only thing that Google pays attention to but it is a factor they weigh highly. By the same tone, though, if you are trying to trick Google by making your titles irrelevant to the content of your website Google could very easily kick you off there search engine. Best practices are to use title tags to title a page and use that title yourself to make sure that you are working to one topic, one page ? this way you have the best chance of good Google rankings and relevance.

Reasons to be cheerful will be back

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:42:10 +0000
Hi All,As you might have noticed Reasons to be cheerful hasn't been updated this last week. Gary is away at the moment but he will be back with Reason to be cheerful next Monday.

10. Reasons to be cheerful

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 15:03:34 +0000
The following is an excerpt from Techcrunch (USA):A lot has already been said and written about the current economic crisis, and how the financial meltdown is and will keep on affecting startups in the US. VC's and angel investors are telling their portfolio companies to say goodbye to the good times and batten down the hatches, and at the same time raising the bar for new financing rounds, while startup CEO's are executing substantial lay-offs and some company founders are even jumping ship altogether.Little noise seems to be coming from Europe though, as if the downturn isn't having an impact on the industry here at all.The post then goes on to say that the downturn will ?eventually' affect Europe. I beg to differ, there is nothing to say that startup's within Europe will suffer in the same way as the U.S. I don't believe innovation and forward thinking will be stopped by this economic downturn, if anything this situation will help the cream rise to the top. As you can probably tell I'm not worried about the caramel crunch and if anyone reading agrees then leave your comments ? heck if you don't agree leave your comments as well.

9. Reasons to be cheerful

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:03:42 +0000
Not my typical news story but when this popped up in my inbox I thought what better an example of a positive news story:So much for the credit crunch stopping people having a good time, Selfridges said that its sales of high heel shoes are up 35 percent, and heels are outselling flats there at a rate of five to one. I say good on you girls and now let's get partying ? we are only nine weeks away from Christmas after all!

10 Top Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization 3/10

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:17:53 +0000
Be very careful with personal and regional phases and terms. Write for your audience and when in doubt over-explain. It is important to not only speak to your audience but to speak the way that your audience speaks. Writing text for your audience will help you to think about your potential customer and the types of keywords they will be using when searching for you. If you can write clear, useful information directly to your audience, limiting your explanation of a subject to one page you have more chance of keeping your customers reading and clicking deeper into your website which it taken with high regard by search engines. In the previous post I wrote about navigation, saying that navigation is important to show the search engine what information you have on the website. You should always try to keep one message to one page. If you have a website with five products they should each have a page and they should be linked together and linked to by the main section page. Each page should follow a clear template which will make your site easy to understand from both a user and from a search engine point of view. This template can be anything you want but a good rule of thumb is the following:
Page Header - What is this page about?
Introduction - First paragraph clearly stating what the page is about.
Content - Main content of the page. This is where you include detailed information and any multimedia you have on the subject. Sometimes it is useful to include a footer into the content. A footer is a round up of what the product or service can do and where else you can go on the website if this isn't what the user is looking for.
Call to Action - The final thing you want on the page and it should take the customer to the next stage of the sale. That might be a contact form or a page with more information.
The Call to Action is highly useful piece of information because if the user is interested in the page they will show search engines this by clicking through to a deeper part of the website which makes your website more relevant in the eyes of the search engines.

8. Reasons to be cheerful

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:34:31 +0000
Look beneath the surface.It's a short and sweet end to the week with a simple observation from the nasdaq stock exchange home page.Earnings news from companies posting their results this weeks show that 33 exceeded expectation, 3 met expectation, and 14 failed to meet expectation. If my maths is correct that's 250% more companies doing better than analysts expect than companies doing worse than anticipated.Have a great weekend ? and don't forget ? on Monday we'll be 2 days nearer to the start of an upturn!!

7. Reasons to be cheerful

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:55:05 +0000
Because you still need a treat!!!It doesn't matter how much money you have you still need a treat don't you?In fact the less you have, the bigger the treat, and the more enjoyment you get out of it ?. I remember to this day the taste of those beautiful Abdul's kebabs as a student, the stubby cheap beers in the garden when you can't afford to go out, and the once-a-month take away when a new mortgage was crippling me. It's no surprise then that affordable treats are one of the big reasons why Whitbread have posted 24% profit increase.Costa coffee have 84 new UK stores this year ? up to a total of 775, serving 10 minutes of feel-good factor in £2 cups!! Combined with the value hotel rooms at Premier Inn (you can still treat yourself to a night out ? just at a cheaper hotel!)?. Full article is here?I'm getting some encouraging emails so hopefully we are turning the world around? if you can email a link to my blog to a few of your friends we may increase the rate of feel good ? they could read it whilst having a nice coffee!!! ? Appreciate it, Thanks.

10 Top Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization 2/10

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:14:15 +0000

2. Mapping out your site
Incorporating a sitemap into your website will tell both the search engines and site users where they should go to find the necessary information. Submitting that sitemap directly to search engines will speed up the process of submission and inclusion into the search engine. Google weight a good navigation structure on a website very highly ? if their search engine spider can't easily find all the pages then they won't get indexed but more importantly how are people who are just glancing through the site going to know where to go?There are some best practices that can be laid out when building navigation into a website. One is to have a main navigation at the top and then sub-navigation for each of the website's sections. Another is to have CSS styled menus which expand to show all the links on the site. There are benefits to both options such as CSS styled navigation gives you the ability to always be one click away from the page you want and sub-nav sections gives you the ability to separate content for users to easily understand. Whatever option you choose you need to make sure that your navigation is created in HTML and that all the links go to all the right pages. Flash, image and some Javascript menus effect the efficiency of your navigation when it comes to search engines. The best practices to adhere to are:
Create links that are descriptive
Try to link to one page for one subject, don't link e-commerce services and SEO services to the same page
Include breadcrumbs on your site so both the user and the search engine have a reference point when they go deep into your website

