FAQ

Choose one of the categories on the right to view our frequently asked questions by category or see the full list below.

Email marketing

Q: How can I be sure email marketing is working?

A: Email marketing is fully traceable, and you can check every aspect of its performance. Open rate, click-throughs specific to individual links and open times are some of the statistics that you can access from the moment the email is sent. Additional options including tracked telephone numbers and online feedback forms are other ways in which you can trace performance. The most obvious indication that email marketing works however is return on investment, which is potentially phenomenal.

Q: I’ve had good results from traditional mailouts for years. Why should I start using email marketing?

A: Email marketing out-performs traditional hard copy alternatives in every single respect. It is quicker to produce, cheaper, more flexible, easier to gauge performance and has a more immediate impact.

Q: Why should I use Greenmedia for email marketing?

A: We’ve been doing email marketing since we launched in January 2000, and we’ve continually developed our expertise and service offering since then. We’ve recently (August 2008) launched our latest email marketing system, fully designed and built in-house, which offers the most advanced performance yet. As we don’t use an off-the-shelf software package we are flexible enough to work around any particular requirements you might have.

Q: Will I be bound to a contract?

A: No, not at all. We know that our email marketing service works, so we don’t need to tie our customers to contracts of any kind. You can use the service on a campaign-to-campaign basis, as and when suits your own needs.

Hosting

Q: I’ve seen cheaper hosting online. Why should I pay Greenmedia to host my website when I can do it myself?

A: Self-service hosting is readily available around the web. Our annual hosting package is a fully managed service, including technical setup, telephone support, unlimited email addresses and industry-leading uptime – a complete, hassle-free service.

Search copywriting

Q: How often should I update the content on my website?

A: As often as possible, and no less than fortnightly. Refreshed content keeps users and search engine indexers coming back, neglect these two elements and your website SEO performance will suffer.

Q: I’ve got nothing to say! How should I go about adding new web content?

A: There are lots of topics that make great source material for web content, anything that’s going on with your business on a day-to-day level will make ideal reading, as well as being relevant copy for search engines. Look at what’s happening in the wider industry – comment pieces always make popular content. Remember – there’s always a story.

Q: I’ve got some good copy from my company brochure, is this ok to use on the website?

A: Not verbatim. Web users have a totally different set of demands to other readers, so online copy needs to be tailored accordingly. Think about relevance, keyterm usage, brevity and inter-linking.

SEO

Q: How long will my website take to appear on Google?

A: There’s no set timescale for a website appearing on Google, or any other search engine. Following best practice SEO ensures that a website will be indexed by search engine spiders and rank accordingly.

Q: I’ve got some keyword-rich copy for my website. How do I make sure I’m not inadvertently keyword stuffing?

A: There’s no defined limit on what constitutes keyword stuffing in copy, but a reliable indicator is how naturally the copy reads; if it doesn’t sound like something you’d say in conversation out loud because of keyword repetition, then you’re probably overdoing it. Keep in mind that SEO is about user experience and relevance – so if you’re diluting either of these by cramming in keywords then it’ll have a negative effect.

Q: I’ve heard other SEO companies promise “1st page results” guarantees. Can Greenmedia guarantee this?

A: We don’t make any claims of “1st page results” for one simple reason – it’s extremely misleading. It’s also quite an out-dated claim to make. It’s very simple to achieve 1st page results on any old keyterm, but it isn’t likely to deliver a positive return on investment. We select the optimum keyterms for your website, the ones that people are actually typing into search engines, and we achieve high rankings on them - delivering real business benefits.

Q: SEO sounds all very secretive. How can I be sure it’s for real?

A: There are two reasons why you can be confident with Green Media’s SEO, firstly, we tell you precisely what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, and secondly, you’ll see the results for yourself.

Q: Why does my position on Google change occasionally?

A: Search engines continually assess the appropriateness of their results, therefore rankings do fluctuate regularly. Be sure to follow an ongoing SEO strategy to avoid dropping out of strong positions.

Q: Why should I bother with SEO?

A: In short, SEO is absolutely essential for your website to even come close to delivering on its potential. A website that doesn’t perform well on the main searches for your market cannot offer a business benefit.

Web Design

Q: Green Media talk about their own “in-house” systems. My website already uses an off-the-shelf system – can you still work with it?

A: Yes, we’re fully conversant with major web packages such as Actinic, ZenCart and WordPress, and can carry out a range of effective works on any website that uses them, including SEO and graphical web design.

Q: How do I beat my competitors on search engines?

A: Consider your own website and how best to present the information you have – and back this up with a strategic SEO programme that encompasses refreshed content and link building. You’ll find that your website secures an organic position on key searches, from which you can build.

Q: I’ve recently made some changes on my website – why haven’t they boosted my rankings yet?

A: Improvements in rankings come after a search engine ‘spider’ (sometimes called a ‘robot’ or ‘bot’) indexes a website. This isn’t carried out on a defined schedule, and it can be anything from a couple of days to several weeks between indexes. You won’t see any changes if your site hasn’t been indexed since you made amendments.

Q: Link building sounds like a time-consuming process. Is it really necessary?

A: Backlinks are one of the main considerations for SEO, so yes, link building is necessary. While it might seem like a long-winded process at first, the more organised you are to begin with the quicker it becomes ongoing. Create a definitive list of target websites at the start of the programme, then aim for between 5 to 10 links per week – you’ll find this takes less than 20 minutes a week.

Q: What’s the difference between using HTML and Flash on a website?

A: We mainly programme our websites in HTML. HTML is accommodating for SEO, as well as being a highly flexible and adaptable programming language. Flash is a powerfully visual language, with a longer production process and minimal SEO support. While we don’t recommend using Flash as the platform language for most websites, we can integrate elements into HTML sites as required.