Blog
Getting to grips with Google GA4 Analytics
For the past several months we have been preparing our clients for the transition from Google's Universal Analytics, which has served the industry well for the past several years to the new GA4 Analytics. Well it finally came, in mid July, Universal Analytics stopped collecting data and if you hadn't prepared for the migration properly you were left without any data and needed to hit the panic button!
For smaller websites who really only need to track visitor numbers and not much more the migration is straight forward but for several of our clients who need to track performance in detail and to measure traffic sources, attribution of sales and enquiries from advertising campaign, SEO and Social Media this was much more complicated.
Google GA4 is very different from its predecessor, but once set up correctly, with the necessary new tracking code and Tags set up on your website (easiest installed using Google Tag Manager) does yield greater insights and ultimately provides better standard and custom reports to help clients run their businesses.
If you feel you need some help getting to grips with GA4 there are some self help online courses available from Google and the Chartered Institute of Marketing is offering virtual courses from £475 starting end of August 2023.
It is a fact however that GA4 requires a good deal of technical knowledge and support to set up and has clearly been designed by Google to support larger clients with access to greater resources and deeper pockets. The little guy may have lost some of the information that was routinely available from the now defunct Universal Analytics and may feel somewhat abandoned! If you need some help please get in touch.
Launch of 2nd Multisite Natural Image on the same platform.
Following the launch of hothair.co.uk on our unique, state of the art, XCart 5 multisite platform, we are proud to announce the launch of its sister site naturalimagewigs.co.uk which runs off the same platform. There will be further sites to follow .... WATCH THIS SPACE!
Despite sharing the same inventory and product base, each site is unique with its own graphics, navigation, SEO, promotion etc ... a great innovation!
Launch of new Hothair Multisite
After a long period of development, we are proud to launch the state of the art XCart5 multisite for Hothair.co.uk.
Incorporating all the latest e-commerce features including Apple Pay, Google Pay designed for maximum efficacy on all devices. Uniquely, this is the first of the planned websites to run off a shared inventory platform, allowing for greater efficiency, lower maintenance and automated updating across multiple websites.
We are very proud of this development.
Dove House Farm Barns New Wordpress site.
Major upgrade to their holiday rentals website. Improved "farm" look and feel, emphasizes individual property facilities, addition of local guide and amenities sections.
New website - new look! for Baker Sales and Letting
Baker Sales and Lettings have recently updated their branding, new logo, new signs ... new website! we think it looks great. Along with a major upgrading of the functionality for their property letting and sales site. We have upgraded the site to the latest version of Joomla and several plugins and including Google Maps and individual registrations of interest for each property for the first time.
Major E-Commerce Upgrade for Gentworks
We have given Gentworks.co.uk a major upgrade, implementing the new Reboot (Redux) template, new graphics, animated home page slide show, new Mega Menu, new responsive mobile site and a whole lot more!
Importantly, with a whole load of new code and features, the site brings the tried and tested XCart 4 shopping system bang up to date ....making a whole lot of new site very affordable.
Modern Living Homes - Oxford Preservation Trust Award Winners
Modern Living Homes Ltd are an award winning business who specialise in both traditional and modern homes together with imaginative period conversions. Founded by Dominique Riggs (previously Director of Herring Homes Ltd) the inspiration lying in his passion for property, architecture and design. Their recent development of Brasenose Farm on the Oxford Ring Road was recognised by the Oxford Preservation Trust, this is how we displayed it on the modernlivinghomes.co.uk website.
SEO Success Story : No 1 on Google "across the board"
Premier Master Thatchers are currently enjoying a steady stream of new enquiries generated by "great SEO" . Without wanting to brag (ok maybe just a little) , if you type in "thatchers" of "master thatchers" into Google for any of a dozen towns and counties serviced by the client more often than not Premier Master Thatchers is the first website you will see at the top of page 1. This is the result of a professionally administered locally focussed SEO campaign. For the right client this can be far more effective, cheaper and more sustained than an equivalent Google Adwords campaign, if you would like to find out more about how Net Impact can help please contact Harvey.
Sarnie 67 - no 1 in Google My Business
For new sites like Sarne 67 a new sandwich shop in the centre of Bicester, for the first few months they will inevitably be victims of the dreaded "Google Sandbox" and find it difficult to obtain a page one ranking initially. This is where making the most of Google My Business comes in, giving exposure in the local area. Being the first listing, Sarnie 67 is the first shop you will see when searching for "Sandwich Shops in Bicester"
Setting a new Benchmark in EV Charging Solutions
In the highly competitive and fast growing electric vehicles market, the new website is designed to help individuals and businessess to make the right choice when choosing an EV Charging solution ...... we think it works! take a look at https://benchmarkevcharging.com
Varis Psychotherapy - Group Therapy goes Online
During the pandemic mental health has never been more important. Face to Face Group Therapy has not been practical for obvious reasons and with the help of Psychotherapists like Vivienne, groups have gone online with beneficial effects. The new website Varis Psychotherapy is designed to stress the benefits of this approach. Visit new website
"We have worked hard to adapt our techniques and approaches to Zoom audiences, allowing us to continue to reach clients in these difficult times and to extend our service to people who live further away. Working on-line means individuals can access our service anywhere in the UK or when they may be working/living abroad"
Vivienne Harte MA, PGDip, PGCert, UKCP Registered
The Aylesbury Guide Goes Online
The Aylesbury Guide is now online! complete with Editorials, Business Directory, Events Calendar and a past issues library of "flip turning" magazines.
