Member Blog

For several years, we have specialised in providing SEO for short term lenders, helping them compete on Google for competitive terms, in a very tough industry. Following our success with other lenders in the industry such as Cashfloat, we were excited about a new challenge when approached with a lender from a similar sector.

MYJAR is a short-term and long-term lending company who are committed to treating their customers fairly at all times. The loans industry is highly competitive, so approaching SEO in a very methodical and technical way is important to be successful. It is also of value to stand out from the crowd in a sea of online lenders.

Our aim for MYJAR was to create a well-ranking and good-looking website which was user friendly. Like with any website offering a product, it is of great importance that the target audience spends as much time on the site and engages with it.

Meta Data – If you want a website to perform well on Google and other search engines, meta data is fundamental to achieving this. For MYJAR, we analysed the current meta-data they had and updated it to make it more SEO friendly according to the current Google algorithm.

Meta Data includes meta-descriptions and meta-titles which feature target keywords, as well as alt-text being present on all images which are on the website.  Well optimised and carefully constructed meta data can be the difference between ranking on the first few pages of Google or ranking on the last few or somewhere in the middle. The reason for this is because the data with users will see on a Google search and is what Google will prioritise in its algorithm. 

Website Clean Up – For MYJAR, it was necessary to conduct a full clean-up of the site. This involves seeking out error codes and broken links in order to fix them. Having these on a site can seriously slow down how quickly it loads and broken links can affect the user experience if a person cannot find where they want to go on the site. Clearly, Google favours websites which are clean and have a good user experience in place. Google’s algorithm helps the user out but suggesting websites which are going to be the most helpful and easy to use for them.

Links – Having strong backlinks through PR is an essential part of the SEO process. Having such links helps to build up authority and trust for a website. In the case of MYJAR, we reached out to relevant businesses and companies and to our own partners to see what links could be provided. We used our SEO tools to see what links competitors in the industry who ranked well had, and approached the relevant companies who provided these to enquire about MYJAR. Google favours websites which have strong backlinks and rewards them by bumping them up in terms of ranking. This is because they appear to be trustworthy if other websites are providing a link to them.

Did you know that ‘How do I promote my business?’ is searched 880 times on Google every month in the UK? This means that there are a lot of business owners out there that need some help. These business owners, who have busy day jobs, are probably experts in their field but when it comes to marketing they just need a helping hand… Sound familiar? So where do you start?  Firstly, the most important thing is working out what you realistically want to achieve. All of us would like a million customers tomorrow, obviously, however the reality is that few of us could handle that level of custom and even fewer could afford the investment to achieve it. So for the sake of ease, say by the end of the year, you simply want to be making 10 more sales each month. To market your product or service effectively you must plan out your customer journey. Plan to make potential customers aware of you, be the expert they find when they are doing research, be the standout business when they are comparing companies to buy from and then (the important bit) convert them into a customer for life. This is obviously a fairly big subject – if you have a look at our website at www.archantlocalimpact.co.uk, you will find out more detail on this planning stage and even some video of yours truly explaining what goes into an effective marketing plan (hopefully without too much waffle). We feel now, more than ever before, that there is a real need from businesses to fully understand and effectively reach their customers. Next time I will focus on the challenge at the start of the process – building brand awareness for a small business. In the meantime if you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in touch. Contact Archant Local Impact on 03331 365390, hello@archantlocalimpact.co.uk or at www.archantlocalimpact.co.uk

