So I'm looking into extending my SEO company's reach, using non-traditional channels, when I come across an article on the always erudite website: Forbes.com. An article from a (US) SEO company that is obviously using the platform to pimp their SEO-ride. So I get to thinking...how do I get articles on Forbes? My writing ability and SEO knowledge married with the reach of Forbes? That's got to be a union made in Heaven!

Then I see the pricing structure...

I just had a phone call from the daughter of a good mate of mine, Steve Congerton, saying that he had passed away, on August 2nd. They didn't have my number for some reason, and so in the chaos of the funeral arrangements I wasn't informed, and so didn't get to go to the funeral to pay my respects. Which I would've very much liked to have done. But the family just received the Christmas card Kristi and I sent to Congo and his family, so his daughter Amy instantly called me to tell me the belated news that he had passed away.

Congo (as he was affectionately known by everyone who knew him) was one of the good guys. Okay, sure, he was a Sp*rs fan, so he wasn't perfect. And as a London ‘geeza’, when he spoke he sounded like he was auditioning for a remake of Minder. But his football allegiances and cockney patter aside, he was an absolute gent. A salesman born, rather than forged, Congo was - as I've often described him - the GREATEST SALESMAN I HAVE EVER MET. And I'm not saying this because he's passed away. I'm not saying it just to speak well about the dead. I'm saying this from a position of strength and knowledge. If selling was cricket, Congo would be remembered as Don Bradman. HE WAS THAT GOOD.

And you have to remember that I am demonstrably a damn fine salesman myself so I know of what I speak. And no, that's not ego talking either, that's just the cold hard facts of my CV staring back at me. I've sold most everything at one time or another, and have managed sales teams of up to 200 people. But if Congo was a Don Bradman, then at best I'm a David Gower or Ian Botham. Sure I'm talented and a potential match winner (on my day). But Gower and Botham didn't possess a fraction of the innate ability of the Don when all’s said and done. And so I'm here to tell you that despite everything I know, everything I've done, everything I've sold, down through the years: I am not worthy of lacing up Congo's shoes.

Congo and I met in 1999 when I was hired by AiC Worldwide as National Events Manager to run a huge technology trade show at Darling Harbour. Part of my remit being that I had to sell sponsorship and exhibition stands for half the show. Congo was responsible for sponsorship and exhibition stand sales for the other half. Now this was a HUGE show remember. The biggest Broadcast and Digital Media trade show Australia had ever had. The sort of show with north of 100,000 people coming through the gates during the 3 days the event was on, and national TV and radio coverage. So this event was a big deal for everyone involved.

Congo was the greatest Salesman AiC Worldwide (later, Terrapin) had on their books (quite probably the greatest salesman they had ever had on their books), and I came in and outsold him that year, winning 'Salesman of the Year' in the process.

Now let me reiterate that, as good as I am at sales, I AM NOT WORTHY OF LACING UP CONGO'S SHOES. When it comes to this sort of thing, I am like the perfect storm. High intensity, maximum damage. And then I get bored and move on to destinations unknown. I happened onto this Broadcast and Digital Media World event at the right time in history (when the dot com boom was a-booming), and the market was ready for it (digital television was officially launched in Australia at the show by Senator Alston for example, and I also did the first ever live streaming of an Australian event at this show, which was the prelude to me launching IndieFilmWeb.com). So let’s just say the stars aligned, and I was motivated by cashing some big a*sed commission cheques to beat Congo at what he did best: selling.

When I told his daughter, Amy, this story on the phone today, she laughed and said, 'Oh, dad would've hated you for that! He didn’t let anyone beat him!'. But I said, 'No, actually, he didn't. He RESPECTED me for it’. To the point he hired me as National Advertising Manager for Australia's largest Government magazine (Government News) when he was publisher, several years later. And to the point that we talked many times over the years about forming a company together (which regrettably never happened.)

But me outselling Congo was a one-off, make no mistake about that. Had I stayed at AiC Worldwide (I left to launch IndieFilmWeb.com just after the show), and had Congo and I gone head-to-head on another 10 shows. Another 100 shows. Chances are Congo would've soundly kicked my a*se on all of them, with daylight coming in second.

But sales isn't a sport. And so nobody remembers the great ones when they go. But Congo, me ol' mucka, I'll always remember you. I remember you co-founded Euromoney. I remember you co-founded Business Review Weekly with Robert Gottliebsen (who attended Congo’s funeral). I remember you as a mentor in person, and a force of nature while on the phone. God threw away the mould when he made you, mate. And the world is a much sadder place without you in it.

