Travelex – Worldwide Money

After a series of successful campaigns the team here at Mediaworks is pleased to announce our new partnership with Travelex, the world’s foremost foreign exchange specialist, and the work we will be commencing for them in the following seven regions: Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and South Africa.

To increase business in these regions we will be using our team of multilingual SEO’s that will utilise our vast experience of global search optimisation and work closely with Travelex in improving their online search visibility in their target countries through the utilisation of a country-specific SEO campaign.

Brett Jacobson, Managing Director at Mediaworks, said: “It’s a pleasure to be working with Travelex. They already have such fantastic visibility online and their faith in us to improve that further is humbling. Our bespoke campaign will push their online presence to the next level and our team is working diligently to provide them with a significant return on investment.”

Travelex is a global brand that trades in over 80 currencies around the world. They are present in 50 countries, in all major airports, and have 900 ATMs to provide customers with quick and easy access to foreign currency. Travelex continues to grow their geographic reach both organically and through acquisitions, and now, with Mediaworks, they will continue this growth online.

As a result many of our clients have voiced concerns over how the update will affect their site and what exactly the update contains. Let us set the record straight.

The Aim Of the Update

Google’s main aim with organic listing is to put the most relevant and quality pages at the top of a user’s search query. To do so Google have to constantly update their algorithm, sometimes as much 200 times a year. ‘Penguin’ is unique in that its main aim is to reduce the visibility of sites that are utilising spammy factors like links from pages of spun content, keyword stuffing and cloaking as well as ‘over optimisation’ which looks at historical linking activity to target those sites that have put a heavy focus on having solely exact anchor text links.

In theory this will affect your site if Google deems it to have engaged in spammy techniques at any time in its history. That said, Mediaworks does not employ such tactics and through a full and comprehensive check of all our clients historical information we are pleased to be able to tell you that 95% of our clients have seen nothing but positive results from the recent update – mainly because competitors who have engaged spammy techniques in the past. That 5% that have seen negative effects, due to historical link building by previous SEO companies, have requested our services to help overcome the issues as a reactive measure.

Unnatural Link Notices Are Not Part Of Google Penguin

One thing that is still not clear is whether the negative effects are considered a ‘penalty’ or ‘devaluation.’ In other words, did those spammy links carry with them a penalty or have they simply been devalued by Google. Whilst we wait for an official announcement, we can tell you that many webmasters received an ‘Unnatural Links’ notice within the webmasters tools – but this came prior to Penguin.

So why were our tactics unaffected? Simply put, we spend a great deal of time and effort building a variety of links from all corners of the web. Our lead SEO’s get together on a weekly basis and feed into our internal link development department to make sure that we maintain the type and quality of links that are required to keep them appearing organic and so that we stay abreast of Google’s many updates.

The unfortunate consequence of the update is that sites that now engage in ethical SEO but at one time used unsavoury techniques have seen a drop in rankings, but with future updates no-doubt in the pipeline that may be resolved.

As we move forward we will continue to monitor our clients sites and any warnings they receive (if any) in order to safeguard their campaigns in the long run.

The idea behind this new legislation is to reduce the amount of trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods on the internet. The problem with the bills though is that they are poorly worded and will do little to reduce pirated material. The bills will instead give law enforcement the power to remove an entire website for a single, copyright infringing blog post.

It has been suggested that this legislation would then have the knock on effect of constricting our ability to share information, give governments the ability to shut down whistle-blowing websites like WikiLeaks and damage the freedom of speech we rightly enjoy on the internet today.

The good news is that, despite the disruption, the blackouts seem to have been a resounding success and people all over America have gone to great lengths to contact their local representatives and preserve the internet. So what’s changed since Wednesday?

PIPA Supporters Withdraw their Backing

Perhaps the most astonishing effect is that staunch supporters like Sen. Marco Rubio and Rep. Ben Quayle have withdrawn their support after being bombarded by “legitimate concerns” from Americans and people around the world. Sen. Marco Rubio said on his Facebook page: “As a senator from Florida, a state with a large presence of artists, creators and businesses connected to the creation of intellectual property, I have a strong interest in stopping online piracy… However, we must do this while simultaneously promoting an open, dynamic Internet environment … Congress should listen and avoid rushing through a bill that could have many unintended consequences.

Congress’s Switchboards Crashed

Just one of those unintended consequences was the barrage of emails that ultimately crashed the U.S. governmental servers. Many of the websites that blacked out their services replaced their home page with a holding page that provided internet users with information on how to contact their local representatives. The resulting bombardment was enough to crash their servers.

