Chris Shaw Independent SEO Consultant

Disastrous start to 2025. Despite the advent of digital everything, one thing I prefer of 'Old Skool' style is a wall planner. You know the type. You put multi-coloured circular stickers on dates that you think you might be able to have a day off and then peel them off gently when you realise that was a silly and dream scenario that was never likely to happen. I use mine for planning which client sites I'll be working on each day. It gives me a far better 'at a glance' view without flicking to a window on my Mac. Anyway, the disaster is that the momentous moment of affixing the new 2025 Sasco Wallplanner to the wall was ruined due to a lack of Blu Tac. Yes, the ever-trusty supply of this wonderful invention of blobby reliability had been fully used. Had it been me that had used the last of the Blu Tac, I would have almost certainly have ordered more for Next Day delivery on Amazon. That means it was probably used for far more important purposes such as creating a loo-roll bodied character of felt and fuzzy bits by my 5 year old Granddaughter. That, in turn, means that my wife stole it for the said purpose or my Granddaughter has figured out where Grandad stashes items of importance. I admit, it could have been worse. However, my wall looks alarmingly blank with it. Tomorrow, normality will be restored when the Amazon van driver bangs at the door (despite the Ring doorbell) and delivers the Blu Tac in a 3ft x 3ft sized box (inevitably). Photograph of said wall. Oh and Happy New Year. #blutac #2025omens #seo

It's that time of year again - the SEO tips for the next 12 months. You'd be forgiven for thinking it had been December for months, because the tip articles have been flowing since October from some authors! However, my SEO tips for 2025 has a somewhat different approach this year. That's because you've already been told what your focus should be on by Google... https://lnkd.in/eaZwWazM #seo #seotips #google #search #digitalmarketing #marketing #seotrends #rankings #serps

Tracking your competitors websites can be almost as valuable as the activities you invest in your own site. The proactive measures that let you spot a potential threat before it challenges you are very different in the digital world. Business owners that say "I focus on what I'm doing, not my competitors", say it with good intention, but it doesn't sit well with well planned and executed SEO strategies. If you know what they're doing, or even beginning to do, you can counter it. https://lnkd.in/eaZ2GjVD #seo #seotips #seostrategy #digitalmarketing #marketing #newcastle #google

Ofcom's annual "Online Nation" delivers an intriguing view on the changing habits of the UK's online population. I've been through the report in detail and given my opinion on how aspects of it could impact businesses approach to SEO or audience targeting in general. There are some very important elements to note, while I appreciate most people are likely to go to the "Google Search use is down by 3%" headline that seems to have attracted most commentary - but there's a lot more to be aware of. https://lnkd.in/dcbyKrFq #seotips #digitalmarketing #seo #search #google #marketing #newcastle

15% of all Google Searches are for the same 148 phrases. That's the result of a huge analysis by Datos. Here are the top 15 of the 15%! YouTube Gmail Amazon Facebook ChatGPT Google Translate WhatsApp Web Google Maps Pornhub Google Docs Instagram Weather Netflix Speed Test Calculator

The impact of colour on the brain is covered in ample depth elsewhere, but Google is conducting a small test at present. It has changed the blue phone icon button on Local listings to gold (in some countries). It'll be interesting to see if this is rolled out globally, or will it become a premium feature of some form? https://lnkd.in/eSCB-8gJ #google #search #localbusiness #maps #seo

The term "Original content" does not mean searching Google for things people have written about and regurgitating it. It means sitting, thinking (a lot), understanding what people value or might get new insight from, and spending considerable amounts of time and effort curating content they'll learn from. Yesterday, I spotted a comment from John Mueller (Google) in response to being asked a question about SEO. His answer was remarkably refreshing and, in summary, told the person to focus on adding things to their site that people wanted and would find interesting. Too many people go hunting for quick solutions through SEO when, ironically, SEO relies on content - and not just any old content. Right now (and indeed for most of 2024), Google have been screaming from the roof-tops to think of your readers and not to re-write content for the purposes of SEO. If your site architecture, foundations and general page layout (including correctly structured headers, which people often make a mess of, help Google understand what it is you're trying to say) is solid, your content will get found. SEO isn't about going through something someone has written and making it unreadable because you want to get the phrase "Blue widgets" into every paragraph. Yes, there are elements you would be wise to address, but the biggest problem with most sites today is the lack of original and valuable content. Content is often seen as a painful overhead, when in reality it is an essential advertising resource. If you begin to look at it differently, you'll come to value it differently when you see the ROI. Exactly why should people be interested in your content? Can they get it somewhere else? Have they already seen it, or close to it, somewhere? What value can they get from it? Is it interesting? Would you read it (and bear in mind you're not necessarily the target audience, so you need to take that view with a pinch of salt!). More than half of UK companies don't measure the success of their content. Imagine doing that with PPC or other advertising, where you don't produce any metric to define whether it is working for your business? It demonstrates the view so many companies have about content - it is a chore and not a tool. Change your thinking. Or at least try to. p.s. there is no link on this post. Content doesn't need to take you somewhere (and most people are far too time-stressed to bother, would you?). #digitalmarketing #content #seo #search #marketing

Regardless of your business size or scale, from start-up or newly launched small business to multi-national PLC retailer, I provide SEO and CRO solutions bespoke to your requirements. If you're looking for increased visibility in Google & Bing search, or improving your e-commerce site conversion rate, I provide strategies, solutions, experience and technical knowledge that help you reach your goals. Drop me a line via the Contact page on my website for a free initial discussion about your needs. https://lnkd.in/d8br4WqW #seo #digitalmarketing #seospecialist #cro #conversionrate #ecommerce #search #newcastle #uk #retailgrowth

I try to publish content for smaller brands in addition to major companies. Today's blog takes a look at free Google Shopping listings and is aimed at ecommerce sites that might be unaware of the opportunity they provide. I was reminded of how many small companies are oblivious to this chance of increased exposure in search, and it is a great demonstration of the drop-by-drop approach of an effective SEO strategy. https://lnkd.in/eKctMd_n #seotips #ecommerce #google #search #digitalmarketing #marketing #newcastle #seo #growth #sales

And another warning from John Muller at Google, this time about using their "People Also Ask" feature to generate content. If people are asking a question and Google sends you to a link about it, then the content already exists. It doesn't mean you shouldn't compete for it, but can you add value? https://lnkd.in/eC-Kc-TR #seo #seotips #google #search #marketing #digitalmarketing #newcastle