Congo was a man who owned every room he ever walked into. Who could speak underwater with a mouth full of marbles. Who could sell ice to an Eskimo. And like many a great salesman, he was a guy with a heart of gold. There are many anecdotes about Congo I could pen here, but I’ll end on this one, because it’s forever in front of me:
​
Congo was working as publisher on Government News when he hired me to come in and work under him as National Advertising Manager. Trouble was, four months after I started, the parent company who owned Government News, was sold to the Intermedia Group, and we all, from the CEO to the cleaners (Congo included) lost our jobs.

Congo was naturally mortified that this had happened, as I’d left a good paying job to come work there. But sometimes sh*t just happens, so you have to roll with the punches. Anyway, on our last day of work at Government News, while all the computers, and chairs and servers and printers et al were being packed up, to be shipped to the new owners head office in Surry Hills (we were in Frenchs Forrest), Congo walked in holding a big, expensive framed print that had hung in the CEO’s office, and that I had often commented on (I’m a big fan of lighthouses, and there was something about the print that spoke to me).

“Here,” he said with a wicked grin on his cherub like face.  “Go put this in your car.”

“But…” stammered I, “Hasn’t everything been itemised and catalogued already by the new owners?’

To which Congo just winked at me and shrugged. “Guess it must’ve got lost in transit…”
​
And to this day, that print is proudly positioned above my couch in my home. Which is just another reason why I’m not forgetting you anytime soon, Congo.

​Rest In Peace, mate. God knows you of all people have earned it.

If you own, operate or market a business website, you're no doubt well aware of the fact that the conversion rate is a very important parameter governing how profitable your website actually is. Traffic is all well and good, but if nobody buys the widgets you're selling, or picks up the phone as a result of what they've read, then what's the point? You're running a business after all, not a lending library. 

As I always say about my own business: I'd rather have 10 people come to my website and 9 sign up, than 10,000 people coming to my website and only 8 sign up!

Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is a method of increasing the percentage of visitors reaching a website who either buy something from the site or take some other action that is considered to be beneficial to the site owner. Just like Search Engine Optimisation may be thought of as part art and part science, so to with Conversion Rate Optimisation. Which, when done well, will significantly improve a website's turnover.

While the benefits of CRO should be fairly obvious to any entrepreneur or small business owner, let me quantify them in more detail to help put things in the correct perspective.
 
Generally speaking, the cost of operating a website should remain more or less constant regardless of the conversion rate it achieves. So far as traffic is concerned, a website is likely to receive:

1. organic traffic (via Google, Bing, etc).
2. paid traffic (by way of PPC and / or other forms of paid advertising).
3. referred traffic (via other websites that link to yours).
4. social traffic (via FB, Twitter, Instagram, etc).
   
5. a combination of all of the above.

Traffic that is referred from another website can be free (someone links from their website to yours because they like your content) or it can come at a price (paid advertising on someone else's site that incorrectly comes into your Google analytics as referred traffic, even though it's technically paid traffic). ​

Traffic generated via paid advertising obviously costs money (because you're paying per click or impression) and getting organic search traffic in any volume requires an over-arching SEO strategy driving it (which naturally costs money too, as you need to hire a SEO Company to get the first page results you require).

So for this example, let's assume that a website selling products online spends $1,000 per month on paid advertising and $1,000 per month on SEO services. And let's further imagine (for easy math) that it averages about 1,000 unique visitors per day. Next, let us assume that the average transaction value for the website is $50. And finally, let's say that it has a conversion rate of 1% (i.e. one out of every 100 visitors buys from the site).
 
Given the above scenario, the site would average 10 sales per day. And with the average transaction value of $50, it would gross $500 per day or $15,000 per month in sales (on a 30 day month). Now let's see what would happen if the conversion rate of the site gets increased from 1% to 1.5%. When this happens the gross monthly income generated by the website would jump from $15,000 to $22,500 straight away, with the exact same operating cost of $2,000. So that's a $7,500 per month or a $90,000 per year increase in annual turnover - WITHOUT GETTING A SINGLE ADDITIONAL PERSON TO YOUR SITE PER MONTH.

Persuasive and professional copywriting is a panacea for increasing your conversion optimisation, and has been tested and proven time and again to significantly increase conversions. If your website copy connects with your target audience and offers them a solution to their needs, more of them will convert.

