Member Blog

Today marks the launch of Tech Nation 2017 from Tech City UK. Tech Nation 2017 shows that the UK digital tech sector is one of the country’s economic success stories, growing twice as fast as the wider economy and creating highly skilled workers and well-paid jobs.   The sector remains at the epicentre of the European tech scene but the new report also reveals some important new data that underlines how significant the sector is to generating economic growth nationwide:   • The UK’s digital tech industry turned over an estimated £170 billion in 2015, and is growing at twice the rate of the rest of the economy and is key to boosting the UK’s wider economy with a contribution of £97 billion in 2015 • The digital tech industry generated a further 85,000 jobs over the past year from 1.56 million in 2014 to 1.64 million in 2015, creating jobs at double the rate of the rest of the economy. • Similarly, since 2012 there has been a 13% increase in the advertised salaries of digital tech posts, compared with only a 4% rise in those of non-digital jobs. • Tech investment in the UK reached £6.8bn in 2016, more than two times higher than any other European country and significantly more than its closest rival, France, which secured £2.4bn. • Tech Nation 2017 shows that the average advertised salary for digital-tech jobs has now reached £50,663 a year, compared with £35,155 for the average non-digital salary, making it 44% higher than than the national average.   With more than 2,700 survey respondents from digital businesses across the country also contributing insights, the latest iteration of Tech Nation showcases the continued growth and evolution of the UK at the forefront of global innovation.With over 1000 data points, 220 community partners, 61 tech startup case studies and 30 UK tech clusters, this iteration of Tech Nation marks the most comprehensive study to date on the UK’s tech ecosystem.   Whilst we have these fabulous statistics from the UK’s wider economy, here in Norwich we share some similarly impressive figures. For more information on the digital economy within Norwich click the link below.   https://technation.techcityuk.com/cluster/norwich/

In the current political climate of austerity and cuts, the social care sector is under pressure. People are struggling or ‘Just about managing’ and support for those who need it is reactive rather than preventative – it doesn’t seem to appear until the worst has happened. At the other end of the scale, in the private business sector, there is the growing trend of encouraging employees to donate some of their working week to good causes. It increases morale, adds to employee skills and looks good for the company as a whole. One person saw the lack of funds in one place and the desire to help in another, and put the two together.   Rebecca White, founder of Your Own Place, is an experienced teacher and trainer, with time spent in Children’s Services, homelessness outreach, working with street gangs and running programs in prisons. She witnessed young people, often leaving care or being released from prison, failing at maintaining their first tenancy and become at risk of homelessness, or falling back into crime. The majority of these young people were at risk of losing their first tenancy simply through lack of day-to-day life skills. Things like managing a household budget, choosing the cheapest energy provider, being able to understand council letters and organising important documents. Not having these skills can make independent living difficult and ultimately lead to problems with paying rent and keeping a roof over their head.   Your Own Place was founded as a social enterprise to provide these skills and support through mentoring. Rebecca says “businesses can buy in as an HR service, and Your Own Place will train their staff to become our Volunteer Tenancy Mentors. We provide two days of training, DBS checks and interviews, at the end of which each volunteer will be matched with a young person in need of support. Volunteer Tenancy Mentoring is a great development opportunity for any businesses staff and the staff are able to continue their professional development and expand their own skills.”   Mentors usually give one hour a week or fortnight to their volunteer roles and provide a variety of support. “The key things we support young people with are employment skills, digital skills and money skills” says Rebecca. From just having someone to talk to over a coffee to invaluable budgeting guidance and computer skills, mentoring of this kind could make the difference between a young person having a solid start in their independence or living on the streets. “We’re trying to prevent the ‘revolving door’ – the cycle of someone moving into and out of supported living without ever managing on their own – and to actually be able to be successfully independent”. Currently based in Norfolk, Your Own Place has plans to expand into Suffolk and hopefully nationwide.   Local businesses who want to give something back, as well as give their staff a great development opportunity, need to invest time as well as money if they really want to make an impact. Social enterprise needs backing and support to really work. If your staff would benefit from expanding their skills and your business would like to give something back, contact Rebecca White at rebecca@yourownplace.org.uk or call 07530 028446   Link to mentoring page https://www.yourownplace.org.uk/our-services/volunteer-tenancy-mentoring/

