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SEO ENQUIRY

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SEO ENQUIRY

Which SEO services are you interested in?

SEO ENQUIRY

Anything you’d like to share with us at this stage?
A brief, technical scope, supporting documents or anything else?

SEO ENQUIRY

How soon are you looking to kick off this project?

SEO ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working on this project?

SEO ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working on this project?

THANK YOU

Thank you for getting in touch with Yellowball!

We’ve received everything and one of our team will be in touch very soon with the next steps. If your enquiry is urgent, you can call us on 020 8064 1832 – we’re open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday.

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YELLOWBALL LITE

Unfortunately, you don’t qualify for a bespoke project, but there is good news!

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WEB DESIGN ENQUIRY

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WEB DESIGN ENQUIRY

Which web design services are you interested in?

WEB DESIGN ENQUIRY

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A brief, technical scope, supporting documents or anything else?

SEO ENQUIRY

How soon are you looking to kick off this project?

WEB DESIGN ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working on this project?

THANK YOU

Thank you for getting in touch with Yellowball!

We’ve received everything and one of our team will be in touch very soon with the next steps. If your enquiry is urgent, you can call us on 020 8064 1832 – we’re open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday.

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YELLOWBALL LITE

The end-to-end delivery of bespoke web project akin to the style and quality of our portfolio typically start from £25,000.

Based on your budget guidance, we’d recommend exploring Yellowball Lite – our flexible WordPress theme that is perfect for small businesses, startups, consultancies and charities. Learn more about Yellowball Lite and speak to one of our specialists on this dedicated site. It’s all the best from Yellowball, now fast, affordable and available anyone, anywhere.

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GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

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GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

Which design services are you interested in?

GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

Anything you’d like to share with us at this stage?
A brief, technical scope, supporting documents or anything else?

GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

How soon are you looking to kick off this project?

GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working to on this project?

THANK YOU

Thank you for getting in touch with Yellowball!

We’ve received everything and one of our team will be in touch very soon with the next steps. If your enquiry is urgent, you can call us on 020 8064 1832 – we’re open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday.

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GRAPHIC DESIGN ENQUIRY

Most design projects at Yellowball are typically more than £500 and our agency-wide hourly rate is £145 plus VAT.

We’re probably not a good strategic fit for this project but you could try the freelancer networks at Fivver.com or upwork.com.

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PPC ENQUIRY

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What budget guidance are you working on this project?

PPC ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working on this project?

THANK YOU

Thank you for getting in touch with Yellowball!

We’ve received everything and one of our team will be in touch very soon with the next steps. If your enquiry is urgent, you can call us on 020 8064 1832 – we’re open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday.

BACK TO HOMEPAGE
YELLOWBALL LITE

Unfortunately, you don’t qualify for a bespoke project, but there is good news!

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GOOGLE ANALYTICS ENQUIRY

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GOOGLE ANALYTICS ENQUIRY

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GOOGLE ANALYTICS ENQUIRY

What budget guidance are you working to on this project?

THANK YOU

Thank you for getting in touch with Yellowball!

We’ve received everything and one of our team will be in touch very soon with the next steps. If your enquiry is urgent, you can call us on 020 8064 1832 – we’re open 9am – 6pm Monday to Friday.

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OUR BLOG

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Dec 2023
4 MIN READ

Increase Conversion Rates with Optimised Landing Pages

How can landing pages increase conversion rates, and why should we optimise landing pages? Marketers and business owners alike who have reaped the benefits understand that optimising landing pages has the potential to turn casual visitors into loyal customers.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
5 MIN READ

What is Content Marketing, and Why is it Important?

What is the importance of content marketing? This article answers this question in detail, exploring its pivotal role in the world of digital marketing. In this guide, we dive into the significance, types, and benefits of content marketing.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
6 MIN READ

How to Create a PPC landing page that converts

Creating a PPC landing page that converts is a common challenge as the digital marketing world is constantly changing. So if you're wondering, "How do I create a PPC landing page that actually converts?", in this guide, we'll unravel the strategies and best practices to ensure your landing page not only captures attention but transforms visitors into valuable conversions.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
5 MIN READ

Is It Time for A Website Redesign?

Crafting and launching your website probably demanded a significant investment of time, effort, and resources. So it's understandable that the thought of redesigning a website may be concerning.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
6 MIN READ

Is WordPress Good for Web Development?

Among the many options available, WordPress offers a user-friendly interface and robust capabilities. In this article, we highlight all the key factors that make WordPress a powerhouse for web developers, freelancers, and just about anybody seeking to create aesthetically pleasing, functional websites.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
5 MIN READ

Best WordPress Plugin to Speed Up Website

As you may well know, WordPress is an extremely popular content management system that's widely embraced by businesses for website creation and maintenance. Statistics show that up to 43% of websites are powered by WordPress, which means it far outranks competitors, such as Wix and Joomla.

Daniel Green

Dec 2023
4 MIN READ

Visual Search: Are You Ready for the Future of Search?

These days search marketing is more than just SEO and PPC. The quest for information, inspiration, and validation now spans various platforms, from social media to chatbots. That said, the future of search is not just text-based, but it's also visual.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

What Are Content Audits & Why Are They Important?

So you want to know how to do a content audit? Well, you've come to the right place. Conducting a content audit is a valuable process for anyone managing a website, but it's not just about reviewing your content, it's about truly harnessing its full potential.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
6 MIN READ

WordPress Security: How to Keep Your Website Safe

Have you been hacked? Seeing strange characters on your website or in Google? If the answer is yes to either of these questions, it's time to up your security game. Websites play a crucial role in personal and business interactions, so ensuring your website's security is of paramount importance.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
6 MIN READ

10 Signs You Need a New Website

Are you losing out on much-needed business online? It's important to remember your website is the online face of your business, and it's crucial to ensure it reflects your brand's identity and delivers a seamless user experience.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

Website Brief Template Examples and Tips to Write One

Creating a comprehensive website brief is a crucial step in any web development project. It serves as the foundation for a successful collaboration between you and the developer or agency. A well-structured website brief template helps both parties align on project goals, expectations, and deliverables, reducing misunderstandings, saving time, and ensuring the final website meets your needs.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
4 MIN READ

Must-Have Features for E-commerce Websites

When it comes to eCommerce, having the right set of features on your website can make all the difference as they can help to attract and retain customers. So what are the key features of an eCommerce website? Here are a few that every eCommerce website should consider:

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

How to Create Lead Capture Pages that Get More Leads

Are you looking to generate more leads for your business? In this article, we explore how to create a lead capture form and page to help you do just that. A lead capture page is a powerful tool for collecting valuable contact information from potential customers in exchange for something of value.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

The Importance of User Experience in Web Design

User experience, often abbreviated as 'UX,' has become a central focus in the world of website design. Great user experience means that users can navigate effortlessly in a digital environment, fulfilling their needs, and moving easily throughout the online journey.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
7 MIN READ

GA4 vs Universal Analytics: What’s The Difference?

Ever heard the saying, "Change is the only constant"? Well, this rings true for many things, and digital marketing and web analytics are no exceptions. The emergence of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) has led many to ponder whether it’s set to replace its predecessor, Universal Analytics (UA).

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
7 MIN READ

The Best WordPress Plugins and Tools

The world of WordPress is overflowing with possibilities, offering over 60,000 plugins to transform and optimise your website. Yet, with such an abundance of choices, selecting the right plugins can be overwhelming. This is why our specialists at Yellowball assist businesses just like yours to install plugins for SEO, Social Media, Backup and Speed, as well as ones to assist in running your business.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
6 MIN READ

Simple Ways to Maintain Your WordPress Site

If you're wondering "Do WordPress sites need maintenance?", then you should know that they certainly do, much like any other website. Neglecting this crucial task can lead to security vulnerabilities, technical glitches, and a decline in overall performance.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

White Label Web Development – Benefits and Importance

White label web design refers to a practice in which one company offers web development and design services to another company, which then rebrands and resells those services as its own. This collaborative approach allows businesses to provide comprehensive web solutions under their own brand name without actually performing the development work themselves.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
8 MIN READ

How to Speed Up Your WordPress Website

In our fast-paced digital world, website speed is paramount. If you find yourself asking, "Why is my WordPress website so slow?" you're not alone. Websites that take a really long time to load can be frustrating for both site owners and visitors as it can lead to decreased traffic, lower search engine rankings, and potentially lost revenue.

Daniel Green

Nov 2023
5 MIN READ

GA4: What is Google Analytics 4?

When you grasp the full functionality of analytics tools, such as GA4, you can truly harness the power of data. When compared to the previous version, there's a marked difference in its unique features and capabilities, so it's important to be aware of this new and improved version.

Daniel Green

Content management system written on a notepad.
Aug 2023
9 MIN READ

What is a Content Management System (CMS)?

Terminology helps people to sum up complex ideas in a word, a few words, or an acronym. But if you're just getting used to a new field, it can be baffling. Your CMS will be very important to your business’s website - and for many businesses, that website is among their top ways of informing the public about what they do and gaining new customers. So, what is a content management system? Once you’ve read this article, you’ll be ready to use the term “CMS” with confidence. Here are the basics. 

Rudi Carstens

Concept for SEO site migration drawn on a chalkboard.
Jul 2023
9 MIN READ

SEO Site Migration: Migrate Your Website Without Losing Rankings

Updating your website so that it doesn’t start looking dated or off-brand doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to undertake a site migration. In general, that’s pretty good news because it won’t affect all the hard work you put into Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). But when you do need to migrate, a careful SEO site migration process can help you to retain those precious search engine rankings. 

Rudi Carstens

Developer working on a responsive web design project.
Jul 2023
10 MIN READ

The Basics of Responsive Web Design

Interested in responsive web design? Let’s begin at the beginning by looking at what responsive web design is before getting into some of the basics you’ll need to achieve a responsive website. 

Rudi Carstens

Technical SEO concept shown by letters spelling SEO and spanner on a keyword.
Jul 2023
7 MIN READ

A Beginners Guide to Technical SEO

It’s not a mistake to think that keywords and content are important to your search engine optimisation (SEO) strategy, but technical SEO matters too. So, what is technical SEO and just how “technical” can it be? Like so many other things in life, it’s easy when you know how, so let’s go through some of the basics you’ll need to cover to perfect your SEO strategy. 

Rudi Carstens

Dial with various website domain name options.
Jul 2023
8 MIN READ

What is a Website Domain?

You decided it was time your business had its own website. After all, everyone wants to take a look at one’s website nowadays, and websites are also a great way to attract customers who might not otherwise have found your business. You might even attract customers from around the world instead of just your hometown. And, if you’re a local business, a website can help people in your area discover you by searching terms like “electricians in Notting Hill” and the like. 

Rudi Carstens

SEO content audit concept written on a chalkboard.
Jul 2023
10 MIN READ

How to Perform an SEO Content Audit

You did your homework, crafted an SEO strategy, and got to work creating content that you hoped would take the world by storm - or at least, make an impression. But then, your posts and pages underperformed. What should you do? 

Rudi Carstens

Magnifying glass and small chalkboard with the inscription WordPress.
Jul 2023
7 MIN READ

The Benefits of Using WordPress

“Just another WordPress website?” It’s a statement you’re unlikely to hear, and in this article we’ll explain the benefits of using WordPress and why it can be as unique as you and your business are. And, once we’ve covered the many benefits of WordPress, we’re confident you’ll see why it’s the choice of professional website developers and businesses around the world. Let’s dive in!

Rudi Carstens

Needle of compass pointing to SEO.
Jun 2023
8 MIN READ

The Importance of SEO in Digital Marketing

Digital or online marketing promotes brands using the internet and online communication platforms. But the heart of any digital marketing campaign is the website it draws attention to. What if you could attract visitors to your website without paid social media posts, email campaigns that only reach your existing contacts, or costly web-based advertising? 

Rudi Carstens

WordPress speech bubble on hanging line.
Jun 2023
7 MIN READ

A Beginners Guide to WordPress

Looking to build a website? You'll be in good company if you choose WordPress. Over 43 percent of websites are WordPress sites and there are very good reasons why this platform is so popular. But if you’re new to all this, you’ll want to understand what WordPress is and get an introduction to a few bits of terminology you’re bound to encounter along the way. So, without further ado, let’s get started. 

Rudi Carstens

Man viewing analytics for his ecommerce website.
Jun 2023
9 MIN READ

A Beginners Guide to Ecommerce SEO

Ecommerce SEO consists of a set of techniques that are used to improve your ecommerce website’s search engine rankings. When people search online for products or services like yours, they’ll usually only pay attention to the results that appear on the first page of search engine results. Since you want to get traffic to your website where you can pull out all the stops to make sales, getting that page one ranking will be among your priorities. SEO gets you there. Looking for some ecommerce SEO tips? You’ve come to the right place. Let’

Rudi Carstens

Ecommerce marketing concept with small shopping trolly and shop online sign.
Jun 2023
8 MIN READ

Ecommerce Marketing: Strategies and Tips

You have your own online store. But unless you promote it so that people are made aware of it and visit it, you won’t make any sales. Getting visitors is only the first step. Once they’re there, you still need to entice them with your products, convert them into customers, and provide experiences that will encourage them to come back for more. Ecommerce marketing is a set of practices that covers everything from promotion to customer retention and all the steps in between.

Rudi Carstens

Content strategy written on a notebook next to a laptop and lightbulb.
Jun 2023
6 MIN READ

How to Create an SEO Content Strategy

You have a website, but unless search engines display it near the top of their rankings for key terms, most people will never find it. Of course, you could pay for your moment in the limelight, but most people trust organic rankings more, and to get them, you need an SEO content strategy.