Complimentary alcoholic drinks are regularly offered by a wide array of businesses to incentivise customers. For example, businesses may offer a glass of champagne whilst customers browse their products or use their services. However business owners should be aware that if they are offering their customers an alcoholic drink, even free of charge, as part of the services they provide, they could be committing a criminal offence. It is therefore imperative that business owners who provide complimentary alcoholic drinks as part of their services obtain the appropriate authorisation to ensure they do not expose themselves to potential criminal liability and the applicable fines. This article provides information in respect of the authorisations required for the sale of alcohol, the process for obtaining the required authorisations and the potential offences that an individual can commit in respect of undertaking licensable activities without the required authorisations. Authorisations required to supply alcohol A premises licence is required to authorise the use of a premises for the supply and sale of alcohol. If drinks are provided free of charge as part of an overall service, for example complimentary drinks provided to customers, a premises licence is still required. Any person, provided that they are aged 18 or over, who is carrying on or who proposes to carry on a business which involves the use of premises for licensable activities may apply for a premises licence either on a permanent basis or for a time-limited period. “A person” in this context includes a corporate entity, for example, a company or a partnership. In the premises licence, a designated premises supervisor must be named who must hold a personal licence. A personal licence is a licence granted by a licensing authority to an individual authorising them to supply alcohol or authorise alcohol in accordance with a premises licence. In order to apply for a personal licence, the individual must be over 18 years old, hold a relevant licensing qualification (for example the BIIAB Level 2 Award for Personal Licence Holders), declare any relevant convictions (which may impact on whether the individual is considered suitable as a licensee) and must not have had a personal licence forfeited in the five years preceding the date of their application. Others serving alcohol at the premises must be authorised by the personal licence holder. Alternatively a person may acquire a temporary event notice (“TEN”) to authorise licensable activity on a temporary basis. A person may send an application for a TEN to the relevant licensing authority at least ten working days before the event. A number of statutory limitations are imposed on the use of temporary event notices as follows:

• the number of times a premises user may give a TEN is a maximum of 50 times in a calendar year for a personal licence holder and five times in a calendar year for other persons;
• the number of times a TEN may be given for any particular premises is a maximum of 12 times in a calendar year;
• the maximum duration of an event authorised by a TEN is 168 hours (seven days);
• the maximum total duration of the events authorised by TENs in relation to individual premises is 21 days in a calendar year;
• the maximum number of people attending at any one time must be fewer than 500; and
• the minimum period between events authorised under separate TENs in relation to the same premises (not including withdrawn TENs) by the same premises user is 24 hours.

TENs are therefore more suitable for one off events than as a permanent means by which to authorise licensable activities on a premises. Offence It is a criminal offence for a person to either carry on, or attempt to carry on, a licensable activity on any premises otherwise than in accordance with a premises licence or temporary event notice. It is also a criminal offence for a person to knowingly allow a licensable activity to be carried on otherwise than in accordance with a premises licence or temporary event notice. A person charged with the offence of carrying out a licensable activity otherwise than in accordance with an authorisation may rely on the statutory defence of due diligence the following criteria are satisfied the act was due to a mistake, or to reliance on information given to him/her, or to an act or omission by another person, or to some other cause beyond his control, and he/she took all reasonable precautions and exercised all due diligence to avoid committing the offence. Where a person relies on the defence of due diligence, the burden is on them to prove on the balance of probabilities that they had done all that could reasonably have been expected of them. The Court has provided guidance on what behaviour and acts are required by an employer in order for the defence of due diligence to apply. An employer must go further than simply instituting a preventative regime. It must also exercise all due diligence to ensure that the measures put in place are maintained, adhered to by employees and continue to be adequate in the circumstances. This means that an employer will need to demonstrate that steps were taken to implement a regime and that this regime was actively monitored by the employer. For such offences, a person is liable upon summary conviction in a Magistrates Court to an unlimited fine or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months or both. Given the stringent penalties which may be imposed, it is crucial for business owners to ensure that they do not inadvertently commit a criminal offence. If you would like to take advice on anything covered in this article, please contact our expert team on 01603 610911. Note: the content of this article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Specific legal advice should be taken in any specific circumstance.

