Build it and they Won’t Come

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So here's a question for you. Where have you spent the most time and money - on building your website or on promoting it? I'll take a wild guess here and say that you spent the lion's share on the former. Give me 2 minutes of your time and I'll try to convince you that it should be the other way about...

Make the Most from your Keywords

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In last week's blog I explained how to build your keyword list - i.e. the words and phrases that Google will use to rank your website. We reviewed the process of determining which keywords to choose based on the Google Keyword Tool, which tells us how many people have searched for those phrases. Missed last week's blog? - no problem - click here to read it. So you followed the instructions from last week's blog and you have your list of keywords - now let's look at how to use them to maximum effect on your website and elsewhere.

The Keyword Challenge

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Do you think that it is important to market your business online? I suppose the real question is, “do you believe that you don’t need to?”. If you are in the latter category then you can be convinced otherwise by asking if your clients search for products and services using the Internet. Of course they do, which is why you need to read this article. Marketing online means Google. Sure there are many other Search Engines out there, but most people use Google, so let’s focus on that. Of course acceptance that Google may be a source of new business is one thing; actually making that happen is another. This article explains the basic steps to understanding how Google can be made to work for your business.

Is your Website Mobile Friendly?

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Did you know that by this time next year more people will be surfing the Internet via their mobile phone than via their desktop computer. That's why your website has to be mobile ready. This article reviews what that means and how to make sure you are ready. Browsing the Internet on our mobile phones has become the norm, well at least for a growing number of us. And it's not just surfing web pages - people will use online applications and even game online. Did you know: - Some 60% of NI and 51% of RoI consumers own a smartphone (Mintel’s Irish Lifestyles – Ireland, June 2012 report) 35% of NI consumers access the internet from a mobile phone. Three quarters of NI consumers are shopping through such devices (Ofcom’s Communications Market Report: Northern Ireland 2012) 10% of RoI consumers had made a payment through a mobile device during 2012 (KPMG’s Consumers and Convergence Ireland 2012 report)

I’m a Tourist Guide. Why should I bother to Market Online?

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This morning table59 answered this question for brand new tour guides starting off in the sector. The Northern Ireland Tourist Guide Association (NITGA) invited table59 to share some practical tips with the attendees. Stuart McLean from table59 first of all highlighted why online marketing was really important for tour guides before picking out three practical and straight forward steps they should take.