small business

10 small steps to better search engine rankings for LOCAL businesses – Part 1

13th March 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

Steps 1 to 5 of how to rank better in terms of being a local business (steps 6 to 10 to follow on….)

Let’s starts this two-part article with a rhetorical question –

would you like MORE customers?

(sits back, makes more tea and dunks another biscuit)

Of course you do. Anyone running their own business would like more customers because, after all, that is what makes a business. And makes it successful.

Lessons in hard work:

Running your own business is hard work
Running your website is hard work
Attracting new customers is hard work
Maintaining this attraction so customers come back, is hard work

Add in to this mix the need for your website and online presence to be constant, consistent and up to date and you can be forgiven for thinking it is simply all too much.

But you are not the only local business to be in this position. Every day seems a struggle to get everything done but, we carry on regardless because at the end of the day, we are our own boss, we make the decision and the risks are acceptable.

Keeping on top of search engine optimisation (SEO)

A bit like keep the plug hole in the sink unblocked, staying on top of SEO updates and the like, will prevent a backlog that, all of a sudden, needs a professional or a lot of YouTube-video-watching in order to rectify it. Keeping that plug hole running clear and free from blockages stops that expensive call out to a plumber.

Keeping on top of your SEO as a local business also sees you outshine your competitors online thus, we have created 10 small-ish steps to improving your search engine rankings so that local customers find your local business…

Step 1: research you keywords

HOW will people find your local business? If you are a florist in Watford then you need to say so; if you are a speciality butcher and delicatessen in Newport, South Wales, then you need to say so.

However, we need to be careful that the obvious isn’t hidden in plain sight so take a moment or two to think about how, and what language your customers will use to find you. Google search terms are becoming a little more detailed in how they interact too, hence if a place is often known by its initials such as ‘New York City’ as NYC, it is beginning to tie these two search terms together.

You would be amazed at the number of local businesses that do not list their locality or location.

Step 2: optimise your website and content

What can happen with this step is people go from the sublime to the ridiculous; in other words, from not much content, to overstuffing every page with every keyword that they think hits their business. This looks awkward to both your customer and search engines, so stop it (if you are doing it) and don’t do it (if you are thinking of doing it).

High quality content all over you website is a the way forward, along with other soft technical such as keywords in meta titles etc. along with the other background stuff.

Some experts suggest that a ‘frequently asked question’ page is also a good for both customers and search engines too thus, if it is time to upgrade or revamp your content, then why not consider and FAQ page?

Step 3: Google Local

You will no doubt have come across these rather handy location maps when you have been searching for a business, supplier, etc. and getting your business on Google Local is an external activity to your website, but will obviously link to it, but is a great way of people being able to find your local business.

Think how you use Google… only the other week we were in a place we didn’t know, fancied a nice pub lunch, typed it in to Google and hey presto!, we found a delightful pub by the canal. Ignoring the sub-zero temperatures and the gathering rain clouds, we had at least 10 minutes of sunshine by the water’s edge and quite a nice lunch… all helped by the fact the local pub was on Google Local, and so in the corner of the tablet screen, the map bobbed up and away we went. It wasn’t far off the beaten track but you would not have known it was there otherwise.

Step 4: Local business listing websites

There are many different types, and trying to make sure you are on them all can be a bit like herding cats BUT, that said, if you do manage to list your business or update some of the information that already exists, it sends ‘good signals’ to both your prospective customers and the various search engines.

We typed in some key search terms and came up with these…

Really Moving – type in your local area, and local removal firms pop up… if you are a removal firm, are you on here?

Trip Advisor – in many ways, Trip Advisor is infamous for negative reviews that some businesses say are uncalled for, unnecessary and downright lies but, many customers are still using this website. Take a moment to surf around and you will see that the vast majority of customers are leaving helpful reviews (not always positive!).

There are many more review, business listing and location type websites, some better than others but take some time to have a look what is local to you and, more importantly, what people are using… but don’t forget to keep an eye on them, and respond appropriately to both negative and positive reviews.

