A disastrous event will have a devastating impact on a business. Crises such as catastrophic loss of data, utility failure/disruption, fire, stock damage, flu/illness or absence of key staff make it difficult or impossible for a business to continue to operate. The resultant failure to supply can lead to the loss of important customers and the survival of the business.

The problem is, like most of the businesses located at Buncefield, we all believe “it won’t happen to us” but sometimes it does! Many of the 400 businesses affected at Buncefield were unable to trade for months after the event due to poor planning[1].

What’s the point in spending large chunks of marketing budgets driving traffic to a website that converts poorly? Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) is cost effective and can deliver huge ROIs for any business website. This is all about the holy grail of website monetisation!

Many companies invest heavy amounts of their marketing budgets in Search Engine Marketing, which in itself can deliver huge increases in traffic volume to websites and (from a biased me!) is a must for any business wanting to market its products and services. But this can largely be wasted if none of these visits converts to a sales, or in the case of a non e-commerce website, an enquiry or request for a brochure (or whatever the website goals are!).

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that we are now in a ‘post pandemic phase’ and recommends surveillence, but what does that mean asks Terry Heffernan?

The problem with risk mitigation is that most of us think that a crisis could never happen to us; in reality, it sometimes it does – ask businesses that have been flooded or those adjacent to the Buncefield!

With adequate planning, most business risks can be avoided, mitigated or transferred and business can be prepared if the unexpected happens, through Crisis and Business Continuity Planning.

Risk management identifies and assesses all business risks, allowing an organisation develop strategies to manage them.

What a great idea e-Cards are! What a shame they are blighted by the evil that is Spam and Phishing!

I don’t know about you, but I often get links purporting to be from ecard companies, but always delete these instantly as most carry Trojan viruses. Which is a real shame as, on the odd occasion that I have sent ecards, they are always well recieved and a great way to say that you are thinking of the recipient.

Call me a cynic, but I started to wonder if the trojans were originated by the print industry! I am sure that I am way of beam, but stranger things have happended!

Given the recent emergence of Internet TV through a partnership between Sony and Google, I was wondering if we are about to witness an expolosion of VOIP Phones. I remember 10 years ago when studying my MBA at London Business School, we discussed the convergance of technologies. In those days, everything was still seperate; phones were phones; email was email; PC was a PC and men were definateley men! Internet TV was discussed in those days along with devices that would become I-Phones and I-Pads.

I suppose being in the Internet industry and in and out of websites every day, makes me spot bad websites a mile off. For me, it is poor functionality that kills a great looking website design and surprisingly, large comapnies are often the ones whose websites function the worst.

Anyone a fan of Country House Rescue? last week showed a family running a stately home called Heath House and their attempt to develop business there as one of the many wedding venues that have sprung up across the UK. I am sure that running such a house as a wedding venue is very stressful, but it highlighted to me that you need an unusual mix of project management skills and presentation skills.

Our industry is blighted by Search Engine Optimisation companies who do no more that take the money and run, using unethical techniques along the way. After our failed pitch of 2009, out Director of Search and industry guru Shaun Parker has undertaken an in-depth analysis of Homebase (Home Retail Group) to whom we pitched alongside their sister company Argos.

Whether by design or default, ‘black hat techniques’ are rife and Homebase run a serious risk of getting thrown out of Google unless the errors are corrected.

High Position’s Conversion Rate Optimisation Service has increased sales to an online retailer by 53%. We could do this free and share in the additional revenue! http://www.onlineprnews.com/news/21742-1266239725-high-position-seo-launches-conversion-rate-optimisation-service.html