10 Top Tips for Better Search Engine Optimization

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:41:57 +0000
Almost all internet users start their online experience with a search engine and if your website isn't visible, then your business doesn't exist online. Over the next couple of weeks I will put together Eazytiger's top 10 tips for better SEO. First things first:
1. Plain Text is what Google Reads
Below is an example of the text that a search engine will see from a website, we used eazytiger.net as a tester. Google can't read images, audio, video, or Flash so therefore they can't index them. As a simple rule of thumb, text always beats pictures.
web design leicester ecommerce leicester search engine promotion web design midlands skip to content username password unauthorised access prohibited need help home services portfolio company contact blog press room client support client access t 0116 269 2699 eazytiger on the move due to expansion eazytiger has moved our new address is the old vicarage 26 high street syston leicester le7 1gp our phone number and fax number have remained the same and as ever if you need to email us it's action eazytiger net eazytiger is leicester's longest established new media agency whether you require web design an ecommerce solution or search engine marketing eazytiger are the experts and if you're unsure as to your requirements and are looking for a guiding hand eazytiger can show you the way we're always available for an informal chat at eazytiger we take the time to thoroughly understand your business and provide competitive solutions tailored to your needs today tomorrow and beyond contact us our services web site design ecommerce flash applications digital communication online marketing online pr web hosting eazy speak touch screen technology here at eazytiger we are currently talking to our clients about the touch screen technology we can offer to their business and how it can influence their business activity posted thu 17 july 2008 get your creative juices flowing eazytiger has settled into their new abode at the old vicarage and are thoroughly enjoying their new surroundings posted thu 19 june 2008 view all articles why eazytiger thank you all for your hard work and creativity everyone who has seen it so far said they really like it sally kitchen goddess see what our clients say copyright eazytiger ltd 2000 2006 t 0116 269 2699 e xhtml legal site map accessibility registered company no 4368674 registered office new address the old vicarage 26 high street syston leicester le7 1gp uk ecommerce leicester web design leicester bespoke web applications flash applications search engine optimisation digital communication web hosting branding and indentity biorb
As you can see from above all the information is text, it is not formatted and it looks like a foreign language to the human eye, but this is what Google takes from a properly optimized and formatted website. They render this information through sophisticated mathematics and then place it in a database ? when you are ?searching the web' in fact you are searching the database of our chosen search engine.Make sure that your website has plenty of natural flowing text, don't use forced phases. Remember search algorithms aim to read text like the human eye so if it sounds contrived then you will probably not gain the benefits you are looking for. More text is not always better. Figure out what you want to say first and then look to put it into a web page, you should aim for text that simply and quickly explains the aim of the page. This way search engines like Google will understand your aims when they log you for keyword searches.More next week?

5. Reasons to be cheerful

Mon, 13 Oct 2008 16:32:40 +0000
One of the toughest industries to be in right now must be the construction industry? So I was absolutely delighted with the contents of my inbox this morning and don't think I could write a better blog than simply cut and paste the contents of this email from our client:Love your current blog article.I'm sick to death of the total negativity in the world, market, media etc.Its a tough market but if anything I'm grateful its happened because its made us all focus on the detail of business. Credit has been too easy & as ever the ill educated or ill advised will sadly suffer.Here's peace of good news for you;-www.tc-interiors.com/news-new projects-octoberRegardsChrisGreat news. Thanks Chris. More good news tommorow look forward to seeing you then!!

4. Reasons to be cheerful

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:58:58 +0000
I have to admit the positive news stories are becoming harder to find ? but here's a good one ?The opening 6 months of 2008 saw an increase in online advertising spend of 21%. So is that just good news for us as internet marketers or for the wider economy?Well, certainly in my opinion, it's for the wider economy with spend increasing it means that we are positive about the future of the media as a route to market ? and this means that we are becoming accustomed to the increased ROI that the digital universe gives us ? in turn this means we're going to demand better results, for less money, and in a more measurable format from the traditional marketing media. Can that be delivered? Personally I see a challenge there but don't see why not.The up-shot for me is that we get more new clients for a decreasing ad spend ?Follow the logic or completely disagree? Don't just sit there ? post your reply!Have a great weekend ? avoid the news channels!!!

'Unbreakable' encryption

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:31:42 +0000
Scientists in Vienna have been working on a new type of encryption based on the idea of quantum cryptography. The BBC article here goes into great detail about this but I will try and give you the highlights. Basically the idea is based on Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle that says then you observe something you inherantly disturb it because of your observation. In the same way if two intended users are communicating over a network and a third party is listening (a hacker) they disturb the communcation and thus get found out.

3. Reasons to be cheerful

Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:18:49 +0000
This one surprised me so has made it into the blog as today's top good news story? WH Smith's profits are up 15%.Just to show that I really am balanced and not just sharing good news stories that are down to the impact of eCommerce this one is due to good old fashioned business!Newspaper and stationary retailer benefits from cost cuts and rebalancing of its business Amid the recent disappointing results released by UK retailers, WHS Smith's preliminary results beat expectations and show group profits are up 15% to £76m for the year ending 31 August. Earnings per share at the newspaper and stationary retailer were also up 7% to 35.3p. The retailer has made cost cuts over the past year, which has aided its year end results. Cost savings of £8m were delivered over the past year and the group intends to make a further £10m in cuts. Over the course of the year, WH Smith also worked on integrating recent acquisitions UNS Group and airport units from Alpha Retail as well as completed the return of £90m of cash to shareholders through a special dividend. The article goes on to mention the impact of it's airport activities ? which I have to say is the main reason I've been in there recently ? maybe the annoying offering of a half price bar of over-priced chocolate at the checkout really is working!Full article here By the way ? finding positive news stories is much harder than I thought it was going to be!!!