Whatever else I do to earn a living, I am a software engineer at the core. Outside of work other things give me a reason to smile – heavy metal bands, science fiction books or my family – but when it comes to work, writing software is what gives me the biggest buzz. Even after 33 years! Recently I spent the weekend writing some software for a client. They have an app, which we built, that allows them to take photos and complete a questionnaire for installations so that they can record compliance. The software I wrote receives the photos and questionnaire responses from the app, generates a PDF document detailing the responses and attaches it to an email, along with the photos, to send to the client. Not a particularly exciting process most would agree. It’s a straightforward piece of software (despite the security concerns and image processing which took a little while to get just right) which delivers exactly what the client needs, but we wanted to be doubly sure. So, in the early days of the software running for real (i.e. the client is using it, not just us testing it) we got copies of the emails the app generated so we could check everything was working as it should. And that’s where the buzz of being a software developer begins. As developers, we’re not always able to monitor in what way or how frequently the software we write is being used by our clients. There are confidentiality issues to consider, as well as the practical aspects and cost concerns of implementing a suitable monitoring process. This means a lot of the time we rely on anecdotal responses from our clients, and of course feedback when something goes wrong (which thankfully, isn’t too often). With this particular client we knew each and every time they used the software as an email would appear and we could see how the app was working until we, and they, were satisfied with the process. Even though it was such a simple thing, every time an email pinged through from the app I got a twinge of excitement and a flush of pride. To see something I’d created from scratch work successfully and be used by someone was a small but genuine reward for me and reminded me why I love doing what I do. The buzz of seeing software work. What gives you that buzz every day and keeps you doing what you’re doing?

Sometimes it is difficult to explain exactly how we are different from our competitors and what working with us is like, so we put together a short video that says it all! Some of our lovely clients have kindly shared how they felt about working with Naked Element, the results they saw and the impact our software had on their business. In less than three minutes it is clear why we get such good feedback from our clients. Our specialised way of working and personal approach makes a big difference, and our understanding of each client’s needs is obvious from the finished product. As CEO Paul Grenyer says, we are driven by our clients, and that, combined with our years of development experience, means that we have helped companies large and small overcome processing issues. But don’t take our word for it! Take a look at our video and what our clients have to say about us, and get in touch if you think we can help y

Employee Voice is one of the four key drivers of employee engagement, which is why an Employee Survey makes a great starting point to understand your engagement baseline.

They are a useful tool to gather data on how engaged your people are and what is and isn’t working so you know where you need to focus your attention for continued business success.

There are a wide range of survey tools available, in fact a new industry has been created around them!  The Best Employers Eastern Region is an established employee survey that is completely free to businesses in the East and if you like an Award, there is also an opportunity to enter the Awards Categories!

Below are my five top tips when implementing a survey!

1. Establish a clear objective– In the early planning stage, ensure you are clear about why you are conducting the survey and how you are going to use the results.  These objectives should be developed by the management team and clearly communicated to employees to demonstrate the importance of the survey.

Ask yourself:What does the business hope to achieve and what are the implications for business performance? What does a successful survey look like?

2. Develop a communication plan – Prepare a comprehensive communication plan to support each stage of the survey. The plan should include an agenda of communication events. It’s critical that you think about how you are going to reach all employees (particularly important if all your employees don’t have an email address).

Ask yourself: Who is going to prepare and implement the communication plan? When should these messages be communicated?  How will you reach all employees?

3. Engage Managers and Team Leaders– It is essential that you have ‘buy-in’ from line managers and that they understand the reasons for the survey, this is so they can act as ambassadors or champions and encourage their teams to complete the survey.  In fact to ensure a high response rate develop a network of champions at all levels of your business to promote the value of the survey.

Ask yourself: What are you going to do to ensure line managers understand the importance and ROI of engaged teams?  How are you going to support your line managers?

4. Ensure a high response – You need a good response rate to ensure tangible data.  Make it a priority that your workforce know the survey is 100% anonymous (make sure it is!). Ensure your people know why you are doing the survey, how you’re going to feedback to them and what’s in it for them.

Ask yourself: How are you going to build trust and communicate the anonymity of the survey?  How are you going to communicate what you will do with the results? 

5. Results -The quickest way to disengage your workforce is by not feeding back the results or taking any action.  Ensure confidence in the survey process by providing swift feedback and by celebrating success and addressing areas of concern.  Take two or three drivers that will impact on employee engagement in your business and create a collaborative action plan with your management team and employee champions.  Make sure this is embedded in to the business and you provide updates at regular intervals. 

