# Bowler Hat > Cutting-edge advice and guidance from our digital marketing experts across strategy, SEO, PPC, Web Design & Development, Social Media and Content Marketing. --- ## Pages - [SEO/PPC Job Vacancy](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-ppc-job-vacancy/): SEO/PPC Job Vacancy We are seeking a skilled and results-driven SEO/PPC Specialist to join our marketing team. In this role,... - [WCAG Compliance Services](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/wcag-compliance-services/): WCAG Compliance Consultancy to help you create an accessible and compliant website. Get in touch to make your site meet WCAG standards. - [GDPR Compliance Services](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/gdpr-compliance-services/): GDPR-compliant services-led approach to help you make sure your website is GDPR compliant. Get in touch for a FREE GDPR Compliance Audit. - [Analytics](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/analytics/): Analytics consultancy-led approach to help you develop a winning Marketing Strategy. Get in touch for a FREE Website & SEO Audit + Personalised SEO Battle Plan. - [Enhanced Conversions Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/enhanced-conversions-guide/): Enhanced Conversions Guide Setting Up Enhanced Conversions Using Google Tag Manager Guide Step one: Preparation Firstly we are going to... - [Convert your Google Business Website to a WordPress Website](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/convert-your-google-business-website-to-a-wordpress-website/): Convert your Google Business Website to a WordPress Website In March 2024, all websites made with Google Business Profiles will... - [Google Analytics 4](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-analytics-4/): BowlerHat creates high-quality, attractive, and engaging designs across a broad range of services from brand identity to packaging design. - [Industries](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/): Industries BowlerHat specializes in a number of select industries and sectors, allowing us to provide quality results for niche audiences... - [Veterinary Sector Page](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/veterinary/): High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - [Q&A](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/qa/): Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. - [Aesthetics](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/aesthetics/): High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - [Vets Sector Page](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/vets-sector-page/): High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - [Roofers Sector Page](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/roofers/): High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. 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Learn more. - [Graphic Design](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/design/): BowlerHat creates high-quality, attractive, and engaging designs across a broad range of services from brand identity to packaging design. - [Free Marketing Audit](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/marketing-audit/): Get in touch for a free audit and video consultation to review your digital marketing strategy & platforms. - [Privacy Policy](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/privacy-policy/): Privacy Policy Bowler Hat Internet Services Limited (we) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in line with the... - [Hosting](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/hosting/): WP Engine is specifically optimised for WordPress websites, and cuts down the load time of your website dramatically. - [New Website Questionnaire](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/web-design/website-questionnaire/): New Website Questionnaire From a technical perspective, we use WordPress to build the site. This gives us a solid technical... - [Strategy & Planning](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/strategy/): Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. - [Blog](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/blog/): Cutting-edge advice and guidance from our digital marketing experts across strategy, SEO, PPC, Web Design & Development, Social Media and Content Marketing. - [Contact Us](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/contact-us/): 112 Zellig, The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham. B9 4AT. 0121 314 2001. Get in touch & speak to one of our digital marketing experts today! - [Content Marketing](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/content-marketing/): Expand your audience and illustrate your credibility with content marketing. We build a detailed content marketing plan that's specific to you. - [Social Media Advertising](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/social-media-advertising/): Bowler Hat provide a range of strategic social media services including audits, strategy, content creation, advertising & management of the key platforms. - [PPC](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/ppc/): Work with a PPC Consultant with over 20 years of Google Ads Experience covering PPC Consulting, PPC Strategy, PPC Management & Optimisation. - [SEO](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/seo/): SEO consultancy led approach to help you develop a winning SEO Strategy. Get in touch for a FREE Website & SEO Audit + Personalised SEO Battle Plan. - [Web Design](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/web-design/): High-performance web design for businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. - [Services](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/): Digital Marketing Services: Strategy, SEO, PPC, Social, Content, Analytics and Conversion Optimisation - Get in touch for a consultation & marketing plan. - [About Us](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/about-us/): At BowlerHat we help local and national businesses reach their objectives through strategy and expert knowledge. Digital Marketing - Simplified. - [Home](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/): Bowler Hat helps small businesses get new leads with web design, SEO, PPC & Social. Get in touch for a Free audit and marketing plan today. --- ## Posts - [Are Standard Organic Results Losing Value?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/are-standard-organic-results-losing-value/): Are standard organic SEO search results losing value? - [AI Search - How will SEO change in 2025?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ai-search-how-will-seo-change-in-2025/): The team at Bowler Hat have written their predictions for how AI might change SEO in 2025. If you have any questions, get in touch. - [How To Combat Spam Leads From Google Ads - The Ultimate Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-combat-spam-leads-from-google-ads-the-ultimate-guide/): Learn about spam leads caused by PMAX, then learn how to prevent them to improve your conversion tracking. - [Google Ads Enhanced Conversions - The Ultimate Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/enhanced-coversions/): Learn about Enhanced Conversions, then learn to set them up inside Google Tag Manager and Google Ads to improve your conversion tracking. - [A Philosophy for SEO](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/a-philosophy-for-seo/): Learn how to improve your SEO by adopting a clear, value orientated SEO Philosophy - Give and you shall receive. By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - [Strategy vs Tactics - Digital Marketing’s Chicken & Egg Problem](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/strategy-vs-tactics-digital-marketings-chicken-egg-problem/): Digital Marketing has a problem. Should you work on digital tactics like SEO or PPC first? Or should you hone... - [Do you need SEO Tools?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-tools-do-you-need-them/): There are many SEO tools out there but do you need to use them? Do they help? Or do they create SEO busy work? By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - [Small Business SEO Tips](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/small-business-seo-tips/): 30 small business SEO Tips for small businesses covering keyword research, on-page, local, authority & more. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [The Magical Marketing Bullet](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-magical-marketing-bullet/): Marketing is complicated and difficult. When presented with a complex system, humans tend to try and oversimplify – which, in... - [SEO Opportunity in the Age of AI Content](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-true-seo-opportunity-in-the-age-of-ai-content/): How will ChatGPT and AI content impact SEO and content marketing? This article looks at the true SEO opportunity in the age of AI content. - [How to Set SMART Goals for SEO](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-set-smart-goals-for-seo/): Learn how to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for SEO. - [The Growth of Video Content Ranking on Google’s Search Page](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-growth-of-video-content-ranking-on-googles-search-page/): This post looks at how video and video content has impacted Google's search results page layout. If you have any questions, contact us today. - [Do you need links to rank a website on Google?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/do-you-need-links-to-rank-a-website-on-google/): Do you need links to rank on Google? Maybe. It depends. Stop asking overly general questions & get specific to know if you need links. - [5 Google Ads PPC Management Tips (2022) | Bowler Hat](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/5-google-ads-ppc-management-tips-2022-bowler-hat/): In this post we look at 5 ways to optimise your Google Ads PPC to save money and improve results simultaneously - win-win. - [How to Write High-Performance Google Ads - 10 Tips for 2022](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-write-high-performance-google-ads-10-tips-for-2022/): Learn the ways you can improve your Google Ads to get more clicks, generate more business, and save money. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat - [SEO For Accountants](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-for-accountants/): A comprehensive look at how to rank your accountancy firm on Google using SEO & Local SEO. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [How to Design Google Display Banner Ads](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-design-display-banner-ads-for-google/): Google display ads are a great way to engage your audience. In this post, we help you design display ads that will achieve your marketing objectives. - [How to check local rankings on Google](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-check-local-rankings/): Think that you rank well locally? How about a mile away? Or two miles? Learn how to check local rankings across your entire target geography. - [How to Target Ads on the Google Display Network](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/target-ads-on-google-display-network/): There are three key components to successful banner advertising with the Google Display Network (GDN): A compelling product (think 4Ps-... - [How to Create an SEO-Friendly Website](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-create-an-seo-friendly-website/): Learn how to quickly and easily build an SEO-friendly website using affordable off-the-shelf tools. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [What is Local SEO & Why it Matters](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-local-seo/): Local SEO is the process of improving local businesses’ visibility in the local search results. On Google, this generally means... - [SEO & PPC for Care Homes](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-ppc-for-care-homes/): A comprehensive look at how to market your care home on Google using SEO and Google PPC Ads. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [Why Link Building for SEO Fails](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ass-backwards-link-building/): Most link building efforts are back to front! Learn how to develop a winning mindset & build links that boost your SEO. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [Which Type of SEO Do You Actually Need?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/type-seo-actually-need/): This guide will help you to determine which type of SEO best suits your business, and in time, help your business become more visible online. - [SEO Packages - A Buyers Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-packages-choose-wisely/): Learn how to select the best possible SEO package for your business and tap into the high return world of organic search. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [Google Ads PPC Strategy Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ppc-strategy-guide/): In this guide, we outline how to create a clear Google Ads PPC strategy to maximise your results. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [How to Check Your Website Rankings on Google](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/check-website-rankings-google/): Find out the various ways you can check where your website is ranking in Google and how to use that data to improve your SEO campaigns. - [SEO Tips for Beginners - 5 Easy Wins for 2022](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-tips-beginners/): Five beginners SEO tips you can use in 2020 to optimise your site, improve ranking and drive more traffic from Google. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [Do Google Ads Work For Small Businesses?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/do-google-ads-work-for-small-businesses/): Learn whether Google Ads are a good fit for your small business and whether you should run them yourself or use a PPC consultant. - [Yell Websites - 9 Reasons Not To Use Yell For Your Web Design](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/reasons-not-yell-web-design/): As a small business, your website is crucially important. In this article, we look at the problems with Yell websites so you can make an informed decision who to use when building your next business website. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - [Local SEO Tips - 8 Tips to Rank Locally in 2022](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/local-seo-tips/): We outline 7 key tips to help you dial in your local SEO and get your local business ranking at the top of the map pack and organic results. - [How Long Does SEO Take?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-long-does-seo-take/): One of the first questions we get asked is how long does SEO take? In this post, I am going to help you determine how long SEO would take for you. - [SEO Not Working? Learn Why & How To Fix It](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-not-working/): There are many reasons why an SEO campaign can fail to work. We review common problems and how to put them right to generate organic traffic. - [Beginner's Guide to Conversion Rate Optimisation](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/beginners-guide-to-conversion-rate-optimisation/): In our guide to conversion rate optimisation (CRO), learn how to improve conversion rates on your website to generate more leads and sales. - [How to ask for a Google Review for your Business](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/write-email-asking-google-review/): This article looks at how to write an email to your clients asking for a Google review. A quick email can help your reviews grow and your SEO flourish. - [Is SEO Good for Small Businesses?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/is-seo-good-for-small-businesses/): In this article, we cover everything you need to determine whether SEO is a good fit for your small business. - [Understanding Keyword Match Types in Google Ads](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/understanding-keyword-match-types-for-google-ads/): Understanding keyword match types is key to running successful Google Ads campaigns. Learn how to use match types to cut costs and boost results. - [A/B Testing for Google Ads - A Beginner's Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/a-b-testing-for-google-ads/): This guide will teach you how to optimise your Google Ads campaigns through A/B Testing, including tools, benefits and guidance! - [Google Display & Banner Ads: A Beginner’s Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-display-banner-ads-a-beginners-guide/): Our guide will help you maximise conversions and optimise your digital campaigns to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck. - [How to choose a local SEO Company](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/choose-a-local-seo-company/): In this article, we show you how to evaluate local SEO companies and how to find a local company that can help you hit your SEO goals. - [Google Ads - The 4 Key PPC Success Factors](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-ads-the-4-key-success-factors/): Learn about the 4 key success factors you must master to create Google Ads campaigns that turn clicks into customers. By Marcus Miller. - [Scientific Approach to Web Design (Or Why Most Websites Suck)](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/scientific-website-design/): This article looks at why most website design is done wrong, and more importantly, how to do it right and transform your marketing. - [What Is SEO?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-seo/): What is SEO? Learn what SEO is and you can leverage this often misunderstood marketing tactic to gain more traffic from Google. - [Datejacking Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/datejacking/): The new way to stay on top of your social media game! Datejacking improves on newsjacking in every way. It... - [How Important Is Web Hosting For SEO?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-important-is-web-hosting-for-seo/): Web hosting comes in many shapes and sizes. But how important is the quality of your website hosting for your SEO? In this article we look at just important hosting quality is for SEO and how to grade your current hosting and identify the best hosting provider. By Marcus Miller - Bowler Hat. - [Website Planning Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/website-planning-guide-for-start-ups-and-small-businesses/): This guide sets out everything you need to consider when planning a website for a startup or small business. - [How Small Businesses Can Leverage Chatbots](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/small-businesses-chatbots/): Small businesses can leverage chatbots to save time and money. Here are 5 effective ways you can use chatbots to achieve your business goals. - [Google Ads PPC for Roofers - 7 Tips to Improve Results](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-ads-ppc-roofers/): Google Ads is a powerful way to promote your roofing business. We look at 7 tips to help you save money and generate more return from your ad spend. - [7 Key Takeaways from the Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-search-quality-evaluator-guidelines/): 7 key takeaways from the Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines that you can put in place to improve your visibility in Google search today. - [E-A-T Checklist: 13 Ways to Improve Your Website's E-A-T Rating and Boost Your SEO Ranking](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/eat-checklist/): E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority & Trust and is used by Google to rank your website. Our checklist outlines 13 ways you can improve your E-A-T rating. - [Affordable SEO - Rank Without Breaking the Bank!](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/affordable-seo-rank-without-breaking-the-bank/): Affordable SEO is a minefield. Most services will range from ineffective to potentially damaging. In this article, we detail how to find a safe and effective SEO package at a realistic price. - [How Good Hosting Speeds Up WordPress by Over 200%](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-good-hosting-speeds-up-wordpress-by-over-200/): In this article we show how simply moving to a truly optimised hosting environment can triple site performance without tons of technical overhead. - [Web Design - A Quick Guide for Beginners](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/web-design-guide-beginners/): In this blog post, I will be deciphering all the main necessities you need to keep in mind when designing your website whilst revising some of the basics. - [GDPR One Month On - Are You Compliant Yet?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/gdpr-one-month-on/): Last month’s GDPR-pocalypse was something nobody was really looking forward to. So where are we one month on? Are you compliant? - [Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses - Pocket Guide](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/social-media-marketing-small-businesses/): Find out why social media is important for your business, the top social media platforms, and how to tap into this stream of potential customers. - [How To Improve Your WordPress Website’s Speed Using Plugins](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/improve-wordpress-website-speed-using-plugins/): In this article, I highlight the best plugins to use to improve your WordPress website's page speed. Many site speed issues can be fixed by installing plugins. I list the common issues that arise in the Google PageSpeed Tester and which plugins can resolve them. - [GDPR and WordPress Security - How to Secure Your Site](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/gdpr-wordpress-security/): Securing your website is a crucial component of looking after your customers’ data in compliance with GDPR. This post details how to secure your WordPress site to ensure your data is safe and you avoid a heft fine. By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - [How To Optimise Your Images For Site Speed](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-images-site-speed/): More often than not, images are the main reason why your website is producing poor results when it comes to speed. This blog post details how to optimise your images to improve site speed. - [What Is Shopify?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-shopify/): If you are looking at moving into or improving your eCommerce capability you will likely have come across the Shopify platform. In this post, I am going to give you an overview of what Shopify is and the feature set so you can make a decision if Shopify is the right eCommerce platform for your business. - [What's The Best CMS For Small Business Websites?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/best-cms-small-business-websites/): I evaluate some of the main CMS platforms to see which is best for your small business website to try and help you decide where your time, money, and effort is going to be best used. - [How To Optimise Site Speed by Choosing the Best Themes and Plugins](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-site-speed-choosing-best-themes-plugins/): I have created guidelines on how to optimise the speed of your website by choosing a fast theme and avoiding installing plugins which could slow your website down. - [What Is PPC? A Brief Overview of Pay-Per-Click Marketing](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-ppc/): PPC is a way of marketing on search engines. This post provides a brief overview of pay-per-click marketing so that you can understand how it works and start using PPC to benefit your business. - [What Is Link Building and Why Is It Important?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-link-building-why-is-it-important/): Link building is not the easiest SEO tactic to understand. So, we detail the who, what, where, when, and why of link building so you know what it is and why it is so important to your SEO strategy. - [The Simple 2 Step Content Marketing Strategy That Will Boost Your Small Business](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/simple-content-marketing-strategy-boost-small-business/): This simple 2 step content marketing strategy involves identifying audience questions and creating content that answers these questions. It’s easy to implement and doesn’t require a big budget so any small business can employ this strategy today to start getting results and reap the benefits of content marketing. - [How To Check The Speed Of Your Website](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/check-speed-website/): In 2018, improving the speed of your website has now moved from being an option to a necessity. Google is starting to downgrade slow websites and users expect speedy sites. We highlight 3 tools you can use to assess and optimise your website's speed. - [WordPress for Beginners - The Basics](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/wordpress-beginners-basics/): WordPress is one of the largest content management systems for web design and development, so it is vital to know some of the basic ground knowledge. This blog will identify some of the key aspects of WordPress, outline how you can benefit from learning the basics, and help you familiarise yourself with the platform. - [How to Make Your Restaurant's Website The Best in 2018](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/make-restaurants-website-best/): The way people purchase their food has changed a lot over the past few years. In this article, we explore the ways in which you can make your restaurant's website the best in 2018 and how you can connect with thousands of hungry customers... - [Facebook News Feed Changes Are Coming - How Will The Changes Affect Small Businesses?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/facebook-news-feed-changes-affect-small-businesses/): The Facebook news feed is changing. One thing’s for sure is that the change will apply to all, whether it's a personal profile or a business page, and the recent changes will have the biggest impact on professional pages. But how will these recent changes to the Facebook news feed affect small businesses? - [How Will Changes To The Facebook News Feed Impact Advertisers?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/changes-facebook-news-feed-advertisers/): We discuss how the recent changes to Facebook's news feed will impact advertisers. The important thing to note is that ads will not be affected by the coming change and it is business as usual for advertisers. Only organic page reach will really be hit. Facebook is simply becoming more pay to play than it is already. - [22 Email Marketing Tips That Will Improve Performance](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/email-marketing-tips-improve-performance/): Email marketing is one of the most effective ways of reaching and engaging prospects. Here's how to improve results from your email marketing campaigns. - [What Is A SERP? - SEO Acronyms & Jargon Explained](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/serp-seo-acronyms-jargon-explained/): SERPs are the search engine result pages and in this post we look at the various types of SERPs and how you can leverage these to improve your organic SEO. - [29 Best Ways to Promote and Market Your Content](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/29-best-ways-promote-market-content/): This post looks at 29 of the best ways to promote & market your content to ensure you get the best results you can and make content marketing work for you. - [The Best Facebook Ad Formats That Will Help You Meet Your Business Objectives](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/facebook-ad-formats-business-objectives/): To help you get started with advertising on Facebook, we look at the best Facebook ad formats that will help you meet your business objectives. - [How To Do Bulk Redirects in WordPress](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/bulk-redirects-wordpress/): This article highlights the best and most effective way to do bulk redirects in WordPress in 5 simple steps to save time and make your job easier. - [How to Optimise Your Google My Business Listing](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-google-business-listing/): How to optimise your Google My Business listing to help your business’s local ranking and enhance your presence in Google search to boost your business. - [6 Content Types That Will Boost Engagement On Social Media](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/content-boost-engagement-social-media/): I highlight some of the best types of content that boost engagement on social media so you can develop relationships, increase trust, and build a community. - [Site Performance and the New Time to Interactive Metric](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/site-performance-time-to-interactive/): This post highlights all you need to know about Google's new Time to Interactive metric so you can maximise your site's performance. - [Should You Submit Your Website to Search Engines?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/submit-website-search-engines/): Getting your website indexed by Google is the first step in a successful SEO campaign. In this article, we show you the best and fastest way to get indexed. - [Content Optimisation Guide: 10 Simple Yet Effective Ways to Optimise Your Content](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/simple-effective-ways-optimise-content/): See our ultimate content optimisation guide here. Use these 10 simple yet effective ways to optimise your content even if you don't know anything about SEO! - [How to Design a Website That Achieves Your Business Goals](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/design-website-achieves-business-goals/): A site’s design is key in helping a business achieve their marketing goals. Here's what you should consider when designing a marketing-focused website. - [How To Write High-Performing PPC Ads That Convert](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/write-high-performing-ppc-ads-convert/): This post looks at how to write a high-performing Google Adwords Extended PPC ad that increases click-through rate, quality score, and conversion rate. - [Top 5 WordPress Plugins That Will Speed Up Development of Your Website](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/wordpress-plugins-speed-development-website/): These top 5 WordPress plugins will help you speed up the development of your WordPress website to help you reach that deadline faster. - [How to Configure the Yoast SEO Plugin Upon Installation for WordPress](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/configure-yoast-seo-plugin-wordpress/): Yoast SEO can improve the SEO performance of your WordPress website. These are the best configurations to use the plugin to its full potential. - [Is Motion a Benefit or Drawback in Website Design?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/motion-benefit-drawback-website-design/): This article explores a few key things to consider in order to use motion to your advantage to gain conversions and achieve your business goals. - [How to Choose Your Perfect WordPress Theme](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/choose-perfect-wordpress-theme/): With thousands of WordPress themes available, finding the right one can be tough. This checklist will help you find the WordPress theme best suited for you. - [How to Generate a Google Review Link](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-review-link-generator/): Generating your Google review URL is quick and easy. This article highlights how you can create a Google review link to get those reviews piling in. - [How To Get More Google Reviews in 3 Easy Steps](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/get-google-reviews/): Learn how to get more google reviews for your Google my business page with our 3 easy steps. Click to read more. - [How to Build a Loyal Online Community Using Social Media](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/loyal-online-community-social-media/): A community is a group of people with a shared interest, value or belief. Build a community around your brand & form relationships to benefit your business. - [How to Optimise Your New Website to Be Found on Search Engines](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-website-search-engines/): Without SEO you won't be found on search engines and bring visitors to your website. Optimise your site for search engines with these few SEO essentials. - [Search Advertising with PPC - An Overview](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/search-advertising-ppc-overview/): In this article, we are going to go into more detail on advertising your business using PPC on the popular search engines Google & Bing. - [Online Advertising - What Are Your Options?](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/online-advertising-options/): Online advertising is a good place to start a digital marketing campaign. This article looks at the options for advertising online. - [The Pros and Cons of a Small Business Using WordPress](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/pros-cons-small-business-using-wordpress/): This post outlines what every small business should consider when deciding whether to build their website in WordPress. - [What to Include in Your Website's Footer](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/include-websites-footer/): Here are my recommended elements that you should add to your footer so that when someone views your footer they can see exactly what they need. - [5 Nifty Social and Content Tools You Need to Streamline Your Strategy](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/5-nifty-social-content-tools/): Use these 5 cool tools to create some great content and streamline your social and content strategy. - [What Every Small Business Needs for a Successful Website](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/every-small-business-website/): If you’re a small business and you haven’t got a website yet, you’re missing out. These are the elements every small business needs for a successful site. - [How to Optimise Your Twitter Profile](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-twitter-profile/): This post will examine how you can optimise your Twitter profile to create a great first impression and fully utilise the platform’s potential. - [The Free Plugins Every WordPress Site Needs to Avoid Disaster](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/plugins-wordpress-site-needs-avoid-disaster/): These plugins will ensure that your WordPress website is optimised for maximum performance and nothing slips through the cracks. - [How to Set Up Your Email on Your Phone or Tablet](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/set-email-phone-tablet/): This short and useful setup guide lends a helping hand to those struggling to set up email on their mobile devices. - [80 Types of Content That Will Inspire Your Creativity and Supercharge Your Content Strategy](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/80-types-content-inspire-creativity-supercharge-content-strategy/): Content marketing is much more than writing blogs. Try some of these 80 types of content to inspire your creativity and supercharge your content strategy. - [How To Redirect One Page Of A Website To A New Domain](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/redirect-page-new-domain/): Learn the best ways to optimise your website with Bowler Hat's blog. Read on to find out how to redirect one page of a website to a new domain. - [How to Claim Ownership of a Verified Google+ Business Page](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/claim-ownership-verified-google-business-page/): Learn how to claim ownership of your Google my business page with our blog post. Click here to read how to verify your page. --- ## Case Studies - [International Airport Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/analytics-configuration-for-major-uk-international-airport/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Wallace Chess Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/wallace-chess-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Louisa Jane Interiors Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/louisa-jane-interiors-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Absolute EPM Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/absolute-epm-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Elonex Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/elonex-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Little