For sole traders or small teams looking for desk space in Bristol for a few days a week, here’s something that may interest you.
We’ve got space in our office at Boxworks, right next to Temple Meads Station and we’re looking to offer space on days when we aren’t in. At the moment, that’s three days a week.
In addition to access to dedicated, furnished space in the city centre, we can also offer:
✅ Access to co-working / meeting space at The Engine Shed next door to us, and other spots in Bristol, Frome, Taunton and Exeter.
✅ Bike parking and shower facilities.
✅ Kitchen facilities with tea / coffee.
✅ Energy / utilities / rates included in cost.
If anyone is interested, and prepared to make a quick decision either way, we’re happy to chat. My contact details are on my LinkedIn profile.
We’re in Box 15 in the picture, btw.
Are you looking to kick start your Graphic Design career?
Would you like to experience life in a vibrant Packaging Design agency?
We are Episode Two, and we have an exciting paid internship opportunity for anyone 18+ to come and be part of our lively creative studio, based in Wick, Bristol.
During this Internship you’ll have the chance to learn from passionate, talented mentors and experience working on an exciting and varied range of clients – from household brand names to quirky new start-ups.
Interested? Contact [email protected] for more information.
We often get asked what is “managed web hosting”, and why should a client host their website with us. When we build a website we always ensure it is built to modern coding standards, the core code is quick and efficient and there is no bloat or unnecessary plugins or code blocks that the website doesn’t need.
To ensure clients websites are hosted in the right way we recommend clients use our managed web hosting service for a variety of reasons.
We say to clients let us worry about your website so you can focus on your business, with our years of experience we can take care of the technical jargon and leave clients to get on with generating business. One of our business aims is to form long term business relationships and we have succeeded on this year after year, many of our clients have been with us since we started back in 2008 and we continue to this day, we are trusted to host their important websites that generate leads, sales and interest day in day out, 24,7,365.
But I can get hosting for £4.99 a month!? Yes you can get your website hosted for less than an expensive coffee per month, but you will not have any support, you will not have any backups, no updates, basic security, the website will be shared with thousands of other customers and you won’t get our great customer service and all the extras that come with that.
If you would like to find out more about our managed web hosting service, our web design service or for anything else please do not hesitate to contact us.
Read the full article on our website https://www.eckhomedia.co.uk/what-is-managed-web-hosting/
On August 1st, Park Street based agency Dirty Design unveiled their rebrand. Timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the company’s founding by Charlotte Hockey-Berry in 2003, the new look is a huge development from the previous creampuff logo and signature Pantone 806 pink.
After a tumultuous few years which saw the unexpected loss of their founder, the Dirty Design team felt it was time to take stock and find a way to mark the progression of the company and acknowledge this new chapter, while still paying tribute to their roots.
The fresh identity expands on the existing colour palette with the addition of primary and secondary shades, which are paired with a bespoke font and set of unique and fun illustrations. The new Dirty Design logo is said to “reflect who we are as a company today; it’s personal, flexible and friendly”.
“After many years of putting our own visual identity on hold, we finally decided to practise what we preach and give ourselves a long overdue refresh. We pride ourselves on being a friendly and approachable agency, and our aim was to show that in our new look. It’s been great fun working on this with the other designers and collaborating with the whole team, to develop a style that suits who we are now and the company that Charlotte started 20 years ago.”
– Steve Harris, Head of Design
The rebrand marks an exciting time for the agency, who this year are expanding their work within the charity sector, including producing all design assets for this years YoungMinds #HelloYellow campaign, supporting national children’s charity Barnardo’s in design for various campaigns, and creating a fresh look and feel for the Motability Foundation’s direct mailer pack.
“I’m so proud of the whole team. Our new Dirty look is simply fabulous, and although light years away from the original it still portrays what we’re all about; a creative and fun bunch – and of course it’s still very pink! I’m so excited to see what the future holds and for us to continue to do what we do best, produce stunning designs and provide outstanding account management – to work with and support our incredible clients.”
