Articles and Resources
Every day is a school day! Our blog is a hub for all sorts of resources, and we add to it frequently. From tips and tricks to explanations of common digital marketing terms, we try to give you, our valued audience, as much common sense, practical digital marketing advice as possible. If you have a question that isn’t answered in these resources, please use the form on the Contact Us page to let us know, and one of our team will write (or video) an answer to your question as soon as possible
How Often Should You Post On Your Business Blog
Our clients probably get tired of us saying, "You need to add more content!". The truth is, in the dynamic realm of digital marketing, maintaining an active and engaging business blog is a crucial component of a successful online presence. However, the question that...
Google Ads Do Not Impact Your Organic Ranking
Is advertising on Google the mystical tool that holds the key to catapulting your website to the throne of the organic ranking kingdom? As much as we'd love to imagine Google Ads as a magical fairy godmother waving a wand over our website, transforming it into an SEO...
A Complete SEO Guide for Small Business
Discover everything you need to know about SEO and why it's essential for your business's digital presence. Our helpful SEO guide unpacks all the concepts, mistakes and gives great tips! Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a vast and often misunderstood field. It...
Understanding the Alchemy of Google’s Ranking Algorithm
Algorithm update - it's like a swear word. The elusive nature of Google's ranking algorithm has kept us on our toes, constantly adapting strategies to stay ahead in the game. Understanding the intricacies of this algorithm is the key to unlocking the door to online...
Mastering B2B Digital Marketing: Your Guide to Effective Advertising Platforms
Which digital advertising platforms are you utilising for B2B marketing? Are you feeling frustrated because digital advertising is costly, and you are not observing results as swiftly as you had anticipated? We understand that the business-to-business (B2B) buying...
UK GDPR: Demystifying Controller, Processor, and Data Protection Responsibilities
In the ever-evolving landscape of data protection, understanding the roles of Controller and Processor under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) is paramount. These designations come with distinct responsibilities that organisations must comprehend to...
SOLVED: What type of marketing should I do?
As far as difficult questions to answer go, what type of marketing should I do? is in the top ten. It’s right up there with ‘do these jeans make my bottom look big?’ and ‘where do babies come from, mummy?’. With so many avenues available for businesses to market...
4 Effective Content Marketing Tips for 2022
According to Hubspot content marketing research from 2021, a staggering 82% of marketers actively used content marketing as part of their broader marketing strategies. This is up a whopping 70% compared to 2020. As you might expect video content took the digital cake,...
OMG GA4: Should You Move To Google Analytics 4?
Please note: This article is written for business owners and marketing managers and is aimed at people who are not techies. If you are looking for an article on the tiny intricacies and technical changes in GA4, then this one is not for you. But read it anyway so my...
Everything Businesses Need to Know About SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is as vast as it is misunderstood. It’s one of the most essential concepts driving digital marketing today and a must-know for marketers who want to see their business succeed online. If you’ve spent as much time as we have researching...
Digital Marketing Best Practices in Manufacturing
As part of our ongoing series of digital marketing strategy webinars, we have assembled a panel of speakers who bring insights and best practices related explicitly to driving leads and conversion rate optimization in the manufacturing field: Neal Lappe – WSI...
Google Reveals the UK’s Top 10 Searches in 2019
Each year, around the mid-way point in December, Google announces that its Year in Review results are available for analysis. These top 10 lists are compiled using the search behaviour of every person who opened up Google and typed something into the search bar. These...
Digital Marketing for Cosmetic Dentists in the UK
Many patients use dentists on the NHS. This isn't true for those patients looking for cosmetic and aesthetic dentistry such as veneers or implants. How do these people find their dentist? They turn to their mobiles or laptops to search Google and social media for the...
Where & How to Use Hashtags Effectively
Twitter popularised the word hashtag, with its system of pairing related online content uploaded to the social media platform. Nowadays, we see hashtags being used in television adverts, on printed marketing material, and all over most major social media channels....
The Benefits of Google Search Ads for Health & Beauty Website
It used to be the phonebook, but now people looking to book health and beauty appointments turn to internet – typing their search queries into engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. The issue is that, without a business website and a few promotional Google tools to...
Lead Generation Through Google Ads for Manufacturing Companies
Fact: the internet is now the first place people consult when looking for products, services and more information about companies. Without a business website, and the necessary Google promotional tools, individuals looking for your services online are going to find...