Rudi Carstens

Designing an Ecommerce website.
Jun 2023
9 MIN READ

What is Ecommerce Website Design?

You’re ready to sell your products to the world and that means having a highly attractive “storefront” on the information superhighway. That’s what an ecommerce website is and you want the best “real estate” you can secure in the world’s virtual business district. 

Rudi Carstens

Woman doing keyword research for SEO.
Jun 2023
11 MIN READ

A Beginners Guide to Keyword Research in SEO

You already know that search engine optimisation (SEO) helps your website to stand out from the crowd in search engine results. But which keywords should you target? Without good SEO keyword research, you’re taking a shot in the dark. You might target keywords that nobody uses in search, or you could err in the other direction and choose keywords for which there is so much competition that you don’t stand much chance of ranking for them. In this article, we’ll look at how to choose keywords for SEO so that you can power your website to s

Rudi Carstens

A website visitor doing an ecommerce purchase.
Apr 2023
8 MIN READ

Website Conversion Rate: What it Is and How to Improve It

When you launched your website, you had big dreams and ideas. Presumably, you didn’t get a website just for the sake of having one. You wanted to use it to persuade visitors to take some kind of action. The percentage of visitors who took that action represents your website conversion rate and it’s much more than just another number. It tells you whether you were successful in achieving the goal you set out to reach. 

Rudi Carstens

A web designer working on a website design.
Apr 2023
7 MIN READ

Website Design Tips and Ideas

If you’re about to design and launch your own website for the first time or are hoping to create an updated version that matches the best in modern website design, you’ll be looking out for website design ideas. You’d like your website to be unique, but there are many design pitfalls lurking in wait for the unwary. These website design tips cover general principles that every website designer should apply. Use them to guide your decision-making as you work towards creating a website that matches the needs of the most important stakeholde

Rudi Carstens

Keywords in wooden block letters with light bulb.
Apr 2023
7 MIN READ

SEO Keywords: What Are They and Why Are They So Important?

New to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)? The term “SEO keywords” is sure to be among the first concepts you encounter. Knowing what keywords do, choosing the right ones to use, and sticking to your keyword strategy will help you to improve your website’s rankings in search engine results. It’s quite a complex area, but this introduction to SEO keywords will help you to get started. 

Rudi Carstens

SEO strategy with arrows on laptop.
Apr 2023
8 MIN READ

SEO Marketing Strategy: What it is and How to Create One

Although old-fashioned marketing methods like print advertising still have their place, most businesses are finding that they get far more bang for their marketing buck by applying online marketing techniques. An SEO marketing strategy can pay off in a big way, but if you’re new to all of this, or even if you already have some idea of it, you may have a few questions. What is an SEO marketing strategy, and what should it consist of? Let’s get started!

Rudi Carstens

Web hosting button on a computer keyboard.
Apr 2023
7 MIN READ

A Beginners Guide to Hosting a Website

You’re inspired and ready to get started on creating a new website. But before all the exciting design activities kick in, you need to get a few basics sorted out. Specifically, you need a domain name and a host. Most of us know that the domain name is the special address a website uses, for example: “yourbusiness.com.” But what is hosting, why do we need it, and what are your options? 

Rudi Carstens

A diagram of all the elements of SEO.
Apr 2023
10 MIN READ

What is SEO and How Does it Work?

SEO, meaning “Search Engine Optimisation” is a term that everyone who has a website should familiarise themselves with. But how does it work? Here are the basics. Search engines have a job to do. When people enter a query, they must offer relevant results. There may be hundreds or even thousands of results for a single search, so search engines attempt to rank them according to how useful they’ll be. 

Rudi Carstens

Jun 2022
4 MIN READ

A Guide to The Basics of SEO

Having a strong SEO strategy is crucial for businesses and website owners seeking online success. Search Engine optimisation (SEO) plays a pivotal role in driving organic traffic and enhancing online visibility.

Daniel Green

A Jeweler Inspecting a Diamond for Imperfections Like Googles URL Inspection Tool
Apr 2022
11 MIN READ

The Miracle of Google’s URL Inspection Tool For Diagnosing Indexation Issues

If you’ve ever worked in SEO, it’s likely there have been many instances where you’ve felt at the mercy of Google. You’re sure that you’ve done everything right, you’ve gone through Google’s guidelines with a fine toothcomb, and yet it’s almost as if Google takes some kind of sadistic pleasure in confining your website to the darkest corners of its search results.   Let us start by clarifying something: Google wants you to succeed, providing that you put in the work. This can be seen in how it makes the inner workings of it

Nic Lapham

A Spider Carefully Crawling On Its Web
Apr 2022
20 MIN READ

Crawl Budget: A Non-SEOs Guide to Ensuring Your Website’s Available to Google

“Crawl budget” is one of those bits of jargon that most SEO specialists throw at their clients to either make a point about what content should be placed on the site – or used to reaffirm their expertise to justify a retainer renewal during an annual status review!    Either way, a discussion about crawl budget can easily become overly technical or grossly over-simplified, with the results that business owners end up misunderstanding the concept or not knowing why or how it should be applied.    In this article, we’re gi

Nic Lapham

Screenshot of a Blank Google Performance Planner Dashbaord
Mar 2022
6 MIN READ

Why Should Your Business Use Performance Planner? And How to Get Set Up

For smaller businesses with limited budgets, digital marketing provides a cost-effective and high-impact means of connecting with your consumers and competing with much larger businesses. This is because many aspects of digital marketing can be managed in-house with available time and resources, or partially outsourced to supplement your own marketing team’s efforts. In this article, we’re taking a look at why Google’s Performance Planner is an essential for any business or marketing manager going this route, as well as how to get started

Nic Lapham

Hand HOlding APen Completing an SEO Audit Checklist on Paper
Mar 2022
22 MIN READ

How Much Does an SEO Audit Cost?

Depending on the size of your website, the type of SEO audit, and whether you choose a professional or DIY site audit, your costs for an SEO audit can range from the cost of the resources you allocate to the project to several thousand pounds. At Yellowball, we keep the costs of an SEO audit as reasonable as possible for our clients because we know how essential this service is to the overall success of your paid SEO services and strategy. In this article, we’ll look at the different types of SEO audit services, what the audits involve, why t

Nic Lapham

Image Of Network Cable Used By Host Server Providers
Mar 2022
11 MIN READ

Why Migrating Hosts for Your WordPress Site Could Be Your Best Move

In the beginning, website hosting services were a niche offering… and then, the internet exploded. Now, the number of web hosting services is in the hundreds of thousands, each promising better client features than the next. So where should you be hosting your WordPress website? And what should you do if you need to migrate your website to a new host?  Here’s why migrating your WordPress website to a new host may be the best strategic move for your organisation’s online presence. Who is WordPress? Founded in 2003 as a blogging platform,

Nic Lapham

Thin Content On Books Table of Contents Page
Mar 2022
19 MIN READ

How To Avoid Penalties for Thin Content (By Producing High-Quality Content)

Content is a crucial aspect of any SEO strategy and has been for quite some time, and it would be remiss to talk about content without addressing thin content. Ever since the Panda Update, the purpose of content has been providing an enriching and informative user experience rather than simply appeasing search engines. As will be explored throughout this article, content does not exist simply as a vehicle for keywords or a means to fill up space – to bulk up a website and make it look substantial. As we always say: bigger is not better…

Nic Lapham

small businesses
Oct 2021
14 MIN READ

Small business marketing essentials: Getting the basics right

Every business needs a solid marketing strategy, especially when you don’t have access to the resources and budget that bigger organisations tend to have. Fortunately, there’s no reason why a smaller budget should hold your business back – these days, success is all about marketing strategically and intelligently rather than simply having the biggest billboard or the most expensive prime time ad slot. To make your marketing work for your business, it’s essential to get to grips with the fundamentals, which is why our marketing team

Nic Lapham

wordpress
Oct 2021
13 MIN READ

Is WordPress a good CMS for my business?

If you are running a business and want a solid online presence, you’ve probably heard of WordPress, along with competitors like Drupal and Wix. Choosing the right content management system (CMS) for your business website is a critical decision because it will determine how your website works, how it is managed on an everyday basis, its security, how easy it is to modify, and much more. We’ve developed a useful guide to the WordPress CMS to help guide this decision, showing the features, pros and cons of this market-leading CMS. What is Word

Nic Lapham

Do I Need a Custom Website Design?
Oct 2021
12 MIN READ

Do I Need a Custom Website Design?

Most businesses today realise that having a website is a basic business need, especially with consumers increasingly using the internet for everything from researching their next holiday, getting design inspiration for their home’s interior, and online shopping. The next step is deciding whether you want a custom website design or to use a template design – and that can be a slightly more difficult decision, especially when your expertise isn’t digital marketing. So, here’s some insight into the pros and cons of each option, what to co

Nic Lapham

online business
Sep 2021
13 MIN READ

Running an online business from home

If you are considering running a business from home, you’re not alone! The events of 2020 were a catalyst for many people when it comes to working. With the onset of remote working, businesses unable to run, and other challenges, running your own business became a much more viable and popular solution than it had been in past years. To help you out, we’ve put together a quick guide on running an online business from home, including the legalities and some tips on how an expertly designed website can help your business succeed. Defining your

Nic Lapham

Yellowball scoops another dotCOMM Award
Sep 2021
2 MIN READ

Yellowball scoops another dotCOMM Award

Yellowball has been announced as a Gold 2021 Winner in the dotCOMM Awards ‘Best Website Redesign’ category for our new website for Comedy Carnival, which went live in 2021. Comedy Carnival are one of London’s leading standup comedy clubs. With a consummate reputation as a brilliant night out, their comedians are always hilarious, sometimes outrageous, but always seriously funny.   Yellowball’s design and engineering team partnered with Comedy Carnival to entirely redesign and rethink their website from the ground up

Owen Hunnam

website design
Aug 2021
11 MIN READ

What Makes a Good Website? | 8 Web Design Principles

Just 30 years ago this year, British physicist Tim Berners-Lee published the world’s first website. Since then, this has grown to 1.88 billion websites around the globe. But as an internet user, you’ve likely noticed that there are plenty of websites that are frustrating to use, unattractive to look at, or full of errors. As a business owner, you really don’t want one of these websites to represent your brand – after all, it’s hard enough to compete with hundreds of similar businesses online and even harder to get target customers to

Nic Lapham

website redesign
Aug 2021
8 MIN READ

Planning a Website Redesign? Follow These 7 Steps

Just like a physical store or office space, remodelling and updating your website is an important part of keeping your business an up-to-date and appealing space. However, there’s much more to a website redesign than a fresh, new look. By rebuilding the site from the ground up, the redesign process upgrades your website for improved functionality, better content quality, and faster performance, creating the best possible user experience and customer journey – and becoming the foundation of successful digital marketing strategies. What is a

Nic Lapham

parallex effect
Aug 2021
12 MIN READ

Parallax Effect When Scrolling on a Website | 10 Examples

Website design is an area that’s creative and constantly evolving, bringing new and interesting ways to showcase a business online. In 2011, parallax scrolling was an emerging design trend, but by 2021, it’s become a well-established and popular way to enhance the visual impact of a website. Here’s some insight into how the parallax scrolling effect works and some stand-out examples of this visually engaging graphic design technique. What is the Parallax Scrolling Effect? This is when the website background images move at a slower pace

Nic Lapham

website security
Aug 2021
15 MIN READ

How to Secure a Website | Top 7 Tips

A website gives your business a valuable online presence – unfortunately, this visibility not only attracts clients and customers, but it can also attract cybercriminals. If you have a website for your business, it’s important to ensure its properly secured against. Security breach to keep your records and data safe, securing your business and your reputation. Are small business websites safer from security breaches? The reality is that smaller business websites are very appealing targets for cybercriminals. Attacking a large corporation ma

Nic Lapham

digital marketing strategy
Aug 2021
15 MIN READ

How to Market Your Business in Today’s Digital World

No matter how useful your services, how innovative your product, or how unique your business is, it’s not going to succeed unless you have one thing: happy customers. Like every industry, marketing and advertising constantly changes and evolves, from newspaper and radio ads to TV ads and billboards. Today, marketing is digital. And as with all things digital, the options are endless – to the point of becoming overwhelming. Here’s how to evolve your marketing strategy for a digital world, cutting through the flash and fervour to talk about

Nic Lapham

one page website
Aug 2021
9 MIN READ

Considering a One-Page Website? Here are the Pros & Cons

One of the most recent trends in the web design industry is a one-page website. In this design, rather than having different pages for different products and services, visitors can see everything they need to know about your brand and business on, well, one page. It’s a simple and elegant solution that’s understandably appealing to many small business owners, but it’s important to understand both the advantages and disadvantages of this web design option before you take the plunge. That way, you’ll be able to choose the option that work

Nic Lapham

google adwords written in scrabble letters
Mar 2020
8 MIN READ

Paid ads & trademarks: what are the rules?

My immediate reaction when I spotted that a competitor was bidding on a client brand name, was to blow the whistle and report it to Google. ‘Surely people can’t capitalise on search volumes for your brand name simply by whacking some Google ads budget on it?’ I thought. In fact, the reality is that competitors are within their rights to bid on your brand keywords.However, there are restrictions on exactly how they go about it. We’ve gone through Google’s regulations and included a straightforward rundown with some examples below,

Nic Lapham

Women looking at three paintings in art gallery
Apr 2020
13 MIN READ

How to increase traffic with Google visual search and image optimisation

The key to driving relevant organic traffic is understanding ‘search intent’. This means getting to grips with exactly what kind of problem the user is trying to solve. As well as this, brands must account for the ways the search engine landscape is changing. Ben Gomes, SVP of search engineering at Google, outlined in 2018 that there would be three fundamental shifts to the way we interact with search engines: From answers to journeys – problem solving is now about providing an experience, rather than simply answering a question. A

Alex Chenery Howes

Idea Drop
Apr 2020
11 MIN READ

Should you outsource SEO link building or keep it in-house?