Ask yourself: How are you going to feedback? What can you do to ensure your success continues and what can you do to address your challenges?

By addressing the top tips above, you will engage both managers and employees in the survey process. Done right you will start a powerful journey of employee engagement which embraces ‘Employee Voice’.

Good luck!

For more information, feel free to contact me at cassandra@cassandraandrews.com

Tudor Lodge have been approached by challenging bookmaker Dickie Bet, to help launch their website and SEO in time for the world cup in Russia. The young company sees the world cup as a great opportunity to kickstart their business, capitalising on the public’s interest for football and sports betting.

Our brief was to help drive as much traffic to the site as possible and ultimately help faciliate betting for world cup odds. The idea is that Dickie Bet can build up a customer base of players, which over time creates a ‘player book’ and leads to residual income as more and more users bet over time. Whilst sports betting has been the initial focus, the client plans to bring in other products too over time including slot games, online arcade games, bingo and more.

Website Design

During the design stages of the website, we emphasized the importance of making the site friendly for mobile, in fact treating the site as ‘mobile first’ as per Google’s pending SEO algorithm. Plus, we consider that a lot of users in this space may be watching a game live on TV and only have access to their mobile.

To make the site user friendly, we include features such as keeping the key content above the fold, reducing CSS to increase loading times and using accelerated mobile pages (AMP) to make the pages load faster (cutting out html when it loads).

Use of Content

Landing pages – we created dozens of landing pages specifically for the world cup, to targets hundreds of potential phrases. This includes a landing page for every team nation that is competing as well as outright winner odds and golden boot winners – whilst also promoting things like GambleAware.

Blog content – through the blog section, we wanted to write about very niche topics that would instantly rank well on Google and help get the site some traction. This meant looking at what things people might be searching for and also referring to some very specific moments in world cup history – where people could find information and a useful resource. Some of the most successful content topics to date have been whether or not a specific player will be selected for their home nation, with some ineresting upsets along the way.

Ongoing Search Engine Optimisation 

To maintain strong SEO going forward, we have continued to optimise meta-data, images and internal links across the website. We have ensured the site can be fully indexed with a strong sitemap and no broken pages or crawl errors. We continue our outreach programme to achieve high quality links, using a combination of sports-specific websites and also news sites to build up the trust and authority. 

We are delighted to be working with Tiger Bridging, a specialist financier of asset-backed lending against commercial and residential property. The Mayfair company approached Tudor Lodge to help their company website rank higher on Google for terms relating to bridging finance and development finance, following the success with Bridging Loan Hub.

The Approach

The Tiger Bridging site had already engaged with SEO practices in the past and our first job was to clear up any potential issues. We started by optimising the meta-titles and descriptions of over 100 pages on the website, creating target landing pages for specific keywords. Ideally, to rank well on Google, you need one page to target a specific keyword, and avoid having dozens of pages all talking about the same thing.

To achieve this, we focused our attention on the homepage which is commonly known as the CEO of your SEO. This is where we have focused all our link building efforts and internal links towards, targeting terms such as bridging finance and development finance.

We needed to remove any broken links, crawl errors and response codes from the site – to ensure that the website can be indexed effectively by Google. To access this information, we use brokenlinkchecker.com, Google’s Search Console and Screaming Frog (tool).

Keywords

We tried to find some quick wins for the client and this involved creating landing pages and optimising for very niche products, such as offices, petrol garages, student accommodation, bedsits and more. Whilst these key terms are less competitive, we saw an opportunity to grab them early on and show quick results and enquiries for the client.

Whilst we optimise for more competitive keywords like bridging finance, loans and development finance – we appreciate that this may take several months for Google to pick us up and we expect to see strong results by month 3 and 6. 

