Month: July 2022

What is the best card for business cards?

Posted on by Mark Brocklehurst

Physical business cards still have an impact in today’s world of digital technology. One paper communication that is still very popular and used to great effect are business cards. But there’s so many paper weights, types and finishes, what is the best card for business cards? Here we have outlined some of the most popular terms.

There is a vast choice available for your business card, from the paper used, shape, creased and folded. The type you chose allows for more information, to special finishes designed to make your card stand out from the crowd.

The Paper

The paper you use is an important factor in your decision when producing your business cards as the card represents not only yourself but your company as well.

Choose between recycled stock, which is uncoated and quite rustic in feel, or a premium silk material that will show off the fine details and vibrant colours of your design. We recommend going for at least 350gsm in paper weight. There are lighter options out there but they can appear to feel inferior and not always a good first impression to hand out to your potential new client.

The Finishes

There are also many finishes that can be applied to the card like matt lamination, which offers some protection to the card. A popular lamination that is currently used to a great effect is soft-touch lamination. This looks similar to the matt option but has a velvety soft feel which is very tactile.

An additional finish that can also be applied is spot UV. This is a high gloss varnish that is usually applied over the top of the lamination and is used to highlight an area of your business card design. We love this technique on logos, it makes them really pop and look distinguished.

Foil blocking is another finish that can be used on your card. Traditionally the colours used are silver, gold & white but there is an endless option in foil colours available. We think that flourishes of this technique give your business card a prestigious and grand feel.

Folds

One way to make your business card a little different to others is to die-cut it into a shape or to have a style that is folded in half. This allows you to have more information within the design. This stand-out technique used on appointment cards, vouchers or tell-a-friend offers is really effective. 

Trident Design & Print Ltd are always available to discuss your business card requirements. We are happy to supply sample papers and examples just contact us

If you are looking for promotional merchandise Leicester we would love to hear your plans and help you achieve them.

What are the common SEO mistakes?

Posted on by Adam Burrage

By now, every company should understand the importance of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) to boost traffic to their website by increasing their rank on search engines, whether Google, Bing or even Yahoo. However, too many companies still make a variety of common SEO mistakes that impact their company’s potential. If you want to boost your search engine ranking, it’s worth considering whether your company is making any of these mistakes. 

Choosing the Wrong Keywords 

SEO is all about picking the right keywords, but it’s not as simple as choosing every word (and alternative word) you can find in your thesaurus. Knowing the right keywords all comes down to knowing your audience, which is something too many businesses ignore. A common mistake involves using generic keywords rather than focusing on unique – and longer – strings of keywords. Instead of highlighting a keyword for plumbers lean into the specifics. Where is the plumber? What do they specialise in? These specifics will help your web pages climb search engine rankings. 

Failing to Optimise Your Website 

Even the best keywords can’t help you if you fail to optimise your website. Slow loading speeds and a lack of mobile integration are two undeniable reasons why your website is bad and why you should make changes. As search engines test your website’s speed before considering a ranking, you must make sure it is as fast as possible. 

Not Creating Valuable Content 

Content is king in the modern world, which is why so many successful businesses emphasise its importance. Creating valuable content is not as straightforward as it appears, though, which is where many companies trip up. You need to keep your content updated and ensure it is unique if you want to optimise your website and ensure better rankings. A content calendar can help with this as it enables you to plan months of content and ensure you do not write something that has already been posted. 

Ignoring the Importance of Meta Tags

Meta tags are the secret ingredient for boosting your ranking on search engines. While it can seem complicated to first-time marketers, the reality is far simpler. It only takes a few minutes per blog post to add meta tags for the small preview you see under the link on Google and similar search engines. You can also use alt-text for images, making your content even more appealing and ensures it impacts your ranking positively. 

Lack of Cross-Channel Integration 

Your SEO approach should not be confined to your blog posts. If you want to maximise your company’s ranking potential, you need to remember how SEO is affected by cross-channel integration. If you make a blog post and share the link via Instagram, use matching keywords as hashtags. It helps to generate a communication culture with your brand’s social media department to ensure everyone is on the same page. Doing so means everyone is fully aware of which keywords you want to push. 

Boosting your SEO potential can be highly beneficial for your company. If you are struggling to find the magic formula for SEO success, using an SEO agency like Trident could be the fortunate turn your business needs, so get in touch today to find out more.

Are social pages more important than having a website?

Posted on by Adam Burrage

A question that can often come up when speaking about your website is are your social media pages more important than your website? That depends on the strategy behind your use of your website and social media channels. 