2. Reasons to be cheerful

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 12:07:44 +0000
Part Two!We've all got to eat ? we just might eat differently when we have less cash in our pockets ? that's certainly creating the feel good factor at Dominos Pizza. Sales are up 11% year on year for the full article see hereWhat this article doesn't mention is the fantastic success of their online channel. In the last twelve months total sales via Domino's online platforms reached £25.3m, representing an increase of 85.1 per cent on the £13.7m reported last year. The company says its e Commerce operation now accounts for 21.8 per cent of delivered pizzas sold in the UK (in 2007 it held a 16 per cent market share) and generates a ?higher than average? ticket value.Proof not only that more people are ordering online but that they also spend more when they order online.More good news tomorrow!!!

Reasons to be cheerful

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:07:04 +0000
Part One!!! I don't know about you but I'm bored with the credit crisp and the caramel crunch so join me in my crusade to be positive and rescue the world from economic decline. I'm going to find reasons to be cheerful in the press for the next 100 days ? not one single mention of doom and gloom ? but lots of mentions for successful businesses thriving. My first is ASOS ? an online retailer that has ?suffered? from 104% sales growth this year in fashion retailing!!! Full story hereIf you've found a story that really needs a mention then do let me know!!!

What?s new at Eazytiger?

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 15:43:37 +0000
Eazytiger is now offering an Online PR service. This exciting new discipline compliments the other services we already provide at Eazytiger. It will enhance and encourage traffic to your website, helping to earn a high position on the organic search list on Google. All online PR campaigns are tailored and use the following channels as a basis on which to do this.
Copywriting: To include keywords and phrases in the content throughout the entire website

Media: Press releases and feature distribution to maximise coverage in online publications

Social networking sites, blogging and discussion forums to create a two-way dialogue as well as using these techniques as a platform for being a leader in your industry

Links and associations creating quality inbound links
If you like the sound of this, please call the Eazytiger team on 0116 2692699 or click here to visit our Online PR page.

Off to a busy start in 2008

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 17:15:46 +0000

Since the beginning of the year, we have been overwhelmed with a wide range of fantastic projects to work on. We have already completed a few of these which include SCS Interiors, NHS Leicestershire, Rutland, H Squared and NDT Services (provides Non destructive testing and inspection services such as Eddy current testing & radiographic testing).
It really has been an exciting start to the year and we have lots more projects being worked on in the Studio as we speak. Take a look at our portfolio to read about the projects in more detail...

Touch Screen Technology

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 17:31:48 +0000

We believe that touch screen interactivity, although predominantly used within the retail industry, can be used successfully across all industry sectors as an enriched information tool or guide.
You may not have sat back and thought about it, but we use interactive technology constantly. From signing in for a doctors appointment electronically to using the fast ticket machine to purchase train tickets and even using the self serve checkouts in supermarkets to buy groceries, touch screen technology is a convenience we have come to rely on.
Click here to read more about our touch screen technology and what we can do to maximise your marketing activity.

Internet Sales Going Through the Roof, but Few Companies are Making the Most of It

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:48:06 +0000

Consumers spent £7.7bn online in the run-up to Christmas. This is an increase of 54% from the same period the previous year. Consumers purchased everything from clothing, to toys, to electrical goods.
Rather interestingly, the latest research from Actinic suggests that only 11% of UK businesses with a website are able to process orders online.
Even more startling is that 75% of retailers who accept mail or telephone orders do not have an eCommerce facility.
It seems to me that the vast majority of SMEs in the UK are missing a trick.
If you'd like to have a chat about putting together an eCommerce website or know more about our ecommerce and web design services , just get in touch. We'd be happy to help.

Part 1 - How do I get more visitors to my website?

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 19:44:04 +0000

Firstly, this question is a bit like how do I make more money. It's vague, has no reference to a starting point and is also not necessarily the right thing to do.
This article will end up being massive so I'm going to make this part one of many... Should we focus on quantity...
Often when we are asked to do search engine optimisation work for clients they want to appear top for the most generic phrase for their industry. Usually after discussions it becomes apparent that it is not an effective way to achieve any extra sales.
Lets take a real life and extreme example to illustrate the point...
Take the example of a children's designer wear outlet. Lets say they sell designer label clothes to under 11 boys; whilst the consumer is a child the customer is generally an adult buying a present or a parent buying for a special occasion.
Lets say we have a Pay Per Click (PPC) campaign to set up to attract potential customers to the new online store.
At around £5 per click we could send people to the site for the keyphrase designer wear. Now let's say we have a budget of £1000 - that's two hundred people interested in our products visiting our store. Good value eh?
NO. Terrible value. Think of all the poorly targeted visitors we are paying to get to our website. The proportion of the children's wear market as a percentage of the UK total designer marketplace is 18.9%. As that includes 11-16 year olds we can assume this figure to be more like 12%.
So from our top keyword, out of the 200 people who clicked it potentially only 30 of them were buyers of our product when a simple age filter was selected. Now take out half of them because they were shopping for girls and we're down to 15. Take out the tyre kickers, the badly thought through search, the price sensitive etc... and you really are left with a handful of visitors that are in a position to buy from us from a £1000 investment.
OK. Before you start thinking PPC is a bad idea... Let's apply a bit of Eazytiger magic!
Let's research our keyphrases and setup our campaign with more specific phrases that are better targeted to only be displayed when a real potential prospect searches.
Boys catimini trousers
Miniman autumn 2006 range
Add phrases like;
Buy Boys catimini trousers
View Miniman autumn 2006 range
to be even more specific!
And so on. Each one of the above would be a well targeted person ready to buy our product.
We could even geographically exclude people from our search by adding our territory in;
Buy Boys catimini trousers UK
UK Miniman autumn 2006 range
We are at the minimum PPC of 10p for each of these terms... They aren't going to result in as many hits, but lets say they resulted in 30 (Google won't estimate low numbers so I can't tell you the real figures). Those 30 visitors, infinitely better targeted and ready to buy will cost us three quid, instead of a thousand Pounds!!!
Suddenly the few pounds you'd pay a search engineer seems like excellent value when compared to making those kind of mistakes!
It also makes PPC advertising seem very good value again!
In our next related article we'll discuss the analytics that help us to see not only how much a keyphrase cost your business, but how many visitors it drove to your site, where they went, and finally how much they purchased... Giving you an exact ROI figure! Cool stuff!
If you'd like to know more about our search engine optimisation and pay per click PPC services, just get in touch. We'd be happy to help.

