Website design Birmingham
While we have been running the eSterling website and blog for some time we thought it would be handy for new readers and anyone looking at the services we offer to have a short overview of the company.
eSterling is a Birmingham web design agency made up of a team of 20 people covering all aspects of development, support and SEO. We operate as a full service web agency offering web design, web development and search engine optimisation.
We mainly build websites for companies based in the West Midlands. We pride ourselves on producing a bespoke solution that meets the needs of businesses rather than foist a website template solution on them. We won’t hand you a basic template website or an older design with a new logo placed on top. Our team carefully researches your brief, requirements and market you are in and from that creates a tailored web solution just for you. We have over 14 years of experience in the web development industry and guarantee a fresh, jargon free and professional approach to developing your website.
We have provided many hundreds of companies in the Midlands with various categories of web solutions from brochure websites to ecommerce websites. If you are looking to sell products online eSterling have many years of experiencing producing bespoke ecommerce sites. We can provide you with a secure platform with easy to use CMS software that puts you in control of selling goods through your website. Integration with payment services such as SagePay, Worldpay, PayPoint and Worldpay is no issue and we’ll even advise on ways we can help with building support for CRM or Sage accounts into your website.
For a free, no obligation meeting and quote contact eSterling on 0121 766 8087 today.
SEO Customer Service Assistant Role
We are a leading Digbeth web design agency and we are seeking a motivated, target-driven individual to join our SEO team as a Customer Service Assistant.
This is a fantastic long-term opportunity for the right candidate, offering a clear career path in our well-established firm. We need an energetic, and highly organised person to assist our Client Relationship Manager in looking after our growing customer base.
You will have:
- Excellent interpersonal skills and a friendly demeanour with confidence in your abilities
- A degree-level education
- Preferably a sales or customer service background with proven results
- A good grasp of what SEO is and the desire and potential to increase your knowledge
- A desire to take on increased responsibility and a can-do attitude
- Strong administrative skills and an excellent level of written and spoken English
Duties will include:
- Being the first point of contact for our SEO customers, dealing with service issues and queries
- Providing a continuity of care to customers
- Departmental administration, use of office databases, spread sheets etc.
- Conducting service reviews with customers over the telephone or face to face and encouraging sales and upgrades
We are looking for a special person to fill this role and would like to find someone who is interested in building a long-term career within the field of SEO and Internet Services.
Full time.
Permanent.
Salary range £13k – £16k (dependent on experience)
Please call Claire Jones on 0121 766 8087 or submit CVs to claire.jones@esterling.co.uk
Telesales Executive Role
We are a leading Digbeth web design agency and we NEED motivated, hard-working and experienced telesales agents with a strong desire for success.
This is an excellent opportunity for the right candidates, offering a strong basic salary with an achievable OTE of £25k or beyond. Join our friendly, growing team for long-term prospects.
You will have:
- Telesales or sales experience and excellent interpersonal skills
- A confident manner and the ability to form relationships with decision makers swiftly
- A working knowledge of internet services, SEO and IT
- The drive and determination to achieve targets day after day
- A can-do attitude and resilience
- Good administrative skills and an excellent level of written and spoken English
Duties will include:
- Daily calling of prospects to book meetings for our sales staff
- Acting as a representative of the company, being the starting point for future relationships with clients
- Working to daily, weekly and monthly targets
- Basic administration; use of office database
We are looking for exceptional candidates to fill this role and would like to find someone who is interested in building a long-term career within the field of Internet Service Sales.
Full time
Permanent
OTE £25k
Please call Claire Jones on 0121 766 8087 or submit CVs to claire.jones@esterling.co.uk
Web Developer Role
eSterling is looking for a self-motivated, focused individual who is passionate about the industry, to join our busy Development Department.
The role would be ideal for someone who has a few years of experience developing content managed websites. We are not hung up on degree-level qualification, preferring a candidate with commercial experience instead. You should show an attention to detail and ability to uphold your work to the highest standards.
You’ll be working directly with clients so being confident in presenting your work and talking with people in a non-technical manner is a must.
If you’re someone who isn’t deterred by a challenge and has a passion for new web technologies you’ll fit right in. The ideal candidate will be able to slipstream into the team with a minimum of training, bringing their experience into the mix and deliver code of a high quality.
We’re looking for someone who has experience and interest in the following:
- Practical experience with PHP
- Experience with Classic ASP would be a bonus
- You should have practical knowledge of OOP principles and techniques
- You should be more than comfortable working with HTML, CSS and Javascript
- MVC web framework experience would be ideal
- Experience of working with version control systems
- Interest in ‘programming the web’ and web services
Full time.
Permanent.
Salary range: £16,000-£24,000pa (dependent on experience)
eSterling joins Microsoft Advertising Accredited Professionals
eSterling is pleased to announce that the company has been awarded Microsoft Advertising Accredited Professional status. Two members of our eMarketing team, Scott Hunt and Jon Jauncey, successfully completed the Microsoft adCenter examination to gain this accreditation.
