Digital Marketing vs SEO – What’s the Difference?

Digital Marketing is a broad term that brings together all types of marketing that can function both online and offline, and as such, has transcended the original term, SEO, which now comes under the Digital Marketing umbrella. Over the last few years, Digital has become a staple requirement for many businesses, and will continue to do so. This marketing technique blends many different elements, such as SEO, On Page, Off Page, and Social Media, email newsletters, and pay per click (PPC) advertising via Google and Bing.

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - You can either call it a science or an art, SEO can help your website to gain visibility on the search engines. This can be done by increasing the volume of quality keywords on a page, or ranking for a particular keyword. There are different kinds of SEO techniques available, such as, outreach, blogging, link building, on-site technical analysis and improvement.
• On-page- This is one of the most important processes and should therefore be the bedrock of your online marketing campaign. On-page goes far beyond specifying Meta tags and keyword densities. It determines the success or failure of your overall internet marketing campaign. Optimising the URL structure, the menu navigation, and internal linking improve the ranking of your website will make it easy for search engines to crawl through and file your web pages. And don’t forget to add a sitemap!
• Off-Page- Done properly, this technique can be used to improve your website’s position in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Off-page SEO includes, link building via social media accounts, directory listings and social bookmarking.
•  Social Media- A social media strategy is the process of gaining the attention of the visitors using “click bait” (a sentence that persuades the reader to click on your website link, such as a sales offer) and bringing them to your website through the varying social media channels. The main focal part of this marketing strategy is therefore content, as you are looking to encourage users to share your posts amongst their friends and family.

If you are looking for Digital Marketing services, get in touch with the team at Five Rivers today. In addition to customised marketing campaigns, we offer many web services, including, web development and design, software development, and IT Support. 

Software Applications – A General Overview

 Free Software Consultation

The term ‘software’ is denoted as a data or an instruction read by a computer processor to perform any task. This is classified into two main categories- application software and system software.

Software Application Uses

Application Software- This kind of software application enables the user to accomplish tasks such as creating databases, spreadsheets, publications, and documents; enhancing existing business processes; or even playing games and providing entertainment. The software application works specifically for the task in hand; it is customised.

System Software- This includes such programs that are devoted to dealing the computer itself, such as; Disk Operating System, File Management Utilities, Operating System, etc. The role of the operating system is to manage the hardware resources of the computer along with its data and applications.

Advantages of Software Application Development

The end results of software application development provide many advantages, such as

•   Streamlining business processes
•   Increasing business profitability
• Meeting the needs of the user
• Less threat of viruses invading custom-made apps
• Businesses can better protect their network
• Licensed application software receives regular security updates

With so many advantages, software applications are instrumental in helping a business to grow, while minimizing cost.

If you are looking for a software application service provider, take advantage of our free software consultation – talk to us today about your project ideas.

What to Consider when Choosing a Web Development Company?

Choosing the right web development company can be time consuming. How do you know which is the right fit for your business, who has the most experience, or who keeps up with the latest in website technology? A good website can either make or break a business, so it is crucial to choose one that can help define and deliver your business goals. Before you settle on a website development company, it is important to understand how they approach a project, their methodology, and their accreditations.

It’s also important to spend time identifying your real business aims, in order to be able to create a website that reflects your brand’s personality, and your business culture. Here are 3 areas where the choosing the right web designers will allow your website to stand out for all the right reasons;

• Strong Brand Identity

If you want a unique brand identity, think about what logo would best represent your business – such as colour, font, size and image (if applicable). It should also reflect the personality of your business. (Think of brands such as Innocent, Crusha and Pepsi Max).

• Engaging web design

Web design is the first thing that grabs the user’s attention. The website will be representing the professionalism of your business, and will be acting as your senior salesperson, based on the fact it is created to engender trust, be informative, and encourage customer growth and retention.

• Enhance Search Engine Visibility

Any website should have the basics of search engine optimisation (SEO) actioned. For example, Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools should be set up, and some keyword research should have been conducted to help identify the most searched words for that product or service. Two sitemaps – both html and xml – should have been created, in order to be read by search engine spiders. This ensures that it boosts traffic to the website from the outset.

If you are seeking to increase your customer base and enhance your online presence, Five Rivers can help. We’re an IT Consultancy that offers a range of services including software development, website design and development, digital marketing and IT Support services - without burning a hole in your pocket, nor compromising on quality standards. Contact us today for a free consultation to see how we can benefit you. Dial 0203 397 7545.

How to Make an Effective Blog Post

Trying to write an effective blog post? Blogging is one of the best networking tools in order to improve online visibility. It's simple, free, informal and it contain relevant and helpful information, so it's pretty fun! You can write on different topics and publish on your own official or personal blog. There are several blog sites such as Blogger, Wordpress, Tumbler which are free and easy to use. By following a few simple guidelines, you can keep readers' attention and ensure repeat visits to your blog.