Get your creative juices flowing...

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:18:16 +0000

Eazytiger has settled into their new abode at The Old Vicarage and are thoroughly enjoying their new surroundings.
Already in our first month here we have been bombarded with plenty of clients popping in for meetings with various members of the team. Everyone that has visited has given us great feedback about our new offices and really enjoy the choice of using our two amazing meeting rooms.
Both located on the top floor the Board room, which has been created for more formal meetings and the Ideas Room, which adds a new dimension to Eazytiger setup, allows us to maximise the amount of time we can spend with clients.
The Ideas Room has been received well and sets the creative juices flowing... The space has been designed in such a way that we can focus all creative thinking and strategy around any digital design and development project that is being discussed.
The layout of the room is fully interactive with write on glass walls and large plasma screen viewing facilities which allow the discussion of ideas and the clear projection of visual concepts.
The Ideas Room has already made a noticeable difference to how we work with clients. Articulation of ideas and interpretation of project briefs has improved benefiting everyone.
Here are a couple of images of the Ideas Room in action. Please don't make it too long before you come and visit us ? we look forward to showing you around.
Click here for further press articles about this story.

Eazytiger blog on Technorati

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:01:08 +0000
We're getting things rolling and getting our blog registered with Technorati. Here's our profile on Technorati: Technorati Profile

Eazytiger Expands

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:29:36 +0000
Over the last few months, Eazytiger has been enjoying the success of a growing client list and new projects. We have also been setting a new Online PR service to offer our clients to compliment the existing services such as web design, ecommerce and search engine optimisation we already offer. This is a very new discipline in the world of communications, but it is certainly one that is going to increase traffic flow to websites and earn yours a high place on the organic search lists including Google. In order to continue our success and develop this new PR service I am delighted to announce that we have recruited three new specialist members of staff to the Eazytiger team who will be bringing energy and fresh ideas to the table. But first, I am pleased to welcome Josh McCarthy back to Eazytiger. Since Josh has been away, he has been enjoying a well earned break traveling around the world. Now he is back, Josh re-joins the Sales and Account Management Team looking after current and new client accounts. In addition to this and whilst Josh isn't making us all very jealous telling us about his adventures, he is also involved in developing Web 2.0 projects. John Holt joins the Eazytiger Web Design and Creative Studio as a Designer. With a background in design for print, moving image and web-based work John brings a wealth of design experience and fresh concepts to enhance existing brand format.Our new Senior Account Manager, Claire Harris, will support client and marketing communications at Eazytiger. Having worked in London creative agencies for the past 10 years, Claire brings a range of PR, project management, copywriting and brand marketing skills to the company. Claire will be involved in development our new Online PR service alongside our traditional PR and Marketing services. Emily Hayward has joined Eazytiger as an Account Manager. After completing a degree in PR, Emily has worked for several Leicestershire based corporates building up a wealth of experience in marketing communications, copy writing and media liaison. She will also be involved in development of the Online PR service and will establish individual campaigns according to the brand requirement. Why not keep up with the whole Eazytiger team and what they are up to in our company section, or give us feedback on one of our staff members many blogs! We're always happy to hear what you've got to say.

After Internet World

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:58:59 +0000

We had a successful three days exhibiting at Internet World with lots of great feedback not only about our stand but also about the new DropShop Technology that we launched at this event. We have already been receiving some positive press coverage as well as a lot of strong interest about DropShop Technology from a wide ranging list of companies who would like to incorporate this latest functionality into their business. Click here to read the press release or here to watch the DropShop Technology demo and have a look below at our fabulous stand!

On the move

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:14:41 +0000

Luckily we have been able to acquire a lovely new three storey office, with on-site parking, just down the road in Syston from where we are currently situated. Well not so new it may seem?. The Old Vicarage is the new home for the Eazytiger team and is located on the High Street.
After a few hard months of decorating, interior design and other utility improvements, The Old Vicarage is now set to open its doors to Eazytiger. Not only do we have lots more space, we also have a dedicated meeting and ideas suite to further our creative edge and our client services proposition.
To prevent too much disruption we have planned the move into two stages. Stage one has taken place this week as Tim our Studio Manager moves in with the rest of the Studio team ? John, Tomasz, Matt and Ramon.
Once they have settled in, it will be time for the other half of Eazytiger ?Sales, Marketing/PR, Admin and Accounts- to move in as well. We will of course notify you when this happens.
Our main telephone number 0116 269 2699 will stay the same along with our email address.
Our new postal address is:
The Old Vicarage
26 High Street
Syston
Leicester
LE7 1GP
We look forward to you visiting our new pad!

Eazytiger at Internet World

Tue, 29 Apr 2008 11:28:54 +0000

This week, Eazytiger is exhibiting at Internet World at Earl's Court. This is one of the major new media and digital exhibitions to take place in the UK. Situated on stand E118, we will be unveiling our new e-commerce system. This incorporates the use of DropShop Technology which allows those using an e-commerce stores to get closer to the real life shopping experience.
As the user shops online, they can 'drag and drop' items they like into a changing room area. Here they can mix and match the chosen items to create outfits to see what works and what doesn't before checking out. This functionality is intended to increase spend using the personal shopping experience.
Click here to find out more.