– Lucia Boccacci, Managing Director
You can see the full rebrand in action at Dirty Design’s website; dirtydesign.co.uk. You can also watch their 2023 showreel below:
Life during Covid-19 was altered dramatically for many people around the globe, we were forced to form new shopping, exercising, and working habits. Today, over three years on from the first UK Lockdown, we are still seeing changes in consumer behaviours long after the hazy brain fog that was the Pandemic Era.
As a result of the new shopping habits we formed, return rates to high-street stores increased from 8% pre-pandemic to 25% for online purchases (Paazl). Interestingly, Barclaycard research discovered that 30% of shoppers deliberately over-purchased online and returned unwanted items. 19% admitted to ordering multiple versions of an item so they could make their mind up once delivered. If consumers had the option to somehow model the clothing prior to purchasing, the rate of returns to online businesses could be reduced, alongside the environmental impact, too.
Google has taken steps to make that a reality with an article outlining a new AI feature that will “…accurately reflect how an item of clothing would drape, fold, cling, stretch and form wrinkles and shadows on a diverse set of real models in various poses.” Already launched in the US, Customers can use this feature with top brands such as H&M, Anthropolgie, Everlane and LOFT. A virtual fitting room is the next innovative step in the transitional journey from traditional high-street shopping to online retail. Another barrier to the consumer experience has seemingly started to crumble. But how will this tool impact the PPC endeavours of online clothing retailers? Will the addition of this tool drive up conversions through PPC material, or will brands be put off by a further reduction in control over how their products are presented to consumers?
As the consumer landscape continues to adapt and evolve, innovating is essential for businesses dealing with the effects of longer term crises. Tools such as Googles’ generative AI can help businesses curb the cost of processing returns, or reducing the wastage of stock that can’t be resold. In addition, external market factors such as the cost of living crisis will impact the aforementioned 30% of shoppers who were deliberately over-purchasing and the 19% ordering multiple versions of clothing products.
Is there a reason for brands to be hesitant over the introduction of AI tools into the marketing mix? Well, perhaps. From the introduction of Performance Max campaigns, the phasing out of Smart Shopping and the recent Sunsetting of Universal Analytics, it feels to some that over the past year Google has slowly removed the level of control that marketers have over the way that products are presented to people. It’s hard to optimise your marketing campaigns when you have fewer levels to pull and buttons to press. Instead, you may be left hoping that Google is actually optimising your campaigns as best as they say that they are. From an advertising perspective, we are interested in the introduction of the 3 Cs presented at the recent Google Marketing Live event scaling Customer Connection, Creative and Confidence, look out for our thoughts on the 3Cs coming soon.
Remember, a strong marketing campaign is one that both generates value and captures value in return. This generative AI tool enables clothing retailers to not only enhance the user experience and provide consumers value, but also remove the existing barriers to consumer’s online retail experience, providing scope to increase the conversion value for retailers. Marketers should embrace these tools and adapt ahead of the curve to get the most out of it. And finally, in a world of increasing climate responsibility, why wouldn’t anyone want to adopt tools that could reduce carbon impact too?
Get in touch with our Paid Media team to further discuss this story.
McCann Bristol has strengthened its strategy operation with a senior promotion and the appointment of two new team members, including a new Strategist and a Strategy Director.
The strategy team are integral to the creative services offering at McCann Bristol, uncovering the truths that allow everyone to work together potently so we can create impact for our clients.
Sarah Warewinter, who joined the team as Associate Director in October 2022, has been promoted to Managing Partner, having made a significant impact with current clients as well as supporting agency growth.
Additionally, Matthieu Mondin joins the team as Strategy Director, bringing his CRM and digital strategy experience with him. Before joining McCann, he worked in Paris as a strategy specialist for Publicis and Dentsu before moving to Tessi as a shopper and retail strategist and, most recently, as a CRM and digital strategist. Matthieu will be working alongside Sarah to develop the strategy department with an approach that champions creativity and effectiveness.
Meanwhile, Beth Evans joins as Strategist, bringing her experience working in brand positioning, marketing strategy and consumer behaviour.