How Google Ads Can Boost Your Corporate Training Business Leads
Where do people turn when looking for products and services these days? It used to be the phonebook, and word-of-mouth referrals from well-connected acquaintances. Nowadays, however, everything’s gone digital. Your potential customers will search for information on...
4 Reasons UK Business Coaches Should Refer Clients to Us
What does a dream business look like? For most business owners in the United Kingdom it’s a profitable entity that can run itself while they’re not there. This ideal business setup is reliant on internal systems at every level of operation, but these business systems...
Is Your Website the Digital Representation of Your Physical Business?
Up until the late 90s, most companies relied on traditional marketing practices to spread the word and get feet through their doors. These included phonebook listings, word of mouth, flyer drops, and *shudder* cold calling! With the proliferation of the internet, a...
How to Get the Most out of your Google My Business Listing – it’s FREE!
Google, the world’s largest search engine, has been on a crusade to ensure that companies who use the internet for promotional purposes are legitimate ‘brick-and-mortar’ establishments that actually exist in real life. One of the ways they’re doing this is through...
5 Steps to Integrated Marketing Campaign Success
In the past, marketing messages were delivered in a silo, or with limited integration. Posters prompted customers to call their nearest branch, or a newspaper advert suggesting readers visit the showroom to take advantage of the specials on offer. Nowadays, with the...
What Are Google Ads?
So many businesses owners have no idea what Google Ads are. Since it can make a huge impact on your lead generation and sales, I think it is essential knowledge for every business owner and marketer. Ads is Google's advertising platform, and it accounts for the vast...
Overcoming Resistance to Distance
Today’s marketing arena is fast becoming completely digital, with the internet offering collaborative capabilities like never seen before. Instant messaging and cloud-hosted file transferring has allowed organisations of all shapes and sizes to team up with marketing...
Digital Marketing Trends Moving Into 2019
Did you know that Google processes over 6.5 billion search queries every… single… day? 6,586,013,574 to be exact – and that number increases from month to month. With so many people searching for products and services on the internet, looking at where the digital...
What is Marketing Automation?
In a world where email marketing reigns supreme, marketing automation is emerging as a trend that shows no sign of slowing down any time soon. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global marketing automation market will soar to $5.5 billion by 2019. Simply put,...
Do I Really Need To Update WordPress & Plugins?
Your website has been around for a while and now your marketers, web developer or hosting company are all nagging you to update your WordPress version and plugins. Is it really necessary? Of course it is. Otherwise they wouldn’t be nagging. 3 Reasons To Keep Your...
Why Can’t I See My Google Ads?
You’ve decided to partner with a digital marketing agency to drive traffic to your website, and they’ve suggested Google Ads. This is a great move to make if you’re looking for fast results – who isn’t, right? It’s only natural that – once your Google...
Could Tweaking Website Structure Improve Conversion Rates?
What’s a Conversion Rate? The conversion rate of a website can be loosely described as its ability to turn visitors into business leads. A website’s conversion rate is calculated by dividing the number of received calls/contact forms/sales by the number of visitors....
The ABCs of How Email Marketing Generates Leads
According to this article, 59% of business-to-business marketers reveal that email marketing is their most effective revenue generation channel. With marketing automation solutions like SharpSpring allowing marketers to craft stunning email campaigns in minutes –...
Fake News
You Shared Fake News – Now What? Has someone let you know that something you have shared on social media is fake news, or a hoax? Don’t worry, I think that every single user of even simple things like Whatsapp has at some time or another shared or forwarded something...
The (Real) Business Benefits of Google Ads
Did you know that 46% of all clicks on a search engine results page (SERP) go to the top three positions? This means that if you’re advertising your business using Google Search Ads, and your advert shows up in the top three for a specific keyword or phrase, there’s a...
SEO Spam Emails – Don’t Feel Special, Everyone Gets Them
It happens to the best of us. It happens to everyone with an email address published on the Internet. No, really, it doesn’t matter who you are you are, you can’t escape those spam emails that all-too-often slip through your spam filters and right into your inbox....
Technical Digital Marketing Terminology Explained
CPC, CPA, below the fold and above the line. Digital marketing practitioners, like most other professionals, communicate using acronyms and phrases that leave most of us scratching our heads. This article looks to explain – in Layman’s terms – a few common digital...
What is Remarketing?
