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Posted by admin on February 9th, 2009

Hope Dani kept you happy last Wednesday with her talk of super SMEs. 

I was otherwise occupied, though no less amused.

Last week, I attended the inaugural lecture of Al Rainnie, Professor and Director of Research at the Centre for Labour Market Studies at the University of Leicester. 

Posing the question “Does the East Midlands Exist”, Professor Rainnie  explored whether “the East Midlands” is a sensible category for analysis when trying to understand the economic, social and political dynamics of the development of the region.  Believe me, it wasn’t as dry as it sounds and, in case Giles is wondering, this does have a direct bearing on all of our businesses.

If you couldn’t be there and would like to read a transcript, contact inaugural@le.ac.uk for more information.   And if you don’t want to know how it ends, look away now. 

Because the short response is yes.  At least by the criteria posited by Prof. Rainnie.

My interest in this subject was somewhat less academic than others in attendance.  The question of the East Midlands vexes me when working with my, Platinum accredited, Search Engine Optimisation colleagues, on copy which will help put our clients’ websites onto the 1st page of Google.

The question for us is more like “Does The East Midlands Exist Or Even Matter In The Minds Of Those Searching For Client X’s Products Or Services?”  Snappy eh?  And that’s rather the point.

Think about it.  When you’re searching for products or services online, when does geography become an issue?

Well, let’s say you’re looking for a new agency to provide search engine optimisation services.  Setting aside why you should look no further than Studio 2 Online, do you search online for: search engine optimisation Leicester, search engine optimisation Derby, search engine optimisation Nottingham, search engine optimisation East Midlands or even search engine optimisation UK or just plain search engine optimisation?  And does it make a difference?

Well it does if you’d like to shortlist a number of agencies to present their credentials.  How on earth would you select from the 13 million plus results in google.co.uk?  Of course most people wouldn’t look beyond the first page, but would that give you the best options to fit your needs?

What if you want the agency to visit you at your place of work to present their past work and services?  If they charge expenses, watch out for mileage.  And what if you need regular meetings with the team, at their site, and want to minimise your time out of the office?

So geography does have a part to play both to cut down on the number of search results and to ensure that the ones you’re left with fit YOUR criteria more closely. 

While we’re postulating on search engine optimisation, YOUR criteria are important, because you are likely to be the person who is searching.  However, when it comes to your own products and services, your opinion might not count so highly.

That’s not to say that we would disregard your views when creating a search engine optimisation strategy for your business.  It’s just that we think we can offer you a much better service if we focus on your customers. 

That’s why, when you take advantage of free copy writing for your website, I ask at least as many questions about your customers as I do about your business.  So that when I collaborate with the search engine optimisation team here in Leicester, I can contribute suggestions based on what I understand about your business and, more importantly, the needs, geographic location and mindset of your customers.

So, does the East Midlands exist?  Well it does if your customers think it does, and if they’re looking for your products and services within the region.  And if they don’t, and they’re not then, as far as search engine optimisation is concerned, the East Midlands is as real as Narnia.

Sorry Professor Rainnie.