by Claire Hirst | Jul 25, 2019 | Business Advice
Last year Google released a very important update where they started looking at whether somebody that is giving advice on the internet has the authority or the qualification in which to do so one of the areas that they particularly looked at was that of health care and well-being and a lot of websites were affected in the following article I will give you some information about this update and also some advice on what you can do for your own website in order to avoid losing traffic because you are a Healthcare or a Wellbeing professional
First of all what is the ‘medic update’? The medic update was part of a broad update which was issued by Google for their search engine at the end of July in 2018.
Google now focuses strongly on “E-A-T” which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
It’s expected that a publisher can demonstrate on their website that they are the experts in their chosen subject and have authority within their circles and are worthy of being trusted by potential clients, peers and reviewers.
They are saying that advice should be “written by people or organisations with appropriate accreditation or medical expertise it should also be produced in a professional style and edited reviewed and updated regularly”.
Google is looking to provide factual health and medical information that does not have the potential to cause harm for its users.
Content should not “ Potentially impact the future happiness health financial stability or safety [of users]”
This meant that a lot of websites in the Medical or E-Commerce sector had reduced visibility to some of their services or products if they were unable to show that they had such Expertise Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.
This meant that people Giving such advice would be preferably Verified by government institution Medical Association relevant charity their peer reviewers or a nationally recognised qualification. The more of that the better.
Google will also look as always with every sector whether the content quality quality matches the EAT and/or the user’s Intent.
They will also take into account the quality as a whole across the entire website whether the content is accessible and easy to use on a mobile phone, whether it can be navigated with ease, loads quickly and is original content.
One of the best ways to get a quick idea of whether your website holds up these standards is to ask other people’s opinion of it never trust your own judgement because you will suffer from something called the Curse of knowledge which in marketing circles is well-known it means you can’t undo what you already know so therefore you can’t think in the mind of newcomers to your website.
And last but not least Google will also take into account whether there any errors in your health of your web site whether there’s broken links if it’s running slowly if you have internal links where the other people are linking to your website from quality websites and whether you have a security certificate (SSL).
So here are my top 10 tips for making sure your website is following these rules
- Have your author displayed Make sure it has a suitable BIO with a description of your qualification and authoritativeness.
- Make sure that whoever writes articles on your site has suitable credentials in order to give the advice they give, especially if it’s you.
- Link to a profile of the author, with more detailed information about their qualifications, where they were gained and other relevant info to show they have “EAT”.
- Make sure the author’s profile also has outbound social network links, particularly for LinkedIn, so that Google can quickly check whether they are who they say they are. This includes you on your own website.
- Try and get the content reviewed, and have the name of the reviewer displayed on the content, preferably by a peer with higher qualifications.
- Make sure that the credentials of the reviewer are also available on your website.
- Link to the profile of your reviewer on your The content.
- If you have a reviewer profile make sure they to have social networks links leading away from their profile
- Ensure the reviewer also shows their “E.A.T.”
Is also excellent practice for you to make it easy for your users to verify you on your about page your contact details your privacy policies disclaimers articles blogs and sales pages. Every time you create some content for your website make sure that you back it up with links outbound to your credibility.
Think of every link on your website like an academic citation Google might broaden its checks to elsewhere on the web and it will also look at your natural language processing and writing stars too sure that you’re not copying other people who are more qualified.
I do hope this helps, a lot of people are unaware of this update and I think if you’re a therapist or somebody who’s working therapeutically it’s essential that you know this information.
If you would like more information on the topic or you’re not sure what to do please feel free to give me a shout my email address is claire@spinmyplates.com
*Adapted from article on Exposure Ninja, click for more
by Linda Bishopp | Nov 26, 2018 | All Articles, Business Advice
I am training at the moment to be a supervisor and in January 2019 I shall need a few therapists to be my practice supervisees.
If you are wondering what supervision is like I am happy to give you a FREE session with a view to having a few paid sessions with me from January (at a reduced fee whilst I am training).
There are many therapists who could be enormously helped by having supervision who have never experienced it, and therefore, perhaps have some erroneous ideas about what it is.
The word ‘supervision’ implies that there is a management element in it; that the supervisor will be telling you what to do in a boss-like scenario. This is not the case.
Supervision enables insight into the dynamics of your relationships with your clients; offers support to you as you support your clients; you can discuss professional matters and legal compliance, and you can receive mentoring on business and practice matters.
