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GWBO was a great success!

admin — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 10:08:09 +0000

We take no credit for this article. It was written by Yolk Recruitment. I wanted to post it as it mentions Guy Christians website which we created: View here. We have had some very positive feedback about the website so it has made us all very proud. Thanks for all of the comments. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and the event.

Getting Welsh Business Online was a great success!

So I didn’t really know what to expect when I went down to the Getting Welsh Businesses Online event in the Coal Exchange last night. Not being particularly technical I thought I may be out of my depth but I was pleasantly surprised to keep up. This was due more to the speakers keeping things really simple than my technical abilities! I was really impressed by the event and took a lot from it.

The event was launched with much fanfare – it’s not every day a major company like Google turn up in Wales, let alone sending the main man! Dan was great! He presented really well and mixed statistical stuff with some interesting and intriguing anecdotes. Apparently a Welshman created the first manned aeroplane not the Wright brothers. The crowd pleaser though was showing how Google Search Insights can indicate the performance of a national rugby side! There was stuff in there about mobile and multi channel online shopping, how to use search data to determine what stock to buy at certain times of year and a little bit about social networking. Tweets were coming thick and fast live from the event using the #GWBO hashtag and Sian Lloyd even read some out between presentations.

There were some great examples of how online marketing can really benefit small businesses with Guy Christian salon having a little one on one time with Dan. Guy claimed that 70% of his business comes via his online marketing activities and doesn’t do anything offline anymore. It made me think about the ratio of offline and online marketing vacancies we get at Yolk Recruitment. Online has certainly grown but offline roles are still just as in demand. Does this show that Welsh businesses are not making the most out of online marketing opportunities or that maybe different markets have different needs. I actually discussed this point with someone at the bar, that for B2B companies, like Yolk, online marketing doesn’t have the same impact as more consumer focussed companies like Guy’s salon.

After a quick Q&A with Dan and IOD Director, Robert Lloyd Griffiths, the bar opened and food was served. I have to say the food was amazing! Mini everything – mini-burgers, mini- shepherd’s pie, mini lamb-cawl, mini fish and chips! We also signed up to one of Google’s juice bars (still not sure what one is) after talking to the lovely Jonathan from Google. I’ll let you know how that goes in my next blog piece. Thanks for reading! Nici!

Getting Welsh Business Online

admin — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:37:05 +0000

Google is trying to encourage more Welsh businesses to get online as figures show around 40% of small firms have no website.

It said 33% of businesses in Wales have access to sell goods and services online compared to the UK average of 39%.

Business Minister Edwina Hart said the Welsh government was working with the internet company to help small businesses “access new markets”.

The first event takes place in Cardiff.

Ms Hart and Dan Cobley, Google UK managing director, are both due to address 400 delegates at the first free conference and launch event at the Coal Exchange on Tuesday at 17:00 GMT.

Mr Cobley said: “Together with the Welsh government and other partners we want Welsh businesses of all sizes to understand the importance of the internet and how easy it is to get online and contribute to the economic growth of the Welsh economy.”

Economic recovery

Google UK plans to train digital agencies across Wales to deliver training and workshops once the initial three month campaign has ended.

Its travelling “Juice Bar” will offer free one-on-one digital health checks and workshops, tutorials and hands-on advice to small business owners, including how to acquire a web presence or improve the one they already have

Ms Hart said “diverse and thriving” small to medium-sized businesses have the potential to be a “driving force for economic recovery”.

“By working with Google on this exciting initiative, we will be helping and educating many of these small businesses to access the type of support and advice they need to access new markets and opportunities to reach new internet customers across the UK and beyond,” she said.

The Cardiff event will be followed by others in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham.

Other partners involved include the Institute of Directors in Wales and South Wales Chamber of Commerce.

Source: BBC WALES

Google: Welsh firms need a web presence

admin — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 14:29:32 +0000

Google has claimed Welsh firms are losing if they do not boost their web presence, as figures show companies are lagging behind the rest of the UK.

The warning comes as the search engine announces a year-long campaign with the Welsh government to encourage more businesses to use the internet.

Figures show up to 40% of small Welsh firms have no website.

The Welsh government urged business to use digital technology to “innovate, grow and access new markets”.
Google, one of the biggest companies in the world, is sending a team to Wales for 12 month from March to promote the business benefits of being online.

The project aims to offer free one-to-one advice to small and medium-sized firms on how to acquire a web presence or improve the one they already have.

For the first three months, the firm will launch a travelling “Juice Bar,” a roadshow of experts offering a “digital health check” with workshops, tutorials and advice.

Google said UK government figures show some 83,000 Welsh firms do not have a website of their own to promote their goods or services.

Laurian Clemence, of Google, said: “You are really missing out if you can’t be found online.”

Ms Clemence said the firm hoped to help at least 1,000 firms develop a website through its Juice Bar work.

She said: “We do believe that there are definitely more benefits than not. The key thing is that people who have their business online see their business grow four to eight times faster than those that don’t.

“We realised that Wales was lagging behind in the adoption of web presences for SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises].

“There is a lot of opportunity there to help them get a website for the first time or if they do have a website, to improve it.”

The campaign aims to train a team of specialists to advise small business owners for the rest of the project.
Business Minister Edwina Hart said: “We welcome this initiative to help companies gain maximum benefits from using and exploiting digital technologies to innovate, grow and access new markets, driving business growth.

“Digital technologies and online services have the potential to revolutionise the competitiveness of business and I hope as many as possible take advantage of the expertise on offer from Google.”

The first event is held at The Coal Exchange, Cardiff, on 6 March from 16:00 – 19:00 GMT.

Source: BBC WALES

Our New Website!

admin — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:50:40 +0000

We are so excited to share some great news with you! This week, we’re launching a fully overhauled website! Not only are we thrilled to get this up and running (many people worked very hard on it), but I’m also looking forward to your feedback. I hope you like it as much as we do.

As with any new project, we’ll be working around the clock to make improvements and the site will continue to grow and evolve over the following weeks. We’ll add new tools and functionality that will make the site even more interesting and useful for you. One of my favorite aspects of the new site is the portfolio where we showcase some of our latest and greatest website creations. The changes will make it easier and faster for you to find what you’re looking for.

Another great feature of the site is that we can post our latest news stories immediately – so expect a whole load more posts. We will be keeping our customers up to date with our services, latest news and completed projects. I also love the fact that we can now accept comments on each page, so don’t be shy. We want to hear your feedback about our latest news, recently completed projects and about the redesign too, so please start commenting on the site; your feedback will be posted underneath each story for everyone to read and interact with.

We will be back next week with more news stories and more compelted projects. In the meantime, please send over your thoughts on the new GeckoIT.co.uk and you can also follow us on Twitter at @geckoit. Thanks, as always, for your continued support.

DanSiop