ONE Leicester on Facebook

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:06:26 +0000

With the buzz now surrounding the ONE Leicester brand it has already found itself a pleasant home on Facebook. A group, started by Geoff Rowe, has been launched to allow people to show their support for the brand, and get behind this movement towards a passion for our city.
Here at Eazytiger we are encouraging anyone and everyone who loves Leicester to show their support for the city by getting involved on the group. Why not upload some photos of a special place in Leicester, or images of people associated with Leicester?
The more community involvement the better, as after all that is what this project is about. Coming together as one to show our passion for Leicester, show why not leave a message on the wall about the one thing you love about Leicester?
To get involved follow this link to the facebook group ONE Leicester - http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11901565199

Eazytiger brands Leicester!

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:18:05 +0000

Over the last six months Eazytiger has been working with Leicester City Council and Leicester Shire Promotions creating and developing a new city brand for Leicester. A brand which encompasses everyone involved with the city to come together and unite under one identity, sharing a passion for the city they live and work in. After many hours of blood, sweat and tears we were finally able to show off our hard work and creativity when One Leicester, the new city brand, was launched last night (Thursday 19 March).
The event to launch One Leicester, which was held at Colton Square, one of the new regeneration projects in Leicester, was received very well by an audience consisting of Councilors, MPs, business people, celebrities and other key partners from Leicester who will all be playing a part in the growth and success of One Leicester. All of these key partners were very positive and supportive of this new brand and are all very keen to talk about how it will strengthen involvement in projects amongst their own key audiences.
One key area during the evening was to ask all those that attended to pledge their commitment to One Leicester. This was not only something that they took seriously but also were able to have some fun with. After asking everyone to have an individual photograph taken, they could then use this to make their own commitment poster where they could make their pledge to One Leicester.
Very soon everyone in Leicester will also be able to make their pledge to Leicester and create their own commitment poster by using the poster builder on the One Leicester website - www.oneleicester.com
The One Leicester website which went live immediately after the event also has a gallery where you can view the One Thing poster campaign that is going live across the city from next week. You can see a wide range of people from celebrities to local heroes who all have an association with Leicester about what they love the most about this city.
We are extremely proud that we have been involved in such an exciting and immense project that will really benefit and create a sense of identity and pride to those people who live, work and have an association with Leicester. This new city brand has already received positive feedback and we are looking forward to One Leicester being associated with the new projects that are already taking place across the city centre.
The Leicester Mercury, who is very supportive of One Leicester, has published this story in today's paper. Though we weren't so keen that it sat next to a story about a man who has committed sex acts with dogs!
Read what the Leicester Mercury had say.

Online Marketing Conference

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:08:37 +0000

Last Friday Emily, Louise and Josh attended an Online Marketing conference, run by the e-business club. The day consisted of a series of workshops covering subjects about online marketing which included organic listings, pay per click, affiliate marketing and search engine rankings. One of the sessions was run by Dabs.com, a technology website.
The main message that came out of the day is something we reiterate to clients on a regular basis and is linked to setting up a good business:
A good website is paramount; you need to understand how people shop and you target market
Make searching for your site the first thing you do as part of a good marketing campaign
Make sure you protect you own company and your own trademark
The internet is changing rapidly, so also consider social networking sites, forums and link building as part of any marketing campaign
Finally, it is important to constantly work on the marketing of your website to ensure you stay at the top!

Out and About with Eazytiger

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:28:48 +0000
We don't like to stay in the office all the time and occasionally venture out! Just recently, the fabulous Eazytiger stand made a couple of appearances at an exhibition and at a local Graduate Fair at the Walkers Stadium, where Gary and Josh spent time meeting and greeting!Emily, Louise and Josh attended a Sales and Marketing lecture last month where Josh rounded the day off with a presentation that really made an impression!

All fun and games!

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 09:28:35 +0000

The team at Eazytiger has recently been set a new challenge to get the highest RPM using Gary's new Powerball! The Powerball helps strengthen your arm muscles and the Powerball instruction say if you can up to 12,000 RPM, then you are doing well.So far, our very own MD, Gary McCarthy has topped the scoring with 11, 000 RPM but we are still rising to the challenge of 12,000 RPM. So watch this space to find out how we are getting on!

Jargon Buster

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:55:55 +0000
The world of website technology can be baffling. So, to make things simpler, our online jargon buster explains all the technical stuff that can be confusing. As a fast moving industry, theirs is always something new to learn, so click here to see and check out what's new!

Personal Blogging

Mon, 22 Oct 2007 11:25:28 +0000
Here at Eazytiger we like to use our blog to talk about our views of what is happening in the world of online trading, internet marketing and of course, office news! To expand on this, our very own MD, Gary McCarthy, has recently set up his own personal blog www.garymccarthy.co.ukIt makes for an interesting read as Gary writes about his own personal views about the world of web 2.0 and all that is has too offer, Eazytiger and other business issues that affect the future of this industry.Read all about web 2.0.

From Eazytiger to Education

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:43:55 +0000
An end of an era is upon us at Eazytiger as the new term starts this autumn. Three members of our team have gone back to university to pursue studies that will further their careers. Daniel from the Design team has gone back to his homeland, Poland, to start at Film School. This has been a lifelong ambition so he looking forward to getting stuck in! Paulian one of our Developers hasn't gone as far and has headed north to Leeds University to study Physics. Claire has stayed slightly closer to HQ and is studying towards an MA in Fashion at Northampton. All is not lost though as Claire will still work at Eazytiger on a part-time basis!We are delighted however to welcome Ramon Puiggene and Matt Bone. Ramon has joined as a Developer and Matt as a Designer. Check back to the company pages soon for the launch of their profiles!

Websites for the Weekend Strikes Back!