The benefits of your website over social media

One way to look at this is that your website is your home, it’s where all the main information about your business is and it’s your opportunity to sell to potential customers! This could be a sale in the sense of an online purchase, or your chance to sell your services and get enquiries via your website. Your website is where people can find out more about you and your business and ultimately decide if you’re the right fit for them.

Whilst you can control the content you post on social media, you cannot control the user experience, which is broadly the same in terms of how the channels operate – you can only control what you put out on each channel. You also don’t own the platform, you own your website. If Facebook or Instagram decide to change something and it doesn’t fit with your strategy – that’s pretty much tough, and you have to adapt to it. With a website – you own the whole thing and you can control the style and the end-to-end experience for your potential customers.

You can tailor the content on a website

You’re not limited to a certain character count or size of the image – you can do with it as you wish. With that in mind, you can tailor the content to your users to make sure they get the information they need.

Whilst you can pin a post or you can highlight certain company information on your social channels, your website content will stay the same and not move down the feed when you update the site. By their very nature, social media channels are very transient and the content moves quickly so you need to keep refreshing the content in order for the message to be present.

You can optimise your website for search

Whilst you might be able to get your social media profiles and posts searchable in a Google search, it’s less easy to control. With a website, you can do Search Engine Optimisation to ensure that your content is found in the search engines. You can tailor the keywords to your business, and ensure that your content is found and ranked highly by the likes of Google.

So are social media pages not important?

Absolutely not, I’d suggest that like with all marketing, your social media pages should work in tandem with your other channels – and that includes your website. It’s worth thinking that your social channels are a mouthpiece of your business and a way to reach new audiences, then bring them back to your “home”, ie: your website. 

If you’re wondering how to get the best out of your website, contact us for a free consultation to look at how you can improve your content and start to improve your online presence.

What’s the quickest way to build a website?

Posted on by Rebecca

What’s the quickest way to build a website? Simple 7 hacks to make your life easier. Sometimes when that big event, new product or big marketing campaign creeps up on you and you need a new website, like yesterday. The problems with rushing your new website are infinite, from incorrect pricing, broken links and hasty design choices. But there are ways to speed up the process…

Here are a couple of tips that will help you through making your new website something to be proud of, especially if you’re in a hurry:

1. Analyse your previous website

In order for your new site to be exactly what you want, start with looking at what worked and what didn’t work on your previous site, reflect on it and ask yourself:

  • Why do I need a new design or overhaul?
  • What hasn’t been accomplished with my existing site?
  • How will a new website help my business?

The answers to these questions can help you and your designer to really understand what is needed for your business and inform goal setting for your new site.

2. Is your branding ready?

Including your brand styles on your website will mean your site will come across as credible and consistent with the rest of your business, before you start your site you’ll need a minimum of:

  • A logo
  • Fonts and colours that are in line with your identity 
  • A mission statement, values and a tagline that you use to solidify your messaging 

You’ll probably already have these for your business but, if you don’t check out our graphic design services

3. Check all of your images, and make sure you do have permission to use them

If you have purchased from a stock library you will be covered by the licence from the stock library. If you have had your photos taken professionally at your business, you need permission from the people in the photographs, especially if they include children or vulnerable adults.

4. Enlist a copywriter 

Hiring a copywriter will ensure that your tone of voice is kept consistent. They will cover all your main bases including; incorporating keywords and phrases for SEO, ‘call to actions’ to ask your customer to buy or enquire, internal links and structure. They cover so many bases most people wouldn’t even think to write, trust us, they are worth it! 

5. Proofread everything!

Proofread and check everything before you put it on your website and proofread it after you have put it on your website, especially if you have pricing and product descriptions on your website. If you struggle spotting errors, installing Grammarly on your internet browser is totally worthwhile.

6. Do you have our domain ready?

You might already have a domain from your previous website, in which case it’s time to dig out that old password earlier than later and pass it on to your designer so there are no delays after your site is completed. If you are new to the website game, your domain is as important as your brand name- which isn’t always available. Our tips for domains are:

  • Get a web address your customers are familiar with, if your customers are based in the UK stick to .co.uk
  • We recommend GoDaddy, you can buy your domain there, prices starting from 89p for your first year 
  • Make sure your domain is easy to pronounce and spell
  • Make sure it doesn’t spell something else, we know you know what we mean.

7. Finally Announce it on social media a couple of days after you go live 

Just in case! Don’t give yourself unnecessary stress, it’s okay if your website launch is delayed by a day. By all means share it with your team, your mom and your friends and see if they spot anything with fresh eyes, then after that shout it from the rooftops! 

If you want to find out more about website design or speak to someone about the quickest way to build a website. Consult with Trident’s web design and development professionals and build a fantastic website with us.

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