A question I asked myself extensively since it was revealed. The Nintendo Switch is the newest handheld console released by Nintendo and retailing at around £250. £250 might sound like a lot, plus you have to buy games on top of this, but it’s actually surprisingly good value for money once you get down to it.   I won’t go into the technical details about the Switch in this post, I’ll leave that for the technical reviewers. Instead, I’ll talk about the first few hours of using it.   The Switch comes half charged out of the box, which was a really nice surprise. It let me get right into my game of choice (being Zelda: Breath of the Wild) and just enjoy sitting back and relaxing on the sofa. The first thing I noticed about the Switch was the build quality. Outstanding, rivaled only by the intensely satisfying ‘Click’ sound that plays out of the Switch’s speakers when you attach the two controllers on either side.   Clicking onto Zelda and playing for hours was a breeze. The UI for the console was simple, sleek and effective and the graphic quality for the game looked amazing for a handheld console. I have yet to test this on a full-sized TV screen but expect it will look just as stunning, as Nintendo tasked Nvidia with creating a unique graphics card exclusive to the Switch (citation needed?).   For a PC gamer, the controls were confusing at the best of times but after a short while of getting used to it, I was fighting off monsters and riding on horseback to my heart’s content for hours on end. I was enjoying my Switch, resting on its small yet sturdy stand, and sitting back with a cup of tea for hours on end until the battery died. Fear not, however. The Switch lasts for about 3 hours when fully charged whilst playing Zelda, which isn’t half bad considering.   To my surprise, when I charged the Switch up again and turned it on, expecting to lose progress, I was right where I left off. Sitting on my horse under an apple tree. The Switch will go into sleep mode before completely running out of power, allowing you to charge it up without you losing valuable progress on your games (unless you’re playing multiplayer, in which case you lose). A much-welcomed addition to its list of desirable features.   The Switch is supposed to have state of the art vibration technology in the controller, but I couldn’t notice much difference from a regular controller if I’m honest. I’m sure there is one, I was just too into the game to notice it.   So I ask again. The Nintendo Switch. Is it worth it?   Well, really that’s for you to decide. From my experience, however, I’ve had a blast playing Zelda and will continue to do so for hours to come. The nature of handheld consoles is the ability to take them anywhere, so that’s exactly what I plan to do.   Blog by Lewis   Junior Software Developer

On the 31st January, Naked Element had a meeting with a potential client in Great Yarmouth. The meeting was booked in for mid-morning and we didn’t want to lose any working time travelling there and back… so we decided to make a day of it and see what it’s like to do some hot desking by the Coast. After some googling, we booked into Fastolff House on Regent Street, for £20 per person for the whole day, an extremely good price. To our surprise we had a considerable size room, with a projector and screen, access to computers if needed and speedy internet. Toilet and kitchen facilities were nearby, with a good choice of refreshments. Manager Michael was extremely helpful too. Oh, and of course we would turn up an hour before the Centre opened and had to call to be let in.. Paul Grenyer and his early starts. I’m pleased to say we enjoyed our day out of the office, and will again return to Fastolff House, Great Yarmouth Business Centre if we are in the area again. Words by Rain

We are delighted to announce that we have launched FleetsInsurance.com with our partners Be Wiser. The new project comes after working with the Be Wiser Insurance company in Hampshire for over two years, focusing on their Search Engine Optimisation. We have succeeded to get their sister company Call Wiser higher up Google for several terms relating to car, bike and van insurance and have now set up Fleets Insurance as a joint venture.

How the site works

The new website acts as a lead broker for fleet insurance products and sends all the enquiries to the Be Wiser headquarters which is equipped with over 800 staff. Be Wiser see fleet insurance as a real growth market for them with potentially high returns. The insurance product is based on companies and individuals looking to cover multiple vehicles under one policy and is common for a fleet of couriers, minicabs and vans. The site is regulated by the FCA as a broker and therefore all new enquiries are put in front of 30 leading insurers in the UK to find the best level of cover and quotation. Additional bonuses of the product include free legal cover with every new policy and the chance to add any drivers to the cover.