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:44:56 +0000

Well... we originally planned for this to be a weekly feature, but then realised we had so many great customers that we didn't have time to publish it every Thursday as planned. Anyhow what we will do is post these as and when we can to solve those boring times and fill them with all things internet. Right on with the recommended hotlist...
Get The Glass - www.gettheglass.com
This website lets you play a brilliantly produced flash game, created for a Milk promotion campaign in America called Got Milk. It is basically an interactive 3D board game with different steps along the way leading to mini games, these include driving cars and escaping from milk-a-traz. Once you have rolled the 3D on screen dice at the start of the game you will be hooked... Enjoy!

Cicatriz - www.cicatriz.se
This website is a crazy online store for a clothing company, where each garment is modelled in its own mini video with each products video playing in turn. Or you can select a product of your choice and watch its video. It's a really fun, innovative idea and well worth checking out, and keep your speakers on for a bizarre audio experience too!
Johnny Hollow Music - www.johnnyhollowmusic.com
Lastly, a website our designer John made me aware of for a rather bizarre band, who have used there website extremely cleverly to market themselves. You can log on to their site and listen to their whole album for free... but there is a slight catch! You must complete stages of a game as a bug, each stage you complete unlocks another track off of the album! It's been created using some great flash, and despite being a bit eerie its great fun...
Until Next Time...
Josh

Epic 2014

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:44:44 +0000
Epic 2014 is the original flash online movie made by Robin Sloan for the Museum of Media History. It is set in 2014 and charts the history of the internet.Watch this and let us know what you think.

Are you a Native or an Immigrant?

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:44:30 +0000
Are you a digital native or a digital immigrant? Read this article to find out more and let us know what you think!

Social Networking

Tue, 21 Aug 2007 10:44:13 +0000
Well, the first thing you're going to say is ?What's social networking?? The chances are that you already are a social networker? or at least know someone who is! Social networking is the interaction with others through the medium of the internet and virtual communities. In these communities, an initial set of founders sends out messages inviting members of their own personal networks to join the site. New members repeat the process, growing the total number of members and links in the network.Now I'm sure you have all had an invite in your inbox from a friend telling you to join one of these social networks? but how do we know which one is going to be the best!! I intend to discuss a few of the most popular networks, in the hope that you will be able contribute to this blog with your own comments about other social networks and your experiences with them.My personal favorite, which has been dominating news and internet space recently, is Facebook. This website really has escalated into a global phenomenon, with almost everyone I know under 35 having their own Facebook profile. It has got to a stage where people believe you are strange if you're not on Facebook, which I find rather odd as I'm not a huge advocate of it myself. But we'll talk about that later. Face book's popularity is almost unprecedented, since its creation in 2004 there are now over 25 million users and it is deemed to be the most popular social network ever! Proof of this seems to be everywhere? From someone browsing Facebook on their laptop in a village pub the other day to every 16 ? 24 year old girl I met in a recent trip to the USA talking about it.This globalised phenomenon does have its advantages; I for one am in regular communication with people that without such social networks in place I may have lost touch with. There becomes almost a feeling that there are people, not just around the country, that you know but worldwide. Contacting people met abroad becomes realistic, and not just someone you meet once and get on with but never hear from again. There are obviously downsides to these social networks, the intrusion into your life and the fact that people you barely know feel like you're their best friend can become frustrating. Equally the degree to which people's fascination with the lives of others can become absurd, it becomes the same as the reasons people buy things like Heat magazine to read about the lives of celebrities. People become tracked to see what they are up to, and serious relationships are able to be scrutinized like meaningless lifetime occurrences. So much is Facebook becoming part of life that our vocabulary is also affected by it, one phrase that sticks in my mind to do with this is ?Facebook stalker? referring to people who spend their time following the activities of others lives to a ridiculous extent. This raises the question of its impact on society; no longer will people not know what others are doing as they can track aspects of your life online. So much so that people will change from the traditional ways of behaving. For example a breakdown of a relationship where 2 people no longer see each other, the activities of the other person can now be seen online through photos and stories transmitted across their ?wall?. Which in turn begs the question, can people handle this level of information? Are people going to have to adapt to a new way of conducting ourselves socially because of the knowledge that things can be found out with such ease.Such is this the case that in the national press recently articles have been appearing suggesting that employers check social networks such as Facebook before employing candidates for a job. Whereas previously anything you wished to keep to yourself was possible, you are now open to scrutiny because of the way you are depicted online.Nevertheless, these are all extreme examples to what is an excellent means of communication and a great way to keep in touch with people. Not only is this but a huge advantage seen as being the transfer of knowledge that is available through these social networks. People are able to discover new things which without such networks existing would not have been possible. The fact that you list things like interests, favorite books, films and bands means that through other people you can discover new things and broaden your horizons.The second biggest social network, MySpace.com, is particularly synonymous with these ideas as it has become a breeding ground for unsigned musical talent. Every small band can have a slice of the internet with the potential of a worldwide audience. Lily Allen has had great success off of the back of a cult MySpace following, showing the impact that word of mouth can have on these social networks. People are always talking about bands they have found on MySpace as a result of the way these networks function. Clicking through and looking at other members interests and favorite music, for example, may lead you to listen to a band whose song plays when you load up their page. You then tell a friend who does the same and so on? Things can escalate fast online. This is the reason why we believe social networking is so important, as it is a great way to be able to spread a message. The transmission of information can be rapid and that's why we consider social networking to be an important aspect of online PR. The presence of your company online can spread awareness potentially worldwide? where else can you get such mass exposure!Your thoughts on this topic would be greatly appreciated? this is an exciting new area of the world which has already captivated the imagination of millions. However this is by no means the end of this topic?we will simply have to wait and see what the future holds for social networking with over 200 estimated social networks to join the possibilities are endless. Let us know how you get on by leaving us a comment! Until Next Time ?

