24/03/2022

Spring clean your website

Have you started spring cleaning? The season is associated with starting fresh and cleaning out the old. We don’t think this should just apply to your home. 

Famously said before, your website promotes you 24/7, no employee will do that. So don’t neglect it! 

Wondering what to spring clean on your existing website? 

spray cleaning bottle

We’ve created a list of crucial areas to look at: 

  • Content 

Is the information up to date? Is it easily digestible? Make sure your content is in the right tone of voice, delivers valuable information and gets your message across in a simple way. 

  • Design

Trends change and not all designs can withstand the test of time. Design for a website incorporates the user experience as well as functionality, you want to ensure these are all up to date and suitable for your visitors. 

  • Functionality

Improving your website to include relevant or up to date functionality can really impact a user’s experience. Is there something new on the market your website should have or has your business changed direction and needs new functionality? 

  • User journey

Reevaluating and testing out your website’s user journey is a good place to start. In today’s world, people want immediacy. Fast loading pages, quick ways to get information and easy navigation. 

  • Links

When was the last time you checked all the links on your website worked? Are there links that go to a third party website? Is it still relevant or should that link be going elsewhere? 

  • CTAs

It’s key to have the right call-to-actions to convert visitors to customers. Throughout your website, you should have strategically placed CTAs which will direct your visitors. 

  • SEO

Is your website optimised for search engines? Ranking highly on search engines will do wonders for your website so why wouldn't you want to optimise your chances of that? Working alongside other sections, an SEO specialist will be able to put in place a plan to help your website gain authority. 

We hope our list has made you think about your current website and any parts which could be improved.

fingers using a touch pad for a computer

Need some expert help to spring clean your website? 

We’re a talented, friendly bunch helping all businesses from all industries with not only their website but their branding and marketing too. 

If you’re looking to up ate your website or start one from scratch, we can help from design to development to even a marketing launch campaign. 

We’d love to have a chat and let you know what we could do - please get in touch

11/11/2021

Updating website content

We’re nearing the end of the year and as the classic saying goes “out with the old, in with the new”. Along with kicking bad habits, we want to remind you it's important to update your website content and keep it fresh.

When was the last time you updated the content on your website? Didn’t even realise it was something you should be doing? 

Website content includes everything from blogs to testimonials. It’s not just the content on your contact page or pricing page, the more obvious ones, that need updating. 

Updating website content isn’t something you should just do at the end of the year, it’s important to keep your content updated often. Not only for the practical reasons for a customer or user browsing your website but it also affects search engines.

You want to be doing everything you can to ensure you’re ranking well, right?

22 group employee writing down notes for updating website content

Benefits of updating website content: 

  • SEO

Search engines take note when you are regularly updating your website. They can tell if you’re consistently doing this and it all helps towards proving you are a valuable website; worth being shown in a search result. 

  • Engage your audience

Writing for search engines is an important factor when updating your website content but don’t forget to keep your audience engaged with it. Provide value to your customers and ensure the content is easily digestible and relevant.

  • Brand personality

Your website is the main platform to establish your brand personality, it’s where your customers can visit and refer back to 24/7. Keeping your content up to date will help portray this personality, especially if there has been a change in the business direction. 

  • Reputation for quality content

By frequently updating your website with quality, useful content you’re being viewed as a valuable source of information and will more likely be seen as a reputable website. 

  • Use it as a proof-reading session

Any mistakes spotted on your website whether that be spelling or spacing can cause a user to lose trust. If you frequently update your content you reduce this issue as you'll be checking on it.

We hope this has helped you understand why updating website content is seen as an important task and not something you only do every few years or at the end of the year. 

When you’re updating your content, it’s not just the text you should keep up to date on your website. Other areas to keep updated include the tech side and website design. 

22 group team having a meeting and discussing website content updates

22Group 

At 22Group we have a great team of copywriters who are experienced in writing website copy. Getting the tone of voice right and incorporating good SEO practices as well as bringing through your brand values is something we’re well versed in. 

Our fantastic team can help you with your branding, website and marketing. Whether you’re looking to refresh or start from scratch we’d love to have a chat. 

Find out more or ask us any questions - get in touch

26/08/2021

How to make social media accessible

Is your social media content accessible? 

While social media continues to expand with new features, so do its users. By having inclusive content, that is accessible, you can reach a larger audience. 