Bears Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/little-bears-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [College Enrolment Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/college-enrolment-landing-pages-case-study/): Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - [Zest Education Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/zest-education-case-study/): Bowler Hat worked with Zest Education to design a new website for their recruitment agency that was optimised for SEO & Digital Marketing. - [Writing West Midlands Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/writing-west-midlands-case-study/): Events Booking Website Design & Development The Backstory Writing West Midlands (WWM) evolved from the Birmingham Book Festival which was... - [Cluego Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/cluego-case-study/): Bowler Hat have delivered SEO, PPC & Digital Marketing for Cluego over several years and through the COVID-19 Pandemic. - [Bright & White Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/bright-white-case-study/): Website Rebuild & Design Refresh The Backstory Bright and White dental is a dental spa located in London. Bowler Hat... - [Rofuto Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/rofuto-case-study/): Responsive Web Development The Backstory Situated at the top of Park Regis in Birmingham City Center, Rofuto offers diners a... - [John Evans Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/john-evans-case-study/): Bespoke Website Design The Backstory John Evans is a firm which focuses on providing interior design & architecture to high-end... - [Studio 131 Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/studio-131-case-study/): Small Business Website The Backstory Studio131 is an independent gym based in Digbeth, Birmingham that is built around using creative... - [JRM Plastering Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/jrm-plastering-case-study/): Bowler Hat built a new website and implemented SEO for a local plasterer - the business now relies solely on organic search for all leads. - [OMS Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/overcoming-multiple-sclerosis-case-study/): The charity OMS lost over 90% of their organic traffic after a website redesign. Learn how we identified the problem and restored the traffic. - [Payara Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/payara-case-study/): SEO & PPC The Backstory Payara Server is an open-source middleware server which had been developed as a drop-in replacement... - [Luvdup Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/luvdup-case-study/): Strategy & Social Media Marketing The Backstory LuvDup is a new dating app created for couples that aims to put... - [Willmott Dixon Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/willmott-dixon-case-study/): Bespoke Website Design & Build The Backstory Willmott Dixon are currently developing a 650-room hub for over 6000 students at... - [Seven Capital Case Study](https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/seven-capital-case-study/): Bowler Hat helped Seven Capital launch the business with a global Google Ads PPC digital marketing campaign selling several hundred properties. --- # # Detailed Content ## Pages - Published: 2024-12-19 - Modified: 2024-12-19 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-ppc-job-vacancy/ SEO/PPC Job Vacancy We are seeking a skilled and results-driven SEO/PPC Specialist to join our marketing team. In this role, you will be responsible for developing, implementing, and optimising search engine optimisation (SEO) strategies and pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns to maximise traffic, improve search engine rankings, and drive revenue growth. You will work collaboratively with our content, design, and analytics teams to achieve measurable results. Key Responsibilities SEO Responsibilities Conduct keyword research and competitor analysis to identify high-value terms for organic growth. Optimise website structure, meta tags, content, and images for search engine algorithms. Develop and implement on-page and off-page SEO strategies to improve organic search rankings. Perform technical SEO audits and resolve issues like site speed, crawl errors, and broken links. Stay updated on industry trends, search engine algorithm updates, and best practices. Create and analyse monthly SEO performance reports, highlighting areas of improvement. PPC Responsibilities Plan, create, and manage paid advertising campaigns on platforms like Google Ads, Bing Ads, and social media networks. Perform keyword research and selection for PPC campaigns to ensure relevance and profitability. Monitor and optimise ad performance, including click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and cost-per-click (CPC). Analyse PPC performance metrics and provide actionable recommendations for campaign improvements. Conduct A/B testing to improve ad performance and ROI. Keep up to date with changes to the PPC industry. Collaborative Efforts Partner with the content team in the development of high-quality SEO content and compelling PPC ad copy. Work with designers to ensure visual assets complement SEO and... --- > WCAG Compliance Consultancy to help you create an accessible and compliant website. Get in touch to make your site meet WCAG standards. - Published: 2024-10-21 - Modified: 2024-10-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/wcag-compliance-services/ WCAG Compliance Services WCAG support for Agencies and Businesses. Achieving WCAG compliance can seem challenging, but we simplify the process to ensure your website is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities. By following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), we help your website meet legal accessibility standards, improving usability for all and reducing the risk of penalties or lawsuits. Services: WCAG Audits, Accessibility Remediation, Compliance Monitoring, User Experience (UX) Enhancements, Screen Reader Optimization, Accessible Design Implementation, Compliance Reporting, Ongoing Accessibility Monitoring, Whitelabel Services for Agencies, WCAG Training for Teams. Proven Expertise - UX Qualified – Google Partner – Award-Winning WCAG Solutions Accessibility experts – Ensuring compliance with WCAG 2. 2 standards – Solutions to make your website inclusive for all and fully compliant. Build an accessible, compliant website that provides an equal experience for every user. Get Started WCAG Services Let us help you make your website accessible, compliant, and user-friendly. WCAG Audits Our detailed audits assess your website against the latest WCAG 2. 2 standards. We identify accessibility barriers and provide a comprehensive action plan to make your website fully compliant and usable for everyone, including those with visual, auditory, and motor disabilities. WCAG Monitoring Achieving compliance is often the first step but as websites grow and change we can also monitor for compliance to keep you compliant and accessible. User Experience (UX) Enhancements Improve the overall user experience by incorporating accessibility best practices. From intuitive navigation to clear content structure, we enhance your website’s usability for all... --- > GDPR-compliant services-led approach to help you make sure your website is GDPR compliant. Get in touch for a FREE GDPR Compliance Audit. - Published: 2024-10-21 - Modified: 2024-10-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/gdpr-compliance-services/ GDPR Compliance Services GDPR support for Agencies and Businesses. Navigating GDPR compliance can be complex, but we make it simple. We ensure your website is fully compliant with GDPR regulations, helping you protect user privacy while maintaining access to the data needed for your business. Our experts evaluate your current data practices and implement the necessary changes to keep your business safe from potential fines and data breaches. Services: GDPR Audits, Cookie Consent Management, Privacy Policy Review, Data Mapping & Records, Google Consent Mode, User Data Requests, Consent Tracking, GDPR Training for Teams, Whitelabel Services for Agencies Proven Expertise – Google Partner – Award-Winning GDPR Solutions Uncover key insights to understand your customers better, optimise campaigns, and drive measurable business growth. Get Started GDPR Services Expert GDPR consultants – Protecting your business and your customers – Tailored solutions for your compliance needs Stay compliant, avoid legal risks, and protect your customers' privacy while maintaining business growth. GDPR Audits Through thorough audits, we’ll evaluate your website’s data collection and storage practices, ensuring all processes comply with GDPR requirements. We’ll provide a detailed action plan to address any issues and protect your business. Cookie Consent Management Implement clear and effective cookie consent mechanisms on your website, ensuring users can manage their preferences easily. We’ll ensure your cookies respect GDPR rules without compromising your site’s functionality or user experience. Privacy Policy Review We review and update your privacy policy to ensure it meets GDPR standards. This includes clear explanations of data usage, consent... --- > Analytics consultancy-led approach to help you develop a winning Marketing Strategy. Get in touch for a FREE Website & SEO Audit + Personalised SEO Battle Plan. - Published: 2024-10-15 - Modified: 2024-10-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/analytics/ Analytics Analytics support for Agencies and Businesses. Analytics can be overwhelming to set up and deliver underwhelming results, but we simplify it to provide a simple setup with clear insights. We evaluate your data landscape and business objectives to understand how analytics can drive growth and improve decision-making. From there, we create a customised analytics strategy tailored to your unique needs. Services: Analytics Consulting, Data Audits, Conversion Tracking, Enhanced Conversion Tracking, Multi-channel Attribution, Custom Reports, Reporting Automation, Advanced Data Analysis & Insights. Whitelabel services for agencies, TrainingProven Expertise – Google Partner – Award-Winning Analytics SolutionsUncover key insights to understand your customers better, optimise campaigns, and drive measurable business growth. Get Started Analytics Services Let us help you transform your data into a powerful tool for business growth. Analytics Consulting Whether you're looking to understand the potential of your data or resolve specific analytical challenges, we’re here to help you understand your data. Data Audits Through comprehensive audits, we’ll identify your data strengths and weaknesses and provide a tailored action plan to improve data quality and utilisation. Conversion Tracking Ensure you're tracking the right actions across your site and platforms, clearly showing how users interact with your business. Helping to improve your paid campaigns. Enhanced Conversions Implement enhanced conversions to boost the accuracy of your conversion data. This allows for better attribution while still complying with GDPR cookie laws. Custom Automated Reports Get the insights you need with tailored reporting solutions that highlight the KPIs most important to your business goals.... --- - Published: 2024-10-02 - Modified: 2024-11-20 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/enhanced-conversions-guide/ Enhanced Conversions Guide Setting Up Enhanced Conversions Using Google Tag Manager Guide Step one: Preparation Firstly we are going to go through and make sure we are eligible for enhanced conversions, the below list is all the requirements you will need to set up enhanced conversions Pre-implementation Requirements: Conversion Page - URL Identify the URL where the conversion tag will fire. GTM is on the site - Make sure the code for GTM is in the source code of your siteFirst-Party Customer Data - Ensure there is at least 1 (The more the better) set of first-party customer data available on the page where your conversion tracking tag fires. This includesEmail ( Recommended )Phone Number: ( Recommended to provide it along with an email for optimal matching )Address: ( If used, ensure you include first name, last name, postal code, and country. If any of these details are missing, do not include the address. ) Figure out which tag to use inside Google Tag Manager: Before we begin, we must first figure out which tag we are going to pick to use inside tag manager, there are two options depending on where on the site the customer's first-party data is collected. 1. Google Ads Conversion Tracking: When to Use It: Use this option when the customer's first-party data (like email or phone number) is collected on the same page where the conversion tag fires. This typically happens on a confirmation page where the user completes a purchase, on a form... --- - Published: 2024-10-01 - Modified: 2024-10-01 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/test/ Your email* Website Service you are interested in: SEOPPCWeb DesignContentStrategyWebsite Hosting Tell us your requirement* I consent that my data sent in this form will be stored by Bowler Hat so that they can respond back to my enquiry. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Δdocument. getElementById( "ak_js_1" ). setAttribute( "value", ( new Date ). getTime ); --- - Published: 2024-02-09 - Modified: 2024-02-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/convert-your-google-business-website-to-a-wordpress-website/ Convert your Google Business Website to a WordPress Website In March 2024, all websites made with Google Business Profiles will deleted. Get ahead with a brand new, performance-optimised website. We make the transition to a new website as smooth as possible. Bowler Hat will design, develop and set up a visually attractive and high-performing website to generate more visitors, leads, and sales for your business. Our team of passionate experts has a combined experience of over 50 years in the industry, developing hundreds of websites for both small and large businesses. Bowler Hat has spent a significant amount of time, researching and testing what makes a website user-friendly and enjoyable for visitors enabling us to create high-quality and performing websites for your business. High performing websites combine expert design, cutting edge technical skills, copywriting and SEO to rank highly in search engines and convert clicks to customers. Contact us and we'll get back to you ASAP All Business Websites Include Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built... --- > BowlerHat creates high-quality, attractive, and engaging designs across a broad range of services from brand identity to packaging design. - Published: 2023-01-17 - Modified: 2023-01-18 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-analytics-4/ Grow your business with Bowler Hat today. Digital Marketing is Complicated. Knowing what to do and how to do it effectively is half the battle. Request a free marketing review to identify problems with your current marketing and opportunities to generate more leads & sales. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Our Expertise Digital Marketing That Works! Results Focused Web Design, SEO, Google Ads PPC & Conversion Optimisation. Google Analytics 4 Upgrade Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is the latest version of Google Analytics, and it’s the biggest update in the 15-year history of the tool. This new version of Google Analytics promises to provide users with more robust and powerful data analysis capabilities. There are many great reasons to upgrade from Universal Analytics (UA) to Google Analytics 4 (GA4). These include future-proofing your analytics, improved customer tracking and measurement, predictive metrics and segmentation, faster and more powerful reporting, multi-channel analytics, and being necessary for the future. By upgrading to GA4, you will be able to take advantage of its many features. For starters, it provides a ton more data and is more customizable—which means you can track what matters to you, not just what Google thinks might matter to you. GA4 also has a new suite of features called Explorations, which allows you to build custom reports, explore your data, and get the answers you’re looking for. Get In Touch Resources --- - Published: 2022-07-05 - Modified: 2022-11-02 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/ Industries BowlerHat specializes in a number of select industries and sectors, allowing us to provide quality results for niche audiences and tackle specific growth needs. Get In Touch Trades Digital marketing services for electricians. Boost leads. Maximise conversions. Book more jobs. Get In Touch Recruitment Agencies SEO, Google ads, and web design services for plumbers that will grow your plumbing business without huge investment. Get In Touch Care Homes Optimise your marketing strategy, generate more leads, and boost sales with expert SEO, PPC, and web design. Get In Touch Kitchen Retailers Paid, social, and search marketing for accountants. Attract more clients and enhance your accounting business. Get In Touch Financial Advisors Expert digital marketing for the finance sector. Improve ROI and boost results across all marketing channels. Get In Touch Dentists Digital marketing services for dentists. Get more clients and grow your dental practice with Local SEO & PPC. Get In Touch Estate Agents Increase traffic and conversions with results-driven digital marketing for estate agents and the property sector. Get In Touch Private Healthcare Results-driven SEO, Google ads, web design, content marketing services for mortgage brokers. Get In Touch Aesthetic Clinics SEO, Google ads, social media, and websites that turn online browsers into your next restaurant customers. Get In Touch --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-06-13 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/veterinary/ Veterinary Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Veterinary businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Veterinary industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. - Published: 2022-05-31 - Modified: 2022-05-31 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/qa/ Q&A Newsletter Most small business marketing is ad-hoc. No plan. Spray and pray. Likely only 20% of this works so you keep flushing flushing 80% of your budget down the digital toilet. Improve results and cut costs with a free digital marketing plan. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Ask Your Question Free Digital Marketing Plan Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. Step 1. Questionaire Firstly, we ask you a set of specific questions so we understand your business goals, marketplace and challenges. Step 2. Marketplace Analysis We then review your marketplace across the digital marketing landscape to identify the best approach. Step 3. Marketing Plan We document our findings in a concise marketing plan that shows exactly what you need to do to grow your business. Digital Marketing Planning If you have a complex business, several services or serve multiple industries then a basic plan may not cover your needs - but this does not mean we can't help. The basic premise remains - you must stop doing random acts of marketing and follow a reliable plan. Our strategists can analyse your marketplace and help you develop a plan to cut your costs and grow your business. Strategy Consultation Strategy Help & Advice --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/aesthetics/ Aesthetics Clinic Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Aesthetics businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Aesthetics industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages High conversion landing pages that boost your lead generation and win more business. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from your budget. As our client, you... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-05-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/vets-sector-page/ Vet Clinic Marketing High performing websites combine expert design, cutting edge technical skills, copywriting and SEO to rank highly in search engines and convert clicks to customers. We utilise our 10 step web design process to build affordable websites that boost your visibility and then implement A/B testing to double or even triple sales. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Fill out our website questionnaire Website Questionaire All Business Websites Include Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Web Design Done Right You know your business objectives and you know you need a website - but what is the right platform for you? How do you know any site you invest in will get you where you need to be? The first step in any project with Bowler Hat is for us to... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/roofers/ Roofing Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Roofing businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Roofing industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/restaurants/ Restaurant Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for restaurant businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Restaurant industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/plumbers/ Plumbers Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for plumbing businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Plumbing industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/financial-advisors/ Finacial Advisor Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Financial businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Financial industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get Started Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/mortgage-advisors/ Mortgage Advisory Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Mortgage Advisory businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Mortgage Advisors industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit All Business Websites Include Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Web Design Done Right Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/estateagent/ Real Estate Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Real Estate businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Real Estate industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/electricians/ Electrician Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Electrical businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Electrics industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-11-01 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/accounting/ Accountant Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for accounting businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the accounting industry working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Customers include Crystal Finance, Stanley Yule, Lloyds Bank and many more. Get In Touch Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Marketing Audit Marketing - SEO, PPC & Social Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from your budget. As our client, you will receive a monthly in-depth reports that details how your budget is being spent, what is working and what areas we are working to improve on. If you are interested in receiving a free marketing audit for your business, click the button below. Free Marketing Audit Web Design & Development BowlerHat’s in-house web design team will design, develop and set up a visually attractive and high-performing website to generate more visitors, leads, and sales for your business. Our team of passionate experts has a combined experience of over 50 years in the industry, developing hundreds of websites for... --- > High performance web design for small businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. Learn more. - Published: 2022-05-09 - Modified: 2022-07-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/industries/dentist/ Dentist Marketing & Web Design Bowler Hat offers bespoke digital marketing & web design solutions for Dental businesses. Our specialist teams have decades of experience with the Dental industry, working with businesses of all shapes and sizes. Get Started Request a Free Marketing Audit & Strategy Free Marketing Audit Our Services Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Marketing Bowler Hat has a dedicated in-house marketing team, with each staff member being specialised in a role which they excel in. Our team’s focus is to grow your business by producing more leads, sales and customers through cost-effective marketing solutions. When it comes to marketing, the key is in the details. Bowler Hat will implement in-depth analytics, track user journeys and behaviour, and optimise advertisements and keywords. This generates the best results for your business and maximises the return from your budget. As our client, you will receive a monthly in-depth reports that... --- > BowlerHat creates high-quality, attractive, and engaging designs across a broad range of services from brand identity to packaging design. - Published: 2022-04-26 - Modified: 2024-05-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/design/ Graphic Design BowlerHat creates high-quality, attractive, and engaging designs across a broad range of services from brand identity to packaging design. We make every experience people have with your business meaningful. We build brands with purpose, meaning, and importance that will make you stand out from the crowd, and withstand the test of time. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Get In Touch With A Design Expert Today Contact us Our Design Services Branding Identity We will work with you to create an identity that fits your business and tells your story. Logo Design We will create a unique and memorable logo design that amplifies trust and credibility. Marketing Material We create engaging marketing material to attract your target consumers to your brand. Print Design We create visually attractive and engaging print designs from business cards to brochures. Packaging Design We create the impact your packaging needs to engage your target customer and get them to pick up your product. UI / UX Design We will create functional, easy-to-use and beautifully designed user-experiences and interfaces. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Branding Your brand is the face of your company. BowlerHat's design team will bring your vision to life by providing high-quality, meaningful, and visually attractive branding that communicates your company's values and tells your story. We will make you stand out from the crowd, putting you ahead of your industry's competitors with a brand that is... --- > Get in touch for a free audit and video consultation to review your digital marketing strategy & platforms. - Published: 2021-10-18 - Modified: 2024-01-16 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/marketing-audit/ Free Digital Marketing Review If you are tired of marketing that is expensive and ineffective - get in touch, we can show you where your weaknesses are and what you need to do to make the competition irrelevant. Location 112 Zellig The Custard Factory Gibb Street Birmingham B9 4AT Contact Details 0121 314 2001 contact@bowlerhat. co. uk Follow Us Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin --- - Published: 2021-09-09 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/privacy-policy/ Privacy Policy Bowler Hat Internet Services Limited (we) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy in line with the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). This policy, together with any other documents referred to in it, sets out the basis on which any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be stored and processed by us. Please read the following carefully to understand our views and practices regarding your personal data and how we will treat it. By visiting this website, you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy. 1. Who we areOur website address is: https://www. bowlerhat. co. uk. We operate from our head office at 112 Zellig, Birmingham, UK. B9 4AT. 2. What personal data we collect and why we collect itCommentsWhen visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic. com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment. MediaIf you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data... --- > WP Engine is specifically optimised for WordPress websites, and cuts down the load time of your website dramatically. - Published: 2021-05-05 - Modified: 2022-04-28 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/hosting/ Premium WordPress Hosting Cutting-edge WP Engine hosting with lightning-fast load times, free SSL certificate installation, instant website backups + disaster recovery, and staging/development environments. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Need a new website? Fill out our questionnaire View Questionnaire Features Great website hosting is a key part of online marketing, as it ensures that customers can use your website swiftly, and that their information is secure when they make a sale or get in touch. Lightning-Fast Website Load Times WP Engine is specifically optimised for WordPress websites, and cuts down the load time of your website dramatically, so that your visitors aren’t waiting around. Free Let’s Encrypt SSL Installation Search Engines are quickly evolving so that websites with SSL certificates rank stronger, due to their improved security. Don’t get left behind! Instant Backups and Disaster Recovery Take a backup of your website instantly before doing any major changes. We also have automatic backups of the last 30 days in case of a disaster. Staging and Development Environments Use our environments to test out updates to your website, and then push them to live once you’re ready. 24/7 Live-Chat WordPress Support Team Get in touch with WPengine’s award-winning support team for any queries regarding your website. Website Maintenance (Advanced Package) We’ll update your website every month, so that your website is protected from vulnerabilities and attackers. Hosting Packages We have two hosting options for WordPress. If you are unsure which option to choose... --- - Published: 2020-10-05 - Modified: 2024-05-07 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/web-design/website-questionnaire/ New Website Questionnaire From a technical perspective, we use WordPress to build the site. This gives us a solid technical platform for the site and one that Google loves. We also specialise in organic search optimisation (SEO) so we ensure we build upon this foundation to maximise results from organic search migration from the old to the new site is handled in a way that ensures any existing equity or rankings are passed forward to the new website. The first step is for us to get a clear understanding of your objectives. To do this we have a set of questions that help us understand your business and create a clear plan for your website. --- > Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. - Published: 2020-07-02 - Modified: 2022-06-06 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/strategy/ Strategy & Planning Most small business marketing is ad-hoc. No plan. Spray and pray. Likely only 20% of this works so you keep flushing flushing 80% of your budget down the digital toilet. Improve results and cut costs with a free digital marketing plan. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Free Digital Marketing Plan Drop the random marketing and develop a concise marketing plan for reliable business growth with our 3 step process. Step 1. Questionaire Firstly, we ask you a set of specific questions so we understand your business goals, marketplace and challenges. Step 2. Marketplace Analysis We then review your marketplace across the digital marketing landscape to identify the best approach. Step 3. Marketing Plan We document our findings in a concise marketing plan that shows exactly what you need to do to grow your business. Digital Marketing Planning If you have a complex business, several services or serve multiple industries then a basic plan may not cover your needs - but this does not mean we can't help. The basic premise remains - you must stop doing random acts of marketing and follow a reliable plan. Our strategists can analyse your marketplace and help you develop a plan to cut your costs and grow your business. Strategy Consultation Strategy Help & Advice --- > Cutting-edge advice and guidance from our digital marketing experts across strategy, SEO, PPC, Web Design & Development, Social Media and Content Marketing. - Published: 2020-06-02 - Modified: 2021-09-10 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/blog/ Maecenas nisi elit, fermentum ac sagittis non, dignissim vestibulum nisl. Duis tincidunt malesuada sodales. Vivamus molestie eu purus sed feugiat. Quisque sodales in nulla et gravida. Maecenas lacus ante, pharetra ac neque sed, mattis sollicitudin augue. --- > 112 Zellig, The Custard Factory, Digbeth, Birmingham. B9 4AT. 0121 314 2001. Get in touch & speak to one of our digital marketing experts today! - Published: 2020-06-02 - Modified: 2022-04-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/contact-us/ Get In Touch We help businesses reduce marketing spend and improve results– get in touch today to take your digital marketing to the next level. Location 112 Zellig The Custard Factory Gibb Street Birmingham B9 4AT Directions Follow Us Facebook Twitter Instagram Linkedin Contact Details 0121 314 2001 contact@bowlerhat. co. uk --- > Expand your audience and illustrate your credibility with content marketing. We build a detailed content marketing plan that's specific to you. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2022-04-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/content-marketing/ Content Content is the backbone of all digital marketing. To stand out from the crowd you need to create a compelling message that grabs the attention of your target audience. Your competitors messaging is dull as dishwater - by clarifying what you say you can stand out and get customers to listen. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Website Content Audit Content Marketing Content Strategy Learn how to put content to work to help grow your business and boost your digital marketing. Brand Messaging Clarify your message so you stand out from the crowd and convince customers to take action. Content Creation Website copy. Blog Posts. Ads. Content is the backbone of all modern digital marketing efforts. Blog Posts Blogs optimise for SEO and paid promotion to feed the top of your marketing funnel. Social Content Engaging content for your social media channels. From strategy to posting. Case Studies Showcase your best work with case studies that drive more traffic and conversions. Free Website Content Audit Free Audit Content Marketing Help and Advice --- > Bowler Hat provide a range of strategic social media services including audits, strategy, content creation, advertising & management of the key platforms. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2022-04-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/social-media-advertising/ Social Media Advertising Tap into the complex world of paid social advertising acrossFacebook, Instagram, Twitter & LinkedIn. Promote content. Advertise to specific audiences. Boost conversion rates with social Remarketing. Test & Learn! Get in touch for a social media battle plan for your business. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started Paid Social Advertising From initial strategy to campaign creation all the way to measurement and constant testing and optimisation we can help you craft a successful paid social campaign. Social Strategy > What platforms? What ad types? Let us craft your strategy. Social Advertising > Social ad campaigns and constant A/B testing to drive results. Remarketing > Drive conversions from existing traffic with social remarketing. Free Social Account Audit Free Audit Social Help and Advice --- > Work with a PPC Consultant with over 20 years of Google Ads Experience covering PPC Consulting, PPC Strategy, PPC Management & Optimisation. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2024-05-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/ppc/ Google Ads PPC Consulting Google Ads PPC is complicated. Getting a campaign up and running is easy enough but improving results and driving down costs requires an experienced hand – this is where we can help. With over 20 years of experience our honest, hard working PPC experts can take your Google Ads campaigns to the next level. Get in touch today to book a free consultation with Marcus Miller who has worked with Google Ads since day 1 – we will cut your costs and improve your results! PPC Consulting Simplified Over 100 5 Star Reviews – Google Partner – Award Winning Get Started PPC - Pay Per Click With over 20 years experience in Google Ads PPC we understand how people use search engines. We leverage this knowledge and experience to help build strategic PPC campaigns that drive business growth. And we enjoy doing it. We are a small, friendly business that offers a personalised approach. No production line account management here. No automated PPC audit reports. Deal directly with Marcus Miller and the PPC exec working on your account. All with no contracts. No hidden costs. Honest, expert PPC Consulting to improve your PPC campaigns to help grow your business. PPC Audits Identify problems and opportunities in your PPC account. PPC Management Expert management of your PPC to cut costs and improve results. Banner Ads (Display) Be at the right place at the right time with Google Display Network. Remarketing Build brand awareness and boost conversion rates... --- > SEO consultancy led approach to help you develop a winning SEO Strategy. Get in touch for a FREE Website & SEO Audit + Personalised SEO Battle Plan. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2024-05-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/seo/ SEO Services SEO is complex. We start by reviewing your current situation and marketplace to identify how SEO can help your business and then we create a personalised SEO plan for your business. Services: SEO Consulting, SEO Audits, Local SEO, Multi-location SEO, National SEO, Authority Building & Content based SEO. Over 100 5 Star Reviews - Google Partner - Award Winning Get Started SEO Services Get in front of customers when they search for businesses like yours on Google Search and Google Maps without the burden of paying for every click. SEO Consulting If you need to understand opportunity SEO presents or to resolve specific problems SEO consulting is where to start. SEO Audits Identify your SEO strengths & weaknesses with our SEO audit process and get a guaranteed SEO plan for your business. Local SEO Get in front of local customers as they search on Google Search & Google Maps without paying for every click. Multi Location SEO Maximise visibility of all your locations with a multi location SEO campaign targeting maps and organic. National & Content SEO Develop nationwide rankings for commercial and informational search terms with content based SEO. Authority Building Become a trusted resource that Google loves to return with our E-A-T based authority building process. Get a Personalised SEO Plan for your business Free SEO Audit Small Business SEO Guide Looking for Ways to Improve your SEO without breaking the bank? If you want to to dive in and do some DIY SEO then our... --- > High-performance web design for businesses. Includes SEO, mobile friendly & speed optimisation. No limits. From only £499. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2024-05-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/web-design/ Business Web Design BowlerHat will design, develop and set up a visually attractive and high-performing website to generate more visitors, leads, and sales for your business. Our team of passionate experts has a combined experience of over 50 years in the industry, developing hundreds of websites for both small and large businesses. BowlerHat has spent a significant amount of time, researching and testing what makes a website user-friendly and enjoyable for visitors enabling us to create high-quality and performing websites for your business. High performing websites combine expert design, cutting edge technical skills, copywriting and SEO to rank highly in search engines and convert clicks to customers. Get Started Fill out our website questionnaire Website Questionaire All Business Websites Include Design Professional design builds trust and encourages customers to engage with your business. Expert SEO Get in front of customers as they search for your products and services on Google, Bing and other search engines. Copywriting Convince your website visitors to take action with professional, persuasive, sales-led copywriting Conversion Optimisation Run A/B tests on your website to improve conversion rates, double and triple leads and win more business. Landing Pages Easily create optimised landing pages for paid search and social campaigns to maximise results. Performance Optimisation All sites are built for speed and hosted on our optimised platform to boost SEO and maximise conversion rates. Get Started - Contact Us For A 30 Minute Consultation Contact Us Web Design Done Right The key to a successful website is planning. It’s... --- > Digital Marketing Services: Strategy, SEO, PPC, Social, Content, Analytics and Conversion Optimisation - Get in touch for a consultation & marketing plan. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2022-04-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/services/ Digital Marketing Services Digital marketing is complicated. We provide expert guidance and support to ensure your marketing spend delivers results that help you grow your business.  Over 100 5 star reviews - Google Premier Partner - Award Winning Free Digital Marketing Plan Digital Marketing Services Bowler Hat can provide individual services or a complete outsourced marketing solution with everything from SEO and paid ads to conversion rate optimisation. --- > At BowlerHat we help local and national businesses reach their objectives through strategy and expert knowledge. Digital Marketing - Simplified. - Published: 2020-03-10 - Modified: 2023-05-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/about-us/ About Bowler Hat Our mission is simple - we bring effective, affordable digital marketing to small businesses. Digital marketing does not have to be so difficult. You just need a plan and someone to provide the expertise to execute that plan and bring a steady stream of new business your way. At Bowler Hat, everything we do is informed by our founders vast experience, built over 20 years helping small businesses win online. We take this lifetime of digital marketing knowledge and put this to work for you - simple. Less about us, it's all about you! Digital marketing is wildly complicated, so unsurprisingly, the majority of small businesses and start ups often fail to get the desired results. In fact, many businesses flail around for years running campaigns that do just about enough to justify their existance but never reach their potential. There are two main reasons for this: Firstly, there are hundreds of options, how do you know where to start? This confusion leads to wasted time, money and effort running campaigns that were often doomed from the start. Further to that, a lack of technical expertise on the relevant platforms like Google Ads, Google Analytics leads to campaigns that just never live up to their potential leaving you out of pocket. The answer is simple - you need a plan. A doctor has a treatment plan.  A pilot has a flight plan. The A-Team always had a plan! Professionals always have plans as they are the key... --- > Bowler Hat helps small businesses get new leads with web design, SEO, PPC & Social. Get in touch for a Free audit and marketing plan today. - Published: 2020-02-27 - Modified: 2025-05-28 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ Let's talk about your marketing Nobody knows your marketplace and customers as well as you do. If your marketing is not working as well as it should be, then we would love to talk to you and get an insight into why and then show you how you could make it so much better. Book a call Our Expertise Digital Marketing That Works! Results Focused Web Design, SEO, Google Ads PPC & Conversion Optimisation. Join Our Q&A Newsletter Get Involved Meet your digital marketing strategist, Marcus Miller I have spent 20 years helping 1000s of businesses implement digital marketing - now I want to help you ! The digital marketing landscape has become so complicated that it is difficult to know where to start. Worse still, running successful campaigns on search engines and social media is so complex that is almost impossible for time-challenged small business owners to get results. We feel your pain. Most platforms are just easy enough to get started with so you can burn your budget but getting a real return on investment needs knowledge of what platforms to use and how to use them effectively. Everything starts with a plan - get in touch today to find out about our 3 step process and claim your free digital marketing plan. Free Digital Marketing Plan Digital Marketing Advice Our values Why work with Bowler Hat? No aggressive sales tactics. No long contracts. No Jargon. No BS. Just great marketing – for the right money. Multiple Award... --- --- ## Posts > Are standard organic SEO search results losing value? - Published: 2025-03-28 - Modified: 2025-03-31 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/are-standard-organic-results-losing-value/ - Categories: Local SEO, SEO It is 2025 and the search engine result pages (SERPs for the cool kids) are a long, long way from the simple 10 blue links of yesteryear. Search results now often have a variety of page features (SERP Features for the really, really cool kids) giving us a much more dynamic set of page results. Searches for local businesses can include any number of these page features, including: AI Overview + show more link + 3 x AI links Map Pack Results (3 x results, a map and a link for "more places") 4 x Sponsored Listings (ads basically, tons of goddamn dirty ads) - up to four of these 4 x People also ask + more added when engaged with Organic x 10 4 x Sponsored Listings This looked something like this on my standard desktop monitor (which shows way more than a phone): To get past the various page features and to the traditional organic results I have to scroll past three full screens. This image shows this journey zoomed out so you can get the idea: 20 links later... The point is that to get to any traditional organic listings, I have to scroll past twenty or so links. Some of these can also be expanded and direct traffic elsewhere. To add to the pain, organic links are often dominated by high authority sites and portals, and the first local business is about the 25th link on the page. What does this mean for organic? The reality... --- > The team at Bowler Hat have written their predictions for how AI might change SEO in 2025. If you have any questions, get in touch. - Published: 2025-02-05 - Modified: 2025-03-11 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ai-search-how-will-seo-change-in-2025/ - Categories: SEO, Strategy The search landscape has evolved radically over the last twenty-five years since Google first started. That change though, has been a gradual process, a slow evolution over time from ten blue links to the varied set of results we see today. Yet, change is coming, big change, and that change, driven by AI, is going to be revolutionary and far quicker than anything we have seen before. In this article we take a look at the relatively small impact of AI on search today and what is coming down the pipe in 2025 and beyond. Most importantly, we look at how this impacts you as a marketer and provide you with some SEO tips for 2025 and what you should be doing now to prepare for the change. AI Google Search - Where we are now We are already seeing Google integrate AI into search. At the moment, this takes the form of a simple AI Overview at the top of the page, but we see these becoming more useful with time, often removing the need to visit a third-party site. Currently, these are most visible for more basic queries with informational intent - i. e. any question you ask Google. These AI overviews, much like an answer from ChatGPT can be helpful for search users. Yet, these AI overviews often satisfy the user query and don’t result in a click or any serious exposure or traffic for sites that have previously benefited from them with either a listing, click,... --- > Learn about spam leads caused by PMAX, then learn how to prevent them to improve your conversion tracking. - Published: 2024-12-03 - Modified: 2024-12-16 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-combat-spam-leads-from-google-ads-the-ultimate-guide/ - Categories: Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimisation, PPC Contents Why are there so many spam leads? How to identify a spam lead The impact of spam leads on your Google Ads campaigns Strategies for filtering out spam leads The ultimate step-by-step guide Why are there so many spam leads? If you've recently noticed a surge in suspicious leads or emails with a peculiar, repetitive pattern, you're not alone. Many Google Ads users are grappling with spam submissions that look real at first glance but fail to convert into genuine customer engagements. To understand why there is so much spam, we must first look at how Google’s ad revenue model incentivises sites. Google pays sites to display ads through its AdSense program, and it uses conversion optimisation and bidding algorithms to ensure ads are shown on sites likely to engage real users. However, some websites manipulate this system by creating fake conversions to deceive Google's algorithms to gain more profit. These sites simulate clicks or actions that make it appear as though visitors are genuinely interested in the ads. Google’s algorithms, misled by this false engagement, interpret the site as valuable and, as a result, start showing more ads there. This leads to an increase in spammy sites optimised for revenue rather than user experience, cluttering the web with low-quality content designed solely to exploit the ad system. Now previously, Google was pretty good at spotting bots and eliminating them. However, in recent times it seems these systems with the power of AI have got a lot more advanced.... --- > Learn about Enhanced Conversions, then learn to set them up inside Google Tag Manager and Google Ads to improve your conversion tracking. - Published: 2024-10-02 - Modified: 2024-12-05 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/enhanced-coversions/ - Categories: Analytics, Conversion Rate Optimisation, PPC Contents What Are Enhanced Conversions? What Can We Track With Enhanced Conversions? Who Is This Guide For? Google Tag Manager (GTM) or Google Tag (gtag. js) The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide Preparation Configuration Inside Google Ads Configuration Inside Google Tag Manager Testing Common Problems And How To Fix Them Summary What are Enhanced Conversions? Enhanced Conversions is a tracking method that helps fill gaps in your conversion data created by modern privacy standards like GDPR. They work by securely sending hashed (encrypted) customer data (such as email addresses) to Google’s servers, where it’s matched to a user’s Google account. Once matched, Google attributes the conversion directly to your Google Ads account, enhancing your conversion tracking without relying on cookies. There are a few important requirements for using Enhanced Conversions: Google Ads integration: Enhanced Conversions are available exclusively within Google Ads. End user’s Google account: Enhanced Conversions work best when the user has a Google account, but they can still track conversions even if the user doesn’t, though match rates may be lower. Personal information required: Enhanced Conversions can only track actions where users input personal information, such as filling out a form. At a time when ad platforms are increasingly leveraging AI and signals to refine campaigns, Enhanced Conversions provides a privacy-compliant solution with strong conversion signals—a win-win for both conversion tracking and user privacy. What can we track with Enhanced Conversions? Enhanced Conversions can be used anywhere users submit their information to your website. Here are the most common examples... --- > Learn how to improve your SEO by adopting a clear, value orientated SEO Philosophy - Give and you shall receive. By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - Published: 2024-07-06 - Modified: 2024-07-05 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/a-philosophy-for-seo/ - Categories: SEO My goal with this article is to help you develop a winning philosophy and mindset for SEO. If you can develop a positive SEO philosophy, this will steer you away from the myriad time-wasting SEO tools and tasks that suck up time and deliver little results and will help you easily focus on the jobs that will make a real difference. The fundamental backbone of this philosophy is simple - give, and you shall receive; so, if you can - give me 5 minutes, and I may be able to change your outlook on this often confusing and misunderstood marketing tactic. Update - March 2024: earlier this month, we saw another big core update from Google that has seen plenty of folks moaning in the SEO forums over at Reddit. In our experience, not much has changed for real businesses, but in this shifting landscape, it is important to know what timeless SEO strategies to focus on, and we will outline how to become algorithms-update proof! Update 2 - June 2024 - the Google SEO Leak: For the first time in history an actual leak detailing variables used in the ranking algorithm happened. There is no idea of weighting of variables but they would seem to confirm much of what we have always suspected that click data and engagement data is used by the search engine. What do I mean by SEO philosophy? Well, I am no philosopher, but I have spent a lot of time working with businesses over... --- - Published: 2024-03-15 - Modified: 2024-03-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/strategy-vs-tactics-digital-marketings-chicken-egg-problem/ - Categories: Strategy Digital Marketing has a problem. Should you work on digital tactics like SEO or PPC first? Or should you hone your strategy before you dive into the tactics? Surely, the answer here is obvious: hone your strategy, then deliver it with tactics. However, the rapid evolution of the digital marketing environment, from search engines to social media, has kept us all on our tactical toes, with strategy often taking a back seat. The strange thing is, this worked for a good while. Being at the top of Google and getting big reach on social could deliver the goods during the first quarter of this century. But times are changing. Everyone is online now. Economies around the world are struggling, and the competition is brutal. In this post, I look at the importance of reintegrating strategy into your digital marketing to survive and prosper in a competitive marketing environment during challenging times. The re-emergence of marketing strategy These are competitive times. Many countries are either in, or are on the verge of a mild recession. Once successful, tactical approaches fail to bear fruit in this environment. Being at the top of Google is not enough. Success on the big platforms is getting ever more difficult. Organic clickthrough rates for many commercial search queries on Google are plummeting. We have seen #1 place commercial keywords getting a 5% CTR. 100 people searched, and only 5 clicked that once-magical-business-generator of 1st place organic. The image below shows four keywords with click-through rates between... --- > There are many SEO tools out there but do you need to use them? Do they help? Or do they create SEO busy work? By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - Published: 2024-02-18 - Modified: 2024-03-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-tools-do-you-need-them/ - Categories: SEO A tool is something that should, in theory, help you perform a specific task and make that job easier. With such a complicated job as SEO, it is no surprise that many tools out there aim to make SEO easier. One problem, though, is that the majority of the content out there about SEO tools is published by the SEO tool providers themselves and is, unsurprisingly, glowing about their overall use. In this post, we will take a look at whether SEO tools are a help or a hindrance, especially for small business SEO. We will also recommend some tools that we feel are worth your time (and are also freely available). If you have any questions, comments or concerns, drop a comment below or get in touch. Are you being a busy fool? It's easy to be a busy fool. SEO is no different, in fact, I would say the majority of time spent on "SEO" tasks does little to improve rankings. The black-box nature of the Google algorithm does not help. The absolute minefield of SEO misinformation and half-truths makes this even worse. The outcome is that it is too easy to waste your time on supposed SEO tasks that do nothing. However, some SEO tools on the market will analyse your site and give you a targeted list of SEO jobs to focus on. In theory, working on these tasks will get your SEO in tip-top shape, and you will fly to the top of the rankings.... --- > 30 small business SEO Tips for small businesses covering keyword research, on-page, local, authority & more. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2024-02-10 - Modified: 2024-03-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/small-business-seo-tips/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, Small Business SEO In this post I will outline a series of SEO tips that will help you rank more highly and get more traffic in 2024 and beyond. There are 30 tips (and one bonus tip) that you can follow procedurally, day by day, week by week, or pick and mix based on your current situation. The SEO Rabbit Hole There is no shortage of SEO information and services out there, and as Google constantly tightens the qualitative net, learning what you can do safely to improve your visibility in a sustainable way is key. To understand what a safe and sustainable approach looks like you should always be able to explain what you are doing and feel good about it. And, of course, staying up to date with Google’s Search Essentials will always help keep you on the right side of the SEO fence. At Bowler Hat, we have been helping businesses with their SEO for over 15 years, and our MD has worked in search since 1999, so we are old hands with experience helping thousands of small to medium-sized businesses, and we have tailored these tips directly to you! If you are struggling or have any comments, we will gladly respond in the comments below or you can get in touch via our contact page. Firstly... Can You Do SEO Yourself? It’s a worthwhile question. Elements of SEO can be complex. But for most small businesses, this is not the case. Getting a handle on the basics will often... --- - Published: 2024-01-23 - Modified: 2024-01-23 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-magical-marketing-bullet/ - Categories: SEO, Strategy Marketing is complicated and difficult. When presented with a complex system, humans tend to try and oversimplify - which, in many aspects of life, can help us - but in marketing, it often leads to a problem I like to call The Magical Marketing Bullet. In this post, I want to try to describe this common scenario, why it is so problematic, and what you can do to escape magical thinking about your marketing. The reptile brain vs complexity As humans (apologies if you are not a human reader), we are all prone to oversimplify complex topics or situations. From an evolutionary perspective, this was probably highly useful and helped us survive and make quick decisions in a complex and unforgiving world. However, in marketing, which can be highly complicated and not well suited to oversimplification, this can lead us to make bad decisions - one such bad decision is to rely too much on a single platform or tactic for our marketing. This blind, often irrational belief that there is one platform or tactic that will solve all your marketing problems can eat up time and money whilst your competitors hoover up jobs that could have been yours. Why do we look for magic bullets? It is human nature to fall prey to Magic Bullet thinking (1). We are wired to seek the path of least resistance (2) and look for the most straightforward answers to our problems. Evolutionarily, where our main goal was to find food in the... --- > How will ChatGPT and AI content impact SEO and content marketing? This article looks at the true SEO opportunity in the age of AI content. - Published: 2023-06-12 - Modified: 2023-10-03 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-true-seo-opportunity-in-the-age-of-ai-content/ - Categories: Content Marketing, SEO AI content is here. This comes in the guise of ChatGPT and a number of more niche content-generation tools. ChatGPT and AI content has been covered before so I won’t go into too much detail on what it is or why you should care but if you are unsure, read up as change is coming. What I will talk about is how I feel this will impact the SEO and content marketing world. In particular, should you use generative AI to create content for your website? Is this urgent? Do you need to be at DefCon(tent) #1, or can you be a little more relaxed and see how this plays out? What is clear is that the rate of change is accelerating and to have any chance of making the right decisions going forward we have to be mindful of the past. AI PaNiC If you have shown even a passing interest in AI or marketing, then odds are you are under siege from ads for ChatGPT prompts. Social media is seemingly awash with gurus promising to unlock this transformative new technology and transform your business. Yet, despite this sudden surge in interest, forms of AI have been around for 25 years or more and a chess AI beat the world chess champion in 1997. Within the search and digital marketing space, Google Ads has used AI for over 10 years and Performance Max Campaigns are almost entirely AI-driven. So whilst interest in AI may have suddenly taken off with... --- > Learn how to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound goals for SEO. - Published: 2022-11-07 - Modified: 2022-11-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-set-smart-goals-for-seo/ - Categories: SEO SEO has gotten a little more challenging since I started around 1999. The search engines are smarter and there is a truckload more competition. To get good results from SEO you have to focus on being the best possible result. To succeed in SEO in 2022 and beyond you have to set smart, achievable goals and work hard toward those goals. Fortunately, there is a helpful system known as SMART Goals that you can use to help with your SEO goal setting. SMART Goals for SEO Goals are essential for anything you want to work towards. Without a target, how can you ever hit the mark? Goals should push you forward, but they should also be achievable and measurable. SMART Goals do all of this and much more. SMART Goals SMART goals break down as follows: Specific - your goal should be clearly defined Measurable - it should be easy to track progress Achievable - the goal should be realistic (a big one in SEO goal setting) Relevant - the SEO goal should be linked to your marketing and business goals Time Bound - progress should be trackable over time increments The purpose of SMART goals is to create realistic, achievable goals that push you but are not impossible. SMART goals also provide a kind of sanity check - is this a sensible goal or am I just chasing my (long)tail? Let’s break each of these down to help you with your SEO goal-setting. S) Specific Setting specific goals with... --- > This post looks at how video and video content has impacted Google's search results page layout. If you have any questions, contact us today. - Published: 2022-10-19 - Modified: 2022-11-14 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/the-growth-of-video-content-ranking-on-googles-search-page/ - Categories: Content Marketing Over recent years, Google has increased its inclusion of videos from video-sharing sites- such as YouTube, Vimeo and Dailymotion- on its search engine results page and recently, more videos have been ranking high up on Google’s first page.   This blog post looks at the way Google has included video more in search results, some different examples in which videos have started ranking on Google and the reasons why you should include video as part of your SEO strategy Google’s Increasingly Diverse Results Page You may have noticed that Google’s results page is becoming more diverse with its layout. Google are now including more images, Q&A’s and videos on their search pages. The way video has become increasingly visible for browsers is through video carousels. Video carousels are a separate search element within Google’s search results that contains related videos. Sometimes, video carousels rank at the top of Google (as I’ll demonstrate later) and often rank highly for mobile searches. We see some fairly extreme examples of this where we will see a video, some chapter points for that video, 3 more videos with links to chapter points, 4 x people also ask and then the first organic result is, you guessed it, also a video. Video3 x video key momentsVideo Video key moments linkVideo Video key moments linkVideo Video key moments linkPeople also askQuestion 1Question 2Question 3Question 4#1 Organic - A link to Youtube#2 Organic - Traditional organic website link  In this case, the first organic listing is the 16th link in... --- > Do you need links to rank on Google? Maybe. It depends. Stop asking overly general questions & get specific to know if you need links. - Published: 2022-10-14 - Modified: 2022-11-14 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/do-you-need-links-to-rank-a-website-on-google/ - Categories: SEO This week I read a post on LinkedIn that stated that is impossible to rank a website on Google without links. The idea was that it is an SEO myth that you can rank a site without links. I call bullshit. We have ranked 1000s of sites with no links over the years. If anything, it is easier now than ever before to rank a website without links - in the right situation. Sure, these are predominantly small, local businesses that serve a local area. In many situations, you will still need links to But, but, but... national rankings *Sigh* I popped a summarised version of this post on LinkedIn and whilst the majority agreed, and understood the point I was making, a small number claimed that I did not understand the difference between local and organicit is impossible to rank a site without linkslinks are still important It is interesting, as I never claimed anything else here. A simple example We have very recently worked with a new business providing Van Hire. Brand new. A new website that was built with a free website builder from the hosting company. Not an ideal SEO canvas. Established local competition from small companies and big brands. 3 months 1st for "van hire 1st in the local pack & in the organic listings below Localised organic of course. Great rankings that are driving business without any links Historic, new, or otherwise. Just Local SEO best practices. Do you need links to rank? The... --- > In this post we look at 5 ways to optimise your Google Ads PPC to save money and improve results simultaneously - win-win. - Published: 2022-08-09 - Modified: 2022-08-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/5-google-ads-ppc-management-tips-2022-bowler-hat/ - Categories: PPC In this post we look at 5 ways to optimise your Google Ads PPC to save money and improve results simultaneously - win-win. Being visible at the top of Google is all but essential for businesses that are serious about their marketing in 2022 and beyond. However, getting results without tanking your profitability can be difficult. In this post, we are going to look at 5 ways how to save money and improve results from your Google Ads. Objective It is easier to hit a goal if you know what you are aiming at. So, your first job is to set an aggressive, yet achievable goal for optimising your Google Ads PPC. I would recommend the following goal: Your goal is as follows: Double your total leads Halve your cost per lead Achieve this within 90 days You then use this as a benchmark for your Google Ads PPC optimisation efforts. When setting goals it always helps to check if they pass the muster as a SMART goal: Specific - clearly defined so we know if we are getting there Measurable - can we measure success? Achievable - is this realistic? Relevant - will this goal help grow your business? Time-Based - can you set a time limit so if this is not working you can change tack? The goal specified above, which you are free to modify to your situation, is specific, measurable and time-based. Also, based on our experience of 1000s of ad accounts, this is often easily achievable. Think about it like this: You spend £10 per day This generates on average one lead per day Lead cost is £10... --- > Learn the ways you can improve your Google Ads to get more clicks, generate more business, and save money. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat - Published: 2022-05-24 - Modified: 2022-05-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-write-high-performance-google-ads-10-tips-for-2022/ - Categories: PPC Most Google Ads are hopeless. The copy is boring, timid, and completely ineffective. Google Search Results are highly competitive and the best performing ads get the lion's share of the clicks and business. To stand out you need a compelling message that grabs your audience by the scruff of the neck and forces them to pay attention. Your ads should compel searchers to click and respond. Ask yourself this question and answer as honestly as possible Are your ads unique and exciting? Or are they like this? Business name A list of services Some comments on your stellar customer service A free quote call to action Rank and file. Dull as dishwater. Just another undifferentiated player in an overcrowded space. Fortunately, the majority of ads fall into this category, so there is an opportunity here to do better, to stand out from the crowd and command clicks. How to write better Google Ads In this article, I am going to outline some of the ways you can improve your messaging to write high performing Google Ads that enjoy more clicks, generate more business, and save you money. Alternatively, if you would like some help, get in touch and one of our copywriting experts can help you craft a message that will take your Google Ads to the next level. Free Google Ads Audit 10 Tips to Improve your Google Ads Below are 10 tips that will help you improve every aspect of your Google Ads. We will start with your... --- > A comprehensive look at how to rank your accountancy firm on Google using SEO & Local SEO. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-05-20 - Modified: 2022-05-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-for-accountants/ - Categories: SEO, Strategy SEO is a key marketing tactic for accountants. In this article, we will cover the main factors you need to look at to improve the visibility of your accountancy firm on Google and the major search engines. If you are looking for professional support please get in touch for a complimentary SEO Consultation: Free SEO audit & Plan for Accountants Contents Keyword Research The Search Landscape Google Ads Local SEO for Accountants SEO for Care Homes SEO & PPC for Multiple Locations Supportive Tactics Conversion Rate Optimisation Measuring Results Summary Read on to find out how to get your firm to the top of Google. Request a free comprehensive marketing review for your accountancy firm: free marketing review. 1. Keyword Research The first step to ranking well on search engines is to know what keywords you want to rank for. You should follow a plan her to form a list of keywords that logically map to the products and services you provide. 1. 