You’ve heard of digital marketing before, but what about digital remarketing? This relatively new kid on the marketing block refers to specific ad targeting of customers who have previously visited a website. It is a very powerful way to use insights learned from your...
The Real Benefits of a Business Blog
Ten years ago, blogs were those online things bored housewives and tech-geeks used to get their thoughts and opinions out into the wide world via a digital medium. Nowadays, blogs have become essential tools companies of all sizes can leverage to achieve a range of...
Webpage Content Design Tips You’ve Been Looking For
So, you have a business website and you Google yourself at least 50 times a week. We know just how exciting this is! While a 5-page website is a perfect starting point for your business, Google rewards websites that consistently update or add to their existing sites....
Digital Advertising: Tools In Your Toolbox
The digital advertising landscape was once limited mostly to pay-per-click (PPC) ads on Google. Today, savvy marketers have a growing toolbox of digital advertising options to expand their reach. Here are some of the digital advertising platforms that you should know...
Google’s New Ad Changes – What You Need To Know
As you may or may not have heard, Google made three very significant changes to its Adwords platform on Tuesday. While the Big G had let us know that these changes were coming (they announced them at a Summit in May), we were kind of expecting them to be rolled out...
The Truth About Digital Advertising
Six years ago when we started our business, many clients grumbled about social media being "just a fad" that "had no place in the business world." Look how that turned out. The biggest winners have been those businesses that saw the impact that social media was...
12 Tips To Achieve The Perfectly Optimised Post
We have all been told ad nauseum that Google wants us to write more content, more often and keep it relevant. We agree 100%, but what a lot of our clients struggle with is optimising their posts when they are publishing them. Creating a perfectly optimised post is...
How To Track Digital Marketing Campaigns Using Google URL Builder
When you are running a digital marketing campaign, in many cases you are using multiple tactics on different platforms to deliver the overall strategy. No idea what I am talking about? Here is an example - you are running a March sale on beach accommodation. You have...
How To Get Your Business Social Media Savvy
Let's all be honest here: everyone and their second cousin’s tannie has a social media presence now. Even Riaan Cruywagen is on Facebook these days. No matter what you do or how old you are, the social sphere is so much more than viral videos and #hashtags; it’s a...
How to Gain a Content Marketing Advantage
By now, you know all about content marketing. You may have even heard of content shock, too. So which is it? Is content marketing a necessary part of digital marketing success? Or is there too much content already out there for anything new to be worthwhile? For...
Top 5 Mistakes Made in Internet Marketing
In the world of internet marketing, mistakes can not only be expensive, but also extremely costly in time, effort and results. There is an old saying about there being no mistakes in life, but rather a lot of lessons. However true this might be, very few businesses...
Is SEO as Simple as People Say?
Search Engine Optimisation. When you hear that word, do you find yourself nodding with a vague idea of what it means, or do you zone out at the mere mention of anything ‘jargonish’ when it comes to online marketing? Some swear that SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation,...
How eCommerce is Changing the Shopping Game
This here game is more than the rep you carry, the corner you hold. You gotta be fierce, I know that, but more than that, you gotta show some flex, give and take on both sides.” For the uninitiated, the above is a quote from Stringer Bell, one of the main characters...
Does Having a Better Google Ranking Mean Increased Business?
There is often an assumption that having good Google ranking equates to instant business success. Is this true? And, if your rankings really are so important for business, what does it mean when you are not right up there at the top of the search results pages? In a...
Web Design Stats You Can’t Ignore in 2016
One of the toughest aspects of digital marketing, for both marketers and companies, is keeping up with how fast it changes. Just think about it: if it's possible for busy marketing teams to fall behind and miss things because they're immersed in their day-to-day...
What Is This Whole AMP Thing About?
So the Internet is all abuzz with the launch of Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP. This is a project that has been spearheaded by some of the biggest tech firms and publishers. The catalyst has been the steady increase of content consumption on mobile devices. Think...
Yikes! Where Did All The Other Ads Go?
Have you noticed a change to the way a Google SERP (Search Engine Results Page) shows up in the last few days? Does the page seem a little emptier than it used to? If you have noticed, then well done - you are observant. Google has globally rolled out a change that it...
The Secret Steps To Gaining An Edge On Your Competitors
Nick recently wrote a post painting competition as a good thing. I know what you're thinking, "How could you say that? My competition stresses me out and keeps me up at night! The thought of them makes we want to scream!" While that might be true, give the post a try;...
