Whether you’re new to the fundamentals of SEO or are looking to refine your strategy, our blog series is here to give you actionable insights, tips, and expert advice to help you navigate the world of SEO. In this guide, we’ll give you a basic overview of Search Engine Optimisation, but in upcoming blogs we will go into more detail, helping you enhance your SEO strategy.
Here at Blumilk, we have a dedicated team ready to enhance your SEO strategy and improve your website’s performance. Get in touch to find out how we can help.
So, what is SEO and why does it matter for businesses?
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps your business to rank higher in search results. Ultimately, if your business doesn’t appear on the first page of Google when a user searches for a relevant term, it might as well be invisible. By ensuring your content and website are optimised, potential customers will find it easier to discover your products and services. Whilst ranking highly in search is important, it’s also vital to consider attracting quality traffic as different businesses have varying needs.
How do search engines work?
Search engines, like Google, are designed to help users find relevant information online. With millions of websites competing for attention, optimising your content helps your site be visible. The goal is to provide appropriate, authoritative, and useful information while naturally incorporating key SEO elements. Search engines also consider user engagement metrics (like click-through rates and bounce rates) when determining rankings.
What are the key elements of SEO?
There are three key components of SEO, all of which play critical roles. Here’s a basic overview:
On-Page SEO
Keyword research is the foundation of SEO copywriting. Understanding what terms your audience is searching for enables you to craft content around those keywords. Natural keyword placement is best, search engines penalise keyword stuffing.
Internal links help users and search engines navigate your website, improving the SEO value of individual pages.
Off-Page SEO (also known as off-site SEO)
Linking to authoritative external sources can signal to search engines that your content is well-researched and trustworthy. These links are referred to as backlinks in SEO terms. Not all backlinks are equally valuable, the quality and relevance of backlinks matter more than quantity. Spammy or irrelevant links can harm SEO.
Social media doesn’t directly impact search results but is pivotal in driving traffic to your website.
Similarly, influencer marketing – working with bloggers and content creators – is an excellent way to tap into new audiences.
Local SEO is the task of optimising your content to appear in local searches. Claiming and managing your Google Business Profile is a key element of this. Local citations and reviews also enhance your local search presence.
Technical SEO
An important consideration is how easily search engines can crawl and index your website. Search engines love well-organised content.
Using header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) helps structure your content that’s easy for users and search engines to read.
Site speed and secure connections are also important.
Over 60% of Google searches come from mobile devices, so your content must be mobile-friendly. Ensuring readability with shorter sentences, paragraphs, and bullet points can keep readers engaged.
What are the benefits of SEO?
Increased Website Traffic
Ranking higher in search results leads to increased organic traffic. Providing valuable content ensures this traffic is targeted to your business offering.
Build Credibility and Trust
By ranking higher in search results, you can be perceived as more trustworthy. Optimising content helps your business to establish authority in your industry by providing valuable insights and a great user experience.
Cost-Effective Marketing
SEO can be more cost-effective than other forms of advertising, it does however take time and effort with results taking months to show. The investment is worth it and will give your business a competitive advantage.
Better User Experience
It’s important to recognise that SEO isn’t just about search engines, it enhances the overall experience. From loading times to mobile-friendly navigation, SEO improves the experience for all visitors, leading to more conversions.
Local Visibility
If your business operates locally, it must appear high up in search results. Optimising for local search ensures your business reaches nearby customers ready to purchase.
Common SEO Myths Debunked
“SEO is a one-off effort with immediate results”
SEO is an ongoing process in a constantly evolving landscape. Staying up-to-date with developments will set you ahead of competitors.
“Keyword stuffing improves rankings”
This can be harmful to your rankings. Remember, your content needs to be relevant, valuable, and make sense.
Ready to boost your search rankings or want to learn more about the fundamentals of SEO?
Get in touch today to discuss how we can tailor an SEO plan to meet your specific needs to reach your business goals and drive measurable results.
“Smell gas? Act! Call 0800 111 999. Save the number in your phone today.”