In an ideal world companies wouldn’t have to worry about link building. Perfect search engines with perfect algorithms would precisely rank content for every imaginable search. These infallibly indexed web pages would gain links naturally from other websites and we’d all sleep better at night knowing that link earning was taking care of everything.   Unfortunately, this image of search utopia is not currently how things work (well, for the vast majority of websites anyway). As everyone in the SEO world is all too familiar, not all webs

Nic Lapham

People looking at phones on train
Mar 2020
7 MIN READ

How to create a mobile-first content strategy

It’s a well-worn trope. You step onto the underground and everyone is staring at their phones, transfixed. Phone screens are demanding our attention more than ever and Google knows it. In response, the search engine giant will begin to  prioritise mobile-first indexing for all sites from September this year, meaning that the mobile version of your site will be more important than ever. This appears to be one of the final steps for Google switching entirely to a mobile-first index. What’s this got to do with content? Well, if you haven’t

Nic Lapham

Tech giants & social responsibility? Reducing coronavirus misinformation.
Mar 2020
9 MIN READ

Tech giants & social responsibility? Reducing coronavirus misinformation.

The spread of Covid-19, a previously unseen Coronavirus has had a global effect. Europe’s largest regional airline has already collapsed, the FTSE 100 had its largest single day drop since the 2008 financial crisis and Italy is currently in complete lockdown. It’s dominating the news…and probably conversations with your colleagues, friends & family alike. Recently, Trump’s seemingly pointless impeachment trial and subsequent acquittal reminded us once again of fake news and misinformation. The companies that own our digital live

Simon Ensor

Protest
Mar 2020
12 MIN READ

Google gives bad advice in ‘how to hire an SEO’ video

Last week we saw a strong and often adverse reaction from the SEO community with regards to a video published by Google themselves on 26th February. The video was titled “Tips for hiring an SEO specialist”. It all centres around their 3rd tip: to get a free technical audit before making your decision and was highlighted by Danny Sullivan on Twitter. Our initial reaction was somewhat similar to others. Full audits take a considerable amount of time and as such, any free audit is likely to be automated and of no real value. Then we started in

Simon Ensor

Waiting by laptop
Mar 2020
9 MIN READ

Should you lazy-load your content?

Page speed is a hot topic for SEO in 2020. The speed of a webpage (or a whole site, for that matter) plays a significant role in conversion rates. In fact, 40% of people abandon a website that takes more than 3 seconds to load, and a 1-second delay in a page’s response reduces conversions by 7%. And page speed’s role is only going to increase. So, shaving a few milliseconds here and there off of your load time can have profound effects on your business. One method for improving page speed is lazy-loading.  What is lazy-loading? Lazy-load

Nic Lapham

helping climber
Feb 2020
6 MIN READ

Which industries need SEO the most?

In 2020, SEO is vital to businesses looking to reach their audience online. Thinking about investing in SEO? Get the ball rolling by asking yourself these questions:Is your website your main source of revenue?  Do you offer something unique within a crowded market?  Are you trying to increase visits to your brick-and-mortar store?  Are you struggling to get results using ‘traditional’ marketing channels?If the answer to any of the above is yes, you’ve got a real chance of succeeding with SEO, providing you do it well. As an SEO age

Alex Chenery Howes

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Apr 2021
7 MIN READ

We’re hiring – Strategic Sales Manager

Role: Strategic Sales Manager Start date: Immediate Location: London & remote with flexible part/full-time options Who are we? Yellowball are a London-based multi award-winning digital marketing agency. We’re experts in web design, SEO, paid search and design, partnering with clients of every shape and size across the UK and internationally. With passion, creativity and razor-sharp commercial focus wired into everything we do, we’re trusted by organisations everywhere to deliver real impact and results. We’re looking for an exper

Owen Hunnam

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Apr 2021
6 MIN READ

We’re hiring – Project Management Lead

Yellowball are looking for a seriously talented Project Management Lead to join our fast-growing team at one of London’s leading award-winning digital agencies. Who Are We? Yellowball is a multi award-winning digital marketing agency specialising in web, SEO, paid search and design, partnering with brands and businesses of every shape and size across the UK. With passion, creativity and razor-sharp commercial focus wired into everything we do, we're trusted by organisations everywhere to deliver real impact and results. We love what we do

Owen Hunnam

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Feb 2020
3 MIN READ

We’re hiring – Content Writer

This position has been filled. Keep an eye out for opportunities on our Careers page. Yellowball are looking for a talented Content Writer to join our fast growing team. An ideal applicant would be a university graduate with exceptional writing skills and a keen interest in digital marketing. Preferably you will have experience in a similar role, agency or in-house and at least a top-line knowledge of marketing practices.  Key Skills & Requirements:Proven ability to produce high quality and engaging copy Capacity to adapt to a r

Nic Lapham

Website Scoping Part 3: Pitfalls in design & development
Feb 2020
18 MIN READ

Website Scoping Part 3: Pitfalls in design & development

To recap we’ve now explored how to prep both teams for the scoping project and also covered the main structure of how to scope a website. Before we move on to using a SoW during the project we just wanted to pump the brakes slightly. As we’ve mentioned before, we can’t just focus on the development side of life so running with that piece of advice we’ve split this article into web design and development. We’re going to be looking at some of the larger items that you will want to cover in your scope and also some common pitfalls to loo

Simon Ensor

Website Scoping Part 2: Creating the Scope of Work
Jan 2020
17 MIN READ

Website Scoping Part 2: Creating the Scope of Work

Welcome to part 2 of our website scoping series. We previously looked at some of the benefits of scoping a website project or website redesign scope and how to prepare teams for what could quite easily be considered a project before the project! Now that we understand why we are scoping the website I suppose we better get on with it. In this article we will be tackling the main bulk of ‘how to scope a website project’. We’ll be covering the following main points:Non-development items Preparing information Project objectives Sitemaps, us

Simon Ensor

sunset over water
Jan 2020
2 MIN READ

Google set to phase out data-vocabulary.org

Google’s Webmasters have announced that pages using  data-vocabulary.org as their structured data schema will no longer be able to get Rich Snippets in SERPS as of 6th April 2020. This is due to a shift of focus to  schema.org, which it considers to be the principal structured data standard for developers.  What is a structured data schema?   In simple terms, a structured data schema is essentially a labelling system for a page’s content. Labelling the different elements of a page’s content helps Google Search to crawl and

Nic Lapham

duplicate people
Jan 2020
4 MIN READ

Google update: Deduplication of featured snippets

In the past week (Jan 22nd to be precise), Google confirmed that they have rolled out an update which prevents a website from gaining the featured snippet and a more traditional organic listing on the first page. This feels in line with their update last June which aimed to provide more domain diversity within relevant search results by restricting domains to two links on a single results page. Danny Sullivan announced on Twitter that featured snippets count as one of the 10 organic listing on the first page and that a website’s listing would

Simon Ensor

whiteboard planning
Jan 2020
10 MIN READ

Website Scoping Part 1: Preparing to Start

It’s a wonder how there are so many digital agencies. Yes, it’s a service that isn’t sector specific and as such the demand is high. But it’s not an easy sell. A lot of businesses and individuals have had bad experiences with SEO agencies and just about everyone knows/has experienced a nightmare website project. The designing and building of websites has become somewhat of a natural lifecycle. It’s something that we all have to do (some of us more than others), so let’s look at how and why scoping a website project can prevent the b

Simon Ensor

Apple ipad screenshot
Jan 2020
15 MIN READ

Is Apple’s website still the ‘Standard’

This will resonate with anybody who has been involved in website design over the past decade.If I had a pound for every time someone had used the Apple website as their favourite website example….I still wouldn’t be able to afford a pair of Nuraphone headphones. I suppose I’m not taking into account inflation or interest.Regardless, the Apple website has been the default answer for longer than I care to remember. Most clients nowadays are even aware of it being the most stereotypical answer. It’s hard to argue with. For a decade

Simon Ensor

Archaic SEO: how not to write content in 2020
Jan 2020
13 MIN READ

Archaic SEO: how not to write content in 2020

This blog is the second in a three-part series about outdated SEO tactics that you should avoid. Here, we’ll focus on content and other aspects of on-site SEO. You can read part one here, which details some common misconceptions about keyword research that people still abide, and part three will look at old link building tactics. Get ready to un-learn some archaic SEO!  In our previous edition of Archaic SEO, we looked at some outdated concepts and tactics that still plague the use of keywords. Hopefully (if we are doing our jobs well

Simon Ensor

Archaic SEO: how not to use keywords in 2020
Jan 2020
12 MIN READ

Archaic SEO: how not to use keywords in 2020

  This blog is the first in a three-part series about outdated SEO tactics that should be avoided. Here, we’ll focus on the use of keywords. Part two looks at outdated concepts in the world of content, while part three concerns link building. Get ready to un-learn some archaic SEO!  In the world of SEO, applying outdated tactics or operating on the basis of disproven concepts could potentially be damaging, if not fatal for the online presence of a business. Google are constantly fighting against sneaky strategies that aim to manip

Simon Ensor

How to create AWESOME SEO content in 2020
Jan 2020
27 MIN READ

How to create AWESOME SEO content in 2020

According to Google Trends, for almost a decade the term ‘content marketing’ has continually increased in popularity. This correlates strongly with the continued growth of social media over the past few years, but this trend is also present for terms such as ‘SEO content’. It is apparent then that there is increased interest in the topic and most probably, more content being produced.

Simon Ensor

badge of shame
Nov 2019
5 MIN READ

Badge Of Shame – Google and Speed

Google is a speed demon. Ever since the beginning of Chrome, Google has placed importance on how fast websites load, seeing it as a fundamental component in user experience. Since then, speed has become a key ranking factor for the search engine giant.And its impact is considerable. Over a decade ago, Amazon concluded that its sales would decrease by 1% for every 100ms delay in response time on their site – that amounted to a cool $245 million over the course of a year. Clearly this sum would be in the billions today! The world has only g

Nic Lapham

Let's Talk About Reddit and SEO
Nov 2019
11 MIN READ

Let’s Talk About Reddit and SEO

If you think this sounds a little random, it is. The idea was sparked by a random conversation with a complete stranger in the depths of Soho. After explaining what Yellowball did, the person in question asked whether her Reddit presence would be beneficial to SEO. Some questioning and a quick Google was followed by a, “I’m actually going to have to look into that because on the face of it I would say no…..but Reddit is huge so there may be something in it”. I originally wanted this article to be purely related to the potential SEO bene

Simon Ensor

White Hat
Nov 2019
8 MIN READ

An overview of SEO ‘hats’

If there is any topic that’s going to put fire in the bellies of SEOs far and wide, it’s Black Hat Vs. White Hat SEO. Whether you’re a seasoned SEO or just starting, the importance of understanding the implications and techniques of either approach cannot be overstated. We’re going to take a look at the differences between White Hat and Black Hat SEO, the techniques you’ll want to adopt and the ones you’ll want to drop like a hot potato. With the additional help of our handy blog and glossary, you’ll be soaring to the dizzying hei

Simon Ensor

WP Google Site Kit
Nov 2019
4 MIN READ

Google Site Kit Plugin for WordPress

After spending a large portion of 2019 in its developer preview (beta) stage, Google has now officially released their own Wordpress plugin. Google are touting this as a single dashboard for Site Owners with the added benefit of insights ‘directly’ from the Big G. We can see how this is an attractive proposition to a lot of people, both site owners and agencies alike.It’s a testament to the global demand for Wordpress as a CMS that Google have developed their own plugin specifically for WP. The Content Management System supposedly pow

Nic Lapham

Searching
Oct 2019
8 MIN READ

What are the alternatives to Google?

Google has a whopping 82% share of the market for search engine usage in the UK. This does, however, raise the interesting question as to what motivates the other 18% of people to use other search engines. While Google is extremely effective as a search engine, the emergence of competitors speaks to some of the criticisms of Google, and while Bing is Google’s nearest competitor, it lags behind on a mere 12%. Nevertheless, it is important to understand the reasons that more and more users are switching to different providers, no doubt somethin

Simon Ensor

small details
Sep 2019
20 MIN READ

Performing an SEO Site Audit | A Self-Service Guide

Every company, regardless of their industry or size, will need to perform a site audit on its website at least once in it’s lifetime. You’d be amazed how quickly websites become dated and fall out of pace with the latest best practices in website design, user experience and search performance. A site audit helps to ensure that your site is working at its optimum. Different digital marketing agencies have different ideas of how frequently you should be undertaking a site audit. Really, it varies from site to site. For smaller website

Nic Lapham

Code
Sep 2019
6 MIN READ

Google expands link attributes and usage

The nofollow rel attribute has been used by Google for nearly 15 years, pretty much in the same capacity throughout. Applying “nofollow” to a link has historically been an instruction to Google that whilst the link can be followed by the user, it shouldn’t be seen as an endorsement. Therefore, it shouldn’t contribute any ranking factors to the destination site of the link. This was implemented to prevent comment spam but was also used at a later date to avoid being penalised for link schemes by way of sponsored posts.As of 10th Sept

Simon Ensor

Website Migration SEO Checklist | Site Migration Guide
Sep 2019
14 MIN READ

Website Migration SEO Checklist | Site Migration Guide

For companies looking to revitalise their brand, a new website has many benefits. However, relaunching or ‘migrating’ a website will always have some form of impact on search engine rankings. In this article, we will advise on site migration best practice. This will hopefully help organisations create a foolproof website migration SEO checklist. What is a website migration? The term ‘website migration’ encompasses any large-scale changes that may influence SEO performance. Examples include:Changes to design, site structure, and navig

Alex Chenery Howes

Apps on a phone
Sep 2019
18 MIN READ

App Store Optimisation Guide: How To Do ASO?

