The World’s Best 50 Restaurants Awards were announced recently and thefoodpeople asked us to create a fittingly grand infographic – we’re talking about the likes of Noma, Heston Blumenthal and Michelin stars no less – giving an in-depth insight into the results. This is what we created. So, not just details of the winner and the runners up, but the lowdown on which cities play host to the most top restaurants, the chefs behind them, which haute cuisine eateries have consistently won a place on the list, and more.

Whether it’s web design in Chichester, Brighton or the other side of the world, infographics are becoming increasingly popular as a digital marketing tool for businesses. They allow businesses to condense a lot of key information into a relatively small graphic whose design is eye-catching and engaging. In the race to capture consumers with increasingly narrow attention spans, infographics are proving to be a successful tool for turning online traffic into customers.

On mashable.com this week, there’s a great infographic on the money being spent on the US presidential race, in particular expenditure on online campaigning. It includes a forecast of who would win if the election took place on Facebook. But it’s not just on technology magazine sites where you can see infographics, they’ve crossed into the mainstream and they’re now used regularly as part of regular newspaper and magazine content and on business websites. thefoodpeople World’s Best 50 Restaurants infographic is the second one that the company has featured on the website that we designed and built for them last year.

We’re going to see more and more infographics, particularly in the online business world, and as this trend grows, there is going to be a growing focus on the quality of this type of graphic design service, as standing out from the crowd will become more important. Our graphic design team are looking forward to it!

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Ben on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

“@chidesign: Chichester Design behind thefoodpeople Best Restaurants infographic dlvr.it/1WCT4K” They r an amazing team!!! use them!

— Wayne Edwards(@WEfoodpeople) May 2, 2012

The candidate should have Adobe Creative Suite skills with a web design and development background and the ability to code their own designs using HTML5 and CSS mark-up. An excellent understanding of modern web design and development methods is essential.

The candidate should have a sound knowledge of current web master guidelines and best practices set out by the major search engines. They should also have good literacy, numeracy and communication skills.

The successful candidate will be responsible for UX and GUI design and coding.

Reporting to the Projects Manager, this position is a great opportunity for the successful candidate to make a major contribution to the development of the company and to develop their role as part of a dynamic team.

An immediate start is possible.

The successful candidate will need to be talented in the following skill sets:

Essential:

• Design expertise and experience in designing for the web using Adobe Creative suite
• HTML & CSS
• Experience in responsive layout + semantic mark-up

Desirable:

• JavaScript
• Information architecture
• Content strategy implementation
• Used to working in a Linux, Apache, MySQL & PHP environment
• Mobile App design and development

This is a freelance position working in our offices in central Chichester weekdays 9-6pm we hope this will become a permanent position for the right candidate.

Please use the work with us page to get in touch.

Semantic search technology is all about the intent and meaning of a query rather than just a literal, dictionary-like approach to providing search results. In short, Google will better try and understand your search term, and the results will change accordingly.

One of the major consequences for business websites is that content will have to move away from keyword-stuffed but barely readable content to well-written content that is genuinely produced to engage the end user.

Is this a good move? Definitely – just ask our copywriter, who is always arguing the merits of well-written copy that contains keywords over keyword-rich text that is all but illegible. Plain English SEO versus SEO gobbledegook if you like.

I think it has become easy to lose sight of the value and power of quality content in the pursuit of SEO. That’s not to say that keywords aren’t important – of course they are – but they need to be used as part of quality content rather than as part of an unengaging and uninformative lump of text on a web page. Marrying quality content and valuable SEO is far more difficult that stuffing text with keywords, but that’s where the skill comes in and that’s what sets service providers apart.

Google will aim to provide users with more contextual information through its search engine, which should reward business websites whose content is well written and provides information that is useful for visitors.

Interestingly, Google’s semantic search technology is far from a new concept; there’s no timeframe on its integration into the existing search results infrastructure. However, I don’t think its introduction will be too far off and, when it happens, I think it will be a good thing for business websites.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including SEO, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Unsurprisingly for such a radical overhaul (and the switch from the old-style wall format is just that), Facebook Timeline for Pages has brought howls of protest from some. However, while the changeover may cause a few ripples as people adjust, overall I think it’s a good thing that will generate more for those brands and businesses willing to put more in.

Ian Schafer, CEO of Deep Focus, hits the nail on the head in an article on mashable.com when he says that companies that excel at providing stimulating, engaging content will do well and those not used to creating their own content may flounder.

Thinking specifically of SMEs, those that invest in generating their own content, whether it’s reporting new product launches and the hiring of new personnel, writing regular business blogs, commenting on industry news, etc., will get more out of the changeover to Facebook Timeline for Pages. Those companies that don’t dedicate enough time and attention could be left behind. In short, businesses are going to have to make their brands more engaging.

Schafer makes another good point that businesses need to think of Facebook Timeline for Pages as a distribution point rather than a destination. Perhaps too much of the focus has been getting people to business Facebook pages rather than considering why this goal is so heavily prized: in terms of SMEs, to get them to click through to a company’s main website where browsers can become consumers.

Whatever the industry, social media has long been recognised as an essential marketing tool when it comes to SME web development and now it seems Facebook is asking these companies to up their game when it comes to social media marketing and social media optimisation.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

I’ve watched the video and I’ve read the reaction, both supportive and questioning. The film is unarguably powerful and inspiring, and personally I think while some of the doubts raised have merit, this is at heart unquestionably a good cause. The Invisible Children group are using the power of the web, involving websites, web videos, Facebook, Twitter and more, to try and secure the capture of the most wanted war criminal on the planet.

