Our clients Earth to Earth Organics are an eco-friendly and alternative cosmetics brand, who pride themselves on their natural ingredients and dedication to the environment. We aimed to help them rank well on Google, not just for keys words, but for their brand name in a competitive industry.
Here’s what we did to boost our clients search engine rankings, user experience on the site and to establish their branding as recognisable in the alternative cosmetics industry.
Clean-up of the website – When begging our journey with any of our clients, we first look at the health of their websites. This is to say we look at their current meta-descriptions, meta-titles and whether they have any crawl errors or broken links on their site.
Having meta-data which is not optimised properly can damage a websites performance on Google and the like. Likewise, a website which does not have alt-text on its images and has broken links and crawl errors present is considered ‘unclean’ by Google’s algorithm.
Therefore, the initial steps we took with Earth to Earth Organics was to do a full clean-up of their website. We updated their meta-data and corrected any coding errors on any given page on their site. All meta-data should include target keywords at the beginning of the line so that Google can read it and pick it up quickly.
Adding Links – Another vital part of SEO is link building. In order to build up Earth to Earths authority, we sought out potential websites to feature a link to their website. For this, directories should be avoided and relevant websites in the same industry should be targeted. As well as seeking out links from other sites, we optimised pages on their own website by directing strong links.
Protecting young people from inappropriate content is vital in today’s world. So, when a youth camp in Suffolk needed the internet providing for up to 600 students, they required that their students stayed safe online. The University of the First Age contacted FreeClix to advise them on a bespoke connectivity solution that could satisfy these needs.
University of the First Age provide various forms of training for young people to become confident and successful leaders. Their summer youth camp has 600 students attend over a period of six weeks. The academy’s participants were young adults and their welfare was of prime importance. The University of the First Age wanted students to be able to communicate with family and use social media but ensure that inappropriate content was blocked.
Provide the internet.
As the youth camp was in a very rural location in Suffolk. The SimRush Core product was recommended as it delivers high speed broadband using 4G LTE technology. As SimRush is easily adaptable to a pop up environment, installation was quick and easy. To prevent overspend, the SimRush Core was loaded with a data SIM which was topped up as and when required.
Protect the students.
We ensured the WiFi had two SSID’s (service set identifiers). The first SSID was a portal with unrestricted web access with a password for the camp guardians. We provided a specialised content filtering system. This system had a static public IP address so that the router could recognise where the WiFi traffic is coming from. The guardians were able to login to the content filtering system using their WiFi password and approve or disapprove certain keywords or websites using the content filtering system. The second SSID was a poral for guest-based access that was accessed securely by the students.
The Solution
The SimRush Core provided a temporary safe and secure internet solution during the six-week period successfully. As SimRush has a static IP address, this made it the perfect solution for ensuring the content filtering system could be provided. During the academy students were able to keep in touch with family and friends online safely and securely.
The Result
“Working with FreeClix was simple and straight forward. I had a problem, I explained this to FreeClix. They were solution focused and came up with a hassle-free solution which worked well. I would recommend working with FreeClix, an understanding company which can help with bespoke issues.”
– David Coyle, Head of Operational Effectiveness at UFA
Ashtons Legal has recruited a further four new lawyers to its 50-strong regional Personal Injury Team and made an internal promotion to partnership in the Medical Negligence Team. This is a move which clearly signals the firm’s intention to remain one of the leading firms providing injury law services in East Anglia. The new recruits, joining from a range of firms across the region and beyond, are Andrew Wilson, Graham Heywood, Paul Sadler and Sophie Robson. Meanwhile, home-grown talent Ben Ward becomes a partner in the firm’s Medical Negligence team.
Ben, who is from Norwich, joined Ashtons as a trainee in 2008 and quickly made his mark within the firm. He is a former national winner of LawNet’s Young Lawyer of the Year, has held roles in the Norfolk and Norwich Law Society and the local Medico-Legal society, and has engaged with medics throughout his career locally to provide training on avoiding the pitfalls that lead to litigation having a clear focus on patient safety. He has regularly appeared on regional television and radio discussing the failings in regional mental health provision following the untimely death of those let down by the system. He now specialises in catastrophic injury claims, in particular cerebral palsy and other birth injury claims.
