Forest Software

Web, SEO and IT & Business Advice for the Smaller Business

SEO

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Why Small Business Owners Should Be Wary of SEO Claims

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is often hailed as the holy grail of online visibility for businesses. Promises of increased website traffic, higher rankings, and exponential growth can make SEO seem like a no-brainer for small business owners. However, while effective SEO can indeed transform your online presence, not all claims made by SEO providers are as beneficial as they appear.

This article explores why small business owners should approach SEO claims with caution, how to spot red flags, and what you can do to ensure you’re investing wisely.

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Reading Time: 4 minutes

How to Use Robots.txt for Small Business Websites: A Comprehensive Guide

If you run a small business website, chances are you’re always looking for ways to optimise your online presence and boost your search engine rankings. One tool that often gets overlooked is the humble robots.txt file. It’s simple, powerful, and can help you manage how search engines interact with your website.

This blog post will explain what robots.txt is, why it’s important, and how small business owners can use it effectively. By the end of this guide, you’ll understand how to create and implement a robots.txt file that works for your specific needs and also what some of the pitfalls can be.

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Why a Slow CMS or Web Host Can Harm Your SEO – And What Small Business Owners Can Do About It

If you’re a small business owner, you’ve likely heard that SEO (search engine optimisation) is crucial for getting your website noticed on search engines like Google. But there’s one factor that often gets overlooked – speed. Imagine clicking on a website, only to wait several seconds for it to load. Most people would leave, right? Well, search engines feel the same way.

Slow loading times on your website can harm your SEO, causing you to miss out on potential customers. This can be especially true if you’re using a slow Content Management System (CMS) or a web host that can’t keep up with your site’s needs. In this post, we’ll explore why speed matters for SEO, how your CMS and web host play a role, and what you can do to boost your site’s performance. Continue reading

Reading Time: 6 minutes

Make Your Website Easy to Use

Creating a website that’s easy to use is crucial for small businesses. An effective website can attract customers, encourage them to spend more time browsing, and make it easy for them to complete actions like booking a service, buying a product, or signing up for a newsletter. But where do you begin? Let’s go through some simple tips on how to make your website user-friendly, so your customers have the best possible experience from start to finish.  Of course, you may want to use a professional website designer rather than doing it yourself but these tips are still relevant, and may tell you why your designer has done something a particular way.

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Reading Time: 5 minutes

Why Small Accountancy Firms Shouldn’t Hesitate to Make Website Changes and Embrace SEO

Many small firms of accountants approach website changes with trepidation. It’s understandable. Websites can feel like a massive investment, and altering something that seems to be working “well enough” can appear unnecessary. However, this hesitation might be holding your firm back. As accountancy practices grow and evolve, so too should their digital presence. A key aspect of that evolution involves optimising your website for search engines (SEO).

In this blog, we’ll explore why small accountancy firms shouldn’t be reluctant to update their websites, and the critical role SEO plays in ensuring your business stays visible and competitive. Continue reading

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Understanding the Facebookexternalhit Robot for Small Business Websites

In today’s digital world, small businesses must maintain a strong online presence to reach new customers, communicate with their audience, and share their services or products. One of the critical ways businesses can leverage online platforms is through social media, and for many, Facebook remains a cornerstone of their social media strategy. When integrating Facebook into a business’s website, there is a particular mechanism at work behind the scenes, often unnoticed by users, but crucial for functionality: the Facebookexternalhit robot.

In this post, we’ll explore what the Facebookexternalhit robot is, how it works, and how small businesses can ensure that it enhances their website’s interaction with Facebook without causing any potential issues. Continue reading

About this blog

Over the years we have published many articles based around the questions that we get asked from small businesses relating to marketing, SEO, general business advice and other subjects.  You can find a list of related articles grouped by subject below or can even search for a word or phrase or browse our recent articles.

We hope that you find our articles useful.

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