This new venture is part of our commitment to offering additional services to our clients. We considered that if we were already optimising the Call Wiser site and the results have been very position, so why not continue to get more high quality leads through Google? Hence, we have set up the new website and will be initially using Pay-per-click advertising to test the user experience and then continue our good SEO work to increase the rankings on Google for keywords relating to fleet insurance.

Blinds and curtains shouldn’t be considered as a boring necessity for a lounge just to keep in the warmth or shut out the light. With a little imagination, they have the potential to make a stunning impact on your room’s decorative scheme.

The experienced team at Norwich Sunblinds has been helping people do this for years and can offer you great advice and expertise on the numerous ways that made to measure blinds, curtains or shutters can create a real WOW factor in your Living Room.

Let’s start with Blinds

Blinds have come a long way since the days of the simple roller blind or the plain metal Venetian blind. Roller blinds and Venetian blinds are still very much part of what we offer, as are Roman blinds, Panel Blinds, Perfect Fit and Vision blinds, but you will be amazed at the breadth of variety available and the stunning effects that can be achieved with the variations in styles, materials and special finishes, as you can see here.  Louvolite, for example, offer a fabric treatment that can help alleviate hayfever by catching the pollen in the blind fabric before it gets into your home.

The choice offered for other styles of blind is also impressive and includes just about every style, shade, pattern and texture you can imagine, from the subtle to the ornate to traditional and contemporary, ensuring blinds are suitable for any house whether it’s ultra modern or an old period property.

What style of blind best suits your living room?

Having considered the fabric, you then have to decide on the style of blind. All our blinds can be made in materials that either complement your decorative scheme or add dramatic contrast and impact.

If you’re not sure whether Romans or Rollers, Venetians or Verticals suit your room, come and have a look at the examples we have in the showroom and chat with our knowledgeable staff.

Panel blinds are a relatively new idea. They’re clever and stylish and often used for larger windows, patio doors and dividing rooms, cleverly stacking behind one and other when not is use. You can design them in materials and colours to suit your tastes and even contrast the different panels to add further design style to your living room.

Perfect Fit blinds and Vision/ Visage blinds are revolutionary.

Perfect fit blinds fit perfectly (as the name suggests) into a frame that moves with your door or window when you open or close them.

Vision blinds alternate mesh and fabric panels (including metallic finishes, natural wood, woven effects and contemporary tones) allowing complete control of light and privacy. You can continue to enjoy your view through the mesh panel while the sheer fabric blocks out the light.

Visage blinds achieve a similar result but are made with layers of fabric connected by a horizontal vane. Both give you more control and more options as to how much light is let into your room than you have with normal blinds.

You can also motorise your blinds; this is not the ultimate in laziness as it brings real benefits. As well as being stylish, it makes them child safe (no cords), speedy: shuts up to 14 blinds in one go and gives you security – you programme them to close and make it look like you are at home, and it will show your children or grandchildren that you can do technology too!

Curtains

Make sure your curtains are part of your overall design plan when you embark on the decoration of your lounge. It is worth coming into the shop or arranging a home consultation, to have a look through the extensive fabric sample books. They will add inspiration to your design plans, or they may even be the inspiration for the design.

Norwich Sunblinds holds sample books of great interior design fabric suppliers such as iLiv, Prestigious, Clarke & Clarke, and Voyage, which are perfect for Roman blinds and curtains. 

Curtain poles enhance the sophistication of the finished look of your room. We have a wide variety to choose from when ordering your made to measure curtains, from shabby chic distressed wood to polished silver and a delightful range of unusual finials for the finishing touches too.

You may also wish to consider having two sets of curtains for your lounge, something rich, warm and sumptuous for the cold winter months to make you feel cosy, and something light and summery for Spring and Summer. Without changing any furniture, you can give your room a totally different feel, depending on the time of year.

