So why then; when it comes to our websites don’t we tell Search Engine spiders the same information when they come to visit our site?

HTML Titles (technical definition of a HTML Title) are our opening line to tell the search engines who we are and what we do, so when somebody asks Google for a recommendation (searches for a keyword) they will recommend us via the search engine results pages. It’s kind of like Google endorsing you as they can see from your website that you are an expert in that field/service. Obviously you need to reinforce your expertise via other elements such as quality content, social footprinting and other ranking factors but today we are talking HTML Titles.

The Title is also the first introduction of your website that is displayed in the Search Engine results page for the keyword searched.

When writing your Titles we suggest that you start with your brand (Google loves brands ) Then state your service/product in a natural way using your keywords. Google’s quality filters are smart enough to work out when you are trying to spam! You wouldnt walk up to somebody and just reel off your keywords and variations of, you would tell them your name (brand) and then you would tell them what you do.

Also remember that when you are writing your Titles make sure that each page is different but relevant to the service found on that page.

If you would like to discuss anything SEO related please call us or you can start by taking a look at Google’s very own SEO guide

The post Who are you and what do you do? appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

We’re still in the initial stages of this change (it’s only been a few days since its launch), but we’re already seeing casualties. Many poor souls with unnatural links have already been swept away along with the debris of cheap directory submissions and over-engineered content, titles and tags.

Google tells us that it will save those with strong brand-signals and no excess baggage such as money keywords, so there is hope out there.

Hang on to that hope as you read this article from Danny Goodwin (posted yesterday) – and get ready to inflate your lifejacket. This could be the ride of your life!

Want to know how Google Penguin 2.0 may affect your website? No problem, email kris@ggs.co.uk and request a no-obligation chat.

The post Can you feel a rumble? appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

If you have… welcome to the world of over-engineered websites for search engines!

Don’t get me wrong, all websites should be built with search engines in mind, you’d be crazy building one any other way these days. But the ones I’m talking about here tend to pay little regard to visitor experience in their boom-or-bust attempts to get strong rankings.

Let me give you an example… would you really want to read beyond the following paragraph?

“Graphic design in Norwich is what our trained graphic designers do. Using their Norwich-based design agency and advertising agency expertise our graphic design artists create logos, brochures and sales marketing material for clients looking for creative graphic design throughout Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and North East London.”

That may be a slight exaggeration of what’s out there, but you get my point. The down-side of writing content for search engines is that you can sometimes get carried away – and lose sight of the real purpose of your website – to attract visitors… and keep them hooked!

Here are five handy tips for writing website content:

• > Write content with your site visitors in-mind, think about what they are trying to find out about you, your products and/or your services.
• > Keep it on-track, don’t wander off into areas that do little or nothing to support the primary points you’re trying to make.
• > Keep it simple, if you have to use ‘industry-speak’ only do it if you’re absolutely sure your site visitors will understand and appreciate it.
• > Find out what search terms are actually being used to find people like you and introduce them with consideration, without over-engineering their usage.
• > Proof-read before publication, just to make sure you’re saying what you really want to say – and the grammar is correct throughout.

Websites for search engines don’t have to be over-engineered. so if you follow those tips you shouldn’t go far wrong, but if you get stuck for inspiration you can always give us a call on 01603 622500 to help you out.

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The trouble is that, clever though cameras are, they’re not that clever, so need a lot of help. A number of factors come in to play. Firstly, how bright is the scene beyond the glass compared to the reflection? Ideally you want a lot more light on the scene than behind the camera and this is where a professional photographer can overcome the problems by using specialised polarising filters and choosing angles carefully. Shooting at about 56 degrees to the glass, with a polarising filter, will almost eliminate the reflections. The same applies to photographing water, only the perfect angle for that is 53 degrees, so you eliminate the reflection of the sky.

Another aspect of using a polarising filter is to avoid using a wide angle lens, as the polarising effect diminishes as the angle varies so much.

Choosing the right time of day also helps. If the sun is shining directly on objects opposite the glass they will reflect more strongly, so choose a time when the buildings opposite are in shade. A professional photographer taking architectural photography would choose his time carefully as a matter of course and may even take the shots at night so the interior is at it’s clearest. This adds another problem, if there are street lights or car headlights, and a large black cloth on stands may be used by the professional photographer to mask off bright reflections.