Managing Director at McCann Bristol, Andy Reid, said: “Our strategy team is integral to our success, ensuring that the work we create is truly effective for our clients. The growth we’re seeing within the business is a testament to our hardworking team and their commitment to help our clients deliver work with impact and potency.”
Sarah Warewinter, Managing Partner – Strategy, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Matthieu and Beth to the team. Between them, they bring a wealth of knowledge and a different point of view that is already proving invaluable to our clients. I’m looking forward to seeing both of them grow and thrive here at McCann Bristol.”
For websites and blogs to receive organic traffic, search engine optimisation (SEO) is essential. Google is the primary search engine that SEOs concentrate on since it generates the majority of all web traffic, which is increasingly important in today’s digital environment. Google utilises complex algorithms to index, rank, and choose which pages to display when a user types in a particular word or phrase.
Understanding Google’s algorithms, their modifications, and how they affect SEO and websites will assist companies, organisations, and website owners use this knowledge to boost traffic and reach their target audience, so helping them achieve their goals — whether marketing- or otherwise-related.
Google’s algorithms are based on general algorithms, which are guidelines for how a problem should be handled in a finite number of steps and are used in computer science and other fields.
Google’s search engine result pages are ranked according to a set of guidelines known as algorithms. In this scenario, the issue that these algorithms address is how to order websites in accordance with various ranking criteria and guidelines.
When someone does a search on a search engine, they retrieve data from the pages on websites and blogs, attempt to comprehend them, and grasp what the user is looking for. They then rank the pages based on their quality, context, and relevancy.
The amount and quality of backlinks going to a page, the speed at which a website or page loads, the use of keywords in headings and text, user interaction, the authority of the website or page, readability, and many other variables are all taken into account by the search algorithm. Google’s search engines are said to use hundreds of parameters when deciding how to rank a page or website, according to experts.
Google is constantly working to provide users with fantastic search results while preventing users from abusing its systems. Because of this, the organisation continuously modifies and updates its algorithms. Although the corporation claims to deliver modest algorithm updates every day, the adjustments that are made every few months or years are well known.
Depending on how they are developed and optimised for SEO, these modifications may have either a beneficial or negative effect on rankings.
Because it would encourage abuse, Google doesn’t make its algorithms, how they operate, or the changes it makes to them public.
It is impossible to keep up with every adjustment Google makes to its algorithms. To have a better idea of what to focus on when performing SEO, core updates can be examined. Here are a handful of the recent Google algorithm updates that have had the biggest effects.
Although Google had already altered several of its algorithms before Panda, this is still one of the most significant modifications. The update targeted unethical SEO techniques including keyword stuffing and duplicate content. The goal was to rank web sites in search engine results based on the value of the material and how readers would interpret it.
Once marketers and companies understood how Panda will affect them moving forward, they had to move to informative and high-quality material, often editing what was already on their websites and blogs to get it to rank again.
Sensible keyword tactics are credited as being developed as a result of the Google Panda algorithm adjustment. The greatest strategy for marketers to rank their content highly on search engine result pages is to employ relevant keywords for their intended purpose rather than focusing on how many they use.
Even though it was intended to counter so-called “black hat” SEO techniques, this change would still have an effect on people who use term stuffing. Because marketers were aware that backlinks were a crucial ranking element, these techniques included spammy backlinks and link directories.
The Google Penguin upgrades heavily favoured high-quality content that contained only useful and pertinent hyperlinks.
This algorithm modification, which was made in 2013, was intended to guarantee that only pertinent and educational content would appear on the first pages of search results. It made sure users found the content they needed or wanted rather than extraneous pages that were well optimised.
Marketers had to begin producing content that matched the expectations of users by putting pertinent search terms and keyword variations in it.
Relevance and search intent were the main focuses of RankBrain. Informed and pertinent material that matches a user’s goal is what Google is trying to encourage with this upgrade. For instance, based on the other words in their search phrase, a person looking for dresses was more likely to encounter either instructional or purchasing content.
