Archive: May 2012

Posted in May 28 2012

With each algorithmic change that goes by there seems to be increased emphasis placed on producing great content and obtaining links through ‘white-hat’ means. Creating great content is something that many in the SEO industry seem to talk about all the time, but what is great content and how can you create it?

What Is Great Content

Great content is useful or interesting to it’s users and can be in the form of interactive content, images, blog posts. Great content will often be reused, shared, linked to and referenced and can help to establish your business as an authority in the market place, which is why it can be a powerful tool for link building and online branding.

#1 Best Tip For Creating Great Content

Write down your ideas. As soon as you think of something that might be a good idea, write it down. It’s easy to forget what you were thinking and once it’s gone its gone.

Bruce all mighty in case you we're wondering.

What Makes Great Content

• Unique

• Informative

• Succinct

• Attractive

• Easy to share

Easy Content Development Ideas

Ideas So Simple Even An SEO Can Do Them!

You might not be a hard core coder or a graphic designer but you can still create useful link worthy content simply by becoming a source of useful information. These ideas should get you started.

• FAQs – You probably know more about your product, service, business location than most. Writing answers to specific questions people might have is an easy way to create content that people will search for, find useful and link to.
• Detailed reviews of your products, services or related products in your industry. People are always on the lookout for information about products and services they are about to buy. If you can create detailed and reliable information and remove the ambiguity of buying online then you will quickly become a trusted resource that people will visit frequently and  recommend to others. Just ask CNET.
• How To’s explaining your products, add on’s or activities related to your product. These are similar to FAQs but in more depth, you can use videos, infographics and detailed but easy to read articles. Taking the time to create this sort of content, ensuring it is of high quality will help you become an authority source of information that is linked to and recommended by others.
• Steal other peoples ideas and then do it better – If you think you can do a better job at creating a certain piece of content. Do it. The really hard work of coming up with an idea has been done for you. Now you just need to create something with more information, laid out in a clearer format, using higher quality images and perhaps some interactive functionality. Simple.

Talk To Us?

Do you have a process for developing your own content. A fantastic way of coming up with ideas. Or just want to ask us a question about your sites SEO. Talk To Us NOW on Google +

Posted in May 28 2012

For over 10 years, Macarthur Baskets has been delivering smiles! Hampers and baskets are filled to the brim with exciting gifts, perfect for any occasion and delivered quickly to your front door.

Read More

Posted in May 28 2012

Christian Date is a website that is entirely devoted to helping christian singles discover new friends in their area to date that share their same beliefs in God. You create a profile where you share your interests, hobbies, goals and experiences Read More

Posted in May 23 2012

Thanks Martin Evans for the question on the 123SEO Google Plus Page.
“Since the penguin and panda updates, what form of backlink provides the most quality? blogs? articles? press releases?”

In a post penguin world there has been lots of speculation about what forms of linking are effective. We put the question to some of the team members and here are the responses:

Bill: I think these days (especially after Penguin), a link is most valuable when it is viewed as natural (organic) by Google. One method is to come up with content that is link worthy and socially acceptable. As we all know these are the best links.

Jaaved: Technically, all of those [Blogs, Articles, Press Releases] will provide value, it’s about the source and context. A press release on Newsmaker.com.au would be worthwhile and provides more than just a link benefit. I’ve seen it get picked up in Google News a lot so there’s a readership value too. It comes down to website rep and cred. Same with directories and blogs and so on.

Chris: The obvious white hat answer is going to be, building good content will lead to great links. This is still going to be hard for some people. In terms of where you get your links, nothing has really changed, you can still get links from blogs, articles and press releases but should focus on more authoritative sources. Frankly, links from spammy sites have been a waste of resources for a while. Long term focus on getting quality links and engaging on social is going to ensure much more stability for your businesses, anything else will become un-sustainable and result in sites disappearing from results.

Perhaps not the nice easy answers people might have been hoping for, but the best way to build links is, was and will continue to be building interesting and useful content. In the mean time, here are some tips on how to stop your links looking spammy:

1. Don’t use sitewide footer links
2. Don’t get links on pages with 100+ other links
3. Don’t use the same anchor text for every link
4. Don’t use link exchanges
5. Don’t use forum and comment spam

Ask Us A Question

Ask any question about SEO on our Google Plus Page and we’ll get back to you with an answer.

Posted in May 23 2012

Gift Sensations is a family owned and operated business that has been providing unique delightful gift baskets and hampers to Australian families for over 12 years.

The range is not your run of the mill type either. A great deal of planning and care goes into each and every gift basket sold at Gift Sensations.

You see, at Gift Sensations, they are only happy to give a gift that they would be happy to receive. So when you buy your next gift hamper from them, you know it will be of the highest quality, unique and above all else, will be well received.

You can choose from hampers that have alcohol as part of the package or opt for alcohol-free ones. If you have a budget, the website lets you browse based on price ranges to make it easier for you. And of course, gift baskets are set out for different occasions so you’re assured of its appropriateness.

It’s now the end of May and Christmas may seem like a long way away but the team at Gift Sensations is working hard at developing their 2012 range of Christmas hampers so keep checking the site for an update on these.

Another great thing about Gift Sensations is that they can also cater for bulk orders which makes it very convenient, especially around Christmas time!

Check out their gift range today – for men, for women, for mother’s day, for Christmas, for a baby or Valentine’s or even for Easter next year – there’s loads to choose from!

Posted in May 22 2012

Babici is cutting edge when it comes to all things cycling.