It’s not an understatement to say that Apple App Store and Google Play are two of the most important marketplaces in the world. There are around 1.83 million apps on the Apple App Store and over 2 million apps on Google Play Store with 5.11 billion mobile users in the world using these apps. Not only are apps on the increase in terms of number and users, they are also quickly increasing into a highly profitable revenue source. In 2018, the global mobile app revenues amounted to over $365 billion US dollars, forecasted to increase to $935 bill

Nic Lapham

Decision lady justice
Sep 2019
9 MIN READ

Google’s Win in “Right to be Forgotten” Case | What Does it Mean?

What is the right to be forgotten?  The right to be forgotten is defined by the Independent Commissioners Office as follows:  “Under Article 17 of the GDPR individuals have the right to have personal data erased. This is also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’. The right is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances.” – ICO Under Article 17, individuals can make “a request for erasure” verbally or in writing for sensitive information about themselves to be removed from any site and from the SERPs entirely. The

Simon Ensor

Check list
Sep 2019
16 MIN READ

E-Commerce Site Build Check List

On 3rd of September 2019, our Head of Design and Managing Director held a talk at AutumnFair 2019 in regards to “Building an E-Commerce Website that Works for You and Your Customers”. Having had such a positive response from those at the talk, we thought we’d transcribe the talk to share with the world. Without further adieu, here’s a number of useful tips for e-commerce sites, from improving an existing site, all the way through to designing and building a website bespoke, from scratch.   The process of developing an e-commerce websi

Nic Lapham

Penalty
Sep 2019
11 MIN READ

Google Penalties | Causes, Recovery and Avoidance

As SEOs, it’s our goal to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to improve your website’s rankings and get it seen by the right people at the right time. It’s also our responsibility to make sure that we’re doing so in the most ethical and effective ways possible. This means abiding by the guidelines set out by Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. The basic principles outlined in these guidelines are: Make pages primarily for users, not for search engines. Don’t deceive your users. Avoid tricks intended to improve search e

Simon Ensor

aliasing header
Sep 2019
8 MIN READ

Fixing Font Rendering Inconsistencies Across Browsers

Have you ever designed an interface or website and spent hours selecting the perfect font for your UI to find that as soon as your XD or Sketch designs are developed into a coded website, your ever so carefully selected font now looks a lot different on a web browser? Often the main issue as web designers we find is the font increases in weight. This can be a very frustrating realisation and can result in a website that you’re not completely happy with or more time spent finding a compatible font. Why do fonts render differently inside a brow

admin

How To: Optimising your YouTube Channel
Sep 2019
10 MIN READ

How To: Optimising your YouTube Channel

Video marketing has been increasing in popularity ever since YouTube started to rise to fame. Optimising your YouTube channel and videos as part of your digital marketing strategy is key to ensuring the success and ROI of these marketing tools. However, knowing where to begin is not always easy. If you use our simple guide to YouTube Optimisation, you’ll be shooting to the dizzying heights of the YouTube search pages in no time! Conduct Keyword Research Before doing anything else, the top priority for YouTube SEO is keyword research. There ar

Nic Lapham

Questioning
Aug 2019
9 MIN READ

10 Questions & 5 Red Flags When Hiring SEO Agency

QUESTIONS How much experience do you have? Determining how much experience your new SEO agency has is a key factor in deciding whether or not to hire them. Whilst everyone has to start somewhere if the person/team running your SEO has minimal experience in SEO, previous employment or otherwise, it simply does not bode well for the success of your campaign. How do you measure the success of a campaign? Any SEO agency worth their salt should have appropriate and effective KPIs in place to ensure that your campaign is on the right track. For examp

admin

Scales
Aug 2019
10 MIN READ

Pros and Cons of Shopify

Setting foot into the world of opening your own Shopify shop is an exciting time for any new entrepreneur. However, it’s important to make sure that it’s the right thing for you and that you have all of the facts and information before diving into your new business venture. So without further adieu, let’s get down to brass tacks. Pros Usability Shopify’s ease of use for businesses and consumers alike makes it an attractive solution to an often complicated problem – eCommerce. When setting up an online store the more that can be au

Nic Lapham

photographer
Aug 2019
8 MIN READ

Image File Types – Explained

A picture’s a picture, right? Not when it comes to web design and SEO. Believe it or not, image optimisation has a dramatic effect on your website’s SEO. So dramatic, in fact that we wrote an entire blog on it! Each file type has its own benefits, drawbacks and have their purpose. So, what’s the difference between PNG and JPEG? GIF and SVG? A Picture’s worth a thousand words (or 1,091)... Before we dive into the ins and outs of image file types, we’ve created this handy infographic for you to download, share with co-workers or frien

Nic Lapham

The 8 Elements of Visual Hierarchy - waterfall image
Aug 2019
9 MIN READ

The 8 Elements of Visual Hierarchy

Visual Hierarchy (VH) is the design principle that outlines the order in which a user of any given website interacts with and processes information on a page. By manipulating elements of a website to have a clearer hierarchy and designing a site effectively around this principle, designers can influence the importance that users perceive information across the website to have. You can guide your user’s eyes around through your website, focusing on CTAs and integral pieces of information. The 8 elements of Visual Hierarchy are:Positioning Si

Nic Lapham

climbing
Aug 2019
14 MIN READ

How to target featured snippets and increase traffic

Before you get too deep into this article, we advise you to first read our post on whether featured snippets are worth it for SEO, if you haven’t already. It sets the scene for the items we’ll be covering here, providing some background before we get into the more juicy ‘how-tos’ of this post. We’ll be expanding on how to identify the correct snippets to go after, as well as providing some tips on how to structure your content in order to get yourself featured. Why should you target featured snippets? Over the last 10 years, Google ha

Simon Ensor

question
Aug 2019
7 MIN READ

Google’s new “Request a Quote” Button

What is this new button? Google has added a new feature – the “Request a Quote” button. This button enables searchers to directly request a quote for your services, directly from the SERPs. It’s there to be more seamless, reduce friction between users searching for your business, and answers the no.1 question – “What will cost?”. So, what does this button mean for your SEO, and how do you get it? How do I get Google’s request a quote button? The only way to get the feature is to turn on the messaging feature in Google My

Simon Ensor

Stealing
Aug 2019
10 MIN READ

Is Google really stealing traffic?

There has been great outcry from industries that are seemingly under attack from the Big G. The search engine is constantly improving their service for searchers, offering flight comparison, job boards, books and more. This is all well and good for the users that make up 3.5 billion searches a day. However, it can be detrimental for platforms that have built their businesses on providing this service. But are Google really stealing traffic from publishers? As we discussed in our post on featured snippets, Google claim to be conscious of their p

Simon Ensor

Highlighted text
Jul 2019
11 MIN READ

Are Featured Snippets Worth It For SEO?

Once upon a time, SEO was solely focussed on getting to that number one position for high value search terms. The SERPs were linear and the goal was clear. To an extent this is still the case. Ranking at the top of the SERPs for your most prominent keywords can be incredibly lucrative. However, the SERPs are continually growing in complexity. Our analytics capabilities are getting stronger and stronger. Even the way in which we use search engines has changed dramatically. Remember this clip from College Humor? Notice anything different? We now

Simon Ensor

Globe
Jul 2019
10 MIN READ

Implementing International SEO For A Multi-Language Website

Maybe you have one website and all your content is in English, but you’ve realised that you have a lot of customers visiting your site from China. Or maybe you are expanding your services beyond your native country’s borders, and want to target English-speakers worldwide, and not just in England or America. When you are looking to implement SEO for a multi-language website, you’ll need to look into language targeting.  Language targeting is when you market your services or products towards users across the globe who all speak the same la

Nic Lapham

Cookies gif
Jul 2019
7 MIN READ

Cookies and the Consent Banner

What are Cookies? What exactly are cookies and when we’re accepting them, what are we signing up for? There are a few different types of Cookie, but they primarily fall under the umbrella of being key-value data that is stored by your browser which is then sent back to the web server. They carry your information from one web session to another and saves a server from having to deal with huge amounts of data storage whilst building a profile on your browsing habits. This might sound very Orwellian but if you’ve ever logged into a website suc

Nic Lapham

Map
Jul 2019
9 MIN READ

Expanding Overseas | International SEO For Multinational Websites

You’ve made the decision. You’ve started looking beyond your own borders and want to start selling your service or products to customers abroad as well as domestically. But how do you get your website ready for international expansion, and how do you make sure it’s SEO optimised for targeting users in multiple countries? When it comes to implementing country-specific SEO, country targeting is the best option available to you. Country targeting is when you market your services and products specifically towards audiences in more than one co

Nic Lapham

Image crop
Jul 2019
16 MIN READ

Web Image Optimisation for SEO

What is Image Optimisation? Image optimisation is the process of adjusting aspects of the imagery that is used across your website. It helps you achieve the perfect balance between quality and readability for humans and robots alike and is a key part of SEO. Factors such as the file size of your image, the file type (JPEG, GIF, PNG) and even the thumbnails in your site can all have an effect on the load speed of your website, and therefore your SERPs (search engine results pages) rankings. So, what does optimising your imagery entail? Let’s t

Nic Lapham

Global
Jul 2019
6 MIN READ

International SEO | What To Do When Going Global

Expanding into new markets is a thrilling time for any business, but it can also be a risky one. You’re moving up in the world, moving into new, uncharted markets (at least by you) and are eager to make the most out of the exciting opportunities that they offer. However, there’s also the risk that it won’t pan out. When you decide that you want go international with your website, it’s an all or nothing scenario. You can’t dip your toe in the water when it comes to making changes to your website to best target your new audiences. Y

Nic Lapham

Cursor Animation
Jul 2019
7 MIN READ

Should I Be Using Custom Cursors?

No, you haven’t hit your head and ended up back in 2007. Custom cursors are back like they never left and they’re the latest accoutrement to website UI/UX worldwide. These aren’t the gimmicky space invaders and sparkling unicorns of yester-year. The latest generation of custom cursors are sleek, sexy and designed with the user in mind… for the most part.  Are they worth it?  As with everything, it’s not necessarily the product - it’s how it’s made. Similar to the iPhone/Android debate, whilst some people love the physical desi

Nic Lapham

What are Microinteractions and Why Does My Site Need Them?
Jun 2019
8 MIN READ

What are Microinteractions and Why Does My Site Need Them?

Microinteractions are often overlooked features when you’re busy designing and building a website. When searching for “Key factors to consider when building a website”, none of the searches returned results on the first page of the SERPs even mentioned Microinteractions. This is despite the fact that they’re one of the key pieces of functionality. They provide useful feedback to users when they interact with (and become initially involved with) your business online.  What are Microinteractions?  Microinteractions (MIs) are small, inst

Nic Lapham

Mobile
Jun 2019
8 MIN READ

Google’s latest mobile-first updates

The shift towards mobile-first internet browsing has taken another step forward with two recent updates from Google. The first being a change in the way Google search results are displayed on mobile devices, and the second being that as of July 1st 2019, Google will begin mobile-first indexing for new websites. Here at Yellowball, we pride ourselves on bringing you the latest developments in the world of internet search. Read on for our rundown of what the latest Google updates mean for you and your website. Changes to mobile SERPs Google’s n

Nic Lapham

SEO: In House Vs. Agency
Jun 2019
13 MIN READ

SEO: In House SEO Vs. SEO Agency

Investing the time, energy and resources into a beautiful website without also investing in SEO, is like buying a new car and not buying petrol. It’ll sit on your driveway looking pretty, but it’s not going to get you anywhere. However, entering the world of SEO, how it works, and trying to make a decision about the best route forward for you and your business can seem like a mind-boggling task. We’ve taken stock of what’s out there and the different SEO solutions that are available. We’ve put together a comprehensive, transparent pro

Simon Ensor

Traffic lights
May 2019
10 MIN READ

How useful are the Yoast Plugin SEO & Readability Scores?

Let’s get one thing straight. The Yoast SEO plug-in is one of, if not the most popular SEO plugin for WordPress websites. It’s been around since 2008. It has over 5 million installations and at the time of writing, a 4.9 out of 5 rating from over 26,000 reviews on WordPress.org. It’s really useful. We use it at Yellowball on a lot of our clients’ websites. The plugin allows webmasters to update meta data with consummate ease. We’d highly recommend using it! However, there are some common misconceptions around Yoast’s SEO and readabi

Simon Ensor

Moz website
Mar 2019
9 MIN READ

Moz’s Domain Authority is changing – what does this mean?