Google released its Search Quality Rater guidelines for the first time in 2013, with a focus on Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trust in 2014. In 2022, Experience will be added to the algorithm modification.
According to Google, these rules are intended to identify high quality material that has been published by someone who is an authority and subject matter expert in their field, has strong trust signals, and has demonstrable hands-on knowledge of the subject matter.
For instance, a post published by someone who has been to the Bahamas is more likely to be ranked higher by Google than one written by someone who has never gone.
To ensure that their websites continue to rank in accordance with the Google algorithms that marketers are already aware of and that Google may release in the future, marketers and website owners should adhere to a few essential guidelines.
Google places a lot of importance on websites giving its users and visitors a fantastic experience, and they reward these sites with a high ranking. The best user experience on mobile can be achieved in a number of ways. The most obvious one is making sure the website runs quickly on every device a user uses to access it.
The numerous Google tools may be used by marketers to check for further possible problems, such as buttons that are too small for mobile visitors, a website that loads too many assets, images that are too large in terms of weight and dimensions, and much more.
The amount of individuals utilising voice search to get information or items is increasing as voice assistants and other devices become more and more popular. Using long-tail keywords that people are more likely to employ when speaking as opposed to typing is necessary for conversational search optimisation.
Because many individuals type like they speak and are therefore more likely to utilise them in their typed searches, using these long-tail keywords also helps a marketer’s or business’s overall SEO.
Marketing professionals and companies can lessen the effects of Google algorithm adjustments by acquiring useful backlinks because Google places a lot of importance on the quantity and quality of them. Moreover, the correct backlinks can raise a website’s authority, which raises its rank.
Businesses can either develop their own link building strategy or work with SEO specialists to find high-quality backlinks on their behalf. Businesses can then obtain the best SEO bundle for link building and other SEO requirements.
When a corporation is creating its own backlinks or has hired an SEO firm to do it for them, context and anchor texts are very important. The information surrounding the anchor or backlink, which is the text used for the link, provides context. Both should be closely related to the material on the website or page that the backlink is pointing to.
Google favours recent content over older content as well. The business does this because it wants to provide its users with the most recent information and search results.
A website’s content can gain a lot from updating, whether it has aged naturally over time or has dropped to the second or third page of search results. A fresh update ensures ranking improvement by supplying new data and facts.
Marketing professionals and business owners can address any SEO problems that can arise on their platforms by updating the content of a website. While freshness can boost ranks, it is the combined SEO work and plan that cause content to remain in the top places and be discovered in the first place.
Whether it’s one line of text or several, duplicate content gets removed by Google algorithms from websites. Utilising duplicate content tools, marketers, companies, and SEOs may determine whether websites have duplicate content. Anyone can use these tools to enter two or more URLs and determine whether there is duplicate content.
If so, the pertinent party needs to make sure the content is unique. It would be wise to update it at the same time with fresh data and details.
Marketers should conduct keyword research and apply relevant terms to the pages they wish to rank for. They should incorporate them into the content, headings, URL, opening and closing sentences. Using the same keyword repeatedly without any content is known as “keyword stuffing,” which helps a page rank. It is recommended to stay away from this because it is no longer effective and you will be reprimanded.
The ranking of pages and the search terms, keywords, and phrases they appear for are determined by Google algorithms, which are potent pieces of code. Every marketer should be aware of the most recent changes to the Google algorithm in order to position their content better and avoid being penalised or demoted on search engine result pages.
Anyone can write a blog, to help provide valuable information to readers about a particular topic. Or you could be writing guest content to drive valuable backlinks to a client’s website, with the goal of increasing their organic traffic for the target landing page. When you are writing guest post content, it’s important to structure the blog in a way Google can effectively crawl and index the content, to ensure it can be as visible as possible for readers in the SERPs.
Ideally, the guest post needs to be around 500 words (or more) in length. This not only allows for the blog to contain enough information to be valuable for the reader, but it also increases the likelihood of your guest post being accepted by publications and PR-friendly websites, which often have a minimum word count and guidelines.
