According to a report released last week online marketing will see an improved increase during 2012 with 68% of surveyed companies planning to increase their digital marketing budgets over the next 12months. However, the survey also found that 16% of companies will spend more on non-digital marketing this year that in 2011.

The survey was based on 500 unidentified businesses during December and January conducted by Experian Marketing Services.

Econsultancy’s research director Linus Gregoridis quoted “The majority of companies are increasing investment in both established digital channels, such as e-mail and paid search, as well as fast-growing areas such as social media and mobile marketing,”

Gregoridis went on saying “With many companies being forced to tighten their belts due to uncertain economic conditions, it is also encouraging to see so many organizations expanding their digital teams to harness the opportunities to engage and sell to consumers in a fast-changing digital environment,”

Other interesting and encouraging results from the survey found;

• 79% of respondents plan to spend more on digital marketing by 10%
• 56% of respondents plan expand their workforce
• 69% of respondents propose to spend more on social marketing through Twitter and Facebook this year.
• 57% of respondents plan to invest in mobile applications in 2012

Is this a step towards Google relying less on backlinks as a way to determine the value of websites?  This seems to be the theme of most of the changes we are seeing within Google’s algorithm with respect to SEO, only time will tell if this is possible for them and Xyone will keep you informed on progress.

For brands this underlines the fact that yes, a Google+ brand page is essential, if we’ve not already recommended it to you then we are now.  It also underlines how important it is for Xyone to ensure social and sharing becomes a much more central part of any online strategy.

What is important to note is that this update (as it’s being called) marks a huge shift for Google away from its pure drive to take people through to everyone else’s content as naturally as possible to now start to keep people within its own network.  As we know, Google loves Google.

Google is truly becoming a personal knowledge management tool. This backs up the stat that recommendations from friends (90% trust) far outweigh search results (41%).

Google Algorithm Changes

Panda iterations/updates will become closer and closer together rather than a larger Panda update every month or two as it has been in the past, Xyone will update you on this as we know more.

The recent page layout update/improvement looks for sites that maintain a balance of content and ads, this update could well automatically filter them out of search results pages (SERPs). The change comes after complaints of searches regularly turning up sites that favour bulky ads over the quality content and does not affect our clients.

Google Privacy Policy

Google has changed its privacy policy, streamlining it across its multiple services including search, email, video and social networking sites. More than 60 different policies will be combined into one that will go into effect 1 March 2012.

Google has previously faced criticism over the sharing of users’ data. The single privacy policy will apply to Google search, Gmail, YouTube and Google+.  The main change applies to users who have Google accounts, so if you’re signed into Google, they can do things like suggest search queries, or tailor your search results, based on the interests you’ve expressed in Google+, Gmail and YouTube.

The revision comes after Google’s social networking site, Buzz, was shut down. The company was criticised for inadvertently revealing users’ most e-mailed contacts to other participants through the Buzz platform. Google and the US Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement to prevent Google from misrepresenting how it uses personal information and from sharing a user’s data without approval.

Poor performing websites are costing UK businesses millions of pounds in lost revenue. What was once seen as a low cost 24 hour shop front is increasingly a source of disillusionment and poor performance. Costly web designs are being abandoned in the search for something that actually works.

Industry and commerce in the UK is also lagging behind in its efforts to make the most of mobile routes to market.

Mobile now accounts for around 13% of UK web traffic, of which iphones account for 58% and an additional 17% come from iPad devices. Over 75% of the world’s population own a mobile device; around 5 billion people. Google charted a 500% growth in mobile search from 2008 to 2010. There are more than 250 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices.

So with UK businesses jumping on all the bandwagons, how come they are still getting left behind?

How many of those businesses can show you their clearly defined strategy for keeping up with the forecasted changes and opportunities within the internet, smart phones, tablets during 2012?

One in five retail searches over Christmas were carried out on mobile devices. On Christmas Day alone, mobile/tablet searches accounted for 26% of overall retail searches. That is according to the British Retail Consortium’s Google Online Retail Monitor for the fourth quarter of 2011.

So how many retail businesses are already looking at how they can gain more sales from mobile applications ready for further growth at the end of this year?