Another option is to combine both blinds and curtains at your windows, which again is an opportunity to be creative with your combinations to enhance the interior design. Or you might like the idea of having shutters and curtains.

Shutters

Shutters can bring a continental feel to a room and certainly add a focal point to a design scheme. They also reduce noise levels, are insulating and low maintenance.  Shutters will look wonderful on their own or with curtains too, creating a very grand feel to your living room.

Let Norwich Sunblinds help you create stunning window dressings for your lounge.

Norwich Sunblinds has been providing excellent customer service for over 30 years. We make our blinds and curtains in-house and provide a free measuring service, an installation service and expert advice on colours, textures and styles.

this article originally appeared on the Norwich Sunblinds website

Seeking export success beyond the EU: Add value with a Translation Strategy

UK businesses face uncertain times as they brace themselves for the economic implications of Brexit. But amongst the upheaval, there are opportunities to be had further afield as British exporters seek success outside of the relative comfort the EU has historically offered.

The total value of exports from the UK to non-EU countries rose by 17.3% to £43.8 billion in the second half of 2016, marking an ideal time for British businesses to perfect their international export strategies. To do this, assessing any cultural and linguistic barriers that stand between your goods or services and potential international customers is your first mission.

Key considerations when preparing for export:

·         Linguistic and Cultural Sensitivity

One of the key considerations underpinning any strong export strategy is linguistic and cultural sensitivity. An effective export strategy should seamlessly address any translation requirements, breaking them down into manageable chunks. After all, you wouldn’t launch a new product or service without backing it up with tailored marketing collateral designed to attract potential customers. The same is true when launching internationally, and a reliable translation provider will help you make the right linguistic decisions, taking you one leap closer to international growth.

·         Sustainability

Sustainability can be a tricky concept to quantify when gearing yourself up to an international launch. There will always be upfront costs to consider when preparing to export to a new market, but as far as your translation strategy is concerned, front-loading of costs is not recommended. Instead, identify key areas of your website, or product collateral that are most relevant pre-launch. As your sales begin to grow, look at increasing your visibility by translating new product descriptions, blogs or FAQ pages. Most importantly, consider how you will interact with your international customers as they contact you regarding delivery, products specs, pricing, invoicing and much more. Implementing long term solutions for translation of customer queries and website content will help you achieve sustainable grow.

So what can we take away from this? That with care, consideration and a good dose of courage, British exporters are experiencing real success outside of the EU. And there’s never been a better time to start prepping for success internationally.

Integro Languages is an established translation provider based in Norwich, UK. They offer a range of services designed to help business bridge the gap between their domestic and target markets, by offering high-quality translations and multilingual support packages to businesses seeking global growth.  

Because they are easy to clean, and come with a choice of finishes, blinds are an obvious choice for kitchen windows.

But… did you know that there is so much you can do with the humble blind? As well as being an essential requirement for keeping out the light and adding security and privacy, blinds can transform your kitchen and add stunning impact to your interior design scheme.

In today’s modern household, the kitchen is often the centre of the home. More new homes than ever are built with large open plan kitchen/dining rooms at their heart. We spend a lot of time in the kitchen, whether we are doing simple household chores or entertaining family and friends, so when it comes to interior design for your kitchen, you want your decorating scheme to reflect your style and personality.

Kitchen blinds can play a very big part in helping you to achieve that. You don’t have to buy generic blinds; we will create bespoke blinds to suit you and your specific needs, allowing you to put your creative style into the heart of your home.

There are numerous types of blinds and hundreds of choices of fabrics and finishes, so much so that it can almost be overwhelming. So why not seek the expert opinion of our talented team at Norwich Sunblinds?

We can advise on the best type of blinds for your kitchen, perhaps even introduce a style of blind you didn’t even know existed and show you samples from the extensive range of fabrics and finishes, including flame-retardant, anti-bacterial and solar protective fabrics.

Norwich Sunblinds has been making beautiful blinds for over 35 years. In our Attleborough factory, we manufacture many styles of blind, from the simple roller blind to the technologically innovative Vision Blinds.

