No, it's not the name of the new Channel4 house interior, decluttering program hosted by Phil and Kirsty but the 3 things which every website owner should keep to the front of their mind!
The internet is all about information and by delivering quality up to date information you will see increased traffic through your site - and a lot of this will be people coming back for more!
Adding content has never been easier. Whether it's e-newsletters, a blogs, article writing or adding new pages to your site it's important to make sure that you keep producing it.
If you haven't added anything to your website in the last 7 days then you are missing an opportunity. Google considers content to be "old" when it has been online for more than 48hrs!
Content is king and for advice on how to create and add it please contact us.
topIs your website lost in the search engines?
Do your competitors companies always appear above you in Google?
Is your website failing to deliver results?
If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes" then read on!
ASM has joined forces with AME Marketing to try and provide a solution to change this. As part of a series of marketing advice workshops run by AME Marketing ASM will be delivering one on Search Engine Optimisation and Marketing. The first workshop is scheduled for 9th October and places are limited. For more information please either visit the ASM and AME websites.
topHere at ASM we are not always enthralled or delighted by the machinations of the seemingly all powerful Google! However with the launch of Google Checkout we have to step back, hold up our hands and say that it looks good!
Checkout is a payment gateway which is going to go head to head with Paypal and one of the ways they hope to attract new customers is by:-
Checkout can be the sole payment option or can run alongside your existing one and ASM can help integrate and devise a strategy to suit.
These factors combined with the fact that the system is easy to integrate and intuitive to use means that we see it as becoming one of the major players in the future.
topMost good looking websites are based around a selection of images but care must be taken to ensure that you don't trip up on the complex matter of copyright ownership. Even though a photo may be readily available online does not mean that permission to re-use it has been granted and ASM would advise that photos used online should come from one of 3 sources:-
Stock galleries - there are many online stock galleries some of which offer a wide variety of general images and others which are specialist. Royalty free images can be bought for as little as $1 each and more often than not an image to suit your needs is available from the vast catalogue. ASM recommends www.istock.com and www.dreamstime.com for sheer range and quality of images.
NB. Check the terms carefully as many images on Dreamstime require the photographer to be given a credit
Professional Photo - either access the stock library of a professional photographer or commission them to take the exact photo you need. This route is often considered as too expensive but often professional photographers will be keen to gain exposure and may be willing to "cut a deal"!
In the Ayrshire area ASM would recommend the services of Tom Gibson and Paul Walker - both companies having been involved in a variety of projects alongside ASM.
Take them yourself - although digital cameras do appear to offer the facility to turn us all into budding Annie Leibovitz's care must be taken. Nothing "cheapens" the look and feel of a website quicker than poorly composed or taken images.
topUK limited companies are required to display certain information on their websites and email communications. If you are failing to display the correct regulatory information on your website or email footer you will be in breach of the Companies Act and risk receiving a fine.
Limited companies must display their company registration number, place of registration and registered office address and the information, which must be in legible characters, should also appear on order forms and in emails. It is already a requirement to display the information on "business letters" but the duty has now been extended to websites, order forms and electronic documents.
The addition of such information to a website is, in most cases, a very simple task and can be undertaken by anybody with access to the website. If your company requires the details ASM will be happy to do so - and often will be able to do so free off charge.
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