There are millions of UK businesses “dabbling” with Facebook, Twitters and other major Social Network sites. How many are using then correctly to push products and services, and keeping a close eye on the smaller Social Media players who will get stronger in 2012.

It’s a minefield for anyone not remotely “geeky” but the opportunities for building your share of the consumer market using new media are expanding very rapidly.

The solution is simple. Don’t just jump on bandwagons. Keep your feet firmly on the ground and plan your digital marketing strategy with the same focus you plan other business functions.

And one measure sadly lacking amongst those who do try to keep up, is often the basic question it might look good, but does it actually work?

There are top notch digital marketing agencies who have invested years in researching, experimenting with and charting the success of digital routes to marketing. They spend their days glued to their devices mapping trends and keeping pace with new developments.

Use that expertise and drive your product and service right to the finger tips (and ears) of your customers. Anything else is a triumph of optimism over business sense when the digital age is advancing and changing so quickly.

Utilising a digital marketing agency – as opposed to a traditional marketing function – also means you don’t actually have to actually understand new media.  But you can use it effectively and measurably.

Who would set off on a complicated journey without a satnav? Don’t set off to make money in the digital age without a digital marketing agency.

Here are our top 10 tips for a successful SEO strategy.

1. Content is king. Make sure your content is unique, informative and worthy of its readers time.
2. Page titles can help influence you’re SERPs and click throughs. Make your titles short to the point and appealing.
3. Ensure your content is free of spelling and grammatical errors.
4. Consider adding a blog to your site and create posts about relevant subjects that would interest your target audience.
5. Check Canonical issues, does your site load for www.example.com and example.com
6. Use your keyword or phrase in your page heading
7. Give images ‘alt’ text which is optimised for your keyword or phrase
8. Query strings and the devils work. Make life easier for your visitors and search engine spiders by re-writing long ugly query strings.
9. Review your old content, does it still attract visitors? Is it out of date? Could it be re-written?
10. Research your keywords to find how people find your product or service.

Stephen Robinson
Position: Director
Department: The think tank, Ideas Man, Fortune Teller, Magician
What is your marketing top tip: Increase the offer increase the response – Simple but effective
Hobbies: Every sport that involves a ball plus running.
Interests: People, Travel and good old fashion banter.

Andrew Lancaster MioD
Position: Director and self confessed know it all! Hmm….
Department: Jedi Master and covert operations within the field of computational, logical, and statistical frameworks for the various types of inference involved in scientific inquiry. In particular,  contributing hypothesis formation, logical deduction, and empirical testing. Honest!
What is your marketing top tip: Know your audience, know your competitors!!  Successful online campaigns get that way because marketeers know their audience and the competitors that market to them. They fully understand their audience’s needs, desires and wants (needs and wants are two very different things people!).  Knowing and understanding your audience and the competitors that market to them means a well targeted campaign that generates a profitable return can be created.  Its all about research… base decisions on FACT not assumption.
Hobbies: Golf, general petrol head, sports in general, music and huge film freak!
Interests: Online and gadget geek, a disturbing infatuation of all things techie and new media.  I love good design and architecture, form follows function and all that… when you come across good design, no matter how small… its magical!

Jason Clarke BSc Hons
Position: Operations Management
Department: Senior Management
What is your marketing top tip: Always pre plan.
Hobbies: Football, golf, cricket
Interests: Brutilising Xyone staff and finding new oppressive regimes and polices.

Carol Ostranica

Sally Frost
Position: Marketing Executive and Sing Star Champ
Department: Marketing and Office Entertainer
What is your marketing top tip: Integrate your marketing strategy across multiple channels and keep your message and branding consistent throughout.
Hobbies: Enjoying a cider in the pub with friends, watching films and singing badly.
Interests: Watching Liverpool FC, especially Renia’s tasty legs, baking cakes and buying clothes online.

Sam Wignall
Position: Project Co-ordinator AKA Little Miss Bossy Boots
Department: Development team and chief motivator
What is your marketing top tip: Be organised
Hobbies: Love horse riding, socialising, going the gym and holidays.
Interests: Trying not to burn the kitchen down every night, terrible reality TV programs and Spice Valley Indian food.