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Yup, but like I mentioned earlier, we had issues with display probs on larger mobile screens, so now we have: <meta name="viewport" content="width=325">  

Main issue is because we have a dedicated mobile site, as we have been serving mobile pages since 2009, long before it became fashionable

Downside is, what was fine coding a few years ago doesn't lend itself to moving to a more modern responsive design. Coupled with the fact we want to refresh the 2005 database design, this means a complete ground up rebuild  So current plan is to aim for this mid/late next year.

Meantime, as long a Google reports us as ok, and we show as mobile friendly in Bings actual search results, we'll take the mobile testing tool results with a pinch of salt.

But good to see them starting to play catch up Google and maybe start some investment in some better web master tool sets.

No personal experience of short term finance, but I know there's certainly firms out there that offer short term products. No doubt there will be a premium on interest as it's for such a short term.

Money Supermarket might be a good starter for 10:

moneysupermarket.com/business-finance/business-lending/short-term-business-loans/

Originally Posted by mrb

“He'll be getting your business at renewal then ”

If the price is right! But refreshing to meet a genuine sales bod who doesn't do the hard sell and is 100% honest.

Hmmmm, paranoia was starting to set in! So a quick chat with our developer guru to find out why we are showing the following error for our sites:

For any technical minded members, or in case you are also showing the same view port error.

Apparently we used to have the mobile site set to "width device-width” but it didn’t size correctly on larger mobile screens, so it was set to a fixed width which works for everyone, and Google is quite happy with.

To confirm the bugginess of the Bing tool, it reports the site as not being mobile friendly in the tool, then in the search results, guess what...

It marks it as Mobile friendly, in the same way as Google does.

Just tested again while I was writing this post, and for some bizarre reason the Bing tool seems to have gone all Italian on me! 

B- Bing, must try harder!

I think you need to come and fix ours Trena!

If you haven't seen this already, it is funny, well made me laugh 

So Bing have been playing catchup and have finally brought out a mobile webpage tester, so you can check it will display correctly and is user friendly for mobile device visitors.

Great news, except it seems to give different answers to Googles.

Is this just Bing and Google being awkward or do we have an issue? 

Here is the Google test page.

Awesome! 

Then below we have the Bing results, with a big bold message telling me Bing doesn't think I'm awesome

So I thought maybe it's just My Local Services, and I'd try our Trusted Trader site.

Post source Search Engine Land

So there we go, are we mobile friendly or not???

You can do your own test here:

Google Mobile test:  www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/

Bing Mobile test:  www.bing.com/webmaster/tools/mobile-friendliness

Anyone else spotted any issues?

Great thread topic 

I'm not sure times have changed that much. I agree we all live in a faster paced "I want it now" world, but customer service is still critical. In this new online world, reviews make or break a business, which is a direct result of customer service and how your customers value you and their experience.

In the short term, under cutting will win business, but if its done at the expense of quality and service, then this model has no longevity. Once negative or poor feedback starts to flow through various channels, then it's an expensive reputation building exercise (think Ryan Air), or shutting up shop as savvy customers go elsewhere.

We all want to pay less, but lots more of us are swayed by reviews and our interpretation of a business. Review sites (us included) have come along way over the last few years after a backlash of fake and easily gamed reviews. It's getting harder and harder to fake a positive online profile, and easier for consumers to damage one!

Hi Phil

Not heard anything off you for a while, noticed you still have the typo issues in the footer, is this project on hold now, or have you migrated to a new website?

Can amend your links for you if you have.

Hope you haven't got the hump, any criticism is constructive and meant to assist 

Each year the hysteria seems to increase with these key internet shopping days, and like it or loathe it, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are now established here in the UK. If you are an online retailer, can you afford to miss out, and which one do you target?

Key Dates for 2015

Black Friday this year is on Friday 27 November.

Cyber Monday is on Monday 30 November.

History of Black Friday

This originally started out as an American fad, the Friday following Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday of November). Thanksgiving is basically the US version of our Harvest festival, but where everyone has a day off and has a big turkey dinner.

According to Wikipedia, the term Black Friday came from the 1960's when retailers traditionally broke profit and "went in to the black".

The day after thanksgiving has apparently always been busy, as Thanksgiving is a (rare) public holiday. In recent years stores have opened earlier and stayed open later to capture the next day sales, and the online age has fostered and turned Black Friday into a shopping frenzy, mainly fuelled by the media.

As we have a global economy, Black Friday is turning into a world wide epidemic, and has grown and grown in popularity in the UK, to the point that it is reaching hysteria levels for bargain hunters,

History of Cyber Monday

In contrast, Cyber Monday is just simply a clever marketing stunt created by online retailers. It seems it came about by looking at buying patterns, and as people went back to work and accessed their much better internet connections, they decided to buy lots of stuff online. So Cyber Monday was born.

Marketing spin says it is aimed at smaller retailers who don't have the marketing clout of the big boys to capitalise on Black Friday. Again due to global economics, Cyber Monday is now an important day in the UK retailers calendar.

Should I discount and join in?

Black Friday and Cyber Monday are nothing but good news for consumers. That said, you have to be streetwise as old lines and stock are offloaded at what seems to be bargain prices, which would have been discounted anyway.

There is an argument that Black Friday hurts retailers as people hold off buying products, expecting them to be heavily discounted during these two manic shopping days, which then screws up retailers sales figures. There is already a backlash by some major stores refusing to join in, so maybe the bubble is finally bursting? No doubt there will be plenty of post Black Friday analysis in the media.

Should you join in is down to you. There is a lot of hype to piggy back off, so if you have stock you want to dump, it's a good time to do it  

Obviously it's not going to applicable to lots of business types, can't see a rush to buy discounted advertising  But if you are an eCommerce shop and/or bricks and mortar, then there is a huge opportunity to be had if you can sell volume and have the margins to play with.

Sources:

Wikipedia Black Friday and Cyber Monday

So will anyone be taking commercial advantage of Black Friday and Cyber Monday this year? Has anyone had a success in the past? Or maybe horror stories to beware of?