Designer boosts business on web
11:14am Wednesday 3rd June 2009 in Business News
BOOSTING BUSINESS: Daniel Robinson — making sure firms get the best out of the web
A WEB savvy graphic designer is helping firms boost their business by directing more internet traffic their way.
For as the internet’s influence on how we do business grows, Daniel Robinson of Bolton-based Vizcom has expanded into the digital world of search engine optimisation (SEO).
SEO is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines like Google, MSN and Yahoo.
Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine.
As an internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for.
Now Vizcom, a graphic design, web design and printing services agency, has expanded into SEO services, helping to increase the flow of virtual traffic to firms’ websites.
Based at the Enterprise Centre, off Deane Road, Bolton, Mr Robinson said: “I am very busy at the moment as lots of companies are making enquiries about their websites.
“I look at their website for free and then prepare a report letting them know how they can improve what they are doing.
“Often once this has been done companies report that they have secured big contracts or sales have increased because they are getting the right kind of traffic to their website.”
He added that while many companies know they need to be on the web they often don’t know the best way to go about it.
When he examines websites, even though the site registers a lot of traffic, he often finds the numbers of visitors produce little in the way of sales.
This where SEO can help by making sure the visitors looking for particular goods and services are directed to the right sites.
Originally from Wigan, Mr Robinson honed his business design skills with Lostock-based Greenhalgh’s Craft Bakery, where he eventually ran the marketing department.
“It was an excellent experience, especially with the resources I had available.
“It gave me a real insight into what the customer looks for when he or she is about to make a purchase, and how important the right — or wrong — presentation can be.”
Keen to branch out on his own, he took advantage of a start-up grant from Bolton Business Support Unit in 1998, setting up an office at home and canvassing clients.
At the same time, Greenhalgh’s asked him to stay on while the company found his successor.
Mr Robinson said: “It was a good time, really, as I had the best of both worlds.”
It was in 1999 that he finally made the break and set up full-time as Vizcom Design, and while he still supplies print services and web design, SEO is now taking up much more of his time.
