Although it's 2018 business owners are still confused about Search Engine Optimisation or SEO. Being a little controversial, it's also clear to us many web design agencies are equally as confused, or perhaps they just don't care, bless 'em.

I read a very interesting anecdote on social media recently. A former expert had been heard to say that "SEO doesn't work any more - we can't trick Google any more".  While we totally agree about the latter statement, we definitely don't agree with the first one. It's still working for us and for our clients.

We've got a track record of explaining SEO using simple non-technical language, we've even created a comic strip where our own super-hero SEO Man, outlines the basics of SEO. With this post, I'm going to put all that advice into the context of small and medium-sized or SME business owners. So if you're a business owner this one is for you.

Many people mistakenly confuse the term long tail keywords as meaning search terms with lots of words in them. In fact, many search terms containing lots of words are at the head of the search graph, long tail means something completely different.

Remember that time you decided to run a marathon, didn't train, rocked up and nailed it? Or that time you bought a guitar and within 10 minutes you were knocking out killer riffs and writing songs despite never having played before? Thought not. Digital marketing, Search Engine Optimisation and web based lead generation are a bit like that and here's why.

A recent conversation with a potential client reminded me of one of the main reasons businesses fail when they embark on a project to increase the leads or enquiries they get from their website. In this post, I'll outline those reasons and show you how not to fall into the same trap.

Understanding SEO is like chasing a crisp packet on a windy day. Every time you think you've nearly got a hold of it, it flies off out of reach again! 

As an agency who help people with inbound marketing and SEO, we get to work with some great people at some fantastic businesses. Unfortunately, we also have to pass on some opportunities because of unrealistic expectations and budgets. In this post, I'll outline the difference between the SEO realists and fantasists.

Thinking back to the last time you redeveloped your website, was the end-result the site you wanted? If your answer's yes, there's a strong possibility it's not the website you need. Confused? Then I'll explain.

The cost of creating a website is contentious. At one end of the scale, it's free, think companies like GoDaddy who provide DIY website building tools, while at the other it can be a six figure project or more. All price points in between are also covered. For my own amusement, I decided to work out the cost of developing a website using contractors instead of an agency. The results were quite surprising.

Pretty much every day we get an Inbound Marketing Review request from a person who hasn't developed a sound marketing strategy for their business. They have done pretty much everything except figuring out how they are going to find customers.

They've effectively bought a shop, decorated it, filled it with amazing products at fantastic prices then opened the doors, only to realise the shop's in the middle of nowhere with no roads leading to it and no other means for anyone to find it. It's very common.

When people form relationships they generally take the time to get to know the person they're forming the relationship with. They might buy each other a drink, they may suggest a dance, they might suggest a future dinner date. It's how most people operate, the whole getting to know you thing. It's about investing your time wisely and carefully to make sure you're getting into something good. Although most people don't, it makes sense to do the same in business and here's why.

The old world order went something like this. If you had the money you employed an ad agency to create amazing adverts for your brand and these adverts were placed on TV, radio and in magazines. People saw your adverts, whether they liked it or not, and bought your stuff, which gave you the money to buy more adverts and so it went on. Seth Godin referred to it as the TV Industrial Complex. Then along came Google™ and technology.

Picture the scene. You're staring at your website wondering why it gets so few visitors or worse, wondering how many visitors it gets because you don't know. What you do know is it doesn't generate any enquiries. You want to fix it, you want to create a lead generation website, but you simply don't know how to start. Well now you do!  In this article, I'm going to show you how to create a website that actually works for your business.

I picked up a new car yesterday and during the test drive, I had a chat with the salesman. He said something very interesting which ties in with what we know about inbound marketing. I was asking him about his job, what he liked about it and how he came to be a salesman. When I suggested that it must be enjoyable developing an understanding of people's needs so he could help them choose a car, his answer was very interesting.