With the massive updates from the likes of Google causing headaches for business owners, SEO experts and webmasters around the world, many are switching SEO work for a fuller Content Marketing strategy.

Why is this? Some are saying that SEO is dead and that content marketing has taken over, but in reality, SEO has always been about content marketing and building your website’s authority with awesome content. Results from a more focussed content marketing strategy include:

• Referral traffic from sites that people are actually visiting
• Increase sharing of your content
• Greater authority for your website and content seen by the search engines

Whether you call it content marketing or one of the many other names (including: custom publishing, branded content, attraction marketing or inbound marketing) you really need multiple forms of content because people consume information and content in different ways. Respond to people’s needs in these ways:

• People like to read – create written content in the form of blogs, articles, ebooks and newsletters
• People like to watch – produce video content and syndicate this on the many video platforms out there
• People like to view images – design infographics and presentations to publish online in places such as http://visual.ly/ and http://www.slideshare.net/
• People like to listen – record podcasts and publish them on the iTunes directory or on your blog
• People like to master topics – create online training or programmes for people to learn from you and master your specialist industry, passion or niche

In reality online marketing is all about one thing now – If you’re not executing a content marketing strategy today, you’re not marketing.

So what is content marketing?

“Content marketing is the practice of creating relevant and compelling content in a consistent fashion to a targeted buyer, focusing on all stages of the buying process, from brand awareness through to brand evangelism.” says the Content Marketing Institute (source).

By creating compelling enough content that is good enough for people to share, this is the first step to help you build referral traffic to your site and your business. The next thing that happens is that you start to become an expert in your field – the more that feel that you are the go-to person the more it will help you win more business. Why? Not only will some of this audience become customers, they will also continue to refer people and other businesses to you.

The trick is to create content that is good enough to steal. In this short video tip, Maggie Fox, CEO and chief marketing officer of Social Media Group, tells us why…

Start Content Marketing Today!

Content marketing is an inexpensive form of marketing, leads and customers will find their way to you (become the hunted instead of the hunter) and remember that your content must be interesting, informative and add HUGE value. The other bonus that come with a good content marketing and content outreach strategy is that you get Free Traffic – from greater results in the search engines and from referring sites that are sharing your content.

There is a steep learning curve for many people, it can take time to produce awesome content that is good enough to steal, sometimes you wont have the skills to do this in-house and now that a lot of people are doing this, you need to create a fair but of content to be found online.

Start today though with what you can manage. If we can help, just ask. When it comes to creating and syndicating the content you need to bring more customers and sales into your business, our team of expert copywriters, graphic designers, SEO geeks and web developers, can create the kind of compelling content you need to assert you authority in your industry and win the battle online.

Get ahead of your competition and start today – call us on 01793 608777 or visit our Content Marketing page to find out more.

With the ever changing landscape of SEO becoming more and more important to your business following recent Google algorithm updates, it is imperative that your SEO strategy ticks all the boxes needed for that of a successful campaign. An SEO package should be tailor fitted to your business, meeting all requirements to get the best out of what you’re offering and point it towards a target audience of which you can gain sales, and inevitably profit simply by using the power of the internet.

Time to change your outlook on SEO and achieve better results

As those in the ‘SEO Circle’ know only too well, the way forward for any online marketing plan is to centre on content. Content marketing is an integral part of a competent SEO package, and this element will be picked up by Google and the other search engines in a quest for user friendly quality content accessible on your particular website.

A new look package should include the key elements from previous strategies with less emphasis on link building for link building sake. The key point to address is authority wins over any quick win, so therefore syndicating your content and that content being shared throughout social media platforms will almost act as a new form of link building. A typical package moving forward should consist of:-

• An initial website review to address any initial on-page SEO issues
• Full report and expert SEO advice and work to get your on on-page content perfect for ongoing SEO work.
• Ongoing off-page SEO (including one way link building, article submissions, PR submissions and manual link requests from third party authority sites)
• Social profile building (including social bookmarking and building of web 2.0 properties) together with social syndication of content.
• Ongoing content creation for unique blogging/articles – published on and off your website, used in PR submissions and for promoting your content to other authority sites.
• Ongoing on-page SEO work to ensure your site performs at its best

By ensuring you follow such guidelines and produce high quality unique content that is aimed at your audience and users instead of the search engines will result in a higher placing within search engines, as they will see the site as one of high value. Engaging with potential customers and users on a regular basis is the way forward. The social media boom of the last decade points everything in the future to this main part of our modern society. In addition, the best way to reach people is by being social, having a platform on as many different authority sites as possible, and by offering information that is useful and informative. In conclusion, your SEO package needs a face lift and with the new look you should gain better results!