1. Initial keyword list There are two or three main categories of keywords: General accounting keywords that describe your company Keywords that more specifically describe the services you provide Keywords that describe the type of companies you work for Here are brainstorming and trying to map keywords to the hierarchical structure of your business. Accounting Keywords The specific keywords here depend upon the focus of your business and the broadest keywords should be used on the homepage: accountant small business accountant chartered accountant online accountant The specific... --- > Google display ads are a great way to engage your audience. In this post, we help you design display ads that will achieve your marketing objectives. - Published: 2022-05-19 - Modified: 2022-10-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-design-display-banner-ads-for-google/ - Categories: Graphic Design, PPC Introduction Google display ads offer an excellent way to target and engage your audience. However, it's essential that you create visually attractive and engaging adverts to grab your audience's attention and entice them to click on your ad. In this post, we will cover the key areas you need to consider to ensure you design a set of display ads that help you reach your marketing objectives. Contents Strategy Choose the best ad sizes Add your logo Create a clear value proposition Choose an engaging call to action Keep it simple Use high-quality imagery Create urgency Summary Strategy Before diving into the design, you first must explore your marketing strategy. You need to ask yourself questions such as, 'what are my goals? ' 'Who is my audience? ' 'What is our brand's message? ' It's important that you first understand these questions in order to create effective ads that will work for you and your business. Along with your marketing strategy, you should also have a memorable and visually attractive brand that you can use throughout your website, branding, and your new Google ads. If you have any questions or need any help with your strategy, branding, and website, please get in touch here. Choose the best ad sizes Google offers over 40 different display ad sizes for you to choose from. However, it can be very time-consuming to individually design ads for all 40 sizes. We recommend choosing the five most popular ad sizes that are most frequently shown... --- > Think that you rank well locally? How about a mile away? Or two miles? Learn how to check local rankings across your entire target geography. - Published: 2022-03-22 - Modified: 2022-04-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-check-local-rankings/ - Categories: Local SEO, SEO Understanding how well your local business ranks on Google is a crucially important part of your SEO and digital marketing. However, getting reliable ranking data for local businesses from the majority of tools out there is difficult. In fact, we would argue that most ranking data may be giving you a misleading and artificially high opinion of your rankings. In this post, we will show you why most local ranking data is so flawed and how to get better ranking data that you can use to improve your visibility and marketing. Contents The BIG problem with local ranking data Geographic ranking data Using this information Free Local Ranking Grid - find your real rankings Free Rank Report - looking for an expert view on your rankings? Get in touch for a free rank report for your 5 top keywords from multiple postcodes across the geographic area you serve. Give me my rank report please. 1. The BIG problem with local ranking data There are many tools out there that will help you check how well your business ranks locally. Typically, you enter your keywords and your address and the tool searches Google from that location and outputs your rankings. Most agencies will also offer a similar kind of rank tracking service to let you know how well things are going. You are ranking in the 3 pack and in the organic results - great. So what is the problem? The problem? Rankings change by location For local businesses, Google will... --- - Published: 2022-03-18 - Modified: 2022-10-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/target-ads-on-google-display-network/ - Categories: PPC There are three key components to successful banner advertising with the Google Display Network (GDN): A compelling product (think 4Ps- product, place, price, and promotion) Attention-grabbing creative content Laser-focused targeting In this article, we will look at how you can effectively target your ads so that they show to the right people at the right time. Contents Ways to Target Your Ads Audiences: Narrow vs Observe Benefits of Targeted Advertising Take Your Google Ads to The Next Level? Ways To Target Your Ads Summary of the two levels of targeting: – Campaign level (location, languages, budget) – Ad group level (interests, behaviour, demographics) Campaign Level Location You can narrow location targeting down to individual towns, cities, and countries. You can also exclude locations, for example, if you don’t want to target a particular city (maybe because of a competitor or you do not deliver to that area) then you can exclude them. Languages You can tailor your ads towards a language (e. g. if particular geography is diverse and you want to target all demographics). Ad Group Level Once you have determined the campaign settings and your budget, you can then begin to narrow down your reach at the ad group level. This includes breaking down targeting to your audience segments, demographics, search terms your audience may use, the topics they look at, and the websites they may visit. Audience Segments By targeting audiences from the audience segment, you can narrow down your audience based on: Who they are –... --- > Learn how to quickly and easily build an SEO-friendly website using affordable off-the-shelf tools. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-03-09 - Modified: 2022-10-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-to-create-an-seo-friendly-website/ - Categories: SEO, Web Design In 2022, building an SEO-friendly website should be relatively easy. The majority of popular website CMS systems are either SEO-friendly off-the-shelf or can be relatively easily configured to be SEO-friendly. In this article, we look at what you need to know to ensure your next website is an SEO powerhouse. Contents What is an SEO-friendly website? SEO-friendly web design Why build an SEO-friendly website? What are the best SEO-friendly website design platforms? SEO-friendly web hosting Summary We feel confident that if you read this article you will have a good idea of how to approach building an SEO-friendly website. However, if you need some help or would rather just talk to a human about your objectives then by all means drop a comment below or get in touch. 1. What is an SEO-friendly website? An SEO-friendly website is a site that Google can understand. There are various steps here, but the main ones would be: Google can crawl the website and review all pages The site is structured in such a fashion that makes sense (like a filing cabinet) Google can then interpret the content of each page to understand what search terms that page is relevant for The site is connected to any external SEO factors like a Google Business Profile for local SEO Technical SEO plays a part here in that the site has to follow best practices, but in 2022 most common small business website platforms should have reasonable technical SEO off-the-shelf. Typically, you can then improve... --- - Published: 2022-03-07 - Modified: 2022-03-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-local-seo/ - Categories: Local SEO Local SEO is the process of improving local businesses' visibility in the local search results. On Google, this generally means getting listed in the local map pack and the typically localised search results that appear under the map pack. The objectives of Local SEO are to increase awareness and engagement with your business on Google Search to drive more leads, sales and store visits. Another way to think about this is that Local SEO is a subset of traditional organic SEO (aka Search Engine Optimisation). In the rest of this post, we will help you understand local SEO and how to put this tactic to work for your business. Understanding Local Search Google understands the difference between a local business, a national business and an online business. In SEO speak, we tend to call this the "intent" behind a keyword. So a local keyword has local intent. For instance, if you search for a plumber, let's assume as simply as by searching "plumber". Google will automatically provide results that are relevant to your location. In the screenshot below we see: Nearby providers (ads) 3 x Google Ads (the rules here are different) Find results on Google Map Pack Google organic results (below the end of the screenshot) The primary target of Local SEO here would be the map pack and the localised organic results below the map pack. Secondary targets would be the Nearby Providers and Find Results On page features. Beyond the Map Pack  The traditional description of Local... --- > A comprehensive look at how to market your care home on Google using SEO and Google PPC Ads. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-03-02 - Modified: 2022-11-18 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-ppc-for-care-homes/ - Categories: PPC, SEO, Strategy To effectively market your care home you need to appear highly on Google. This means appearing highly in either the paid ads or the organic listings. Ideally, both. Google Ads PPC Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) In this article, we will show you how to get your care home at the top of the page on Google with SEO and Google Ads PPC. We will also show you how to maximise engagement and lead generation from that traffic with Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO). In a nutshell - This is a comprehensive guide detailing exactly how to successfully market your care home on the Google search engine in 2022 and beyond. Free marketing review - if you would rather get some professional help and a free digital marketing review & plan for your care home then get in touch. Contents Keyword Research The Search Landscape Google PPC Ads for Care Homes Local SEO for Care Homes SEO for Care Homes SEO & PPC for Multiple Care Homes Supportive Tactics Conversion Rate Optimisation Measuring Results Summary Looking for some professional help? - request a free SEO & PPC review for your care home: free marketing review. Read on to find out how to get your care home to the top of Google with SEO & PPC. 1. Keyword Research Before we can improve your visibility we first need to know what keywords to target. You should follow a structured approach here that allows you to build out a list of keywords that map... --- > Most link building efforts are back to front! Learn how to develop a winning mindset & build links that boost your SEO. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-03-01 - Modified: 2022-03-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ass-backwards-link-building/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: link building Building links for SEO but not seeing results? You are not alone. In this post, first written in 2016 but now updated for 2022, I try to answer the question of why most link building does nothing to help improve your SEO results. I also outline how you can do the kind of authority building that will help move the needle on your rankings and organic traffic. The SEO Industry is bonkers After well over twenty years in this search engine optimisation business, I can quite honestly say that this industry is crazy. Despite Google’s best efforts, street-level SEO is still such a backwater industry, that I often find myself ashamed to call myself an SEO. It’s little wonder that SEOMoz dropped the SEO and now just go by Moz. com. In the eyes of many, we are effectively the used car salesman of marketing. And that sucks. Why is this the case? Search engines are one of the most amazing and wonderful additions to our modern world. We only have to go back 20 years or so, and getting answers to questions required a trip to the library and hours spent poring over books and microfiche archives. Now, we can just Google it. Think about it. Anything you want to know. You can just Google it. That is completely amazing. Even we old un’s take the Internet and search engines for granted now, yet Search is likely to go down as one of humankind's greatest achievements. Google’s mission statement... --- > This guide will help you to determine which type of SEO best suits your business, and in time, help your business become more visible online. - Published: 2022-03-01 - Modified: 2022-03-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/type-seo-actually-need/ - Categories: SEO You know SEO is important, but do you know what type of SEO is most important for your business? In this article, we look at the different types of SEO and what SEO you need to focus on to help generate more business in 2022 and beyond. Contents  What is SEO? What kind of SEO do you need? The main types of SEO Local SEO National SEO On-Page SEO Off-Page SEO Summary Free SEO Plan - identify the 5 key things you can do to improve your rankings today with a complimentary SEO audit and plan. 1. What is SEO? Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is the process you undertake to improve the visibility of your website in the organic (aka free) search results. Whilst that description is accurate, from a high level, it is also not terribly helpful. In 2022 and beyond, search engines are complicated0 and what most businesses need to understand is what type of SEO they need and how to implement that for themselves. The answer to that question could fill a book and does, with The Art of SEO book coming in at around 1000 pages. In this article, we won't cover every type of SEO, but we will cover the ones that are most relevant to the majority of small and local businesses. If you have any questions outside the scope of this article please drop a comment below or get in touch. 2. What kind of SEO do you need? There are two... --- > Learn how to select the best possible SEO package for your business and tap into the high return world of organic search. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-02-27 - Modified: 2022-03-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-packages-choose-wisely/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, Small Business SEO SEO can be a difficult marketing tactic to implement for small businesses. It's not always clear how long SEO will take. There are too many dodgy SEO providers that will take your money but fail to deliver results. And, more often than not, most cheap SEO packages will simply waste your time and money without delivering. This leaves you out of pocket and back at square one. Yet, not all SEO companies are just out to make a buck. There are some good guys (like Bowler Hat) who are providing high-quality, yet affordable SEO. So, in this post, we detail everything you need to know to find a company and choose a package that can help you reach your goals. And remember, there is no shortage of SEO tips and help for SEO beginners if you want to try some DIY SEO. This entire post should be readable in about 10 minutes by which time you should be able to identify the best SEO package for your small business. The article covers: What SEO is Where your site will get shown How do search engines work What SEO involves How much SEO costs How long SEO takes Alternatively - if you are time-challenged then contact us today for a Complimentary SEO Consultation and Website Audit. This will give you the strategic direction to take your SEO to the next level. What Is SEO? In a nutshell, SEO is the process of raising the visibility of your website for the search terms... --- > In this guide, we outline how to create a clear Google Ads PPC strategy to maximise your results. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-02-11 - Modified: 2022-03-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/ppc-strategy-guide/ - Categories: Guides, PPC Google Ads PPC is highly competitive. Storm in there with your guns blazing and your campaigns may well flounder. In this guide, we outline how to create a clear PPC strategy to guide you on the path to PPC success. In this post, we will outline how to confidently put together a strategy and plan for your Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. The article is written primarily with Google Ads in mind, however, the approach is applicable to almost any other PPC advertising. We have a template you can download and print off: Download the PPC strategy template here. Contents Half of your Marketing is working How to develop a successful PPC marketing model How to set clear and achievable objectives for PPC How to set goals to measure the success of your PPC campaigns How to understand your target audience How to target your ads to your ideal customers How to structure your PPC Campaigns How to write great ads How to measure PPC campaigns How to analyse and optimise PPC PPC Strategy Template Free PPC Review - If you are currently running PPC ads but they are just not delivering then our experienced PPC consultants can review your account and outline exactly what you need to do to start generating more leads, sales and business from PPC.   1. Half of your marketing is working There is an old saying in advertising and marketing: “Half of your marketing is working – the only problem is, we don’t know which half. ” In 2022 I think this is optimistic. With so many different tactics, the odds are that about 20% of your marketing is working - and you have a lot of wasted time, money and effort beyond that. Have a... --- > Find out the various ways you can check where your website is ranking in Google and how to use that data to improve your SEO campaigns. - Published: 2022-01-24 - Modified: 2022-02-28 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/check-website-rankings-google/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, Google, SEO, Small Business SEO Knowing where your website ranks on Google is an important part of any modern online marketing strategy. In 2022 and beyond, search engine result pages (aka SERPs) are a complicated place and often feature ads, local listings, traditional organic traditional listings and many other types of results that vary based on the search query. This complexity is further compounded by the fact that search results often differ for each user depending on many signals such as location and search history. The offshoot of this is that what you see is not necessarily what the next person conducting the same search will see. The location of the person conducting the search is one such variable that is used to create truly dynamic and personal results for each user. This all adds up to make checking your rankings somewhat more complicated than it once was in the days when Google returned a relatively static set of results (often known as ten blue links). Despite this complexity, it is still important to check your rankings. You can't have SEO goals if you don't know your current situation and your current rankings inform your SEO strategy. In this article, we will show you the many ways to see where you rank on Google. We will show you how to do this manually, typically for free, and we also review the tools that can help you keep regular track of where you rank. Too busy? Get in touch for a free rank report customised to... --- > Five beginners SEO tips you can use in 2020 to optimise your site, improve ranking and drive more traffic from Google. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-01-23 - Modified: 2022-01-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-tips-beginners/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, seo basics, Small Business SEO SEO, also known as Search Engine Optimisation, is the process of improving your website to rank more highly on Google and the major search engines. Whilst there are complicated elements to SEO there are many basics that even SEO beginners can implement to improve rankings on Google and other search engines. In this post, we look at 5 beginner SEO tips you can use to improve your rankings and feature more highly on Google. These are simple SEO tips, designed for beginners and non-technical users to help you rank more highly without specialist technical or SEO skills. 5 Beginners SEO Tips Here we have five basic SEO tips that anyone can put into action to improve your SEO. Research & use relevant keywords Optimise page titles & meta descriptions Optimise page content Optimise your business listings around the web Build relevant links A key point to remember here is that with SEO, there can be huge gains from getting the basics done well and you can often get 90% of the benefits with 10% of the work. If you follow the guidance in these 5 tips (and our bonus tip) you will rank for more keywords, improve your rankings for those keywords and generate more exposure and traffic on Google - win win win. Then, if you are hungry for more SEO tips, we have a comprehensive set of Small Business SEO tips that will help you take your SEO to the next level. Further to that, if you are... --- > Learn whether Google Ads are a good fit for your small business and whether you should run them yourself or use a PPC consultant. - Published: 2022-01-17 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/do-google-ads-work-for-small-businesses/ - Categories: PPC Do Google Ads work for small businesses? This is a question I get asked every week by an intrepid business looking to explore search marketing. The simple answer here is that yes, Google Ads work for small businesses. Google Ads can work for all businesses. Small, big, massive, or anywhere in between. They can also not work for businesses of all shapes and sizes when they are either not a good fit, they are implemented poorly, or the connective digital marketing tissue is not there. The reality is to answer this question you have to know that the devil is in the details. In this post, I will help you understand whether Google Ads are a good fit for your small (medium or large) business and whether they are something you can run successfully yourself. Alternatively, would it make more sense to invest in a credible PPC consultant who can help you get a campaign set up and profitable in the shortest time possible? Google Ads Work We said it above but let's just reiterate that point. Google Ads work. They can work great. They could well be the most powerful marketing system ever invented. However, that is not to say that running a successful Google Ads campaign is easy. Far, far from it. Facts are facts though, and with up to 7 million advertisers on the platform and ad revenue of about around 150 billion US dollars in 2020, this is one hell of an advertising platform. Given that... --- > As a small business, your website is crucially important. In this article, we look at the problems with Yell websites so you can make an informed decision who to use when building your next business website. By Marcus Miller of Bowler Hat. - Published: 2022-01-16 - Modified: 2024-03-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/reasons-not-yell-web-design/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites, yell As a small business, your website is often the most important component of your digital marketing. Your website is the modern-day shop window. If your website does not look the part and perform, then all other digital marketing efforts will suffer. Who you work with to build and market your website is a key decision that can be the difference between success or failure in the hypercompetitive online landscape. In this article, we take a look at the website design offerings from Yell. com and, in particular, the problems that often make Yell a poor choice for small business website design. We also cover why we believe that some of Yell's business practices make choosing Yell to build and host your website is a terrible decision. Key Note: if you get Yell to build your website, you will not own it - this is the key takeaway from this article, so if you read no further, know that. Choose wisely (or end up yell'ing into space! ) Your website is the foundation of your digital marketing, so it is important to choose wisely. We strongly recommend you take ten minutes to read the whole article, but if you are time-challenged, you can quickly navigate the article using the links below. Yell. com - A Brief History Lesson The Problems With Yell Website Design Reviews - What Are People Saying About Yell Websites? Should You Use Yell For Your Website Design? Yell. com - A Brief History Lesson If you have... --- > We outline 7 key tips to help you dial in your local SEO and get your local business ranking at the top of the map pack and organic results. - Published: 2022-01-15 - Modified: 2022-02-10 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/local-seo-tips/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: Local SEO, SEO, Small Business SEO Local SEO has evolved. 6 years ago, you could make huge strides without links. Domain authority did not matter as much as a relevant address and well-structured citations (1). But things move on. Local SEO is now a game of many parts and, like traditional SEO, there are many local SEO ranking factors (2). Now, in 2022 and beyond, the key ranking factors as voted by experienced SEO agencies (including Bowler Hat) are as follows: Google My Business signals Link signals Review signals So, building 100 citations is not going to help you rank in local search. In fact, that more-more-more mentality that often pops up in SEO can do more harm than good. We recently helped a hotel with thousands of citations and by stripping them back to just the essentials we got far better results. To rank well in the local map pack and the localised organic results you have to focus on the local SEO tactics that are important today. To help guide you forward in your local SEO endeavours, here we detail 7 key tips to help you dial in your local SEO and get your local business ranking at the top of the map pack and organic results. Contents Have an address in the target location Get listed on Google Business Profile Conduct sensible on-page optimisation Create, clean up, and optimise citations Improve on-page optimisation Get more positive reviews Build domain authority Optimise for page speed, page experience, and core web vitals Free Local SEO... --- > One of the first questions we get asked is how long does SEO take? In this post, I am going to help you determine how long SEO would take for you. - Published: 2022-01-12 - Modified: 2022-10-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-long-does-seo-take/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, Small Business SEO One of the first questions we get asked by potential new clients is how long does SEO take? If you Google around you will see the general answer given here is between 4 to 6 months. But this is a bad answer. It is a generalised answer for starters and does not take your current situation or objectives into consideration. In this post, we are going to going to show you how to figure out how long SEO would take for you! To do this we will consider three key variables: your current situation - where you are now your objectives - where you want to be your resources - this could be budget, your time or other resources in your business Our aim is to give you the means to assess your own SEO situation and to determine what is realistically achievable. Alternatively, if you would like a professional opinion just drop us a line via our contact page and we will gladly take a look and give you an estimate of what we think is possible and how long it would take. Remember, not all SEO needs an agency or deep pockets. You can get started with some Beginners SEO tips here and then move on to a more structured set of small business seo tips here. If you really want to get serious we offer a free SEO audit and plan that you can request here. How Long Will SEO Take For You? So this is the... --- > There are many reasons why an SEO campaign can fail to work. We review common problems and how to put them right to generate organic traffic. - Published: 2022-01-05 - Modified: 2022-01-13 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/seo-not-working/ - Categories: SEO There are many reasons why an SEO campaign fails to deliver. Maybe it did work once, maybe it never worked, or maybe it started to look like it would work and then fell off a cliff. Whatever the nuance, if it's not working it's not working and you need to find out why. In this post, we will take a look at all the reasons why SEO may not work in 2022 and beyond - whether this is a total failure to develop meaningful visibility for your keywords or a failure for well-ranking keywords to deliver the expected results for your business. We will cover 13 key areas and you can dive straight in via the menu below if you suspect one of these is the key factor, or read on to understand the most common reasons why SEO fails to perform. SEO not working? - it could be due to: Unrealistic expectations Low-quality SEO Unrealistic budget You are doing the wrong kind of SEO You are chasing the algorithm Your on-page optimisation is shoddy You have over-optimised your site You have technical issues Your SEO company is NOT an SEO company You have no quality links You don't have any high-quality content You have not waited long enough Your mindset is wrong There is still a lot of low-quality, old-fashioned SEO out there, so if you just want a second opinion, give me a shout via our contact form and I can review the work being done and give... --- > In our guide to conversion rate optimisation (CRO), learn how to improve conversion rates on your website to generate more leads and sales. - Published: 2021-12-08 - Modified: 2021-12-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/beginners-guide-to-conversion-rate-optimisation/ - Categories: Conversion Rate Optimisation Introduction Welcome to Bowler Hat’s guide to conversion rate optimisation (CRO). Here, you will learn how to improve conversion rates on your website to generate more leads, sales, and business. In this guide I will explain: What CRO actually is Why CRO is the most important marketing tactic of all How to implement various data-gathering methods How to use the data obtained to improve your website Why you should keep using CRO afterwards The first chapter explains what CRO is, and some examples of how you can improve your website to increase sales/enquiries. 1 - What is Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)? What is conversion rate optimisation (CRO) and, more importantly, why should you care? The name kind of gives it away: conversion rate optimisation (CRO) is the process of improving your website's conversion rate. Typically, this entails many small, incremental changes that are tested and then measured against the key interactions on your site. The interactions are typically form fills, sales, phone number clicks, email clicks, downloads, or any action that is desirable for your visitors. You should care about CRO because your website exists to generate leads or sales for your business and, in analytics, parlance, these are known as conversions. Most websites have pretty shocking conversion rates - 1% is not unusual. That means that 99 of every 100 visitors just leave your site without getting in touch. We spend so much time, effort, and money getting folks to our site and we then just let most of... --- > This article looks at how to write an email to your clients asking for a Google review. A quick email can help your reviews grow and your SEO flourish. - Published: 2021-12-01 - Modified: 2021-12-02 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/write-email-asking-google-review/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: Google, Local SEO Google reviews are crucially important to help you win more business from search engine users. Having positive reviews ensures your business is putting its best foot forwards and they improve your credibility, rank, reputation and brand image - it is a win-win situation. Ensuring your Google reviews reflect the reality of your situation A common problem we see with reviews, and this can be extreme in some industries like restaurants, is that the only reviews a business gets are bad reviews. You could be serving 1000 customers every week, but it will be that one difficult customer, who was unpleasable, that leaves a scathing review. This is problematic as your reviews don't reflect the reality of your situation. You have one bad review. 100% negative reviews. Yet, it is 0. 