Visit the new Aylesbury Guide Website click here
Robert Carter Property Management
Robert Carter offer a tailored approach to Residential Property Management. Committed to providing a high level of customer service and building long-term and positive working relationships with our clients who consist of homeowners and landlords.
New Site - New Season for Waterstock Golf
Over the Winter we have been developing a brand new website for Waterstock Golf Club and people seem to like it!
Widmer Equestrian - The home of the happy horse and rider
The new Widmer Equestrian website is the "online home" for the "Happy Horse and Rider" and that's what needed to come across to visitors, as well as acting as a "hub" for competitions, events and the riding school as well as livery and hacking.
We also wanted to help riders get to know the horses better and also the staff working at Widmer. Excellent photography and website copy were important of course but the site operates aroun the Equestrian Calendar, neatly dovetailing with Horse Monkey, allowing for online booking and competition entry.
Several months in development, the final site has been well and truly worth waiting for, a website that really helps to build the relationship between those running the centre and those using it.
Zyle Fenster - Daring to be Different
The new Zyle Fenster website https://www.zylefenster.co.uk/ "dares to be different", demonstrating how the very best, high performance and energy efficient windows can be incorporated into big, bold architectural designs with outstanding results.
Great photography was the key to producing this stunning site which showcases some of the "Grand Designs" for which Zyle Fenster windows are famous for across Europe.
The Aylesbury Group (TAG) - including video homepage
When asked to develop a new website for the Aylesbury group (TAG) https://theaylesburygroup.co.uk/, we wanted to communicate what a TAG Networking meeting was really like. As well as including detailed portfolio pages for each of the members and a monthly blog, we included a video clip as the main visual for the home page, the first thing you see when you arrive at the website.
We think this is an excellent example of how to include video on your website to make a real impact and to communicate human interaction in a far more powerful way than just still photography and written description.
TRC Multimedia Marketing Campaign (inc drone shoot)
We started work for TRC Restoration in early 2019 and set about developing and then implementing a multimedia campaign involving web development, SEO, Blogging and Linked In.
The cornerstone of the campaign was to develop a 2 minute introductory video to demonstrate the incredible, highly skilled specialist work the company undertakes on some of the countries favourite heritage buildings.
The best way to capture the scope of the work was to employ drones for aerial video protography. We filmed both the Bolsover Model Village and The Star and Garter former military hospital in Richmond (now a prestige appartment development) as well as incorporating factory shoots and artisan restoration work to communicate the full scope of the companies work, I am sure you will agree the results are truly impressive.
Ros Welch - Counselling & Psychotherapy- "embracing the new normal".
Sometimes the best things come to those that wait!
We started work on the new website in Feb 2019 but it wasn't finished and finally launched until July 2020
Simply put the client was too busy until the start of lockdown, and then enquiries dried up with no face to face consultations possible.
With Coronovirus posing a new set of challenges, consultations moved to Zoom and new psychological problems were presenting themselves due to social isolation, strains on relationships and just plain worries about health and the future.
Several sections of the website needed to be rewritten and new imagery sourced, we think it was worth waiting for, the client certainly thinks so with an influx of new clients and embracing the "new normal".
Synergy Heart 2 Heart : Elite Health Team Portal
When approached by Kim & Simon, they were website "veterans" having developed several previous sites but had "hit a brick wall" with their plans for a new portal to support their growing team of network sales professionals and their growing business
They had been going in the wrong direction, using the wrong software with the wrong partners and had wasted several thousand pounds and several months developing a site incapable of meeting their requirements.
Having given them the bad news they realised they had to change direction and we were able to specify a Wordpress based site, incorporating a light theme with several specialist "ad ons", including DocMan, Groups,PDF Embedder, SP Project and several others, and we set about developing an information packed portal site, full of training materials and resources to support the team.
This has proved to be a major success and supplied a vital missing ingredient supporting the dramatic growth the company has enjoyed since deploying the new site, here at Net Impact Vision we are delighted to having been able to play our part.
Premier Master Thatchers "more enquiries please"
When a client asks us to produce more website enquiries, we ask ourselves two important questions:
a)Is the website receiving enough of the right traffic?
b)Is the website a "conversion machine" converting enough of the visitors into "enquiries"?
