Qualified in accountancy....
.... experienced in leisure
Website Design and Marketing
People read websites differently to the way they read newspapers or magazines - although as a ‘serious site’ the Accounting & General website does not acknowledge this, in the way that a hospitality or retail website should do.
Websites are scanned, more than read word for word. Topics need to be summarised, and the hoped for conclusion displayed early on in the text. One topic per paragraph is enough.
Plenty of sub headings are required, with important words perhaps written in bold, and points bulleted to break the text. If the reader wishes for more detail, they can then ‘click through’ to a secondary page.
But despite the vogue for efficient search engine optimisation, don’t loose sight of great old fashioned prose to sell your message. Don’t create visual and aural gobbledegook for readers for the sake of SEO.
If you have no skill in this area engage a professional copywriter, such as Kate Truman, of Flair for Words. Click here for more!
And unlike this website, remember the importance of great images in selling leisure. Never has it been more important to have a large bank of images of your product, either taken with your own digital camera, or by a professional, such as Tony Cobley. Click here for more.
Whether you design and build your own website, (click here), or engage a professional organisation to do it for you, it is useful to have a background of understanding of the challenges involved and the desired outcomes.
The way the words are structured and written affects not only the reader, but also the way in which the website is found by the search engines, such as Google, Bing and Yahoo - a skill known as search engine optimisation.
It is possible to advertise your website across the Internet, with banner advertising and links from other sites, but particularly with the search engines it is possible to pay for a high placing in the user search, an activity known as ‘pay per click’.
The website should also integrate with social media, such as Twitter and Facebook.
In writing the copy for your website you need to include use of the key words that people will use to search for and find your website. ‘Dog friendly hotel’ is a classic example.
Use Google Keywords to help you. Plan for four to six key words per page.
The good news it that the search engines are looking for themes, and of course these will arise in your copy. A hotel is selling a holiday, and this should become naturally apparent to the reader and the search engine.
Page titles should be based on your keywords.
Your site name should be straight forward and be explanatory, for example www.grandhotelbrixham.co.uk.
Regularly change your copy to keep it fresh - themed breaks, tariffs and menus are straightforward examples.
Links from page to page of your site should be useful, and without creating unreal alliances, you should develop links into your site, from tourist boards etc.
In summary, within a few rules, good writing and explaining what you offer, is best for good SEO.
Click here for more clear and comprehensive help from Google on SEO.
Pay Per Click Internet Advertising
Pay per click advertising (Adwords with Google), enables you to drive traffic to your website, when someone searches (in Google etc) on the keywords you have chosen and then clicks on your advertisement to go to your website.
The adverts are placed in a shaded area above the organic search, or in the right hand column. The position of your advert, in response to the search, depends upon the amount you have bid (paid) for your keywords, compared to the competition around you.
At Accounting & General we are not convinced that Adwords are effective for small businesses, compared to SEO. However, it is possible to set a budget and experiment for results. For a seasonal tourism business, consider the best time of year of of your campaign(s), in addition to the inherent success factors.
Click here for Google’s complete guide to Adwords.
A Way With Words and Images
Search Engine Optimisation
Accounting & General - Accountants Devon, Accountancy Devon, Devon, Torquay, Paignton, Brixham, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset | © 2011