Your supervisor would normally be a more experienced therapist than you, however, you work in equality together, to work towards you being the best therapist for your client. It supports you when you are tired, perhaps when a client has drained your energy and you were unaware of this; it enables you to understand the effects of your communication style with clients; it enables insight into the therapist/client relationship and more.
It is actually difficult to describe the feelings of greater confidence, understanding and competence gained from such a valuable learning experience until you have experienced it yourself.
So, supervision can be supportive to many types of therapist – anyone who is in relationship with their client: hypnotherapy, NLP, homeopathy, healing, Reiki, and others, as well as the normally accepted counselling and psychotherapy.
Here is a definition of supervision from ‘Practical Supervision’ by Henderson, Holloway & Millar:
‘Supervision is not the same as management, nor is it like direct work with clients, patients or service users. It requires different frames of thought and some new skills. It is consultative, exploratory and essentially non-judgemental, not ordinarily a time to declare what the supervisee must do. It is a boundaried, purposeful relationship with time limits and defined tasks and responsibilities, which means it is not a friendship. Nevertheless, it is most enabling when all parties relax, enjoy being together and feel free to be fully themselves, whether articulating embarrassing or awkward matters or straightforwardly exchanging information. It is designed to support and enable reflective practice. In ideal circumstances it is a place to ‘play’ in the best sense and loosen knotted thinking and tangled emotions.’
If you would like to try a FREE session, please contact me on linda@lindabishopp.co.uk.
by News | Nov 7, 2018 | All Articles, Business Advice
By Alex Goodier – ©Alexandra Goodier Ltd 2018
There appears to be a lot of misconception about the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Here are some of the comments I hear regularly.
- It seems like lots of people are ignoring GDPR, I’m going to ignore it also as it will just go away.
- It’s ok to copy someone else’s Privacy Notices, that will keep me compliant.
- GDPR doesn’t apply to me because I only have paper records.
- GDPR doesn’t apply to me because I destroy all of the names.
- GDPR doesn’t apply to me because I write in code so that no one knows the names.
- My web person will do all of my GDPR stuff.
- No one will check on me so why bother.
- I can contact someone to tell them about my services for the first time.
- The government is still making changes, so I don’t need to do anything yet.
- I’m too small for them to pick on, they have bigger fish to fry.
- I have my client’s verbal permission to contact them and I’ve always done it.
- I can post photos of people on my website and social media because we were all at the same event.
I understand why so many have taken this approach, but is it the best way to safe guard your business? The risks may be much higher than you realise. It’s true that the ICO, the regulatory body, responsible for the Data Protection Act and GDPR would prefer not to fine you in the first instance. However, you will need to demonstrate compliance with the principles of the General Data Protection Regulation. Are you aware of everything that is required to demonstrate compliance? How will the reputation of your business be affected if, customers/potential clients/other businesses, don’t feel you are safe guarding their information.
Privacy Notices have become a way to verify if a business or service is legitimate. First, please never copy someone else’s privacy statement. There will usually be a copyright in place. I have had many people tell me that they have copied their Privacy Notice from someone who “must” know what they are doing. When reviewing it, I usually find some if not all of the key areas required by the ICO are missing. Such as the lawful basis(s) and how long the data will be held. Even worse they do not provide the defence that their business requires or understand why they should have it. Approximately, 90% of the Privacy Notices I have read do not comply with the GDPR requirements.
The Data Protection Act 2018 was updated to give the same protection to British citizens as EU citizens. The Data Protection Act has not gone away, it just now has teeth and encompasses the digital world. This means there are still requirements even if you only hold paper documents or just a name and phone number. It also means Brexit will not affect it.
Another area that has significant potential for catching businesses out is the new direct marketing rules which includes social media posts, groups and messages. There is a lot of stricter regulation in this area and it is very easy to get wrong. I strongly recommend you understand how the rules apply to you (even if you are a sole trader and using your personal profile) before you advertise, as this could potentially cost your dearly.
By now, you may wonder why you should even stay in business. It seems like the chips are stacked against you. The truth is there are some safe guards for your business in GDPR. It is very important to know what they are. The curious conundrum is that business owners want their personal data protected and they don’t want to be sold at. However, when they are looking for customers/clients they are happy to sell at them. Would you want your personal data stored the way you store their data? Do you know the rules on holding data? (Please do not just delete the data, without knowing what is required. Some data may be there to safeguard you.) GDPR is not there to stop you doing business it is there to accommodate for the changing world we live in and make your business stronger.