The fact that the Invisible Children group have brought the subject of Joseph Kony’s rule of terror to the attention of an initially dismissive US government and pressured it into changing its stance and into sending military advisers to Uganda is simply incredible. It has taken global support to achieve this action and the web has played a huge role in raising this support.

There is a very salient comment in the film that speaks directly to this power of the web that I’m talking about – the web, websites, web videos and social media – these things all exist in a world without borders. Information and ideas can be shared with anyone, anywhere. For a long time, Joseph Kony’s crimes were little known outside of Uganda but the Invisible Children group and the web has changed that forever.

Social networks have played a major role is spreading the message, with Twitter leading the way in sending the film viral in the last week. George Clooney is in the film, supporting the cause, and countless celebrities, from P.Diddy to Justin Bieber, have tweeted their backing, helping to fan the flames of this wildfire.

If you haven’t already, go and watch the Kony 2012 film, read the reaction in newspapers and on blogs, and then make your own mind up. I think it’s impossible not to believe in the cause. It is tempting to say that we’re witnessing today’s version of the web at its most powerful. We’ll see. #KONY2012

Click here to view the embedded video.

Essentially, AdWords Remarketing allows business website owners to refine their AdWords campaign to target people who have previously shown an interest in their site. It gives them a second chance to convert browsers that have looked at their products or services.

We’ve all done it – not quite sure on the first look, but on the second we’re ready to make the purchase. If you think you’ve been followed round the internet by a certain advert, then you’ve already come across it. I’m pretty sure John Lewis uses it (and I did buy that TV in the end!).

By making use of AdWords Remarketing, business website owners are generating better traffic to their sites, which in layman’s terms means people who are much more likely to make a purchase. This business website development tool almost always increases conversions.

Of course, there is a fine line to be trodden in terms of having your advert follow someone across the web. It is easy to cross the line from reminding to annoying. But, properly managed, this isn’t a problem. AdWords Remarketing has a frequency capping function that allows business website owners to limit the number of times that a potential customer will see its advert.

There are many more functions that allow further refinement of an AdWords Remarketing campaign, but I’ll leave those for another time, although I will mention another tip – make sure you upload images in all possible sizes: you want your advert to display properly in every space in which it appears.

As the Christmas performance of many big retailers showed (underwhelming store sales, healthier online trade) – in particular HMV – more and more people are shopping online and, hence, it is becoming increasingly important for business website owners to put in place a properly managed online marketing strategy. Google Ad Planner and AdWords Remarketing are part of this brave new world.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including Google AdWords services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Matt Cutts has repeatedly said that quality content is key to Google rankings, and Bing’s Duane Forrester reminded marketers that “all SEO ranking signals revolve around content of some kind” at SMX Advanced 2011. High-quality, search-friendly content allows businesses to populate their sites with keywords and valuable information for visitors (and both are important to search success).

Brafton’s infographic, Why Content For SEO, explores how content is key to search engine visibility.

Via: Brafton

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web content services, including SEO services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Just as important as having a business website properly designed and built is ensuring that the content is properly advertised. And when I mean properly advertised, I mean making sure that it is targeted at the correct audience. No one wants to waste their money, using Google AdWords or any other means, on mis-targeted online advertising. This is where Google Ad Planner comes in.

It is a clever invention from Google. Google Ad Planner allows business website owners to better advertise their content, giving them the opportunity to identify their core audience and achieve greater exposure among this group.

Ad Planner provides a range of data, from tracking other sites that visitors frequent and commonly used search keywords within the core audience group to information on demographics, interests, income and gender, which helps generate a clearer picture of where to advertise.

For example, when planning a car-related business website, Google Ad Planner could be used to collect data on audiences for websites such as Top Gear, Jalopnik, Piston Heads, etc. to attain an understanding of the new site’s target audience. For a food-related business website, it could be Jamie Oliver, the British Larder or thefoodpeople.

Google Ad Planner also has the capacity to create a list of key websites, which is part of an analytical tools package that ensures the focus of an online marketing and sales campaign remains in the right place. In a very competitive online commercial environment, Ad Planner can help business websites build a powerful online profile.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including Google advertising services, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.

Click here to view the embedded video.

I like to keep an eye on all things Google when I get a spare minute or two at my Chichester Design desk and I think the value of
Google Verbatim for business websites is well worth highlighting. It allows business website owners to see how well their site is truly ranking.

Google Verbatim is a search mode in Google that allows users to perform searches that are affected only by the keyword entered. You thought that was what happened anyway? The truth is very different – Google corrects any errors you may make, such as spelling and grammar. It also uses factors such as location, plus 1s and your search history when choosing which search results to return.

Google Verbatim strips all this back. The search mode is kind of new and kind of not. Traditionally you could make verbatim searches using + in the search bar. However, this service was quietly withdrawn earlier this year, which I assume was because of the launch of Google+. So, Google Verbatim is the replacement.

Google Verbatim does not tailor search results and, because of the forensic results it provides, business website owners can get an insight into just how good (or bad) their online profile is. At a time when the focus seems to be strongly on the boom in
mobile browsing, mobile website optimisation (MWO) and social media optimisation (SMO), Google Verbatim is a reminder of the importance of search engine optimisation (SEO) in the online business world.

To find out more about Chichester Design’s web design and development services, including SEO, SMO and MWO, contact Michelle on +44 (0) 1243 787542 or info@chichesterdesign.co.uk.