With the World Cup now in full swing, plenty of businesses are cashing in on the month long tournament.

Everywhere you look there are thousands of references to The World Cup, from shop windows to press and radio ads, to websites. Amongst all of the marketing campaigns from the official sponsorship partners that have paid FIFA handsomely for the privilege are the unofficial campaigns from businesses that that are leaving themselves open to legal action.

Of course there are isolated ambush marketing cases where perpetrators knowingly plan maximum publicity, but there are a surprising number of (mainly smaller, local) advertisers and their agents who are oblivious to the fact they are using trademarked phrases in their campaigns, whether broadcast, in print or on the web.

Here are the trademarked phrases registered by FIFA:

• FIFA World Cup South Africa
• FIFA World Cup
• FIFA World Cup
• World Cup
• 2010 World Cup
• World Cup 2010
• South Africa 2010
• 2010 South Africa
• Football world Cup
• Soccer World Cup
• and any similar derivations

Google Alerts make it easy for organisations such as FIFA to spot unofficial use of their trademarked words and images on websites and if a fine is imposed it can be quite steep.

We have worked on football ‘flavoured’ campaigns in the run up to the tournament and found lots of helpful guidance on sponsorship on the official FIFA website to ensure our client’s campaigns are compliant. We have been able to create press ads, website campaigns, radio commercials and Point Of Sale materials that are within FIFA’s guidelines.
For example general football terms, such as ‘Summer of football’ and using the England Flag instead of the FIFA logo are fine. There are lots of national retailers taking this approach, and we are advising our clients and other businesses in our market, Chester to play safe and do the same.

Advice copyright, FIFA, guidance, infringement, legal, licence, licencing, license, logo, trademark, World Cup

With millions and millions of websites, and billions and billions of pages all fighting for attention on Google, it’s no wonder you can easily get lost in the noise – no matter how great your site is, or how great your message is.

 

 How to be found on Google episode 1: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Some people say having a great website that no one can find is like being lost in the desert. We disagree. We say having a great website that no one can find is like being part of a really big city, but you’re stuck on a back street that no one can find.

So if your website is stuck half way down page 1 million and you want to get nearer to page one – and even better, nearer to the top of page one, what can you do?

That’s what this series is going to be about. Just what can you do to improve your chances of being found on the search engines.

That’s where search engine optimisation comes in, or SEO.

With SEO, like with many other digital marketing activities, you need to carefully define what you want to achieve for your website, and then get the right tools together so you can hit your targets. More about these tools later.

Secondly,it’s important to measure the traffic you are sending to your website. And it’s important to stress that we’re not just interested in volume of traffic being driven to your site, but it’s the quality of that traffic that’s far more important. There are free and paid for tools that can let you see how you’re doing so you can make adjustments as and when necessary.

And thirdly, you need some creativity. A little is good, but lots is better. SEO today really does need good quality content that’s going to entertain, tell a story, be passed around, be linked to and so on.

Your content needs to be found by the search engines and there’s far more than just text that users are looking for when they search. Images, videos, maps, blogs, comments, posts can all get you in front of your prospects as they use the search engines.

The difference between organic search and paid search

There’s a key difference between paid and organic search, and it’s important to know the difference between the two. Open up your browser and go to Google. Type in any search term you like, for example ‘garden furniture wirral’ and then click ‘search’. When you see the results, all of those listings you see at the very top against a beige are labelled ‘sponsored links’. And there are more down the right hand column. These have all been paid for by advertisers, and Google charges them a fee every time someone clicks.

All of the other links are not paid for. These are known as organic results, and this is what people who are interested in SEO concentrate on. They get the most clicks, and no matter how many people click on these links, Google doesn’t charge.

Getting to the top of the organic listings, especially in a competitive niche isn’t easy and staying there can be very difficult. Today the number one result for that term is a client of ours, but as there are many variables, and competitors can pull some surprising tricks – not all playing by Googles rules – things can and do change.