Building Up Authority

To further build up the site in the bridging industry, we have been working on various PR opportunities and trying to acquire links for the company’s website. Fortunately, the bridging and property industry has a lot of local publications who are always happy to conduct interviews and talk about recent deals – and we have leveraged this for our client. Elsewhere we are looking for links from specialist property and finance websites to build up the trust signals for Google.

Monday. Perhaps the most disdained day of the week. Following, as it does, the much admired weekend. Even worse when that weekend is combined with annual leave, which it would have been last week for many during half term holidays. Monday. A day held in such low esteem that there was even a song dedicated to its negative connotations in the eighties. At the heart of the problem, it would appear, is work.

So how do employers counter this negativity and deliver the much desired #mondaymotivation? At the heart of motivation is engagement. Engaged, satisfied people will be motivated to deliver – more, often. And there are some key elements to building engagement.

It is important to have a strong culture with clearly defined strategic aims and values which connect people together in shared goals and principles. Similarly, leaders who set the standards, who role model behaviours, and who personally engage – for example, through managing by walking around – will have a profound and positive impact on employees.

Managers are key too. Indeed, we are often told that employees leave a manager rather than the organisation. Managers need to empower and motivate in their behaviours and approach but to do this, they need  to have clarity about the expectations of them, clear procedures, and access to development and training to help them to manage effectively.  After all, management is a unique skill set in itself.

Employees need to feel that they matter, not least through a genuine commitment to wellbeing. Through a dynamic and targeted wellbeing programme, through access to practical solutions, through role modelling leaders and supportive managers, employees will feel empowered to protect and maintain their wellbeing.

At the heart of engagement is communication. And one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to keeping staff informed; employers need to take a targeted approach to communicating with their people, and make it easy for staff to access information. Crucially, communication must be accessible in both language and design.

Staff too need to be given choice and influence through opportunities to feedback. And these opportunities should be meaningful, with positive action – where possible – taken on the basis of employee ideas and suggestions. There should be a continuous feedback loop across the organisation.

And recognition is vital. Not just through reward schemes and access to benefits but through leadership and management behaviours. Recognition and celebration of success should be culturally ingrained, as well as a positive and supportive approach to continuous improvement.

The work itself should be meaningful. It should have purpose and scope. Care should be taken when it comes to job design to ensure that roles offer opportunity, clarity, and fulfilment. And by aligning each role with the overall organisational purpose and aims, every employee – whatever role they do – will see that they make a tangible difference.

Development is important. People need to feel that they are able to grow and so employers need to give access to learning in its many forms. There is opportunity too to give employees the ability to identify their own development needs and access the training to meet these needs. People with ownership in this way will feel more motivated.

Of course, this isn’t just about motivating people on Monday. And after all, Monday may not be the desired start of the week for everyone. With a changing workforce and increased desire for flexibility, employees are looking for different working patterns. For employers, this means thinking about what they can provide to make it easier for people to work for them – for example, agile working, condensed hours, part-time hours, or homeworking. Employers need to think about the desired work outcomes and how these can be practically and flexibly achieved; it certainly seems that 9-5, Monday – Friday is not work that works for everyone.

Because employers who empower engaged, inspired, productive and motivated people will see business success.

The latest results from the Ministry of Justice show that since the abolition of employment tribunal fees last summer, there has been a sharp rise in the number of employment tribunal claims, with the latest figures showing that single claims have almost doubled and multiple claims have increased by 467%. 

With the increased threat of claims by disgruntled employees, many employers use settlement agreements when employment relationships turn sour.  Settlement agreements are a useful means of resolving ongoing workplace disputes and/or facilitating an employee’s departure from the business – they certainly minimise the risk of legal action from the employee – but are settlement agreements being used effectively or excessively by employers?

A settlement agreement is a legally binding contract under which the employee waives the right to bring a claim against their employer in return for a financial payment.  Settlement agreements are voluntary and usually reached through the process of negotiation.  In most circumstances, the parties can speak freely in the negotiation without fear of anything said being used in evidence against them should the negotiations break down, but this is not always the case. 

