Google are allowing Google Talk users to make free PC to phone calls effectively closing the gap between Google Talk and Skype’s features

Google have introduced the facility to make phone calls to landlines and mobiles directly from Gmail. Users need to be sign into their Gmail account (in a Web browser) download and install the voice and video browser plug-in.

As a business we have been using Skype for the majority of our phone calls for several years now so I was very interested to see Google upping the ante in a move that makes their product more competitive with Skype.

How to use the service (and get free calls) from the UK

Unfortunately this service only appears to be available in the US/Canda and various news outlets (including the BBC) have been reporting that the facility is not available to international users.

However I managed to make a free call to GoDaddy in the US from a UK registered GMail account. To achieve this I done the following:

1. Login to GMail
2. Click ‘Settings’
3. Change ‘Gmail display language’ from English (UK) to English (US)
4. Click ‘Save Changes’
5. Click ‘Chat’ icon and click ‘Call phone’
6. Install the plugin and away you go

I was quite impressed with the call quality and at some point will record a call with Skype and Google Talk to the same US number (probably GoDaddy) to see if there is much difference in the call quality. For now though I think we will continue using Skype as it has proved reliable and very competitive.

Find out more about Google Talk at http://www.google.com/talk/start.html

Elite Heating Services offer full a full heating, plumbing and electrical service in the Wolverhampton area, the “local” SEO contract is cost effective getting good ranking in the local area.

Oasis-Land Development launch new website

Oasis-Land Development, an existing customer of Optimease for SEO and PPC services, have now launched a new website to take advantage of the modern SEO web design product. The SEO and PPC work will continue on an International basis to increase visitor traffic.

This Birmingham based private catering company targeting the corporate hospitality and food vending market are now introducing an SEO strategy.   Gray Court Catering were looking for a reputable SEO company in Birmingham and we are delighted they have chosen Optimease as a partner.

It is with great pride we are celebrating 4 years serving the online search market where we are finding an increasing demand for optimisation both on and off site including  website  improvements.

Red Lion Training  join the likes of  Broadstairs English Centre and FM Business benefiting from our single source approach to online marketing.   As best practice we introduced a CMS to enhance the on site SEO and provide ongoing PPC and SEO management.

Peters & Peters a London based law firm have selected Optimease to deliver…..

Peters & Peters are a law firm in London providing fraud and criminal solicitors.

Following a Website Review  to establish the way forward for an online marketing strategy, Optimease looked at every aspect of the site that was geared towards delivering content.

Peters & Peters arranged to have the website redeveloped, Optimease were retained to provide SEO best practice advice throughout the development process.   In addition the SEO strategy including offsite work continued to ensure improved rankings were being achieved.

With this in mind, we worked with them to make sure the new site would work hand in hand with the CMS and online marketing requirements. By Optimease handling the project management, we made sure the project was brought to fruition on  time and budget.

Being in control of these crucial elements, allowed us to simplify the process of creating and implementing an online marketing strategy that is succeeding in its campaign objectives.

Attractive Partners a leading professional Introduction Agency have awarded a contract to Optimease to provide a complete SEM service.

Optimease are pleased to announce we have secured a contract with Attractive Partners, a professional introduction agency based in the West Midlands.

Our remit is to provide a complete SEM service which will cover introducing a CMS to the present website whilst retaining the general look and feel.   The new CMS will allow the in-house team to maintain the website and will include SEO friendly functions.  In addition the PPC SEO will be managed by Optimease on an ongoing basis.

For those already using Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising on internet search engines, Optimease is offering a PPC management service that will be self-financing from the savings made.

Martin Elliot  from Optimease explains: “A PPC campaign is very easy for anyone to set up. But it is equally easy to over-pay for the responses you receive, and for a small business, it can be difficult to manage the campaign properly.”

“The internet is a dynamic, ever-changing environment that requires constant monitoring in order to deliver good marketing results. At Optimease, we have extensive experience of managing PPC campaigns for clients large and small, and as a result, we frequently cut campaign costs for clients, while delivering better responses for them.” The Optimease PPC offer means a business need spend no more, but ask Optimease to deliver a better return from the same investment.

The flip side of paying for online advertising is ensuring a website is visible and ranks highly in search engines, and here Optimease is offering its Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) services on a monthly fee basis. Says Martin Elliot: “By agreeing a monthly fee commitment, small business clients can see rapid results for what they are paying, without overstretching their marketing resources.”

“By combining judicious use of PPC and SEO, it is possible for a company’s website to deliver a stream of high quality sales or business leads, month after month. There is no reason why a small business, with a well planned and executed internet marketing campaign, cannot match the online results of far larger competitors.”