How Can Competition Help Your Digital Marketing Goals?
It may seem counter-productive to consider embracing competition, but as far as digital marketing goes, keeping up with the Jones’ should not leave you feeling overwhelmed. Maybe, instead of worrying about what you competitors are doing, it’s time to consider how to...
The Niftiest Mobile Marketing Checklist You Ever Did See
With Christmas around the corner, and the Black Friday/Cyber Monday hoopla already behind us (did you see the crowds at Checkers?), 'tis the season to shop 'til ya drop. So answer this question: in advance of shopping for your family and friends this holiday season,...
Operation Adapt – Why You Need to Stop Worrying and Love Change
Change is hard, and sometimes, more than a little bit scary. And it doesn’t matter what’s changing, either. Whether you’re moving into a new house or upgrading your cell phone contract, change is a disruptive force. It creates cognitive dissonance and forces us to...
The 3P’s of Tracking Your Digital Ecosystem
There's a lot of talk about the importance of numbers in this age of Big Data, and with good reason - analytics are vital to digital marketing success. But if you don't know what you're measuring or why, all the data in the world won't make an impact, regardless of...
Social Media Marketing 101: How to Use Hashtags
Hashtags are an important part of social media marketing, but while many companies know this, not as many know how to use them correctly to get the full advantage of what they have to offer. If you are feeling confused even at the mention of hashtags, these symbols...
How to Create a Killer LinkedIn Company Page
Ever wondered how to make a LinkedIn company page that gives out an instantly powerful impression? While many companies are starting to understand the importance of social media marketing and online presence, not quite as many know how to utilise platforms such as...
The ROI-Driving Engine We Call Inbound Marketing
By definition, "inbound" means to bring in. Traditional forms of marketing often focus on "outbound" activities, like overbearingly pushing potential customers toward a product or service, regardless of whether they've shown any interest in it. Don't get me wrong,...
Marketing Automation: All The Cool Marketers Are Doin’ It!
Most marketers and businesses know what they need to do to launch and maintain successful marketing campaigns. They realise the importance of quality content integrated with an active social media presence and a dedicated outreach process. They understand the role of...
Why is Content so Important?
As far as the words on your website go, content marketing can make all the difference between a great site and a downright terrible site. You may not think that content matters to that extreme, but in reality, it matters plenty. If you had to stop for a moment and...
Go Forth and Multiply Your Conversion Rates
We live in a world of excess, where more of everything is better. "Bigger, louder and more teeth," as a character says in Jurassic World, a movie on pace to set box office records for making the most money. But it's true. You don't hear much about films that get good...
Why is Keyword Research so Important?
Wondering why there is so much fuss about keyword research? As the foundation of your website content strategies, search engine optimisation efforts and overall online marketing campaigns, keywords are without a doubt one of the most important aspects of getting ahead...
Improving Targeting Lead Generation Online
Ok, so we all know that every company needs lead generation, after all without a continual supply of fresh leads we won't have sales. Correct? But how do you improve targeted lead generation online for your business? When a company is marketing themselves online what...
Be A Good Neighbor And Target Customers In Your ‘Hood
Do you have your mobile-colored glasses on? I sure hope so, given the buzz, action and reaction of the digital marketing world to 2015's biggest talking points, which unless you live under a rock, you know are all about mobile. Near the end of 2014, marketers - us...
Everything You Need To Know About Google’s Mobile Update for 2015
The end of the world is set for April 21, 2015. Hmm, wait a second, that's not the end of the world - it's the day Google will release their much hyped mobile algorithm update. Considering the way people are reacting to the search giant's news, however, it would seem...
How Social Butterflies Respond To Social Advertising
There's a reason 'google' is a verb. To google is to use a search engine (like Google) to find information on the World Wide Web (aka what they used to call the Internet). Want to read up on current events, your local rugby team, or the gossip on your favourite...
Why an Outsourced SEO Company is Far More Effective than an In-House SEO Manager
All too often, when companies start to think about growing their online results, they assume that hiring an in-house SEO person is a more effective option than considering an outsourced solution such as a professional SEO company. The reasoning for this decision may...
10 Reasons to Hire an SEO Company for Your Business
For many businesses who are hoping to grow their online presence, partnering with an SEO company in South Africa can make all the difference. In fact, unless you do not have a website or rely on the web or social media to bring in new customers, almost every single...