Now more than ever, employers should ensure that they are following a proper process when conducting settlement agreement negotiations.  Understanding the circumstances in which settlement discussions can be admissible as evidence in employment tribunal cases can assist employers in avoiding the risk of this eventuality occurring.

The ultimate goal for both parties in settlement negotiations is to secure the best settlement package possible.  Money is often a key driver, with the parties often assuming that payments made pursuant to a settlement agreement fall within the £30,000 tax exemption and can be paid tax free.  This is not always correct. 

Changes to the taxation regime earlier this year mean that some payments and benefits made in connection with the termination of an employee’s employment will be chargeable to income tax and national insurance contributions and will not benefit from the £30,000 threshold.  It is therefore imperative that employers understand the correct tax treatment of each termination payment to avoid liability for tax further down the road and to manage employee’s expectations as to the amount of money they will actually receive when they leave.

Nicola Butterworth and James Mee, employment law and tax law experts from Howes Percival LLP will be discussing the legal and practical issues surrounding the use of settlement agreements including strategies for settlement negotiations and key changes to the tax treatment of termination payment in the forthcoming Norfolk Chamber of Commerce HR Forum which is taking place on Wednesday 20 June 2018 at Holiday Inn, Norwich. Click here to find out more and book your place.

We talk to hundreds of local business owners every day; we hear their concerns, understand their challenges and share in their successes.

One common conversation is that, in the digital age, advertising is complicated and it can be hard to see any return on investment.

Some concerning research shows that 46% of business owners don’t actually know if their marketing strategies work – and that is a worrying point.

The ad industry has tried to solve this challenge by creating lots of new products.

The small business owner can now buy an ad in the newspaper, on a website, a newsletter and even an app for almost every newspaper that exists… but how does the business owner understand if any of it works?

It’s as if the ad industry has become so inured to the idea of technology, tools and twiddly buttons that we have somewhat forgotten what ‘advertising’ and ‘marketing’ are for.

The fact that businesses want customers, and advertising that delivers measurable effect is a challenge that our industry is now coming to terms with.

Advertising is now at a sort of crossroads and the advertising industry is starting to take its head from the sand and choosing a direction.

Here at Archant we have launched Local Impact, created to deliver the small business owner insight into the digital and traditional advertising market, advice and support to build a marketing strategy and products and services designed to best enable a business to sell its product or service.

We aim to support the business owners with advice, practical help and products that deliver a measurable effect.

As Local Impact grows I will share what we are doing, how it is working and deliver as much practical advice and help as I can in 350 words.

If any of you have questions or topics that you would like discussed do get in touch. My email is always on and I almost always read it…

Contact Archant Local Impact on 03331 365390, hello@archantlocalimpact.co.uk or at www.archantlocalimpact.co.uk

There are many learning and development sessions and countless books about teamwork, extolling the virtues of everyone working together. In business, we always want teams to work well but unfortunately this is not always the case.  

One of the best models I have seen for helping talented individuals work together in extraordinary teams is the Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team ™ which is explained by the New York times best-selling author Patrick Lencioni in his book.  Coupled with the  power of  industry-leading Everything DiSC© workplace assessment tools and classroom delivery sessions, you have a breakthrough programme proven to deliver business results.

The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team™ programme helps teams understand how they score on the key components of the Five Behaviors model: Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results.  Individual teams members will learn about their own personality style and the styles of their team members – based on the Everything DiSC© model – and how their style contributes to the team’s overall success.

A productive, high-functioning team:

• Makes better, faster decisions
• Taps into the skills and opinions of all members
• Avoids wasting time and energy on politics, confusion and destructive conflict
• Avoids wasting time talking about the wrong issues and revisiting the same topic over and over again becuase of a lack of buy-in
• Creates a competitive advantage
• Is more fun to be on!

Are you ready to get started building better teams?   Contact me for more information, quoting Norfolk Chamber to claim your 5% discount:

Mary Aslett

Corporate Growth Consultancy Ltd

hello@corporategrowth.org

01379 308690 or 07931 098 023