1% of customers who were unhappy that week. Dealing with bad reviews on Google is tricky. Often, unless there is outright slander or problematic language you will be stuck with the review. Fortunately, there is a simple strategy to get around this - you simply ask customers for Google reviews. The best way to get Google reviews As silly as it sounds, the best way to get more Google reviews is to ask your customers to leave you a review. I know right - who would have thought it! The best way to do this is to send a simple email asking customers to leave a review, as it is a quick and easy method of receiving feedback. It is... --- > In this article, we cover everything you need to determine whether SEO is a good fit for your small business. - Published: 2021-12-01 - Modified: 2021-12-02 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/is-seo-good-for-small-businesses/ - Categories: SEO Is SEO good for small businesses? The short answer is yes. Your customers are on search engines and they are looking for businesses like yours. Ranking highly on Google will almost certainly drive highly qualified leads and sales. Is SEO right for your small business? To determine if SEO is a good fit for your business and your marketing goals needs a little more thought and we will cover everything you need to consider to make an informed choice in this article. Confused? Get a free SEO audit and SEO battle plan for your business that shows you exactly what you need to do to rank - more details. SEO & Digital Marketing - Where to Start? One of the biggest challenges with digital marketing is knowing where to start. The landscape can be confusing and the various advertising platforms are often complicated to navigate and can eat up your marketing budget with little to show for your efforts. Broadly speaking, the two main options for small business marketing in the digital age are social media sites and search engines. Both have utility in the right situation yet the right choice will depend upon the type of business, competition, and the total volume of leads that you need to keep you busy. For most small businesses, and particularly local businesses, we tend to recommend looking at search marketing first. This takes the form of Google Ads, SEO or local SEO. On a search engine, you get in front of a... --- > Understanding keyword match types is key to running successful Google Ads campaigns. Learn how to use match types to cut costs and boost results. - Published: 2021-11-16 - Modified: 2021-11-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/understanding-keyword-match-types-for-google-ads/ - Categories: PPC If you are running Google Ads for your business then you need to understand keyword match types. This feature, whilst easy to overlook, can radically improve the return from your advertising. Conversely, ignoring keyword match types can burn through your budget with little or nothing to show for your efforts. Keyword match types determine how closely Google Ads matches the keywords you target to users search queries - this can make or break your ad campaign. Suffice to say, keyword match types are crucially important if you want to succeed in the cutthroat arena of Google Ads. In this article, we take a look at the all keyword matching options in Google Ads and show you how to harness the power of match types to optimise your account, cut costs, and boost results. Contents Intro - Keyword Match Types 1. Keywords 2. Match Types 3. Broad Match 4. Broad Match Modified (BMM) 5. Phrase Match 6. Exact Match 7. How Match Types Work Together 8. Negative Keywords – an essential tool to tighten up your campaigns 9. Putting This All Together Summary Free Google Ads PPC Audit - want the pros to take a look? Drop us a line for a free review of your account by one of our skilled Google Ads consultants - get in touch. We promise no hard sell and a frank appraisal of your account - Get in touch. i. Keyword Match Types - some background Before we dive in, there are a few concepts... --- > This guide will teach you how to optimise your Google Ads campaigns through A/B Testing, including tools, benefits and guidance! - Published: 2021-11-11 - Modified: 2021-12-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/a-b-testing-for-google-ads/ - Categories: PPC Contents Introduction What is A/B testing? What is the point of A/B testing? What can you A/B test? Tools for A/B testing How to plan for an A/B test How to perform an A/B test in Google Ads How to A/B test your landing pages Conclusion You’ve written all of your ads, researched and filled out your ad groups and launched your campaigns in Google Ads, great! But what will you do when your ads start to become stagnant and your key performance indicators (KPIs) hit a plateau? Hope for the best? Add more keywords? Nope. Your best bet is to perform some A/B testing for your Google Ads campaign. What is A/B testing? You may have heard about A/B testing before, it is sometimes referred to as split or bucket testing. A/B testing involves testing a statistical hypothesis through an experiment using two similar samples of data that usually have a key variable. If your statistical hypothesis is proven correct through A/B testing, you can optimise key performance indicators by carrying out variable changes from your A/B test, almost like a science experiment! For example, if you had a landing page for “SEO Birmingham” you could create a variant of the original landing page for “SEO Birmingham” and choose a variable to measure. A variable could be something as simple as the change of a heading or the positioning of a CTA. You could then test to see if your variable change has positively affected a KPI such as... --- > Our guide will help you maximise conversions and optimise your digital campaigns to ensure you are getting the best bang for your buck. - Published: 2021-10-11 - Modified: 2021-10-18 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-display-banner-ads-a-beginners-guide/ - Categories: PPC Contents Introduction Benefits of Display Ads Disadvantages of Display Ads Banner Ads: Best Practices How to Set Up a Display Campaign in Google Ads Conclusion With the rise to prominence of display marketing across the web, we think it’s essential that you get to know the intricacies surrounding, what can be, a confusing and difficult digital minefield to manoeuvre. This will enable you to maximise conversions and optimise your digital campaigns to ensure you really are getting the best bang for your buck when it comes to display banner ads and bringing more traffic to your website. What is a display ad? A display ad is an advertisement that usually appears on websites, apps, and social media. These ads are usually displayed as graphics, videos, and images, designed to grab attention and spread brand awareness. What is a banner ad? A banner advertisement is a type of display ad which is commonly used and embedded onto web pages. Banner ads are usually comprised of a graphic made with the purpose of driving traffic towards a specific website or web page. What’s the difference between display and banner ads? Technically speaking, not a lot. Banner ads by nature are a form of display ad that is specifically designed to generate web traffic, usually in the form of a static graphic. Conversely, display ads are usually more variable in design and can be used in more ways than just a static web traffic generator. Benefits of Display Banner Ads Benefit #1: Banner... --- > In this article, we show you how to evaluate local SEO companies and how to find a local company that can help you hit your SEO goals. - Published: 2021-10-05 - Modified: 2022-10-20 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/choose-a-local-seo-company/ - Categories: SEO Buying SEO can be a minefield. Sorry, that is misleading, buying SEO is a minefield. Finding a competent and reliable SEO company is not easy. This is made harder still if you are looking in a specific location, like Birmingham. This further narrows down your options and makes the odds of finding a company that can help you get real results all the more difficult. In this article, we will work through an example of a search for an SEO company in our local town - Birmingham. We will also take a look at whether you actually need a company that is physically local to you or your location or whether you can open this up geographically to get better results. Time to Read This article will take about 10 mins to read through - consider it an investment in the future of your business. For most small businesses, SEO is no longer optional and making bad decisions here will cost you time and money. This inactivity will see your competitors move forward whilst you fall further behind. Consider this 10 minutes as an investment in your future success. Free SEO Audit & Battle Plan - if this all sounds like too much work just drop us a line and one of our highly skilled SEO consultants will review your situation and provide you with a complimentary SEO plan. Note, this is not a crappy automated report, rather this is a manual audit by an experienced SEO consultant. Free SEO... --- > Learn about the 4 key success factors you must master to create Google Ads campaigns that turn clicks into customers. By Marcus Miller. - Published: 2021-09-28 - Modified: 2022-01-26 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-ads-the-4-key-success-factors/ - Categories: PPC Running successful Google Ads campaigns is challenging. Google Ads itself can be complicated to use effectively and competition is fierce. The key is knowing that PPC ads don't exist in a vacuum and there are several factors that must be optimised to maximise results. The key factors to consider are Keywords, Ads, Landing Pages & Conversion Tracking. Take these four key factors into consideration and you will see monumental results from your PPC marketing campaigns. In this article, we will look at the foundational principles of Google Ads and then at each of these PPC Success factors so you can massively improve results and start turning clicks into customers. The article should take about 15 mins to read and if you have any questions drop me a line. Contents Introduction and some Assumptions Why Google Ads Matter Quality Score Keywords, Ads, Landing Pages & Analytics Keywords Ads Landing Pages Analytics Key Takeaways Invisible Gorillas (aka Summary) Free Google Ads Account Audit If this all seems like too much effort, we understand, drop us a line and we can conduct a free audit of your Google Ads account and tell you exactly what you need to focus on to save money and improve results (win-win): Claim your free Google Ads audit. Part 1 - Introduction 1. Introduction and some Assumptions The advice here is generally aimed at small to medium businesses and those operating in established business categories. If you have a radically new product or service then the way you... --- > This article looks at why most website design is done wrong, and more importantly, how to do it right and transform your marketing. - Published: 2021-09-19 - Modified: 2021-10-05 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/scientific-website-design/ - Categories: Conversion Rate Optimisation It is a sad fact that most websites are not the digital marketing powerhouses they could be. They fail to generate traffic, engage users, or generate leads and sales for the business they were created to serve. This is a somewhat bold statement, but with 22 years of experience in web, search, digital marketing, and helping thousands of small businesses, it is an observation I make with some confidence. If your website is failing to generate leads for your business then read on and we will show you how to start winning online. Free Audit: If you would like to know how to double your conversion rates then get in touch for a free conversion rate optimisation audit. Web Design - Form vs Function Question: Why do most websites fail to perform? Answer: The main reason here is that most websites are designed with a focus on how the website looks rather than how the website performs. Of course, this is not to say that websites should not look the part, but, it should never be more important than how the site performs its primary goals (typically to generate leads and sales). Consider the titans of Internet commerce: Google, Amazon, and eBay for starters - are their sites good looking? Go and have a look now. They are okay, but they are no design powerhouses. Google is the best example here, as it is just a logo and search box in the middle of the screen. But have you ever... --- > What is SEO? Learn what SEO is and you can leverage this often misunderstood marketing tactic to gain more traffic from Google. - Published: 2021-09-15 - Modified: 2022-01-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-seo/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: SEO What is SEO? SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. In simple terms, this is the process of improving your site to help it feature more highly on popular search engines like Google and Bing when people search for the keywords that you target. The theory is that your customers are searching and SEO helps you get in front of them - the right place at the right time. The problem is, I am not sure how useful that explanation is. There are different types of SEO. There are different parts of SEO. In most cases, the SEO that you need will be completely unique to your business, location and current situation. If you are after a simple explanation of what SEO is then you should probably just head straight to Google and search SEO. There is no end of serviceable posts out there attempting to answer this question. Therefore, there is no point in this post being a retread of what is already out there, so I am going to try and do something a little bit different here. I want to give you some insight into why it is so hard to pin down exactly what SEO is and give you a way to explore this vast subject and identify what aspects of SEO are important to you and your business. In this article, I am going to attempt to help you understand what SEO is for you and what you should do next. Your Situation - Where Are... --- - Published: 2021-06-02 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/datejacking/ - Categories: Guides, Social The new way to stay on top of your social media game! Datejacking improves on newsjacking in every way. It is predictable, scalable and most of all simple. So what are you waiting for? Introduction Marketing your business on social media and search engines is tough. Tactics like newsjacking can help but are hugely unpredictable and require a truly dynamic and creative approach that is just not a good fit for most small businesses. There is another way: DateJacking. Rather than injecting your ideas into a popular news story you create content that taps into the interest in a given date. Christmas. Easter. The release of a new Star Wars Movie. Much like how a supermarket shifts from Halloween to Christmas you build your content marketing efforts around key dates to help gain attention for your content and social media marketing efforts. From one-off events like the release of a big movie to the myriad of internet holidays like talk like a pirate day, there is something going on every single week that you can attach your content marketing efforts to and amplify your results. Datejacking improves on newsjacking in every way. It is predictable, scalable and most of all simple. So what are you waiting for? A popular date is coming up – read on to find out how to supercharge your content marketing efforts. The document breaks down into the following sections: Jacking the News Newsjacking is content which is highly responsive to major coverage and aligned with your business objectives. Whilst newsjacking is powerful, it requires a dynamic content marketing team and many businesses are simply not agile enough to jump on the hot topic of the day. This chapter introduces... --- > Web hosting comes in many shapes and sizes. But how important is the quality of your website hosting for your SEO? In this article we look at just important hosting quality is for SEO and how to grade your current hosting and identify the best hosting provider. By Marcus Miller - Bowler Hat. - Published: 2021-01-14 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-important-is-web-hosting-for-seo/ - Categories: Conversion Rate Optimisation, SEO, Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, web design, websites Fast, reliable, secure web hosting is critical to the success of your SEO. Google wants to deliver the best possible results and cares about user experience, so faster websites, with improved UX, enjoy better rankings. In a nutshell: solid hosting is the foundation of your SEO efforts. SEO & Web Hosting How important is hosting for SEO? The simple answer is that fast, reliable and secure web hosting is important from a usability perspective, so it is equally important for SEO. Likewise, slow, insecure, unreliable hosting can have a negative impact on usability and that can have a negative effect on your SEO. In this article I will cover in more detail why how robust web hosting can help you get an advantage over the competition - at a far better cost and return than by simply bumping up your SEO budget in other areas. Why hosting is good for SEO Speed Uptime and Downtime Security Location We will go into detail on each of these points below to help you make an informed decision on your SEO optimised hosting. Hosting Is Your Website's Home On The Web A whole lot of money is spent on website design and development. And even more is spent on SEO, PPC, and digital marketing to drive customers to your website. Yet, in our experience, hosting is often scrimped on. This is a hugely false economy. Cheap hosting will give you a slow and unreliable site that has poor conversion rates. If you are spending... --- - Published: 2020-08-18 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/website-planning-guide-for-start-ups-and-small-businesses/ - Categories: Guides, Web This guide sets out everything you need to consider when planning a website for a startup or small business. Introduction Welcome to the Bowler Hat Website Planning Guide. This guide sets out everything you need to consider when planning a website for a startup or small business. We look at domain names, web hosting, website content, the various options available for buying or creating your site, and finally, the all-important task of marketing your site and getting noticed in the search engines. This is not a technical guide and our aim is not to bamboozle you with jargon. Rather the intention is to provide an overview of the knowledge that will ensure you can put a website plan together. Additionally, by arming yourself with the facts, you can avoid the attention of any unscrupulous cowboy web design companies (of which there are many). This is an intentionally short, non-technical guide which you can read cover to cover within an hour. Our goal is simply to arm you with the knowledge of how to plan a website to achieve your business goals. If we can help in any way then please get in touch. Alternatively, if you are looking for an agency who specialises in small business web design then give us a shout! The document breaks down into the following sections: Domain Names A domain name is the entry point to your website. You simply can’t have a professional-looking website without a domain name of your own. It is worth taking some time to choose a memorable domain that represents your business ethos and correctly considers the technical implications... --- > Small businesses can leverage chatbots to save time and money. Here are 5 effective ways you can use chatbots to achieve your business goals. - Published: 2020-01-30 - Modified: 2020-01-30 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/small-businesses-chatbots/ - Categories: Web Design The digital industry is on the rise and has made it possible to solve people’s problems from almost every walk of life. Moreover, chatbots make it easier for customers to connect and reach out to businesses as they would with human support representatives. Chatbots are competent and inexpensive — they give customers recommendations based on the data collected from prior interactions and simple inquiries. On the other hand, smaller businesses have a stellar customer-relationship down pat and chatbots transform this strength from personal interactions to a digital one. Small businesses have found ways to leverage chatbots and save them time and money giving them more time to focus on their growth and become a unicorn company in their industry. Here are 5 effective tactics you can use to achieve your business goals: 1. Create a Unique Social Experience Different brands have started reaching out to their followers and potential customers using chatbots for Facebook Messenger to create a unique experience for their customers and increase engagement. A chatbot platform such as MobileMonkey allows your small business to understand, respond, and adapt to a simple conversation. Quartz is changing the face of digital journalism that is built and written specifically for Facebook Messenger — their followers can chat with their chatbot to catch up on the latest news and participate in different projects that expand their horizons. Quartz is giving its followers a unique and personal experience through the utilisation of chatbots in their Facebook Messenger. 2. Generate Leads One of... --- > Google Ads is a powerful way to promote your roofing business. We look at 7 tips to help you save money and generate more return from your ad spend. - Published: 2019-11-25 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-ads-ppc-roofers/ - Categories: PPC - Tags: Google Ads, ppc, Roofers Google Ads is a powerful way to promote your roofing business. But, for small businesses with a moderate marketing budget, Google Ads can also end up wasting a lot of budget on clicks that don’t convert to business. Fortunately, following some time-proven best practices can ensure you cut away that wasted spend, save money and generate more high-quality leads. In this post, we look at 7 actionable tips that you can put in place today to help you save money and generate more return from your PPC ad spend. Alternatively, drop us a line and one of our battle-tested PPC consultants will conduct a FREE audit of your PPC account and outline exactly what you need to do to improve results: Free PPC Audit. Tip 1 - Optimise Account Structure Having an optimised account structure in Google Ads is vital for easy navigation when optimising your campaigns. Clearly labelling your campaigns and ad groups by service and keyword match type makes life easier when optimising your account regularly. To begin with, make sure your campaigns are clearly labelled by service type. For example, you may offer a ‘New Roof’ service, as well as a ‘Roof Repair’ service: If you wanted to adjust budgets based on time of year, having your campaigns named accordingly will help you locate the correct campaign quickly. For example, during the winter, you may direct more budget at your ‘Roof Repair’ campaign to achieve more enquiries for quick and easy jobs. Then, during the summer, you... --- > 7 key takeaways from the Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines that you can put in place to improve your visibility in Google search today. - Published: 2018-12-20 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-search-quality-evaluator-guidelines/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: Google, SEO Google is now the first port of call for most people looking for a product, service, or information. So, it naturally follows that ranking highly in search for the queries relevant to your business can bring BIG rewards. In many ways, visibility in the organic (free) search results is the holy grail of digital marketing. There is no cost-per-click (CPC) and organic results are often trusted in a way that adverts never could be. The process of working out what qualifies as a high-quality site is performed dynamically, often in a fraction of a second, by the Google Algorithm (1). However, to help ensure that the search algorithm is returning the best possible results, Google hires a human review team to analyse search results and provide feedback. This feedback is then used to improve future versions of the algorithm. This Is Where It Gets Interesting... The human review team is provided with a 164-page training manual called: The Google Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines (2). This manual gives us the most information we’ve ever had with regards to what Google, and the algorithm, is looking for when ranking websites. The downside here is that it’s not exactly a riveting read. However, there are nuggets of wisdom within. Fear not, we have done the donkey-work here and waded through the manual to provide 7 key takeaways that you can put in place to improve your visibility in Google search. Read on, and, should you have any questions about how you can put... --- > E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authority & Trust and is used by Google to rank your website. Our checklist outlines 13 ways you can improve your E-A-T rating. - Published: 2018-12-19 - Modified: 2022-03-21 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/eat-checklist/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, Google, SEO, websites E-A-T is a new acronym in SEO land that stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust. E-A-T (aka EAT) is a set of criteria that Google is using to ensure that websites are factually accurate, helpful, and reliably sourced. The three key areas are: Expertise - are you an expert in your field? Authority - does Google understand your credentials? Trust - can you be trusted to deliver the goods? Whilst it is unlikely that these are specific ranking factors, E-A-T provides a common-sense way to review your website and online presence to improve your SEO. In this post, we outline 13 areas that can influence your E-A-T SEO. E-A-T SEO - Checklist Ads - don't let ads dominate the page Attribution - clearly state who created the content Content - create helpful, unique content Misleading content - don't deceive users Policies - clearly detail your policies Purpose - the purpose of the site and individual page should be clear Qualifications - are you clearly illustrating your expertise? Relevancy - maximise relevancy to targeted keywords to improve rankings Reputation (off-site) - ensure you have the right links from credible sources Reputation (on-site) - clearly illustrate why a prospect should trust you Reviews - reviews help demonstrate that you can do what you say Security & Maintenance - have a technically well maintained and secure site YMYL - financial (your money) and health (your life) are held to higher standards Read on to find out how to improve your E-A-T SEO and... --- > Affordable SEO is a minefield. Most services will range from ineffective to potentially damaging. In this article, we detail how to find a safe and effective SEO package at a realistic price. - Published: 2018-10-03 - Modified: 2023-11-10 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/affordable-seo-rank-without-breaking-the-bank/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, Small Business SEO Are you looking for affordable SEO? If so, we can help and provide a free initial audit, video review and advice session - get in touch. If you would like to learn how to safely either implement your SEO, possibly with the assistance of various SEO tools or to employ an agency or consultant who can actually do what they say, then can then read on. Warning: there is a lot of cheap and nasty SEO out there When buying SEO on a budget, the first thing to consider is to be careful. The majority of lower-end SEO providers, tools and services are hopeless. The sudden influx of AI-powered SEO tools has not helped here, and despite the lofty claims, you have to become an educated consumer with AI speeding up change in an already fast-moving sector. What Counts as Affordable? This is tough to answer as what is affordable for a huge company is unimaginable for a smaller company. SEO budgets can be several thousands of pounds, yet I would class affordable as starting at the very low end of £100 / $150 and going up to around £500 / $750. Truly understanding what is affordable requires more context. What can the business afford? What are the returns? Typically, organic search has a better cost per lead than paid search but it may take time to get to the promised land so you have to factor that in. Are You a Good Fit? The inspiration for this article was... --- > In this article we show how simply moving to a truly optimised hosting environment can triple site performance without tons of technical overhead. - Published: 2018-08-24 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/how-good-hosting-speeds-up-wordpress-by-over-200/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: web design, websites, wordpress Website speed is important. Fast sites have better SEO and convert more clicks to customers. Slow sites annoy users and drive up bounce rates. Yet, speeding up WordPress can be complicated. Minify CSS, HTML & Javascript. Compression. Browser caching. What does it all mean? In this article we show how simply moving to a truly optimised hosting environment can triple site performance without tons of technical overhead. One simple change. A super fast site. What’s not to like? Hosting with WP Engine When it comes to website hosting you get what you pay for. Skimp here and performance will suffer. And all the technical fixes in the world will not help speed up your site if your hosting is at fault. At Bowler Hat, we have a dedicated server in the WP Engine data centre. WP Engine provides shared hosting options for small business and dedicated resources for agencies like us. This typically means we can provide an even better service than going to WP Engine direct at a better price. Win-win. WP Engine has an optimised environment for WordPress sites where most of the typical optimisation work is done for you. This speeds up your site without having to add lots of plugins that can be problematic in and of themselves. The Experiment We knew that WP Engine was fast. But we wanted to understand how fast and how much of the work was done for us just by using this hosting environment. To test this we built a... --- > In this blog post, I will be deciphering all the main necessities you need to keep in mind when designing your website whilst revising some of the basics. - Published: 2018-08-03 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/web-design-guide-beginners/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites, wordpress So you’re thinking about getting more into the whole web design schtick? Well, it’s definitely worth revising some of the basics before you decide to dive in. Have no fear, however, because in this blog post I will be deciphering all the main necessities you need to keep in mind when designing your website. Alignment, Margins & Rules So let’s jump straight in. If you’ve ever done any web design work at all, then you’ll know wireframes are a must. They help you depict where the content goes and how the overall site structure will look. Now that’s all fine and dandy, but is there anything to consider if it’s just wireframes? I mean, there’s not exactly much in terms of design is there? However, when creating a website, having a strong alignment is vital. Why? Well, that’s because it makes content easier for people to read and creates more balance between content and white space. So how do I do that? Well, I’m glad you asked. It’s always good to set some form of guidelines in place to ensure all your content is kept clean, structured, and well presented. In the mockup below, you can see the grid lines used to help identify the margin of the website. Now, this isn’t to say that everything should always be kept in the margins. This is more of a template to help make your design look neater. Things such as background shapes, images, and banners can be kind of forgotten about... --- > Last month’s GDPR-pocalypse was something nobody was really looking forward to. So where are we one month on? Are you compliant? - Published: 2018-06-29 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/gdpr-one-month-on/ - Categories: Web Design If you haven't heard of GDPR yet, I’m both jealous and confused as to why you haven’t. Well, in the past month you may have noticed your inbox being bombarded by thousands of emails from companies you signed up to 20 years ago, letting you know that their policies are being updated. And now pretty much every website you go on now has a cookie bar slammed on it somewhere, asking you if you consent to cookies. Fun stuff, right? Yeah, I thought so too. Well, this is all down to the mad rush of companies trying to become GDPR compliant before the deadline hit. So, where are we one month on? Bit confuffled on the whole GDPR schtick? Find out more about it here. Last month’s GDPR-pocalypse was something nobody was really looking forward to. Reviewing all your data, making sure your website is compliant, the whole shebang. So how are we one month on? Well, for starters, not much has really happened. GDPR is mainly going to be targeted at larger franchises and businesses. Europe based companies like Volkswagen, Tescos, Vodafone and many others were at much higher risk of being caught out because of the unthinkable amount of data they store, so it makes sense to target them first. The smaller businesses like your local corner shop or Bowler Hat are at a much lower risk of being caught out by the ICO (yeehaw) purely because we don’t hold as much data on clients. However, if you... --- > Find out why social media is important for your business, the top social media platforms, and how to tap into this stream of potential customers. - Published: 2018-06-22 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/social-media-marketing-small-businesses/ - Categories: Social - Tags: social media In this guide, we talk about why social media is important for your business, the top social media platforms, setting up your profile, and how to tap into this stream of potential customers. Why is Social Media Marketing Important? Good question! Social media provides a platform where you can engage with your current and potential customers, share product and service information, and spread awareness of your brand and business. It’s also a great customer service tool. People like to hear real-life customers talking about how great your company and your customer service is, and anything that can help your marketing is certainly worth doing! Customers can also contact you directly via your social media channels and ask questions which can help generate those all important sales and enquiries. Top Social Media Platforms for Small Businesses Facebook Facebook is the number one social media network among marketers, with over a billion monthly active users at present. Businesses can effectively target users across a wide range of ages and demographics with Facebook ads. Creating a personalised business page allows you to share relevant content, including text, images, and video with your followers. Youtube Youtube is the largest video sharing platform, and second largest search engine, with an estimated 1. 58 billion users in 2018. Youtube also allows you to share your videos across other social platforms and embed videos to your website, giving you the option to use video in your marketing strategy. Twitter Twitter is a fast-paced micro-blogging site with 336... --- > In this article, I highlight the best plugins to use to improve your WordPress website's page speed. Many site speed issues can be fixed by installing plugins. I list the common issues that arise in the Google PageSpeed Tester and which plugins can resolve them. - Published: 2018-06-15 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/improve-wordpress-website-speed-using-plugins/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress In this article, I highlight the best plugins to use to improve your WordPress website's page speed. If you haven’t already, I recommend reading my previous blog post on optimising the images on your website before going through this blog post. If you have large, unoptimised images then it is likely that this is what is slowing down your website the most. If you’ve optimised all of your images correctly, you might find there are still issues found in the testers, such as needing to minify your HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files. A lot of these issues can, however, be fixed by installing plugins. I list below the common issues that arise in the Google PageSpeed Tester and which plugins can resolve them. If you haven’t already, this would be a good time to get some backups in place, as these plugins have a chance of causing issues on your website, depending on what themes and plugins you are using, or what WordPress version you are on. Leverage Browser Caching This issue is caused by not setting an expiry date for static resources and would be improved by loading previously downloaded resources from the local disk instead of over the network. The plugin I use to resolve this issue is WP Performance Score Booster. Once you install this plugin it will set an expiry date for static resources along with other optimisations. Additionally, all you have to do is install the plugin and you do not need to do any... --- > Securing your website is a crucial component of looking after your customers’ data in compliance with GDPR. This post details how to secure your WordPress site to ensure your data is safe and you avoid a heft fine. By Marcus Miller, Bowler Hat. - Published: 2018-05-21 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/gdpr-wordpress-security/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: digital marketing, GDPR, Website Security, wordpress Data is everywhere. Your data. My data. Your customers’ data. GDPR is here to standardise how data is stored and processed. And securing that data is your responsibility. If your site is compromised, what GDPR refers to as a "breach" then you can be fined. And with studies showing that around 70% of WordPress sites have vulnerabilities, it's time to get serious about the data you hold and your website security with WordPress management. In this article, we look at the ten key factors in WordPress security. Any questions drop a comment below or get in touch for a Free WordPress Security Audit. A GDPR Warning Shot from ICO Whilst the focus seems to be on opting in email marketing data, there seems to be little focus on securing customer data to avoid what the GDPR terms as a breach. And it certainly seems that the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is serious about security as this week they have fined a university £120,000 for a breach. This was on a small microsite, built by a student, without the university's knowledge. And the fine comes in a week before GDPR comes into effect with far heavier fines promised. Too busy to read the whole article? Get in touch for a free WordPress security audit that details exactly what you need to do to get your security where it needs to be for GDPR compliance. First - Some Scary Statistics WordPress powers around 25% to 40% of the Internet. And I would... --- > More often than not, images are the main reason why your website is producing poor results when it comes to speed. This blog post details how to optimise your images to improve site speed. - Published: 2018-05-11 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-images-site-speed/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites More often than not, images are going to be the main reason why your website is producing poor results when it comes to speed. I’ve tested many sites and images are often the priority in speed testers. Most of the time, images can be optimised to save a few kilobytes of data. However, occasionally I’ve found a single image to be over 1MB, and as the recommended size of the page itself is around 3MB, this can have a huge effect on the speed of your website as the user will have to wait much longer for an image which doesn’t need to be that big. There are two considerations when optimising an image: image dimension size and image file size. The dimensions of the image matter because the image should be around the same size as it appears on the page. For example, if you have an image of 1000px width, but on the page it’s displayed at 200px width, then you should resize the image so that it’s roughly the same size as it appears on the page. For the image file size, you need to check how big the image file is as higher quality images will have a higher file size. An easy way to check this is to run your website in Google PageSpeed Insights. This will tell you whether you have images on your webpage that could be compressed. You will have to run each page on your website to check for any unoptimised... --- > If you are looking at moving into or improving your eCommerce capability you will likely have come across the Shopify platform. In this post, I am going to give you an overview of what Shopify is and the feature set so you can make a decision if Shopify is the right eCommerce platform for your business. - Published: 2018-04-27 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-shopify/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: web design, websites If you are looking at moving into or improving your eCommerce capability you will likely have come across the Shopify platform. In this post, I am going to give you an overview of what Shopify is and the feature set so you can make a decision if