The answer to that question rather depends upon your idea of what a market or sector actually consists of. If you have a small business that primarily targets customers within an area that’s local to you, then it may well be realistic for you to take a dominant position within that geographical space. It’s likely to be much harder for you to take on competitors on a national or international level.

But you may be in a fortunate position. You may have identified a real niche area. You may even have “first mover advantage”, allowing you to strike before others have realised that there are possibilities.

As can be seen, it would be wrong to imagine that the same process will work for all businesses. When keyword research is being carried out, it’s absolutely critical that it should reflect realistic aims and possibilities.

There’s often a temptation to aim big. The thought process here may suggest that you’ll still gain something, even if you miss the main target. Although this is an approach that may pay dividends, it would be unwise to assume that it will work for you. In fact, it may make more sense to try and take control of a smaller niche as a first step. That should give you a first building block.

What is clear is that good quality keyword research is vital to the success of any SEO project. Without it, there’s a strong chance that your optimisation approach will not produce the hoped-for results.

We would suggest that the keyword research phase needs to be a two-way conversation between the digital maketing agency and the client.

We apply the same processes and approaches, but we’re clearly very aware of the budget that’s available. It means that we’re always looking to provide value for money.

In order to get the best returns for the client, it’s critical that we’re able to identify a suitable range of target keywords at the outset of the project. We know that there’s no point chasing “big terms” if that simply means that our clients’ sites will be buried in the search engine rankings.

Instead, we focus on the sort of search terms (keywords) that represent niche opportunities. Experience dictates that this is a approach that can pay dividends.

In order to carry out this exercise correctly, it’s important that we’re able to discuss the client’s needs in full. This means having a conversation about the nature of the business and the future goals. We understand that the online marketing campaign will play an important role, but we also know that it’s part of a broader picture.

Without a firm understanding of the overall requirements, we believe that it’s impossible to produce the quality results that are expected. We aim to help all of our clients to get more sales online, rather than simply aiming for more website visitors.

We encourage performance measurement and provide a full range of reports. The entire process is fully transparent.

What this means for business owners is that changes within Google can have a wide effect. This is why many search engine marketing consultants have been paying close attention to the series of Google algorithm changes, which have been collectively known as the Panda updates.

In a sense, some things never change. The way in which Google produces its results constantly changes and always will do. Despite this, it’s clear that SEO experts need to keep on top of all such changes. Our own small business SEO campaigns have certainly been modified as a result of data gathered.

Reacting to changes

If you’re operating a website, then how should you be reacting to any changes of this nature? In simple terms, our view is that, if you’re used to building websites for human consumption, then carry on as you were – you should experience few changes here.

Problems may occur for those who have spent too much time concentrating on what the search engines want. If this sounds familiar, then it may be time to think again about your strategy.

Google tends to favour websites that are popular, fresh and that offer a quality experience. Sometimes, it’s necessary to stand back and to take an objective look at our own sites. Are they meeting these aims?

One guide may be to examine the bounce rate on your site, which should be available within your Analytics package. If you’re finding that many visitors to your site, when sent by the search engines, are immediately leaving, then this is a pretty good indication that they’re not getting what they want. It may be time for a change of approach.

Think about how your site is being discovered and what individual users are likely to be looking for. Are you providing it? There could be an opportunity here to change the content of your website – alternatively, you might look to send those visitors on to a more appropriate site.

This is an example of how you should be concentrating on what your visitors want. If you’re not doing that right now, then it makes sense to change things a little. This isn’t just about impressing the search engines – it’s also about helping to build the authority of your site. This can help you to generate an increased level of leads over time.

Conclusions

The search engine landscape will continue to change. Right now, Google leads the way and changes on that search engine will have an impact on many businesses. It makes sense to ensure that you’re following best practice.

These handy applications are all about allowing you to see how visitors find your site, what they do once they reach it and why they decide to leave. By understanding visitor behaviour, you can make improvements that have significant benefits.