Eazytiger Endurance Olympics

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:22:20 +0000

It may be heading towards the winter months, and the rain may be coming down? But don't despair! Eazytiger are here to save your working environment in these dark, dingy days. May we present to you the Eazytiger Endurance Olympics! This event utilises the indoor office space you all call work and will entertain everyone around...
Basically it works like this; we set you an event and scores to beat, then you go and compete in your office for Eazytiger Endurance Medals! You write you best time or score as a comment on the blog, and maybe even send in some photos of you competing in an event for us to post on the blog as well!
Now on to the important part... The events! Each week we'll set challenges for you to take part in, they will utilise common office items and test your levels of endurance and stamina to the limits... But hey it beats working, right? The aim being to find which company is seriously the Eazytiger Endurance Champion... but bear in mind we'll be competing pretty hard to keep our medals!
This week's first event is as follows:
Event 1 - Arm Strength
Requirements
2 Bags of Sugar each weighing 1kg (Borrow them from near the kettle!!!)
Strong Arms
What to Do
This is a great event, mainly because you get to see people pulling ridiculous faces. Simply place a bag of sugar in each hand and lift yours arms out straight, creating a letter 'T' shape with your body...
Now just stand there for as long as you can, but be aware no sagging of the arms is allowed they must remain straight and create a right angle against your body at all times! Still confused about what we mean? Take a look at the picture below of us competing to give you some guidance...
Go on then... off you go and see what you can get. I did the first run and I got 3 minutes and 37.27 seconds, maybe should have got more but Gary made me laugh. Gary scored an 3 minutes 57.24 seconds, but out of nowhere the design team punished our scores with both Simon and Paulian absolutely rampaging past the 4 minute mark! With Paulian's sterling effort just pinching gold from Simon. The final results were as follows:
1 - Paulian - 04:20:99
2 - Simon - 04:15:45
3 - Gary - 03:57:24
4 - Tim - 03:48:35
5 - Josh - 03:37:27
6 - Daniel - 03:32:30
Anyway keep posted for event number 2 next week... and get going trying to beat our times!
Until next time!

Websites Face 4 Second Cut-Off

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:22:00 +0000

A new study suggests that shoppers are likely to abandon a website if a page takes longer than 4 seconds to load. This is a lot less than the previously held figure of 8 seconds.
Other sure-fire ways to cause people to give up on a website are poor navigation and long checkout processes - these 3 items are well above things such as visual appearance on website users' list of pet hates.
Read more on the BBC News website;
Link to BBC Article

Online Marketing Update

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:20:05 +0000
It's been a while since my last blog on the subject of internet marketing and there has been a lot of industry news since.I'll update this thread with some more detail over the next few weeks as there is far too much for one big article!The first bit of big news is that DoubleClick has been bought by Google in a $3.1 Billion deal. Double click is a company that sells advertising space online, if you look in your log files you'll realize just how often their ads are being displayed across your network of sites. So what??? What impact will this have for your ecommerce site based in the midlands???Well, it will give Google yet more ability to reach the targeted customer that you may want to speak to. They are providing ads to lots of niche sites with very targeted visitors that may not be accessible via traditional search engines. It's a really clever move too ? if someone is searching they are probably using Google, if they are at a different stage in the buying cycle ? they are not yet ready to take action but are thinking about it you can now reach that user via the Google network.For instance, I know I'll be replacing my car around November, I'm not taking any action yet, so I'm not actively using a search engine to find a new car. However I am taking more notice than usual of car ads and I am clicking on banners and rich media if something catches my eye (the Alpha Spider has it's beautiful nose slightly in front at the moment!!!)It will also obviously open up the market to people that would never use a search engine ? they don't know they want the product or what it's called (yet anyway!). I was recently talking to someone in a hotel bar about search engine optimisation and explained what I meant ? he went on to purchase PPC campaign management but until that conversation didn't know the service existed so would never have turned to a Search Engine to look for it.Anyway, for the detail junkies, below is the press statement by DoubleClick's press release (issued on Friday the 13th!): The combination of Google and DoubleClick will offer superior tools for targeting, serving and analyzing online ads of all types, significantly benefiting customers and consumers: For users, the combined company will deliver an improved experience on the Web, by increasing the relevance and the quality of the ads they see. For online publishers, the combination provides access to new advertisers, which creates a powerful opportunity to monetize their inventory more efficiently. For agencies and advertisers, Google and DoubleClick will provide an easy and efficient way to manage both search and display ads in one place. They will be able to optimize their ad spending across different online media using a common set of metrics.

Google Number One Position in Five Weeks!

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:18:54 +0000

The Google sandbox is a much talked about phenomena amongst search engineers - you can't get listed in Google until your site is six month's old the commonly held belief.

Google don't say this directly, and indeed deny it's existence so why does the rumour continue?

Well, because it is difficult to get a number one rank in Google ... Doesn't every business want to be found for the relevant keyphrases and therefore isn't it always going to be competitive to say the least!?

This week we proved that the sandbox doesn't exist for our client ArtyBird. The site artqualifications.co.uk is for a City & Guilds qualification for artists in residence, so when we built the site we did so using our standard methods (our standard, not everyone's!) utilizing accessible code, well designed pages, and easy navigation we launched the site on 10th August.

Did we then do a big search engine campaign? Did we even submit the site? Did we charge the client for search engineering?

No. No. No. Hats off to Google. When a site deserves top spot it gets it. Blowing away the sandbox theory.

See for yourself, search for artists in residence qualification in Google... And see Artybird's site In top spot after just 5 weeks!