Shopify is the right eCommerce platform for your business. If you have any questions, drop me a line or leave a comment below the article - at Bowler Hat, we are always happy to help! So, What is Shopify? Shopify is a cloud-based eCommerce platform that simplifies setting up and operating an online store. Standard features include unlimited products, unlimited bandwidth, fraud detection, payment processing, and a range of marketing features (including discount codes and the ability to sell on social networks like Facebook). In brief, Shopify is a fully featured and cost-effective eCommerce platform that any business can use. Shopify was created circa 2005 by a group of friends who were disappointed with the software that was available to set up and run an online store. Shopify has since gone from strength to strength, securing over $100 million in funding, and now runs stores for huge brands including Budweiser, Tesla Motors, Red Bull, and rapidly growing dynamic startups like Gymshark. Simply put, Shopify is the best eCommerce solution currently available. Rather than face months of development and five-figure development costs, businesses can now set up a Shopify store and start uploading products in minutes. And as new opportunities arise, such as selling... --- > I evaluate some of the main CMS platforms to see which is best for your small business website to try and help you decide where your time, money, and effort is going to be best used. - Published: 2018-04-20 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/best-cms-small-business-websites/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites, wordpress So you own a small business. You don’t want to fork out a small fortune for a website, and you don’t necessarily want to spend the next 6 years building your site. Well, lucky for you, there are many different weapons of choice at your disposal. The only variables you need to consider are pricing, time, and functionality. So you’re looking into forging a new site or simply re-building your old one, but you don’t know what to use. The short answer is, it all falls down to what type of business you own. If you run a pilates studio, then you’re not going to want to use an e-commerce platform. But what do I use? Well, each CMS almost comes with its own key features. Take Shopify, for example. Their CMS is moulded around an e-commerce platform, making uploading and selling products as easy as possible, whereas other platforms such as Wix don’t really revolve around e-commerce like that. It’s not really their niche. In this blog, I evaluate some of the main CMS platforms to see which is best for your small business website to try and help you decide where your time, money, and effort is going to be best used. E-commerce Platforms - Shopify So what is the best CMS platform for e-commerce? In terms of cloud-based e-commerce platforms, nothing really compares to Shopify. The extremely simple-to-use user interface makes creating an e-commerce platform effortless. You can throw hundreds of products around your site at ease... --- > I have created guidelines on how to optimise the speed of your website by choosing a fast theme and avoiding installing plugins which could slow your website down. - Published: 2018-04-06 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-site-speed-choosing-best-themes-plugins/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: web design, websites, wordpress If you own a WordPress website, you’ll likely be aware of the concept of themes and plugins. Themes and plugins are some of the core functionalities of WordPress and are required if you don’t want to use the simplistic default appearance. Themes exist to give you more customisation to your website and so that your website looks unique. There are plenty of themes available - some free and some premium - so you may find yourself spending a very long amount of time trying to find the perfect theme. One consideration that is often missed is how fast the theme is. If you’ve been reading my other blog posts, you’ll know how important it is to have a fast website and that you can’t afford to have a website that takes so long to load that users go to your competitors’ websites instead. Plugins add new functionalities to your website and there is an immense number of plugins available. These can range from something simple like adding a sidebar with social icons to much more technical plugins, like adding a page builder functionality to your website so you can add more advanced elements such as a gallery or portfolio. Although you might think it would be a good idea to install every single plugin so that you have plenty of functionality on your website, this will slow down your site, so you should only install the plugins you need and check that the plugins you do install do not slow... --- > PPC is a way of marketing on search engines. This post provides a brief overview of pay-per-click marketing so that you can understand how it works and start using PPC to benefit your business. - Published: 2018-03-29 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-ppc/ - Categories: PPC - Tags: digital marketing, Google, ppc, SEM What Is PPC? PPC stands for pay-per-click, and it’s a way of marketing on search engines. As it states in the name, you literally pay-per-click. Essentially, PPC is a targeted way of buying visits to your site that will hopefully end in conversions, whether this is a sale, conversion, or sign-up etc. It can be a great marketing method if your CPC (cost-per-click) is low, enabling you to still have a good return on investment (ROI). However, it can be extremely competitive in some industries and requires regular maintenance to maintain a good CPC and a steady number of conversions. PPC often changes too - from AdWords rules to industries becoming more competitive over periods as short as a week - so you have to constantly adapt your PPC strategy. How Does It Work? Once an advertiser has set up their ads in a search engine advertising platform (such as Google AdWords or Bing Ads) and has added relevant keywords that they wish their ads to trigger for, they then set bids for how high up in the ad section of the search results their ad will show. For example, say that in the school cleaning industry the bid for the number one position on the front page of the search results is £3. 40, but say you’re bidding at £3. 00, you won’t get that top spot. Not to worry though, you’ll be able to see your average position in the metric columns on the advertising platform where your... --- > Link building is not the easiest SEO tactic to understand. So, we detail the who, what, where, when, and why of link building so you know what it is and why it is so important to your SEO strategy. - Published: 2018-03-23 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/what-is-link-building-why-is-it-important/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, SEO, seo basics, Small Business SEO I think we can all agree, link building is not the easiest SEO tactic to understand. So, if you haven’t bookmarked this page yet then do it, or download it, screenshot it, make notes of it, or do anything you need to do in order to memorise its contents because this guide has now become your link building bible. Let’s start off by getting the boring who, what, where, when, and why stuff out of the way. What Is Link Building? First of all, let’s break things down, starting with links. Not to question your intelligence, but not everyone knows what a link is so the term link building will just send you into a whirlwind before we have even begun. A link is what users can follow to go from one page to another. Links are also used by search engines such as Google to evaluate content on a page to identify two crucial things - authority and relevance (we’ll get into that later on). ‘Link building’ is the process of getting other websites to link to your website. SEO professionals, business owners, bloggers, and other website owners spend a lot of time, effort, and money on their link building campaigns in order to build their website’s authority so they can rank higher for their desired search terms. Why Is Link Building Important For My SEO? Speaking purely as someone who has worked in SEO for many years now, if I was given a penny for every time a... --- > This simple 2 step content marketing strategy involves identifying audience questions and creating content that answers these questions. It’s easy to implement and doesn’t require a big budget so any small business can employ this strategy today to start getting results and reap the benefits of content marketing. - Published: 2018-03-16 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/simple-content-marketing-strategy-boost-small-business/ - Categories: Content Marketing - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing Content marketing is all about providing useful, relevant, and valuable content your prospects and customers need to help them solve their issues and problems. This has a host of benefits, including increased brand awareness, engagement, leads, traffic, conversions, brand trust, loyalty, credibility, reputation, and authority, to name just a few. This simple 2 step content marketing strategy involves identifying audience questions and creating content that answers these questions. It’s as simple as that. What’s more, it’s easy to implement and doesn’t require a big budget, so any small business can employ this strategy today to start getting results and reap the benefits of content marketing. Content marketing is not about selling but helping your audience to build trust and develop relationships so they choose you over your competitors. Before You Begin Before you begin any content marketing strategy you should always identify a goal for your content. Why are you creating content? What do you want to achieve? Whether this is to generate traffic, increase leads, improve engagement, build authority, boost SEO, or connect with customers, determine what you want your strategy to achieve and determine a goal to analyse its success. Step 1 The first step involves identifying your audience and the questions they have. Think about their main pain points and problems. What are their greatest challenges and struggles that you can help solve? Remember that this is why you started your business in the first place - to help your customers solve their problems with your products... --- > In 2018, improving the speed of your website has now moved from being an option to a necessity. Google is starting to downgrade slow websites and users expect speedy sites. We highlight 3 tools you can use to assess and optimise your website's speed. - Published: 2018-03-02 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/check-speed-website/ - Categories: SEO, Web Design - Tags: web design, websites In 2018, improving the speed of your website has now moved from being an option to a necessity. Google is starting to downgrade slow websites and users expect speedy sites. Two recent studies have shown the impact of a single additional second of loading time: 1 second costs Amazon $1. 6 billion in sales and every additional second of loading time causes 10% of users to leave the BBC website. And this impact is just as pronounced in the small business world. By speeding up your website you can improve your SEO and maximise the number of clicks that turn into customers. This all gives you a strategic advantage over your competition - win-win. Website Performance Testing Tools There are a number of free tools you can use to benchmark your website's loading time. The following details these tools along with how to use them and any pros and cons. 1. Google PageSpeed Insights Google PageSpeed Insights rates your website out of 100 for both desktop and mobile and provides page speed improvements for your website in order of severity. https://developers. google. com/speed/pagespeed/insights/ Images can be a big part of what slows down a page and the PageSpeed Insights tool will provide optimised images for you to download. Just be sure to review them as they don’t always get this 100% correct. 2. Pingdom Pingdom gives you a more detailed summary of your website’s site speed and you can test from multiple locations such as Stockholm, Melbourne, and New York.... --- > WordPress is one of the largest content management systems for web design and development, so it is vital to know some of the basic ground knowledge. This blog will identify some of the key aspects of WordPress, outline how you can benefit from learning the basics, and help you familiarise yourself with the platform. - Published: 2018-02-23 - Modified: 2021-11-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/wordpress-beginners-basics/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: web design, websites, wordpress With WordPress being one of the largest content management systems for web design and development, it is vital to know some of the basic ground knowledge, especially for beginners. This blog will identify some of the key aspects of WordPress, outline how you can benefit from learning the basics, and help you familiarise yourself with the platform. What Is WordPress? Starting as a simple blogging system, WordPress has evolved into the largest Content Management System used to this day. As WordPress grew, they gained hundreds upon thousands of users all working in different fields and, in time, developed into a CMS that powers over 25% of all sites on the web. Being a free open-source development system, it’s pretty clear why WordPress is considered to be the best CMS out there, especially because of the easy to use interface and customisation. What's more, WordPress is riddled with thousands of plugins and extensions to use with a huge range of features at your disposal, which is vital for anyone creating a well-developed site. Find out more about WordPress from their official site, https://wordpress. com. WordPress. com vs WordPress. org About to create your first site? You might want to make sure you’re using the right WordPress. The key factor to always consider when using WordPress is whether you are hosting your site or if WordPress is hosting your site for you. Hosting a site yourself is good for one main reason, it’s free. However, this does come at the compromise of... --- > The way people purchase their food has changed a lot over the past few years. In this article, we explore the ways in which you can make your restaurant's website the best in 2018 and how you can connect with thousands of hungry customers... - Published: 2018-02-16 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/make-restaurants-website-best/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites You have your restaurant set up, the menus nailed, and you are slowly running out of budget. So how do you connect with the thousands of hungry customers out there? Your website is the gateway to your business. Before even walking through your door, your potential customer base will probably have had some form of contact with you online first and so it's crucial that your website is the best. For restaurants, this initial contact is vital. In fact, according to the booking giants, OpenTable, the 2017 figure for the number of people who take to the web to check out a restaurant’s menu before visiting was 86%. Throughout this post, I will outline some of the easiest ways you can help your restaurant shine online and create a website which will showcase your food to your users and, overall, convince your users to turn their browsing into bookings. Understand Your Target Audience Understanding your target audience can be tricky for a restaurant unless your restaurant specialises in a niche market such as vegan food or seafood. The majority of restaurants will be targeting anyone with a healthy appetite and a love for food. However, there are a few points which you can take advantage of to really nail that initial contact. With mobile internet users dominating the marketplace at the moment, you can bet your bottom dollar that the majority of your potential customers will be browsing your website on the go. They could be on the bus, walking... --- > The Facebook news feed is changing. One thing’s for sure is that the change will apply to all, whether it's a personal profile or a business page, and the recent changes will have the biggest impact on professional pages. But how will these recent changes to the Facebook news feed affect small businesses? - Published: 2018-02-09 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/facebook-news-feed-changes-affect-small-businesses/ - Categories: Social - Tags: social, social media What’s Changing? The Facebook news feed is changing. One thing that’s for sure is that the change will apply to all, whether it's a personal profile or a business page. But the recent changes will have the biggest impact on professional pages. Big changes to the algorithms will be rolled out over the next few months and will affect news feed rankings. Mark Zuckerberg made this announcement back in January, with the focus being more on friends and family and the intention to make people feel good about Facebook again. “One of our big focus areas for 2018 is making sure the time we all spend on Facebook is time well spent. ” - Mark Zuckerberg Facebook will show less of certain posts in the news feed: Video Links to external pages such as blogs and websites Posts from professional pages Scheduling posts will become more focused towards your 'see first' followers. This means less visibility of content posted from professional pages, businesses, and brands.  And more content from your connections. Specifically, content that encourages more meaningful interactions between friends and family will be prioritised in your news feed. How Will The Changes Affect Small Businesses? You’ll start to see less video and posts from professional pages, and more from friends, family, and groups. This will mean a decline in reach for some pages. Popular news articles and posts that spark conversation, such as recommendations, will be visible first. Crucially, longer comments will rank higher than short comments and likes.... --- > We discuss how the recent changes to Facebook's news feed will impact advertisers. The important thing to note is that ads will not be affected by the coming change and it is business as usual for advertisers. Only organic page reach will really be hit. Facebook is simply becoming more pay to play than it is already. - Published: 2018-02-02 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/changes-facebook-news-feed-advertisers/ - Categories: PPC, Social - Tags: digital marketing, online advertising, social Unless you live in a cave somewhere, without wifi, then you can't have avoided the news about the change to the Facebook news feed ricocheting around the marketing world. The main drive here seems to be that pages will see less visibility in the news feed whilst interactions with family and friends will be prioritised. And if the results from a trial run are to be trusted where page posts were moved to a secondary feed, the reported impact was between 60% to 80% - a pretty big deal if you rely on organic social traffic. But How Will This Affect Advertisers? The original post (which you can read here) was not terribly helpful and sent a lot of advertisers into a tailspin. Fortunately, Facebook account managers have been sending out what I can only assume is a largely templated email to put advertisers’ minds at rest. I will provide the full message below along with the key points, but the main point is that ads will not be affected by the coming change. Only organic page reach will really be hit here. Which has been in steep decline for years anyway, so it's really no big deal. Facebook is just becoming, even more, pay to play than it is already - which is pretty hard to be surprised about. Key Points The key points of this message are as follows: Increased weight on friend and family interactions Pages will see a decrease in organic reach, referral traffic, and total... --- > Email marketing is one of the most effective ways of reaching and engaging prospects. Here's how to improve results from your email marketing campaigns. - Published: 2018-01-12 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/email-marketing-tips-improve-performance/ - Categories: Content Marketing - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways of engaging and reaching prospects, retaining customers, and encouraging them to take action. This post offers some tips on how to improve results from your email marketing campaigns and optimise performance. 1. Build A List Prior to any email marketing campaign, you need to build an audience to send your email to by building an email list. Start by asking yourself why your audience would sign up for your emails, then use this to build a list. This can be done any number of ways, from using a lead generation form on your site, offering an incentive such as exclusive content or special offers, and sending the email to your existing client list, to using a pop-up sign-up box on your site, or asking followers to sign up via social media. Find what works best for you to build a list of prospects. 2. Define Your Audience And Goals The first step to any email marketing initiative is to define your audience and goals for the campaign. Determine who you are sending your email to and what kind of content your audience wants to receive - blog posts? Exclusive offers? Business updates? News? Why would they want to receive your email? This will help you to define the purpose of your email campaign and envisage how it fits with your overall marketing strategy. Understand the goal of your campaign so that you know what you want to achieve and can measure... --- > SERPs are the search engine result pages and in this post we look at the various types of SERPs and how you can leverage these to improve your organic SEO. - Published: 2017-11-08 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/serp-seo-acronyms-jargon-explained/ - Categories: Content Marketing, SEO - Tags: SEO, seo basics, Small Business SEO I spend a fair bit of time writing about SEO. On our own blog, on my Search Engine Land Column, and just generally around the web. One acronym I have never been too keen on is SERP. This brief post explains that acronym and any other related SEO SERP jargon. SERP - A Definition SERP stands for Search Engine Result Page. So the SERPs are the search engine result pages. These are pages of results for any given search query. These SERPs will also consider other variables such as personalisation, device, and user location.  A SERP will typically include organic results, features, and various advertisements. SERP - Example The following is an example SERP for the search query "SEO Birmingham": Here we have three different kinds of results: Paid text ads Local business listings Organic results The paid results are just that - paid adverts managed via Google Adwords (PPC is something else we can help with). The Many Faces Of Google SERPs The example above is pretty simple. But there are myriad other SERP features. Google now tries to answer questions for people directly in the search results. And depending on the nature and intent of the search query the SERP will include a variety of different features. Some of the most common SERP features are as follows: Shopping Results Shopping results can feature above or to the right of the search results in a block of 5 above or 9 to the right. These are sponsored (paid) listings... --- > This post looks at 29 of the best ways to promote & market your content to ensure you get the best results you can and make content marketing work for you. - Published: 2017-10-27 - Modified: 2022-04-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/29-best-ways-promote-market-content/ - Categories: Content Marketing - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing So you’ve written a piece of fully optimised high-quality, valuable, relevant content that stands out and you’re ready to release it into the world for your content to be read and loved by your audience. Don’t make the content marketing mistake of leaving your amazing content on your site waiting for it to be read and the views to come pouring in. Unfortunately, it’s not a case of building it and they will come, you have to work hard to promote your content and get it in front of those who need to read it, otherwise, your hard work producing the content will be wasted. You should spend as much time creating content as promoting it to give it the best chance of success. To help you market your content, this post looks at 29 of the best ways to promote your content to ensure you get the best results you can and make content marketing work for you. Social Media 1. Post To Social Post your content to all social media profiles that you’re on, which should be the channels where your audience is. Tweet it on Twitter, post it to Facebook and Linkedin, upload to Instagram and Google+. Posting on social media exposes your content to your followers, which they may then share with their followers and their followers share with their followers and so on, expanding your post’s reach further and further. 2. Re-Post To Social Schedule and re-post your content for the future multiple times using... --- > To help you get started with advertising on Facebook, we look at the best Facebook ad formats that will help you meet your business objectives. - Published: 2017-10-23 - Modified: 2017-10-23 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/facebook-ad-formats-business-objectives/ - Categories: PPC, Social - Tags: digital marketing, online advertising, social media Facebook has 2 billion users - that’s a big audience of prospects and leads waiting to discover your brand. Using the platform to advertise your business and its products and services can be a great way to hit your business goals. If you’re thinking about utilising this platform and believe this is the best place to tap into your customer base and online community, get familiar with what this involves and how to get the best ROI from your ad spend before you dive in, as this can get complex with the many options available. To help you get started with advertising on Facebook, we look at the best Facebook ad formats that will help you meet your business objectives so you can decide which is the best format for your business. Objectives When creating Facebook ads you will create an advert based on what you want your ad to achieve. You will firstly choose from a number of different advertising objectives you want to accomplish with your ad and then a number of different ad formats to help you achieve this goal. These objectives are: App Installs - get more installs of your app Brand Awareness - increase awareness of your brand and introduce it to new audiences Conversions - encourage an action to be taken on your site such as subscribe to your list or buy a product to increase conversions Engagement - increase engagement with your business in the form of likes, comments, shares, views, page likes,... --- > This article highlights the best and most effective way to do bulk redirects in WordPress in 5 simple steps to save time and make your job easier. - Published: 2017-10-13 - Modified: 2021-10-06 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/bulk-redirects-wordpress/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites, wordpress Introduction To do bulk redirects in WordPress we will want to either use a plugin or add redirect rules directly to htaccess. The first method is the usage of the Redirection plugin, and the second method is to use the . htaccess file in your website. Using the Redirection plugin is easier and less technical, however it is less efficient and your redirects can be slower. If you decide to use the . htaccess method, it is more technical but your redirects are faster because they are processed before anything else in WordPress. Here is a guide on how to do both of these methods, so that both technical and non-technical users can implement redirects on their website. Method 1 - Redirection Plugin Install Redirection Plugin Firstly, if you haven't already installed the Redirection plugin, you will need to do so for this method. Make sure that you install the correct redirection plugin, which is this one: https://en-gb. wordpress. org/plugins/redirection/. If you haven't installed a plugin before, you can do this by hovering over "Plugins" in your left-hand admin bar, clicking "Add New" and using the search bar for "Redirection", the plugin you want should be at the top of the list as it's simply called "Redirection" and has over 900,000 active installs and over 300 reviews. Create Redirection Spreadsheet Next, you'll need to create a spreadsheet using software such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc listing all of your old URLs and your redirects. In the first column, list... --- > How to optimise your Google My Business listing to help your business’s local ranking and enhance your presence in Google search to boost your business. - Published: 2017-09-29 - Modified: 2017-09-29 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-google-business-listing/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, Google, Local SEO, seo basics, Small Business SEO Your Google My Business listing plays an integral part in your local SEO search results to allow you to be found by those in your area. Local results appear in organic results pages and on Google maps when you search for businesses near your location in an effort to show you nearby businesses. You can improve your ranking in local results through optimising your Google My Business profile. Local results are determined by relevancy, distance and prominence. Google pays attention to how well your business matches the searcher’s query, how far your business is from the searcher’s location, and how authoritative your business is. Google shows the top three local listings that are nearby and these businesses are shown above organic search results. Customers will see local businesses before everything else, meaning these businesses have a greater chance of being visited before competitors in organic search - so you need to optimise for them. Follow each of the steps below to learn how to edit, and optimise your local Google Business page to help your business’s local ranking and enhance your presence in search results. A fully optimised Google My Business listing looks something like this in search results when searching the business name: And something like this in local search results in the local pack: Firstly, you need to get a Google My Business Profile. Simply go to google. com/business to sign up, claim your page, and verify your account to confirm your business is legitimate and you are... --- > I highlight some of the best types of content that boost engagement on social media so you can develop relationships, increase trust, and build a community. - Published: 2017-09-26 - Modified: 2023-07-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/content-boost-engagement-social-media/ - Categories: Content Marketing, Social - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing, social, social media I have previously written about building a loyal online community through social media, in which I discussed how to leverage social media to help you achieve your business goals. In this article, I go into more detail on some of the best types of content that will boost engagement in order to do this. To boost engagement on social media, you need to share relevant, useful and valuable content to start a conversation, increase trust and loyalty, and build a community. The idea is to build a relationship with prospects, customers, fans and audiences through content, not just through hard selling and pushing your products or services. 1. Visual Media People engage with visual content better than non-visual content. Tweets with images receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images. Likewise, Facebook posts with images see 2. 3X more engagement than those without images. It is evident that images receive more likes, shares and comments. You can incorporate images into your social media content calendar. Ensure your images are relevant to your post and always use high-quality images, whether using stock images or your own images. Whether using humorous memes, educational infographics, quirky illustrations, or simply photographs, get creative and experiment with what works best to reflect your brand values and resonate with your audience. However, when posting visual media, don’t limit yourself to images. Videos may prove to be even more effective at boosting engagement than images, as organic Facebook engagement is highest on posts with videos. Videos are... --- > This post highlights all you need to know about Google's new Time to Interactive metric so you can maximise your site's performance. - Published: 2017-09-08 - Modified: 2017-09-08 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/site-performance-time-to-interactive/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, UX, web design, websites In recent years, the importance of page speed and loading time has been a recurring theme. Ignoring site performance issues is perilous for the success of a website, with site visitors (including Google and soon to be Facebook) turning away in droves from slow-loading sites. A recent Google study indicated that 53% of people will abandon a mobile site if it takes more than three seconds to load. Yet, the actual sites in this study often took more than 22 seconds to load, so clearly, we have lots of work to do here. Below are a few articles you maybe be interested in based around UX and site speed: - Top 5 WordPress Plugins That Will Speed Up Development of Your Website - Is Motion a Benefit or Drawback in Website Design? - How to Design a Website That Achieves Your Business Goals - How Improving Your UX Can Optimise Conversion Rates But page loading speed is not the only metric we need to concern ourselves with here. Beyond simply loading the various assets that make up a web page, we must also consider JavaScript execution time. This is the time it takes for the browser to execute the JavaScript elements that make the page interactive. This adds additional time onto the traditional page load metrics, and in many ways is more important to ensure fast, frictionless mobile experiences. Occasionally your JavaScript execution time can be slow and elements of your web page may load before the important functionality. This... --- > Getting your website indexed by Google is the first step in a successful SEO campaign. In this article, we show you the best and fastest way to get indexed. - Published: 2017-09-01 - Modified: 2017-09-01 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/submit-website-search-engines/ - Categories: SEO, Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, Google, SEO, seo basics, websites In 2017 and beyond there is no good reason to submit your website to the major search engines. You can and should register your site with Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools to get diagnostic information from these search engines yet there is no specific need to do this. If your website is live on the Internet and you are doing the usual digital marketing basics like having social media profiles and creating listings in relevant business directories like Yell. com, then the best SEO tip we can recommend is submitting your website to search engines, so that your site will be indexed and can start ranking. There are some simple ways to check whether Google knows about your website: - Go to Google - Search for your business name and/or URL Alternatively - Search for your website with the “site:” operator first site:www. example. com * replacing www. example. com with your website address You should see something like this: Alternatively, you may see one of the following: If the second case is true then Google has not yet indexed your site. This could be due to a technical reason or simply that your site is brand new and Google has not found it yet. If this is the case, drop us a line and one of our SEO team will take a quick look and feedback (likely save you a little time and point you in the right direction). How to Get Indexed Faster If Google (and... --- > See our ultimate content optimisation guide here. Use these 10 simple yet effective ways to optimise your content even if you don't know anything about SEO! - Published: 2017-08-25 - Modified: 2017-08-25 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/simple-effective-ways-optimise-content/ - Categories: Content Marketing - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing Content marketing can be a very effective method to achieve your business goals, but it is difficult to master. Hence, you need to give your content the best chance of success by optimising it to be the best it can be. Making a few small changes to your content can make a massive difference to its overall performance. Optimised content can increase traffic and click-through, and improve bounce rate and visibility. Optimised content can help you build brand authority and reputation and convert readers into loyal customers. So, before you hit publish on your content, make sure you do these 10 simple yet effective things to optimise your blog posts for maximum impact across your whole marketing spectrum. 