Posts

Have to agree to disagree

My main issue is a page with a lot of information on it, and sometimes the main purpose of the page, or call to action can be streamlined specifically for a mobile device, which will increase conversions.

I don't understand the mobile link issue being sent from a desktop. I assume this must be a configuration issue?

If you open one of our mobile pages on a desktop, it will simply redirect to the desktop version: m.mylocalservices.co.uk

Yet I notice on Facebook, their mobile pages stay as mobile pages on desktops So do some Google pages.

We send out a soft sales promo every month to our free listings, and have been doing it for years. In that time, have tried just about every variation in the subject field, but the one that has the highest open rate (the name of the game) is simply <business name>

Nothing else. At least that's what works for us. As for actual content, that's a different story

The internet is now established, maturing and starting to evolve.

We are all used to .com .co.uk .org etc, but this is all set to change as a new generation of top level domain names becomes available in the next couple of months. Basically if you have deep enough pockets, you can have just about anything you want, and we will soon be seeing .coke .kpmg along with .london .taxi .plumber and just everything inbetween.

So as a small business what are you going to do?

Basically, nothing Whatever you do, unless you have buckets of cash, don't go out there trying to hoover up any associated domain names. You may have already been contacted by your domain registrar that relevant domain names have been reserved exclusively for you, as they match your business name or current domain name.

Remember this is a sales pitch!!!! Unless you are a plumber, and think bob.plumber will work for you or Franks.taxi is a good marketing move, don't rush out and start buying up names.

There are some great and logical names that will make sense, and these will prove to be a great investment for a lot of people, but think about it first, and make sure it fits in with your brand and image.

The SEO community has been watching with interest as well. It's been a well known fact that a keyword in your URL is a good ranking factor. Now times have changed with exact match domain penalties, and semantic search, but keywords still have a part to play.

But it seems don't get too excited. Anything after the "." won't be seen as a keyword. So Johns-Taxi-Service.co.uk would be much better than Johns.taxi

Also, one important ranking factor is domain age. So don't be too quick in dumping your 10 year old domain name in favour of a new funky one

So interesting times a head, and if anyone has a spare $1million I'd like to register .beer

According to the BBC, Britain now has more people working for themselves than ever before

BBC News - Self-employment boom: Good or bad?



So has the UK suddenly become a hotbed of entrepreneurial talent brainwashed with repeats of Dragons Den?

I've noticed a sharp increase in VA, Dog Walker, and Man with a van type businesses over the last 12 months signing up with My Local Services.

These may be considered more lifestyle business than a traditional tradesperson such as a plumber or sparky, but as long as they are making money, does it matter? Maybe this change is good, giving a lot more people than ever the chance to work when they want to, and have a better work/life balance?

Or is it really all about fudging un-employment figures, and people acting out of desperation?

What does anyone think?

That's a superb and overlooked point.

Everyone knows you can't beat word of mouth referrals, but too many people get hung up on this and try too hard, and can end up alienating a previously happy customer.

If you are offering a quality service product and your customer service goes the extra mile, people really will recommend you unprompted. In exactly the same way people will naturally link to good web content.

Wasn't Yell that bought Qype, it was Yelp. They are an American outfit that have a huge presence across the US, but had marginal success in Europe.

Buying Qype was a way of boosting their European presence, although Qype traditionally used to get a lot of flak from heavy handed sales techniques, and had mixed reviews.

Here's a thread about the demise of Qype: Qype is no more! Hello Yelp

Hi Kev

Long time no see on the forum. Bit of an odd request, are you looking for businesses within a specific category or business type, or do you just want high level statistical information for all companies in a given area?

If so, maybe have a hunt around: UK National Statistics Publication Hub