Andrew, Graham, Paul and Sophie have between them many years’ experience of personal injury claims at all levels – including everything from brain injury, spinal injury and amputation to broken limbs and soft tissue injuries. Andrew also has a niche in asbestos-related and other occupational disease claims and is a regular contributor to technical journals on personal injury law.
Michael Wangermann, who heads the firm’s Injury Services Group, says: “Ashtons has been a go-to firm for many years for those in East Anglia needing legal help with any type of injury claim and is recognised as such by independent reviewers at Chambers UK and the Legal 500. The most recent Chambers UK accolade described the firm as having ‘Impressive strength handling catastrophic injury claims, including a focus on brain and spinal injuries. Notable expertise in claims resulting from RTAs involving motorcycles, pedestrians and passengers. Active on claims arising from fatal accidents and amputations. Further strengthened by its specialist Court of Protection team.”
“We are delighted that while a number of other firms in the region have recently chosen to give up providing this type of legal advice, we continue to have this as a core area of our business and attract experienced additional talent into our team. It is also always rewarding to be able to promote from within and Ben, who has been instrumental in the firm’s Medical Negligence Team’s success and growth, will be an excellent addition to the Ashtons’ partnership. His appointment comes close on the heels of another recent key internal promotion, when Sharon Allison stepped up to the role of Business Unit Director of the Medical Negligence Team.”
This year has clearly been a difficult one for many businesses, and many organisations have had to make significant changes in order to survive and prosper.
With changes to business operating models such as more remote working and increasing reliance on technology to support working practices and digital sales channels, sometimes implemented quickly through necessity, come new and increased risks. It’s evident to us that more and more businesses are understanding the need for additional focus on Cyber Security & Resilience, and the value of specialist security advice and support from companies such as ourselves.
As this need increases, our role at CyberScale is to ensure that:
Organisations that need help know that we’re here, and how to find us
We offer the best portfolio of services to help businesses reduce risk, increase resilience and continually improve
We continue to have the expertise and capacity to meet the needs of our clients
In order to ensure that we can meet these challenges of our current and future clients, CyberScale have made a number of strategic investments.
Earlier this year we moved our HQ to a new, larger office based at the Royal Norfolk Showground to allow us to accommodate a larger team, and we are now delighted to announce a number of key hires.
Firstly, Graham Duckworth, former MD and co-founder of Suffolk based IT company Green Duck and security company Labsec, joins the Senior Leadership team as Commercial Director. Graham has a proven track record having grown Green Duck from a small start-up to a well-established and respected multi service IT and Security provider.
Graham will help shape our commercial offerings and go to market strategy, build Alliances with key partners and provide us with the benefit of his many years of experience building a customer focused business.
Jane Clements, who has been with CyberScale since 2019 in a Consultant capacity joins us on a permanent basis. Jane has proven to be a key asset to CyberScale and has been particularly instrumental with our policy frameworks, as well as Cyber Security Assessments and other consulting engagements.
In addition to Jane, Elliot Kemp joins CyberScale on a permanent basis following the successful completion of his Internship where he has helped spearhead development of our Security Policy Automation platform, further details of which will be released over the latter part of this year. Elliot will work alongside Jane as a Junior Cyber & Information Security Consultant. Elliot has recently graduated from UEA with a MSc in Cyber Security with distinction, a fantastic achievement, and is a great addition to the team.
These strategic investments will enable us to continue to provide our clients, existing and new, with critical security advice, training and a superior level of service.
Howes Percival has been ranked ninth in Planning Magazine’s 2021 Planning Law Survey. The prestigious survey of the UK’s leading planning law firms and barristers also places Howes Percival’s Jay Mehta as the sixth highest rated planning solicitor in the UK.
The Planning Law Survey is an in-depth report highlighting the solicitors, law firms and barristers that are considered the leading planning law specialists in the UK. The results of the survey are based on responses from consultants, developers and local authorities that were asked to identify individuals and firms they regard as exemplifying best practice in planning law.