Sites That Got It Right

Those holding pages have now become synonymous with the blackout. Just take the images from Google and Wikipedia above and below. In all probability when you woke up on Wednesday morning it was one of those pages that brought the SOPA/PIPA to your attention, or at least inspired you to act.

Now that the blackout is over, Wikipedia announced results that their holding page was viewed 162 million times with 8 million people following through on their instructions to contact local representatives – it’s no wonder their servers crashed.

Google also blacked out their U.S. services and collected over 4.7 million e-signatures in the space of 24 hours sending a clear message to politicians debating the bill.

B-I’ll be Back

But whilst all of this sounds productive, there is no doubt that the bills will return. There has already been talk of reviving SOPA and PIPA as soon as February, even despite the massive backlash and it just goes to show the enormous amount of influence the people in Hollywood have over the Democrats.

How This Affects the UK

If the SOPA legislation is passed and your website is found to have copyright infringing material on it, then without warning you could find your site blacked from U.S. sites like Google, PayPal, Google Checkout and more.

Competing websites will also go to great lengths just to lodge complaints against rival websites and have them removed without warning. It may also be extremely damaging to start-up sites which rely on sharing information as it would simply be too risky for an investor.

So whilst it looks like the internet has temporarily protected itself, even without the influence of the media, it looks like the SOPA and PIPA bills will only hide away for a short time before rearing their ugly heads once more.

One ironic thing I feel compelled to mention before I finish the article regards the SOPA author Lamar Smith and his website. If you were to visit his site just one month ago you would have found an un-sourced, copyright infringing photograph ‘stolen’ from photographer DJ Schulte. If Smith’s bill had gone ahead, Schulte would have been well within his rights to have Smith’s website shut down and he knows it too.

What an uncomfortable moment it must have been when Lamar realised he had broken the very law he was trying to get passed. Awkward.

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

A Hike in Social Media Sales

Perhaps the most surprising shopping trend to emerge is sales through Social Media. The most interesting part, however, is that these shoppers were found to be twice as likely to buy gifts as people who were shopping at retail. This has led IBM Coremetrics, the company who organised the survey, to predict social media as the next big market retailers will target in 2012.

Deals, Deals and More Deals

Part of social medias success is due to the massive networks of people sharing deals and discount codes. As a result people have become far thriftier than they were before but whether that is because of the increase in communication or just because of the dire state of the economy we don’t know.

There is an App for That

What I can tell you though, is that these shoppers are using their smartphones to find the best deals, both online and in shops. Mega companies like Amazon and Best Buy have developed versatile and intuitive apps that centre upon user reviews and are encouraging online sales, but consumers are also resorting to specialist apps like barcode scanners and QR code readers to find the cheapest deals whilst in store.

Free Shipping

This thrifty attitude means that shoppers are looking to save a penny wherever possible and eCommerce sites have noticed that. So in order to remain competitive many of these sites cut their shipping costs – they can’t afford not to – and this year a monstrous 93% of eCommerce sites offered free shipping.

Apple Products Dominate Wish-list

One of the biggest factors that is driving sales though, is the rise in tablet and smartphone devices. It shouldn’t come as a surprise then that Apple devices – arguably the most popular smart-devices – are at the top of everybody’s wish-list with the iPhone 4S at No1.

Surprising Shopping Habits of Men

And who is buying all of these gadgets? Men of course, but joking aside this year has had some truly unusual shopping results for men. You see, according to a Social Shopping Study by Perfomics in 2011, men have out-shopped women in almost every category. How has this happened you might ask? Well, simply because shopping is now electronic – and because stores don’t have enough seats for middle-aged men to fall asleep on – but, Performics found that 63% of men shopped online in 2011 vs. 52% of women and I hate to break it to you ladies, but it is time to pass the torch. 

Most Popular Gift Categories

So what were us men buying? According to Performics it was more of the same: Jewellery for the ladies, toys for the babies, home and living for the misgiving and electronics, fashion items and computers for… something that rhymes with computers. No surprises there then.

From High Street to iStreet

What did come as a surprise mind you was the 22% rise in online sales over 2011 meaning that sales for Cyber Monday exceed $1.25 billion.

Groupon

So instead of running around the shops on Christmas Eve like a maniac, customers are using their extra time to find cheap deals on events, restaurants and things to do in their own city using coupon sites like Groupon and using them with friends. Other sites rely upon word of mouth and notify users of any particularly good deals – once they’ve picked one up themselves, of course.

Video

This emphasis on sharing information is why we expect to see a great deal more video reviews popping up on eCommerce websites. Flashy apps that let you try on clothes simply aren’t good enough at the moment – with exception to the Ray Bans fantastic sunglasses app – and people are much more inclined to trust the opinion of fellow customers. It is also much easier to judge a person if you can see them than if you are just reading their inexpressive txt speak.