1. Answer Audience Questions Your blog should be a valuable and reliable source for your target audience by answering questions they have. To decipher their questions, conduct market research or use a tool such as answer the public to discover their queries. You can then create high-quality content that matches user’s queries and provide relevant content with the answers they seek. Creating high-quality articles that answer audience questions will help you build authority and build awareness in your industry. Quality content will also help you rank higher in search engines so you can be there to answer questions when users search. Whether users find you through Google or another avenue, useful content that helps your audience demonstrates your knowledge and authority and encourages readers to choose your service. 2. Improve Headline Your... --- > A site’s design is key in helping a business achieve their marketing goals. Here's what you should consider when designing a marketing-focused website. - Published: 2017-08-04 - Modified: 2017-08-04 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/design-website-achieves-business-goals/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, web design, websites In today’s social climate, aesthetic is becoming an increasingly crucial way to portray your brand's identity and help you stand out from your competitors. With the majority of the world’s population now online, your business’s website is the new storefront and web designers the new visual merchandisers. With a background in illustration, I completely understand the desire to create an incredibly flashy website that's hugely creative. However, after spending time working as a UX and web designer for a marketing company, the importance of functionality at the design stage has made itself clear. A site’s design can be key in helping or hindering a business’s efforts to achieve their marketing goals and can help a business excel online... so long as it’s thought about at the start of the project. Below are a few things that you should consider when designing a marketing-focused website that achieves your business's goals. Target Audience Designing for your target audience is a no-brainer. Your target audience isn’t typically involved in the design process (if you are a small business who doesn’t have the resources to conduct customer research before embarking on your website build), and so their needs often get overlooked for the tastes of the designer or what the client thinks will work best for themselves. It’s great if the site’s design looks amazing to the designer or the client, however, neither of them will be the ones using the final product. Your website needs to appeal to those who are going to... --- > This post looks at how to write a high-performing Google Adwords Extended PPC ad that increases click-through rate, quality score, and conversion rate. - Published: 2017-07-21 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/write-high-performing-ppc-ads-convert/ - Categories: Content Marketing, PPC - Tags: content, digital marketing, Google, ppc, SEM As of 31 January of this year, Google updated their Adwords PPC ads to expanded text ads. This was the biggest change Google has made to text ads in 15 years and these ads work more effectively across mobile and desktop to improve your visibility and click-through rate. These ads are 2x bigger than the previous ads and give you much more ad space to talk about your products, services and benefits to turn more browsers into buyers. Take a look at how the extended ads look on desktop and mobile with these example preview ads I made for Bowler Hat: Extended Ad Desktop View Extended Ad Mobile View As can be seen in the examples below, the extended ad consists of a headline, display URL, description, and ad extensions. This post looks at how to best write each of these components to create an ad that gives you a higher click-through rate, quality score, and conversion rate so that you can maximise ROI from your PPC budget. Desktop Ad Mobile Ad Headline Your ad headline is the most important element of the ad and will play the biggest part in attracting browsers to your PPC ad, so make it scannable and attention-grabbing to persuade them to click on it. The headline comprises of two 30-character headlines separated by a hyphen, giving you a total of 60 characters to play with. The headline should be reserved for the most important messaging around your targeted keywords. Speak directly to the customer... --- > These top 5 WordPress plugins will help you speed up the development of your WordPress website to help you reach that deadline faster. - Published: 2017-07-14 - Modified: 2017-07-14 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/wordpress-plugins-speed-development-website/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: web design, websites, wordpress When building a WordPress website, there are many WordPress plugins available that can help you reach that completion deadline faster. Through personal experience, I use these 5 WordPress plugins that help me speed up the development time for a website, and I’ll explain why you should too. 1. Duplicate Page When creating pages for your website, you may be spending a long time creating similar posts and pages by copying the content from one page onto another. This plugin simply adds the option to duplicate a post/page in one click. As simple as this sounds, this saves me plenty of time when creating new similar-looking pages, such as when creating new service or location pages. If you are planning to create pages which may have the same layout as pre-existing pages, this is the WordPress plugin I recommend. 2. Use Any Font If you’re planning to use custom fonts on your website I recommend using this plugin to speed up how long it takes to add the font to your site. This plugin accepts TTF, OTF and WOFF font formats and stores them on your server so that they can be loaded faster. Additionally, you do not need any knowledge of CSS, so beginners of WordPress can use this plugin. The free version only allows one custom font to be used, but for $10 any amount of custom fonts can be added to your website. 3. Yoast If you’ve ever used a plugin to optimise the SEO of your website,... --- > Yoast SEO can improve the SEO performance of your WordPress website. These are the best configurations to use the plugin to its full potential. - Published: 2017-07-07 - Modified: 2017-07-07 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/configure-yoast-seo-plugin-wordpress/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: Local SEO, web design, websites, wordpress If you’ve ever tried to optimise your WordPress website for SEO, you’ve surely heard of the Yoast SEO plugin. Yoast SEO is arguably the best plugin available for improving your SEO performance on WordPress and has over 1 million active installs. Once you install the Yoast SEO plugin on your WordPress website, the plugin will automatically improve some areas of your website upon installation, such as changing your homepage so that it doesn’t have "Just Another WordPress Site" in its page title, and creating a sitemap for your website. However, I recommend manually checking some of the configurations of the plugin to make sure that you can use it to its full potential. 1. Enable Advanced Settings Pages in the Yoast Dashboard When you first install Yoast, you may find there isn’t much to customise. This is because advanced settings are turned off by default. When you first install Yoast, the first thing you should do is make sure advanced settings is turned on, so that you can see all the settings you may need to configure. Below is a screenshot of how it should look, so “Advanced settings pages” is set to "Enabled": You need to do this before you do any of the following configurations, otherwise you won’t be able to see them. 2 . Ensure That the Sitemap Yoast Uses Is Working Correctly Yoast will try to automatically create a sitemap for you upon installation, although you should check that it has actually created it. When installing... --- > This article explores a few key things to consider in order to use motion to your advantage to gain conversions and achieve your business goals. - Published: 2017-06-27 - Modified: 2017-06-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/motion-benefit-drawback-website-design/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: web design, websites We all remember the internet in the 90s, where every website was proudly decorated with those awful animations. Back then it was a novelty trend, but looking back at them now they look tacky and outdated, and the load speed? Awful. Thanks to technological advances over the past few years, we can now create sophisticated and realistic-looking animations which, when used properly, can enhance the whole look and feel of a website, providing a more interactive experience to the user. However, a lot of people overdo it, trying to make their website look super high-tech and sophisticated, and often overlook the key purpose of a website - to gain conversions. Your site may look beautiful, but if your use of motion makes your site hard to navigate and takes ages to load, it’s not going to help you achieve your business goals. In this article, I’m going to explore a few key things to consider in order to use motion to your advantage. What You Need to Consider & Why User Experience The main perk to using motion on your website is that it provides your user with a more interactive user experience. Movement catches people’s attention more than a paragraph of text, meaning they will engage more with your site and stay on there for longer. A great example of this is the loading animation you often see when sites are taking a while to load. The purpose of the animation is to distract the user from their wait... --- > With thousands of WordPress themes available, finding the right one can be tough. This checklist will help you find the WordPress theme best suited for you. - Published: 2017-06-22 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/choose-perfect-wordpress-theme/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, websites, wordpress When you first install WordPress, you will likely want to look for a theme to replace the default theme already in use. However, there are thousands of themes available, so finding the perfect theme can seem daunting, especially when new themes are being released each day. Here is a checklist that should help single out the theme best suited for your website. 1. Make Sure Your WordPress Theme Is Responsive and Fast No matter what your WordPress website is designed to be i. e. blog, gallery, e-commerce etc, you need to make sure that your theme works on mobile and tablet as well as on desktop. As more and more people are using mobile to navigate the internet, your website is going to need to look the part when mobile users find it. My first recommendation for finding a responsive WordPress theme is to find one which was either built or updated recently. Usually, themes built in 2017 are likely to be responsive, whereas some themes built years ago e. g. 2011, may only work on desktop. My second recommendation is when you have found a theme you want to use, make sure there is a demo of the theme available and that you can test the demo on a mobile device. The demo should be responsive so that it works well on mobiles and tablets. Additionally, you should check whether the theme has a good score in Google PageSpeed. If the theme does have a demo, try testing it... --- > Generating your Google review URL is quick and easy. This article highlights how you can create a Google review link to get those reviews piling in. - Published: 2017-06-02 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/google-review-link-generator/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: Google, SEO Generating your Google review URL is fairly easy. It’s a quick and easy way to point your customers in the right direction of leaving you a review. One of the most common reasons that I have heard for people not leaving a review is because they didn’t know where to find it. There are many ways that you can utilise the URL; you can stick it in an email, get it printed on business cards, or even add it to a page on your website. Either way, you’ll now be on your way to get more reviews on your Google listing. Generate Your URL 1. Head to https://whitespark. ca/google-review-link-generator/ 2. Type your business name, city, and zip/postcode in the “enter a location” field on the map. 3. Your review link will appear under the map. 4. Copy the short URL to your clipboard. Now that you have your review URL, you can start to send it out to your customers and get those reviews piling in. If you find yourself struggling to get reviews or can’t think of an easy way to send the URL to your customers, check out this guide and it will be sure to solve your problem. If you feel that you have now mastered how to generate a Google review link, check out our blog and find out how you can gain some valuable SEO tips to improve your SEO in just 30 days or check out our SEO services page to learn more about... --- > Learn how to get more google reviews for your Google my business page with our 3 easy steps. Click to read more. - Published: 2017-05-26 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/get-google-reviews/ - Categories: SEO - Tags: digital marketing, Google, Local SEO Struggling to get reviews on Google? You’re not the only one. Google reviews are super important, mainly because they are crucial for local SEO and get shown in the search results so much compared to any other reviews on the web. An article written by Myles Anderson found that 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. In other words, reviews online mean as much as word of mouth when it comes to attracting more customers and helping them to choose between your company and your competitor. If you are searching for a plumber, a car showroom or even a restaurant, 9 times out of 10 you will see reviews in the local pack, and they look like this: I don't know about you but when looking for a company to use or even a product to buy, I usually choose the one with the most positive reviews. But Google reviews are also the most difficult to obtain. A majority of customers will not willingly leave a review (unless you have upset them), but will happily do so if you ask. The first place to start is actually asking customers if they will leave a review. It’s best to do this just after you have completed the service/provided the product, as this is when they are most satisfied. You may already be asking customers for reviews. Many of my clients vent their frustration about customers agreeing to leave a review on Google but then they never do... --- > A community is a group of people with a shared interest, value or belief. Build a community around your brand & form relationships to benefit your business. - Published: 2017-05-05 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/loyal-online-community-social-media/ - Categories: Content Marketing, Social - Tags: content marketing, digital marketing, social media, strategy What Is a Community? A community is a group of people with a shared interest, value, belief, or goal. This interest, belief, value, or goal, is represented by your brand. Your community is those interested in your brand, products, and services. You add value to them and they add value to you. In his book, Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us, Seth Godin describes a community as a tribe: “A tribe is a group of people connected to one another, connected to a leader, and connected to an idea. For millions of years, human beings have been part of one tribe or another. A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate. ” Build a community around your brand and shared interest, and communicate with that community through social media. Nurture your tribe to form deep relationships and build a loyal following. To do this, communicate with influencers, customers and prospects, and they will interact with you. Engage in conversations on a personal level, contribute valuable content, be a resource to customers, and form a conversation around your brand. A community is about forming valuable, credible, authentic relationships that will benefit your business in multiple ways. Building a Community To begin building a community, you firstly need to identify why a group of people would want to form a community around your brand. What is your USP and mission statement? What is your philosophy? What value can you provide? What... --- > Without SEO you won't be found on search engines and bring visitors to your website. Optimise your site for search engines with these few SEO essentials. - Published: 2017-04-28 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-website-search-engines/ - Categories: SEO, Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, on page seo, SEO, seo basics, websites Without search engine optimisation (SEO), you aren’t going to be found on search engines and rank for the terms that will bring new visitors to your website. For example, if your business is called Bill’s Brilliant Bikes and you’re located in London, no-one on the internet is going to use the search term “Bill’s Brilliant Bikes” if they’re looking for bikes in London; they would use search terms such as “Bike Suppliers in London”. So to help you out a little with getting to grips with SEO, we have compiled this blog to help all of the Bills out there that just cannot get their websites to rank. Be sure to let us know what you think about our tips, or if you are in need of a little more advice then check out how we can help you choose the best SEO package for your business Solution - Optimise Your New Site for Search Engines With a Few SEO Essentials Page Titles and Meta Descriptions First of all, you need to go through every page on your website and add a meta page title and meta description. A page title is a critical element for ranking in search results, and while a meta description doesn’t help you rank, it does make your appearance in search engines look better i. e. The page title is optimised for the search terms we expect people who are looking for our services to search for, and our meta description is under 165 characters... --- > In this article, we are going to go into more detail on advertising your business using PPC on the popular search engines Google & Bing. - Published: 2017-04-21 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/search-advertising-ppc-overview/ - Categories: PPC - Tags: digital marketing, online advertising, ppc, SEM In my previous article, I provided a brief overview of your options for advertising your business online. In this article, we are going to go into more detail on advertising your business using PPC on the popular search engines Google & Bing. PPC & Search Engine Marketing (SEM) The first hurdle with PPC is the terminology and the following terms are often used interchangeably: CPC - Cost Per Click SEM - Search Engine Marketing PPC - Pay Per Click Search Engine Advertising These are all generally referring to the same thing which is the advertising of your business on search engines using the platforms provided by Google and Bing. Search: The Moment of Truth Search engine advertising in its many forms is powerful as we are targeting users at the very moment they have a requirement. If a person searches for “small business PPC management”, we could be pretty sure they would be a good match for our small business search marketing package. This is unlike traditional advertising where we could put an advertisement in a business newspaper and hope that a percentage of the audience A) notice the advert and B) are interested. Unlike traditional advertising where we are hoping a percentage of people who see an advert are in the market for what we sell, search advertising targets the user at the very moment they conduct the search. This is not to say this makes this kind of advertising easy. There will be competition on the search engine... --- > Online advertising is a good place to start a digital marketing campaign. This article looks at the options for advertising online. - Published: 2017-04-11 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/online-advertising-options/ - Categories: PPC - Tags: digital marketing, online advertising, ppc, SEM The digital marketing space grows ever more complicated. For small and local businesses without the budgets to experiment and make mistakes, knowing where to start can be highly problematic. Organic options like Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can be tempting, but in many cases, SEO is a longer-term tactic and online advertising is a more predictable place to start a digital marketing campaign. This is the first of a series of articles where we will look at the options for advertising your business online. We will look at strategy, account setup, campaign setup, measuring your results, and how to optimise your campaigns to improve results. Please sign up to our newsletter or follow us on social media for future updates. And, if you have any burning questions, please feel free to drop me an email - we always love to talk digital marketing. Online Advertising - A Little Background Online advertising differs from traditional advertising in magazines and newspapers in that typically, it is more effective. Rather than simply broadcasting a message and hoping some of the recipients are interested, we can more accurately target messages to those who are interested. If you are an emergency plumber then we only show our ads to people who are searching for “emergency plumbers” and are in the location you serve. This efficiency in the delivery mechanism allows the platform holders (Google, Facebook, etc) to generate more returns overall and for the advertiser to pay a lower price per lead. ROI increases. Everyone is... --- > This post outlines what every small business should consider when deciding whether to build their website in WordPress. - Published: 2017-04-07 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/pros-cons-small-business-using-wordpress/ - Categories: Web Design, WordPress - Tags: digital marketing, websites, wordpress Although I would recommend WordPress for creating a small business website, WordPress isn’t right for everyone. This post outlines what every small business should consider when deciding whether to build their website in WordPress. Pros 1. WordPress is perfect for a small business wanting to get their name out there with little maintenance If the objective of your business is to make people aware that the business has a presence on the internet, WordPress is the CMS you should use. It is easy to get your WordPress website up and running. By installing a plugin such as Yoast and configuring page titles and meta descriptions on each page, you’ll be ranking for your own brand name in no time. 2. There are free plugins and themes There are plenty of low maintenance WordPress plugins and themes available to make your website stand out. When searching for a free theme on the WordPress theme directory, you should check for when it was released, when it was last updated, and if the theme developer provides support. Although WordPress has its own forum for theme developers, many tend to have a forum on their own website, so if you see the WordPress forum for a theme looking deserted, you should check whether the developer is offering support elsewhere. If the developer has stopped giving support, you shouldn’t use their theme as if you run into any problems the developer won’t be there to help you. When looking for a plugin, you should check... --- > Here are my recommended elements that you should add to your footer so that when someone views your footer they can see exactly what they need. - Published: 2017-03-31 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/include-websites-footer/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: CTA, digital marketing, UX, websites When deciding what to put in your website’s footer, it is tempting to put absolutely everything that a user might want. Usually, a footer tends to be quite short on the page, so if you add in everything someone might be looking for, it may look cluttered and unhelpful. Here are my recommended elements that you should add, so that when someone views your footer, they can see exactly what they need and don’t feel overwhelmed. 1. Contact Information Instead of having your contact information on specific pages, adding your contact information into your footer allows the user to find ways of contacting you on the page they are on, instead of having to navigate to your contact page. The information to include should at least be your email address and business phone number. You should also consider adding your physical office address as well so that people know where you are in the world if they haven’t already worked it out. If you have multiple locations, you may want to add the contact information for each specific location so that users can get in touch with the right branch. Although, if you have a lot of locations this could make your footer look messy, so you may just want to create a page listing the contact details for all your locations and link to that instead. 2. Links If someone has read to the bottom of one of your pages, they may want to move onto another page. By... --- > Use these 5 cool tools to create some great content and streamline your social and content strategy. - Published: 2017-03-24 - Modified: 2017-03-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/5-nifty-social-content-tools/ - Categories: Content Marketing, Social - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing, social, social media, strategy Help streamline your social and content plan with these 5 cool tools. 1. Hootsuite Hootsuite is a free (basic plan) social media management tool for small businesses. It allows you to schedule and post content across multiple social networks and keep track of and manage your social channels. Hootsuite Analytics lets you create custom reports and click summaries for all your feeds. You might want to check out HootSuite Pro and HootSuite Business plans for more advanced options. 2. Feedly Feedly collates popular content from your favourite sources for easy content curation and integrates with social media management tools (for example, Buffer, SproutSocial and Hootsuite) for easy sharing across multiple networks. It can also be added to your browser and iOS and Android mobile devices. 3. Pocket Pocket lets you bookmark your favourite content all in one place. It allows you to easily find your saved articles at a later date, lets you search, explore and discover popular content, and recommends stories based on your past saves. You can access Pocket from Windows or Mac (don’t forget to add the extension to your browser), iOS and Android devices. 4. Grammarly Grammarly is a spelling and grammar checking tool, and it's free to use the basic features. Add the extension to your browser and Grammarly will check your text on Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and almost everywhere else on the web. There is also the option to sign up for a monthly prescription to access features such as plagiarism checks and... --- > If you’re a small business and you haven’t got a website yet, you’re missing out. These are the elements every small business needs for a successful site. - Published: 2017-03-17 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/every-small-business-website/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, websites If you’re a small business in 2017 and you haven’t got a website yet, you’re missing out - and don't even get me start on your small business SEO! More and more people are turning to the internet to plan their next purchase, and if you aren’t there when people are looking for your service, you are losing potential business. However, there are plenty of Content Management Systems available, so you do not have to invest hundreds of thousands to get a website that successfully notifies people of your presence on the internet. Actually planning what you want on your website isn’t as easy as you might think, as it isn’t just throwing up a website and watching the enquiries roll in, you need to think about what the objective of the website is. Do you want people to contact you? Do you want people to buy products off your website? Do you want something completely different altogether? Although most websites tend to have unique objectives, there are elements that every site should have: Contact Us Page No matter what your objective is, a contact form is a good start. Not only does it let people ask you questions or request services, it also lets them know that there’s a human being running the business and the site isn't just sitting there for the sake of it. Contact forms are usually quite simple and include name, email address and message, but some businesses tend to add more form fields in... --- > This post will examine how you can optimise your Twitter profile to create a great first impression and fully utilise the platform’s potential. - Published: 2017-03-10 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/optimise-twitter-profile/ - Categories: Social - Tags: digital marketing, social media With social media becoming an ever more integral element to your digital marketing strategy, your Twitter profile may be the first point of contact a prospect has with your brand, so you need to create a great first impression. Your Twitter profile will help you to build trust with your customers and is a space where you can showcase your brand, get involved in the community surrounding it, and convert visitors into loyal customers. In order to create a great first impression and start engaging with prospects, you firstly need to make sure your Twitter profile is fully optimised. This post will examine how you can optimise your profile to help you fully utilise the platform’s potential. Handle Your Twitter handle is your username and is how you will be identified on the platform by others. Your handle, therefore, needs to be recognisable, simple, and memorable. It also needs to be short, as you have just 15 characters to impress. Your handle will most likely be your company name, but if this is taken you will have to be creative. When deciding your username, think about what your target audience and other users would search for to find you. It will also help your audience if this is kept consistent with your other social profiles. Profile Image Your profile picture is the image associated with your username and appears next to each of your tweets and at the top of your profile. It needs to be a reflection of who... --- > These plugins will ensure that your WordPress website is optimised for maximum performance and nothing slips through the cracks. - Published: 2017-02-27 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/plugins-wordpress-site-needs-avoid-disaster/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, UX, websites, wordpress When you’re running a WordPress website, you need to make sure it is technically optimised so that nothing slips through the cracks. This could simply be ensuring that enquiries don’t get lost, or something a lot more serious like preventing your website from getting hacked. Either way, there are plugins for pretty much every eventuality, and I’ll show you which ones you’ll need. 1. Security Plugin The first thing you should install is a security plugin, no matter what size your website is. The worst thing that could happen to a website is for it to be hacked, as this prevents your content from being viewed, tarnishes your reputation, and, worst of all, you could lose everything on your site. You need a plugin that will regularly monitor your website and can provide a buffer to attackers. One plugin I recommend is Wordfence, a widely installed plugin used by more than 1 million people. This constantly monitors your website for people logging in, people attempting to log in, and malicious scans. 2. Contact Form Backup Plugin If you’re running a website, there’s a good chance you’ve got a contact form on it, especially if you’re running a commercial website. When you install your contact form plugin, you should check whether it keeps a log of every response that comes through. If it does, then great. If it doesn’t, you should check whether there’s an add-on that acts as a database for all the responses. The most used contact form plugin... --- > This short and useful setup guide lends a helping hand to those struggling to set up email on their mobile devices. - Published: 2017-02-17 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/set-email-phone-tablet/ - Categories: Web Design - Tags: digital marketing, websites We get a lot of clients who struggle with setting up their email accounts on their mobile devices once they launch their new website. In order to combat this and generally lend a helping hand, I’ve decided to write this very short but super useful set-up guide. Step 1 First of all, follow these steps: Settings > Mail, Contacts, Calendars > Add Account > Other Add Mail Account > Add Mail Account Step 2 Fill out the fields with these settings: Name: The name you want your recipients to see. Address: The email address for the account you want to sync with. Password: The password should be the same as the password you use to get into your email on the site. Description: A brief outline of what the mailbox is for. Then press ‘Save’ A new page should pop up. Step 3 Select 'IMAP' at the top if it isn’t already selected. Then fill out the forms with the information below: Incoming Mail Server Host Name: mail. yourdomainname Username: The email address you entered earlier Password: The password you put in earlier (if it’s not already there) Outgoing Mail Server Host Name: mail. yourdomainname Username: The email address you entered earlier Password: The password you put in earlier (if it’s not already there) Then press ‘Save’ A message should pop up saying the server cannot connect using SSL. Don’t worry about that and just click ‘YES’. Completion! Everything then should be fine and dandy. Your email account should be... --- > Content marketing is much more than writing blogs. Try some of these 80 types of content to inspire your creativity and supercharge your content strategy. - Published: 2017-02-03 - Modified: 2017-02-03 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/80-types-content-inspire-creativity-supercharge-content-strategy/ - Categories: Content Marketing - Tags: content, content marketing, digital marketing Content marketing is so much more than writing blogs. Controversial, I know. Don’t get me wrong, blogging has many advantages and can be a useful content marketing strategy, but there are so many more types of content that you can utilise to help you achieve your goals too. Valuable, relevant, high-quality content can take many forms to inspire action in your customers. Content satisfies the senses, it broadens the mind, makes people listen, think, and take notice of your brand. It’s anything that engages your audience, that helps you tell your brand’s compelling story, that solves customer’s problems in inventive and intuitive ways. Content entertains, inspires, convinces, educates, and ultimately, helps you smash your goals. Content can take many entities, each of which will be different for each brand, so you need to think about the ways these content types fit into your campaigns and how these ideas can play into your overall strategy. Try some of these 80 types of content to inspire your creativity and supercharge your content strategy. 