Some good examples might be:

A website where many visitors leave immediately. This clearly suggests that they’re not finding what they want. You might be able to change your content, or even introduce a new product line in response. Without realising that the problem exists, however, it’s difficult to make changes.

Few visitors go on to make a purchase. If your conversion rates are poor, then this could reflect a number of issues. If you don’t understand where your visitors are heading within your site and whether they are getting as far as the shopping basket, it can be difficult to rectify things.

If you’re interested in finding out more, then Google Analytics is a good first stop.

We kick off with a report from SEO Diva, suggesting 8 tips to increase your rankings after Panda. An interesting topic and one that’s sure to get plenty of hits at the minute.

Are these tips useful? Well, I reckon that you’d get 100 different answers to this issue if you asked 100 self-proclaimed SEO experts. Our view is that avoiding penalties is all about providing a great user experience. If you achieve that, then it’s likely that your traffic levels will grow over time.

Do these tips all concentrate on end users? We’re not so sure. There may be value in adding videos to your pages, for instance, but only if it genuinely adds to the user experience.

There’s no doubt that you should avoid thin content. But should you be looking to create 700 words of “filler” content? Again, it all comes down to how users of your site are likely to react.

A post over at SEO Unique takes a look at the subject of paid links. It poses a potentially controversial question: Why doesn’t Google penalise paid links in the UK?

The first thing to say here is that we’ve probably all seen penalties being applied to websites that engage in link buying. On the other hand, it’s undoubtedly the case that many more slip through the net.

So why doesn’t Google take more action? Some of the reasoning outlined in the article makes sense.

The issue of link buying shows no sign of going away soon. Are your competitors buying links? Possibly. Will Google do something about it? It’s probably best not to assume that anything will happen in the near future!

Our services include:

• Identifying target keywords that will actually produce sales, rather than wasting money on visitors who won’t purchase your products or services
• Carrying out complete analysis of competitor behaviour
• Using advanced keyword targeting techniques to ensure that you’re only spending money on attracting potential customers
• Making extensive use of negative keywords
• Organising your account correctly, to enhance quality scores and reduce costs
• Experimenting with multiple ad variations, in order to identify the ads that perform best for your account
• Monitoring the performance of the account at all levels
• Providing regular reports
• Advising on overall online marketing strategies

In theory, Adwords (pronounced “Add Words”) represents a simple approach. But many companies have built up years of expertise of using the system, ensuring that they are able to create advertising campaigns that really produce value for money.

When using Adwords, you’ll soon be presented with various terms and acronyms that may initially appear confusing. We believe in keeping things simple and avoiding the use of such terms where possible. If you’re feeling confused, then here’s our guide to some of the most common words and phrases associated with the system:

CPC: This stands for Cost Per Click. Within the Adwords system, you can agree to pay a certain amount per click (by bidding). You won’t neccesarily pay as much as you bid (you may pay less). The amount that you bid contributes to where your ad will appear on the page.

CTR: This is the Click-Through Rate. Put simply, it shows the proportion of people that click on your ads, having seen them. So, if your ads were displayed 100 times, but only 10 people clicked on them, you would have a CTR of 10%.

Keywords: When you search for something on Google, you enter a search term and then hit the Google Search button. That term that you’re searching for is called a keyword. Within the Adwords system, you bid to appear when Google users search for particular keywords. By choosing the right keywords, you can get more sales, at a cost that’s right for your business.

If you choose the wrong keywords, however, you may be faced by rising costs and very little in terms of benefits for your business.

ROI: Return On Investment. In other words, what are getting back in return for spending this money on advertising? A key indicator, but one that too few people take notice of.

So how can an agency help when it comes to managing your Google Adwords account. There are plenty of UK PPC companies operating, with the aim of reducing your spend and increasing your sales. That sounds like a fairly obvious ambition!

This can be achieved using a variety of techniques, which would usually include:

• Keyword research
• Competitor analysis
• Testing different advertising formats
• Ad scheduling
• Account re-organisation
• Advanced keyword targeting

If you need help with managing your Google Adwords account, then you can contact us for details of how we can help. Our fully-trained consultants are able to draw on a wealth of knowledge and experience. We’re able to provide cost-effective solutions to meet your budget.