You may have had your feathers ruffled by the news that Moz have been making some developmental amends to the metric they’re most renowned for in the SEO world: Domain Authority. The changes are set to roll out today (5th March 2019). And while they shouldn’t necessarily be anything to worry about, you definitely want to make yourself – and any clients of yours – aware of the changes. We’ve much to be grateful to Moz for and the intention of this move is to ensure (further) that we’re getting the most out of the data they provide us

Nic Lapham

WE’RE HIRING – Marketing Manager
Feb 2019
4 MIN READ

WE’RE HIRING – Marketing Manager

We are looking for a talented, hands-on marketing manager to help create, shape and lead campaigns on behalf of our expanding London agency. As Yellowball’s marketing manager, you will be responsible for creating and delivering marketing strategies for the company, organising events and working closely with our internal SEO team.Who are we?Yellowball is a digital marketing agency specialising in website design and SEO (search engine optimisation). We work with businesses who are committed to their digital marketing and our clients ran

Simon Ensor

WE’RE HIRING – Marketing Manager
Feb 2019
4 MIN READ

WE’RE HIRING – Junior designer

We are looking for a talented Junior Designer with passion, ambition and drive to join our fast growing digital marketing agency. As a Junior Designer, you will be responsible for the design and artwork of digital and print-based collateral supporting our expanding design and marketing teams.Who are we?Yellowball is a digital marketing agency specialising in website design, search engine optimisation and graphic design. We work with businesses who are committed to their digital marketing and our clients range from funded scale-ups t

Simon Ensor

Common Pitfalls When Designing a Website
Jan 2019
9 MIN READ

Common Pitfalls When Designing a Website

Designing a new website can be an incredibly exciting time for a business. All those ideas that have been discussed internally since the last site went live, grand plans for global domination, a new lease of life for the marketing team. Opportunity awaits! It does not matter whether you are using an external web design agency, an internal team or are designing the website yourself. Nor does it matter if you are designing your website on Adobe XD ready to be given to developers, or are utilising more templated drag and drop editors, to help you

Simon Ensor

Why Performance Based SEO Campaigns SUCK for Clients & Agencies
Jan 2019
25 MIN READ

Why Performance Based SEO Campaigns SUCK for Clients & Agencies

The concept of performance based SEO campaigns is simple. Formerly known as ‘Pay for Rankings’ campaigns, they’re based upon the agency being paid only as and when they deliver results (or a substantial amount of monthly fees withheld until results are produced). Awesome! If agencies are so confident in their SEO abilities, surely they would be happy to put their money where their mouths are?On the surface of it, yes. It looks great and believe me, as an agency, if we could make it work it would make our lives a hell of a lot easier w

Simon Ensor

Gutenberg Editor
Jan 2019
18 MIN READ

WordPress 5.0 Update, The Gutenberg Editor and SEO: The lowdown

Some of you will be tearing your hair out because of WordPress 5.0 and Gutenberg. Some of you will be waiting until it is more stable. Some of you will have no idea what we are talking about. As an intro, on 6th December 2018 (i.e last month at the time of writing), WordPress released its biggest update ever: WordPress 5.0. The main news in this update is the Gutenberg Editor, a supposedly much more fluid and easier to use main editor within the WordPress Content Management System. So what’s the big deal? Well, whilst the general consensus se

Nic Lapham

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Aug 2021
7 MIN READ

We’re Hiring – UX Web Digital Designer

Role: UX Web Digital Designer  Start date: Immediate Location: London & remote with flexible part/full-time options Who are we? Yellowball are a London-based multi award-winning digital marketing agency. We’re experts in web design, SEO, paid search and design, partnering with clients of every shape and size across the UK and internationally. With passion, creativity and razor-sharp commercial focus wired into everything we do, we’re trusted by organisations everywhere to deliver real impact and results.  We’re looking for a talente

Owen Hunnam

Aug 2020
5 MIN READ

🚀 We’re Hiring – SEO Account Manager

Yellowball are looking for a seriously talented and experienced SEO Account Manager to join our fast-growing team. Who are we? Yellowball is a multi award-winning digital marketing agency specialising in web, SEO, PPC, video and design, partnering with brands and businesses of every shape and size across the UK. With passion, creativity and razor-sharp commercial focus wired into everything we do, we're trusted by organisations everywhere to deliver real impact and results.We love what we do and deliver a great, ROI-focussed service. As a

Owen Hunnam

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Jan 2019
3 MIN READ

We’re Hiring – SEO Executive

Yellowball are looking for a seriously talented SEO Executive with a few years experience to join our fast-growing team. Who are we? Yellowball is a digital marketing agency specialising in website design and search engine optimisation. We work with businesses who are committed to their digital marketing from funded scale ups through to more established organisations and brands. We love what we do and deliver a great, ROI focussed service. As an agency we are growing quickly both in terms of headcount and the types of clients that we engage wit

Simon Ensor

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Jan 2019
3 MIN READ

We’re hiring – Content Writer / SEO Executive

div class="description">Yellowball are looking for a seriously talented Digital Marketing Executive with impeccable content writing skills and a strong interest in SEO to join our fast-growing team.Who are we?Yellowball is a digital marketing agency specialising in website design and search engine optimisation. We work with businesses who are committed to their digital marketing from funded scale ups through to more established organisations and brands.We love what we do and deliver a great, ROI focussed service. As an agency we

Simon Ensor

Reviewing our SEO predictions of 2018
Dec 2018
15 MIN READ

Reviewing our SEO predictions of 2018

Reviewing our SEO predictions of 2018 At the end of each year, it’s become somewhat of a tradition for agencies to compile their SEO predictions for the following year. Back in January, we thought we’d look ahead as well! However, not many of these websites actually look into how accurate their predictions turned out to be. Considering the year is now coming to end, we thought it would be a good idea to see how well our SEO predictions played out throughout 2018. Continued rise of AI 2018 saw Google make some serious advancements in art

Simon Ensor

Website options
Dec 2018
13 MIN READ

You want a new website. What are your options?

You want a new website. What are your options? We’re not in 1998 anymore. The internet is no longer in its infancy, and most of us use the internet on a daily basis. We’re not here to persuade you that websites are critical components of a successful business, you probably know that already. Yes, there are businesses that don’t need a website, but their numbers are decreasing on a daily basis. Google is the Yellow Pages for the modern consumer to help them find anything and everything – a new cafe to have brunch, how a giraffe clean

Simon Ensor

Followers following
Dec 2018
8 MIN READ

Removing the fakers: How Instagram is tackling fake followers

Instagram, our favourite photo-sharing app, has announced that it is now taking steps to remove inauthentic account activity from its platform. But what does this mean for everyday users? Well, it means that Instagram is cracking down on all the fakers – fake followers, fake likes, and fake comments. All generated from accounts that are using third-party apps to grow their popularity and social media following artificially. With almost 1 billion users worldwide, Instagram has managed to stay fairly free of fake news and spam in compariso

Simon Ensor

UX/UI Illustration
Nov 2018
13 MIN READ

What is the difference between UX and UI?

UX and UI are both terms that are bandied around a lot, but there is often confusion as to what the difference is. There are important differences between the two, but they are becoming increasingly inter-mingled, as it is very tricky to have one without the other. This guide will outline the key differences and some of the history and theory of UX and UI design. The Basics   UI (USER INTERFACE) UI, or User Interface, is the surface look of a website and UI designers aim to maximise the usability and efficiency of a website. They will take

Nic Lapham

We're Hiring - SEO Executive
Nov 2018
3 MIN READ

We’re Hiring – Business Developer

Yellowball are looking for a talented Business Developer to join our fast growing digital marketing agency and to help drive the business forward. Who are we? Yellowball is a digital marketing agency working with market-leading brands across all areas of the marketing mix throughout London and the UK including leading Independent Schools, Governments, Software as a Service Platforms, Funded Scale Ups and many more . Our core services include:Website Design Search Engine Optimisation Branding and Graphic DesignWho are we lookin

Simon Ensor

Google’s new quality rater guidelines: Here’s what to expect
Jul 2018
7 MIN READ

Google’s new quality rater guidelines: Here’s what to expect

Google’s quality rater guidelines PDF was made available to the public in 2015. It outlines the ways in which Google’s team of quality raters judge onsite content. These raters don’t have any direct impact on your rankings, mind you, but they are the people who advise Google as to what future algorithm updates should be targeting in regards to poor content.The last major revisions to the document were made a year ago, but on the 20th of July 2018, the quality rater guidelines were updated once more. Taking aim primarily at what makes

Nic Lapham

Warrior
Jul 2018
11 MIN READ

Has Google beaten Black Hat SEO?

Since its inception SEO has been plagued with a tarnished reputation. A long history of manipulative behaviour by more than just a few in the industry and a number of high profile Google updates have, in the past, highlighted the constant struggle against low quality spammy work.Almost in conjunction with professional cycling, the years between 2011 and 2015 appeared to constitute a concerted effort by the ‘powers that be’, or more accurately the power that is (Google) to clean up the industry. Unfortunately, it’s safe to say that cyc

Simon Ensor

EU Commissioner
Jul 2018
5 MIN READ

EU fine Google record $5 billion : reaffirms focus on mobile search

This week saw Google receive a record fine of or €4.34 billion, or $5 billion, from the EU commission due to violation of anti-trust (*read ‘monopoly’) laws. Headed up by the tenacious EU Commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, this follows a fine last year of €2.42 billion due to prioritisation of Google Shopping. Whichever way you look at it, that’s a lot of money. With a reported $103 billion in cash reserves on the face of it, Google’s parent company Alphabet can afford the fines. However, it does bring up some interesting speculation

Simon Ensor

SERP
Apr 2018
9 MIN READ

What Google’s infinite scrolling on mobile means for you

If you’ve used Google on your mobile in the past week or so, you may have noticed that something isn’t quite right. The ads, images and rich snippets are all where you’d expect them to be, but pay attention and you’ll realise that you can no longer go to page 2, 3, etc. Instead, we now have a “More results” button. When clicked, a new page is loaded directly beneath your current place in the SERP with nothing to differentiate the fact you’re on page two. This pagination-free mobile format has been tested a few times before, includ

Nic Lapham

Report
Apr 2018
7 MIN READ

Google AdWords Metrics to Use for SEO

When we think of Google and how it can impact our businesses, or our clients’ bottom line, two main areas come to mind: AdWords and SEO. AdWords being Google’s ads that dominate the top spots and represent their cha-ching machine, while SEO is the process of optimising your website and content to increase organic rankings naturally, over time (as you are probably totally aware of). AdWords is hugely popular, first and foremost because it is instant; once set up, your ads (and website) are on Google’s first pages. Secondly, it’s tang

Simon Ensor

Analytics graph
Mar 2018
18 MIN READ

SEO reporting metrics: the definitive starter guide

Understanding how SEO works is meaningless if you do not also understand if it’s working. Marketers and businesses should always pay close attention to the effects of their SEO work in order to perfect their approach and drive valuable results. This is where metrics come in. Yes, they may seem boring at first, kind of like Times New Roman or Morrissey fans. But trust us, SEO reporting metrics are your friends. They help us understand the impact of our efforts. But how exactly should you go about effectively measuring the success of an SEO cam

Simon Ensor

Navigating the new Google Search Console
Mar 2018
16 MIN READ

Navigating the new Google Search Console

Here at Yellowball, we like to think of ourselves as people who always welcome progression, whether in the SEO industry, the design space, or in the volatile realm of social media – after all, it is our job to stay on top of these things. Change usually comes hand-in-hand with opportunity and potential. It brings the chance to develop new approaches, grow your skills, improve your understanding, and question your own assumptions. That’s the idea anyway… Those who operate in the big bad world of SEO may have noticed a recent change of scen

Simon Ensor

Typing
Feb 2018
10 MIN READ

How to write content for SEO

In a recent Whiteboard Friday, Rand Fishkin spoke about the way writing content for SEO has changed over the years. When search engine optimisation first began, it was something of a wild west; today’s Black Hat tactics were the norm back in the early 2000s. The SEO tactics used two decades ago on platforms like Netscape have, unsurprisingly, changed dramatically. However, the techniques used by SEO experts even 5 to 10 years ago, when the landscape of the web was a lot more familiar, are still used and are most often entirely outdated today.

Simon Ensor

Facebook login
Jan 2018
8 MIN READ

What Facebook’s news feed updates mean for you

Social media is dominating our lives more and more each year, with the average person spending almost two hours a day on social platforms! However, with the huge growth in the social media experience over the past few years, concerns have been growing in regards to the impact of the medium on our health. This recent health consciousness seems to be the catalyst for the latest Facebook news that’s been blowing up online over the past few days. Facebook acknowledged the impact of the platform on the health of the site’s nearly 2bn users in De

Simon Ensor

Why Web Design is Critical for SEO
Jan 2018
7 MIN READ

Why Web Design is Critical for SEO

When you hear people talk about search engine optimisation you are most likely going to hear them talk about content and links. It’s no surprise considering that Google themselves have said that content and links are two of the three most important ranking factors (Rankbrain being the third). However, whilst these three may well garner the most attention, you are also likely to hear that there are ‘over 200 factors’ that influence a website’s ability to rank in the SERPs. These can range from title tags to preparing for Google’s upcom

Simon Ensor

Net Neutrality Repeal could impact SEO & digital marketing heavily
Jan 2018
9 MIN READ

Net Neutrality Repeal could impact SEO & digital marketing heavily

The United States of America. The bastion, nay the very zenith of capitalism is now a country seemingly turning its back on net neutrality, with US regulators (led by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai) voting to repeal the laws put in place by President Obama to protect net neutrality. For those that are not aware of what net neutrality is, it is where internet service providers (ISPs) offer access to the internet without favouring, blocking or charging additionally for certain content, websites or applications. There is a popular saying, especially in the

Simon Ensor

crystal ball
Jan 2018
11 MIN READ

8 predictions for SEO in 2018

It’s both the exasperation and the thrill of working in SEO: the rules of the game are constantly in a state of flux. New advancements in technology, major updates from Google and changes in the habits and trends of consumers are all factors which contribute to the work of SEOs.  It’s a perpetually evolving industry and part of an SEO’s job is to remain firmly afloat of any new updates and changes which could affect a digital marketing strategy. With this in mind, we thought it would be helpful to compile our top predictions for SEO in 2

Simon Ensor

Teaching
Dec 2017
11 MIN READ

Making Sense of SEO: The Core Theories

At its core, SEO is the practice of increasing a website’s ability to rank at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) for a set of target keywords, also known as ‘search terms’. In turn, this results in increased traffic to a website from search engines. There are no underhand tricks, it does not involve arcane magic or entry into a cult. Sure, granular details can get a little heavy, especially on the technical side, but we believe the core theories of search engine optimisation are easy to understand. If you only remember two

Simon Ensor

To do list
Dec 2017
8 MIN READ

Reaping SEO Rewards – First You Need to Start!

