I’ve just added a video courtesy of YouTube to our sister site USdigital on the subject of search engine optimisation.

We wanted something that in a nutshell would demistify (slightly) the complex world of search engine optimisation, or SEO for short. Matt Cutts who currently works at Google HQ as head of the spam team does a great job of running through the preliminary basics of SEO, to give fledgling companies a good start on the SEO road.

Click on this link to view the video - http://www.usdigital.co.uk/search_engine_optimisation.php

September was a hectic month for the agency.

The recruitment advertising team gained the Servoca Nurses and Care account, while the PR department added the property developer and investment company Raynsway to its ever growing list of retained clients.

Our web division, usdigital, has been appointed by Midland Handling Equipment, the conveyor chain specialists, to design their new company website and Battery Direct has signed up for usdigital’s monthly SEO package.

We did however manage to fit in the annual mid year (slightly late) agency outing, to celebrate everyone’s hard work this year.  After all we can’t have all work and no play!

Only a couple of years ago SEO seemed to be a mysterious form of ‘black magic’. It was believed, somewhere out there, existed powers which would help to position your website within Google and other search engines. People realised SEO existed, but paid little attention to it.Now things have changed! SEO is the new marketing meeting buzz word. We can no longer go to a client marketing meeting without mentioning Search Engine Optimisation. Everyone wants to know more about SEO.

• Why is my website not on the first page of Google?
• My competitor’s website is on the first page?
• How do I get my site onto the first Page of Google?

Question: Why are people now paying more attention to SEO?
Answer: Because they can’t afford not too?

With over 38 million people in the UK using the internet (over 60% of the UK population), and with 80% of these people using search engines to find the service or product they need, companies can no longer ignore SEO. A company’s website must feature highly in the Search Engines - especially Google.

Company directors and marketing managers are now spending less time worrying about web design and more time worrying whether their website is being built in a search engine friendly manner.

Statistics taken from Hitwise and Nielsen/Net Ratings

Web design is crucial; no one wants a 2nd rate, pedestrian looking website. However, there is little point in having an all singing, all dancing website if no one is accessing it.

Without a method of directing traffic to your site, it will achieve nothing. No matter how informative the website is, or how great the design looks, your website will be unlikely to generate new business or sales enquiries.

Website Traffic can be generated in 6 main ways:

1. Search Engine Optimisation
2. Online advertising
3. Press Advertising and PR stories
4. Pay per Click Advertising
5. Email Marketing
6. Internet Users directly accessing your website

Search Engine Optimisation is considered by many as the most important method in getting traffic to your website. To maintain an effective SEO strategy, it must be performed on an ongoing basis.

While press advertising is seeing a decline, online advertising is proving more popular. Web banners and skyscrapers are important digital marketing tools in getting the internet user to jump onto your website.
If you are looking to get your website onto the first page of Google and generate instant traffic to your site then Pay Per Click Advertising is often a good answer - however this can prove expensive in the long run!

Email marketing is good at getting repeat visitors to your website. Emailing your database and directing people onto your website from their inbox, often through special promotions is an excellent way of generating site traffic.

Remember people won’t just stumble across your website. You must actively market it.

Web design is important. But so is website traffic!!!