Finally, there is good news. I have created a series of services and training that are cost effective and tailored to the information you need to know for your business.
It is possible to get Tailored GDPR Training for your business (from £59.00), Tailored Direct Marketing & GDPR training (from £69.00), Privacy Notice evaluations (from £40.00), and Privacy Notices, GRPD Impact Assessments, DPIA documentation, and PIA documentation to just name a few.
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to call me to discuss on 0779 229 3551 or email: info@alexandragoodierltd.com. Facebook: @AlexandraGoodierLtd
by Linda Bishopp | Jul 24, 2018 | All Articles, Business Advice
No, you don’t – there are other ways – give me a moment and I’ll think of some………eerrrrrr….
actually, networking is one of the best ways as a newbie in business or an established small business to make useful connections.
If you are running your own small business you may work alone, or with one or two other people. That can be quite lonely and can limit creativity and idea generation. It might be good to get out there and meet some new people who would be willing to support you with ideas and advice.
What is networking? It’s really very simple. Groups come together to share what they do and to see how they can help others. For me, the most important thing is that you help others – it may not be by selling them your product or service in the first instance. It may be that you can offer some advice, or a contact they need, or just offer some moral support. That builds relationships – you get to know people across time, it doesn’t happen quickly. But if you keep consistently turning up and talking with others you will build connections and people will come to trust you, and hopefully, eventually use your service or buy from you, and recommend you to others.
I hate being a stranger in the room. Yes, it’s hard to walk into a room when you don’t know anyone. Choose your group carefully. Some networking groups are quite formal or informal, industry specific, very structured etc. Pick a group that feels the most comfortable for you to start off with. Once you have gained confidence you may venture further into other types of group.
The one minute. Most groups have a method for everyone to introduce themselves. This is usually a one-minute time slot for you say what you do and/or what you need from the group. Have this prepared beforehand so that you feel more confident. Read from a crib sheet if that helps. Have business cards to hand round the room or place some on a table (some groups prefer this).
Follow up. Make a point of speaking to the people in the room whom you feel would be useful to you and follow that up after the meeting with an email or by connecting on social media.
Top tip. Remember if you are stuck and feel uncomfortable meeting new people just ask them questions about themselves and their business. That takes the spotlight off you – you are showing interest in them. They should be a good networker and then ask you questions about you and, hey presto, you are networking!
…………………………………………………………………..
The Therapists’ Network is a very gentle way of networking. We are, obviously, industry specific; our groups are open to any type of therapist. Our meetings are informal, welcoming and friendly. You will be amongst like-minded people so chats often are around therapy, personal development, care and compassion. We have speakers who talk about their therapy, and also, business matters. Many connections are made, referrals made, and collaborations are born. Many also have previous lives in other specialisms, and use providers of other services themselves, so you can get recommendations from other industries too.
I have learnt so much since starting the network about other therapies (indeed, I have tried many!) and now know therapists across Kent to whom I can refer and ask advice of and receive referrals from. I no longer feel alone working from home and have made friends. What’s not to like?!?
Linda Bishopp Founder The Therapists’ Network
by News | Mar 27, 2018 | All Articles, Business Advice
After working in a digital environment for almost a decade, and starting my marketing consulting and training business, I have learned the value of making face-to-face connections with people as well as online. It started with calls and video conference sessions, but actually meeting someone in person has taken my business relationships to the next level. It allows people to connect in a way that is simply impossible from a distance. I have been able to build and grow online connections via social media with face to face networking and they work in harmony.
Although the definition of networking is ‘to interact with others to exchange information and develop professional or social contacts’. In a business context though it needs to develop into a ‘Know Like and Trust’ relationship. We do business with people we know, like and trust so building relationships is key.
Here are my top 8 tips for making your F2F networking really effective.
1. Be yourself
You can only be you! Quite simply, if you start building relationships pretending to be someone you are not then you make it really difficult for people to know like and trust you . It is difficult to build a relationship with an alter ego!
2. Build relationships
The best part about networking events is that like-minded individuals are all together in an informal environment.
However, as my experience in networking taught me over the years, when viewed as relationship building, making friends and building bonds can be an incredibly valuable personal and business asset.
3.Think about what value you can give?
Admit it or not, we are all in business to make money. Networking is not about meeting people and selling them your stuff the first time you meet them. If you go into a networking situation with a ‘what’s in it for me’ mentality – you won’t get very far.
Think about how you can help others. Who do you know who may be a great connection for them?
