Happy Halloween from Net Sixty Six!

halloweenWalking to SEO Manchester HQ. This week, we have noticed some unusual things in Manchester City Centre. The traditional shop displays have been replaced with witches, skeletons and other spooky items. Pumpkins have been spotted scattered randomly in several trees. Even the infamous Manchester Town Hall clock and building have been turned into a slimy green colour. All of these signs can only mean one thing – the return of Halloween!

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Google celebrates its 19th birthday!

Happy 19th!  Google Celebrates Yet Another Landmark Birthday

It has often been said that the concept of time takes on an entirely different meaning when referring to the digital domain. However, this has never been the case in regards to Google. This SEO supergiant has become the mainstay for billions of users and millions of websites from around the world. It is therefore quite amazing to realise that Google is now celebrating 19 years on the Internet. Continue reading “Google celebrates its 19th birthday!”

Google Say… Use Voice Search

Why Google wants you to use voice search instead of your fingers for their search app

Who remembers Trigger Happy TV on Channel Four? A long running joke of Dom Joly’s television comedy series features a giant mobile phone. Shaped like a 1980s cellular phone, we saw the comedian shouting into his handset. He would spout out random bits of nonsense or state the obvious from the top of his voice. If Channel Four were to commission a new series, he could be doing the same with Google’s Voice Search facility. Continue reading “Google Say… Use Voice Search”

Spotlight on Romiley Board Mill

In the first of a series of posts related to our clients, we look at our most prestigious one to date

Where would we be without cardboard? How would Net Sixty Six SEO be able to store odd computer cables and kettle leads? Could you imagine a world without cardboard tubes? We wouldn’t be able to ourselves. Without Romiley Board Mill, there would be a plethora of packaging problems (and the Royal Mail wouldn’t be too pleased).

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How Online Reviews Can Make or Break Your Business

Why online reviews have shifted the balance of consumer power

Online reviews image by Web Icon (via Shutterstock).
Power to the pixel: the smartphone or digital tablet is the main source for many of our products or services. Image by Web Icon (via Shutterstock).

Everybody knows this well worn rule:

  1. The Customer is always right;
  2. If the Customer is wrong, please refer to Rule 1.

Whether in the queue at your favourite sandwich shop or on a certain multinational online bookshop, the maxim rings true to this day. The most tacit form can be seen in online reviews. Some of which may be truthful; others could be spiteful critique, designed to belittle rival businesses. Truthful or otherwise, the purchaser is swayed by the reviews; especially if the reviewer gives a star rating for their product or service. Continue reading “How Online Reviews Can Make or Break Your Business”

Google Hits Out At Fake News

Fact Check feature introduced to counter spread of fake news stories

Apart from the fact there may be no World War Two Bomber On The Moon type of stories on Google, the search engine’s clampdown on fake news could see improvements to its news section, with stories backed up by linked sources.

Hands up who used to have a paper round? All these mornings or evenings carrying The Daily Telex or The Daily Moon to the top of the world? Sometimes, disgruntled of 56 Rochdale Road would give you an ear bashing over her missing copy of Yesterday. Ah, those were the days where yesterday’s fake news would become chip paper. On the internet, things are different: tomorrow’s chip paper is still on the internet. Five years on. Or longer.

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Are You Oversharing Your Office 365 Documents?

Reports of Office 365 documents being seen on Bing and Google results

Beware of identity theft: oversharing on Office 365 could divulge sensitive information on search engines like Google and Bing. Image by ValterZ (via Shutterstock).

Sometimes on social media sites, we might share a few items that other would regard as embarrassing. For example, the debauchery of a Saturday night out. Or our political and spiritual beliefs. Or saying that Mr Blobby’s eponymous Number One single was several times better than The Specials’ Ghost Town. Imagine if something personal was seen on Bing or Google? It has been revealed that some Office 365 users had shared their private documents publicly. Continue reading “Are You Oversharing Your Office 365 Documents?”

Net Sixty Six’s Street Smart Signage Solution

Net Sixty Six’s new signage stands head and shoulders above the rest

NetSixtySix signage
An artist’s impression of the swish Net Sixty Six signage that will be displayed in the front window.

