Where do I find the best images for my website and flyers?

When you start a new business, and even when you’ve been in business for a while, you’ll need some high-quality images. These will be for your website, flyers, product brochures, and other marketing materials. Many business owners get these images from stock image sites, of which there are many online. For a reasonably low cost, you’ll usually be able to find some decent images that suit your needs. However, they’re images that are not unique to your business and your marketing, so you may see them elsewhere – and so might your customers. A good example of this is the online customer service image of an attractive young lady in a headset – you know the one we mean – she’s ready to take your call and solve your problems with a click of your mouse.

So, the main issue with stock images is that they’re not really authentic. They can be kind of boring, and they don’t truly represent your business, do they? Wouldn’t it be better to have real images of real people – the people who work for you, and who your clients (if you run a local business) may know by sight? Imagine if instead of stock photographs you could have images of your own products, your sales team, your customer service team, your business premises, your projects, you, the dog…

That sounds better, doesn’t it?

Don’t be tempted to take them yourself though. Yes, your new Huawei phone may have a great camera, but we all know it’s not just the camera that takes the photographs. Using a good professional photographer for your marketing images will be a sound investment in your business. There’d be no more generic stock pics you can find anywhere on the web – just your own portfolio of quality bespoke images. Your website and marketing materials would be truly unique, authentic, and represent your business as it really is.

If you need a photographer, a website or marketing materials for your business, we can help you. We’re Absolute Creative, an award-winning design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, designing websites, flyers, brochures, and other marketing materials including vehicle graphics. We always make sure your business stands out from the crowd. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s chat.

May 18, 2019 / No Comments /

What should I Blog about?

That’s a great question really. You’ve started your business, had your website built, and you want to engage your audience. Or perhaps you’re starting a personal blog and you’d like to get some followers? Or maybe you’re wanting to start blogging so you can eventually monetise your blog?

Whatever the reason, you’ll have to decide what content you’re going to add to it. The question is, how will you know what to write? Will people like it? Is it what they want to be reading? It can be worrying. Nobody wants to spend hours on end writing stuff nobody reads after all. So, you’ll have to give something of value if you’re going to lure them in and make them fans. Below are some suggestions for you.

1. If it’s a blog for your business, it’s quite straightforward. Simply tell your target market what you’re up to. Blog about your new products, but do make sure it’s not all about you. They’ll want to hear what the product will do for them. What problem will it solve? How will it make them feel? Also, share your expertise. Give some information away. Your audience will appreciate it if you give them some of your tips – and if they don’t end up buying your product or service, chances are they’ll spread the word about you anyhow. Plus ‘How To’ headlines are always good for searches. If you’re not sure what they want to know, why not ask them? Do a poll on Facebook or something similar. And don’t forget to keep it relevant. Google likes relevance.

2. If you’ve set up a blog and you don’t have a traditional business, then what was your reason for setting it up. Was it to get lots of subscribers so you could eventually monetise it? That’s great, but you’ll need some sort of strategy to get those subscribers – it can’t just be a ‘spray and pray’ approach. Do you have a niche? You’ll need one, so what are you good at? Check out other popular blogs and see what they write about. Sometimes, the smaller the niche, the more of an ‘expert’ name you can make for yourself. Some popular niches are Health, Diet, Parenting, Veganism, Making Money, Saving Money, and Decorating, but if you have a passion, whatever it is, there’ll be others with the same interests who’ll be interested in hearing your take on the subject. Tell them your story – how you got into whatever it is you’re blogging about. Give them help and advice. Be their friend. Write like you’re speaking to them, and don’t come across like a text book because they won’t relate to you.

Blogging regularly with relevant, useful content helps you build a fan base and shows you to be an authority in your field. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website people can easily find in Google searches. Absolute Creative work with entrepreneurs just like you, designing beautiful responsive websites, increasing your brands visibility, producing your marketing materials, and much more besides. Call us for a chat on 01707 386 107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away.

May 7, 2019 / No Comments /

How to create engaging blog headlines every time you write

Sometimes writing a great headline for your blog post is as difficult, or more difficult, than writing the actual blog post itself. You have something to say to your readers, but you know the headline is the one thing that will make them want to read it. Old school ad man, David Ogilvy, said ‘On average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy’. He was talking about newspaper ads, but in today’s online world blogs are no different – and without a great headline that makes the reader want to read on, your blog post will be wasted.