We were delighted to work with Cadent to publicise this life-saving message with clear, concise instructions on what to do if you smell gas. Our team created an animation that has reached over half a million views (and counting!) on YouTube. We aimed to deliver an accessible message while refining the campaign mark.
Watch the animation here:
Objectives
Cadent set out to raise public awareness of gas safety through a focused campaign titled “Smell, Act, Call”. A key campaign requirement was to subtly develop the campaign mark whilst ensuring clarity and accessibility across all content. The “act” stage of the campaign needed to be emphasised as an important part of the process if you can smell gas.
Challenges and Requirements
Development of the Campaign Mark
Cadent required the existing campaign mark to be refined without losing its core identity. We aimed to enhance its visual appearance whilst remaining recognisable.
Clear and Accessible Content
Elements across the campaign needed to be easily understood by a broad audience. With a specific focus on the “act” icon, the campaign’s overall message needed to be easily interpreted.
Structure and Hierarchy
We were tasked with making sure that the number, message, and icons were visually balanced, with the emergency phone number placed last in the hierarchy for optimal comprehension.
Our Approach
Animation Creation
We designed and created a dynamic, engaging animation to capture the essence of the “Smell, Act, Call” message. Using clear, accessible visuals, we ensured the message was direct and memorable. We seamlessly incorporated the campaign mark, with a little enhancement but maintaining the original design.
Accessible Icons
In particular, we focused on developing the ‘act’ icon, to make sure it was communicated in an easy-to-understand way. By using simple, bold shapes and colours, the icons were universally recognisable, which is important for a campaign of this nature.
Visual Hierarchy
We carefully structured the animation, giving importance to the main message before introducing the emergency contact number. This hierarchy was important as we needed to ensure the audience understood the main message before noting the critical information of the phone number.
Social Media Assets
As well as the animation, we developed a comprehensive suite of social media assets. Including banners, carousels and cover photos tailored to specific platforms. We ensured consistent messaging and visual branding across all the content.
Results
The “Smell, Act, Call” Campaign for the Cadent animation gained plenty of traction, with over 500,000 views on YouTube! Our campaign assets successfully met the client’s requirements, ensuring the message was delivered clearly and resonated with the target audience.
To find out more about Cadent and their various resources and information regarding gas safety, visit their website.
Do you have a project where you’d like support from a creative and strategic team? Get in touch to have a chat, we’d love to hear from you!
In 1999, Blumilk was conceived in a small creative office on Pink Lane by brothers Colin and Adam Robinson. 23 years later, and with a reputation as an innovative northeast branding agency, we are proud and excited to move to Grey Street in the heart of the toon rather than being pestered by seagulls along the Ouseburn!
Whilst moving can be particularly stressful, it is usually for the better. When we decided to move from our fabulous office space in the Ouseburn and into the city centre in the autumn of last year, we knew it would be worth it in the long run – for our clients as much as our staff.
So far, Grey Street has definitely lived up to our expectations! With one of the most desirable postcodes in the northeast and a new spacious office to match this, it comes with more suitable areas for client meetings now that we are moving away from social distancing and home-working.
The new location will also ensure a better work life for our team who 100% deserve it after the past couple of years. Not only is Grey Street better suited to flexible office working and regional commuting, but it is also more involved in the city centre with a bigger range of options for lunch and socialising!
Ultimately, as a leading branding agency, it is important to us that where we work reflects the work we do. The new Grey Street office is packed with modern touches and dynamic meeting spaces, and we have an ambitious and hardworking team to make the most of it.
If you have any upcoming campaigns or projects that you think would benefit from our digital and creative experts, then don’t hesitate to get in touch to arrange a visit to our new home at 60 Grey Street.
Us Geordies know that beauty is more than skin deep. No matter who you are and where you come from, we’ll welcome you to our part of the North with a cheesy grin and the offer of a stottie and a pint or two.