Given the ability to communicate easily via email, Skype and the like, does it really matter where a PPC agency is based, in relation to clients?

We would obviously say “yes – it matters a lot”…but we’re a little biased

So why are some companies choosing to look abroad for such services? Cost is obviously one factor that plays a key role. There are evidently some consultants offering particularly low rates, but feedback from our clients suggests that they found that you really do get what you pay for.

They noted that overseas companies weren’t necessarily able to communicate particularly well. More critically, they also noted a lack of ability.

That’s a real problem within the industry as a whole and it’s fair to say that it’s not easy to pick a PPC agency. There are plenty of “consultants” who have limited experience and a questionable track record. Unfortunately, the lack of regulation within the Internet marketing industry means that this problem is not likely to disappear any time soon.

Why location matters to us

We think that we’re able to offer UK clients more because we don’t simply understand Google Adwords, or Microsoft AdCenter. Although it is important to understand the mechanics of these systems, we believe that local knowledge adds an extra layer of expertise.

We know about how UK advertisers operate and how they compete. We’ve build up a considerable level of experience, which enables us to construct campaigns that really produce results.

Communication’s important too. Whether by email, or over the phone, there’s real value in having those clear lines of communication available.

About our services

Our PPC services cover a wide range of requirements. If you’re just starting to look at the world of search engine marketing, then give us a call and we can talk to you about the options that you have available.

If you already have a Google Adwords account, but it’s not performing as you would like, get in touch to find out how we can help. We’re always able to take a look at accounts and identify where improvements can be made.

Finding a suitable paid search agency can be daunting, but it’s not impossible. We like to keep things nice and simple – we explain what we’ll do in order to help your business.

We take a particular pleasure in helping a small business to compete in a sector where they were previously struggling to achieve the results that they were looking for. It often goes to show that online marketing and search engine optimisation aren’t simply about the size of a marketing budget – it’s how you spend that budget that really matters.

We come up with a specific, unique project plan for each and every client. We look at their requirements, the history of the businesses and their approach to online sales. We’ll then advise on a wide range of areas and come up with an approach that will achieve results.

When clients come to us, they typically face problems in one or more of the following areas:

• They are at a very early stage and haven’t considered online marketing at all.
• They have paid to have a website designed and built, but no SEO work has been carried out.
• On-page SEO has been carried out (to some degree) but no thought has been given to off-page marketing.
• An attempt has been made at SEO, but it has failed to produce results.
• The website fails to convert visitors into buyers.
• The website produces many leads, but almost all of them are for services or products that the company does not provide

Some of the above problems may be familiar to your own business. We can help – get in touch today if you’re like to make more sales via your website.

What do we charge? That’s an obvious question that many people ask. We don’t have a “one size fits all” approach, so the answer is that we charge an amount that reflects the work that will need to be carried out. If you operate a small business and you’re looking to improve rankings for a range of local search terms, then you’ll find our prices surprisingly low.

For larger companies, targeting a broader range of terms, we can provide extremely competitive pricing. Get in touch to find out more.

You can also read more about our search engine optimisation services on the main site.

It’s going to be a nice mixture of vintage tractors, livestock, poultry, contests for dogs and other pets…plus a lot more!

You can reach the park by taking the B3046 (which runs between New Alresford and Cheriton). There’s also going to be a free shuttle bus running (starting at 10.30am) from Alresford to the showground – you can catch the bus outside Alresford Fire Station.

Tickets are priced at £13 for adults and £9 for seniors. Children under the age of 14 are free when accompanying an adult. You can save £1.50 on all tickets when purchased in August. You can buy them online from the official website.

The show starts at 9am (with a 6pm finish).

You’ll also be able to eat some fantastic food on the day, by the looks of the list of producers and retailers who will be present, including CE Evans & Sons, plus Judes Ice Creams – as well as the Soles Hog & Lamb Roasts. Should be a great day out – let’s hope for some nice weather!