We were pleased to find out that a key part of the recent Google update - codenamed Caffeine - centred around the value of good quality copy, regularly updated. Essentially, search has come around to being about what it always should have been about - good quality content.

No technical manipulation of the system.

No tricks.

No smoke.

No mirrors.

…and it’s about time.

We’ve been eulogising the value of good web copy for years, on the basis that if you’re providing what people want - in the form of useful, usable information - then the search engines will wake up to that and start directing people your way. It comes down to the basic principles of search engines - to create a positive user experience by giving people what they’re looking for.

If your website is still relying on short-term techie tweaks to stay on SERPs then you’re on borrowed time. Your site is sitting on digital quicksand. It’s time to get your thinking cap on and get writing.

We’re currently developing an SEO programme for new designer sunglasses website Red Hot Sunglasses, which has recently gone live.

The stunning-looking website has a suitably high-end designer style, and retails an impressive selection of the newest sunglasses from the likes of Ray-Ban, Chloe, Police, CK, Prada, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tom Ford, D&G, Fendi and Dsquared2. With an incredible range, as well as 100% price match guarantee and free next day delivery on all products, Red Hot Sunglasses is one of this Summer’s must-see websites!

Check it out at Red Hot Sunglasses.

“How can it be better?”

We’re proud to announce that Green Media is ten years old this month.

We launched way back at the start of 2000, offering the core services of web design, email marketing and SEO that we still provide today. Of course the online landscape has changed remarkably in these last ten years, and we’ve adapted our portfolio to suit - some of the services that we’re offering now didn’t even exist back when we started out, and those that did have changed beyond recognition several times over. In this incredibly dynamic industry - with a seemingly endless number of competitors appearing (and disappearing) all the time - we’ve kept at the front of the pack and still continue to move forward.

One thing that hasn’t changed in this time is our continuous innovation, technical ability, high standards and constant drive to provide the very best digital services to our clients. Most of these attributes are the reasons behind our longevity as a company.

Our clients have included the likes of Sony, Audi and Business in the Community from the outset, and we’ve been directly involved in some of the first ever digital marketing ventures for these companies and other world-renowned market leaders across a broad range of sectors since our launch. Green Media’s links with blue-chip companies continue into 2010, with our always-growing client portfolio as impressive as ever.

As well as working for household names, we’re just as proud to have been instrumental in helping launch and grow some of the most exciting new small businesses in the North East and nationwide over the last decade. Our SME and micro-business portfolio is an eclectic mix of names providing a diverse set of services, and all of them have been supported and guided towards success by our expertise.

Thanks to all of the companies and individuals that we’ve worked with since 2000, you’ve helped make Green Media what it is today.

We’ve just launched the new website for specialist electrical services provider PCS Electrical. The site provides users with an easy-to-navigate guide to the various services of the company, and a client log-in area to access their own personal service reports.

The site is backed up by an intuitive web-based content management system (CMS) which allows the company to make  quick changes to the copy and imagery.

Take a look

Check out the latest updates on our portfolio page, featuring a selection of work completed over the last month, including the brand-new Logo Supermarket and Savarin’s websites.

Take a look.

The map that you occasionally see right at the top of Google’s organic search results is the Local Business Listings. These listings tend to show up on service-orientated searches where regional modifiers are used as part of the keyterm, ie; “bars in Newcastle”. The prime positioning of the listings on Google’s results page means that if you’re focusing on a particular location for sales then Local Business Listings should really be prioritised in your wider SEO programme.

Google’s Local Business Listings are technically separate to organic SEO, yet rely largely on the same basic rules for success - the main one being the use of good relevant content. Listings are created through Google Accounts, with the option to add a brief description and the all-important location which is highlighted on the results map. It’s so quick to set up, and depending on the type of company you’re running, the benefits can be incredible.

Following the basic principles of SEO good practice is the best way to get a strong performing listing;

- Create a clear title, with a single main keyterm included.

- Write the description for real-world users, in a no-nonsense copy style. Keyword stuffing, as always, results in unreadable copy.

- Focus on your main service - this offers a clearer message to both users and Google.

- Don’t forget to add the business URL - an obvious point maybe, but this isn’t a mandatory field on the set-up form so can be easily missed out.

- If anything notable changes with your business - new services, services phased out, location changes etc - change your listing. It should always be up-to-date.

- Remember Google’s primary aim - to provide the user with the information they’re searching for - if your listing isn’t as helpful and useful as it could be, change it.