The first step is choosing your blog title. Choosing a H1 helps Google to understand the page and know what the content is about, ensuring it shows up on correct search engine results pages. It’s also important to include your keyword, further ensuring that your content is picked up. Keyword research helps you to find keywords that you want to rank for, as well as an insight into what your target audience may be searching for.
As you write the first paragraph, ensure it includes snappy language that draws in the reader. Perhaps include some data if it’s relevant to your topic, which brings authority to your content. You can also add a hyperlink that is embedded into the text, with the correct anchor text and landing page.
You can also include a second paragraph, which breaks up the text, which is also good for SEO. End the content with a phrase that follows through to the rest of the content, such as “take a look at our top tips for great SEO”.
Keep on reading to learn more about how to structure guest post content.
The next step is to include an H2 title that links to the guest post topic. This helps to break up the text and can include a list of bullet points or a stand-alone paragraph. You can include a second link to a third party relevant website, as long as it has good authority.
For the rest of the piece, you can use H3s to structure the rest of your content, further breaking up the text. You can use as many of these as you like, with a minimum of 2. At the end of the piece, include a call to action directing your readers to a relevant website.
As well as the SEO benefit, it’s important to consider a few tips and tricks to ensure the guest post is picked up by relevant publications and is valuable for the reader. Some further tips include:
If you would like to learn more about guest posting and how it can benefit your offsite SEO strategy, get in touch with us today.
People can locate your website online thanks to search engine optimisation (SEO). By doing it correctly, you can make sure that your website appears prominently on search engine result pages when users enter queries containing the keyword(s) you’ve optimised it for. To perform SEO correctly, you need to comprehend a few essential concepts, with link building ranking as the most crucial one.
When a person clicks on a link, they are directed to another website. The website where the webpage is located may be the same or different. Links fall into two categories: internal links and external links. One of the first things anyone learning about SEO as a newbie should grasp is these types of links and how and when to use them.
There are primarily two sorts of links that connect different domains. Backlinks, also known as inbound links, come first, followed by outbound links. Outbound links are links on your website that connect to other domains or websites, whereas inbound links are links posted on other websites that point to your website.
The majority of debates in SEO centre on inbound or backlinks. The rationale is that they are a significant ranking element. Google has confirmed that, assuming other SEO best practises have been followed, having a large number of high-quality backlinks results in higher rankings.
We’ll cover all you need to know about outbound links in this post, including how to use them effectively and how they affect SEO.
There are do-follow and no-follow links for outbound links. You’ll be able to choose which to employ and when, once you comprehend their distinctions.
These are external links that provide the websites they point to PageRank. To help their respective search engines index and rank these websites, they direct search engine crawlers or spiders to other web pages on the internet.
SEOs conclude that these links convey PageRank to the linked pages by making your website a “bridge” between these crawlers and the linked domain.
No additional coding is needed because do-follow links are the default type formed when you create a link.
Some examples of places you would use do-follow links include:
In contrast to a do-follow link, a no-follow link does not send PageRank to the website it links to. These outbound links used to have no SEO advantages for either the connecting website or the website being linked to. Google’s perception of them, however, changed in March 2021.
According to Google, the algorithm has been modified to treat no-follow links as a suggestion for crawling and indexing rather than a directive, as it does with do-follow links. In this way, if Google’s algorithm determines that a no-follow link is valuable for ranking and indexing, it may still pass PageRank.
There are different types of no-follow links, including:
If the website or domain you are connecting to is reputable and trustworthy, and you want to transfer your PageRank to it, you should only employ do-follow links. For sponsored, compensated, dubious, and user-generated material or web sites, no-follow links should be used.
Create a no-follow link if you are unclear about the type to use. By doing this, Google will not penalise you if the website is suspect or ought to have been designated as a no-follow according to its policies.
Outbound links enable visitors to your website to explore information or content you believe is important for them to read or consume on other websites. You can link to other websites to provide readers with extra information, support claims and data, help users check the accuracy of material, and uncover other crucial resources, among other things.
For other types of marketing, such social media or affiliate marketing, outbound links are also crucial. In the first instance, they connect to your social media channels, enabling visibility and discoverability.