• Write your post with a purpose. Writing that is informative, interesting and has a motive beyond getting the rank.
• Before you make to post, understand your target audience. What do they want to know about? What are the latest trends?
• Before you even write anything, pick a topic and title for your blog post. Choose your post title carefully, because a title can make or break your post.
• Include primary keywords in your post that will help readers find your content easily when they make query in search engines.
• You might have great information but to make your post most effective you need to present in a way reader can easily grasp and use.
• Try to keep your post short and to the point. Organise your content in different forms such as sections, lists, tips, whatever most appropriate.
• A blog can reflect your personality and professionalism, so avoid misspelling, use proper grammar and punctuation.
• Make your content easy to read. Break up your post using paragraphs, subtitles and bullets that are easy to read.
• Add some relevant images to your post to make it more eye-catching. Quality images can enhance your content.
• Hyperlinks your primary keywords to only quality sites. It can provide quality back links and also increase blog traffic, do it carefully.
• Call to actions is a primary key to bring in more conversions. So, write your copy, so write strong, compelling call to action as well.

Are you blogging to build or grow your business online? You need each blog post to pull its weight. Providing relevant and helpful information isn’t enough to get your posts noticed online. To get faster success, make your post easy to read and engage. If your posts aren’t getting the enough traffic you might think you’re not doing it in right way. We can help you. Visit on our website – www.fiverivers.net or give us a call on 0203 397 7545.

Finding Time to Market your Business

Online advertising is a necessary evil for many business owners, many of whom are just too busy looking after their day to day operation. Ordering stock, invoicing, posting products, customer contact, dealing with company finances – just when should you find the time to do your marketing as well? Advertising your business online takes time and consideration, and an effective digital marketing campaign needs you to spend time learning about the many facets that can be applied, and the best ways in which to approach it. Failure to do this means that you could be wasting your time.

It’s no surprise therefore, that many businesses owners turn to professional Marketing companies to do this for them. Typically, the equivalent of an hour a day would propel your business up the search rankings, thereby improving your online profile and increasing your visibility. This in turn, will provide more website traffic and, potentially, more customers.

However – it doesn’t just stop there. Marketing only drives visitors to your website. It is then up to the website to act as your senior salesperson. Take a minute to look at your site and ask yourself –

• Is it user friendly?
• Is your key information easily found?
• Are there links within the written content to other pages of the site?
• Is the website mobile friendly? That is to say, does it resize to fit a smartphone or tablet, and allow for a good mobile user experience?

If the answer to any of these is “No”, then you need to be looking into the possibility of redesigning your whole website. The good news is that most Marketing companies also offer Web Design services.

Five Rivers is currently offering a FREE one hour consultation – whether to discuss digital marketing, website development, or mobile app development.

Dial 0203 397 7545 or visit http://www.fiverivers.net/our-solutions.aspx to find out more.

How to increase traffic to your website or blog using YouTube

If images are meant to speak a 1000 words, then imagine the power of videos. Writing great content about your business will generate good traffic to your website, but combining it with a video marketing strategy will boost your visitor engagement further.

One of the main reasons why YouTube is such a powerful medium, is because over 3 billion people watch videos on YouTube every day. This presents a fantastic opportunity, whereby your message has the potential to reach a significant amount of prospective clients.

How to Promote your Content

• Once your video is uploaded to YouTube, ask a web developer to embed it into your website. This is especially useful if the video is a “How To” guide, as it helps to promote you as an authority figure in your industry.
• Promote your video through all other social networks – give your video the best possible opportunity of being viewed, liked, and shared

Engage with other YouTube users

• Build a following - Liking and subscribing to other YouTube accounts will persuade others to follow your account
• Respond to any comments posted, making sure to answer questions in detail to give the impression that you are approachable – they may be willing to engage further, or even employ your services

With the scope that YouTube provides for businesses, it should really form an integral part of any business’ strategy.

Don’t forget to check Google Analytics to review the traffic obtained from this source – you may find the user behaviour is different to other methods of driving web traffic to your site, and you can then evolve your overall strategy accordingly.

If you’re looking to implement this strategy into your online marketing campaign, contact Five Rivers at http://www.fiverivers.net/. We can also create an animated video which can help to increase engagement further.

To discuss your ideas, dial 0203 397 7545 today to find out how we can drive traffic to your website.

Mobile App Development - Bring the World to Your Fingertips

Are you looking to build your own mobile app at an affordable price? We have a qualified team of software developers who are equipped with the latest technologies, enabling them to provide intuitive software solutions.

If you’re planning to hire a mobile app development company for your project, here are a few key pointers to consider before you make an approach;

• Get a clear idea about your app. Why do you need it? For example, do you want to improve web traffic or do you want to enhance your customer experience.
• One you have decided the relevancy of your idea, prepare a blueprint. Understand the application's navigation, flow and features.
• Keep your app clean and easy, so review your entire plan and remove all unnecessary features. Users want their app to be as easy as possible to understand and use.
• Your app should not be dull or uninspiring. It should be simple but engaging. Make it eye-catching with attractive colours and designs, to match the theme and concept.
• Hire a mobile app development company such as http://www.fiverivers.net
• Once your app has been developed, register a developer account in the respective app stores.
• You can track the quantity of downloads, retention, user behaviour and engagement for your mobile app with an analytic tool.
• Gather feedback from app users, because it will inform you about how well your app is being received, and whether there could be improvements to their experience.

Five Rivers is committed to building innovative, feature-rich applications which can help you become a part of the mobile revolution.

For detailed information about our software solutions, visit – http://www.fiverivers.net/software-development.aspx . Alternatively, you can call us on 0203 397 7545.