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Posted 29 Jul 2010  /  Written by Cat Woods  /  Make a Comment

Posted 16 Jul 2010  /  Written by Cat Woods  /  Make a Comment

Over-50s are the internet newbies! The UK Online Measurement Company have recently announced that the majority of those who have connected to the internet in the last year are the over-50s. This denounces previous perceptions that the internet is for the young.

Many online services are now starting to target the older generation as the medium itself matures with the shift in audience with 31% of the UK internet users now being in the over-50s bracket.

The statistics highlight that 35-49 year olds are the main demographic with only a few percent more men online that women.

In terms of usage, this peaks from 4pm to 5pm with 72% of users being online. By far, the most used sites at this time of day are Community sites, followed by News, Instant Messaging and Music respectively.

Looking at the month of May 2010, 28% go online 7 times a month and 52% being online over 22 times a month.

http://www.ukom.uk.net/

Posted 16 Jul 2010  /  Written by Richard Lyne  /  Make a Comment

Ever since the Google Caffeine algorithm change and the infamous “May day” update, websites across the globe have seen an a drop in traffic from long-tail keywords, with some webmasters reporting up to a 90% drop in traffic!

It is true, long-tail phrases are more difficult to rank for, especially when larger sites dominate the short-tail rankings. However, those that question the potential of SEO are mistaken – you just need to be smart about your keyword strategy and your link profile development.

To demonstrate how a structured Keyword and Link-Building Strategy can still boost rankings/traffic despite these Google updates, we have just one of many Wickedweb case studies below. It proves that despite the updates being rolled out, Wickedweb have still fundamentally improved the SEO for one of our consumer goods clients. The site is not a direct B2C retailer, so the focus is on data acquisition for special promotions, events and activities etc to enhance brand perceptions. 

Keyword Rankings:

After developing a thorough Keyword Strategy (which has evolved over time to incorporate more target keywords and site content), Wickedweb has carried out activity with the purpose to increase both rankings and traffic. The impact on website rankings for target keywords is shown below:

Traffic:

The picture below shows how Wickedweb have improved the non-branded keyword traffic for one of our clients over the past 12 months. As you can see, the site has been optimised to make regular increases to the number of visits each month.

Conversions:

Thanks to the SEO campaign, the website has generated 1,996 new leads in the past year from search engine traffic alone at a cost per acquisition of less than £3. This is more successful than any other marketing channel by far that the consumer brand employs.

Posted 15 Jul 2010  /  Written by Chris Merriman  /  Make a Comment

Back in the days before I was a Social Media Expert, and before that, a traditional journalist, I was an admin assistant for a bit. And I can state categorically, the words I dreaded more than any other were...

"I tried to do it myself... but..."

It inevitably meant that my boss, who had self-taught Word skills, had attempted to run a Macro on a table and ended up wiping the 523 page document, and that I would have to retype it all. By morning

Once, he added a text box and wiped the internet.

Actually, I lied about that last bit but my point remains...

If you want to change a fuse, great. Go ahead. They should teach that sort of thing in schools. In fact, I think they probably do.

But if you want to replace your boiler, get a qualified gas engineer or prepare to have no eyebrows.

It's the same with Social Media. One of the most popular responses when I ask brands about Social Media is "well... we do it in-house", "we have an intern", or

"I tried to do it myself... but..."

If you're keeping up your own Facebook and Twitter profiles. Brilliant. That's your fuse changing.

But developing a coherent social media strategy for your brand? Capitalising on new developments such as geo-caching? Aggregation of your feeds to maximise effectiveness? Conforming competitions to each sites rules? And most importantly of all, analysising your online reputation to capitalise on success and plug weaknesses?

Well, that's your boiler. And your singed eyebrows.

Digital Media is gaseous. It's difficult to quantify, you can tell it's there - you can smell it in the air, and hear it on the wind. But if you mess with it - it can blow up in your face.

Wickedweb are the CORGI engineers of Social Media - we work with you to ensure that your brand is enhanced by social media, and that as new developments come along, we upgrade your offer to suit. So when you really need it, it won't land you in hot water. So to speak.

Posted 2 Jul 2010  /  Written by Anna Dixon  /  Make a Comment

Two months in to Wickedweb's cross-channel swimming challenge, I thought it was time to update you. 

Denis is, quite literally, miles ahead and already on his return from Calais.  He'll soon be passing the rest of us in the opposite direction, making our trip at a much slower pace, but making progress none-the-less.  Impressively, its now become the norm to find us in speedos at 7:30, and at the desk, complete with eye google marks, just an hour later! 

On holiday this week, Kalli is hoping to pick up the pace in a pool in Tenerife, and competition is heating up as we enter the last four weeks of the 22-mile event...