Step 5: Consistency

One issue (among others…) that seems to crop up for local businesses online seems to be a lack of consistency when it comes to business listings etc. When people talk about brand, this is the kind of thing they mean.

You have a business name, a logo and a tag line – e.g. Locally – strategic thinking, creative web design – boom! Job done… keep using it.

Don’t decide to change it when you list it on Yell.com (Locally – really good web design and stuff), or on a local business directory (Locally – really good at all things website and stuff).

All these ‘descriptions’ need to be the same, over and over again… this might be ‘boring’. On that Friday afternoon when you were “doing the admin”, it might have seemed fun to add or embellish your business description… but it does impact on how all the search engines look at you.

These changes and differences in descriptions and tag lines could be damaging on your online search results.

Before you head on over to part 2, why not take some time to go through these 5 steps with you local, online business?

Late payments and lost payments

17th February 2015 by Alan Leave a Comment

And online tools that can help!

As we research topics that could be interest to our clients, we do occasionally come across something that really makes us think. Only a few days ago, we came across a post from October 2014 that we could relate to and, we are sure, so can many of our customers.

Time is of the essence

Tempus fugit (time flies), as the famous Latin saying goes and it is certainly true when it comes invoicing for the work completed by business on behalf of other businesses.

Increasingly, small and online businesses are realising the potential of email their invoices to companies, ready for payment. Some larger businesses, perhaps more cumbersome and lumbering in their accounting procedures, may send out paper invoices. Before this paper invoice is generated and mailed to clients, the hoops that have been jumped through and the swings that have been swung in order to generate it will have been fairly gargantuan.

Keeping track of these paper invoices can be an entirely separate task in itself and, in larger organisations, it is. Once one section has produced the invoice, another section within accounting is responsible for chasing and securing payment. For corporations, this is a huge task…

The 30, 60 or 90 day rule that could be preventing businesses from growing

But, it is not just the time spent in chasing payments that is the issue here; for suppliers, there is a far more pressing concern. How many times have you completed work for someone, submitted your invoice only to be told that the company has a 30, 60 or, worse still, a 90 day payment window?

Although irritating, these payment windows and slow payments from companies have never really been challenged… until now and it is the power of cloud based accounting that is really beginning to push the boundaries of what is an acceptable time lapse between submitting an invoice and being paid.

What is an acceptable time frame between invoice and payment? The answer is… there isn’t. In order for commerce to flow, and for small businesses to manage their cash flow (as well as the larger organisations too), the time has come to kick the 30, 60 or 90 payment period in to touch.

Cloud based invoicing, claim some experts, is introducing transparency, ease of administration and speed to both invoicing and payments, excellent news for the small and local businesses out there trying to manage a cash flow.

A cruel reality

Running a business is about taking a degree of acceptable risk; someone likes your products or services. You may charge a small deposit but, in most cases, businesses will complete the work before payment.

The invoice is submitted and then you must wait… and wait… and possibly wait a little longer. In all this time, you are attempting to manage a cash flow that may have dwindled to nothing, or very little. Late payments, the cruel reality in many a case, are responsible for driving many businesses to the wall.

And, if you think it only affects you, think again. One global insurance company estimates that there is around $2 trillion locked into late payments at any one time across the globe.

And the solution is…

As well-being clear about YOUR payment terms – payment due on receipt is a nice way of saying ‘pay now’ – there are other tricks too…

Discounts – before you all faint at such a ridiculous suggestion, experts suggest turning the ‘fines’ for late payments on its head. Include a payment fee, they suggest, on the invoice amount (adding 20% for example) but, if payment is received within xx number of days (you set the time), this 20% is automatically deducted.
Get a 3^rd party to do it… and chase – some businesses are also realising that investing in their cash flow is important and thus, outsource their invoicing and chasing payments to a third company. For those of us who ‘hate asking for money’, this is a perfect way of completing the transaction.