Is it Time to Call in a Digital Marketing Agency?
When it comes to bringing in a digital marketing agency, knowing when the time is right may seem tricky at first. Smaller companies may especially find it hard to justify outsourcing this role, while larger companies may think that opting for in-house digital...
SEO Consequences of Redeveloping Your Website
Website age - we all know this. They need to be refreshed, redeveloped and given a fabulous makeover every few years. For those of you that haven't changed your website in 10 years, you have my permission to squirm in your seats. Just like your offices need...
Social Media Savvy – Respond Where The Question Is Asked
I had a very frustrating experience yesterday - I had a moment of laziness and thought about asking a local bakery to make my son's birthday cake. I know they make gorgeous cakes because I see pictures of them every week on a Facebook Group I belong to. I have even...
How To Kiss Your Competitive Edge Goodbye
It's a fierce world out there. There's a total of 1 013 449 registered domains in South Africa. That's a lot of potential competition, in just one country. If you're in business and you don't believe there are people out there trying to steal your exact customers -...
Reputation Management – What To Do When The Proverbial Hits The Fan
If there is one objection to social media that I have heard 1000 times, it is this one - "Our company can't be on social media because people will complain about us." That is very true. People complain on social sites like Facebook and Twitter. They complain a lot,...
What is the best form of online marketing to use and how to go about it!
If you are in business, then you are concerned about marketing. If you aren’t then you should be. Marketing is not just about “getting in leads”, it is the strategy that you use to communicate with your clients. If you aren’t interested in communicating with your...
WHY IS MOBILE MARKETING SO IMPORTANT?
Because it’s too big to ignore. I’m sure you’re well aware of the emergence of smartphones and tablets, but really focus on how prevalent they are the next time you’re, well…the next time you’re anywhere. Take a minute to observe your surroundings when you’re in these...
How to add an Analytics User when linking to Adwords
When linking an Adwords account to a Google Analytics account, it is imperative that you give the user the correct level of access. If this is not done, they won't be able to link the accounts and you will lose valuable data. The most important reason for linking...
What is Semalt?
Over the last two months, we have seen some very unusual referrer traffic patterns on some of our clients’ sites. Almost across the board we have seen increases in Referred Traffic, but that increase is not real – almost all the traffic originates from one website,...
Why Do I See Google As Referral Traffic?
We spend a lot of time telling our clients that traffoc from Google is organic search engine traffic – that is after all why we do SEO. So you can imagine that many people are extremely confused when they see reports like this form Google Analytics: So why on...
The waterfall of digital properties.
The digital landscape is so fragmented for businesses these days, and in-house marketers and business owners generally cannot grasp how all of these properties interact. Take a look at this graphic that shows all of the marketing technologies available in Jan 2015....
7 Reasons Your SEO Efforts Are not Working
Everyone who has ever managed their website's SEO knows that it’s a complicated field with many nuances, rumours and changes, which makes it hard to define what really works. Some experiment months before they realize that SEO is not bringing the results they desire....
How The WSI Lifecycle Helps Your Business
The WSI Lifecycle™ is the process we use to get the best possible results for our clients. We know the Lifecycle inside and out, but it’s important that you - our clients - know it as well. Providing clients with the knowledge to understand what, how and why we’re...
Confessions of an Email Marketer – The Science Behind Boosting Conversions
Email marketing can and should be at the centre of many businesses' digital marketing strategies, but unfortunately, it's not. This is usually due to companies misunderstanding (and therefore not realizing and appreciating) the power of email marketing. But email...
"Hacked" Search Engine Positioning – Pay Day Loans UK Scandal
Sky News is reporting today on their discovery that payday loan firms are hacking other sites domain history and Pagerank to get more Page 1 rankings for high value terms. Websites such as a graduate funding program have had their sites hacked, content added that is...
Google PageRank versus Alexa Rankings: Should anyone care?
As Internet Marketers, people are frequently telling us their site is either good or bad based on their Alexa rankings. Is this a fair assessment of a website? How does the Alexa Ranking work then? Alexa rankings are determined mainly by the number of visitors to your...
What is linkbuilding?
Did you know that it is theoretically possible to get a completely blank page ranked on the first page of Google? This doesn’t make any sense, but it is completely true nonetheless. The reason for this is that Google places far more emphasis on off-page factors than...