Download our Rate Card here and request your FREE SEO consultation with a member of the HodgesNet team. You can also call us on 01793 608777. We will be happy to discuss the options with you and help you use the power of the internet for more profit.

Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Content marketing is a massive form of online marketing, and a technique that needs a lot of emphasis in unison with your SEO strategy. The focus needs to be all around content as this is the one of the elements to come out of the latest Google algorithm update. Communicating to your customers through compelling and engaging content is what you need to be working out in your online marketing strategy – this is Content Marketing.

If you’re not already doing content marketing; why not?

What you need to consider when planning your content marketing strategy is that any business can use the power of the Internet as a catalyst for growth and to generate an additional income or bolster their current marketing to make it more profitable. What you need to be doing alongside your Content Marketing and SEO strategies is: Social media, sending all signals to your website whilst increasing the brand and online presence of your business. Also blogging, PPC and email marketing are other tactics that can be used to also bring in some quick wins while your SEO and Content marketing work bed’s in.

When it comes to marketing of any kind, the old adage that Content is King is true. But with the growth of digital and online marketing it is proving to be much more than King today. Content marketing is here to stay because the social networks want it, websites and blogs want it, video platforms want it and the search engines want it.

Why you need to focus on Content Marketing and Content Outreach?

The job of the search engines: to connect the best content with the search terms that user has entered. The job of the social sphere: to connect people together with common interests and passions. The job of the video platforms and blogs of the world: should be to provide the very BEST content to educate, entertain, enlighten or engage the end user. This ideology is the foundation and cornerstone of our content marketing and content outreach strategies.

Whether you are an individual or if you run a business, get in touch with us today and we will show you how to go about implementing a robust content marketing strategy into your marketing activity. Call the team on 01793 608777.

How does our Content Marketing and Content Outreach work?

Over the years we have developed and built strong relationships with website owners and social media connections, together with putting together a comprehensive library of content sharing sites that are worth using. Many sites out there will be of no value to build your site’s authority online and the audience itself will for many of these sites will be non-existent. They exist simply to add your link. Using the right online platforms to publish and syndicate your content is key. Our approach is more manual (or more human) than most, but the results you gain will speak for themselves.

SEO is an ever moving target. Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible – and the best results. With the latest penguin update incurring within the last month, your SEO company really needs to start paying attention to the webmaster guidelines and utilize the information to re-focus efforts on content marketing, social signals, and natural content with a clear intention of being beneficial to the end user and not  direct for the search engine.

Find the best SEO package that is right for your business and the industry it’s in!

The advise for all companies would be  to look at a combined online marketing strategy inclusive of an SEO package tailored to such changes. Focusing on one activity such as Link building alone just won’t kick it any more, you need a spread of activity which seems organic and natural to the search engines, whom react well to relationships and links with authority sites and social accounts. Following such easy steps can make a big difference to your SEO methods!

The ideal SEO package you need would combine all the above elements and be a tailor-made SEO packages to fit your requirements. Getting a custom SEO package created in line with your budget or requirements is vital going forward, as your site needs to be in the best condition from an SEO point of view, and also that of content – No duplicate pages essentially!

A content led package is a package that many will be adhering to, and this is what will get you found in the search engines. When it comes to marketing of ANY kind, the old adage that Content is King is true. But with the growth of digital and online marketing it is proving to be much MORE than King today. Content marketing is here to stay because the social networks want it, websites and blogs want it, video platforms want it and more importantly the search engines want it… why do they want it though? Because users DEMAND it today.

Here at HodgesNet, we are a Swindon based SEO company that are able to cater for such requirements for businesses who  produce their own content by offering an specific SEO package for link building, manual link requests and content syndication if required. This would be a bespoke package and we would be happy to pull this together for you. Please use the form above or call the office and speak to the HodgesNet SEO Experts on 01793 608777.

Image courtesy of Aleska D / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Social signals help your business build an online brand and identity which will increase its authority within the search engines, enabling the business to be ranked higher, and therefore more easily found by customers or clients. A social signal is an action made in one of the social networks such as Google+, Facebook, or Twitter. These may come in the form of a ‘share’, a ‘like’, or a ‘retweet’ for example. In addition, these signals are picked up on by the search engines who react by placing the business higher. The activity in the social networks means content is of value and could be helpful or useful to many others who are searching for related terms.