If you’re familiar with Central Manchester or have found us via Google Maps, you would know that Net Sixty Six SEO’s base is slap bang in the middle of our city. Unless you know where we are physically, it is a case of ‘blink and you miss it’ if you miss our HQ at 40 – 42, John Dalton Street. You may have seen our offices through the window of a Bolton-bound 37, or a Leigh-bound Vantage V1 bus. From this month, spending the best part of half an hour trying to find Net Sixty Six Towers will be over. One of our first floor windows will be adorned with Net Sixty Six’s spiffy signage. Continue reading “Net Sixty Six’s Street Smart Signage Solution”

Matt Cutts Cuts Ties With Google

Matt Cutts officially resigns from search engine and media behemoth

The Pentagon, Matt Cutts' new workplace. Image by David B. Gleason (Creative Commons License: Attribution-Share Alike).
The Pentagon, Matt Cutts’ new workplace. Image by David B. Gleason (Creative Commons License: Attribution-Share Alike).

An end of an era for Google was marked this week by a high profile departure. That of Matt Cutts, one time head of Google’s Webspam team. Today, he is now the Director of Engineering at USDS (US Digital Service). Before taking on his new role, he joined Google in 2000 where he became part of the furniture.

On the 31 December 2016, Matt Cutts handed in his resignation to the search engine and media behemoth in Stanford. A few months before then, he took a leave of absence to work for the US Digital Service. He enjoyed his brief stint and has decided to stay there. On his blog, he said:

“When I joined the US Digital Service, I only planned to stay for three months. That quickly turned into six months after I saw the impact of the USDS. In the last month, I made a big decision. On December 31, 2016, I resigned from Google.” Continue reading “Matt Cutts Cuts Ties With Google”

Now We Are Thirteen: On Friday the 13th!

Net Sixty Six at thirteen years old

Birthday Cake: Net Sixty Six at Thirteen. Image by VictoriaSky1 (via Shutterstock).
Tasty, though sadly not the birthday cake for celebrating our thirteen years in business (on Friday The 13th). This creation was photographed by VictoriaSky1 (via Shutterstock).

So to misquote our previous female Prime Minister, we have become a teenager. Yes, Net Sixty Six is thirteen years old. By rights, this means we should be sulking in our bedrooms if something goes wrong. This means we should be out chasing members of the opposite or same sex for a future significant other in later years. Or we should be fretting about our GCSEs or Key Stage 3 SATs. Continue reading “Now We Are Thirteen: On Friday the 13th!”

The Ten Commandments of Ethical Social Media Posting

Ten tips on how to make effective social media posts without offending or alienating your audience

Social Media Ten Commandments image by Kues (via Shutterstock).
Think Before You Link Or Before You Post: one ill-thought out post could be ruinous to your professional or personal reputation. Image by Kues (via Shutterstock).

You may have come across this familiar phrase in your time. The author of this piece most certainly has: “Engage Brain Before Putting Mouth into Gear”. One of his ex-teachers had the sign above the chalkboard. He would have said to any pupil (about to put his or her foot in it): “Read the sign, Boy (or Girl).” Imagine if Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, et al had this sign at the top of their pages. There could be fewer libellous tweets or salacious memes. There’s no way that any social media related sites from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe would do this. There would be cries of ‘censorship’ from Aberdeen to Zennor. Continue reading “The Ten Commandments of Ethical Social Media Posting”

Good vs. Bad SEO Key Differences

seo

There has always been a battle in the Marketing industry between good and bad SEO, white-hat vs. black-hat techniques, ethical vs. non-ethical etc. Google and the many Search Engines have constantly evolved their algorithms to deter people from deliberately manipulating their websites in an attempt to gain higher rankings. Following Google’s Webmaster Guidelines will help their ‘spiders’ to find, index, and rank your site. Continue reading “Good vs. Bad SEO Key Differences”

How Search Works – An Infographic

Have you ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at Google every time somebody clicks that search button? Here at Net Sixty Six SEO we have put together an infographic which outlines the steps taken by Google to deliver relevant search results in lightning quick times. From the algorithms to the search results, we give a breakdown of each point and have even included a couple of interesting facts along the way.  Continue reading “How Search Works – An Infographic”

Investigatory Powers Bill Granted Royal Assent

How the Investigatory Powers Bill could affect the way we browse and do business

Investigatory powers Big Ben image by Richard Waters (via Shutterstock).
Snooper’s Charter Succeeds: The Investigatory Powers Bill will become law on the 01 March 2017. Image by Richard Waters (via Shutterstock).

It’s December 2017. Imagine you’re buying Christmas presents online, a rather innocent pursuit. You have also got YouTube on in the background and you’re listening to a rather outspoken rock group. Then you check your smartphone and find somebody has sent you a risque picture on Snapchat. Normally, you would think nobody is watching you. But from March 2017 (several months before this scenario), this could happen, thanks to the Investigatory Powers Bill.

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