July 22nd, 2009
When planning SEO campaigns it’s useful to make use of keyword research tools to get an idea of the right keywords and phrases to target. Entering queries into these tools gives you an indication of likely search volumes.
The most popular of these is Google’s own keyword tool. As the search engine with the largest share of the UK search engine market, the data from this tool should be treated as a very valuable indicator of likely search activity.
However some have questioned it’s accuracy, and now I too have seen results that have made me query the numbers the tool produces.
Here is what I’ve seen: a site has a #3 ranking on Google UK for a keyword. According to the tool, the monthly search volume of the exact term is in the region of 90,000. However, the site generates just 20-25 daily visits from the term.
Even allowing for certain attrition factors: lack of brand recognition, optimisation of title tag etc. the traffic figures are disappointing.
Before making plans around the numbers that the keyword tool reports, one should bear in mind that the figures aren’t simply the amount of queries entered into Google during the month. Don’t lose sight of the fact that this tool is for Adwords customers: as such it also includes data from Google’s search and content networks – so ads displayed around content in GMail, for example, or on those annoying parked domains, are bumping up this figure.
What to do?
- For a start if you’re using the tool always make sure you have the match type set to ‘exact’ or all the figures will be inflated by the inclusion of broad matched terms.
- Always take the numbers with a pinch of salt – they are good indicators of relative popularity, but don’t expect 60k visitors a month if ranking #1 for a term the tool says generates 60k monthly search volume.
- Always question an SEO company that takes these numbers at face value.
- Compare key queries through Google Insights for Search – as it’s based on search log data this should be more accurate.
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Tags: ppc, seo
Posted in Search engine optimisation | No Comments »
July 20th, 2009
When planning an marketing strategy, online retailers should be aware of the effect of pay week or pay day. A well-known factor in traditional retail planning, it is something that those new to e-commerce can often overlook.
The concept is simple enough: customers are more likely to convert when there’s money in their pockets – or in this case, their banks.
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Tags: affiliates, ecommerce, ppc, seo
Posted in ecommerce | No Comments »
April 16th, 2009
The recently-released version of Apple’s browser could have implications for your website reporting.
I recently noticed a significant increase in the bounce rate on one of our client websites. As any web marketer will tell you, bounce rate is one of the key metrics of website performance – for one it is a good indicator of the effectiveness of your SEO strategy. It’s a measure of single page visits to your website – people who arrive at your site, decide it’s not for them and then leave. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Analytics, browsers, google analytics, safari
Posted in Analytics | 2 Comments »
April 14th, 2009
Homefield Farm Holiday Cottages Homepage
Today we’re proud to launch a new website for Homefield Farm to promote their 3 luxury holiday cottages in Lincolnshire.
As ever the focus of our design is on simplicity and cleanliness. The site also features some stunning photography from our inhouse photographer and the design is kept minimal and elegant in order to bring this imagery to the fore.
When compared to the local competition, the Homefield Farm website stands out as professional and usable – essential factors is building trust with potential customers. We have also employed keyword research and bespoke copy to ensure that the website is as search engine-friendly as possible.
Key features
- Clean, functional website design
- Search engine friendly
- Bespoke copywriting
- Professional photography
- Calendar view of availability
- An easy-to-use admin system to keep the calendars up-to-date
- Contact form
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Tags: cms, seo
Posted in New websites | No Comments »
October 26th, 2008
Seem to be getting this message from an increasing number of Facebook contacts over the past few days.
If you get this message DO NOT CLICK THE LINK as it appears to be a virus…
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