When reviewing the existing website it was immediately clear that the answer to both was an emphaticNO and we needed to address both issues
The solution was firstly to create an outstanding new Wordprss website, in our view better both visually and in terms of content than any of the competitors, one that would encourage potential new clients to contact the client
Secondly,we undertook onsite SEO work to "optimise" the site with the objective of appearing in the top 3 search results on Google across 10 targetted geographic areas.
We are delighted to report that the results were immediate, with the average daily position improving from 5.23 in mid March up to 3.41 in mid May and now at the beginning of September at 2.14, achieving 10 first places on Google for targetted search phrases and 21 out of 22 in the top 5. Importantly, the client has reported a steady stream of new enquires both on the telephone and via the website enquiry form.
Waterstock Golf- a "lockdown success story"
For some businesses, the pandemic has proved to be a "blessing in disguise"!
With so many people at home needing to exercise outdoors, it's been a great time to pick up a golf club and start playing.
Although being a members club, unlike many other clubs in the area, Waterstock also accepts green fees, and with only minor changes to the website have been able to welcome a massive increase in players and the course has never been busier
With lots of sunshine and rain when needed, the course is currently in great condition and its been a great time to play golf. With so many new golfers, the future looks bright and the club will be commissioning a new website for development in Autumn 2020.
Rebecca Green Catering - New Home Delivery
When "lockdown" struck, Rebecca Green Catering, were looking at a calendar of cancelled Summer events, parties and weddings.
But when the going gets tough.... the tough get going! and within days introduced a new home delivery service of affordable "event quality" delicous, handmade home cooked meals which has proved very popular.
To help with the launch Net Impact Vision were asked to produce a simple "flyer" for local distribution with a PDF version available on the website that can be printed at home.
Haddenham Tennis Club : Planyo Online Booking Calendar
When the government announced the easing of lockdown and tennis was to be permitted under government "social distanding" guidelines, it became compulsory for tennis clubs to operate a booking system to control access to the courts.
It was imediately apparent that the old "pencil and notebook" reservation system was not going to be adequate and Net Impact Vision were asked to source an online system that would meet the clubs requirements.
Like many organisations with "legacy" systems, the club needed a system that would integrate seemlessy with modern applications like Google Calendar and Mailchimp. Having searched the market we sourced Planyo.com, in our opinion the most flexible and powerful booking system available and integrated it into the existing Joomla website.
The results have been outstanding, allowing the club to operate efficiently within the current restrictions, import regular sessions and matches from the pre-existing Google Calendar and allowing members to book from their mobile phones etc ... much apprectiated by the growing membership". Now that Planyo has been adopted their is no going back!
City House Investors - new website, new direction!
We were approached by the client, who are looking to implement a new online marketing approach for their new Financial Investments business. We are now implementing a new "Yorkshire" themed website, emphasizing the clients refreshing, down to earth, transparent approach with the emphasis on ongoing performance. The new site will be ready to launch in October, with sophisticated online forms and supported by a You Tube video and Google Adwords campaign.
Grimebusters, more bang for your marketing buck please"
We are delighted to have been appointed by Grimebusters to help them with their Digital Marketing to give them "more bang for their marketing buck online."
We have already created a custom Digital Dashboard for the client, which quickly identified that the greater part of new orders were coming from existing customers directly or via Google Search and that Google Adwords was not cost-effective. Greater emphasis is now being placed on local SEO and on e-mail marketing and in future Social Media.
Eynsham Cellars - building the local customer base
We are delighted to have been retained to help Oli and Iain from Eynsham Cellars https://www.eynshamcellars.com/ build their customer base both living locally and also driving past their independent wine merchants in Eynsham, Oxfordshire.
The campaign will include in-store and online incentives, email marketing, wine tastings and locally focussed social media. We hope to enjoy a tipple or two on the way!.
Carbon Cleaning - Tracking Regional Performance
We were asked by the management team at carbon-cleaning.co.uk, to create 2 bespoke Digital Dashboards and to provide monthly reporting for their team of regional technicians.
The dashboards are designed to a) track combined expenditure multiple campaigns on Google Adwords, Bing and Facebook and b) match expenditure v Carbon cleaning bookings and telephone enquiries. The result, for the first time the client can see the financial performance of each of the geographic regions and measure the impact of their marketing campaigns.
Science Studio - Ecommerce Upgrade
Just completed the upgrade of the sciencestudio.co.uk XCart 5 site on behalf of Purple Frog. This involved adding a new slideshow, megamenu and custom engraving feature.
Emarsys B2C Marketing Automation - Relationship Extended
Net Impact Vision have been working with Emarsys, leaders in B2C Market Automation since 2015 and are delighted that the relationship will be extended for another 2 years. We have successfully integrated Emarsys along with Mailchimp into our Digital Marketing Dashboards service, enabling our clients to compare ROA with other channels.