Don’t worry though, once you know how, writing blog headlines that capture the attention isn’t as hard as you think. There are proven formulas that have been used for years – although technology and the things we use and do have changed over the years, people haven’t – and we can use that to our advantage. Below are two of the most successful headline formulas of all time.

How To…

Probably the best way to capture people’s attention is with a ‘How To’ headline. I’ve used it above, and I’ll keep on using it for as long as I write – because it works. People are inquisitive. They want to know how to do things, so ‘How to’ is a great way to start. Then follow it up with a couple of benefits – remember Dale Carnegie and his bestseller ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’?

Other examples are…

How to lose weight fast without starving yourself

How to get a new mortgage that saves you money every month

How to make more money without quitting your job

How to leave the job you hate and make money from home

You get the idea…

People love lists…

‘List Headlines’ get people’s attention nearly as much as a ‘How To’ headline. If your blog promotes you as an expert, your audience will love to see an email informing them of your just published ‘list headline’ blog post. They’ll be excited to read what the list is promising them. Examples of list headlines could be…

The top 5 ways to make money online

7 fool proof ways to get clear skin

6 secret habits of the super-rich

20 things everyone must do before they die

And of course, there are many others so find the ones that suit your business.

Blogging helps you build an audience and establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website people can easily find. At Absolute Creative we work with people like you, designing beautiful responsive websites, increasing brand visibility, producing marketing materials, and much more besides. Call us for a chat on 01707 386107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away.

April 12, 2019 / No Comments /

How often should I blog?

If you’ve already got a blog on your website, that’s great. Blogging is good for your business for several reasons, (if you didn’t read our earlier post about why you should blog, you can read it here). But the question that’s often asked is, how often should I write a new blog post? There are lots of answers to that, depending on the type of blog you have, what you aim to get from it, and how much time you have available to write. It can also depend on whether you’re a one-man band, or whether you have staff or freelancers that can write posts for you.

The largest blog in the world is the Huffington Post, which publishes 2000 or more posts per day according to this 2013 article. Of course, that’s not the rule, that’s the exception – but you should always aim to blog regularly, and make the content relevant and interesting.

Blogging Daily

This works for some people, and it’s a great way to become a disciplined writer. Some blogs warrant daily posts – current affairs or gossip, for example, may need posts daily, or even several times a day to keep up the interest of readers. High frequency blogging can be good to attract more readers to your blog, especially in the early days. However, for most bloggers these days, daily posting, or multiple daily posting isn’t really necessary.

Blogging 1-2 times a week

Daily blogging will usually mean short, sharp posts, whereas blogging once or twice a week gives you more time to write more compelling, in-depth posts. These may well get more engagement from readers in the way of comments (as long as they’re interesting), and of course if you’re not writing again for a few days, you’ll have more time to engage and build trust with your readers.

Relevant Content

While there may not be any hard and fast rule when it comes to blogging frequency, it’s important to make sure your blog content is relevant and informative. This will help your website in terms of SEO, and keep your readership engaged. If your posts aren’t based on what’s happening on that particular day, you can write several when you’re in the mood, then schedule them for posting at a later date.

We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award-winning digital marketing and design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours everywhere, designing and building their websites and blogs, creating their marketing materials, and helping them with all their digital marketing needs. Call us today on 01707 386107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s see how we can assist you.

April 3, 2019 / No Comments /

3 Digital Marketing Methods You Need for your Business

Digital Marketing has been around for a while and it’s here to stay. But what is it? Well top internet marketer Neil Patel says ‘Digital marketing is any form of marketing products or services that involves electronic devices’ and that’s a pretty easy definition to understand. When you’re new in business, or even an old hand, some of the newer tools and marketing methods available may be hard to get to grips with – and at times overwhelming. Don’t despair though. Rather than trying to do it all yourself there are professionals you can turn to take care of it, allowing you to focus on those things you do the best. Here are 3 digital marketing methods worth spending your money on in 2019

1. Email Marketing

Although some people think email is dead, the truth is email marketing can still bring you in a good ROI. It allows you specifically target those who are interested in your product or service by using a simple landing page that offers something of perceived value with an opt-in link (don’t be spamming people). It’s not too expensive, and as your opt-in list builds it gives you the opportunity to offer more products to your growing fans. An email campaign won’t break the bank, even if you outsource it to a specialist digital marketing agency.