Recognise your Customers

This issue of trust is altering the way we shop online. A study by Jarain and Blue Research found that 75% of consumers who were asked to register their details on a website would immediately alter their behaviour: 54% will leave and not return; 55% will return if a site recognises them and 48% are more likely to purchase from a site which recognises them. Does that mean in 2012 websites will begin to find a way to recognise a customer without them having to part with their precious details?

So what Does the Future Hold?

So if you gather round the Mediaworks Magic 8 ball we’ll tell you what we see: There will be a rise in QR codes, Augmented Reality Apps, mobile phones instead of credit cards and even more focus on deals and coupons sites.

Whatever it might be though, the outlook certainly looks good and we look forward to finding out whether our predictions come in the New Year. In the meantime, happy holidays.

…And a partridge in a pear tree.

Mainly it comes down to the inexhaustible efforts of Mediaworks and its team, but also because the three companies have experienced incredible growth since starting one of our bespoke search engine optimisation campaigns; We are continually improving upon Hayes Garden World’s core keyword argets with continual first page rankings, Traidcraft have seen a 34% rise in organic non-brand traffic year on year and Beecham Peacock have doubled their longtail traffic in just one year, which isn’t bad by anyone’s standards.

Steve Close, Client Relationship Manager for these clients, is particularly pleased with the results, he said: “The best thing about their success is how appreciative the companies have been of our hard work and, trust me, there has been a lot.

“That’s because all three clients are working in incredibly competitive markets and that makes their keywords incredibly competitive too. Just imagine how many people are searching for Christmas Trees, Fair Trade and Personal Injury Solicitors each year and to get just one of them to page one is an achievement but to get all three is something else. I think it’s a real testament to the team here.

“Yet Mediaworks can’t take all of the credit,” Steve said. “A great deal must go to clients themselves who were keen to take on board our recommendations, make changes where suggested and trust that what we were doing was in their benefit and when all those elements are there you can’t stop us.”

So looking onto 2012 we expect to see a great deal more success from these fantastic clients and we are looking forward to building even stronger relationships as we move into the future.

It’s hard to believe that Mediaworks has become a globally sought after company, but after a phenomenally successful year and many international requests later that is exactly what has happened.

Back in May, world renowned baby accessories company Tommee Tippee asked Mediaworks to provide search engine optimisation for their French site in, you guessed it, French. But before we could lift a figurative paper bag to our mouth and start hyperventilating, Online Marketing Executive, Steven McGurk, who has a rich history in foreign languages, stepped up to the plate.

Steven, who studied Modern Languages with an emphasis on Japanese and French at Newcastle University, told the team he was up to the challenge but did he bite off more than he could chew? He said: “The way people search can vary greatly from country to country which can make deciding on keyword targets much more challenging.

“It is not enough to just translate a specific key-phrase or product, you need to find the exact variation of the phrase which the people in that country use and when you’re a foreigner it can be extremely time consuming.”

He must have done well though because Tommee Tippee are now entering discussions with Mediaworks on optimising four of their other international sites, but let’s hope for Steven’s sake that one of them is in Japanese.

“There’s much more to optimising international sites than just translating content,” Steven said. “The challenging part is maintaining the tone and feel of the original content as well as ensuring that language specific idioms and expressions are changed appropriately.”

Mediaworks don’t just optimise French baby centric sites mind you. In the last year we have optimised sites in many languages including French, German, Italian and even Spanish. So over Christmas Steven will be hitting the books and getting a new language under his belt so we can return in 2012 and optimise the whole world. Good luck with that Steven.

Continuing with our growth into one of the largest digital marketing agencies in the UK, we are pleased to announce our appointment by Viking Direct, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of office furniture and stationary.

Part of the Office Depot group, one of the largest suppliers of office stationary worldwide, Viking are a highly recognised UK brand who continue to pioneer and grow in the consumer stationary and office supplies sector. As part of this continued growth, Viking Direct have appointed Mediaworks to assist in improving their online presence with a tailored search engine optimisation campaign aiming to achieve success through a large selection of vertical searches including ink cartridges and office furniture.

Operating, initially as a business-to-business (B2B) company, Viking Direct are keen to further expand their market share in the business-to-customer market (B2C).

Not only are Mediaworks assisting in search engine rankings, but we are will also be consulting on a variety of other areas of Viking Directs online offering including technical consultancy, in-depth market analysis and ongoing SEO strategy.

With our continual success and growth in the online marketing sector, we are confident that we can send Viking Direct to the top.