4. Benefit from new ideas
Generally speaking, there is an acclaimed guest speaker at the majority of networking events. Hearing the ideas of those who have been very successful or proving an informative topic is a wonderful opportunity to learn. If you treat the event as a learning opportunity, you will find them to be very beneficial to you.
5. Join a network that ‘feels right’ for you
Go along to a few different types of networking events before you decide which one to join and be a regular attendee at. Some are very formal and work with a format, others very relaxed and some sit in the middle. Are you an early bird or does having a informative networking lunch work better for you?
Spending time in the office can sometimes get a bit too much, so why not attend a networking event to break up your day? Networking events provide a great setting for both socialising as well as boosting your business and career, so it is win-win from that perspective.
6. Make a commitment
Don’t be a ‘networking butterfly’. Remember the building relationships stuff? Well, you can’t do that if you flit in and out of numerous networking events, never stopping round long enough to make those all-important connections. You need to commit to the ‘networking game’ for mid to long term.
Sign up for monthly membership subscriptions. Some networking events offer discounts for this option and save time having to remember to pay each month. All you need to do is bring yourself.
7. Get on a team
Some networking events have a voluntary team which invites members to be a part of. Ask if they have a vacancy? Could you commit to having a role? Being on a team raises your profile in the network and it is a great way of giving back to the community.
8. Be a guest speaker
This can be a great opportunity to promote your business and personal brand, although it might take a little effort and some speaking skills, it will be worth it.
As a speaker, you have an opportunity to indirectly promote your business, brand and products without trying to oversell your services, even if you don’t get clients immediately, you may get referrals from attendees.
by Linda Bishopp | Mar 7, 2018 | All Articles, Business Advice
By Linda Bishopp
Once people start coming to you for therapy you’ll be on the map and have clients coming out of your ears………true?!?
You’re going to run your own business and you’re good at what you do – so it’ll be a snip once you get going, right?! You’re super excited about not having a boss any more and now you will be able to do things exactly as and when you want to. I don’t wish to be a spoil sport, and you will be making a lot of decisions for yourself and that is great, but Bear in mind that to make this work you will work harder than you’ve ever worked before – you will love most of it, after all you love what you do i.e. the therapy, but you will also have to do many things you may not have done before, or are not very good at, or knowledgeable about, to run your business. You’ll need to think about all the different jobs that will need to be done to keep things ticking over.
.Before you do anything –PLAN – draw up a business plan including a budget (and stick to it!), do your research, ask questions, speak to any business owners you know – it doesn’t have to be a posh plan, but it should include all the things you need to think about and do to make your business workable. It could be just a ‘to-do’ list – that at least will get you thinking about all the things you know about that you need to plan for. Then you will need to add into it all the things that you don’t yet know about – how am I going to do that that then, you may ask? Well, read on…….
Here are some things to think about:
- How are you going to get clients to come to you? How will they know you exist? You’ll need to think about marketing channels. How will you get your message out there – social media, advertising, word of mouth, something else? And what are your marketing messages going to be for your audience(s).
- Have you a Facebook business page?
- Where will you work from?
Home:
- set up your work room
- entrance way
- waiting room
- are family around and might they get in the way?
- disabled access?
- parking?
or rent a room
- include rental into your costs,
- travel takes extra time and costs you, to so need to include this in your plan and budget
- do the premises do any marketing for you?
- are they easy to find?
- any parking?
- What are your skills? What are your weaknesses? Know what you can do for yourself, and what you want to pay others to do for you and budget for it.
- Networking – do you know how to network effectively, which groups should you go to?
- Going Self-employed – do you know how to do this?
- Accounts and bookkeeping – who will do this for you, or can you do it for yourself?
- Compliance – professional indemnity and public liability insurance, are you a member of a professional association, do you know about data protection?
- Administration – filing, time management – you just love admin don’t you? If not – do you know how to set up simple systems that keeps everything organised for you?
- What happens if you are ill or die – do you have a professional will?
- There is a difference between working on the business and working in the business – do you know what this is?
- And really important, allow time to think, meditate, take time for self-care
I have just listed here a few things to think about; it’s quite a long list and I am sure that I have missed a few things off! It really pays to think things through before you launch into offering therapies, otherwise things could go terribly wrong. I hope this list helps you get started!
I shall be running a ‘Business Planning for Therapists’ workshop on the 23rd April 2018 in Sittingbourne. If you are interested in this do get in touch: Linda Bishopp, 07905 038378, linda.bishopp@hotmail.co.uk.
