MicroSites, MiniSites, Campaign Sites.... Do they actually work for SEO?

Our LinkedIn discussion of the month

Learn more about Search Engine Optimisation on our recently revamped Search Engine Optimisation Course in Brighton, Sussex.

Our LinkedIn discussion of the month

Microsites can be an excellent way to drive traffic, rank competitive keywords and target niche markets, however many SEOs advise that it's better to bring content into your main domain. With the increased use of Social Media, many also suggest that time is better invested in building networks and sharing resources on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter - a very different kind of online marketing (see this great blog on why you should be wary of using Facebook Pages like MicroSites).

At Silicon Beach Training we used to have microsites but we brought them all into our main site, with much content now in our Free Resources section. This was under the advice of SEO companies. However, we did lose a lot of traffic and many SEOs are now suggesting we should create microsites!... Confused, Heather posed the question "Should I use MicroSites" to her LinkedIn network; what follows are the helpful responses.

The best Photoshop blogs to inform and inspire you...

Blogging is all the rage these days and we are even running Blogging Training as of the 24th of May - if your business isn't blogging, it should be!

For fellow Photoshop fans we've scoured the web to bring you our favorite Photoshop blogs for either informative 

Photoshop Training, news and tips or for inspiring Photoshop feats (if you're looking for the best Photoshop tutorial websites try this list). There are a lot of blogs out there, so read on to find the ones we thought most stood out...

Silicon Beach Training is one of the UK's leading providers of PRINCE2® Foundation Training and PRINCE2® Practitioner Training courses, with PRINCE2® Training in-company and at our training centre in Brighton.

What is Product Breakdown Structure (PBS)?

A product breakdown structure (PBS) is a fundamental part of project management and the PRINCE2® methodology.

A PBS is a tool used to assess, plan and display the outcomes required of a project. It is part of a product based planning technique and attempts to break down all components of a project - in as much detail as possible so that nothing is overlooked.

It is important to note that products may be physical or conceptual and may include tools required to manage the project e.g. test documentation, requirement specifications or safety certifications.

Product Breakdown Structure Example:

The image above demonstrates an example of breaking down the required components of a computer. 

As you see a PBS offers a clear, exhaustive and hierarchical structure of all deliverables.

Our PRINCE2® training courses in Brighton are taught by professional trainers with an extensive background in Project Management.

We are so confident that they will guide you all the way to a pass that we'll give you the training again for free if you're not one of the 99% that do! You can find out more about our exam guarantee on our PRINCE2 Training page.

For more comprehensive tips to help you pass your exam, download our free PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Tips eBook.

Already done the training and about to sit the exam tomorrow?

Read these handy tips to help you perform to your best:

1: Read the manual! It sounds silly but you'd be surprised how many skim read the PRINCE2 manual or miss out chunks. Our five-day PRINCE2 Practitioner training is very intensive, so do yourself a big favour by reading the manual right through in advance.

How to Stop Google.com redirecting to Google.co.uk

Sometimes you may want to view search results on Google.com instead of Google.co.uk - which you're automatically redirected to if you live in the UK. This is useful to get different information, or to see how you're ranking for certain keywords across the Atlantic. Well we had this problem recently and can share with you how to escape being redirected! You just need a short addition to the URL: enter "www.google.com/ncr" into the browser address bar... and Bob's your uncle!

To learn about optimising your website for search, see our new re-vamped SEO Training at Silicon Beach Training.

Choosing the best Social Bookmarking sites

It can be tricky deciding how to choose your Social Bookmarking websites, and hard to know which are the best ones. You may wonder whether your subject matter is appropriate, what sort of audience they attract, or whether your bookmark will leave a dofollow link.

But confusion aside, social bookmarking sites are a key part of the Social Media and SEO mix - once you've decided which ones to use, bookmarking is an incredible way of increasing exposure and traffic. It's also important to add some bookmarking widgets to your blog, to encourage others to recommend it - see our hands-on Training for Social Media, Training for SEO, and Training for Blogging courses to learn more about this.

Read on for our list of the best Social Bookmarking sites and tips for how to use them.

The Top Twitter Tools for Marketers    

32 Twitter tools for everything you could think of!

Most of us have woken up to the importance of social media for marketing by now. But whether you're a social networking pro or newbie, the volume of tools can be intimidating. When you do devote time, social networks like Twitter don't always makes things easy for business users. Here we focus on Twitter to suggest key ways marketers can use it and we guide you through the best apps.

Read on for various handy tools: all of which will save you time and help you realise Twitter's potential, none of which will help you take shortcuts or spam your way to online marketing success!