But with good, unique (this is very important) content and properly built web pages, quality links pointing to your website from other websites and content that’s updated regularly, your chances of getting a good position on Google are improved.

Beware anyone who claims or guarantees a number one position, that’s an impossible promise to make. All that ethical SEO can guarantee you is an improved chance.

Now SEO usually covers what you do on your websites pages, and once you’ve optimised your pages, you need to look at the various ways you can bring people in. There are many ways you can do this. For example you can have links from other sites that are relevant, links from articles, you can have links from social websites like Facebook and Twitter. These all come from elsewhere, off-site and the process is often referred to as Search Engine Marketing or SEM.

Practicing SEO and SEM can help to get you to a good place on the search engines.

We’ll go into the nitty grity of Search Engine Optimisation next time. In the meantime, if there’s any help you need with SEO, you can contact us via our website.

Roodee is a web design company based in Chester, UK. You can find us at www.roodee.co.uk.

Advice, Audio, Search Engines, Video be found on Google, boost, Chester, get found, Google, how to be found on Google, search engine optimisation, website

Today is the day Apples eagerly awaited iPad lands in the UK. The Twittersphere is full of Tweets from people from all walks of life who have added them to their wish-lists. There are some who have had iPads for some time and are letting everyone who’ll listen know how wonderful they are.

The hype spilled over to London’s LBC radio this morning, with host Nick Ferrari taking calls from listeners who will go to great lengths to get their hands on the thing. We even got to hear from an entrepreneur who managed to get on to promote his iPad screen protector films.

Thanks to Steve Jobs master marketing, everyone knows the benefits and what iPad looks like (and demand is pretty much guaranteed to outstrip supply).

What does iPad mean for web design? Our thoughts are with load speed now a major factor in Google’s results, thanks to the Caffeine release, and with iPad’s reliance on 3g and wifi connectivity, lean and compliant code is a must.

As the argument between Apple and Adobe continues to keep Flash off Apple products, jQuery’s use is booming, and alternatives to Flash delivery of video continue to be implemented.

There are over 200,000 apps already available for iPhone users, with the vast majority usuable on the iPad. Some make the transition from the small screen to the near A4 size screen better than others. There is the option to view in original size or expanded. There are already thousands of apps designed just for iPad, and the smart money is on this being a massive area of growth for designers and developers.

Last week Apple overtook Microsoft as the worlds biggest tech company. It will be interesting to look back in 12 months from now to see the effect the iPad has had on the gap.

Advice Chester, iPad, web designing

There’s a directory on the web for just about anything you can imagine.

Type a search term into Google and somewhere in the results you are bound to find some directories listed. Click onto them and you often see business entries listed, sometimes with contact information and a link to their respective websites, sometimes it’s just a long list of names.

What are the benefits for your business of being listed on a directory website? In the case of reputable companies such as the excellent ‘The Best Of Chester’ your listing is both an ad that gets seen by lots of local, well targeted visitors who are looking for services, and if you have a weblink it can be a great way to increase your page rank on Google.

But… and this is a big but. Not all directories are the same. This week we took a call from a business owner in Chester who had given £300 to be on a directory believing he would get qualified leads, extra traffic and increased ranking on Google. After the 12 month agreement ended he decided the directory wasn’t for him and didn’t renew, expecting his listing would be deleted and that would be that. But the directory listing is still there, in fact performing even better than when it was being paid for. It is doing so well now it is performing better than his own website on Google when his business name is typed in. But instead of linking potential customers to his website, the directory is now sending them to a direct competitor.

We’ve advised on options, but our best advice is to do your research before becoming involved with directories. Ask other businesses about their experiences before signing up.

We are a web design company based in Chester, but we have helped many business owners and individuals who have had problems connected with internet related business.

Read our advice articles:

Domain Name Disputes

Twitter Impersonation

Web Designer Disputes

Advice Advice, Chester, directories, directory, dispute, Web Design

There are scores of businesses that we’ve helped to drive sales, bring in footfall, or sell online for years. If you are about to set up your first web site and are wondering what the process is, this is how we do it at Roodee Web Design in Chester.