2. Social Media

Many people say they don’t fully understand it, but nearly every successful business knows they need to have a social media presence these days. Social media accounts are free to set up, will increase your exposure, and allow you to build a fan base for your business. Those who like what you do, relate to your brand, and enjoy how it makes them feel will probably buy your stuff. It can be time consuming though, especially if you don’t really know what you’re doing. If you’re planning a social media campaign, don’t spread yourself too thin across the platforms. Spend time finding the platform your target market uses and devote your time to that. If you’re running paid ads, set a budget or your money can go fast! Better still, get an expert to help.

3. Search Engine Optimisation

The most beautiful website in the world won’t promote your business or sell your stuff if nobody can find it. You need to be near the top in the search engines for your specific keywords if you want online sales. That’s a fact, but you already know it because you’ve searched Google for things in the past and you didn’t go past the first two pages either, did you? So, spending some of your marketing budget on SEO is a must. There are things you can do yourself, but as you’ve probably heard Google changes things all the time, so again using an expert may be the best way forward.

We are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning digital marketing and design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses everywhere, helping them with their digital marketing needs. Call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and let’s see how we can assist you with all your future digital marketing requirements.

March 25, 2019 / No Comments /

3 huge reasons why you must have a responsive website

A responsive website is a must if you’re in business. Below we’ll explain why, and tell you how you can get one too.

1. Mobile Browsing is the norm

The days of desktop computers may not be completely over, but in today’s busy world most people access the internet on their phones and other mobile devices. With over 4 billion people online, and more than half of all website traffic being viewed on mobile devices, if your website isn’t responsive you probably won’t be taken too seriously. A responsive website is one that changes so it looks good on any device, and in any browser. It ‘responds’ to whichever device your customer is using, and resizes to fit and still look great.

2. Google will like you more

Everyone uses Google, right? OK so maybe not everyone, but more people use Google than any other search engine – more than 70%, so it’s super important to listen to what Google are saying. A responsive site has one URL, and one content source, so is easier for Googlebot to crawl the site. Google will rank a responsive website above any that are not – and that’s reason alone to make sure yours is responsive.

3. Faster page loading times

Attention spans seem to be getting shorter, and with high speed internet we’re getting used to websites loading quickly. Customers will soon click off your site if the loading time is slow, and the Googlebot may well leave too – meaning your site won’t get indexed correctly. A responsive site will load faster than a non-responsive site, and faster load times mean a better user experience, more visitors, and ultimately more sales.

If you’ve been thinking about having a responsive website built for your business, we are Absolute Creative, an innovative, award winning web design agency based in Hertfordshire. We work with businesses like yours all over the UK, designing beautiful responsive websites and doing a whole lot of other stuff to help those businesses become successful. You can read all about our award winning design on this page, and see some of our work in our portfolio – then call us today on 01707 386 107, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and tell us what you need.

February 14, 2019 / No Comments /

These are the top 4 reasons a blog is great for your business

Why on earth would you start a blog for your business? I mean, you’re already busy enough, right? So why would you want to spend another hour or five every week writing and promoting blog posts? Well the truth is, no matter what you’ve heard elsewhere, blogs aren’t dead. They’re still very worthwhile, and in this post, we’re going to tell you some of the reasons why that is.

1. You can use your blog to attract the right audience

I’m going to take a wild guess and say you didn’t start your business just to make money. Am I right? Yeah, I thought so. All businesses have a need to make money of course, but we don’t meet many entrepreneurs who had money as their motivation when they started up in business. I’m guessing that like them, you started your business because you had a great idea and you knew your product or service would be of benefit to others. You were passionate about it, and had an inkling that others would be too. So, a blog is a great way to tell your story and connect with those who share the same ethics and values as you. These people are your target market – your tribe – and blogging keeps you in touch with them.

2. People will perceive you as an expert in your field

If you’re regularly blogging interesting, informative, and relevant information to your audience, it will establish you as an expert. People will see you as an authority when it comes to your subject. This can lead to other opportunities such as TV and radio, or guest blog posts to reach a larger audience – and it can give you the credibility to perhaps get a book published, or to get booked for speaking events.

3. You’ll become a better writer

We could all improve our writing skills I’m sure – and writing regular blog posts will definitely help you with that. You need to discipline yourself so you book out the time to write regularly – and you’ll have to learn to research things thoroughly, and organise your thoughts. A regular blog gives you the opportunity to practice your writing skills, and that’s so important if you have a business that’s online or you want to write that book in the future to establish your credibility as an ‘expert’.