For over 20 years their designs have been sought after by clubs, teams and retailers. With their focus on designing and manufacturing high end, Read More

Posted in May 21 2012

For most businesses the whole point of having a website is to make money. This can be achieved through direct sales, lead generation or feet through the door. Yet many are simply throwing their money away by not having strong call to action.

What Is A Call To Action?

A call to action directs people to carry out certain actions whilst on your site. They can be used in text, menus, or images.

In the example above from this NABERS assessors company the calls to action are highlighted in red. They use the following techniques in order to stand out:

• A high contrast menu item
• An arrow directing attention towards the on page contact form.
• A high contrast send button, making it very clear what is expected of the user
• A call to action in the text including the phone number

Having a variety of calls to action mean that users attention is more likely to be directed towards the pages goals. Which means more leads/sales/feet-through-the-door for the company.

What Makes A Good Call To Action

Calls to action should stand out from the rest of the design. There are several ways of doing this:

1. Make the Call To Action a contrasting color from the rest of the page
2. Increase the empty space (white space) around the buttons or images
3. Be clear on what will happen as a result of taking the action
4. Use images to draw attention to the button/link

Call To Action Colours

Contrasting Colours

There are a couple of considerations to take into account when choosing a colour. Firstly, the color should contrast with other colours on the page, making it stand out. Picking a colour that contrasts whilst appearing complimentary can be selected using a colour wheel.

The Psychology Of Call To Action Colour

There is some to suggestion that different colours may have a variety of impacts on the CTA effectiveness. Whilst this research is a little patchy, it is worth giving some though to the associations and impact individual colours may have on your calls to action.

Red: A traditional call to action colour, red quickly grabs attention and conveys urgency.

Orange: Not as aggressive as red but still attention grabbing. Orange is a warm colour great for calls to action.

Yellow: A traditionally warm colour with positive associations. Contrasts well with blues.

Green: A safe and reassuring colour.

Blue: Associations with professional services and social media, but according to Ann Smarty, may cause users to reconsider actions.

 Testing Calls To Action

Every site is different, with different challenges. No single call to action is ‘the best’. This means testing different layouts, colours and text is important for finding the most effective solution. Using event tracking and conversion monitoring in Google Analytics can help you decide which to go with.

Discussion

Putting our money where our mouth is:

Posted in May 16 2012

You’ve probably seen companies displaying a logo in their premises or their websites stating they are ISO 9001 Certified. It’s a red rectangle standing vertically with 5 white ticks running down the side.

This is a prestigious certification that can take a considerable amount of time to achieve, especially if the organisation is large with complex processes and procedures.

Not every organisation has a certification but it is indeed a very important one to obtain. An organisation with an ISO 9001 Certification is more likely to win new business as opposed to organisations that are not certified, according to a report from the British Assessment Bureau.

The reason being is that being ISO 9001 is a statement to your customers and potential clients that your organisation follows best practice systems for your industry and is in a far better position to deliver results and provide service of a high quality. In fact, many government organisations seek out ISO 9001 Certified companies in particular when seeking vendors.

So clearly, being ISO 9001 compliant is in your company’s best interests and something to work towards.

Focus QA is a company that can assist in obtaining the coveted ISO 9001 Certification and provides a complete consulting service that works with you from the initial audits and reviews right until you achieve your certification.

The team at Focus QA is thorough, systematic and highly experienced in the areas of quality control and provide their services in a manner that simplifies the process.

Get in touch today and see how your organisation can benefit from being ISO 9001 compliant.

Posted in May 16 2012

Not everyone is a green thumb but we can all appreciate nature, especially trees.

The time it takes to grow, their multitude of uses (shade, timber, paper, fruit) and the fact that they sometimes get in the way!

And for when you need a tree removed, North Brisbane Trees are the experts in tree removal and tree pruning.

Their team has years of experience in the tree business – from advice on how to manage your trees, to removal, to pruning and maintenance to stump grinding. They can also arrange for mulch and firewood if you’re interested.

Working with trees has its safety risks and there are also risks to property but this is an area where North Brisbane Trees is above the rest.

They have $10 Million Public Liability Insurance and a commitment to promptly fixing any property damage (rare instances) as well as an unshakable commitment to safety for staff and others around the worksite so you are assured of a job well done.

There is no job too big or too small for these guys. In fact, they have a wide range of equipment to cater for every situation and will always take the best course of action to get an outcome that works for everyone.

Posted in May 16 2012

Are you tired of the usual gifts for mums and newborn babies involving rattles, dummies, breastpads and even tweezers?

Do you want to give a truly memorable gift that will make an impact?

Then look no further than BabyBoxes!

Like you, they had enough of the cheap and tacky gift boxes available for babies and mums and decided to come up with baby gift hampers that they themselves would love to receive.

The end result is a BabyBox! It’s a gift hamper that caters for both baby AND mum – because “mama needs to be spoilt too” and it includes only the highest quality items that are guaranteed to please.

They also cater for mums to be (this makes for a great baby shower gift) as well as for corporates and companies wishing to give a delightful maternity leave gift.

Baby Boxes are unique baby gifts because the people behind the hampers believe in quality and creating a lasting impression. How happy would you feel when receiving a gift box that has something for both you and your baby? There are all sorts of goodies in a BabyBox, from cotton socks and bodysuits to belly butter, massage oils for mum and bub, muslim wraps and soft fluffy toys. There is even an organic baby gift range!

Be unique and give the new mum or mum to be in your life a fantastic gift. When words fail you, nothing says it better than a BabyBox.