Yes, that’s right folks. The chequered flag has been waved and the champagne thoroughly sprayed and at the end of it all it was Phil who stands as newly crowned champion of the HeadRed Grand Prix.

Granted, there were 40 other Chamber-based competitors taking part, but for us the only result that mattered was who finished top of the HeadRed pile and ensured bragging rights in the office for many weeks to come.

Besides, I have my suspicions over the eventual winner of the event as a whole. Anyone who brings their own helmet and gloves to what is largely an amateur race surely has to be put forward to the FIA for further investigation.

As it was, Phil actually finished 6th overall in a pool of over 50 drivers. Despite his valiant efforts in the final race he found it hard going from the back of the grid and had to settle with an honorable mention but no podium finish.

But what of the other HeadRed racers? Let’s have a look at the leaderboard:

1. Phil
2. Richard
3. Danny
4. James
5. Chris
6. Liam
7. Bev
8. Carl

So despite not owning a legitimate driving license James still managed to finish higher than four of us! It was very tight down the bottom with Liam, Carl and myself all separated by hundredths of seconds. Thankfully though the good Lord spared me further embarrassment as I banished the Clay Pigeon stigma with a stoic, if unspectacular, 7th place.

Hard luck Carl, but I’m afraid the dunces cap now passes to you. Make sure you keep it warm for me, because no doubt I’ll be claiming it back at the next event!

The studio here have been busy earning their corn with two new sites launched this past couple of weeks.

Exhibit 3 Sixty are an exhibition stand design and construction company with over 25 years personal experience. Their website includes comprehensive information pertaining to their full range of services, which includes the design, construction and logistics for both modular and custom exhibition stands.

Site features include an image gallery for displaying portfolio work, an online quote function where potential customers can receive a tailored estimate for their exhibition requirements, plus the integration of our highly acclaimed Content Management System (CMS) for Exhibit 3 Sixty to control all site content.

The client have also signed up to a HeadRed SEO contract for aggressively promoting the site in Google and all other major search engines.

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CV One is a unique company in Britain, combining the twin functions of managing Coventry’s city centre and promoting the city and its surrounding Warwickshire region as an attractive place in which to invest, work, live and to visit.

Their “Create your Coventry” project is a new venture aimed at providing a real-life view of Coventry and people’s experiences within the local area. The website, which was designed and built by HeadRed, will work as an active blog for an array of Coventrians allowing them to share their own unique stories and experiences.

Furthermore, the campaign is actively seeking new subjects who are willing to join the Coventry family. If you think your stories of life in the local area are interesting and you’d like to be involved then get in touch with the Create your Coventry team now.

Here at HeadRed we’re doing our best to fight the credit crunch and our recent efforts have been rewarded with the commissioning of two new lucrative contracts.

The Northamptonshire Complementary Education Learning Platform is a new project devised by the Education Sector of Northamptonshire County Council. Its aim is to provide better communication between young people, teaching staff, parents and the wider community using the Internet.

The learning platform, which comprises a new website and intranet, will enable staff and young people to collaborate in shared areas, communicate their ideas and store their own materials in personal “e-portfolios”.

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Ward & Rider are a highly regarded law firm in Coventry. For over 50 years they’ve supplied their customers with quality legal services across a wide range of disciplines.

We’ve recently been contracted with revamping Ward & Rider’s corporate branding, providing them with a new website as well as a whole range of printed materials. They have also signed up to one of our tailored SEO contracts to ensure their new site remains successful long into the future.

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Both of these new projects illustrate perfectly how working in the online industry can bring you together with a diverse range of different organisations. We don’t work to any industry or market boundaries.

Our solutions are available, usable and effective to all companies, whether public or private sector.

I have a confession to make.

For the attentive amongst us you might have noticed a distinct lack of commentary regarding HeadRed FC and their recent fortunes. Well, I’m sad to say that the lads did in fact go down last season. Yes, I admit it, they were relegated and I hid the fact from all of you. I’m not proud of myself, but I thought it best for all of us if we just swept the whole sorry episode under the carpet and started afresh.

So to a new season. Division C of the Coventry Minor League Under 12s is to be our home for the next 28 matches and the lads are determined to stamp their immediate authority on proceedings. Yes, they’re eager to start as they mean to go on and set a new record points total as they barnstorm their way to the title.

It hasn’t been the best of starts I’ll admit.

The opening 8 games of the season has seen a distinctly mediocre 12 points accumulated, with 4 wins and 4 losses so far. Such see-saw form will hardly see us storm the division, but we should all realise that it’s a marathon and not a sprint. 20 games still to go and 60 points still to play for.

The league is very tight at the moment and a few positive results will soon see us (Peugeot Citroen Colts) challenging near the top. Whatever happens I promise not to keep secrets from you again. Win, lose or draw we’re all in this together.

Keep the faith and up the reds!

Some 57% of online shoppers would be less likely to buy from a brand offline if they experienced problems online, according to research by Harris Interactive and Tealeaf Technology.

The study of more than 2,000 online consumers, conducted in August, found 89% believe online customer service should the same level or better than shopping in store.

It also revealed that 49% who experience problems with online transactions would abandon or switch the transaction to another site – up from 37% the previous year. Some 87% also believe there’s no reason why an online transaction can’t be completed on the first try.

These statistics illustrate how important the quality and reliability of your e-commerce solution are to consumers. A faulty, inefficient website could lose you vast amounts of revenue both online and in-store.

It just goes to show that if you’re looking to embark on the journey into online retail it’s imperative your first steps are taken with as much care and diligence as you’d give your bricks-and-mortar counterpart.

If I had to cite one thing in the online industry that sparks the most debate then it would have to be SEO. In a recent article from e-consultancy they highlight three of the most common SEO debates currently raging over a water-cooler near you.

1. SEO vs. PPC
Clients often ask “which is better – SEO or PPC?” – A question that has created countless arguments and opinions. Fortunately, most industry experts have now realised that both have their pros and cons but a combination of both is best for long-term visibility.

Black Hat vs. White Hat
Surprising though it may be, despite a large portion of evidence against it some people still leap to the defence of unethical SEO. How these people can argue against hundreds of PhDs employed by the leading search engines is beyond me.

Fortunately though there has been a rise in the number of high-profile companies dropping out of search results for unethical optimisation tactics. The resultant impact of these cases means fewer and fewer clients are turning to Black Hat SEO for instant results and are keen to pursue healthier, long-term White Hat optimization.

3. SEO Has No Future vs. Oh Yes it Does
As redundant debates go this has to be the pick of the lot. Anybody who suggests SEO has no future in the modern, online marketplace is completely blinkered to the benefits it can offer. Strangely enough, the people who insist it has no future always seem to be the people who define SEO as the unfair manipulation of search engines.

This couldn’t be further from the truth. SEO is not manipulation; it is honing, toning and refining a website.

These people do not fully understand the industry and the huge amount of work that goes into decent white hat optimisation. Fortunately, this debate will die off as the world in general gains a greater understanding of exactly what search optimisation means. Black hat may have no future but decent SEO is a massively important aspect of online marketing.

(Source: E-Consultancy 30th Sep 2008)