Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Tips for SME’s

The growth of the internet as a medium for sales and marketing has led to greater emphasis on Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Many SME’s and new business start-ups would be advised to spend time developing their SEO strategy or risk wasting money on online marketing. It is no good spending time on a state of the art website if nobody is able to find it.

Belsize Accountancy offer the following tips to our followers:

-Management must spend time on their SEO strategy. This is akin to your marketing strategy and should not be left to the IT developers as they are not well placed to deliver your business strategy. It is important to understand the strengths that you wish to articulate in respect of your business for the purposes of your online marketing.

-90% of users in the UK use Google as their preferred search engine.

-Consider investing in Google AdWords. This needs to be used effectively or you will waste money.

-The Google Ad ranking of your business is significant as this will increase your SEO. The ranking is calculated based on your bid, plus the relevance of your site and the keywords, plus how many clicks have been directed to that Ad.

-It takes time to develop optimization of your site and so do not expect to see results overnight. It can take at least 3 months to build your SEO status with Google.

-Find out the keywords your competitors are using on their sites. You are able to do this by typing their URL into Google AdWords.

-Develop Title Tags and Meta Descriptions for your site. This makes it easier for searches to find your website. Do not leave this to your IT department.

-Don’t wait for Google to find your site. You can register with them directly by providing your site map. Google likes Directories because these require some human involvement in setting them up. Google Places is essential for local businesses.

-Some customers are lured by the appeal of free shipping and may pay a higher price for your basket of goods as a result.

-You can structure your site so that different searches can land on different web pages to enable you to utilise the use of multiple meta descriptions for your business.

-Beware of negative strategies that can undermine the ranking of your site with Google. Avoid repetition and plagiarism.

-Set up a company Twitter page. Your business should also register with Facebook and Linkedin.

-Your site should include a Call to Action (or a prompt) that will encourage users to “register now”. Use of effective shading and colour can incentivise users to click on the desired links on your site. The phone number of your business should be prominent on the home page as this is an effective call to action.

-Web users prefer to access sites from people they know and trust. Evidence of a Trustworthy person or source on the website will deliver a positive message to users. Belsize for example are registered with and display the ICAEW logo on their site. The ACA qualification and the affiliation with the Institute of Chartered Accountants confirms our credentials to prospective clients.

-Adding a video to your site will greatly enhance your SEO. A video including an introduction to your business and a testimonial from a customer is highly recommended. It is also recommended that you transcribe your video as Google only recognises text and will thereby pick up any relevant material or statements in your video.

-Users do not tend to scroll down very often and rarely look at the second page of an internet search. It is important to optimise your SEO so that the advert for your business appears within the first 5 links on a Google search query. Similarly, your website should be designed so that the most important information, including your USP’s and call to action, are included on the top third section of the home page. Users should not have to scroll down to find out the nature of your business.

-It is important to use analytical tools to review the results of your online campaign. Successful businesses and contractors use lead forensics to follow up on people who view the web pages of their businesses but to not convert first time round. There are packages available that will direct targeted adverts to people who have viewed your site, through the use of internet cookies. Google for example offers a remarketing package whereby if someone clicks through to your site but doesn’t make a purchase, you can have an advert pop up on their screen the next time they log on. These methods of targeted advertising often have greater success rates for conversion.

-Your sites SEO will be based to an extent of the clicks received from offsite users. Google will look at the link between sites and adds weighting to these links. A link from a highly ranked site such as The Telegraph to your site will enhance the SEO for your site. Similarly, a link from a low ranked blog linking to you with a page ranking of 1 will not be much good to you. Your links should also have relevance. Make sure they are not called “click here” as it is best for the links to be named and hence provide relevant content to your site.

-Successful SEO tactics include adding links to your site on popular (and related) forums and by providing a web link on your business cards and emails.

We hope that you have found this information useful. We will continue to provide useful tips and advice, both accounting and commercial, to small businesses and contractors in subsequent news articles. If you require help with improving your SEO, Belsize are happy to pass on our recommendations to help you to grow your business.

Year Of The Snake Brings Risks In 2013

2013 is the Chinese Year of the Snake and could herald potential hazards for businesses and investors alike. Despite the global recession and the double dip experienced in the UK, 2012 did not experience the crash many economists feared. Government intervention and money printing by the major central banks has helped to shore up underperforming businesses (mainly banks) and restored business confidence.

Many people are now beginning to wonder whether the huge crash we were expecting will be avoided. However we would issue caution during the year of the snake. Expect the unexpected to strike at any time. Do not expect the stability of 2012 to persist in 2013. The Eurozone crisis is still very real with even Germany reporting a slowdown in its economy. Fears over a Greek default remain a major issue and the US have yet to resolve their “fiscal cliff”. The UK is increasingly coming under the spotlight and could well lose its coveted AAA rating this year. Any one of these issues could spark a major global recession.

Basic economic theory suggests that we require a bust before we can experience a proper recovery. 2013 has begun with several major retailers falling into administration including HMV, Comet, and Blockbusters. Wine merchant Majestic Wine is the latest company in the news to be experiencing financial difficulty.

UK businesses are placing greater emphasis on monitoring their cash flow and repaying their debt. Well managed businesses will survive the downturn and are likely to be well positioned to benefit from the opportunities that will arise during the inevitable recovery. Obtaining sound financial and commercial advice is critical to the success of a business. Belsize Accountancy are experts in advising small businesses to strengthen their financial controls together with budget and cash flow forecasting procedures. Feel free to contact us for a free quote. We do not charge for introductory visits.

Self Assessment Tax Returns Due on 31 January 2013

If you were a freelancer or ran your own company in fiscal year 2011-2012, then you need to submit an online self assessment tax return to the HM Revenue and Customs by 31 January 2013, since the deadline for paper submissions passed on 31 October 2012. The penalty for missing the deadline is a £100 fine for one day late and you may be charged additional interest on late payments. If you do not complete your tax return by 28th February 2013, you’ll also need to pay a 5% surcharge based on the value of the tax you owe.

The basic information for filing a self assessment tax return is as follows:

1. The self-employed income for the tax year
2. Bank interest received
3. Employment income earned during the year
4. Property income and allowable expenses
5. Expenses incurred during the year
6. Any tax and any national insurance that has already been deducted from your income 

As a self-employed person, you will be interested in what business-related expenses you can claim and how to reduce the tax you need to pay. If you want to claim expenses, you need to make sure you keep all your receipts. When you complete your tax return at the end of the year, you declare all your income and all your expenses. You must keep accurate records by law for five years and ten months after the end of the tax year that the figures related to. You also must be able to provide evidence that the expenses were actually incurred when the HM Revenue and Customs requests you to do so. If you don’t keep the records that you need to file a tax return, you can be fined up to £3,000.

Although you can fill out your tax return yourself, it can be a long process and if you are not a qualified accountant, it can be difficult to be certain that you are inputting the correct figures. If you do enter incorrect figures you may be liable for the interest on the underpaid tax and other costly penalties. Our professional team at Belsize Accountancy is experienced in tax returns and will process your self assessment tax return as soon as possible to ensure you beat the January deadline. We will provide advice regarding the information that you can claim as work-related expenses and strive to manage your taxes effectively.

We offer an excellent service, filing tax returns for many self-employed clients including limited company contractors, thereby enabling them to focus on running their own business. The 31 January 2013 deadline for April 2012 self assessment tax returns is now fast approaching. You will need to start preparing for this now. Please contact Belsize Accountancy on 0207 043 0052 for more advice.