my website... my business
There’s nothing better than hearing how another florist has done it. And that’s why floristPro decided to feature Dean Farrar, owner and principal florist at Magnolia The Florist in Kettering, Northamptonshire. Dean, who has been using one of their websites for the last year, has had some really
inspirational ideas for getting new customers, both into the shop and online and, as they discovered, with some fairly impressive results.
W
hen the 2012 Olympic torch came to town Magnolia were ready—handing out
12% discount cards for online orders during the Olympics to the masses as they lined the street. But then Magnolia regard their
website as an integral part of their business and an additional channel through which orders are received. Their website is treated
to the same branding, products and prices that their shop and products have. If the shop gets updated and restocked, then so does the website! Dean has now been working
with his floristPro website for a year and is amazed; “The website is superb. My previous website was impossible to update, but my new floristPro website is easy to
change myself. In the past year my online orders have soared and are increasing month on month”. Magnolia’s branding is
consistent and professional. From the branded flower bags and key rings (used instead of business cards on every bouquet) to the loyalty card and newsletter that are sent out regularly to all his customers,
How florists should react to google penalising interflora
A
lthough Ryan Freeman is
based in Canada, he has a unique insight into how florists need to get their act together when it comes to the
web. But when he’s not imparting pearls of wisdom online or as a speaker at seminars, he is helping florists throughout the world develop their own web strategy using knowledge and experience of the industry coupled with a high level of technical savviness. In the wake of the Interflora penalty we asked him what UK florists could do to take advantage of the opportunities. Since news about Google’s strike against
42 F&wb Spring 2013
Interflora spread through much of the florist world, one of the most popular - and natural - questions we saw was: “What now? What should florists in the UK do in response to the major player being wiped clear off the face of the world’s largest search engine?” To quote a popular phrase “Keep calm and carry on”. UK florists should now do what they should have been doing all along! Build a unique web presence, claim all relevant local listings, and start
competing for some search engine real estate. What they need to avoid at all costs is doing something rash in pursuit of quick results; after all, that is what brought the penalty down on Interflora’s head in the first place. Interflora violated one of the golden rules
of Search Engine Optimisation, “Don’t make Google look stupid.” Any practice that artificially manipulates the Google search results is the online equivalent of tripping the schoolyard bully in front of the pretty girl. It may have short term benefits, but in the long term it will be quite painful for you. Google’s goal is to return the results that best match the needs of the searcher, so it is up to the business owner to make sure that Google is receiving all the confidence signals you can muster. With that in mind, let’s review some Local SEO
basics. First you need to decide on a single format for your business name, address and phone number, and then use that consistently everywhere. Always. Without exception. You can’t be “Bob’s Flowers” in the phone book and “Bob’s Flowers & Gifts” on your website, that creates confusion - not confidence. Even the smallest detail like an “Ltd” in your name, or “St” vs “Street” can hurt you. After determining your NAP - Name, Address, Phone - format and making sure it is used on every page of your own site, go to
http://uk.getlisted.org.
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