Getting Welsh Business Online in Merthyr Tydfil

Kim Rae

Truly for You

Trulyforyou.co.uk/

“I’m really glad I came. I’m going to set up a free website for my husband’s business as soon as I get home! My own website is written in HTML code which I can’t use, so it’s really interesting to see a platform that I could take control of!”

Martin Davies

Photographer

http://www.barefoot-images.co.uk

"I come from a web development background and I found this incredibly helpful as a refresher course to help me improve my site. I’ve already been to the Google Juice Bar which was really helpful and today has given me a much better understanding of Google Adwords."

Lyn Williams

Director of 22SE7EN

http://www.22seven.co.uk/

“As someone working in the Creative industries it’s great to see local people being educated about free online facilities. Often people can be daunted by this sort of thing but it’s been a really positive day.”

Chris Gledhill

Director of Future Directions Environmental Management

http://www.futuredirections.org.uk/

“It's really useful to get an overview of everything I could be doing for my business. I’ve already signed up to Google Places, I’ve started to do SEO and now I’ve got an appointment at the Google Juice Bar too. Time will tell how successful I am! ”

Gareth Daniel

Freelance Creative

"The Google tools are so simple to use, so it’s great that Google are using their brand to educate people here in Merthyr."

Matthew Bush

Rabart Commercial Services

http://www.rabart.co.uk/

It was really informative, I think the most useful thing was getting an overview of  everything Google can do. When I first looked for our depots on Google Maps one of them was listed as being on a farm, so I’ve already signed up for Google Places to correct that!

Phillip Shufflebotham

Marketing Consultant

"I was impressed at the clarity of the speakers and there was no hard sell. There’s a real spread of age groups here today, and it’s a great opportunity to network. I’m looking forward to passing on what I’ve learned here to my clients."

Dan Cobley Keynote Speech at GWBO Launch (Podcast)

We've put together a quick 8 minute podcast of the keynote speech given by Dan Cobley, Google's Managing Director for UK & Ireland, at the Getting Welsh Business Online Launch that took place at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay earlier this month. Over the next few weeks we'll be posting more videos and photos from the launch event and also from the Google regional workshops and Google Juice Bar sessions. We'll also be announcing new dates for the regional workshops and one-to-one sessions. For more information on Getting Welsh Business Online or to book a session with a Google Advisor visit the official website.

One-to-One advice at the Google Juice Bar

Getting online and growing online couldn't be easier, it's just knowing where to start. During the next few weeks Google are running one-to-one advice sessions called Google Juice Bars alongside workshop seminars that will help you build a confident online presence. Sound good to you? It gets better.....you even a bottle of Google juice at the Juice Bar!

Find out more at http://www.gbbo.co.uk/juicebar

Getting Welsh Business Online in Bridgend

Lynne Burrows

Director of Walk in Stile
www.walkinstile.co.uk
“I'm just starting up Walk in Stile's online presence, we organise walks across the Vale of Glamorgan. I'm going straight back to my web to make sure the website is optimised so we get plenty of online bookings this summer.”

Tracey Morris

Marketing manager for Urdd
www.urdd.org
“The whole morning was really useful, I learned most about using Google Adwords.”

Sarah Cleevely

Marketing Manager at Nolan UPVC
http://www.nolanupvc.co.uk/
"I really enjoyed the presentation. We already use a lot of Google tools in the company so I was most interested in social media to help our business reach partners online. I wish some of the sessions had been longer!"

Michelle Smith owner of Divine

http://www.divineuk.com/
"I own four jewellery and clothing stores and I have an online store. I've had a website for years but now learning more about social media and how I can use it to reach customers and drive sales has been really useful. The presentation was helpful, I didn't know about Google+, but I learned most about website optimisation and Google Adwords."

Lynne Williams and Andrew Pearce of Single Steps Learning

http://www.singlestepslearning.co.uk/
"We already have a website, but we're interested in using Yola and in further search engine optimisation."
"The experience was informal but professional. We really enjoyed the networking and we've already had a brilliant experience of the Google Juice Bar."

Jackie Morgan of J+L Occasional Cakes

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JL-Occasional-Cakes/256195484465877
"We’re definitely going to be building our website using the Google tools we saw today and we want to book a place at the Google Juice Bar as soon as possible.”

Google is off to Merthyr Tydfil

After visiting Bridgend, the Google team will be heading to Merthyr Tydfil on 28th March to run a free workshop seminar to help small businesses either get online or develop their online presence.

The 2 hour workshop seminar offers an ideal opportunity to get an understanding of how getting online can help businesses in Wales grow.  They have been designed with a minimum of technical jargon and offer you a chance to ask a Google Advisor about effective ways to expand your digital knowledge.

During the seminars you can learn about:

• Creating a website 
• Advertising online
• Using Google Analytics and Google Insights to improve your website
• Online tools that will help to increase the productivity of your business

Venue & Times

28th March 2012
8am - 10am
The Orbit Centre,
Merthyr Tydfil CF48 1DL


Google workshops and workshop seminars are currently open for bookings in Cardiff, Newport, and Swansea. To find out more about GWBO and other regional events visit www.gbbo.co.uk/workshops

The Connected Kingdom Report

Google recently commissioned a report by the Boston Consulting Group found that small businesses actively using the Internet had sales growth more than four times greater than less active companies, demonstrating a huge opportunity for economic growth if more Welsh businesses can succeed online. 