Before you think about fabrics, colours and finishes, there’s the small matter of what type of blind to go for, and it’s quite a list:

• Roman (Fold/concertina-like an accordion)

• Venetian (individual slats in wood or hard aluminium)

• Roller (simple and stylish, but with endless design possibilities)

• Pleated – ideal for awkward situations and shapes

• Vertical, woven wood, or panel blinds

• Blinds for Velux windows

• Vision Blinds – made from a revolutionary fabric, which alternates mesh and solid fabric panels, allowing complete control of light and privacy.

• Motorised blinds (oh no it’s not lazy, just perfect for those hard to reach places)

• Perfect fit blinds – fit snugly into the window or door recess & move with it.

• Hygiene ultra fresh – adds an antimicrobial coating that inhibits growth of odour, mould and mildew

• Blackout blinds

• & even Fly Screens

There is also, of course, your choice of curtains.

The range of fabrics to choose from at Norwich Sunblinds is extraordinary – we are not tied to any one supplier, so can order in from a range of UK fabric suppliers, from the contemporary to the traditional, or even from further afield if you have something specific in mind.

The fabrics can be chosen to match or contrast, and bring impact to your decorative scheme. You can even customise the Larths – the straight piece at the bottom of the blind (the weight), normally not seen but it can be contrasted to add an extra dimension to your blind, or you can add beading or a narrow braid.

Instead of using a larth you can choose a café rod, and you can shape the bottom of your blind or add fancy finials. Cord pulls are also available in different decorative colours.

Put this together with our knowledge, experience, and great customer service , and you can rest assured that the result will be a stunning set of blinds or curtains for your kitchen.

So give us a call on 01603 334085 or pop in and we can show you what we offer. If you prefer to make an appointment for us to call round and discuss your options and show you samples, click here.

Feedback from customers:

Vertical blind in the kitchen:

“I have always been pleased with the work done by Norwich Sunblinds and have been a customer of theirs for over 25 years. Cannot praise them enough. The fitter was clean in his work and fast & efficient.”

New white kitchen Venetian blind:

“Would highly recommend, great service and product. Helped to create a clean modern look in our kitchen, will be using them again when we re-fit the bathroom.”

Fitting and supply of automated roller blinds in the kitchen and garden room:

“First class service, lovely people, lovely product, felt reassured and trusted their advice/ knowledge.

Kitchen blind fitted. “Efficient – prompt service. Fitter noticed crease in blind and advised us to give it a week to see if it dropped out. He also took a photo of it in case we had to contact you again which we did. No qualms, in changing blind excellent service, would definitely use the firm again.”

Fitted and supplied kitchen blind:

“Always been pleased with the service. Have used this company for 32 yrs. Salesman is always polite, friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend to friends and family.”

Install of blinds for kitchen and bathroom windows:

“Everyone – from my meeting with the lady in the showroom – Lesley / Julie? To Fiona – measure and to Garry – installer – were all very helpful, patient and professional. The two Sarahs in the storeroom and factory the same, and Elda. A very happy experience and I would recommend them to everyone.”

One new blind installed, another blind shortened. 

“We are delighted with our new kitchen blind. We found it difficult to choose from such a selection but your man was so helpful in every way and even suggested a perfect colouring, which delights us daily! Thank you!”

This article originally appeared on the Norwich Sunblinds website

Putting a robust disaster recovery strategy in place is a bit like going to the dentist. We all know it’s important, but not everyone’s good at doing it in practice. High stakes

Some organisations – especially big firms or those in highly regulated industries – have exemplary disaster recovery set-ups.

At the other end of the scale, an alarming number of small and medium organisations have little or nothing in place, either not having ‘got around to it’ yet or simply hoping a crisis will never strike them – a high stakes gamble.

Many others have put some measures in place, but are operating under a false sense of security and are not nearly as well-protected as they believe.

I’ll look in subsequent blog posts at ways to create an effective disaster recovery (DR) strategy and what to look for in suitable DR facilities. But first, I’ll focus on the basic matter of why we need to have one at all.

