a4uexpo 2012 3

The Breakdown Lowdown: Insights into Breakdown Cover

As I wait patiently for the AA to come and fix my car, I’ve started to wonder whether my decision to choose the AA was the right one.
So as someone in online marketing, what’s a better way to spend my time than use the online presence of a company to decide if my choice was right?
The major companies within the motor breakdown industry are:

  • The AA
  • RAC
  • Green Flag

Now, let’s have a look at a scatter graph comparing branded links to referring IP’s to answer my question…

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Why is Having a Good Logo so Important?

What is a Logo?
Definition: A symbol or other small design adopted by an organization to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc

From this definition you can see that Logos are very important to a company’s appearance and growth. If you are a new business and you are trying to come up with a design for a logo it has to be a good representation of your company and the services/products you offer. A logo has to say something about your company; it has to give you an identity. When you’re at the drawing board you have to think of something that can represent your company and if you can’t think of anything specific then you need to come up with something completely unique and memorable.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

My My My My, C.R.O-na

There are no definite ways to get visitors to convert. However, the golden rule is make the site as easy to use as possible! Web users are lazy, including myself. I can’t think of anything worse than reading a massive block of content or having to fill out my personal details every time I purchase something from a site. It is paramount that you put the effort in, so users don’t have to.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Choosing the right web hosting provider

Here are some suggestions for you to consider in choosing a web hosting provider.
Types of web hosting:
Shared Hosting: In short shared web hosting is an account on a powerful dedicated server, usually you share the server space and resources with 100`s of other website owners. You have your own virtual space on the server to host your domains, files, media and email accounts. Shared hosting is relatively cheap and best value for money. I would recommend shared hosting for small to medium websites.
Reseller Hosting: If you run 3 or more small websites then you’re probably better with a reseller account. A reseller account allows you create a shared hosting account within your own reseller account control panel, allowing you to set what webspace, bandwidth,  databases email accounts and much more for each account. If you require a reseller account I would highly recommend WHM/cPanel packages.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Other people make my job easier…..keep doing it!

As a front end web developer, I’m always looking for ways to optimise my workflow, and make day to day tasks quicker and simpler.
There is a whole world of online tools and applications that help you complete tasks and provide shortcuts to get to your desired result faster. Over time i have gathered a small selection of simple tools that i use in my day to day design arsenal that i will share with you now.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

The Making Of A Cartoon Illustration.

I was recently asked to design an infograph timeline about the history of women’s underwear.
I decided to come up with some very basic cartoon illustrations to accompany the info and give the characters a faceless and cute look, making them almost mannequin like.
I’ve been practicing and refining my drawing and illustration techniques for some years now. I’m quite sure my methods are standard through the industry, but here’s my way of creating a illustration from pencil and paper to Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Artistic Keywords

If your job is a creative role such as a Graphic Designer then you will know that when you create something (this could be anything from a business card to a website) your ideas matter! The overall result of what you have designed needs to be four things: Creative, Unique, Distinctive and Original. These four words all sound similar but they all have different meanings.
Unique
Definition: Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else.
Unique means being completely different from everything and everyone else; there is nothing else like it, it is completely individual. If you are able to create something that follows these guidelines then you have a winner! Nobody wants a design or a product that is so similar to someone else’s that you can’t tell them apart, so switch on that brain of yours and get cracking on a totally unique design/product.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Should I worry if my keyword rankings go up and down?

No.
I could just leave it at that, but it wouldn’t be a very good post if I did. Search engines, in particular Google, update their algorithms constantly to improve the quality and diversity of results.
Imagine you are on a diet, getting to number 1 on Google is like reaching your target weight or dress size. SEO and Link Building are like a geeky, virtual version of going to a weight loss group down the Church Hall on a Thursday. You do well every week and lose weight at quite a fast pace towards the start, but then you plateau and don’t seem to shift anything for weeks.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Twitter launches new personalisation features

Twitter made it’s biggest step to being “more like Facebook” this week by enabling a new feature that is very much like Facebook’s cover photo.
Twitter has long been the 2nd favourite social network for many users including bloggers and brands alike. To some, it’s the only social media website that they use and many would cite reasons such as the simplicity and security when compared to Facebook.

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a4uexpo 2012 3

Get seen more often on Google Plus Local

Are you a local business that trades within a certain location? Have you thought about adding a Google Plus Local listing?
Google+ Local formally know as Google Places can help your business advertise the services or products you have to offer. Google places was launched back in 2009 to help promote local businesses promote their brand and services.
 

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