Howes Percival, which has offices across East Anglia and the East Midlands, has seen its ranking rise dramatically over the last two years. Its 2021 ninth place ranking is a rise of 7 places from its 2020 position at sixteenth and, 21 places from its 2019 position at thirtieth.
The team act for major housebuilders, land promoters, developers and local authorities and in the past year work includes advising Breckland District Council on a planning application for a 4,000 dwelling mixed use urban extension in Norfolk; advising Turnstone Estates on two £50 million leisure developments in Colchester and Southend respectively; advising Code Students in relation to a 40 storey student scheme which will be the tallest building in Nottingham and probably the East Midlands and acting for Hampton Brook in relation to a two million square foot strategic employment site to the south of Milton Keynes, with planning permission secured following a public inquiry.
“We are delighted to be recognised as one of the top 10 planning law firms in the UK. London-based firms usually dominate the Planning Law Survey – so we’re punching well above our weight. The fact that the rankings are based on peer-led interviews and feedback makes our ninth place ranking especially pleasing. We are also thrilled that Jay’s skills and expertise have been acknowledged with his ranking as one of the UK’s highest rated planning solicitors.
“The commercial property sector is at the heart of Howes Percival’s business strategy. Over the last few years, we’ve expanded our offering, recruiting senior level experts to ensure we have the specialisms and depth of expertise to service the planning law requirements of our clients and, to attract high-quality work. We now have specialist Planning Partners in our Leicester and Norwich offices, servicing all of our client needs across the East Midlands, East Anglia and beyond.
“The rankings are testament to the tremendous amount of hard work the team puts in, their breadth and depth of knowledge, as well as the fantastic clients we have.”
Paul Wootton continued,
“Working as a single, cohesive team, we offer developers a comprehensive ‘cradle to grave’ commercial property proposition. As well as securing repeat work from existing clients, we receive many referrals from planning consultants because of the strength of our profile and reputation in the market. Despite the upheaval caused by the pandemic, workloads have held-up well during the last year. We made sure our clients knew that we were here to support them and embraced new ways of working smarter and closer with clients.”
Howes Percival’s property experts act for major housebuilders, retailers, construction companies, landowners, housing associations, developers, and public authorities as well as private individuals and businesses. The firm’s comprehensive commercial property service covers planning and environmental law, minerals and waste, compulsory purchase, village greens, development including strategic land acquisitions, the management of real estate portfolios, property finance, leases and other landlord and tenant matters, property litigation and construction contracts and disputes.
Howes Percival is ranked as a top-tier firm for Planning and Environment in the UK’s leading guide to law firms, the Legal 500.
This episode can best be summed up by the word’s ‘inspiration’ and ‘perspiration’! James and Mark chat to special guest, and professional adventurer, Freddie Bennett. Listen to how Freddie uses the lessons he’s learnt in life to advise and inspire businesses on how to motivate their teams and embrace change.
Freddie worked for many years in management consultancy, in London, but felt like an imposter in the corporate world. His talent was socialising! He grew to understand that it’s important for businesses to nurture and support their people. He’s worked with companies such as Coca Cola, Heineken, BT and Microsoft; advising on building confidence, changing behaviors, and how they do business. Freddie describes his work with teams as, “Helping everyday people do extraordinary things”. His personal achievements include ultra runner; iron man; Spartan; fire walker and Guinness world record holder for world’s fastest runner dressed as a fisherman!
Freddie’s back story makes for a fascinating listen. Coming from an insecure upbringing, with a grandfather who sold horses to the Peaky Blinders and a father who worked with Steve Jobs, his experiences have taught him that change is the only ‘permanent’. In this in-depth conversation, Freddie talks about how to overcome self-doubt and eliminate negative self-beliefs. Businesses and teams need to learn how to build inner strength, go the distance, and perfect decision making or, as he sums up, “Dream, disrupt and deliver”.
If you enjoy this episode, please subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever else you get your podcasts. Whilst you are there, please like us, and leave a comment. We would love to hear what you are enjoying about the podcast, and it helps others to find us!
Middlesex-based Khaliq Rahman runs his practice alongside daughters Sadia and Nabiha, son Sami and son-in-law Owais Saad.