It happens all the time. You have a task that you know is going to involve something reasonably arduous. The difficulty can manifest itself in multiple forms whether that be some hard work, an investment of time or money or even just require a devotion of brain power. Your tasks may not even be that arduous, there might just be a lot of them. Whatever the reason is, the entirety of the task appears too daunting to even start. Too much to do, too complex, too little time, costs too much….all seemingly viable reasons. We see this all the time.

Simon Ensor

The best SEO learning resources for beginners
Oct 2017
10 MIN READ

The best SEO learning resources for beginners

So you want to learn about this thing called ‘Search Engine Optimisation’… We know, it’s daunting, it’s confusing, there’s so much to learn, and there’s all sorts of SEO specific terminology. Luckily for you, we live in the age of the internet: almost anything can be self-taught using the wealth of free resources available online. But with so much available on the web, how do you even get started without getting headaches from the information overload? We’ve done some of the legwork for you by pooling together a handy list o

Simon Ensor

Adwords scrabble
Oct 2017
8 MIN READ

6 pro tips for AdWords newbies

So you have ventured down the rabbit hole and set-up a new AdWords campaign, great work champ! You have completed the first part, chosen some keywords, written Ads and probably a few more bits and bobs (I hope), but what next? How do you turn your Ads from “meh”, to “Okay, these are actually working well, go me!”. Well, Hamish (that’s me) is here to help, with some straightforward pro-tips (I’m the pro bit), to get AdWords working for you, as opposed to the other way around.   PRO TIP NUMBER ONE: Quality Score From a rankin

Simon Ensor

Keypad
Oct 2017
11 MIN READ

Twitter’s new 280-character limit: bad business or new paradigm?

For a long time now, Twitter’s founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has been toying with the idea of scrapping their famous 140-character limit in favour of something a little less restrictive. In January 2016, the hashtag #beyond140 was doing the rounds after Dorsey posted a Twitter rant about the use of screenshots to convey more text on Twitter, asking the question “what if text… was actually text?” Rumours then began spreading about the limit increasing to a whopping 10,000 characters, prompting Dorsey to snap out of his musings and reassure

Simon Ensor

Google logo
Sep 2017
16 MIN READ

8 Reasons why SEO works so well

The layman would be forgiven for thinking that marketing was all celebrity endorsements and outrageous give away competitions. Sure there are areas of the marketing industry that capitalise on stratospheric budgets, but for those of us that aren’t on first name terms with messers Dicaprio and Pitt, we have to choose the most effective marketing channel for our clients’ needs. Disclaimer: many of us at Yellowball have devoted a lot of time to becoming experts in the world of search engine optimisation so we hold our hands up…we are pro

Simon Ensor

Google screen
Aug 2017
9 MIN READ

The Future of AdWords

When it comes to questioning Google’s future, you will often find the query met with raised eyebrows, or even questions like ‘You all good?’. After all, it’s Google and it ain’t going anywhere anytime soon. However, while I agree Google will be a staple for years to come, what about their own in house money machine? We are of course speaking about Google AdWords. From a personal perspective, AdWords has played a very important role in my life. My career for the last 7 years has revolved around the sales and management of PPC campaigns

Simon Ensor

Why Keyword Rankings are misleading for SEO
Aug 2017
10 MIN READ

Why Keyword Rankings are misleading for SEO

By its very nature, search engine optimisation is about increasing your website’s ability to rank for given search terms, which in turn should result in more conversions from the search engine results pages (SERPs). No wonder then that for a long time the primary focus of SEO campaigns has been on getting people to rank higher for their ‘target keywords’. The problem is that a blinkered focus on keyword rankings, especially if it is on a handful of ‘money keywords’ is a not a true measure of success. It can also lead you into some fun

Simon Ensor

Quick tips on how to improve website conversions
Aug 2017
10 MIN READ

Quick tips on how to improve website conversions

What does website conversion mean? I am sure you have heard the phrase ‘website conversion rate’ being bounced around the office or at networking events, but what does it actually mean? Essentially it is the measure of how good your website is at getting your users to do what you want them to. Whether that be get in touch, request a brochure or buy your products. Having a good conversion rate should be the top priority for any website; after all if you are going to invest time, money and resources into a site then you want it to deliver res

Nic Lapham

5 reasons why you should put content first
Aug 2017
7 MIN READ

5 reasons why you should put content first

Content first design. It’s pretty much what it says on the tin. Creating your website’s main messaging and content before starting the design process.As designers we can completely understand the urge to charge ahead and kick start the design process. The content stage can often be far more time consuming and complex than you might initially think and usually requires the most investment from your end. When you have just signed off to start a website design project, to hold off on seeing the actual designs seems deflating after the init

Nic Lapham

Behaviour flow
Aug 2017
7 MIN READ

Do User Metrics Really Affect SEO?

Does Google take into account how people interact with your site when deciding to rank your website in their search results? A subject somewhat shrouded in mystery and confusing literature – leaving people unsure as to whether user and usage data is a ranking factor for SEO. Regardless of whether you read the evidence we have gathered below, along with some more speculative theories…improving user experience and flow through your website should be important to you regardless of whether or not it has an effect on SEO. Concentrating o

Simon Ensor

Google feed customisation
Jul 2017
14 MIN READ

An in depth look at the Google redesign

Touted as the largest change to Google’s homepage for the past two decades, Google’s new homepage feed has been rolled out to mobile users in the US, with a worldwide rollout imminent (we already have it in the UK). This is likely to then encompass Google’s homepage on desktops as well. The long and the short of it is that under the search bar Google have added a customisable feed to their app, providing quick access to your most favoured content.What exactly does it do? Do we see this taking off? Is it another attempt by Google at soci

Simon Ensor

UI Wireframe
Jul 2017
9 MIN READ

Tips for an inclusive design: accessibility in UI

As web interfaces continue to evolve, it is becoming increasingly important not to get distracted from the main purpose of a site: to deliver a message. In order for this message to successfully reach your audience, the website needs to be easy to use – intuitive, with good information architecture and (preferably) beautiful. As the web has evolved, it has become an alternative world – a new “dimension” where we while away hours upon hours. Crucially, the web is all-inclusive and accessible. Therefore one factor we must not forg

Nic Lapham

DSLR
Jul 2017
8 MIN READ

How photos can make or break your website

A beautifully designed website with well-constructed copy will be undermined if the accompanying imagery is not high quality. Impressive imagery will engage the user, instigating authenticity and professionalism. Furthermore, studies show that visuals are not only processed 60,000 times faster than text by the brain but they also transmit significantly more information. Therefore, the right imagery improves the user experience, allowing visitors to navigate your site with ease and enjoyment. As a result, they are less likely to become frustrate

Nic Lapham

Canon camera
Jul 2017
11 MIN READ

10 tips for using Instagram for business

Did you know that Instagram has over 700 million users? That’s a lot of people and therefore a lot of opportunity. Instagram also offers benefits that other platforms simply do not, particularly when it comes to engagement rates. The Instagram community is an active, friendly bunch and offer impressive levels of interaction with content on the platform. Say hello to some serious marketing potential. Instagram is not just about pictures of fluffy animals and poached eggs on smashed avocado. The platform harbours a lot of potential to really es

Simon Ensor

Amazon spark
Jul 2017
6 MIN READ

New ‘Amazon Spark’ is looking to disrupt social commerce

Amazon have launched Amazon Spark to their US based customers, a quasi social network come e-commerce platform that looks to capitalise on the potential of social commerce and the ‘walled gardens’ that are pursued by the big social platforms. Initial reports are of an Instagram style feed with the added functionality of tagging specific products and inventory checks direct from Amazon. The theory being that users can browse Amazon Spark, comment, like and crucially buy almost directly from the feed. Amazon are tackling social commerce in th

Simon Ensor

Video Recorder
Jul 2017
9 MIN READ

LinkedIn Video offers a new dimension to B2B marketing

2017 is a year of change for LinkedIn. They finally rolled out a new design for their professional network earlier in 2017 and have even released Instagram esque filters for your profile filter, albeit less extensive. This month (July 2017) saw LinkedIn jump on the video bandwagon with the ability to upload native video, which the marketing world is particularly excited about. As per usual, let’s cover off the basics. What is native video? It is when a user has the ability to upload video content directly to the platform (in this case LinkedI

Simon Ensor

code on screen
Jun 2017
6 MIN READ

A guide to using the Facebook pixel for stellar remarketing campaigns

If you are unaware of the immense opportunity and potential offered by Facebook advertising, in terms of both reach and conversions, then you need to listen up! Facebook gives you the ability to run hyper-targeted campaigns for a fraction of the cost of more traditional marketing streams – it’s a marketer’s dream. Plus, you can take control over the copy and visual elements, as well as access to various handy reporting metrics. As if this wasn’t useful enough, Facebook’s advertising platform also allows you to reach people who hav

Simon Ensor

Responsive code
Jun 2017
7 MIN READ

The Pros and Cons of Mobile First Design

You don’t have to be an expert in digital marketing to know that mobile has been gaining significant territory over the last few years. If you want to stay ahead of the game, you need to understand the importance of a sound digital strategy to the overall success of your business. At the heart of this sits your website.Ensuring that your website is optimised for mobile is a given but what about designing for mobile first? In other words, you design your website first and foremost for mobile devices, with desktop designs comprising the sec

Nic Lapham

Stats
Jun 2017
9 MIN READ

Which SEO metrics should you use?

The confusing world of undefined metrics The SEO world has traditionally been thought of as the darker corners of the marketing ecosystem, full of hard ‘dark arts’ and terminology. Sure it takes a little time to get your head around all of the various factors involved and the terminology can be overwhelming but at Yellowball we love to provide clarity on the subject. So here we are again, this time looking at the overarching SEO metrics available to you. Which ones are important, which ones are redundant and should you pay attention to them

Simon Ensor

Working on laptop
Jun 2017
5 MIN READ

How to supercharge your content marketing with data (part two)

In part one of this post, we discussed the importance of refining your content marketing strategy using data and how to go about doing this. We explained how to use analytics, social media and keyword research to ensure that you are choosing the right topics and reaching the right people. The second part will build on this advice, looking at how to more accurately measure your content ROI and the one metric you simply have to be using (hint: it involves conversions). Time is money In order to better establish the return on investment you are re

Simon Ensor

keyboard
May 2017
6 MIN READ

How to supercharge your content marketing with data (part one)

Content marketing is the buzzword of the moment; everyone is doing it but not everyone is doing it right. Ultimately about building a rapport with a high-value and relevant audience, content marketing is a means of generating a two-way conversation with potential customers. Creating content, or stories, is a means of providing a more human experience to establish genuine relationships with the people who visit your business online. Building this rapport is one of the biggest challenges faced by content marketers. With millions of articles poste

Simon Ensor

Instagram Face Filters
May 2017
7 MIN READ

Instagram face filters are released: sigh, complain, join.

In the UK (and presumably all around the world) we are taught from a young age that plagiarism is bad and should be punished. However, it has become apparent that this is not the case in the world of tech, a world supposedly so focused on innovation and growth. It turns out that if you can’t patent it, be prepared for your closest competition to unashamedly copy. Expedia, Trivago, Kayak. Hailo, Lyft, Uber. Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook. Whilst we squirm a little in our seats at the clear rip off of Snapchat’s features, it must be said that

Simon Ensor

Google plus wasteland desert
May 2017
8 MIN READ

Why won’t Google let go of the ‘Google Plus’ Dream?

Okay, confession time. Over the past year or two we have given Twitter a bit of a hard time, from commenting on their internal turmoil to their lack of innovation and slow rate of growth. Twitter’s saving grace? They still get substantial publicity through news outlets, celebrities and their users which has so far allowed them to cling on as one of the larger players in the space. As interesting as it might be to update you guys on the goings on at Twitter, that is not the purpose of this article. We want to talk Google Plus. We like Google &

Simon Ensor

Tapping on mobile
May 2017
9 MIN READ

6 Ways to Increase Click-Through Rates from Search Engines

Impressions, clicks, CTR, queries, position, bounce rate, time on page. These are just a few examples of the overarching data that you can derive from Google Analytics and Google’s Search Console (formerly known as Webmaster Tools). It can all get rather confusing, especially when they all have their own merits for understanding the success of an SEO campaign. We wanted to deep dive into how you can improve your website’s appearance in search, therefore improving click-through rates from search engine results pages. High CTR = More Traffic

Simon Ensor

Links
May 2017
8 MIN READ

A link-building guide for beginners (part two)

In part one of this post, we discussed the importance of link-building and two of the most popular techniques to get you started. In part two we will share some further techniques for you to work on perfecting. From approaching the process with a PR mindset to fixing broken links, we will cover all of the most important bases. With our suggestions, advice and a fair bit of time on your hands, you’ll be a link-building whizz in no time! Put on your PR hat There is a considerable crossover between link-building and a digital form of PR. Afteral

Simon Ensor

Strong camera brands
Apr 2017
7 MIN READ

Recognising the importance of a strong brand

Branding is one of the most fundamental aspects of your business to get right. It is the appearance of your business, it is your reputation and it is the beating heart of your organisation. Yet so many companies fall short of seeing the importance of a strong brand, or how to go about creating one. ‘Branding’ is a word that’s thrown about a lot, but what does it actually mean and what does it encompass? Essentially, a brand is people’s perception of a company, from their customer service and reputation to their logo and much, much more.

