We’ve got Matt in on placement for a couple of weeks helping out in the studio. He’s got some great work in his portfolio and also runs his own design blog, Point and Anchor, check it out if you need to get your creative juices flowing.

Virb is a commuity full of amazing creatives. Here’s some cool stuff we like in the photos section

The blue side of the office were full of joy this morning after a brace from Carlos Tevez put City ahead 2-1 after the first leg. But it’s all to play for next week at Old Trafford.

The office is split today with fans of both City and United in the office. Who will have the bragging right in the morning? Place your bets now please!

Meet Tom, he’s spending the next 3 month’s with us on placement as part of the Manchester Masters scheme. He’s one of the chosen 10 on the scheme this year, so it’s an absolute pleasure to have him on board helping out on all things marketing. Why this picture? I have no idea, answer’s on a postcard please.

Getting to work was ’snow’ joke this morning (sorry, I couldn’t resist) but some have made the most of the snow, including kro bar, building this fine example of a snowman along with tray and glass of wine, impressive.

Like every year in media, and especially in an industry that’s less than two decades old (think about that SEM isn’t old enough to drive yet), it’s been a year of great changes and innovations to keep up with. We were introduced to terms like “Wonder Wheel” and added “MicroHoo” to our vocabularies. Wolfram|Alpha was the year’s first Google-killer-in-waiting, followed by Twitter (yes, people were saying it would replace Google), Bing and the still-to-come Yahoo-Microsoft hybrid.
And so the eternal question persists: What’s changed? How do we optimise to the new landscape and stay ahead of our competition?
Well, for starters, do you remember the things you were told to do back in 2004 to make your site rank or perform well? Did you do them? Or are you still doing them in the midst of all the changes that you’re making?
Of course, there have been changes in how engines rank results, and new opportunities are on the rise. Google is planning a new emphasis on page load speed, and wants more real-time results in its searches — even if no one else does.
Does this mean that SEO fundamentals can be thrown out the window? Absolutely not. It’s more important than ever to make sure that your content is visible, authoritative, and targeted to the right keywords.
Storefronts have been around for centuries. While the means have changed, the basics are still there. The advent of electric signs, television advertising, giant inflatable gorillas, and Web sites hasn’t changed the fact that your store isn’t going to get much business if people can’t find your front door.
In the same way, it’s not going to mean much to update your copy to a tightly controlled keyword density if the engines can’t see it in the first place. By all means, bring in new modules and site elements, but make sure that these upgrades, and the rest of your site, are grounded in visibility, authority, and the right keywords at every step.
Back to Basics
Thoroughly take care of your fundamentals first and you’ll find that your site and your business are in a position to weather the biggest changes. It will also give you the time and resources necessary to pursue the newest and most aggressive strategies elsewhere to layer on top of a firm foundation.
That’s exactly what we do here at Creative Spark, build firm solid foundations for SEO, get the fundamentals in place and build from there.
The Creative Spark’s SEO team will look at the optimisation and marketing of a website to be similar to building a house. Before you can begin building there is a lot of work that must be done: plans need to be developed, approvals and so forth, and then the foundation must be built. Skipping these steps might allow you to build your site more quickly but you’re going to find that by skipping these crucial steps that you won’t get full enjoyment or satisfaction from it. Problems will arise that were not foreseen because planning was overlooked.

Happy Christmas from all of us at Creative Spark