4. It’s possible to monetise it

Although money may not be our motivation, we could all benefit from some extra income – and passive income is even better. Once you’ve built a strong following that know, like, and trust you, you could promote products and services to that audience, as long as they are relevant and good value for money. Depending on your business you could write an e-book, write and sell courses, promote other entrepreneur’s products. However, do it right. Don’t be a snake oil salesman – only promote things that let you sleep at night and you’ll keep your reputation.

So, blogging, if you do it right is still a valuable way to build an audience, establish credibility, and make money too. If you’d like to start a blog, you’ll need a great website that people can find. At Absolute Creative we work with people like you, designing beautiful and functional responsive websites, increasing their brand visibility, producing their marketing materials, and much more too. Why don’t you call us for a chat on 01707 386 107 today, or email hello@absolutecreative.co.uk and we’ll get back to you right away?

February 5, 2019 / No Comments /

What is Responsive Web Design?

Or ‘How to Make Your Website Better, Gain More Traffic and be More Functional’.

Have you ever tried to access a site from a mobile or tablet and found it difficult to use? Chances are, it was not mobile compatible. Having issues navigating menus, having to zoom in to see content and having issues interacting with the site are all common symptoms. However, you may have noticed that in the past few years the number of sites which cause problems for mobile users has declined.

Mobile searching

On average, your customers will spend about 5 hours a day on their mobile. Couple this with the fact that around 60% of all Google searches come from a mobile device, and you start to realise that mobiles are a huge deal in people’s lives.

Moreover, your customers are searching for businesses like yours right now. With recent additions and updates such as Google My Business, location searching and Google Maps integration, mobile searching is becoming quicker and easier to use on the go.

You’ve most likely had experience with mobile searching. Popular searches while out of the house are for restaurants, shops and other businesses nearby. While you might have optimised your site for Google, not optimising your site for the mobile users near you can be a business killer. If they can’t get the information they need easily, you’re going to lose their business.

The problem with mobiles

Mobile technology is moving at lightspeed. With new models being unveiled regularly, consumers must have the latest tech, accessories and gadgets. It seems like every few months the ‘it’ phone to have, changes.

There are thousands of different devices out there. The latest iPhone will have a very different screen resolution to a Kindle, for example. Designing a different site for each device would be an almost impossible task to complete.

The problem of keeping up with technological advances in terms of websites has a simple solution – responsive website design.

What is responsive web design?

Responsive web design is one of the many ways in which developers can optimise a site for human users. They achieve this by using flexible elements within the website design which mean users can seamlessly switch between laptop and phone, without losing any elements or functionality. Basically, the website is given tools it needs to respond to changes in screen size and resolution.

For example, say you have a webpage with 3 columns when viewed on a computer. Having the same 3 columns show up on an iPhone is going to be an issue as the text will be illegible on the comparatively tiny screen. If the website is responsive, the layout will shift so that the columns are shown one after the other with all images, links and other elements intact.

Why is it important?

If your potential customers land on your website using their mobile, they expect a reasonably smooth and painless experience. If the user finds the experience clunky and the site doesn’t want to cooperate with their requests, chances are they’ll get frustrated and leave. This drives traffic away from your site and directly onto your competitors’.

Remember, over half of all Google searches performed are from a mobile, and it’s been that way since 2015 or earlier. If you lose out on potentially over 50% of your total traffic, you’re wasting your time with your business.

Having a fully functional site will also drive organic traffic. Your site will be shown higher up in the search engine results pages if Google judges your site to be of good quality. High numbers of bounce rates indicate that a site is misleading or of poor quality, so make sure that people want to stay on your site.

Your site

If you want to see for yourself how much traffic comes to your site from mobile sources, check Google Analytics (audience>mobile) to see the proportions. You can also check what devices are sending the traffic, allowing you to see which phones your customers are using to access your site. That way, you can see the power tat having a responsive site can have.

October 4, 2018 / No Comments /

Why is Great Web Design Important?

Having a website is one of the most strategic moves you can make for your business. However, there’s little to no point in spending money on this valuable asset if it’s not going to benefit you. How do you make it benefit you? The answer is to work with a professional who knows web design like the back of their hand and can make you a beautiful, bespoke website which works for your business.

Simple is best

Google conducted research back in 2012 and came to the conclusion that not only do users prefer simpler websites, but they also prefer to view the website they expect. This means that consumers will expect the layout and structure of your website to be similar to others in your industry

Research has also shown that customers tend to make a yay/nay type judgement of your site after the first 50 milliseconds of viewing it. That’s not a lot of time to showcase your site, so it’s best to ‘keep it simple, stupid’.