Not all web designers are the same!
Have a great weekend

Eazytiger's New Search Engine Proposition

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:18:24 +0000

We have been offering innovative solutions for our clients for some time now and I'm sure if you have already experienced using Eazytiger you will agree that this innovation is always thought through with you, our customer, in mind.
Well, here's a pre-warning... Something big is about to happen... We are about to launch a brand new way of promoting your site and attracting visitors and buyers.
We are just putting the finishing touches to our new search engine optimisation and submissions campaigns which will have a totally unique pricing structure. We will be ditching the traditional model of you pay for the time taken on your campaign without us first being able to predict or quantify the results that work will bring (the way our competitors do it)... and we'll be introducing a payment by results service, where our motivation to get you higher in the search engines is clear for all to see - we'll be charging you for the results we obtain.
Yep. We are that certain that our new search engine proposition is the best in the business that we are putting our money where our mouths are!
Reward Success. A true win-win from Eazytiger and it will be with you very shortly!
Until next time...

The Big Browser Showdown

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 13:16:57 +0000

So which side do you sit on, and indeed should you sit on, in the second round of the web browser wars?
Microsoft has made publicly available the next big update in its popular Internet Explorer (IE) web browser software - IE7. Hot on its heels, the Mozilla Foundation have released version 2.0 of its widely acclaimed Firefox web browser.
But which is the better of the two? And does your website display correctly in Microsoft's new baby? We'll cut through the hype and help you work out which of the two web browser heavyweights deserves to be your window onto the Internet...
First things first - Internet Explorer 7 is the much needed replacement for the horrendous Internet Explorer 6 web browser. It is touted as being more secure, which while not a hard task to accomplish given IE6s "gates-open" attitude to security, is obviously the most important aspect of this new browser. The user-interface has been revamped in IE7, and features that other browsers have had for years, such as tabbed-browsing, are now in place.
Microsoft are having to play catch-up. They have been losing ground to other web browsers, particularly Firefox, in recent years which have offered a more secure browsing experience along with features lacking from IE6, such as searching Google direct from the browser and the aforementioned tabbed-browsing.
All of this adds up for a huge release for Microsoft - IE7 is a huge leap beyond IE6. A much bigger step than the difference between Firefox 1.5 and Firefox 2.0 - the latest Firefox release.
The new Firefox web browser is more evolution than revolution. And rightly so - the Firefox web browser was so far beyond IE6 it was laughable. Firefox 2.0 therefore has very little in the way of noticeable changes from the previous 1.5 version. Welcome additions include performance improvements "under the hood" and an inline spell checker, that will check spelling as you type into forms on websites.
So which browser is the daddy? For the time-being I'd say Firefox. While IE7 has done a lot to catch up on the features-front, Firefox has been doing them longer - as such the implementation of these features is somewhat slicker.
On the security side of things, whilst IE7 should be much more secure than IE6, it is still an unknown quantity. I'd prefer to wait a few months until any gaping security holes are exposed (or not) before committing.
But this is not to diminish the importance of this release from Microsoft. IE7 has narrowed the ground between the browsers, and may well surpass Firefox in coming releases.
Also worth mentioning is that it has been reported that Microsoft will be including IE7 as part of its security update later this month. That means if you have automatic security updates enabled you may open your web browser one day to be greeted by IE7 - and once IE7 is installed, you can't roll back to IE6. So be warned.
Finally, I mentioned at the beginning of this article "does your website display correctly in Microsoft's new baby". Microsoft have changed the rendering engine in IE7. This means that a website that displayed just fine in IE6 could be a mangled mess in IE7. This shouldn't be an issue for a properly coded website; and even in the cases where it is you'll often find it only afflicts particular elements of a page.
Still - it'd be worth making sure. If Microsoft's predictions are accurate, this time next year 85% of web users will be using IE7.
Get in touch with us now, and we'll make sure your website it tip-top in IE7.
Happy browsing!

Eazytiger.net Evolves!

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 12:14:22 +0000

Welcome to the new Eazytiger web site!
Our previous site (our fourth in seven years) served us well, but at 3 years old was in need of an overhaul. No easy task to find time for when there's work to be done (cobbler's shoes etc), but somehow we've managed to squeeze it in.
It's been over a month in the making, but the redesigned eazytiger.net is now live (Thanks guys) and is packed full of new features that we hope you will enjoy and make use of.
Many of the new features are intended to promote user interaction and facilitate discussion, ultimately cultivating a community here on eazytiger.net.
As such we've integrated our own blog. Here we'll write about industry news and gossip as well as anything else that happens to be on our minds at the time. You'll be able to leave your comments on most of the articles we write and discuss topics with us and other users. We'll also be publishing a monthly Newsletter on all that is good and not so good in Web-related current events, so sign-up to stay in the loop.
There's a Glossary of Terms covering any and anything Internet related - ever wondered what those acronyms we bang on about all the time stand for? Now you can find out!
We've also reorganised the way we display our Services and portfolio of Work hopefully making things easier to follow and more useful to boot.
And finally, we've put together a showreel of work - for those who don't want to dig through the portfolio, this sums up what we do quite nicely.
When we put together our previous site, we wondered how Web Design and Internet techonologies would evolve over the coming years. Now, here in 2006, Web 2.0 is the new buzz-word. You may have heard the term Web 2.0 used before; essentially Web 1.0 was typified by the dotcom era, and what we now look back on as brochure style websites; static pages of information, typified by client briefs to take our brochure and put it onto the internet. Information with no interaction, and with influencesfrom more traditionally understood media (printed material) these sites served a purpose of exposing companies to the internet and lighting their enquiries into how it could go beyond the traditional brochure.
Web 2.0 refers to a set of technologies that facilitiate two-waycommunication with a web user. Web sites now can be controlled by the user - no more static pages, but custom content and user interaction, and most importantly for our client's trading solutions (eCommerce).
Blogging now rules the roost, online communities are evolving and growing, personalised experience, online customer service, return on investment through quantifiable internet trading is the order of the day.
The future online is more exciting than ever, Internet technologies are becoming integrated with business systems and software, the trading of your webstore an integral and growing part of total sales, online customer service is being viewed as just as important as traditional interaction... More on all these subjects will follow here...
For now... Welcome to our corner of the Internet. We hope you have a pleasant stay.