In the studio, glass is sometimes used as a base or background for some objects and, once again, the professional photographer will be adept at lighting from the best angles to avoid reflections. This can also be helped by putting more light on the background behind the glass, to overpower reflections on the front.

Taking photographs out of a window has similar problems of reflections from items near or on the camera, but this is fairly easily rectified by covering the area the camera can see reflected, with black cloth or card. The closer that is to the glass, the smaller it needs to be.

Next time you don’t notice a reflection, just think how clever your brain is.

The post Taking photographs through glass appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

This year was the start of a new 3 year contact with our new client TGA and the first show they exhibited at with our newly designed hire stand was Naidex National. TGA specialise in mobility equipment which they supply in the UK and worldwide. Naidex being the UK’s largest disability, homecare and rehabilitation event is the perfect place for them to showcase their products and this year launch their new Minimo mobility scooter.

Having kept our new exhibition stand design under wraps until TGA launched it at their first show we are now pleased to show you what you can do with a 12m x 6m stand space. Designed so the stand can be easily reconfigured to fit the larger stand space of 12m x 9m that the client has booked for their next show, the stand uses our huge range of hire stock with added custom made plinths for showcasing the clients vast range of mobility scooters. The plinth tops were all spayed to match the client’s corporate logo colour to make everything tie in nicely together.

TGA had a very successful show with the launch of their new stand and the new Minimo mobility scooter “Daniel Stone, TGA Managing Director commented: “Coinciding with the successful first appearance of our redesigned stand, Naidex National has once again been a success for TGA thanks to the launch of our Minimo.” More on TGA’s success at the show and detail on the Minimo Scooter can be found here http://www.tgamobility.co.uk/2013/05/07/new-pioneering-and-folding-tga-minimo-mobility-scooter there is also a great team shot of the staff on their stand.

We are incredibly pleased that our new design has been received so well by TGA and that they had a great show. We look forwarding to working with them at the Mobility Roadshow next month. To see more of our Exhibition stand builds why not take a look at our online portfolio http://www.ggs.co.uk/exhibition-stands/

The post TGA at Naidex 2013 Exhibition appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

Even if a fairly plain background is needed, some texture and interesting shadows can add a great deal to the feeling of depth and solidity of the subject. This is achieved with good lighting and usually some carefully placed reflectors. For more pzazz a reflective background material such as stainless steel, Perspex, glass or various plastics can be utilised to create interest and drama, which may make the shot appealing to editors to use, in trade magazines, to brighten the page. For this, a cut-out would look totally boring.

Tiny subjects, like micro-chips usually have to sit on something very smooth, or the texture of the background will overpower the chip and make it look clumsy. Often, we use glass so that a coloured and/or patterned light effect can be projected in the background. The worst problem here is the dust, that’s falling constantly. One tiny spec looks enormous, next to something 2mm across, and static electricity tends to drag more into the shot. This takes a huge amount of patience to conquer – and some digital retouching!

For food photography there is a plethora of backgrounds, that add style and atmosphere, and lots of kitchen based items, to help add a lifestyle look. We may paint up some rough boards, use natural stone, stretch out fabrics or use formica to add that vital touch.

With larger subjects, putting them in a ‘real life’ situation gives credibility and connection with the viewer. For instance, a fridge would look good in a professional kitchen, but photographing it in a real kitchen would be almost impossible due to lack of space and the disturbance to cooking. However, it can be easily mocked-up and built in our studio. We can put different coloured walls behind and easily change the floor covering to give the impression of several locations.

Next up is furniture photography. This can be anything from a simple side table, with a little bit of a wall and skirting board in the background, up to a full sized room set. We use ready-made ‘flats’, some with windows in them, which can be screwed together in many different configurations to create as large a room as the furniture needs. We also have carpet in stock, so a straightforward set can be built quickly, for urgent jobs. For a large set there has to be a lot of planning and preparation, to ensure everything fits, and to get all the props, pictures, rugs etc that make it look like home. Through the window you also need an indication of the garden, to add realism, and a bit of sunshine coming in.

Creating the right combination of subject with appropriate background can make all the difference to improving buyer appeal.

The post Using backgrounds for photography appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

The 40 sq meter stand was designed and configured from our Exhibition Hire stand stock. Using hire stock means that if the client wants to make any amendments to their stand this is very easy for us to do by reconfiguring the framework. Having all of our services under one roof means that we can make sure any changes made are correct before we get to the show ready for set up.