Business continuity

Fundamentally, of course, it’s all about business continuity. You need to ensure that, if a crisis should strike, you can continue operating with as little interruption as possible.

Any significant disruption, even for a relatively short period, could well mean lost orders and therefore lost revenue and profits.

Depending on when it strikes, just a few hours’ downtime could mean your staff and suppliers don’t get paid or customers invoiced. It could cause internal chaos that takes you a while to bounce back from – even when the external crisis is over. This could affect staff morale and distract you from your core business at a critical time.

It could mean a blow to your reputation if you’ve let customers down – and the harsh reality is that reputations are far easier and quicker to damage than to repair.

And, if the disruption lasts a significant period or entails a loss of business-critical data, it could be devastating – even fatal – for your organisation.

While the exact statistics vary, there’s general agreement that most businesses will experience data loss at some point. And, in cases of major loss, a great many of these organisations aren’t in business two years later.

The good news

The good news is that a comprehensive DR strategy can protect you from all of this, whatever the nature of your organisation. While some upheaval in a time of crisis is probably inevitable, it should mean you can continue to operate with minimal impact on your customers, staff, processes and reputation.

So, given this, why don’t all organisations have a solid solution in place?

I think part of the answer, aside from blind optimism, is that many organisations don’t take proper account of the full range of risks that face them.

You might think of the most obvious disasters, such as a fire or terrorist bomb at your premises, and conclude that the risks – because, perhaps, of where you’re based or your fire protection systems – are slim.

But the reality is that disasters come in many shapes and sizes and are often far less predictable than this.

Hidden dangers

You could be hit by a fire in your local telephone exchange or a power outage which affects the whole area.

It could be a crisis that strikes another company in your building or based next door – but which equally affects you by closing off access to your premises. This could be anything from a fire to an explosion, a building collapse or protest action. You can take care over the safety of your own business, but you can do little to control the safety of other firms.

If you can’t access your premises and that’s where your IT systems are based, aside from a period of downtime, that could seriously affect your data. It maybe that no-one will be able to get in to back up on schedule. You may also find that, because your systems were suddenly interrupted, some of your data is corrupt when the power comes back on or you regain access, meaning significant work still to be done to restore normality – not to mention any data you’ve lost

It also might not a physical disaster at all but an act of data theft or IT sabotage by a disaffected member of staff, an intruder or a hacker. Just look at the huge damage a bunch of teenage hackers caused to Talk Talk’s business in 2015.

False security

The other reason I believe many organisations are not well enough protected is the false sense of security which comes from having a partial solution in place – typically some kind of cloud data back-up.

If you’ve chosen a cloud route, do you truly know exactly where and how your data is being stored? How well is it protected there? How easy will it be to retrieve in an emergency?

What level of support will your cloud provider give you in a time of crisis? Have you practised under realistic crisis conditions to stress-test the service and ensure you can get back up and running in a smooth, reliable process?

Too important

It may be that the disaster recovery solution you have in place is exactly what you need. But it might not. And with no less than your organisation’s survival at stake, it’s too important a matter to leave to chance.

In a later post, I’ll look at how to devise the most effective DR strategy for your organisation.

My background is in lean manufacturing and supporting organisations on their growth journey. One of the most important aspects of that work is making sure that businesses have the right people in the right place at the right time.

It’s not just having the right people “at the top” that makes a business successful. It can be just as important to have the right personal assistant, administrator or payroll assistant in place. The right person in these roles can make the difference between a business running efficiently and lots of wasted time and effort.

However, as a small business, you might not be in a position to have someone in these roles on a permanent basis just yet. The cost of an additional full-time employee might be something of a luxury that you can’t quite afford. But having that extra pair of hands for a few hours a week could really free up your time to focus on growing the business.

So how do you get around that? A spot of flexible resourcing.

If you need additional skills or resource to support the growth of your business, we can help.

We’re offering small businesses the opportunity to benefit from some local, Norfolk talent. We have some fantastic people who specialise in short-term, part-time or flexible working. They have the skills to step into your organisation and really add value by developing your processes for improved efficiency, or simply get a few admin tasks off your desk. We can help organise your diary, plan events, and generally keep the business running smoothly.

