Below is the current view, where as you can see the local results map and Google Places pages appear above the normal search results.

However, in the new layout the map appears above the sponsored listings with the Google Place listing appearing in the main search results beneath the organic result.

Now we believe this is only a trial at the moment, as it only appears occasionally, and we can most likely expect a number of variations along this theme as time progresses. I personally very much doubt this would be the finished article as the map has a fixed position relative to the screen that blocks out the sponsored listings on the right when you scroll down (see below). However, our PPC team think it’s more likely to push up the cost of adverting in the purple listing box at the top of the page.

If it does become standard, then I would imagine the main SEO implication would be to ensure you have an up to date Google Places listing, if only to take advantage of the prominence your search result gains through the addition of a red bubble and company logo.

It will be very interesting to see if this sticks over the following weeks and months, and I for one will be keeping a close eye out for further enhancements.

In theory, this should deliver up to the second news on major disasters and accidents, even possibly major film/game/product launches, and provides a greater level of precision on local searches as you have more control over the geographical region. As an example, we tried “web design Preston” which brought up a feed containing a few random tweets and a couple of social book marks.

According to Google’s blog post on the subject, it should also make following an extensive Twitter conversation much simpler, as it amalgamates multiple feeds in real time.

And what of the SEO implications? Will the old adage of “Content is King” need extending to “Continuous Content is King”? In reality, whilst I would imagine there is a risk that more nefarious SEO’s will attempt to fill up this new service with spammy tweets, fingers crossed the risks of damaging the promoted brand will out weigh the short term gains in traffic.

Finally, as with any Google launch we have to ask if this one will stick or will it go the same way as Wave and Knol and be dropped after a limited run? If nothing else you have to admire Google’s tenacity when it comes to throwing out new things.

Wilkinson Cameras supply products from all the leading brands in the world of photography including Canon, Panasonic and Sony. Motionlab hopes that this is the beginning of a very successful partnership.

Prior to this Matt had roots in more traditional media, working in the production departments of several leading UK newspapers. He will be working closely with our Head of Search, Martin Allen, to ensure that our clients continue to achieve great search engine ranking results.

Motionlab Interactive, our in house online marketing company has already begun work on the SEO and PPC campaigns which aim to drive customers to the site through clever targeted marketing campaigns. We will also be providing regular statistical analysis and project planning to ensure the sites continued success.

www.famousfootwear.co.uk

Housemaster Home Improvements who recently joined the Conservatory Outlet dealership needed a better way to generate online sales leads. They required a friendlier, more informative website that introduced their quality range of products and services throughout Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Visit Housemasters Home Improvements new website at:  www.housemasterhome.com

Motionlab created a new site that was much more in tune with the way customers search for conservatory installation companies or double glazing companies. Motionlab designed and built the new Housemaster Home Improvements website using the latest Conservatory Outlet website template, created to ensure customers can easily navigate to the product range they were interested in. We also introduced better ways for the customer to contact Housemaster Home Improvements, either online or showroom via their freephone number.

Once we were happy with the design and functionality of the new website, it was the passed to our SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and PPC (Pay-Per-Click) experts and to do their stuff. A cleverly planned and executed Pay-Per-Click campaign has been created to add to the site visibility and visitor traffic.

Looking for a new lead generating website?

Need to increase sales to your business?

You need to contact Motionlab Marketing today on 01772 865050

As part of the project Motionlab Interactive will be looking after the SEO and PPC accounts for the brands.

Motionlab are thrilled to be working with one of the world’s largest glass companies and is looking forward to a long and successful relationship.

Tarriq is a qualified journalist and is going to work with the various teams at Motionlab to provide copyrighting and article writing, he will be working closely with the SEO and PPC team to deliver great content for our clients.

Like all things in life you get what you pay for. Yes there probably is a bloke who lives round the corner who dabbles a bit in web design that could make you a website for you. On the surface it might look ok but it probably wouldn’t work very well. The internet is becoming more and more important to the success of businesses. Often your website will be the first time a potential customer is introduced to your company and it is important that you make a good first impression.