The stand design for Big Prawn incorporates a large meeting room, store room, and plenty of general seating. With a display tower feature just over 5 meters tall and additional branding this year positioned above the meeting room, the Big Prawn brand was visible from all directions.

Several new graphics were produced this year to illustrate the new ‘Big & Juicy‘ brand and to launch new products including seafood flavoured ice cream and squid & apple black pudding. In fact Big Prawn were delighted to have won ‘best product’ in the Prix d’elite awards for their Squid and Black Pudding with Scallops and Minted Pea Puree. The judges at the show noted the ‘quality of the ingredients and well balanced flavor combinations’. So we offer our congratulations to our client and we encourage you all to give the product a try if you get the chance.

At GGS with our Exhibition Stand service we try to make everything as easy as possible for the client. Flooring, electrical services, stand design approval, delivery & installation are all part of the package for Big Prawn, so they literally just turn up the day before the exhibition to dress the stand and fill the display freezer with product.

The European Seafood Exhibition was a great success for us and The Big Prawn Company this year and its all go here at the moment, so we are straight off to our next stand build for TGA.  More on that one next week.

The post Big Prawn – Exhibition Stand at the European Seafood Exhibition appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

But you’re a savvy looking individual, so no doubt you already know that, am I right? Ok, well let’s think outside the box for a minute (the box being your website). Did you know that your social media pages can also be optimised? Actually, this should be seen as important consideration when creating your overall Internet Marketing strategy – as those pages should contain the latest information about you.

There are a number of ways to optimise your social media pages, including:

• > Assigning custom URLs to them if you can. Search engines scan URLs, so it’ll be really helpful if your page URLs contain some all-important searched for keywords.
• > Making sure they have up-to-date and relevant profile information about you (such as opening times, contact information and keyword-rich details of your products and services).
• > Using them to gain search authority by regularly linking to your blog posts or website pages with keyword-rich messages.
• > Adding relevant ‘alt’ tags and titles to your public-domain images as these are also scanned for keywords by many search engines.

If optimising your social media pages is handled with care and expertise those pages should deliver a strong social footprint, enabling search engines to find you easier.

Confused by social media and SEO? Don’t be. We can help you to get the most out your social media pages – with a simple and straight forward package of search engine optimisation improvements. Call 01603 622500 or email web@ggs.co.uk and let’s see if we can help you to get noticed.

The post The Importance of Social Media and SEO appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

We design logos at GGS and feel that we we’re quite good at it. The process involves having a meeting with our client, discussing their business, what they do, how they want to present themselves in the marketplace, who they wish to market to, what the Company’s values are etc. etc. You get the picture.

We then go off and work something up and arrange another meeting (we prefer face to face rather than an email) to present our designs, discuss whatever amendments are required and take it from there. We consider carefully where and how the logo will be used and produce different versions for different uses and also how the brand image might be established using this logo. The process can extend over numerous days and generally by the time we have a satisfied client who has received printed and electronic versions of the logo in a range of formats and sizes which they can use in any of the marketing material they will subsequently require we will have spent a considerable number of hours on the project. To be honest, we aren’t really that keen on working for 25p (or less) per hour. Not unreasonable, I would say and I’m fairly sure most people would agree.

I have no doubt there are plenty of companies who don’t care about how they present themselves to the buying public, who just want a logo to slap on their van or bung on a business card and ‘Your Logo for a Fiver’ clearly has some appeal. I also dare say that the end result in some cases isn’t bad as far as their non-discerning purchasers are concerned. A wacky font and a nice piece of Microsoft clip-art is probably right up their street – and who’s to say that they are wrong. It’s ‘horses for courses’.

A small amount of research on the internet reveals there’s a stack of places offering cheap logo design at prices ranging from five pounds to a hundred pounds and this article http://goo.gl/OtNN6 from Creative Review examines the processes involved and indeed, the results. Very interesting. I recommend taking a few minutes to read it.

At the end of the day, if you are serious about your business and wish for your public appearance to look professional and trustworthy come to a company like GGS. If you aren’t – get Googling!

The post I can get a logo for a Fiver! appeared first on Creative Design Agency Norwich.

Health professionals and the general public could interact with the illuminated brain tour panel as well as being able to assemble a model brain against the clock and view x-rays on an integral light box.

“The stand was a huge success at the Alzheimer’s Show – it was really busy. People loved the light-up brain and puzzle brain.”

Alison Cranage
Science Communications Officer, Alzheimer’s Research UK

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