This qualification demonstrates that the eMarketing team at eSterling is highly trained in all aspects of pay-per-click advertising through Yahoo and Bing. We are able to professionally manage and optimise adCenter campaigns and pass on expert advice to our customers about how to use pay-per-click adverts to drive traffic to their website.
Our new Microsoft Advertising Accredited Professional status is another step towards offering our customers a wider range of internet marketing services, and we can now provide Bing and Yahoo pay-per-click campaigns alongside our Google Adwords services. If you would like to find out more, please contact us on 0121 766 4080.
Cookie Law FAQ
What are cookies?
Cookies are also known as browser cookies or tracking cookies and are small, often encrypted, text files located in browser directories. They are used to help users navigate a website efficiently and perform certain functions.
Some of the most common functions using cookies are:
- Logging into a website
- Buying goods online
- Personalised adverts
- Tracking data using Google Analytics
Why has the law been changed?
The law has been designed to protect the privacy of internet users – even when the information being collected about them is not directly personally identifiable. The changes are a response to increasing concern about online tracking and the use of spyware.
An example of this type of tracking is personalised advertising – where a retailer can use data about what you have looked at online to advertise related products to you when you are visiting a different website.
How does the law affect my website?
The new rules are not designed to restrict cookies as such, they are intended to prevent cookies being used to store information on people’s computers and recognising them via the device they are using, without their knowledge and agreement.
Using cookies is therefore not prohibited by the new regulations, but they do require that people are told about cookies and given the choice as to which of their online activities are monitored.
All websites are now required to offer users the chance to opt out of cookies. This is what the legislation states:
“a person shall not store or gain access to information stored, in the terminal equipment of a subscriber or user unless the requirements of paragraph (2) are met.
(2) The requirements are that the subscriber or user of that terminal equipment-
(a) is provided with clear and comprehensive information about the purposes of the storage of, or access to, that information; and
(b) has given his or her consent.
Regulation 6 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR)”
The use of cookies and similar technologies has been commonplace for some time, and cookies in particular are important in the provision of many online services. Therefore there is an exception to obtaining consent where the use of the cookie is:
(a) for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network; or
(b) where such storage or access is strictly necessary for the provision of an information society service requested by the subscriber or user.
This means that e-commerce websites will be able to carry on using cookies for transactions without consent. Other cookies that are likely to be exempt from the legislation include security cookies (e.g online banking) and cookies that speed up loading of data.
Shortly after the new legislation was announced, the regulations were amended to allow ‘implied consent’ for other cookies, such as first and third party advertising cookies, cookies used to recognise a user when they return to a site (in order to display personalised information) and analytical data cookies, e.g Google Analytics.
What do I need to do next?
You will be required to display a message on your site asking users if they wish to opt-out of cookies. The message must:
tell people that the cookies are there,
explain what the cookies are doing, and
obtain their consent to store a cookie on their device
This can be in the form of a pop-up banner that appears as soon as a user clicks onto your homepage, or you can request ‘implied consent’ from users by updating your terms and conditions and/or privacy policy to include the information listed above.
What happens if a user opts out of cookies?
Due to their core role of enhancing or enabling usability or site processes, disabling cookies may prevent users from using certain parts of a website. This is why e-commerce sites and websites requiring a log-in are exempt from the regulations.
It is crucial that any opt-out message you decide to display will make users aware that cookies could affect how they use your website in a negative way. You may also need to be prepared to deal with some additional customer enquiries from users that have opted out of cookies and are now finding it difficult to use your website. Please note that users can re-enable cookies by changing their browser settings.
It is possible that Google Analytics tracking data could be affected by users opting out of cookies, and visits may appear artificially low. We anticipate that Google will work to resolve this and the eMarketing team will inform users of any long term changes to Google Analytics policy.
Web Developer wanted to join our team
eSterling is looking for a self-motivated, focused individual who is passionate about the industry, to join our busy Development Department.
The role would be ideal for someone who has a few years of experience developing content managed websites. We are not hung up on degree-level qualification, preferring a candidate with commercial experience instead. You should show an attention to detail and ability to uphold your work to the highest standards.
You’ll be working directly with clients so being confident in presenting your work and talking with people in a non-technical manner is a must.
If you’re someone who isn’t deterred by a challenge and has a passion for new web technologies you’ll fit right in. The ideal candidate will be able to slipstream into the team with a minimum of training, bringing their experience into the mix and deliver code of a high quality.
We’re looking for someone who has experience and interest in the following:
- Practical experience with PHP
- Experience with Classic ASP would be a bonus
- Practical knowledge of OOP principles and techniques
- More than comfortable working with HTML, CSS and Javascript
- MVC web framework experience would be ideal
- Experience of working with version control systems
- Interest in ‘programming the web’ and web services
Salary range: £16,000-£26,000 pa. Please send a CV to hrservices@esterling.co.uk to apply.
How will you make the most of the Diamond Jubilee?