First of all we need to know exactly what the project involves, so we need to ask some questions to form our Project Brief and Quotation. The Project Brief covers everything from whether we need to register a domain name on your behalf to what the job of the website is going to be.

All Systems Are Go

If you haven’t already got one, we register the domain name on your behalf and get the webhosting ready. It only takes minutes for us to do this, but it can take several days for all of these bits to work together so it’s best to do this job first to prevent delays when you are itching to get your website live.

Next is the design meeting. Over lots of coffee (please note – Jake is white no sugar, Simon is strong black no sugar) we map out the site’s pages and get the pencils out to sketch our designs for you. After the meeting we use Photoshop to draw out your web site concept digitally and upload it to our testing web address so you can see what it will look like to your web site’s visitors. When you agree we’ve ‘nailed it’ we do the coding.

Coding

Just like the visuals, when we code we put together everything your website needs in-house here in Chester. We’ll sometimes use a number of different technologies, depending on your project.

Content

We’ll add the content in next, generate any extra graphics and photos and take care of Search Engine Optimisation.

Testing and Sign Off

We’ll make sure everything works as it should and make last minute adjustments before we get your approval (sign-off) and set your new website live.

Tutorials and support

Most of the websites we design and build can be updated by our clients so we give tutorials in how to make changes, how best to write content, how to carry out Search Engine Optimisation tasks for yourself, and how to measure your website’s performance. Of course if you’d prefer us to take care of ongoing works, we’re more than happy to do this for you.

What to do next

Read client testimonials from Chester businesses we have helped over the years, or see our web design portfolio or ask us for a quote.

Roodee Web design, Chester.

Advice

We are often asked to redesign or ’sort out’ underperforming websites. Sometimes it’s because a competitor has taken delivery of a better website, but often it’s because an established website has started to look dated or isn’t performing as it should.

If you’re considering a website redesign, here’s some helpful advice from Roodee Web Design:

Have  A Clear Goal

Whether it’s an online shop, a lead generating site, an online brochure or an information website, establish what your goal is. For example, if you have an ecommerce website, the goal is get a click on the submit button on the payment page. Consider how you are going to take your site’s visitors from the point they entered the site to the goal. 

Our advice: make reaching the goal as easy as possible and strip out any obstacles that get in the way.

Look Current

What looked great a few years ago can quickly look tired, so new visuals are often top of the list when we’re asked to rework a website. Styling a concept begins on paper. See what else is out there; inspiration doesn’t just have to come from other websites.

Our advice: Get your pens out. We do this before we think of firing up Photoshop.

Ditch Splash Intro Pages

These were very fashionable in the 90’s. The majority were animated company logos that whizzed in or jiggled about a bit. They were supposed to give websites a professional and expensive ‘feel’. The truth is they got in the way for users, and they didn’t do well with search engines either.

Our advice: Whip out  the splash and ditch any pointless Flash.

Switch From Table Based Layouts

For a long time websites were built using tables to hold everything in place. These days websites use something else called DIV’s to place elements on pages and are styled with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). CSS not only gives us far more freedom to come up with visually exciting designs that work in modern browsers, but it means the websites work better with search engines too.

Our advice: Ditch the table layout.

Keep Your Site Up To Date

What’s the point in presenting old, out of date information? It used to be very complicated making websites updateable (and expensive). These days it’s not. Visitors like current content, and search engines do too.

Our advice: Opt for a Content Management System.

See examples of our website redesigns or contact us for a quotation.

Advice CMS, content management, Redesign, search engine, SEO, webdesign

We know of lots of ways to increase sales and improve the performance of ecommerce websites. Here are just five of our tips:

If you’ve got a Unique Selling Point (USP), shout about it.

What is it that makes your online shop different from all of the others? If there’s a special reason for customers to buy from you, such as exclusivity, free delivery or a special price point, make it prominent.