The Connected Kingdom Report 

Dan Cobley, managing director of Google UK and Ireland said: “Over the last few years, consumers have stopped defaulting to the Yellow Pages and the local paper’s classified ads to look for businesses they want to buy from.  They now start online, and if they start online and your business isn’t there, you are not going to get found and you will miss out on that opportunity to sell.

“It’s really the small businesses that have a great opportunity to widen their reach by being visible online. The kind of businesses that can’t physically be open 24 hours, seven days a week can effectively be open to online customers seven days a week 24 hours.”

This week the BBC has covered information from the report that places the UK as 'the most internet-based major economy' a further reminder of why businesses can't afford not to learn how to make the most of the internet. 

Photos from the Getting Welsh Business Online Launch

Here are a few images from the Getting Welsh Business Online launch at the Coal Exchange in Cardiff Bay. Check out the rest of pictures from the evening and behind the scenes at the Getting Welsh Business Online Google+ page. 

Book your session at the Google Juice Bar

With new dates and venues announced, Google are offering more Welsh businesses 40 minutes of free one-to-one advice at the Google Juice Bar.  Dates and venues include:

Newport - March 26th

University of Wales 

City Centre Campus

Swansea - March 30th

The Dragon Hotel 

Swansea City Centre

Cardiff 

Saint Line House

Mount Stuart Square

Cardiff Bay

What is the Google Juice Bar?

The Google Juice Bar is an opportunity to have a one-to-one session with a Google advisor about your business. Sessions last 40 minutes and are an active, informal and friendly way to ask as many questions as you like about getting or growing your business online.  You can chat with an adviser about any aspect of being successful online which could include:

• Getting a free website for your business and learning how to update it yourself
• Getting advice on how to improve your current website
• Reaching local customers by registering with Google Places
• Using Google Analytics to learn about your customers
• Learning how to advertise online
• Or learning how to use any other Google products you’re interested in

For more information about the Google Juice Bar at www.gbbo.co.uk/workshops

Early booking is advised to avoid disappointment.

Case Study: Emma Janes' Cupcake Kitchen

Emma Jane was working as a neo-natal nurse at the Heath Hospital in Cardiff when her love of baking became more than just a hobby. She started to make cakes for friends and family, catering for birthday parties and a few weddings. Emma quickly realised that she could start to market her talents to a wider customer base, so she set up http://www.emmajanecupcakes.co.uk/ and business started to boom! In fact Emma was so successful that in November 2011 she was able to fulfil a long held dream of opening her own tea room as an extension of the business. The tea shop is a beautifully decorated space where customers can relax with a tea or coffee and a delicious cake, or just pop in for a box of cupcakes to take home. 


Most of Emma’s large orders still come through the website and she has used Google Adwords to ensure her business comes out on the top of Google searches for cupcakes in Cardiff. From traditional vanilla, to giant glitter covered confections and even gluten free cakes, Emma has a wide product range. So many customers browse her online cupcake catalogue to help decide what they want before they come into the shop. Emma Jane’s Cupcake Kitchen is on Crwys Road along with several other shops, cafes and restaurants, so having the business on Google Places helps her to stand out from the crowd and helps her potential customers find her on the map.

Google Seminars in Bridgend, Merthyr, Newport and Swansea

Improve your business online
Google are running free Getting Welsh Business Online workshops and seminars across Wales, to help small businesses to either get online, or to make the most of the internet. Seminars provide an overview of all the tools available to help make your business successful online. The first dates for these have been released so book your place now!


During the seminars you can learn about:

• Creating a website

• Advertising online

• Using Google Analytics and Google Insights to improve your website

• Online tools that will increase your business’s productivity

Bridgend
8am - 10am
20th March 2012
Waterton Centre,
Bridgend,
CF31 3WT



Merthyr Tydfil
8am - 10am, 
28th March 2012
The Orbit Centre, Merthyr Tydfil,
CF48 1DL









Newport
8am - 10am
4th April 2012
University of Wales, Caerleon Campus,
Newport,
NP18 3QT




Swansea
3.30pm - 5.30pm,
25th April 2012
The Dragon Hotel,
Swansea,
SA1 5LS

Hands-on Google Workshops

Google workshops 21st March and 18th of April at Cardiff Met Llandaff Campus, 9am, 11am and 3pm.
Google are running six hands-on workshops in Cardiff. These laptop based sessions will guide you through the steps to being successful online.

Cardiff Google Workshop 1: 'Get Your Business Online With Google'
Laptops will be provided at these workshops which will give you an introduction to:

• Website Strategy
• Creating a Website for your business
• Google Places – How to put your business on the map
• AdWords Express – How to set up an AdWords Express account and create an advertisement online for a product or service that you sell

Where and When?


Wednesday 21st March, 9am, 11am and 1pm
Creative Leadership & Enterprise Centre,
Cardiff School of Management,
Cardiff Metropolitan University,
Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2YB

Cardiff Google Workshop 2: 'Advertise Your Business Online with Google'

Find out how to be at the top of a Google search using Google AdWords. Laptops are provided so during the session you can:

• Create an advertising campaign for a product or service you sell

• Create an advert for a product or service you sell

• Find out top tips and best practice when creating an advertisement and learn how to make the most of your money

Where and When?
Wednesday 18th April, 9am, 11am and 1pm
Creative Leadership & Enterprise Centre,
Cardiff School of Management,
Cardiff Metropolitan University,
Llandaff,
Cardiff
CF5 2YB