Especially with the last year and a half, people have been relying on social media and online platforms to interact and keep in touch with people throughout the many lockdowns. For people who are blind, visually impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, these small, easy changes make a huge difference in their social media experience.

It’s good to take note that smartphones already have some built-in tools to make their device more accessible, including text to speech, enlarging the text and in addition, lots of apps that can do all sorts. 

Tips to make your social media content more accessible: 

  • Image descriptions

Sometimes known as alternative text (alt text), an image description allows a screen reader to describe an image out loud. A lot of content on social media platforms are visual and the image descriptions really allow them to imagine the post.

Tip: keep it short and concise, the key features will help paint a picture.

  • Subtitle videos

Where possible for video content, create subtitles for them. There are many apps which can help do this for you or if you are posting on Facebook, it does have the functionality to automatically create subtitles, however, it may not be 100% accurate.

  • CamelCase hashtags

By capitalising the first word in a hashtag, it makes it easier to read not only for screen readers when they read aloud but also for everyone else. 

#MakeSocialMediaAccessible

  • Emoji usage

If a screen reader is being used they will pick up on the emojis, so if you use a lot in one go it could go something like “Hugging face. Hugging face. Hugging face. Hugging face. Hugging face.”. Now, that’s pretty annoying! 

All of these are simple yet effective ways to make social media more accessible. 

While technology develops, keep an eye out for new accessibility tools being revealed on platforms. 

Need help with your social media? 

At 22Group, we can slot right in where you need help whether that’s creating impactful social media assets or doing the leg work and posting on your platforms. Our flexible, experienced marketing team are happy to listen to your needs and work with you to achieve your goals. 

Ready to have a chat? Get in touch with us today

25/02/2021

Benefits of blogging

Do you have a specific section on your website for blogs or articles? There’s definitely a need for them and it brings so many benefits - it’s a no brainer. No matter what industry you are in, it’s a must. 

Blogs should be kept up to date and informative. It’s a section of your website to show your knowledge, be informal and share topical, relevant and useful information. Whether it’s about your company or a specific industry topic, it’s a diverse space for educating your customers.

Having a blog isn’t enough, to reap the benefits there should be consistent posting and you should be regularly sharing content.

What benefits does having regular content bring to my company? 

  • Establish your brand

Blogs enable you to build up and create brand awareness. Writing about who you are, what your company does, what you stand for and who your company provides a service or product to really lets readers in. They are able to learn if they are the right customer and what it would be like to be yours.

  • Improved SEO

A major advantage of blogs is that they will help improve your SEO, your search engine ranking. Google is constantly updating and changing how it ranks websites and relevant and regularly updated content is a key measure.

This minefield of a task is definitely best for an SEO expert - something we have covered here at 22 Group. Keep in mind that just writing lots of blogs doesn’t instantly improve your SEO, there’s a lot more to it like researching and using keywords.

  • Content for social media

Your blogs are longer forms of writing which you wouldn’t post on social media. The discussion, in-depth views and more serious tone isn’t what social media is about. It’d be too long and the audience would most likely lose interest.

On the plus side, sharing links to your blog post via social media is a great addition to your on-going social media programme. It can be shared on your channels to generate shares and involvement from your audience or potential customers and helps to drive users to your website.

  • Engagement 

Everyone has an opinion and none of us thinks the same. When something happens or is going to happen, people seek what others think so this is great for you to portray your company’s voice and allow those in your industry or community to engage.

  • Organic leads

Having regular content really does make a difference. Leads that come to you through your blogs are bound to be suitable since they have read and got a feel of what your business is like. 

  • Educate your customers

Teach your customers and potential customers about what you offer, what you can do or if there are any major updates on what you provide. 

Customers like to be informed before committing, with so much competition out there this is your opportunity to show them what sets you apart. The more they understand, the more likely they will become the right customer or client for your business. It’s about building trust.

22 group employee typing away on their laptop, writing a blog post for a client

So how often should we post a blog? 

There isn’t one answer, this definitely depends on a few factors such as what’s best for your company, how big the company is, the resources you have and what your overall goal is from doing these blogs. 

This is something 22 Group can help discuss and plan accordingly. Our copywriters are skilled at making sure content is bespoke to you, using your tone of voice and brand values.

Interested in a chat or to see what we can deliver? Get in touch with us

Manchester

0333 242 0647
enquiries@22group.co.uk

26 Dale Street, Manchester, M1 1FY
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