Khaliq Rahman joined TaxAssist Accountants in 2001 and now works in the franchise alongside daughters Sadia and Nabiha, his son Sami and son-in-law Owais, who collectively look after the needs of more than 850 clients from four premises across Middlesex.
Khaliq opened his first shop on Bell Road, Hounslow in 2001, his Teddington office on Church Road in 2012, his Twickenham shop in 2016 and his latest shop at 29 Belmont Road in Uxbridge in January 2021.
Khaliq said: “I’m really proud of the level of service the team has provided to our clients over the years, but particularly during this pandemic. We have worked tremendously hard since last March to ensure every one of our clients was well looked after, and we’ve had some great feedback.
“We saw a gap in the market-place in Uxbridge for our services, and we’re looking forward to assisting the small businesses in the area through the economic recovery and beyond.
“The practice has continued to grow over the past two decades as we are a business based on relationships, expertise and offering jargon-free advice and support, so this growth has only been possible through the trust and confidence of our clients and I’d like to thank each and every one of them for their on-going support.
“I’d also like to thank the Norwich Support Centre for its 20th anniversary gift and guidance and assistance over the years. I’ve very much enjoyed my time with the franchise and am so pleased that the business has blossomed to enable me to bring both of my daughters and son into the practice too, which has enabled me to take more of a back seat in the business.”
If you share a passion to help your local small businesses, a TaxAssist franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. Regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 to register your interest.
Chartered accountants, M+A Partners, are delighted to announce the appointment of two new partners – Alice Lynch and Emma Hunt. Both Alice and Emma have significant experience within their respective areas of expertise, and these promotions further strengthen the firm’s audit and tax services.
Alice has been with the firm for over ten years, having joined as a graduate trainee in July 2010. She is a member of the audit team, specialising in the not-for-profit and education sectors. Alice’s professional knowledge of academies and their audit and accounts requirements are highly regarded, and she is part of the Academies User Group, a forum facilitated by Norfolk County Council to assist and advise academy trusts.
Alice commented “In the ten years I have worked at M+A Partners, I have built up strong client relationships with a focus on delivering a high-quality service. I look forward to using my experience and knowledge to continue to develop the firm over the next ten years and beyond.”
Emma joined M+A Partners in 2017 as a Private Client Tax Manager and has helped enhance the firm’s growing probate and estates specialism. She is highly respected within the firm for her expertise in managing the complex tax affairs of individuals, trusts and estates as well as running tax planning and advisory projects. She also plays an active role throughout the wider professional community in her role as a committee member for the East Anglian branch of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CIOT) and Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP).
Emma commented “We have a multi-talented group of individuals within our tax team, and as a newly appointed partner it is exciting to be in a position to help instigate our future growth and build-on our existing expertise to deliver an excellent level of client service.”
Managing Partner, Jeremy Robson commented “The ongoing professional development of our team at M+A Partners continues to be a priority for the firm. I am delighted that we have developed a framework that enables us to identify the potential of high-calibre candidates like Alice and Emma, ultimately resulting in promotion to partner. Both Alice and Emma have the personal and professional attributes needed to support our clients and contribute positively towards the long-term growth of the firm and the team within it.”
KLM UK Engineering Partners with Vision Concept Aviation Training Institute (VCATI)
April 2018 – KLM UK Engineering is delighted to announce the signing of a long-term partnership with VCATI for the provision of EASA Part 147 exams supported by KLM UK Engineering’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Software.
Under the agreement KLM UK Engineering will support VCATI’s successful Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering and Advanced Diploma in Aircraft Engineering Technology programmes by providing experienced examiners and VLE to allow the students to gain their EASA Part 66 B1.1 & B2 licence.
VCATI has arrangements in place to supplement the online training with tutorials from industry veterans so that students can qualify while they are employed in good time with top results. Captain Mohamed Obaid Al Suwaidi, Founder of VCATI says “We are committed to the needs of the aviation industry. We launched our student courses last year with intake for the A1 & A2 aircraft maintenance engineering program due to high industry demand and employment potential in the field. Our partnership with KLM UK Engineering to offer B1.1 & B2 qualifications online will open opportunities to hundreds of technicians and workers in the aviation industry to enhance their careers by qualifying for high potential jobs. Our own students acquiring A1 & A2 licenses next year can take up employment and pursue a higher qualification without having to take a gap year.”