Conforming to industry standards might not be your thing but considering you have only 50 milliseconds to impress a potential customer, we advise that you keep your quirks confined to your blog posts or social media.

The good news is that clean, simple designs are great for you. They can cost less to build in the first place, are easier to maintain and update, and run a lower risk of looking outdated or old.

However, it can mean more planning to start with. Really think about how many pages you need. Is it necessary that you have both an ‘Environment’ page and a ‘Sustainability’ page? Keeping it simple extends to keeping it simple for the user. Someone who has never visited your site before should be able to navigate it with ease.

Keep visitors on your site

55% of visitors will spend less than 15 seconds on your site. Given that they’ve already made their mind up about whether they like your site or not in the first 50 milliseconds, 15 more seconds is a lot of time to captivate them and convince them to stay. Use it wisely.

The fact of the matter is that users will quickly move on if the information on a page is irrelevant, disorganised or wrong. They may move on because they have trouble finding what they’re looking for, or because your site’s not what they expected.

Having great web design will keep users on your page longer if the information they need is present, organised and relevant. Achieve this by consulting a professional – they know that predictable and logical design works better than something ‘modern’ and ‘cutting edge’.

Good for SEO

Keeping visitors on your site and keeping them interacting with your pages will do wonders for your SEO. Having ‘good quality’ visitors instead of high bounce rates will encourage Google to rank you higher, getting you more site visitors in turn.

If getting ranked highly on Google’s results pages is one of your goals, then how your website is designed is a key factor to consider. Not only does it need to be natural for humans, but it needs to be natural for bots too. Search engine bots will be looking for a clear, logical structure to your site as well as internal links.

Great SEO drives organic traffic to your website which will increase your rank. It’s an investment, but a fully optimised site is essential for connecting with your customers.

Image courtesy of Simplex – Web Design Sydney

September 20, 2018 / No Comments /

Be Responsive – or it’ll cost you!

Is your website working for you?

In this digital age, a strong online presence is vital for any business – and a great website is crucial. But in recent years it’s not enough to have a great-looking site with good content, it must be responsive. That means that whether your customers are looking at it on their desktop computer, a smartphone or a tablet, the website will provide an optimal viewing and interaction experience. In simple terms – it’ll work brilliantly no matter how they access it. Here at Absolute Creative, we build responsive websites day in, day out – and here’s why.

Everyone is mobile

Thanks to smartphones, social media and the breakneck speed of technological innovation, over half of all web traffic, comes from mobile devices. So if your website doesn’t function well on a mobile, you’re risking losing a lot of customers. There’s so much choice out there that buyers don’t have time to waste logging onto their desktops to make a purchase or an enquiry. They’ll likely move straight along to your competitors, who’ve already got a responsive website.

Google it

Like it or not, Google and their page rankings are incredibly important to businesses in the UK. So you’ve got to play by their rules. Google loves responsive sites and they released an algorithm update in 2015 which penalises sites that aren’t mobile-friendly. So if you want your business to rank high in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERP), you’ll need to get with their programme and ensure your website is responsive.

Fast, not furious

Everyone’s had the miserable experience of waiting what seems like a lifetime for a website to load. It’s the main reason you get cross, give up and look elsewhere. Responsive websites are designed to load faster, after all, they are made using the latest programming tools and techniques. So customers are likely to stick around and use the site, instead of leaving within a few seconds and pushing your bounce rate up.

One URL to rule them all

A responsive website has one URL so your customer will be able to access it from any device using the same web address. That means I could find your website while I’m browsing on my iPhone at work, check out your product in the evening on my tablet while watching telly and then buy the next morning when I’m back at my desktop PC. If your site isn’t responsive, it’ll have at least two URLs for mobile and desktop. Customers don’t want to search for a different URL after using one – they’ll simply go elsewhere.

Back to the Future

Finally, there’s one further reason to get mobile responsive now – the future. We’ve all witnessed the speed of innovation in technology, and this pace shows no sign of slowing down. A responsive website isn’t just ready to present your business in the best way now, it’s also ready to adapt to the changing face of technology. So in the long run, paying for a responsive website now will save you money as times change.

If you’d like to discuss your website, or need some advice about getting responsive now, then give the Absolute Creative team a call on 01707 386107.

January 5, 2017 / No Comments /

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