Free digital surgery aims to cure online ills

08.07.2010

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Jake Hithersay, one of Soak Digital founding directors is urging small businesses to have the confidence to say 'NO' to a new website unless they are positive it will offer a good return on investment and make a real difference to the company's profitability.

"These days you don't actually need to have a website to run a modern and well-connected business," says Jake. "Depending on the sector that you work in and what your business objectives are, you could realistically operate in the digital world using a variety of social media tools, online business networks and third-party blogging platforms."

Jake continues; "That's not to say that a great website can't be a fantastic tool for many businesses and not for profit organisations. But if you commissioned your site ten, five or even three years ago and haven't touched it since, the chances are that it is virtually value-less. Unless you are committed to keeping your site fresh, newsworthy, interesting and optimised to encourage search engines to find it, you basically have a very expensive, and probably out of date, online brochure that only a very few people will bother to look at."

"The majority of organisations in Norfolk have spent money on building a website at some point. However because most of them cannot afford a dedicated website or online manager, the site gets left to its own devices or is updated on a very occasional basis," continues Jake. "We spoke to one business owner who was disappointed that her company wasn't coming up in Google searches; it turned out that she hasn't updated her site for three years!"

Soak is hosting a free Digital Surgery on Thursday 15 July at The Cube, in Norwich's Forum. From 12noon - 7pm, businesses, charities, schools and not for profit organisations of any size can obtain free advice on any aspect of their web design, site development and digital marketing activity.

"From the recent conversations we've had with businesses, we're expecting to cover a wide range of technical and creative issues on 15 July; from pay per click advertising and search engine optimisation, to content management, e-commerce and social media," says Jake. "Our team is hugely experienced, knowledgeable and creative and our aim is for visitors to leave the surgery with practical tips that will help their business succeed without costing them a fortune."

Everyone who attends the Digital Surgery will leave with a copy of the Soak guide to avoiding 'Digital Disasters'; a list of top tips to make sure that your online activity works for you and doesn't fall foul of regulations.

The Digital Surgery starts at 12noon on 15 July and there's no need to book. To find out more please visit www.soak.co.uk/surgery or call 01603 630631. For further information about The Forum, directions and parking information, please visit www.theforumnorwich.co.uk.

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