Mind you, Newcastle has much more going for it than the locals (we won’t brag about our brilliant personalities too much!). We’re as open-minded as they come, which makes our city one of the best for creatives with a love of design, live music, street food, art, and fashion.
Not to mention the odd brilliant creative agency in Newcastle!
If you’re not from here, grab your big coat and let us give you a snapshot of why we think Newcastle is the Creative Hub of the North…
The Newcastle Live Music Scene…
For live music, head down to Riverside, a top venue on the Quayside in Newcastle City Centre. Not only will you catch class views at night – but lots of famous artists have played there, like Courtney Love, Interpol, and The Zombies. The venue was actually built inside a Grade II Listed building called Neptune House and is also used to host comedy shows and club nights. The atmosphere is canny, and the people will make your night. If you want to stray from the city centre in favour of an intimate gig, The Cluny in our very own Ouseburn is hard to beat, as is The Holy Hobo in Jesmond.
Best places for art in Newcastle
Forget art galleries and museums with admission prices, the best art in Newcastle is free. You’ve only got to pace the back streets and alleyways of the culturally inclusive city centre or West End to enjoy all mediums of art like mosaics, graffiti, murals, and more. An urban regeneration project called Renew Newcastle was launched about 10 years ago; it had a heavy focus on ‘street art walking’ and turning empty spaces into creative places.
There’s no doubt this initiative has a lot to do with how richly creative Newcastle has become. If you’re impressed by incredible structures and architecture, we’d recommend going to see the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, which you’ve probably already seen on every postcard of Newcastle. Or if sculptures are more your thing, then you need to see the Angel of the North up close – you’ll find her on Durham Road, Gateshead.
Blumilk is a particular fan of @ashwillerton and his incredible signwriting.
You can’t turn a corner in Newcastle without spotting some of his signwriting work, and he has truly become an icon of North East Design.
Here, blumilk took inspo from Ash and designed their own:
One of Blumilk’s favourite things: FOOD
We might not have a decadent delicacy like Sunderland’s pink slice or Middlesbrough’s Parmo, but we do have some delicious street food to look out for. Nobody loves a street food truck, cart, or stall more than a whatever-the-weather Geordie, and the same goes for our markets and festivals. The best thing about eating in the street? If Simon wants a pizza and you want authentic Lebanese, then game on! Less time debating, more time to hit the toon. If you’re in Newcastle, Quayside Market is on every Sunday, and Tynemouth Market is every weekend and only a short ‘Metty Mish’ (Metro ride) away. And for Jesmond, try Jesmond Food Market, which pops up one Saturday a month. Was that your belly growling or ours?
It’s Newcastle Fashion Week, Dahling!
Contrary to popular stereotyping about our love of F’Ugg boots and short skirts, Newcastle is actually the fashion capital of the North!
With a steady stream of up-and-coming fashion icons graduating each year from the acclaimed Design School at Northumbria University, it’s of little surprise!
And to celebrate that we have an official Newcastle Fashion Week (well, nine days) of catwalk shows, parties, and local fashionistas showcasing their designs. It’s hosted by NE1 and has a tonne of serious fashion editors in attendance. It’s a sight to behold, whether you’re into fashion or not. Just like Newcastle’s food, art, and music scenes, our fashion is good and influenced by the streets in which we grew up.
Living proof that you don’t have to enroll at Central Saint Martins and up sticks to the big smoke, is Graduate Fashion Week alumni Daisy Podmor-Childe, a former Northumbria University student.
Our Creative Agency in Newcastle
We couldn’t talk about all things creative in Newcastle without a mention of Blumilk.
At the ripe old age of 21, our creative agency in Newcastle has gone from strength to strength.
Once a small creative office and the home of Adam and Colin, our founders, we now stand proud on the edge of the Ouseburn and boast some of the country’s most incredible creative minds and business brains.
From digital design to web development, business growth to development, six out of ten of the leading businesses in the North trust Blumilk with their brand.
Take a trip on the Metro from Tynemouth to Monument to see us standing in all our glory as you venture across the Byker viaduct.
