Graham Charlton

Q&A: Ian Monk of Bathrooms.com on a PR-focused approach to SEO

Bathrooms.com was launched by Ian Monk in 2004, and has just recently relaunched with a fully redesigned website.

Part of the relaunch included a focus on social and a PR-centric SEO strategy. I've been asking Ian about the thinking behind this approach and the results so far...

by Graham Charlton 23 April 2013 11:07am 5 comments

Start Me Up! A profile of Concept Cupboard

Concept Cupboard is a marketplace connecting businesses, from startups to big brands, with the very best student and graduate freelancers.

I caught up with General Manager Adam Ball to ask about the business and his future plans.

by Graham Charlton 16 April 2013 16:22pm 1 comment

11 valuable Google Analytics advanced segments

Along with custom reports (and sometiimes in conjunction with them), custom advanced segments are a great way of gaining extra insight and value from your Google Analytics account.

In this post, I'll round up ten very useful custom segments that you can import straight into your GA account, and save yourself the trouble of creating them yourself.

Please suggest any other segments you find useful in the comments...

by Graham Charlton 16 April 2013 11:37am 10 comments

How to use Google Analytics advanced segments: a guide for beginners

Google Analytics is a great tool, but its standard reports can be limited, so a little customisation is necessary to improve the quality of insight you can gain.

One way to do this is to create custom reports, which is an excellent idea, and another is to use GA's advanced segments, which allow you to filter reports to find the insights you need.

In this post, I'll explain how to use advanced segments. It's for GA beginners really, so I apologise in advance to any GA experts reading this...

by Graham Charlton 16 April 2013 09:40am 1 comment

How Kia used consumer reviews online and offline

A few weeks ago, I wrote a post asking whether online reviews could work in an offline setting, and the consensus was that this could be a useful tactic.

To find out more, I spoke to Kia's John Bache, as well as Reevoo's CEO Richard Anson to find out more.

Kia has been using Reevoo reviews in its print and TV ads, as well as in its showrooms. It has worked well so far, and provides a lesson for other automotive brands.

by Graham Charlton 10 April 2013 14:08pm 4 comments

Marketers still need to work on mobile email: stats

While companies appreciate the importance of mobile email, they are a long way away from implementing best practice, with just 25% currently optimising emails for mobile.

The seventh annual Econsultancy Email Marketing Industry Census, sponsored by Adestra, finds that mobile email is a key area for improvement.

by Graham Charlton 09 April 2013 11:03am 1 comment

This week's top six infographics

Once again we round up six of the best stats-packed digital marketing infographics we've seen this week.

The topics include mobile optimisation, how social shares boost email, bad customer service, and how colours affect conversions...

by Graham Charlton 05 April 2013 10:44am 0 comments

13 ways for retailers to deal with the threat of showrooming

Showrooming, whether retailers like it or not, is here to stay. In fact, as smartphone usage grows, it's only going to increase.

Naturally, as retailers see the threat of people using their mobiles to compare prices and buy elsewhere, they are concerned about this trend.

But what can they do about it?

Here are a few suggestions for tactics that offline and multichannel retailers can use...

by Graham Charlton 03 April 2013 11:35am 20 comments

B2B mobile: key takeaways from Digital Cream London

Whilst some consumer sectors, such as retail, are forging ahead in the mobile channel, it sometimes feels as if B2B is lagging behind.

It’s not surprising though. While retailers can use m-commerce or drive purchases through discounts or incentives, the opportunities and the ROI in mobile B2B seem less obvious.

Formation CEO and Econsultancy trainer Mark Brill chaired Mobile B2B roundtable at Econsultancy’s Digital Cream Event.

Here are his thoughts on the day's discussions...

by Graham Charlton 03 April 2013 11:03am 0 comments

Is The Telegraph's metered paywall a good idea?

Yesterday, the Telegraph announced the introduction of a 'metered paywall' which allows visitors to read up to 20 articles before having to subscribe for more.

There are two options: a 'web pack' which allows access to the website and content via apps at £1.99 per month, and a 'digital pack' which adds tablet access and loyalty club membership at £9.99 per month.

But can a paywall ever be a good idea for a general news site like The Telegraph though? And how will it affect the newspaper in terms of SEO and traffic to its ecommerce pages?

by Graham Charlton 27 March 2013 11:30am 15 comments