Although more and more internet users are growing comfortable using their credit card online, the security of such information still continues to remain a strong deterrent for a significant percentage of internet users when it comes to online shopping. Assuring website visitors that it is safe to buy via your website by converting it from HTTP to HTTTS is not only a ranking factor in Google, it is a great way of assuring your clients that any financial and personal information they provide via your website is 100% secure. Which has a positive impact on your website's conversion rates.

​No matter how trustworthy a site has been designed to be, there will still be a percentage of visitors (especially older visitors) who just won't put in their card or bank information online. People as the old saying goes, like buying from people. So put a human back in the loop by providing an option (like 'live chat' for example), as this is a great way to increase conversion rates. A live chat service on a site will often help walk people through to the checkout and thus boost the site's conversion rate.

People are busy and easily distracted, and a slow loading website or web page is often the hidden factor that's killing your site's SEO. Google recommends that each page load in less than 2 seconds. So test your site's load speed, and if it isn't up to snuff, you can expect to lose people across your entire website. From the home page to the checkout the rule of thumb is: the longer the page takes to load, the less people remain on that page.

If your website is outdated or difficult to navigate, or if the UX (User Experience) is frustrating because the visitor just can't find what they're looking for, then you need to bite the bullet and get yourself a new website designed. Because a professionally designed small business website does wonders to your conversion rates.  Think of it like two sales guys walk into your store, and one is clean shaven and dressed in a $10,000 Tom Ford Suit, and one has a five o'clock shadow and wears ripped shorts and a sweaty singlet. Which do you think you're most likely to buy from?

As that time honoured old saying goes: 'You only get one chance to make a first impression'. What impression is YOUR website giving your brand?

It's 5.30 am and I am awake. My eyelids heavy, my heart likewise. Beyond my window the rain is relentless, the sky an insipid grey, the light wan, the tone depressive. There is no wind today. Just the rain and the biting cold. Beyond my home, the trees bear witness to the endless clockwork of time that stretches out before them. Willow Bottlebrush and Banksia, Paperbark and Oak, they are all of them statues on a Caravaggio canvas of earth and bark.

Against this backdrop, a discordant child's voice - like a memory rising from the depths of my mind - murmours, 'Oranges and lemons says the bells of St. Clement's. You owe me five farthings, say the bells of St. Martin's. When will you pay me, say the bells of Old Bailey. When I grow rich, say the bells of Shoreditch. When will that be, say the bells of Stepney. I do not know, says the great bell of Bow. Here comes a candle to light you to bed. And here comes a chopper to chop off your head!'

It's a young girl's voice, best I can make out, maybe 7 or 8; her lament at once shrill, breathy, harshly off-key. I drag myself out of bed and walk outside to the balcony to see where the voice is coming from, but find nothing save the trees and the rain. As I stand there, the macabre nursery rhyme grows fainter, as if the girl is moving away from me, retreating backwards in time. And I am suddenly reminded of an old Black & White horror film I saw growing up in the UK, many moons ago. The only detail of which I remember being that of a family - circa 1946 perhaps - pulling into the long curved driveway of a stately English country manor, the rain falling heavily about them. This is their new home, one presumes, and as they alight from their sleek black Austin 16, they are greeted by a servant of the house standing in the driveway who proffers an apologetic smile and a black umbrella. Together they move towards the expansive front door of the manor house, while the camera cranes up and away to reveal several ghostly children, all aged ten or under, sitting high in the branches of the trees; their tattered clothes centuries out of date, their mouths moving in unison to the tune of a long forgotten nursery rhyme.

The son and daughter of the new lord of the manor, both under ten themselves, hear the nursery rhyme and turn and stare behind them, their eyes wide, the hackles rising on the backs of their necks. But there is nothing to be seen, save the rain, and the trees that bear witness to the endless clockwork of time that stretches out before them.

"Here comes a candle to light you to bed. And here comes a chopper to chop off your head.''

​Copyright 2016 - Brian M Logan

Click here to read more CREATIVE WRITING EXAMPLES.

SEO North Sydney are extremely happy to launch a new web design in Melbourne, Victoria, for shippingcontainersmelbourne.com.au, a local container company that specialises in the sales and hire of shipping containers across Victoria. A clean, measured design was the order of the day for this web build, blending the client's light blue logo with a lot of white space in order to offer visitors an effortless experience where website navigation and usability are prioritised above the more flashy websites favoured by some of their competitors.

​SEO North Sydney built the website, wrote all copy therein, and were hire to run the client's local Melbourne SEO campaign.

