Firms warned of importance of content

Underestimating the importance of good quality content is a common mistake among marketers new to search engine optimisation, an expert has suggested.

Philip Shaw, the director and founder of online marketing agency CleverClicks, made his comments to Flying Solo – an internet resource for small and one-person businesses.

He described a website's content as "crucial" to its success, noting that this is one area where marketers cannot take shortcuts or use tactics to manipulate the rankings as Google wants to offer consumers good quality information.

"You should be looking to continually bulk up your content over time and - most importantly - this content should include the keywords that you want to be found for," Mr Shaw urged.

The government resource Business Link warns that companies which do not rank highly on search engines will usually not pick up "passing trade" as people rarely look beyond page two of the results.