In the second instance, they direct visitors to websites where they can make purchases from companies and brands with whom they have collaborated. Such use cases make them a crucial component of your monetisation strategy.
It could seem counter-intuitive to employ outbound links to direct readers away from your website in addition to linking to your other resources, such your social media accounts and affiliate pages.
The one thing that many people overlook is the impact outbound links have on your SEO. In other words, not included them could significantly harm your SEO.
For your website and content to be more relevant, outbound links are essential. Outbound links act as a trail that search engine crawlers can follow to evaluate your content, determine the industry or niche you are in, and learn more specifics about your website and its contents.
These links can also aid search engines in comprehending the issues you are attempting to address, the information you are attempting to offer, your rivals, and related content.
When Google is aware of all of this, it will know which keywords, subjects, and search terms to rank your website and content for—even if it means ranking it alongside stuff that your rivals already rank for.
When used properly, outbound links have several benefits:
Backlinks are the most effective approach to raise authority, as is commonly believed, and this is accurate. Outbound links, however, are also a fantastic method for doing this. Metaphorically speaking, Google tends to arrange webpages according to who they are associated with. Google likes to give websites with authoritative outbound connections a higher authority rating, which improves their SEO position.
People adore companies that direct them to the resources they require at the appropriate time.
Finding high-quality and highly pertinent websites and material can be difficult for most people, especially while conducting research. If you can direct them in the proper direction, your reputation will grow and they will see you as an authority.
This is related to giving your customers a better user experience. A better user experience will encourage visitors to remember and return to your website in the future.
Because they now regard you as an authoritative source that provides them with the information they need, there is also a higher possibility that they may convert on a second or third visit.
Smart marketers and SEO specialists constantly evaluate their traffic sources to improve their tactics. You may be sure that their marketers and SEOs will take notice if you link to enough websites. When they do, they may go to your website, determine that it is beneficial to them and their audience, and then link to you.
This kind of organic link building is significantly more advantageous. One reason is that you are aware that the other website wants to link to you because you did not ask for the backlink. Second, because you two have an interest, you are more likely to attract quality visitors.
How do you pick the links to include on your website now that you are aware of what outbound links are and why they are crucial? There are a number of things to take into account, with relevancy maybe being the most crucial.
These are websites with audiences and content that are comparable to yours. For instance, linking to a beauty website does not help you much if your website is a tech one. In this case, the likelihood that the beauty website will connect to your tech website is far lower.
The second factor to take into account is semantic significance. The links you provide should be pertinent to the content of your page. The wording immediately around the outgoing link and the location to which it directs should be closely related.
Lastly, you should avoid pages that have:
Keep in mind that Google groups websites together, so you do not want yours to be among those that Google considers bad or unsuitable for ranking.
While the majority of SEOs and marketers place a strong emphasis on backlinks or inbound connections, outbound links also have a lot to offer. There are hyperlinks leading to other websites that are pertinent to the content to which the hyperlink is pointing and the readers of the information. Outbound links should therefore be a crucial component of your link-building strategy.
We are delighted to now be officially certified as a B Corp business. Launch joins a growing movement of companies – over 7,000 worldwide – on a mission to make business a force for good.
The B Corp certification process involves benchmarking against a rigorous set of standards that represent modern, sustainable business practices. Companies must provide evidence and demonstrate they meet or exceed the standards in order to qualify – we are thrilled to be among them.
But becoming certified as a B Corp business isn’t a box-ticking exercise, it’s just the first step. This certification demonstrates our commitment to striving for better in all aspects of our business – from community and diversity, to our environmental impact. We are excited to identify ways we can improve, track these measures and create our first B Corp Impact reports to show progress.
Mike Sharp, Operations Director at Launch says of the certification: “We are really proud to have achieved B Corp status and join the amazing community of like-minded companies on a similar journey and striving for higher standards. We hope to continue building the happiest performance agency whilst addressing positive change for our communities and the environment.”
Learn more:
Learn more about B Corp on their website
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