SEO North Sydney are proud to announce the launch of a new website in Brisbane for shippingcontainersbrisbane.com.au, a respected local Brisbane shipping container company! A slick and stylish design, utilising a dark colour pallet to emphasise their stylish branding, this new website delivers on both functionality and style.

​SEO North Sydney not only designed the site, but were hired to write every single word of copy on the site and run the client's on-going local Brisbane SEO campaign.

Four out of every five calls SEO North Sydney receive are from small business owners who dwell on the subject of keywords because they’ve been ‘shaped’ by previous SEO companies to ask questions that the SEO companies know how to answer. But much like Pavlov’s dog continues to salivate, even though no food is on offer, so too SEO companies continue to sound the ‘Keywords’ bell, while offering little in the way of demonstrable returns on investment for the privilege. ​

Marketing a small business is a matter of common sense, it really is. But to paraphrase that famous Voltaire quote, ‘The trouble with common sense is that not many people have it’. This is perhaps never better demonstrated than when applied to how small business owners approach the Herculean task of promoting their business.

There are lots of ways to spend your hard earned money when it comes to marketing and advertising.  And the traditional ones are discussed here in this article on Print Advertising versus Online Advertising. But ultimately the best place to spend your money, is wherever you can get the maximum return for the minimum spend. And in 2016, the vast majority of people search online via the Google search engine.

I mentioned at the start of this article that marketing a small business is a matter of common sense. Because if 99% of all people looking for what you do and where you do it, search on the internet (and they do). And the vast majority of those search using Google. Then it isn’t rocket science to work out where the bulk of your marketing dollars should go. Or why. But just having a website and being online doesn’t cut it. You can spend a fortune getting your small business website design up and running. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be found in Google search. Far from it in fact. The competition in every industry vertical (that’s worth being in), is fierce. And given that 92% of people don’t go past the first page of their Google search, how to get your small business website on page one of Google becomes the single most important marketing question you’ll ever have to answer.

Of course even if you are fortunate enough to be trained in marketing (and thus understand the fundamentals of how marketing works across multiple channels), that doesn’t mean you are equipped to run your own SEO campaign. With over 200 ranking signals and over 10,000 sub-ranking signals powering Google search, and 500-600 algorithmic updates every year; understanding how Google search functions is a full time job (and then some!).

Having a marketing background is a real leg-up when it comes to growing a successful small business because you’ll innately ‘get’ what needs doing and why. But having a working knowledge of how (for an analogy) your BMW’s engine works is one thing. But would you really expect to be the one to service the engine before you drive you family across the Nullarbor in the dead of winter? Or do you think you’d be better served leaving your car in the hands of a trained mechanic?

Hiring a trained SEO professional is much the same thing. 

If getting on the first page of Google is a necessity for growing your small business in 2016 (and it is), then the only question small business owners need to ask themselves is: ‘Who can I trust to get my website on the first page?’.
​
And that’s where a company like SEO North Sydney comes in. With a SEO Consultant with 16 years’ experience at it's helm, SEO North Sydney have an unparalleled understanding of the constantly evolving search landscape, we are the perfect online partner to grow your small business or SME. At SEO North Sydney we don’t sweat the small stuff. We sweat the outcomes. And given we guarantee those outcomes in the contract, you can rest assured that your business growth is in good hands.

Writing a great press release can be worth its weight in gold. Indeed, in a world saturated with so called 'news', a brilliantly written and well-structured press release is essential to getting your brand message across to its intended audience.

A well written press release is a valid part of any on-line marketing strategy. It informs the industry vertical you're operating in (and the journalists that work in that space) that you have a new product or service on the market. Done well it should pique their interest and make them want to know more. 

A great press release is also an excellent addition to your SEO strategy. As the more places that post your press release online, the more websites you'll have linking back to your own site (as you'll naturally have hyperlinked your brand within the body copy of your press release, to drive traffic back to your main website).

SEO North Sydney is headed up by Brian M Logan, a man with over a decade and a half experience in getting companies on the first page of Google, and over twenty years' experience as a professional writer. A Marketing Graduate, and an AWARD and Masterclass copywriting graduate (Australia's leading advertising colleges), Brian is also a professional screenwriter and novelist repped out of Hollywood by William Morris Endeavor (one of the world's 'Big 4' agencies), and managed out of Hollywood by Circle of Confusion (who rep folks like the directors of the Matrix among many others). All of which means that when it comes to authoring brilliantly written press releases for your small business or SME, then you're in very good hands indeed.