Interacting with authoritative social people can really help you!

In Matt Cutts’ latest webmaster video, he mentions how social signals will have a key role in organic SEO in the future, due to their latest algorithm changes. These signals will now act as a form of social link building, so it is vital you interact and engage with authoritative people to boost your presence and rankings also. Looking at the impact of social media from another angle, you could propose that in this modern era the generation of today seek out a website that has a heavy social influence on it such as the social buttons on a homepage. Furthermore, this is now a form of clarity and reassurance to the user that the business or website is a legitimate one, and one which is up to date with modern trends.

If you require someone to keep an eye on your social media marketing so that you don’t miss important messages, then we can offer you a bespoke social media management package to help you engage in the time that you have got to do this. The impact of this will be portrayed in your SEO efforts, as this will be much more likely to play a more successful part in helping your website gain more traffic, and climb the listings in the search engines!

We are also able to offer a specific SEO package for link building, manual link requests and content syndication if required. This would be a bespoke package and we would be happy to pull this together for you. For either service please use the form above or call the office and speak to the HodgesNet SEO Experts on 01793 608777 and lets use the power of social signals on the internet for more profit.

Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

So, the news its out – the Google update being named as Penguin 2.0 has been rolled out. In the blog post, let me give you some background to Penguin and tips on how you can cope with it to make sure your site doesn’t suffer.

Yesterday, Matt Cutts, head of webspam at Google announced on his blog:

“We started rolling out the next generation of the Penguin webspam algorithm this afternoon (May 22, 2013), and the rollout is now complete. About 2.3% of English-US queries are affected to the degree that a regular user might notice. The change has also finished rolling out for other languages world-wide. The scope of Penguin varies by language, e.g. languages with more webspam will see more impact.

This is the fourth Penguin-related launch Google has done, but because this is an updated algorithm (not just a data refresh), we’ve been referring to this change as Penguin 2.0 internally.” [source]

In a recent video Matt also revealed some things to expect in the coming months:

What does Penguin 2.0 mean for you?

If you are following the guidelines set by Google with regards to their steps they outline about rewarding high quality sites, the clues are all there:

Google Blog: Another step to reward high-quality sites

Build your site into a clear AUTHORITY for the niche or industry you are in, look to encourage bookmarking and SOCIAL SHARING of your content and look to AVOID WEBSPAM techniques to automate 1000’s of links being added to the internet pointing to your site.

Ranking results achieved by clients of HodgesNet will have seen in our monthly reporting, positions of their sites fluctuate in the results pages in recent months due to the many updates that Google are rolling out, but the majority of sites are seeing that the content-led and content outreach focussed SEO strategies have seen an increase in referral traffic and rankings increase.

We are still monitoring the changes to this update from yesterday, but we anticipate that the white-hat techniques and content-led strategies will not affect sites that we are working on in a negative way. From reports, the number of search queries affected by the Penguin updates since it’s birth have been:

• Penguin update 1 on April 24, 2012 (impacting ~3.1% of queries)
• Penguin update 2 on May 26, 2012 (impacting less than 0.1%)
• Penguin update 3 on October 5, 2012 (impacting ~0.3% of queries)
• Penguin update 4 (Penguin 2.0) on May 22, 2013 (impacting 2.3% of queries)

This shows that the latest round of updates is affecting quote a large number of search queries. It will be interesting to see how this affect low quality sites with poor content.

How do you ensure you are doing things in line with the Penguin 2.0 update?

Here are 7 things to make sure you are active in doing:

1. Get your on-page content nailed down and perfect so that each page is relevant to one search term or keyword. Download our FREE SEO guide for more information.
2. Add fresh regular content (blogging) on your site every week to become a source of knowledge and authority in your niche and industry.
3. Curate content from other site such as YouTube and news sites by including content and embedding video to make your blog article more interesting.
4. Have social sharing and social bookmarking buttons on your pages and blog posts to make it easy for your website visitors to share your awesome content.
5. Reach out to relevant blogs and other authority sites to provide them with content for their audience in return for a link back to your site.
6. List your website in niche and industry specific directories.
7. Write and publish articles and online PR for greater reach.

If you would like more information about the HodgesNet content-led SEO services and a free 30 minute SEO consultation with a member of the team, please use the contact form on our SEO Packages page to request your free call back.

