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Businesses can see increased traffic to their websites by getting the basics of SEO web design right, according to an industry commentator.

Chris Lake, the editor-in-chief of E-consultancy.com, thinks that while there are many ways to attract traffic, for businesses with a limited marketing budget it’s the basics that are most important.

He said: ‘Read up on how to make your site search-engine friendly, and if you can afford it, look at employing a search agency or a search expert in-house.’

Mr Lake also believes that businesses should embrace Web 2.0 technologies to make sure there are as many links back to their site as possible.

‘There are lots of examples of companies attracting large numbers of visitors by producing videos or blogs that end up being picked up on the licks of YouTube, Digg and Yahoo Buzz,’ he said.

One such example is the ‘Will it Blend?’ campaign by the makers of Blendtec Total Blender.

A series of adverts featuring items being dropped in the company’s industrial strength blender (to find out if they will blend) became a huge hit on YouTube and in turn gave the company’s brand more exposure.

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Almost 16.5 million households in the UK now have internet access, an increase of 1.2 million since 2007, the latest official figures show.

The Office for National Statistics ONS said the new figure represented close to two-thirds of UK households.

Homes in the South East are most likely to have internet access with those in north-east England least likely.

Over two-thirds of adults go online every day or almost every day, with men more regular users than women.

Graph showing rise in internet connectivity since 2005

In the 35% of households with no access, there was an increase in the proportion that said they did not want the internet at home, from 3% in 2006 to 24% in 2008.

The survey also found that the better educated were more likely to be online.

Graph showing rise in internet connectivity since 2005

The ONS said that 93% of adults aged under 70 who had a university degree or equivalent qualification had internet access.

This compared with just 56% of those with no formal qualifications being online.

Communications regulator Ofcom said earlier this month that PC and laptop use had grown fourfold since 2002.

BBC NEWS | Two-thirds of UK homes now online

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If you have been living under a rock for the past year or so, you wont be aware that on the web, one of the best ways of generating new, direct traffic to your website or blog is via Social Media marketing. The blogosphere and twitter trail is all a buzz with the term, which can seem dauntingly new and intimidating to marketers with traditional experience. Hopefully this guide should help to summarise how to interact online, and what services to use.

An idiots guide to Social Media Marketing

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A new online tool could change the way that search engine optimisation (SEO) works in ranking websites.

Powerset Demo Video from officialpowerset on Vimeo.

Currently SEO conducted by engines including Google works by comparing key words defined by the searcher with the related words in online articles and ranking them in the order of the most viewed.

However, a new tool called Powerset could change this by comparing the natural language of the content rather than simply the key words. This is done by ‘unlocking’ the meaning encoded in ordinary human language.

The first Powerset was launched last month to improve the search process on Wikipedia. The system promises to give more accurate results and to frequently answer questions directly.

‘Powerset’s goal is to change the way people interact with technology by enabling computers to understand our language … We believe that now is the right time to begin the journey,’ the San Francisco company states.

In related news, it has been reported that physicians competing for the top internet search ranking have found it more successful and economical to take the SEO route rather than using expensive links.

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Blogging can be beneficial to some businesses and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the Chicago Tribune has reported.

Websites can profit from a boost in credibility and get a higher search rank making the owners more competitive if they feature a popular and regular blog, the article comments.

Certified electrologist and owner of Face Reflections Liz Stapleton told the paper her website has attracted an extra ten clients every month since adding a blog and added that it was the ‘best business decision’ she had ever made.

By adding blogs SMEs can better compete with large firms by boosting their search rankings through the economic strategy of hosting a blog, a Northwestern University lecturer added.

Business Blogging Consultants’ Derrick Sorles gave further advice, saying that by adding one word to a domain name the likelihood that a blog will be found using a Google key word search increases.

On a personal level as well blogs can be beneficial as well. Petite Anglaise blogger Catherine Sanderson was fired from her job in Paris after her online comments about her job were discovered but her writing has now been made into a successful book.

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Email marketing is ‘easy’ and ‘inexpensive’, meaning that anyone can create a strategy, an online business resource has told.

However, to make the campaign successful it needs to engage readers and build trust, a representative from Emma told Ecommerce Guide.

When sending out emails they should be relevant to the interests of the subscribers and strike the right balance between content and image Emma’s Suzanne Norman told the resource.

Her eight tips included letting the design and message ‘flow’ from the original message a business wanted its campaign to communicate.

The marketing campaign should also be consistent with the business brand and ultimate message, she added.

As with all campaigns, it is important the reader is engaged straight away by using a well-crafted and intriguing subject line in the subscription email.

Ms Norman added that it was also important to make the correspondence personal.

‘Try segmenting your list so you can personalise the content based on the audience group to which you’re sending,’ she advised.

In a blog that offers advice to businesses, Ecommerce Guide contributor Jennifer Shiff advised businesses designing online campaigns to ‘never offer a product or service or make a commitment you cannot fulfil’.

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