As Jubilee-fever sweeps the nation are you doing your bit to make sure you capitalise on it this summer? Retail outlets are FULL of Union Jacks and little crown-shaped trinkets. There is a resurgence in teapot sales and macaroons are EVERYWHERE!
Whether or not you plan to wave a little flag of your own, there is definitely money to be made on the back of the Jubilee and for savvy business owners the opportunity is too good to miss. Here are our top tips:
- Run a Jubilee-inspired competition on your web site and spread the word using your Social Media links such as Twitter and Facebook.
- Turn your usual seasonal special offers into Jubilee special offers, decorating your site with red, white and blue to jolly it up.
- Give out Jubilee voucher codes at checkout to existing customers encouraging a return visit by offering a discount.
- If you’re in the market, stock a specific Jubilee range to entice buyers. Create packages or sell items on an individual basis.
- Get involved in community activities. Offer to sponsor a tea party in your local area and get the press involved.
However you choose to spend the Jubilee, don’t miss out on a chance to increase your sales opportunities. Boost British Business! Hoorah!
Popularity rules: The power of social media
A recent post by Lloyd Shepherd on the Guardian books blog serves to highlight the step-up of importance in social media over the last few years. Lloyd’s book, The English Monster was released in March and his article compares the influence that both traditional sources (newspapers) and unofficial sources (such as reader reviews on Amazon) have had on the sales of his book.
It would seem that official reviews in newspapers are a hugely powerful tool in exposing your work and for a debut writer this is good news, whether the review is positive or negative. Online reviews are a different beast but the negative impact can be catastrophic with one writer citing a 70% drop in sales after a negative review. Social approval or disapproval is exerting a huge influence on book sales and the same can be said of other business sectors.
We have been advising our customers to get on board with social media for a while now, and it appears this will become increasingly important as Google adjusts its position yet again on the way it values web sites and ranks them. The key aspect of social media is that your web site, product or service is receiving an unbiased review from an impartial source. This is seen by Google as being more powerful than a self-endorsement and it follows that the more positive points you get from other people, the more Google will like your site.
It is worth speaking to your SEO provider about pushing your social media campaign forward if they haven’t already. eSterling offers competitively priced social media packages to suit all budgets. Your SEO team will discuss the best methods for you and get you started. You’ll get out what you put in, so be active and concentrate on making those customers happy.
Pinterest is already proving to drive targeted traffic to e-Commerce retailers
Pinterest is without doubt the new hotness on the interwebs. Similar in concept to other social bookmarking sites like Delicious and Sumbleupon, Pinterest lets you to ‘pin’ images of ‘interest’ you’ve found and comment on the collections of others. Opening the site will give you an appreciation of the service as every space of the screen is filled with all manner of knick knacks and items people have discovered and covet.
What has turned heads is the rate of growth Pinterest is experiencing and the demographics using the site. Pinterest reached a userbase of 10 million unique visitors in the U.S. faster than any site in history. It is also driving more traffic to retail sites than YouTube, Google+ and LinkedIn combined. The site skews towards a female user base and the icing on that cake for savvy ecommerce site owners is that Pinterest generates conversion rates as high as 20%. If your product is pinned to someone’s board there’s a 1 in 5 chance they’ll be purchasing that item.
Pinterest encourages a browsing and discovery orientated approach rather than the specific product searches you’ll encounter throughout most of the web. This mirroring of real-world shopping behaviour is seen in the correlation of pining and offline purchasing which is even stronger than online conversions. If you are an ecommerce site owner then now is the time to get on-board the Pinterest bandwagon. The first item on your agenda should be the addition of a Pinterest button to your site to allow users to easily pin items to their boards. Now would also be an ideal time to get your product imagery in order. Conversion rates have always benefitted from good, large and clear images being used throughout the site but now that they serve as the focal point it is essential you have the best pictures you can.
The next step is establishing yourself on Pinterest. This shouldn’t just be pure self-promotion with all the pins being items from your ecommerce store. Pinterest is about sharing and engaging with the whole community, pinning items from other sources will ingrain a sense of trust in followers. You’ll want to test your site to make sure that items are pinned correctly. Pinterest works by scanning each page to select the image if there are issues you’ll need to get in touch with your sites developers and discuss your options. Also essential is tracking the traffic you are getting from Pinterest through Google Analytics.
Ideas for increasing engagement and conversions through Pinterest can range from having a sale on the most pinned items through to offering a voucher to traffic arriving from the site. You may also want to think about setting up boards that offer a collection of items that go together – think of something along the lines of IKEA display rooms – which serve as a super-sized related items page. Even adding the Pinterest button to your site and an encouragement to pin can help increase the amount of sales you are getting.
Please be aware that not everything is great on Pinterest. It is increasingly being used by scammers pinning items that link to malicious websites but this is activity that Pinterest says it is actively monitoring. Despite this inevitable spamming of the service there are still users coming up with all sorts of creative methods to pin items.