Make the buying experience as easy as possible.

How frustrating is it when you can’t find what you want? Make it easier for your customers by giving special thought to the ‘route’ to the right product. Some users prefer a structured navigation to browse through, others prefer the quick route, with a site search.

Give reasons for buyers to trust you

Would you buy from a company who can’t be contacted in the event of a problem? Many potential customers want to see a real address before they go ahead with buying. How easy are you to contact if your customer has a query? A phone number and email are the bare minimum. Make sure you state your returns policy clearly, and reassure your customers that all of their financial and personal data is safe.

Demonstrate how safe financial transactions with you are

Before entering credit card details, it’s sensible to check out if a site you’re using for the first time is bona fide. The transactions are handled by financial institutions who demand strict security criteria is met to prevent fraud. Display confirmation transactions on your site are safe prominently.

Use smart merchandising techniques

If you’ve ever bought anything from Amazon, you’ll have seen the words ‘customers who bought this also bought…’. Suggest associated products and accessories in the same way. Your users will appreciate the convenience and you will increase your sale.  

Roodee Web Design are a website design company based in Chester, offering ecommerce web design services and online shop web design. Want an ecommerce web design quotation? Please contact us.

Advice Advice, checkout, Chester, ecommerce web design, more sales, online shop, upsell

There was something about a Twitter account that troubled us. 

Registered before we became involved, it had our clients name, company logo, and ‘Tweets’ such as ‘We’re expanding’. It looked official.

A little detective work confirmed our suspicions. Someone completely unconnected with the business had registered the account and now wanted to ‘explore it’s value’. After a couple of weeks careful negotiation, the account has been transferred. It didn’t cost a thing either.

If you or your business is being impersonated, if your trademark is being used, or someone is asking for payment, goods or services in return for a (free) Twitter account in your company name, don’t hand a penny over. Just head over to Twitters help pages.

The lesson to be learned: No matter how insignificant you perceive Twitter to be, register your Twitter account before someone else does. Always be in control of your brand online.

Need help with online marketing? Contact us.

Advice account, dispute, impersonation, trademark, Twitter

A previous web designer our client worked with named himself as ‘registrant’ of their domain name, giving him complete control of it.

Why is this a problem? Think of a domain name as a sign-post, pointing everyone to the place where your site’s files have been saved. If you don’t control where the sign-post is pointing, it can be pointed away from your site, meaning anyone typing your address or clicking on your Google listing can end up somewhere else.

We always stress everyone should always have ‘ownership’ of their own domain names. Our client found out why when his website suddenly disappeared this week.

No matter how well you get on with your web designer today, always… ALWAYS… insist that your domain name is registered to you just in case things turn sour.

If you want to find out who has control of your domain or need help with a domain name transfer or a domain name dispute, please contact us.

* Update to this post *

We successfully completed the transfer of the domain name when negotiations between our client and his previous web designer broke down. It is now safely registered in our clients name, pointing to his website.

Advice Advice, dispute, Domain name, transfer

Most website makeovers we undertake are usually very straight-forward. We are able to take existing content, such as text and images and drop it into the new pages we have designed for our client.

In the case of a TV Production Company in Chester, the works went a little further. The original website had been designed some years ago, used frames (not good for Google), had hosting issues, and the domain name had not been registered in our clients own name.

Fortunately we were able to sort the registration issues out on our clients behalf, set them up with our superior webhosting and email services, and gave them the website they always wanted. It is optimised for search engines, each page can be updated, and benefits from Social Network integration.

Our client now has a website that customers can easily find on Google, they can update it themselves and perhaps most importantly they are now named as the owners of their domain name.

Our advice to everybody is to always insist your website designer registers you as the owner of your domain. This prevents potential problems further down the line.

If you have a similar issue, contact us – we’ll be happy to help.

Advice, Search Engines Chester, Domain name, Domain registration, Ownership, TV Production, Webhosting