The beauty of this as a solution? It’s a cost-effective way to get your house in order, without the commitment of recruitment costs, a regular wage, or all the other things that come with employing someone.

So, if you could benefit from a few hours or more of talented resource to support your business, then please get in touch for a chat. We’ll find out what you need and then match you with the best person for the job.

We’re not a recruitment agency, we just know some great people and like helping local businesses!

We are pleased to announce that we are working with Ambient Media specialists, Tabletalk Media. Ambient Media is an interesting concept, focusing on the marketing of things around us and what Talktable do is very unique. Working with some the leading brands in the UK such CV Library, Thomas Pink and Wickes, they facilitate advertising on every day objects including coffee cups, beer mats, sandwich bags and more. This type of business involves working with thousands of UK retailers and consumers on a daily basis. Advertisers can see the impact of their placements through increased brand awareness and the option to add a call-to-action code or discount on every advertisement.

What We Are Doing For Tabletalk Media

As you know, Tudor Lodge focuses on search engine optimisation and you can read more in our profile here. We were put in touch with TableTalk because they wanted to show up on Google images for people searching for ‘coffee cup advertising,’ ‘deli bag advertising’ and all the other products they offer. The idea is that potential advertisers and retailers looking for ambient media channels would see their images and get in touch. 

To increase their presence on Google images (the first enquiry we have had of this nature) we carried out the following steps:

• Marked up all the images on their website with the appropriate alt-text so that they could be picked up by Google effectively.
• Updated the website’s sitemap and ensured that all relevant images were being indexed appropriately.
• Add images of their work and samples on trusted websites including Youtube and Slideshare
• Add case studies and images of their products on other high quality websites such as TechRound and of course, Norfolk Chamber

Our approach was based on the idea that Google will show the images from the most relevant websites – and perhaps not all of these could be directly from Tabletalk’s website. So in addition to optimising Tabletalk’s site, we added the images to other trustworthy websites which could rank just as well or higher. Eventually we aim that every image showing on Google Images could be displaying one of Tabletalk’s products. 

Whilst we have put these procedures in place, we expect Google to take several weeks or months to update this, because hopefully it should lead to greater search visibility for our client and more sales.

In this series of blogs, we are introducing our fantastic fabric suppliers. We make our blinds and curtains locally and source fabric from a number of suppliers. These suppliers are carefully selected for their first class interior design fabric collections that cover everything from the classics to the contemporary.

Last month we showcased the sumptuous Voyage fabrics; this month it is the turn of iLiv.

iLiv

British-based iLiv has a reputation for unique fabric designs, a co-ordinated and innovative approach to design and honest value for money. Their fabric collections are exquisite.

There are at least thirty different collections in their range from Art Deco to Aquitaine, Shabby Chic to Scandi and Pirates to Princesses and within each of these, there is a wide choice of colours, patterns and designs.

In our Norwich shop on St Benedict’s Street, you can come in and browse the many collection books we have for iLiv. These include;

• Botanica Collection, inspired by the English home and gardens.
• Art Deco collection has intricate decorative patterns based on nature in vibrant shades of navy, cornflower blues, cherry reds and berries.
• Imperio Collection, an opulent collection of decadent velvets and shimmering, textural wall coverings.
• Plains and textures – a collection of decorative voiles using organic colour palettes along with innovative iridescent yarns.
• Moorland – an eclectic range inspired by rural, rugged beauty.
• Matrix – a mix of abstract, geometric and organic designs to create an individual interior.
• Childrens Designs – Story Time that captures the imaginary worlds of children and Pirates on imaginative Treasure Island adventures.

This is just a small taster of the delightful collections iLiv provides.

We also source iLiv fabrics for made to measure Roman Blinds and matching soft furnishings.

Come in and have a chat with us, take a look at the collection books and let us show you how Norwich Sunblinds can help you create and elegant and inspiring home. Alternatively, you can book a free home visit online here.

This article originally appeared on the Norwich Sunblinds website