Guides

Research undertaken by Streamline last year saw that nine out of ten SMEs see the internet a profitable place to do business, and almost half found the set up costs to be lower than they anticipated. With millions of active internet shoppers increasing their online spend year-on-year in spite of the recession , the potential benefits of selling online have never been greater.

With UK SEO Agency, QueryClick, we are putting together easy to follow snippets of expert advice across a range of search marketing disciplines including search engine optimisation, paid advertising, customer relationship optimisation, content strategy and analytics.

Next month will see Andy Murray and Spaniard Rafael Nadal battle it out at Wimbledon. Yet while the six-foot titans slug it out on Centre Court, the battle between the UK and Spain for most connected nation has already been won. Spain has only just switched on its 4G services, while in the UK, small businesses have been enjoying superfast mobile data since October last year.

As part of our expert advice series we asked accountant Carl Elsby, of Elsby & Co, to look at the role of the accountant in business survival and growth.

In any business you need to have clear boundaries both internally with your staff, but also externally with your clients. Personal transformation coach, Dr Lisa Turner, reveals how to how to have clear boundaries in business.

Success in business often depends on a speedy response to queries from prospective customers, as well as the method in which your company is projected to the outside world. So many companies make the mistake of cutting their marketing budgets when they should be using imagination and flair to promote their companies.

There has been a noticeable increase in the popularity of people using electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets in the workplace, this means that employees are bringing their privately owned devices to work and using them for work, for example checking emails and accessing information.

With QueryClick we are putting together easy to follow snippets of expert advice across a range of search marketing disciplines including search engine optimisation, paid advertising, customer relationship optimisation, content strategy and analytics.

If you have continually missed repayments on your debts, creditors can employ a range of techniques to encourage you to repay what you owe. So what should you do if one of their tactic is to employ the services of bailiffs?

Small businesses who are thinking about taking on their first member of staff or who may have had a bumpy experience managing staff for the first time can now access new guidance launched today by workplace experts, Acas.

Ever been sat in a meeting listening to those around the table firing buzzwords back and forth, only to head back to the office to Google the offending words? We certainly have: Where marketing provides an umbrella for so many traditional, digital and creative specialisms it has become one of the biggest culprits for developing its own overly complicated lexicon.

While recent figures from the Federation of Small Businesses show that just under a quarter of its members say they work from home, both employers and employees have to battle with working from home stereotypes and perceptions, not least helped by London Mayor Boris Johnson, who described it as a ‘skivers paradise’.

Mark Kingsley-Williams, Director of Trade Mark Direct gives us his top ten tips to sorting out your trademarks.

Businesses ignore the storage and disposal of confidential information at their peril as the Government’s regulator steps up its scrutiny of private sector breaches in data laws.

If you run a small business, ensuring your employees are paid on time is vital. Small businesses can’t justify the cost of customised payroll systems but over recent years, the features on offer have evolved to benefit the small business customer, and to ensure compliance with ever-changing regulations.

You hear that you must be using social media to grow your business and engage with your clients (and yes, you should). But if all you have done is create a whole host of profiles on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pintrest here are a few tips on how to get Social media and use it to your advantage.

Heather Baker, Founder, TopLine Communications and editor of the B2B PR Blog gives us a detailed look at the accounting software provider Xero as a daily user who has changed her business practice after using the package.

The European victory in Golf’s Ryder Cup was a magnificent example of tenacity. 10-4 down on the final day Poulter and Mcllroy played a series of outstanding shots to deliver a seemingly impossible European victory, but what can business learn from this ‘never give up attitude’?

If you own a small business, your domain name could be one of the most important assets you own. Creating a clear domain for your website both makes you look credible and provides you with the rights to your trading name. Sally Tomkotowicz from namesco gives us her advice on getting your small business online

Using a professional market researcher can be beneficial for some small businesses. Here is how to get the most out of their services

These mistakes when trying to make a sale for your business seem to be shockingly common. Make sure you’re not guilty of any of them as they could well be costing your business thousands of pounds every month.

You know you don’t want to choke your staff with micromanagement minutiae. Simon Clarke, the founder of the Roof Store, explains how to hold yourself back and get the best out of your employees.

Do you hate it when people complain? It turns out there’s a good reason: Listening to too much complaining is bad for your brain in multiple ways, according to Trevor Blake, a serial entrepreneur and author of Three Simple Steps: A Map to Success in Business and Life. In the book, he describes how neuroscientists have learned to measure brain activity when faced with various stimuli, including a long gripe session.

Email marketing might be a cost effective way to drive traffic to your alert potential customers to your goods and services and drive traffic to your website, but it is very easy to come unstuck and land yourself in hot water if you don’t follow these simple rules.

Technology is great, but it can distract us to the point where productivity suffers. Here are some ways to minimise the disruptions.