1. Blog 2. Video 3. Infographic 4. Ebook 5. Presentation 6. Slideshow 7. Photo 8. Meme 9. Illustration 10. Cartoon 11. Poster 12. Chart 13. Graph 14. Diagram 15. Webinar 16. Web Series 17. Podcast 18. Radio Show 19. User-Generated Content 20. App 21. Tool 22. Quiz 23. Event 24. Print Publication 25. Online Magazine 26. Print Magazine 27. Online Course 28. Offline Course 29. Q&A 30. Conference 31. Forum 32. Case Study 33. Opinion Piece 34. Social Media... --- > Learn the best ways to optimise your website with Bowler Hat's blog. Read on to find out how to redirect one page of a website to a new domain. - Published: 2017-01-06 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/redirect-page-new-domain/ - Categories: Web Design I recently came across an issue where one of our clients wanted to redirect only one page of their website to a different domain. This type of redirect did seem to be under-documented on the internet because as hard as I looked (about 2 minutes), I couldn’t find a semi-recent blog post for this specific issue. So I thought that when I find out what the solution is, I’m going to write it myself, so here it is. This one should be done in the . htaccess file of a website. For non-technical people, I highly recommend copying what’s already in the file to a notepad++ document, as a mistake could lead to the website going blank, which is obviously quite serious. If you do happen to make a mistake you can paste the original back in. If for some reason that doesn’t work or you are afraid that it won’t work, then you may want to invest in a daily backup of your website. The example below would be used for the imaginary pages: http://www. current-website. co. uk/redirecting-page/ which will redirect to http://www. new-website. com/target-page/ Process Go into . htaccess file of the current website, and add this underneath “RewriteEngine On” so it contains something like this (obviously change this to what you need): RewriteRule ^redirecting-page/$ http://www. new-website. com/target-page/ Notice how current-website. co. uk isn’t included, as you only need the path of the page, nothing else. Also remember to include the whole URL for the target website including... --- > Learn how to claim ownership of your Google my business page with our blog post. Click here to read how to verify your page. - Published: 2016-12-16 - Modified: 2021-11-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/claim-ownership-verified-google-business-page/ - Categories: SEO It can be very worrying to find out that the Google+ page (also known as Google My Business page, Google Places... the list goes on) for your business has been claimed and verified by someone else. Usually, it has been claimed by a marketing agency or an employee that no longer works there or has forgotten what account they left it in. But don’t panic, there is a way to get it back. 1. Sign into your Google My Business account. If you do not have an account already, click here to create one . 2. Now you need to follow the steps to create a new listing (bear with me here). If you don’t already have a listing, you should see a page asking you to choose a business type. Go ahead and click 'storefront business'. If you already have a page in your account, you will need to find the little ‘+’ icon in the bottom right-hand corner and click 'add location'. 3. It should show a form allowing you to enter all of your business details. Once you fill them all in and click 'next', it should show you a box in the top left-hand corner saying it has found a similar listing. If it is the listing for your business, click on it. If someone has already claimed and verified your listing, it will then show a message like the one below: 4. Google has recently introduced the email hint, which has become very useful for... --- --- ## Case Studies > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-10-24 - Modified: 2024-10-24 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/analytics-configuration-for-major-uk-international-airport/ - Services: Web Design Analytics Configuration for Major UK International Airport The Backstory A Major Top 5 UK International Airport in the West Midlands, serving millions of travellers annually, launched a new website to provide a smoother experience for passengers, partners, and stakeholders. The project's primary focus was to ensure that the site’s analytics were correctly set up and migrated to the new site without data loss. Multiple digital agencies were simultaneously managing different parts of the project, our goal was to oversee all the changes and make sure they worked together with no disruption. Additionally, the goal was to clean up the outdated tags and events, to optimise the structure for better analytics reporting, and to also configure all tracking to be compliant with GDPR and other data privacy regulations. The Challenge Coordination Across Multiple Agencies: Several agencies were working on various tasks inside the Tag Manager, which required seamless communication to ensure all events and tags were functioning correctly without overlap. Complex Tag Management: The existing tag infrastructure was outdated and confusing, with many redundant tags and events that needed to be cleaned up or removed. Proper event tracking was critical, and we had to ensure that the new tags and events worked as intended across the website. GDPR Compliance: As with any large public-facing website, ensuring full compliance with GDPR was critical. This included reviewing all existing tags and implementing processes to ensure that data collected was done legally and transparently. Smooth Analytics Migration: The analytics migration had to be seamless... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2024-10-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/wallace-chess-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Finishing off a website abandoned by another developer The Backstory Wallace Chess is based in London, and offers chess-based activities aimed at children such as clubs, camps and festivals. They were in the process of having a website built, however their previous developer had stopped responding to emails, and they needed another agency to finish the website. Wallace Chess got in touch with us regarding the progress made so far, and enquired whether we would be able to take the website to completion. As the website had been in development for so long, they were keen to get it launched quickly and in time for the next Chess festival. The Challenge As we didn’t have access to the previous developer’s website, we needed to start afresh. Also, we needed to make some new changes to the website’s structure, as it had been so long that new content needed to be added to the website. Also, we aimed to improve the existing design, so that it is more chess-themed, and that it included more imagery of the activities offered. Lastly, we aimed to improve upon the navigation, so that it is easier for visitors to find the information they need. The Results We were able to complete the website in a very reasonable timeframe, and we provided guidance on the changes we can make to the existing design. We helped make improvements to the website, and updated the content to reflect upcoming events. We also implemented a booking system so that... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2024-10-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/louisa-jane-interiors-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Redesigning and building a new Interior Design website The Backstory Louisa Jane Interiors is an interior design studio based in London. Louisa had an existing website, however it needed to be improved to compete with other studios in London, and also to display the services offered. Additionally, Louisa wanted to display case studies on the website displaying galleries of previous projects, and also a contact form for visitors to get in touch. Lastly, she also wanted an area on the website where visitors can subscribe to the monthly newsletter. The Challenge It was key that the imagery on the website was high-quality and was prominent across the website, so that visitors can see the details in the room designs. Also, previous projects were important so that visitors can see various designs for different room types, such as bedrooms, living rooms and kitchens. Lastly, the website needed to have several ways for visitors to get in touch, such as a simple contact form, and also a detailed client brief form so that people can provide more details if needed. The Results We structured the website so that all imagery is large and in high definition, so that details can be seen clearly. We also worked with Louisa to decide on the best imagery to use on the website, and how it should be structured to have the best impact. We also worked with Louisa to make sure each project was structured so that it takes visitors through the steps of the... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2024-10-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/absolute-epm-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Website design and development for an enterprise performance management (EPM) company. The Backstory Absolute EPM is a team of Oracle EPM consultants, who assist in providing solutions to high-level EPM projects. Their website was dated and unappealing, and needed to be improved to match their vision of having strong branding, prominent experience, and appeal to the target audience. The new website needed to strongly display the business’s branding, which is dark with yellow tones, and use eye-catching videos and imagery. It also needed to be easy for visitors to find out details for the services provided, without there being any unnecessary content. Lastly, it also needed to display case studies from previous projects. The Challenge The new website needed to be appealing yet simple, so that when visitors viewed the website, it was easy for them to find the information they needed. We also needed to source new stock videos and imagery for the website, as there wasn’t any ideal imagery on the existing website. Lastly, the website needed to be future-proof so that pages can be easily added to it later if neede The Results We used strong videos and imagery to make the new website more appealing to visitors, and redesigned the website to be darker with yellow accents. We also structured the new website so that it is easy to navigate, and that visitors can quickly find out more about the services offered. After launch, we have been helping Absolute EPM with developing more pages, and also... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2024-10-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/elonex-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Developing and marketing a website which displays advertising screens across the UK The Backstory Elonex provides advertising screens across the UK, such as in shopping centres, motorways and Retail Parks. They needed a website which would allow advertisers to easily find screens that they offer, and for them to get in touch. Also, the screens needed to be categorised into several types of categories into a directory and that they could be indexed in Google. The website needed to be visually appealing and display previous clients so that advertisers would want to get in touch. The Challenge Elonex has many screens across the UK, so we needed to find a solution which would allow them to display each screen across the website, and be structured so that they can be found across several category taxonomies, such as by location and format. We would also need to include an area which would display the large clients that they have worked with, and also an area where they can upload blog posts. Lastly, the website needed to be easy enough to use so that they can update pages with new content and screen types. The Results We developed a directory for the website which would make it easy for visitors to find screens within specific locations, formats and environments. We also made the website visually appealing so that it demonstrates Elonex’s attention to detail. After launch, we have been assisting Elonex in their marketing efforts for the website. You can view the... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2024-08-20 - Modified: 2024-10-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/little-bears-case-study/ Redesigning and integrating a booking system for a childcare provider. The Backstory Little Bears provides childcare and tuition for children, and is based in Sutton Coldfield. They initially had a website, however it needed to be updated to display updated content, better imagery, and needed to be integrated with their booking system. Also, the website needed to be easier for visitors to use and navigate, along with displaying a calendar of upcoming sessions and events. The Challenge We needed to improve the navigation of the website so that pages are easier to find, and that content could be updated easily to reflect new services and sessions. Also, we needed to make the website more inviting and appealing, so that it would appeal to more visitors in the Sutton Coldfield area. Lastly, we needed to ensure that contact details were prominent across the website, and that visitors would be able to get in touch via contact forms. Strategy & Approach We needed to improve the navigation of the website so that pages are easier to find, and that content could be updated easily to reflect new services and sessions. Also, we needed to make the website more inviting and appealing, so that it would appeal to more visitors in the Sutton Coldfield area. Lastly, we needed to ensure that contact details were prominent across the website, and that visitors would be able to get in touch via contact forms. The Results We updated the website to be much brighter and inviting,... --- > Three mobile-optimised website landing pages developed for a local group of colleges to aid in enrollment. - Published: 2022-10-13 - Modified: 2022-11-23 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/college-enrolment-landing-pages-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Developing landing pages for three colleges for students to enrol for courses. The Backstory We were approached to build enrolment landing pages for three different colleges that students can use to enrol for courses. As there is a specific timeframe for students to enrol, it was critical that the pages were launched in time. The Challenge There were no pages dedicated towards students enrolling for courses, the only option was to visit the college’s websites and get in touch. The pages needed to be easy to use, display relevant information, and show each college’s branding consistently. The landing pages also needed to link to pages on the college’s primary website for further information, and display contact details along with social profiles. Strategy & Approach As the landing pages would all have a similar layout, we started with building one landing page first, and then once we finalised the layout of this page, we then replicated it for the other two pages and made any amendments needed. This ensures that the landing pages can be quickly developed to include each college’s content and branding, without needing to rebuild the landing page all over again for the next college. The Results Landing pages are straightforward, concise, and display all the content a student might need, along with links to useful pages on the main websites. The landing pages can be easily edited by others so that changes aren’t dependant on us. Each page displays the college’s branding, along with unique videos. Don’t... --- > Bowler Hat worked with Zest Education to design a new website for their recruitment agency that was optimised for SEO & Digital Marketing. - Published: 2022-04-25 - Modified: 2022-06-27 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/zest-education-case-study/ - Services: SEO, Web Design Recruitment Agency Website Design & Development The Backstory Zest is a specialist recruitment agency in the education sector providing teachers and support staff to schools across Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Bowler Hat built a site for Zest back in 2015 when the company was a small startup. Fast forward several years and Zest has established themselves as a market leader in education recruitment but the website was starting to creak and show its age. The Challenge Zest needed a fresh new website for 2022 and beyond. The site needed to be easy to use, have well categorised jobs, a powerful search listing, allow applicants to apply to multiple roles and of course, be fully optimised for SEO, Google Ads & Digital Marketing. This all needed to be done fast and for a reasonable budget. Strategy & Approach We saw no reason to reinvent the wheel here so we utilised the user-friendly WordPress Content Management System as the base. Clearly communicating the brand values was important so we worked with Zest to clarify the brand messaging and ensure this was clearly communicated across the site. For the design and development we created a custom theme along with a series of page templates so the team at Zest could quickly and easily add new content and have it looking the part. From a marketing perspective we utilised a leading job listing plugin and configured this so Zest could easily manage and upload jobs themselves. We then exported and imported the hundreds... --- - Published: 2022-04-25 - Modified: 2022-06-20 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/writing-west-midlands-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Events Booking Website Design & Development The Backstory Writing West Midlands (WWM) evolved from the Birmingham Book Festival which was established way back in 1999. The organisation has gone from strength to strength and is now the literature development agency for the West Midlands region. Services include Spark Young Writers programme, our Room 204 Writer Development scheme, the Birmingham Literature Festival and the West Midlands Readers’ Network. The Challenge WWM had a problem. Several legacy websites that were impossible to maintain. The website developers were slow and unsupportive, the sites were technically out-of-date and event listings were hard to browse. All of this meant that the sites were losing sales due to the technical and usability issues. Writing West Midlands needed new sites and they needed them fast. They needed a simple to use Content Management System, Event Listings, EventBright Integration and the sites had to look and work as though they were part of the same overall group. Strategy & Approach With a major writing festival looming we had to move fast. We analysed the current sites and designed sitemaps and layouts for the primary site with the goal to use this one as a template for the design of the other sites. We reviewed the brief and the problems and then clearly relayed this back to the team at WWM to ensure we fully understood all requirements. We also made suggestions where we felt something could be improved. We then created a working prototype of the initial website... --- > Bowler Hat have delivered SEO, PPC & Digital Marketing for Cluego over several years and through the COVID-19 Pandemic. - Published: 2020-11-09 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/cluego-case-study/ - Services: SEO, Web Design Virtual Strategy Restructure for SEO & PPC The Backstory ClueGo offers fun and engaging team building activities for corporate groups from 10 to 1000 people! As with many event companies, the Pandemic had a ruinous impact on traditional, in-person events and practically stopped the business in its tracks after consistent, year-on-year growth. Fortunately, ClueGo managed to pivot and create a range of covid safe in-person events for up to 30 people along with a virtual team building product that could support up to 1000 remote participants. The problem was that customers were confused regarding what team building options were possible and whether virtual team building activities were suitable for their teams. The Problem Confusion - customers are confused and don’t understand what virtual team building is all about and when a virtual or Covid-19 safe team building event would be suitable. Awareness - customers don’t yet fully understand what is possible in the world of virtual team building and what is best for them. Engagement - how do we get customers to engage with the various options and to understand what is best for their team? Conversion - how do we convince customers that a virtual team building event can be just as engaging and easy to run and to get in touch to find out more? Concerns - customers are worried about the technical implications of running virtual events - how do we show them this is a simple, friendly solution. The Plan Emergency Shift in Strategy - SEO... --- - Published: 2018-02-14 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/bright-white-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Website Rebuild & Design Refresh The Backstory Bright and White dental is a dental spa located in London. Bowler Hat were tasked with rebuilding their old site and creating several new landing pages. In order to bring all parts of their site together onto one platform, with an easy to use content management system. Bright and White Dental’s previous site was built across three different platforms, they reached a point where they wanted to move away from one of the platforms but risked losing the pages on their site which encourage the most conversions. They liked the design of their old site but wanted the site to be more responsive on mobile and they wanted complete control of their own site, in order to be able to manage the content of their own accord. We Delivered Within a small window of 2 weeks, we managed to recreate the client’s old site using WordPress and included a few new updated features. The new site was, owned by them, fully responsive and integrated all landing pages, blog functionality and contact forms all into one system which they could manage in the back end of their site. We also carried out on-site SEO to help improve the site’s rankings in Google. Want to know more about our Website Redesign & Rebuild services? Click the button below to find out more. Contact Us --- - Published: 2018-02-12 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/rofuto-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Responsive Web Development The Backstory Situated at the top of Park Regis in Birmingham City Center, Rofuto offers diners a unique dining experience whilst enjoying a 360-degree view of the Birmingham skyline. We were approached by Rofuto to take their old website and bring it inline with their new branding whilst vastly improving the website’s UX by creating a responsive site to enable them to tap into their largest traffic margin of mobile users. The aim behind the design of the new site was to showcase the restaurant and “wow” visitors into booking a table and enabling them to do so at the touch of a button. We Delivered Your website is the centre of your digital marketing universe, and as such, has a hell of a job to do. Your site must sell your products and services whilst convincing users to take action. It has to work on the smallest of phone screens to the hugest of monitors and TVs. It must be a brochure and a publishing platform. And of course, as your shop window, it absolutely has to look the part. It’s no wonder, then, that most sites fail to deliver. At Bowler Hat, we are driven by digital marketing and our approach to web design is led by this marketing mentality. All of our websites include industry-leading on-site SEO and are built with your overall business and marketing goals in mind. Want to know more about our bespoke web service? Click the button below to find... --- - Published: 2018-02-12 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/john-evans-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Bespoke Website Design The Backstory John Evans is a firm which focuses on providing interior design & architecture to high-end residential projects and the leisure & spa industry. The client came to us with an outdated website, wanting us to streamline their content and to bring their brand into the 21 century. They wanted a website which did the brand’s high-quality work justice. The site was to break away from its sister site which focused on commercial projects and instead was to attract high-end residential & leisure clients. The site was to:Allow users to easily browse through a multitude of imagesEnsure that the site loads quickly on mobileFully ResponsiveWell OptimisedPortray the quality of work without much in the way of text content We Delivered The final goal was to convince people to get in touch. We achieved this by putting emphasis on image and the quality of work the brand had to offer. We provided way click-through links to the portfolio on mobile and kept the amount of content to a minimum, allowing the images to jump out at the user. We allowed the website to showcase a large number of images whilst retaining a high level of UX by breaking down galleries into a three-tier system and stopped the number of images from slowing the site down by optimizing and manipulating the images and enabling a cache on the site. Want to know more about our Bespoke Website Package? Click the button below to find out more. Get In... --- - Published: 2017-06-08 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/studio-131-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Small Business Website The Backstory Studio131 is an independent gym based in Digbeth, Birmingham that is built around using creative routines to keep going to the gym fun. They offer a range of classes and services and wanted Bowler Hat to create a website that boldly carries across the brand’s identity and allows users to book online. The Background The studio had quite a strong social media presence but didn’t previously have a website. They were receiving a lot of feedback from customers who were looking to book sessions online. Therefore the site was to be integrated with booking system that was easy for customers to use as well as easy for the studio to track, respond and edit bookings using. Allow users to pay for classes online with ease. Allow users to easily view the studio’s availability and book sessions. Generate more conversions. Encourage more Reviews. Push the Brand’s Identity as a “studio” rather than a gym. We Delivered For it provided a quick and easy way for the client to manage and respond to bookings as they received them. We also added in a PayPal Plugin, which the studio could direct customers to in order to pay for classes online. One of the core requirements was to push the brand’s identity as a “creative Studio” and to differentiate it from standard gyms. In order to achieve this, we sourced stock imagery and heavily manipulated the images that we were provided. Boldly applying the studio’s branding and focusing the... --- > Bowler Hat built a new website and implemented SEO for a local plasterer - the business now relies solely on organic search for all leads. - Published: 2016-11-08 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/jrm-plastering-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Small Business Website The Backstory JRM Plastering Service are a local plastering service based around the Sutton Coldfield area of Birmingham. Bowler Hat was tasked with creating a responsive, modern website which focused on targeting households around Sutton Coldfield. JRM already ranked pretty well in terms of SEO for plasterer in Sutton Coldfield however with the introduction of Google’s new mobile responsive ranking system he needed a new fully responsive site built. Jason wanted the site to bring in a more specific range of clients and wanted his new site to showcase all of his recent plastering work. Jason’s previous email system was also losing new enquiries and so he wanted us to build a new email service into the back of his site and back it up in order to avoid losing any more enquiries in the future. Educate customers as to why they should use JRM Maintain top rankings in Google Increase inflow of domestic enquiries within the Sutton Coldfield Area We Delivered We developed a fully responsive website which showcased Jason’s skills and streamlined the UX by utilising email and phone links on mobile in order to made it easy to contact Jason at the touch of a button wherever you are on the site. We also encouraged Jason to gather more reviews to gain gold stars next to his google ranking. The Plan We developed a fully responsive website which showcased Jason’s skills and streamlined the UX by utilising email and phone links on mobile in... --- > The charity OMS lost over 90% of their organic traffic after a website redesign. Learn how we identified the problem and restored the traffic. - Published: 2016-11-08 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/overcoming-multiple-sclerosis-case-study/ - Services: SEO SEO Audit The Backstory Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis is a charity that aims to educate people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) with regards to science-based dietary strategies that can help and at times completely alleviate their symptoms and disease progression. This is a small charity that started in Australia and now has its headquarters in the UK. Upon the launch of a new website after a troubled development period, the site lost 90% of organic traffic from search engines. Bowler Hat was called in to help diagnose the problem and help restore the organic traffic to previous levels. Challenges This was a highly challenging project as we had to reverse engineer the issues. The site had a forum with hundreds of thousands of pages that needed to be physically altered, and there was also a rebrand and change of domain name. Rebrand, change in domain name, and change of website created lots of variables No dialogue with original developer so no information on the history before this rebrand This was the second major rebrand after a change many years earlier from Taking Control of Multiple Sclerosis Historical access to analytics was limited to a couple of years Technical and SEO issues with the way the new site had been designed Our Solution We first had to examine the history of the brand and the website. We identified that the site was now in its fourth iteration and its third name change. With a new site being developed, it was possible that essential... --- - Published: 2016-08-01 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/payara-case-study/ - Services: PPC, SEO SEO & PPC The Backstory Payara Server is an open-source middleware server which had been developed as a drop-in replacement for Oracle’s GlassFish Server, which is no longer supported by Oracle and has numerous bugs. This platform is used by major enterprises such as NASA, BMW & Papa Johns, and as such, this creates a gap in the market for an effective and competitively priced direct replacement. Challenges Established competitors with brand awareness and far bigger budgetsComplete lack of brand awareness amongst target marketHigh cost-per-click for chosen keywords Our Solution We created a PPC brand awareness campaign for several geographical locations using search, display, and remarketing elementsOn and off-page SEO for primary search terms proven in AdWordsWorked with the Payara content team to create visibility of Payara in all the right places (including GlassFish’s Wikipedia page)We implemented tag manager to track conversions across Payara’s multiple subdomains on a combination of WordPress & HubspotCareful analysis of traffic, leads and geographies to improve and iterate the approach Something to Be Proud Of The campaign has just completed the first six-month cycle and all statistical KPIs are improved. 100% visibility in key geographies for main keywordsMultiple keywords ranking in #1, #2 & #3 around the worldCampaign-specific landing pages have driven up lead generation and reduced cost-per-clickBrand search for Payara has increased Primary organic keywords at positions 1, 2, & 3 100% PPC impression share on main keywords Increased Lead Generation --- - Published: 2016-08-01 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/luvdup-case-study/ - Services: Content, Social Strategy & Social Media Marketing The Backstory LuvDup is a new dating app created for couples that aims to put the fun and privacy back into communicating with your partner. Challenges Awareness: The target audience is not aware of couples appsEngagement: Need to engage and educate the audience as to the benefits of the appNeed both partners to install the appNeed both partners to use the app Our Solution Promoting something new is always more complicated as you must first raise awareness with the target audience. In this case, the challenge is doubled, as both partners must buy into the app, install it, and then actively use the app over time. To tackle this, we have devised a digital marketing strategy based on the SOSTAC framework that tackles the need to make a user aware of the app, to get the app installed, and then to encourage usage over an extended time period. Worked with client to develop a quiz for both partners for lead generationPromotion of quiz via demographically targeted social media campaignsEstablished clear demographics and KPIs to track successCreation of advertising campaign across Facebook & Twitter, targeting six distinct demographics to promote the quizAd campaign to encourage quiz users to install the LuvDup appEmail campaign to educate and encourage quiz users to install the LuvDup appAd campaign to educate and encourage users to use the LuvDup appEmail campaign to educate and encourage users to use the LuvDup app This strategy covers all the angles from raising awareness via... --- - Published: 2016-07-29 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/willmott-dixon-case-study/ - Services: Web Design Bespoke Website Design & Build The Backstory Willmott Dixon are currently developing a 650-room hub for over 6000 students at the Birmingham City University Campus. This will be known as Curzon B and builds upon the work done with the original Curzon Street extension. The primary challenge here was to create a site that talks to the diverse range of stakeholders. From students to other potential academic institutions and businesses looking for a similar form of development, we needed to showcase the development of the BCU campus. Showcase the development to all stakeholders100% responsive designPrivate log-in area for studentsEasy to maintain with several people contributing contentEngage with Target Audience We Delivered Through researching other such developments that had successfully communicated entire developments to a relative target audience, we managed to create a bespoke website design using WordPress. WordPress was chosen for the CMS due to its ease of use and multi-tiered user levels that allowed us to have multiple authors, editors, and publishers. The outcome was a website that:Appealed to all StakeholdersIntegrated Willmott Dixon’s social media channelsBespoke site developed based on the WordPress CMSIncorporated 3 different brandsUsed newsfeed's to engage with the usersIs fully responsive --- > Bowler Hat helped Seven Capital launch the business with a global Google Ads PPC digital marketing campaign selling several hundred properties. - Published: 2016-07-29 - Modified: 2022-06-09 - URL: https://www.bowlerhat.co.uk/case-studies/seven-capital-case-study/ - Services: PPC PPC The Situation The business is developing high-quality apartments throughout Birmingham and the UK as investment opportunities. Many of the key audiences for this product are international, and historically most sales came from agents. The goal here was to develop leads directly from the UK and international customers via search engine marketing. The Challenge No prior data or experience of PPC on client’s side Strong cross-market competition in investment market Difficulty tracking visitors from first to last point of touch Brand identity being shared between two companies and websites Our Solution Bowler Hat worked with the developer to: Research and design a digital marketing strategy that could be rapidly deployed. Design and build a PPC campaign from the start. From a single campaign, it developed into a comprehensive campaign structure, with multiple campaigns being paused and activated according to the internal schedule of new developments becoming available. Constant research and improvement. This market is tough and PPC costs scale for international campaigns. To tackle this, we constantly review the KPIs and optimise the campaign and landing pages to ensure we target the correct customer segments and deliver an ever higher return on investment. Optimise and streamline the campaign’s historical structure. This simplified and reduced campaign management time and improved data gathering to increase conversion rates. The Results The business had no previous digital activity or international brand awareness. Through our campaign, we achieved: Highest Ever Levels of Traffic to the Site 1/3 of all Leads Originated from Digital Channels --- ---