Cloud computing – does it have the answer?

The crux of the article from 2014 was simple; a clever chap had realised that the issue lay in not only generating invoices, but keeping track of them and speeding up the whole process. At the time, he was working for the Danish Government, who generated thousands of invoices per year as well as paying thousands of invoicing per year to suppliers, large and small.

Developing an online system, he not only made the whole payment system faster and more transparent, but doing business with government departments became a far easier process; local, smaller suppliers felt more confident doing business with departments, and working on larger projects too, for payment was easier and quicker to come by.

Invoicing software – generate invoices and track payments

Running a business is hard enough without worrying about generating the right invoices for the right people for the right amount… and keeping tabs on who has paid and who hasn’t. Larger businesses create their own system and for the smaller business, short on time and skills, there are many online invoicing systems that are just right for your business; some are paid for and some are free.

However, type in accounting or invoicing software and you will have a plethora of apps and programs to choose from. Your invoices and money are important, thus the issue of trust is important when it comes to such things, so exactly how do you make your choice?

Subscriptions and size

Many online invoicing systems offer a subscription service by which you buy ‘enough’ invoicing capacity for your business; this works especially well for businesses who may not generate many invoices within a monthly period, enabling you to keep costs down. The dashboard of the online application should be easy to use, self-explanatory and, if possible, offer you the features that are not superfluous to requirements. In other words, make sure it does everything you want without the fancy (expensive) extras.

For example, if you have recurring payments or send out invoices in batches, does the program offer this ability?

Security

Just like accessing your bank account online, the security for any online invoicing app should be at a high level. Also called ‘bank level security’, there should be three factors that are apparent (but you may need to read the small print to find them!):

Encryption – data needs to be encrypted to prevent it being useful to hackers
Bank level security – as we have already mentioned, any online app you use, especially where you are creating links to bank accounts or online payment systems such as PayPal should have the highest level of security
Redundancy – this refers to the storage of your data by the provider; in most cases, there will be two server sites, one a replica of the other. Should the system be hacked or compromised due to weather and other natural disasters, you should be able to still access your mirrored data from the ‘other’ site.

Billing

These invoicing apps can also be used as a billing gateway; in other words, your customer receives the invoice and they pay via online means. Again, such sites need to have all the security and data encryption expected, as you customers will expect this too. Look for online solutions that off you a range of payment gateways that are popular, such as PayPal and Google Checkout. If your online business operates globally, the more options you have for payment the better.

However, there are processing fees – either on a per transaction basis or a monthly one – from some payment providers, which can seriously cut into your profit margins. Check these fees carefully.

Ease of use

A common issue with many services of this ilk is the fact that using them requires a PhD in in Mathematical Computing. If they offer a free trial – as most online software programs do – why not opt for a dummy run, to see how easy it is to use, as well as whether the program suits your business? Many of these software programs offer brilliant features which you don’t realise how useful they are until you have them – for example, tracking sales and payments are two essential components of keeping tabs on the financial health of your business.

Scalability

You may be expecting your business to grow in the coming months and that is all fine and dandy… until you realise the online program you have been using will not scale up with your business and you are back to square one.

Those that offer a modular approach work really well; buying more chunks as you need them, as well as add-ons are a perfect of scaling up, without having to buy the ultimate package.

And finally…

Help and support are two key components of online invoicing and financial tracking programs. Many of these apps offer instant chat options, perfect if you have a quick question or query. Email support is also invaluable but, sometimes, there is no compensation for having a telephone chat…

Growth Vouchers – everything you need to know!

20th January 2015 by Alan 2 Comments

Have you been looking at your website recently? Have you been thinking that it could do with a re-vamp or an upgrade?

Or, maybe you struggle with the cash flow; some days and weeks the money comes pouring in and yet other, weeks the work is there and being done, but the bank account is drier than the Sahara.