Nic Lapham

mockup of snapchat UI
Apr 2017
7 MIN READ

How will temporary ‘stories’ impact social marketing?

We recently saw a fairly momentous event in the world of social media. Facebook launched their ‘Facebook Stories’; an unashamed copycat feature from Snapchat Stories. When we say copycat…they didn’t even change the name! Facebook had already rolled out what now appear to be test formats of Stories with Instagram and Whatsapp (both depressingly owned by the giant) but saved the coup de gras for their own roll out. Instagram and Whatsapp’s features simply copied the ability to post video/picture stories that vanished within 24 hours

Simon Ensor

mockup of devices on Google
Mar 2017
6 MIN READ

What the Fred Google Update means for your website

In early March rumours started flying around about an unconfirmed update to the Google algorithm. The update has been lovingly named ‘Fred’ (why not) and has sparked much debate and speculation amongst SEOs. Why? Well, because no one really knows what it is that Fred does. Fear not though - we wouldn’t be writing a blog post if we had no helpful information to share. We have done our research, gathered the intelligence and written this post to explain what Fred could mean for you. What does Fred do? Annoyingly, Google has refused to con

Simon Ensor

analytics screen
Mar 2017
9 MIN READ

Making your SEO and social media strategies work together

We often get asked whether social media has any effect on SEO; unfortunately the answer is not a straightforward ‘yes’ or ‘no’ in this case. There are a range of different opinions bumping around on the web, so in this post we will aim to debunk the myths and explain how you can ensure your social media strategy complements your SEO. A good place to start is with the response from the Google behemoth themselves. Google has previously confirmed back in 2014 that social media is not a ranking factor in SEO. I know what you’re thinking &

Simon Ensor

coins
Mar 2017
10 MIN READ

How much should you pay for SEO?

The old adage of ‘you get what you pay for’ rings true for the majority of industries and SEO is certainly no different. There are a multitude of companies and lone wolves offering cheap SEO services with grand promises of first page rankings and fast. In reality, the only way to achieve such a promise is by employing suspect black-hat techniques, which can land you in big trouble with the Overlord Google. With cheap SEO your risk profile for penalties and ultimately ending up in a worse position than when you started increases substantiall

Simon Ensor

snapchat stock image
Feb 2017
8 MIN READ

Snapchat’s IPO & Social Media Marketers

In the middle of last year we wrote an article about whether marketers should really be paying attention to Snapchat and let’s be honest, the jury is still out on this one especially for smaller businesses. Well with Snapchat (or Snap Inc.) having filed for an IPO and currently pitching to investors it appears that the app is all grown up. So should social media marketers start to take the app seriously as a marketing platform? Prices can be eye watering Let’s get one thing straight here. Snapchat love to talk about large brands gaining suc

Simon Ensor

10 quick SEO tips for a new website launch
Feb 2017
9 MIN READ

10 quick SEO tips for a new website launch

You may have noticed (well, we hope you have!) that we recently launched our shiny new website. We are absolutely delighted with the result and the response it has gained so far. Nevertheless, it has not been without its stresses and it is easy to underestimate the scale of such a task.The launch of a website is far more intricate than a beautiful new look and cool new features - there are a whole myriad of elements and issues to consider. As SEO experts, we also understand the importance of transferring any previous ranking authority over

Simon Ensor

facebook stories on mobile
Feb 2017
5 MIN READ

Introducing Facebook Stories

The latest revelation from Facebook is that they are currently testing ‘Facebook Stories’ in Ireland. Facebook Stories – hang on, that sounds familiar. Deja vu or another unashamed attempt at plagiarising the poor chaps over at Snapchat? Following the success of Instagram stories last year, Zuckerberg and his team of tech wizards have decided to test the stories feature on the mother of social networks. Interestingly, they already tested Facebook stories back in July 2016 but decided not to roll it out. Perhaps they suspected that In

Simon Ensor

Linkedin learning mock up
Feb 2017
5 MIN READ

LinkedIn’s New Design: more than just connections (Part Three)

LinkedIn may not polarise opinions as much as Twitter but the data shows a struggle to grow their regular user base. Users tend to dip in and out of the platform depending on their personal circumstances, for example whether they are searching for a new job or not! LinkedIn’s new designs takes steps to improve the user experience and “place conversations and content at the center” which may help with increasing their regular user base. The new face is a marked improvement, making the network easier to navigate, but will this help increase

Simon Ensor

Linkedin company page
Feb 2017
9 MIN READ

LinkedIn’s New (Bug Filled) Functionality – Part Two

LinkedIn’s recent roll out of a new desktop design is not just limited to a facelift. They have also introduced additional functionality for their users, including an updated search function and real-time messaging. Without any inside knowledge and as pure speculation, we reckon that LinkedIn have been looking at Mr Zuckerberg’s social network with envy over the past decade. Unable to innovate (probably because they are playing catch up), they have decided that plagiarism is an adequate substitute. As mentioned in our previous post  on Lin

Simon Ensor

New linkedin design format
Jan 2017
8 MIN READ

LinkedIn have finally updated their design – Part One

It’s been a long time coming, but on 19th January 2017 LinkedIn has finally rolled out the most significant change to their platform’s design for desktops and laptops since the business started. The overwhelming initial reactions across the web have been: “well it’s about time!”. Let’s face it, LinkedIn have been in need of a design revamp for a number of years now so whilst it is encouraging to see a social media platform revamp their look it has been long overdue.Up until now, LinkedIn seem to have relied upon their focus on b

Simon Ensor

Facebook company page screenshot
Jan 2017
9 MIN READ

How to push your posts up the Facebook news feed

Get to the top of a super competitive feed With a myriad of businesses all vying for the top spot in the Facebook news feed, it has never been more important to pay close attention to the organic reach of your posts. Facebook is a powerful marketing tool for businesses but competition for visibility in the news feed is constantly increasing; it is all too easy for posts to get lost in the depths of the ever overpopulated news feed. Businesses must step up their game in order to give their stories the best possible chance of featuring prominent

Simon Ensor

We're Hiring - Business Development Manager
Jan 2017
3 MIN READ

We’re Hiring – Business Development Manager

We’re looking for a talented and hungry business development manager to join Yellowball, our fast growing marketing agency. We’ve been around for 4 years and are an agency that prides itself on our ability to deliver exceptional work, on time and within budget. We work across a number of disciplines including website design and development, digital marketing campaigns and printed collateral as well as being trusted marketing advisors for our clients. In addition to this, we are not sector specific, meaning that you will be working with busi

Simon Ensor

We're Hiring - Designer
Jan 2017
4 MIN READ

We’re Hiring – Designer

We’re looking for a seriously talented Designer to join Yellowball, our fast-growing marketing agency to get stuck into a variety of exciting live projects. As an Integrated Designer you will be undertaking the design and artwork of digital and print based collateral as well as website design. As a Yellowball designer you will be working on a variety of projects so adaptability is key! Who are we? Yellowball is an award-winning creative agency working with clients ranging from start ups through to larger blue chips across London, the UK and

Simon Ensor

Goal conversions blog header
Oct 2016
8 MIN READ

Setting Up Goal Conversions in Google Analytics

We often talk about the importance of using Google Analytics to track the success of your website and to delve into useful statistics. Measuring popular statistics like pageviews, bounce rate, session duration, popular content and demographics are all essential metrics to be noting but let’s face it, everyone and their dog knows about these statistics and how to access them. Whilst still valuable, they are merely indicative of the overall success of your site and may not translate directly into business success. Goal Conversions A lower bounc

Simon Ensor

Social media crystal ball
Sep 2016
9 MIN READ

Social Media Marketing Predictions 2016 | An Update

At the start of the year we honed our best crystal ball skills and shared our social media marketing predictions for 2016. Nine months later we thought it was time to see how we did. Despite many industries and markets facing a period of stagnation following various political and economic upheavals, social media is still at the forefront of growth. Accordingly, Snapchat continues to expand its user base, as do the likes of Instagram and Pinterest. Meanwhile, Twitter appears to be straggling behind as it continues to grapple against heavy compet

Simon Ensor

UX:UI mock up
Sep 2016
10 MIN READ

UX Design Part 2 | Information Architecture

Information Architecture (IA) is the method of structuring and organising content. The term is used in a variety of industries but as you might expect we are referring to it in the context of websites. Just like the foundations of a building, information architecture is the essential building blocks of a website. Without it, the rest of the site could fall apart. Despite this, IA can be an underestimated part of the web design process. Furthermore, often it is wrongly based on opinion alone, as opposed to careful research and planning. The aim

Nic Lapham

graphic for GA spam
Aug 2016
9 MIN READ

How to eradicate Google Analytics spam

For anyone who runs a website, Google Analytics is a vital tool that helps you measure, learn and grow. Data from Google Analytics helps business owners and marketers make key decisions and improve their return on investment based on the behaviour of traffic on their website, yet the vast majority of small to medium sized business are being plagued with spam on their Google Analytics. You may not even be aware of the problem, but you should be. Spam will skew your statistics and inaccurate analytics could be preventing you from making sound bus

Simon Ensor

create instagram story
Aug 2016
8 MIN READ

Instagram Stories vs Snapchat Stories

Last week saw the bold release of Instagram Stories. Users can now share a string of photos and videos edited with drawings and captions that last for 10 seconds and self-destruct after 24 hours. Sound familiar? Familiar may not be a strong enough word. Rather, it seems more like blatant plagiarism of Snapchat’s most popular feature, reflected in their brazen choice to even use the same name. Nevertheless, the decision to introduce this new feature in such an unabashed manner seems to be a tactical move from Instagram. They want their users

Simon Ensor

Contact page
Jul 2016
12 MIN READ

Local SEO Part 1 | Location Pages

For those working in the world of search engine optimisation, we hear it all the time: “I would love to be able to target neighbouring areas or these locations”. Business owners naturally want to spread their net as wide as possible but this can be a little tricky, especially when you don’t have a physical office in these locations. Enter local landing pages. You may be aware of local landing pages but you may not be aware of how beneficial they can be in boosting location-specific SEO, nor might you be aware of the potential pitfalls ass

Simon Ensor

UX Header image
Jul 2016
8 MIN READ

UX Design Part 1 | Introduction to User Experience

User experience (UX) is used to describe the way a person feels when interacting with a system. In a modern context, the term is most commonly applied with regards to a person’s experience with a website, web application or digital software. The aim of UX is to provide a high level of usability and satisfaction in order to establish an overall refined and exemplary experience for the user. The aim of this blog series is to consider the various factors that play into the broad topic of UX design. In this first post of the series, we will discu

Nic Lapham

snapchat logo
Jun 2016
9 MIN READ

Should Snapchat be taken seriously by marketers?

Back in 2011 when Snapchat launched, it didn’t appear to have much of a future beyond…well…’those’ pictures. Now that the elephant has been banished from the room let’s look at Snapchat in 2016. Once the reserve of teenagers looking for a quick, fun and more liberal method of communication, Snapchat has since evolved into an impressive multifunctional social media platform. With a wide user base of 100 million active users, the app is ideally positioned as a potentially valuable marketing tool. However, despite the

Simon Ensor

yellowball instagram on mobile
Jun 2016
7 MIN READ

How the Instagram algorithmic feed will affect you

We all knew it was imminent and now it has happened: Instagram has rolled out its algorithmic feed. A couple of months ago, we discussed the proposed change in this post, where we touched on the initial reactions and generally considered the update to be a positive one. Now that the change has been implemented, we are going to take a closer look at how the update will affect users and marketing efforts alike. Why the change? Previously, the abundance of images in our Instagram feeds has been arranged in reverse chronological order. However,

Simon Ensor

instagram logo interpretations
May 2016
10 MIN READ

Instagram | The Modern Dilemma of a Rebrand

Last week, Instagram unveiled a controversial rebrand, complete with a revamped logo and shiny new user interface. The change marks the first logo alteration since the app launched five years ago, so this was a pretty significant step in the brand’s history. Instagram has ditched the skeuomorphic camera that was so iconic to its brand identity in favour of a flatter design. The new logo features a rainbow gradient background with the white outline of a camera and lense, characterised by curved lines and simplicity. As Instagram explains

Simon Ensor

Key for tweeting
May 2016
6 MIN READ

Twitter to expand 140-character limit

This year has seen a series of Twitter shake-ups. With the company struggling to compete with the likes of Facebook, CEO Jack Dorsey proposed a number of tweaks to the format of the micro-blogging site earlier this year. While some suggested changes have been welcomed with open arms, others have been thwarted by the uproar of Twitter fans. The latest revelation, according to a report by Bloomberg, is that Twitter is planning to stop counting photographs and links as part of the 140-character limit. Although the news has not yet been confirmed b

Simon Ensor

JIRA kanban board
May 2016
8 MIN READ

Using agile development to improve your web project

Yellowball have successfully planned, designed, developed and launched hundreds of successful web projects in the last few years. This experience has given us a unique insight into the best and most effective ways to manage and oversee the successful delivery of projects for our clients. To achieve this, we deploy a range of project management methodologies for website design and development, depending on the requirements, complexity and time scale of each project. One methodology that is becoming increasingly successful is agile. What is agil

Simon Ensor

Yellowball instagram mockup
Apr 2016
8 MIN READ

Everything you need to know about the feed changes to Instagram and Twitter

Social platforms and technology continue to evolve at a lightning-fast pace. And the first few months of 2016 are no exception, with two of the world’s biggest social media services, Twitter and Instagram, having already announced and rolled out a swathe of updates that impact hundreds of millions of users and advertisers globally. If you’ve missed these, here’s Yellowball’s handy guide to what’s changed and how you can make sure your business is perfectly positioned to benefit from the changes. The big news: Instagram and Twitter hav

Simon Ensor

Jack Dorsey
Jan 2016
15 MIN READ

Will #beyond140 save Twitter?