In order for a website to be successful it takes time to design and develop as it needs to work in all browsers and platforms, be search engine friendly, meet current web standards and download quickly to name but a few of the many factors which need to be considered. And then there is the design and navigation of your website do you require special features and functionality to be added? These things all take time and cannot be rushed if you want a quality site.

Behind all websites there is a large amount of code. When you visit a web page you are only seeing the end result and behind this there will be HTML, style sheets, php scripts, java scripts and databases. All of this is invisible to the end user but is essential to ensure the site functions correctly.

Before you visit your web designer it can be really beneficial if you have some ideas of what you want. Think about the different feature you want your website to have. Do you have corporate branding and colours that you want the site to stick to? Maybe have a look at your competitor’s websites and take note of what you like and dislike about their sites. If you can give your web designer some initial ideas of the sort of things you are looking for this will make their job a whole lot easier.

Internet Explorer is not the only browser. There are now more browsers than ever and different people will use different browsers to view your website. The problem is that not all browsers display sites in the same way. So a site viewed in IE may look different to when it is viewed in Firefox or Safari. Therefore it is the job of the developer to ensure that the site operates in all the different browsers.

Not only do different users use different browsers but they also use different sized monitors and that monitor may be set to a higher or lower resolution. Again this will affect the way a site looks to different users. The graphics card and colour settings can also impact on how the site will look. It is therefore important that your site is designed to take this into consideration and no matter what size screen or resolution a visitor is using they will be able to view the site.

Different fonts may look different on different computers. There are some fonts that are standard across all browsers that will work fine. However, if you opt for a font which is not standard and that font is not installed on the web browser in a computer it will display a different font. The issue is that different fonts are different sizes, short, tall, fat ,thin therefore when a different font is displayed it can upset the layout of a page.

It is no point in having a fantastic website if nobody ever gets to see it. Appearing within the search engine results pages is essential to the success of a website. Almost 90% of all web users use search engines. The major search engines have guidelines which must be adhered to in order for a site to appear within the search engine results pages. Once your site is live the work has only just begun. The site needs to be marketed to ensure it is a success. You will need to ensure that the site appears when people enter keywords relating to your industry into the major search engines this is known as search engine optimisation or SEO.

Have you considered adding a news section or blog? The most successful websites are those that are updated regularly and have valuable content which people will keep coming back for.

Have they discussed your current website?

In order to improve the rankings of a website in the major search engines the first thing that an experienced SEO expert would do would be to analyse your site. They would start by checking to see if all the pages can be indexed by the search engines and then look for other improvements that can be made to improve the rankings within the search engines. They should be able to provide you with details of the work they will be carrying out.

Have they Performed Competitor Analysis?

In order to be able to improve the rankings of your site it is important to understand your online competition and the search engine optimisation methods they are using. Your SEO company should look at your competitors in detail focusing on the amount, quality and source of their inbound links. From this information they will be able to formulate a link strategy looking at the amount and type of links you will need in order to rank above your competitors.

Will they source quality links?

Many rogue SEO companies will try to wow potential clients with offers such as £1 a link, you invest £500 and we will get you 500 links. Although this sounds impressive the quality of these links is likely to be very poor. They will probably be generated automatically on low quality sites which are not on topic and will offer very little benefits in terms of improving search engine rankings. Although this method of link building may have worked in the past the major search engines have improved their algorithms, they can now recognise these kinds of links and they will disregard them.

Are the search terms they are suggesting actually what people search for?

Your SEO company should perform keyword analysis for your industry and identify the major search terms your potential customers are using. There is no point ranking number one in the major search engines for a variety of keywords if nobody actually searches for those keywords or phrases. They should also be able to advise you how competitive the keywords are and how difficult it will be to rank for that phrase.

SEO is a long term strategy and unfortunately there is no cheap and easy way to get to the top of the search engine results pages which will keep you at the top for a sustained period of time. Search engine optimisation takes time but if done properly you will improve rankings gradually and once you get to the top you will reap the rewards of your investment.

But to get those rewards you need to have the right SEO company working for you. By following the advice above you can make sure that you sign up with an SEO company that will get you results.