Autus Web Design & Marketing

Technology House, University of Salford, Manchester M6 6AP. Tel: 0161 278 2534

Credit Crunch Downturn - Time To Act!

Is your business feeling the effect of the downturn sparked by the credit crunch?

Credit Crunch Downturn - Time To Act! We have clients operating in a wide range of business activities and the majority are reporting business to be at least subdued, with some sectors such as removals and home improvements obviously hit even harder.

Many small business owners are discussing cost cutting measures with their accountants and the marketing budget comes under as much scrutiny as any other. Two items on the marketing budget are worth highlighting, the telephone directory ads - and the website.

Telephone Directory Ads

A typical home improvement business such as a bathroom showroom or a double glazing installer will be spending £2,000 - £5,000 on telephone directory ads. Just now, this expenditure is being heavily slashed or eliminated totally. This is understandable, the logic being ‘If so few people are viewing the pages for our products just now, why pay £5,000 for ads that no one is looking for?’

Website

The telephone directory ads cost £3,000 - £5,000 each year, every year. There is no investment element; it is simply a recurring revenue cost.

Your website is a different type of cost. You will probably have made an initial investment of £1,500 - £3,000 for a website with an SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) package. A well developed and optimised website should be generating enquiries from your target market. (If it is not – you need to talk to us!)

You Have ‘Invested’ In A Website

This one off investment represents typically 50% - 80% of one year’s directory ad cost. Thereafter, the cost of hosting, SEO and content maintenance of the website will be a few hundred pounds.

Maximise Your Website Investment Return

It makes no financial sense to kill off the website hosting and maintenance expenditure, as one converted enquiry in the whole year will more than cover this cost. In fact, rather than reducing it, we are experiencing quite the opposite effect. We have clients, old and new, asking how their existing website can be enhanced to generate more enquiries. For new clients this will typically involve:-

Attending to the page tags.
Modernising the site’s technical design to meet the requirements of the W3C web standards, which also improves search engine positioning.
Reviewing the precise target visitor and the text content of the site to ensure that the website’s marketing message and its appeal are optimised.

For a more detailed summary of website review please see Website Redevelopment.

Please see David’s magazine article text related to this topical issue at Heating Installers Website Advice.

Autus founder David Clough is a marketing consultant with specific expertise in Search Engine Optimisation. He has also lectured on financial management at Salford University.

Maximise The Return From Your Website Asset

If you would like a review of your current website please e-mail David@autus.co.uk. Unlike many web designers, he does not offer a ‘costed reply by return’. He will speak to you about your business, competitors, your current business circumstances and product mix. He will then make recommendations to help steer your business through the current market conditions.

Web Design & SEO Marketing Wigan – Client Testimonials

Please see testimonials from our website development and SEO clients based in Wigan on the Website Clients, Wigan Testimonials page.