While it ranks on its own merits in relation to competition, the performance of a Local Business Listing is assisted by the quality of the associated business website. If that website is doing everything it should with an ongoing SEO programme, then the business listing will benefit accordingly.

Like organic SEO you’ve got the top ten to aim for, as these are the results that will appear on the all-important first page. However, again like organic SEO the competition can often run into the thousands depending on the keyterm and location in question. Approach the Local Business Listings like any SEO project - remember there’s no quick fix or silver bullet, stick to the known principles and the results will follow.

Get in touch to discuss your company’s SEO programme with Green Media.

Seasonal SEO - as the name suggests - is a highly targeted form of search engine optimisation aimed at achieving rankings on a topic at a specific point in the year, these typically being key buying times such as Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day or any period that might be important to a particular company’s activities.

We’ve recently developed a seasonal SEO programme for the Beamish Wild Ropes Activity Centre, based on attracting visitors during the school summer holidays. Following some on-site and off-site SEO work the site is now ranking 1st page (on Google.co.uk) on a selection of client-specified keyterms, including;

“summer fun for kids North East” - 7th

“summer fun for kids County Durham” - 1st

“summer holiday activities Durham” - 5th

“family fun in County Durham” - 6th

“family days out in County Durham” - 7th

The preparation required for a seasonal SEO campaign varies between websites, and can range from weeks to months in advance, depending on the keyterm topic, competition and general search proficiency of the website in question. Organic SEO - as ever - depends on various external factors so it’s always best to plan ahead as much as possible by phasing in the campaign over a number of weeks to help ensure that you hit the rankings you target at precisely the right time. Getting the timing wrong can have far-reaching consequences - there’s no business benefit at all in reaching the 1st page when no-one is searching for the keyterms anymore.

Seasonal SEO campaigns should be linked in with your company’s wider marketing strategy, and have the ability to seamlessly shift to the next relevant target when required, while always retaining the core SEO focus of the website throughout the year.

Interested in a seasonal SEO campaign for your company website? Get in touch with Green Media to find out more.

Sticking to what you do best on your company website is a good mantra for SEO.

As always, keep in mind that the main aim of Google (and the other major search engines) is to enhance the user experience, and they do this by ensuring the user finds what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. Therefore the top ranking websites for any search will always be the ones most applicable to the search term, naturally. Search engines thrive on clear topics and obvious authority on a given subject, and this is borne out in the rankings.

For instance, if your company offers a wide and varied set of services, you can be sure that there are competitors out there who are just offering one of those services. Depending on the quality of the websites and other SEO factors at work (such as off-page issues, link-building, domain name, domain age etc), the dedicated website will generally rank higher than the multiple service one, as the search engine will class it as more of an expert on the subject.

So, if your website is diluted with several different and disparate topics then you’re likely to find it tough to rank highly on any keyterms consistently, as search engines will struggle to pin your site down to a specific subject.

To avoid being lost in the search engine ether for this reason, think about topic themes and consider the natural connections between the different elements of content on your website. If all of the sections on the site can’t be naturally linked to each other then they shouldn’t be on the same website in the first place, at least if you’re expecting any decent level of search engine performance.

Green Media has been providing SEO solutions to companies since 2000, across a massive range of sectors and industries, for a multitude of performance requirements. Get in touch on 0191 275 9777 to find out how we can help improve your performance on search engines, delivering more traffic, sales, brand exposure and a clear return on investment.

The new third generation iPhone went on sale at the weekend, and while it proved to be an instant success with customers and critics alike, it seems that Apple might not have thought through the long-term SEO potential of the product - and has gone for a subtle yet drastically-sudden name change today.

Originally titled the “3G S”, the new iPhone is now known as the “3GS”. Apple hasn’t made any official comment on the change, but it’s plain to see on their website that it has happened.

What’s in a space character?

If the move is down to pure search engine motives, then perhaps Apple have made an unnecessarily knee-jerk decision as searches today for the old-style “3G S” are returning iPhone-dominated results on Google, Bing and Ask. (Only on Yahoo was the iPhone denied top-spot, perhaps understandably by the Three/3 mobile phone network official website.) Considering the millions of digital column inches that will be written about the 3GS in the coming months, the product will surely tighten its grip on the search term - space character or no space character.

Conversely, doing a search today for the new “3GS” name brings back a similarly iPhone-heavy set of results across the board, with some high-ranking references dating from several weeks ago, pre-empting Apple’s decision. Perhaps, when all is said and done, it wasn’t very clear that there was a space in the first place…

Either way, it’s interesting to see that maybe SEO can now impact on product launches of even the world’s most marketing-savvy companies.