At the beginning of 2016 the Twittersphere erupted with cries of anguish and concern. Twitter’s founder and CEO Jack Dorsey has added rocket fuel to rumours of an increased character limit (in a series of tweets of course) a message addressing the problem of users taking screenshots of text and then tweeting these screenshots. Dorsey asked the question: “what if that text…..was actually text? Text that could be searched. Text that could be highlighted. That’s more utility and power.” Within the same mini Tweet storm he also mentioned

Simon Ensor

thumbs up
Jan 2016
7 MIN READ

Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2016

As we begin our intrepid journey into 2016 we can expect big things in the world of digital marketing and more specifically, social media marketing. Last year saw social media continue to consolidate itself in our everyday lives and some big changes occurred. Instagram crushed Twitter in their ability to attract new users, Facebook video became the most engaging content on the platform and a war broke out in the background as social networks looked to introduce social commerce. So what can we expect from social media in 2016 and what effect wil

Simon Ensor

Thinking emoji
Dec 2015
9 MIN READ

3 tests for email campaigns: Part One – Emojis

We are big fans of new creative ideas and theory, but on the other hand theory is still only theory until proven. That is why we decided to run three A/B tests on new adoptions in email marketing utilising emojis in subject lines, gifs and content type. We didn’t want to attempt to discuss all of them in one post so this will be a three part series. First up the vogue subject of emojis. If you have read any of our other blog posts on emojis (part one and part two) you will have seen that 2015 has been a big year for our funny little digital f

Simon Ensor

360 video
Nov 2015
7 MIN READ

GAME CHANGER: 360 videos

So we have had serious nerd levels of excitement over the past week or so. If you haven’t seen some of the examples of 360 degree videos on Youtube and those that are making their way through Facebook feeds across the world, well, you are missing out.On 23rd September 2015 Facebook announced compatibility for 360 degree Facebook videos. Youtube had already beaten them to the chase announcing their ability to host 360 videos (which they call spherical videos) well over 6 months ago, but until last week there had been only a small amount o

Simon Ensor

brand experience
Nov 2015
6 MIN READ

Digital World: Physical Impact

We live in a world where high street brands have moved online and marketing is often focussed on digital engagement, a world where assigning budget to printed collateral is spoken about in hushed voices. For good reasons businesses are seemingly more concerned with their website’s user and usage data or social engagement than their print marketing. Digital efforts are easier to track, more fluid and offer far more data upon which a business can then tailor their campaign. In 2015 print is viewed by many as an archaic and inefficient practice.

Simon Ensor

Facebook video is exploding
Nov 2015
7 MIN READ

Facebook video is exploding

It’s so hot right now. In a previous blog post we mentioned that Facebook’s daily view count for video had reached 4 billion in April 2015. At the time this seemed like an exponential increase from their 1 billion at the end of Q3 in 2015. Not to disappoint, they have just released a report for Q3 of 2015 and that number has spiked once again. It is now a claimed 8 billion video views per day, coming from only a third of their 1.55 billion users. It seems then that video content on Facebook is rather popular! This is amid Facebook testi

Simon Ensor

brain on a motherboard
Oct 2015
5 MIN READ

RankBrain – an A.I addition to Hummingbird

Google have announced (seemingly via Bloomberg) an addition to their Hummingbird search algorithm, called RankBrain. They say that it is a form of AI or machine learning that has been tested in their search algorithm for the past few months to help with answering never before seen queries, with what appears to be very pleasing results. There isn’t a huge amount of information out there on RankBrain and Google are playing their cards very close to their chest, so much so that they have not even commented on the update on their Webmaster Centra

Simon Ensor

BBC design change
Oct 2015
10 MIN READ

Can You Spot the Difference?

Clearly for followers of English 2003 was a year of triumph at the Rugby World Cup but 2015 held only the disappointment of failing to make it out of the group stages. The images should show a difference between Tom Wood’s palpable disappointment and Martin Johnson’s elation, but unfortunately Martin Johnson’s brutish face is not capable of displaying such joyous emotions. Either way, the rugby result is not the only difference. The design of the BBC website in 2003 is in stark contrast to its present iteration in 2015. There are a whole

Nic Lapham

Social media card design
Oct 2015
8 MIN READ

Social media & smartphones have changed web design forever

The methods by which we display and consume content has changed drastically in the last few years. The use of technology has become an intrinsic part of our daily lives with smartphones taking centre stage as our trusted companions ready to deliver any content that we desire. In fact, Ofcom’s communications market report released on 6th August, states that over two thirds of British adults have a smartphone, 72% have a social media profile and 22% rated themselves above 7 on a scale of 1-10 where 10 represents being ‘completely hooked’ on

Simon Ensor

emoji collage
Oct 2015
6 MIN READ

An Emoji Speaks a Thousand Words (Part Two)

The humble emoji. They were once formulated through clever usage of punctuation, or as the fantastically named Unicode Consortium (the international gatekeepers for emojis) call it ‘ASCII Character Combinations’. There is a slight difference between emojis and emoticons so if you are pedantic then you can indulge yourself on the rules, but for now emojis are the fun little faces and images that are used to accompany text. Anyway, in the past users of emojis have almost solely been spotty prepubescent teenagers irritating their parents by

Simon Ensor

Social Commerce is the Future
Sep 2015
17 MIN READ

Social Commerce is the Future

Social networks have been a revolution in the digital space over the past generation. Combined with smart phones they seize an almost embarrassing amount of our daily routine. We are prisoners to the news feed, forever searching for that amusing video of a cat, a birthday event invitation or holiday snaps of that hot ‘friend’ you never talk to. The power that social media has over people is an accepted fact of life in 2015, but the implications of this predicament to have a monetary value assigned to them! The various social networks are in

Simon Ensor

Good customer data is the beating heart of great business strategy
Sep 2015
7 MIN READ

Good customer data is the beating heart of great business strategy

I’ve spoken to many companies on this topic over the years, and it is the ones that have gained a clear understanding of how, why and where to collect data on their customers and prospects, that have become highly successful. The general opinion is that no lead-generating marketing campaign can be successful without high quality data. So, I thought I’d share with you what I felt seemed to be a consensus amongst all these data conscious businesses. Let’s start off with the how… All businesses should use a CRM (client relationship ma

Simon Ensor

Necessary functions of a start up business
Sep 2015
8 MIN READ

Necessary functions of a start up business

There are an incredible amount of potential businesses just waiting to be started, with more emerging daily thanks to new technology and the internet. In fact 13.5% of all purchases were conducted on the internet in 2010, according to BCG, and this is projected to rise to 23% by 2016. So with that in mind and so many new start up businesses coming through the woodwork there’s never been a better time to start a business. Yet despite the vast quantity of possibilities, there are a few essential steps you need to take before starting a business

Simon Ensor

The Power of Networking
Sep 2015
6 MIN READ

The Power of Networking

Business networking is an incredibly valuable way to expand your knowledge, learn from the success of others, attain new clients and tell others about who you are and what you do. I’ve been to over 200 networking events in the past – it enables people to put a face to a name and adds a physical touch to your business, something which is becoming more and more difficult in today’s digital age! Here at Yellowball we recommend businesses utilising networking as a way to gain new clients and to build a sustainable business. Here are some

Simon Ensor

Marketing for a new academic year
Sep 2015
5 MIN READ

Marketing for a new academic year

September always represents an exciting time for Yellowball. The start of a new academic year is a fresh start for a number of our key education clients and an opportunity to get our creative hats on.  The last 12 months have been incredibly rewarding for Yellowball and a period in which we have continued to deliver projects, campaigns and ideas for our clients in the education sector (here is some of our work). If you are reading this, the likelihood is that you have received one our brand in hand packages, seen a social media advert, rece

Simon Ensor

google rebrand
Sep 2015
7 MIN READ

Google seize opportunity to rebrand: expect more!

Google are being very bold at the moment. The company does not seem satisfied with their stock valuation in the hundreds of billions and its vice like grip on the majority of search traffic across the western world. Instead, it would appear that Larry Page, Sergey Brin and the rest of the management feel like Google has outgrown its original iteration and that steps must be taken to ensure that future growth of this veritable global behemoth. This has led to their unveiling of a revamped logo for their search engine – the largest change

Simon Ensor

Facebook float
Aug 2015
8 MIN READ

Does ‘going public’ change social networks?

Social networks are no longer the new kids on the block. Social interactions are now entrenched in our daily lives which in turn has created platforms upon which global powerhouses can be built. Fiercely competitive, take Facebook as an example. Facebook has moved from an innocent social network serving IVY League university students to offering telecommunications services through messenger calling, becoming a VC of sorts investing in the newest hippest tech like the fantastically named Oculus Rift (acquired for a meagre fee of around $2billion

Simon Ensor

Pinterest UX example
May 2015
7 MIN READ

Top current trends in UX design

Digital, mobile and web design evolves at a frighteningly fast pace. Continuing our recent series on UX design, we’ve hand-picked some of the best and most effective UX trends and principles we’ve  deployed with Yellowball clients so far in 2015. Personalised user experiences 10, or even 5 years ago, most websites were still a one-way experience. A user would log on and be spoon-fed the content that the business or organisation felt was relevant and appropriate. Then, along came the explosion of social, and with it, the concept of a custom

Simon Ensor

UX Elephant
May 2015
4 MIN READ

User Experience Fundamentals

How users perceive a website is paramount to its success; does it give them value? Is it easy to use? Is it enjoyable to use? These questions run through their subconscious as they interact with the web. If the answers are positive to these then it is likely that they’ll be converted into a regular user. Here we want to share with you some expert tips to User Experience (UX) driven design. You have probably guessed that User Experience (UX) is essentially how a person feels when interacting with a website, application or piece of software. Th

Nic Lapham

responsive website mockup
May 2015
8 MIN READ

Should my website be responsive?

The new Google update, dubbed #mobilegeddon has turbocharged conversations around the need to be ‘mobile friendly’. Although we would certainly not argue against the importance of being mobile friendly in order to appear on mobile Google searches (it is very, very important), in actual fact only the top 5-8 results on Google get any meaningful traffic from the search engine.  So if your website does not rank on Google’s mobile search results, do you need to invest in a mobile friendly site?  Let’s weigh up the pros and cons, as well a

Simon Ensor

6 Top Tips for Email Marketing
May 2015
8 MIN READ

6 Top Tips for Email Marketing

At Yellowball we have seen direct results from the email marketing campaigns that we have managed for ourselves and for our clients. Email still represents a platform on which we spend a considerable amount of time, especially during working hours.  Combine this with smartphones and email marketing can be an incredibly effective strategy. Here are our top 6 tips to running a successful campaign: 1. Utilise the gatekeeper Let’s face it, opening emails that are obviously sent out en masse is not particularly high on our daily ‘to do’ list.

Simon Ensor

Google's Mobile Update: Too Much Hype?
Apr 2015
7 MIN READ

Google’s Mobile Update: Too Much Hype?

Like many heavyweight boxing matches of recent times, after much talk and speculation the end result was….well….slightly underwhelming. Google’s wrath did not rain down upon non mobile ready websites causing mayhem and uproar on mobile SERPs. So what has been the initial reaction from the SEO world 48 hours after #mobilegeddon rolled out across the globe, in all languages? The first thing to mention is that Google themselves have announced that the effect will not be immediate. In Google’s Webmaster Central blog they state that “it’

Simon Ensor

Google's Mobile Friendly Update: 24 hours to go
Apr 2015
10 MIN READ

Google’s Mobile Friendly Update: 24 hours to go

There are around 24 hours to go now until Google’s ‘Mobile Friendly’ update to their search algorithm. When this was announced on February 26th 2015 webmasters and SEOs alike took notice as this has been labelled as the most significant change to their algorithm since the Hummingbird update in 2013. In fact, Google’s Zineb Ait Behajji said recently that this will have a wider impact than both the Panda update in 2011 and the infamous Penguin update in 2012. So where does that leave us? The writing has been on the wall for a while… Let

Simon Ensor

3 SEO mistakes that make your website invisible to Google
Feb 2015
8 MIN READ

3 SEO mistakes that make your website invisible to Google

Search Engine Optimisation can be a tricky business at the best of times. With over 200 factors to take into account it is all too easy to get distracted and miss out a few crucial first steps. The result? You can spend weeks, if not months, working on your site only to gain no more visibility on the search engines than you did previously. Fear not though, not only will a lot of your efforts be beneficial in the long run (except for the in the case of the last point in this article), but we at Yellowball have put together a list of easy-to-make

Simon Ensor

Jan 2015
3 MIN READ

Snapchat’s ads – too pricey?

It’s recently been reported in AdWeek that Snapchat is planning to charge brands $750,000 per day to run a new ‘my story’ ad. But would advertising on Snapchat be worth the $750,000 price tag? Snapchat do provide some advertisers with the perfect platform for an experimential opportunity; with its different ad format, demographics and immediacy. Eventhough this demonstrates a unique advertising opportunity for a willing brand, Facebook as an alternative appears to be more robust and cost-effective, with successful campaigns starting at ar

Simon Ensor

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