Your website might look better with a modernised logo, or maybe you would like it to be more responsive and mouldable to your changing customer base. Maybe, you would like it to feature higher in the search engine rankings but know that to achieve this, it is going to take some work and effort, all underpinned by a good dollop of time but, you just don’t have any more seconds in the busy working day to spare.

Maybe if the books were managed better, and not something tagged on to your busy day, completed at 11pm with one eye closed; if you had a system that produced invoices…

You know you can pay someone to do it, but the profits are just about starting to take shape and spending a huge amount could wipe out the small surplus you have and…

What does come first, the chicken or the egg?

It is the question to which the answer has been lost in the midst of time. But, with the business ‘chicken and the egg dilemma’, there could be some much needed financial help on the horizon, in England at least.

Growth Vouchers

The end of January 2015 will usher in a new research programme, as announced by the UK Government, and it is something that YOU, as a local, small business can take part in. And it includes financial help to spend on aspects of your business that you may need help with – and Locally could be an agency to help.

What are Growth Vouchers?

Essentially, it is a subsidised business support scheme delivered through randomly allocating Growth Vouchers to small businesses. And with £30 million in the pot, it promises to be an exciting scheme. If you receive a Growth Voucher, it covers up to 50% of the cost, covering 5 key topics that help small business grow.

But, you need to register and your business in the frame to possible receive some of these Growth Vouchers…

What kind of support could a Growth Voucher be spent on?

There are 5 main categories and all have been identified as being areas where small businesses can sometimes struggle to gain not only helpful, strategic advice but, by not being able to compete in these areas, are staying in the shadow of larger competitors.

The 5 areas are:

Managing cash flow, as well as the scourge of late payments and the tricky negotiating of additional finance
Developing skills, and employing staff
Improving leadership and management
Marketing and attracting new customers, and keeping them coming back too!
And make the most of digital technology, such as creating a website, updating your website, creating content…

Right, let’s talk money!

Growth Vouchers are up to a maximum of £2,000 BUT, the voucher match funds what you put in so…

You spend £1,000 having a new website developed, including training and with fabulous content and great blog. You would pay £500 and the Growth Voucher would match this with 50% of the cost, so £500.

Can you spend the whole £2,000?

Yes and more if you like but, the Growth Voucher maximum is £2,000. You may choose to spend £5,000 on a fandangle website, with ecommerce option and all kinds of gizmos and gadget, with the voucher covering £2,000 of the cost and you stumping up the other £3,000.

You will also need to be aware that you pay the supplier first and then claim the 50% Growth Voucher back from the Government.

So, can anyone person or agency, business, company etc. be a Growth Voucher agency?

Companies who can and do offer these kinds of services in the 5 key areas will need to register with the scheme, and show that they pass a minimum set of standards. This, of course, is the obvious solution to making sure that every small business, regardless of where they are in the country get the same high standard of advice and product.

Interested? Thought you would be…

If you are a small business looking to tap in to the scheme you will need to register and if you follow this link, you can do it right now – https://www.gov.uk/apply-growth-vouchers

You will need to have some information to hand to complete the process, such as your Unique Tax Reference if you are self-employed, or you company registration number etc.

Am I eligible?

In order to run the scheme, there needs to be a definition of ‘small business’ and, the eligibility criteria for taking part and possibly receiving a Growth Voucher are:

You must employ 249 employees or less
You must be registered in England
You must also actively sell goods and services
Be an independent company, with no more than 25% of your business owned by another company
And your turnover should also be less that £50million

IF you are selected for a Growth Voucher, you will need to find an approved supplier and the only place where you will be able to get this information is the Enterprise Nation marketplace. As the scheme gathers pace, more suppliers will comes online and you will have a wider choice.

As you can imagine, there are some big names and organisation driving this as it is a great way of making the small business market place in England a buoyant, thriving one.

The Locally Perspective

We will be keeping a close eye on the scheme, simply because any help in gaining advice and support in these 5 key areas is the key to a thriving business. We’ll keep you updated on changes too, so keep calling back.