Positive Energy… why Cleantech is the next big thing

What do you get when you mix environmental awareness, improved operational performance, and better business models? Well, Cleantech, of course.

Cleantech has sprung out of an awareness that the industrial processes and designs which came out of the last couple of centuries have caused a measurable impact on our environment. And with everyone from customers and the media to the government and regulatory bodies focussed on cleaning up our industries and technologies, Cleantech is the way forwards. More of a concept than an industry sector, Cleantech is a way of operating which not only increases performance and productivity, but also reduces energy consumption, carbon footprint, waste output or pollution.

And not only is it environmentally friendly, its also big business. It attracts huge amounts of venture captial, with venture capital investment in European cleantech companies at £805 million last year, according to the analysts Library House.

Recently The Guardian teamed up with Library House to bring us the list of the Europe’s top 100 Cleantech companies, selected on the basis of positive environmental impact and potential future growth. Topped by a German company which designs and manufactures flexible solar panels, the poll’s top ten featured seven UK companies, two of which - CamSemi and Nujira – are Cambridge based. Products in the top ten included intelligent power management circuitry, low power standby mode technology, low power mobile phone and radio transmissions, and tidal turbines.

Reading List
The Guardian on Cleantech
The Guardian/Library House Cleantech Top Ten

We’re on page one! Freshleaf SEO… again

So anyone who read this post will know that we’ve been working hard to get Freshleaf Media’s website onto page one of Google for our chosen search term corporate website design. Well, I'm pleased to report that as of two weeks ago, we made it! Not only that, but we’re firmly above the fold, in position 3 – and we’re comfortably occupying slots 2 and 3 for corporate web design too.

To recap the journey; we launched the new Freshleaf site in May 2008 on a brand new domain, and after being sandboxed for a time, we first listed for our search terms in late July. It then took us until late October to get where we wanted to be for one carefully chosen search term.

Of course, that’s not the end of the story. There are other search engines, and other search terms. Not only that, but SEO can’t be done and left alone – Google’s next update could potentially see us tumble down the rankings unless we keep working at it. But it’s nice to know we can do it.

Five reasons to redesign

The company website is one of the public faces of the business, a marketing tool and a communication medium. As such, of course it needs to be kept up to date, and needs to evolve in line with your business. But how often, in reality, should you have a refresh or a redesign? Well, that depends….

Five reasons to redesign: it’s time for a rethink if-

1. Something big has changed. If there have been changes to what you’re trying to communicate then it’s time to consider an overhaul of the whole site to ensure that everything is still on target. This could be a shift in the core business ideals, or a change to the main marketing message, or it could be that the function of the website is changing: for example introducing new functionality such as e-commerce.

2. Something’s not right. The website’s all about communicating effectively with the audience: if the site isn’t performing as well as you would hope, or performance has started to drop off from what it was, then you need to take a closer look. Check the metrics for site performance, and they’ll soon tell you if its time for action.

3. Things don’t fit any more. It’s fairly common practice to continually update a site with more and more interesting and relevant content, but if the site is starting to burst open at the seams with new products, services or press releases, it’s time to reassess. Site layout, and just as importantly, architecture, should be intuitive – leading users easily towards one or two major goals. A site which has been updated over a couple of years with new products or new sections can become muddled and over-stuffed.

4. You have a new product launch. Every now and then a business might launch a new product or service that’s important enough to warrant a redesign. It might be that the new service is a slightly new direction, and causes a reassessment of how the business is organised, or just that you need to make a big marketing splash which can be supported by a new look and feel.

5. It looks dated. Eventually any design will start to look tired, or out of date, and then a redesign is called for. It’s generally considered that, with web design trends changing noticably from year to year, a website will start to look dated within about two years.

If it’s time for a redesign of your corporate website, there are a number of things to consider in terms of how you go about it… but that’s another post (watch this space). And if you’re looking for a design agency with experience in creating corporate websites which get results, look no further.

Future Horizons new site launches

After weeks of hard work (on both sides!), Future Horizons and Freshleaf are pleased to announce the launch of the new Future Horizons website. The new site, which has a fresh new look and extra functionality, means that those who follow Malcolm Penn’s Semiconductor Industry expertise can get stuck in to the latest info on his forums, seminars and networking events.

The site features a new ‘Semiconductor Blog’ for informal updates on the world of the semiconductor industry, as well as the opportunity to ‘ask the analyst’ in the new Silicon Surgery. To make life easier for the folks at FH to keep the site up to date, it has an in-built content management system, and the site came complete with a new branding device which Future Horizons intend to adopt on their offline materials going forwards.

Malcolm Penn is very pleased with his new site, saying:

“We contracted Freshleaf Media Services and have been blown away by their service and expertise. They are specialists in web site development services for the electronics and technology industries and we have been so impressed by their staff and service.”

He added “Thanks again to Freshleaf for a brilliant effort. It's been great working with you on this project and we will have no hesitation in recommending you to anyone.”

The new site can be found at :www.futurehorizons.com

Don’t cut back your marketing spend with recession looming

With threats of recession looking certain to become a reality, many companies are thinking about cutting back on ‘non-essential spending’ to lower overheads and keep profit margins acceptable. And when those holding the purse strings look around for places to cut back, inevitably the eye falls on the marketing department. But don’t let your marketing become the first victim of the recession.