Mobile marketing is the latest branch on the online marketing tree to really start seeing results on successful scale across all industries. With the majority of the population turning to smartphones, and with this looking certain to continue on a larger scale over the next few years, it is vital businesses use mobile marketing! The question that needs to be answered is one of; is email marketing dead now? The short answer is no. Email marketing still has a place to build lists and send out information on a less regular occurrence. However, with the age of tomorrow wanting everything to be instant, it is little wonder why mobile and text marketing is the logical progression.

Over 40% of consumers now check emails on their smartphones, which leads to an understanding of mobile targeted marketing being the way forward to stay ahead of your competitor, and inevitably get information to your audience at a speedier rate! Here are ten key points why mobile marketing will have the edge over the coming months and years:-

• Immediacy – This is one of the main reasons, as mobile and texts can be so instant to a generation whom are rarely parted with their smartphone. With a staggering statistic such as 97% open their text messages within 5 seconds, it is little wonder why this is a method for success. 
• Distribution - You don’t need an envelope or a postage stamp to send information direct to your customers and targeted audience. The distribution is of real ease to a national or global scale,  or wherever your growing audience or potential clients are.
• Response Rate - As stated earlier, the response rate for the majority is within 5 seconds which makes it beneficial to see how many of the texts are being taken seriously, and more importantly whether the targeted audience are going to act on the piece of the information received.
• Personal - The fact that people see their mobile phone as a personal item can work in your favour, as many see emails as a work related platform. With the audience taking this viewpoint, you may be able to have a better chance of success of sales or even up selling.
• Mobility - The mobility of the mobile speaks for itself. In this generation you can take your smartphone nearly anywhere and still have access to the internet, or have relevant signal to receive text messages.
• Interactivity - Coupling with the immediacy of text marketing, the interaction side of things will have a greater chance of success. This will be because the ease of being on a mobile phone may lead the customer or client to engage and interact more. In addition, mainly because it’s not time consuming at all!
• Quantifiable - Campaign results can be tracked through downloads, page visits, customer opt-ins, and a variety of other methods as well dependent upon the mobile marketing method being utilized.
• Viral Potential - The ease with which mobile marketing messages can be shared increases the potential for your message to be shared with new audiences/potential customers at no cost to you.
• Marketing Campaign Integration - Provides the ability to integrate new, innovative forms of advertising/promotion with existing strategies to enhance their interactivity and impact.

Text marketing doesn’t mean the end of email marketing, more of a helping hand! It is important to utilize as many marketing methods online as possible as this will increase the chances of your business having a bigger brand, presence, and online authority.

Combining email marketing, lead generation and other online marketing activities such as social media, with text message and mobile marketing can help you to generate more leads, sales and increase conversion of your marketing activities. To get started why not text “HODGESNET” and your email address to 60777, or call the team on 01793 608777 and we’ll be happy to get you set up or talk through any queries you may have.

This is the question on everyone’s lips. SEO has changed dramatically over the last few years due to frequent updates from Google in the shape of penguin and panda algorithm alterations. Such changes needed to occur for Google to evolve and eradicate spammy websites with spammy links offering little in terms of information for the end user. Google has a main aim to provide its users with the most authoritative and informative site which can help them in relation to what they have searched. These changes have made Google the leading search engine, and one where the majority of people go to gather their information across a wide range of services. 

The next generation of Penguin is coming soon!

This post about what’s next on the horizon is due to a video Matt Cutts uploaded about changes for websites and their SEO practices that may be happening over the coming months. This change being dubbed “Penguin 2.0” as it’s an updated update from the previous penguin edition. In this video blog Matt discussed the best methods for SEO and how those who are using these methods will have nothing to worry about! As mentioned in previous blogs, SEO is now all about content, providing fresh and unique content which is relevant for the designated audience. As Matt pondered in his video – “those who are using black hat SEO techniques are in for an eventful summer”. High quality content being produced which is aimed at the audience and not the search engines is the content that will be rewarded and placed higher up in the Google search results.

The main message to pass on is that your SEO company should be following these guidelines, and if they’re not why not? They’re not the one’s that’ll be penalized  it’ll be you and your website, resulting in your business being threatened because your SEO company didn’t abide by webmaster guidelines which will give that you desired place listing within the search results.

A typical campaign should be content led and have natural pages that are easy to read and understand with no duplication content throughout the site. This will be seen as a rich haven of information for the end user, which in turn, Google will reward you and your website. On page alterations are known in this current climate, and such changes will be known by your current technicians, however the off page techniques such as link building is what this latest algorithm will be clamping down on. Remember this – No automated services providing you with thousands of links, this doesn’t work anymore. What you should be concerned about is the quality of the link and how authoritative it is.