Whilst, Ian Bartholomew, Director Business Development & Sales of KLM UK Engineering added: “The partnership with VCATI is another step forward in our aim to connect KLM UK Engineering’s VLE products to many young engineers in the UK and abroad. The industry needs many good engineers for the future to accommodate the growing worldwide fleet and to replace inevitable retirements. KLM UK Engineering wants to leverage its knowledge and experience by connecting many more academies to its growing educational centre at its head office in Norwich. “
Martin Thomas and Sarah Kay join in partnership for new venture at 205 Lavender Hill, London, to operate alongside Martin’s shop in Victoria.
Martin Thomas has been a TaxAssist Accountant for eight years, operating from a hugely successful practice at Victoria in Central London, where he currently looks after 600 clients alongside his six members of staff.
Experienced accountant Sarah Kay has now become a franchise partner alongside Martin to operate the new shop at Clapham Junction, having worked as a practice manager for Martin for the last four years.
“My background is in small business accounting and tax and I think I’m a perfect fit for the TaxAssist business model,” explains Sarah. “The set up suits my strengths and having a proven track record of managing TaxAssist Victoria, means I can join the franchise with full confidence.” “TaxAssist is a fantastic brand, and having seen first-hand the support and expertise available, I think it is miles ahead of a lot of its competition.
“Martin and I make a good team and over the last four years, client numbers have grown which I’m confident will continue, particularly as we are looking to open further shops.”
Addressing the current climate in the pandemic, Martin said: “Clearly London is currently much quieter that it would usually be, but even still, we have continued to sign up a good number of clients and January is proving to be as busy as ever.
“The Victoria shop is a fantastic looking shop in a great location, and we have now replicated this at Clapham, where we are hoping to repeat our success. We have already generated a lot of interest among local businesses and self-employed professions who have arranged appointments for meetings, so we are very much available for business. Clients can contact us for a free initial consultation either by calling us or online as they prefer.”
To contact Martin and Sarah visit their website here www.taxassist.co.uk/clapham-junction If you share a passion to help your local small businesses, a TaxAssist franchise can provide the systems and support you need to be successful. Regular Virtual Discovery Days are being held, where you can find out more about the technical, marketing and business development support on offer. Call 0800 0188297 or submit an enquiry via the button at the top of the page to register your interest.
East Anglia’s business rescue and insolvency specialists McTear Williams & Wood has raised £2,160 for charity at its popular 10th annual bowls tournament.
Twelve teams of professionals from across the region battled for the “McTear Williams & Wood Bowls Trophy” which was held at the Diss & District Bowls Club on Wednesday 25 April 2018. The winning team were the “Gulls”; Eleanor Russell of Isadore Goldman, Simon Willis of Leathes Prior, Jonathan Lloyd of Hazells Chartered Surveyors and Jo Watts of McTear Williams & Wood.
In keeping with tradition the contestants wore an array of novelty slippers ranging from puppy dogs to monster claws. Funds raised from the event went to Macmillan Cancer Support. Chris McKay Director of McTear Williams & Wood Limited presented the cheque to Sema Hussein, Corporate & New Business Fundraising Manager at Macmillan Cancer Support
Once again McTear Williams & Wood Limited extend their thanks to everyone who took part and to the Diss & District Bowls Club.
Steadfast Training offer a comprehensive package of pre-employment and in-work support, including non-accredited training and accredited qualifications in Employability; ICT and Social Media; Customer Service; Business Admin; Warehousing; Health Care, Mental Health & Wellbeing; LGBT in the Workplace, as well as Team Leading & Management.
All training we deliver to support young people develop their skills in the workplace is fully funded and comes at no cost to the employer.
Training can be offered as block provision (Monday – Friday) or 1 day per week over several weeks
For more information please contact 0845 223 2401 or email us on [email protected]