If you need to revise your actions or plans, or need reassuring of how best to tackle your SEO efforts, feel free to call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777. A member of staff will be happy to discuss this with you and talk you through the SEO Packages provided, and how they are implemented to aid your online marketing strategies.

When deciding what online power and presence your business needs, it is important to put together a package containing your online marketing plan and the elements you wish to include to help business growth, brand awareness, increased traffic, and ultimately sales & converting customers. There are many pieces of the marketing jigsaw you can use to help your business, such as SEO, Social Media, Content Marketing, to name a few. However, they all have their own positives to how they can help a website or business reach a level of success.

One consideration to make is that the more elements or practises that are included in your package the better, as they will help the others and vice versa. For example SEO and Content marketing go hand in hand, however you throw in some social media to add the social signals then you are more likely to get quicker and longer lasting results. Here is a quick overview of how these six elements can benefit your overall online marketing package and prove to be worthy additions:-

SEO – Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible. SEO is needed for authority in the search engines, enabling you to be found easily for chosen terms.

Content Marketing – The growth of digital and online marketing it is proving to be crying out for content marketing which is fresh unique and user friendly. Content is for your audience, so this is vital for them to see you are an up to date business with relevant and informative content.

Email Marketing – This marketing method is needed to grow your list of contacts and keep your existing customers happy. Extremely beneficial to ecommerce sites and others with large client databases.

Social Media – In this modern world you need to be social to be seen as a credible and real company. Social networks will give you added authority and perceive you to be up to date with the latest changes in online marketing. Social signals will also dramatically help your SEO practices.

Blogging – You need to be blogging to build a back log of unique written content that is specifically about your business, your services, or your products. Helpful with content marketing, blogging will give the search engines a freshly written piece of content on a weekly basis!

Mobile/Text Marketing – With tablets and smart phones everywhere in this modern world, the majority of your potential customers will have these, and therefore be more easily accessible to send promotional information offers, codes and other such information.

Every business can use the power of the Internet and Internet marketing strategies to act as a catalyst for growth, and to generate an additional income, or bolster their current marketing to make it more profitable. Here at HodgesNet we understand that you need an online marketing package inclusive of SEO, Content Marketing, Email Marketing, Social Media, Blogging, and even the addition of Mobile/Text Marketing to really promote your brand and expose it to the biggest audience possible.

Whether you are an individual or if you run a business, get in touch with us today and we will show you how to go about implementing a robust Internet marketing strategy into your marketing activity. Call the HodgesNet team on 01793 608777.

Image courtesy of stuart miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

SEO is an ever moving target, so choosing an SEO package for your business can prove difficult. Recent changes in the search engine’s measurement and ranking factors means that SEO packages offered by your supplier, need to evolve to offer the best service possible – and the best results. First and foremost, the package you need has to be tailor-fitted to your business in order to reap the benefits within your industry by gaining the necessary traffic and sales that is obviously desired.

Make sure your SEO Package is unique and made to fit your business

Not only should your SEO package be tailor-fitted, it should also have a content led focus, as this is where the future of SEO lies. The overall strategy should have a varied mix of techniques and methods that gives you that spread of activity online from social signals, link building, blog authority, and other content driven elements. The right package should encompass the right keywords that have been thoroughly researched with stats to prove there is an opportunity to gain success in the search engines. In addition, natural links with popularity and authority are vital for your online presence and goals of bringing in fresh new traffic to your website. Furthermore, tweaking your website should be inclusive of any package in terms of on page alterations including title tags and other such necessary changes.

Different strategies are needed for different businesses, and obviously the budget of your business will be crucial to what level of SEO you can incorporate into you long term plan. SEO is an ever changing, so the agency your package has been chosen from, needs to have the capability to evolve and grow with such changes. Most businesses will have forms on their website for businesses to fill in, in terms of what level of SEO they require and how much cost it will incur. The package that you must choose in this current online space, is that of a strategy that is inclusive of social profile building, content creation through articles and press releases, specified content marketing including Infographics and guest blog posting, and a steady stream of link building. These mentioned elements are key to a successful online marketing strategy, and will dramatically improve your SEO and keep you ahead of your competitor

In conclusion, if your business needs SEO then why not have a look on the HodgesNet site at the SEO Packages and see how they shape up, and inevitably if they’re right for your business and fit within budgets etc… For more information, you can also call the team on 01793 608777 and a team member will be happy to talk the packages through with you and discuss how they can help you use the power of the internet for more profit!