Month: August 2023

Every great organisation is powered by an equally great group of skilled, dedicated, and like-minded people. In the case of WifiMedia, this group is led by a founder with a true passion for both people and world-class digital results – John Parnell.

We’re beyond excited to announce that John was recently nominated as an East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards ‘Director of the Year’ finalist.

Before we break out the champagne, join us on a journey back to where it all began. Read on to discover how and why John started WifiMedia back in 2019, and the steps he’s taken to turn his once one-person agency into the runaway success it is today.

A Look Into The East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards

Each year, the East Anglian Daily Times Business Awards honour outstanding businesses and individuals. These awards are more than just accolades, they’re a testament to those who contribute to East Anglia’s thriving business ecosystem. 

A nomination, let alone a win, defines both the individual and the business as a worthy representative of the region’s commercial landscape. With this in mind, we’re exceedingly proud that John has made the shortlist.

Humble Beginnings 

So, how did John steer WifiMedia’s course to success? 

Well, our story begins in Ipswich, Suffolk. Here, in March 2019, WifiMedia began as a simple idea – a digital marketing agency focused on genuine inbound lead generation. As all budding entrepreneurs can agree, starting a business is never easy, so when John started as “a one-man band on [his] parent’s couch”, he never imagined he’d grow to have “a thriving ten-member team.” 

From its humble beginnings in a living room, WifiMedia’s evolution has been nothing short of remarkable. This shift hasn’t just been from a couch to our modern Innovation Labs offices. It’s been a transition from minor tasks to international-level projects, and from following the crowd to forging innovative new services. John’s impressive journey, characterised by significant financial growth and a widening client base, was the driving force behind this transformation and is a testament to his leadership abilities. 

Transforming Challenges Into Triumphs 

WifiMedia’s rise hasn’t been without its challenges – one being the global pandemic. During this time, despite Covid-19 putting the world on pause, John built resilience as a business leader. While others figured out how to build their online presence in the face of adversity, John stayed one step ahead. Recognising market needs, he began to offer solutions from SEO web design services on flexible instalment plans, to an innovative ‘pay per lead’ scheme. 

In the face of adversity, John didn’t just transform his profits. He created an environment where to this day, success is measured in positive impact – whether tangible results, or feelings. His dedication to mental health stems from a deeply personal place. He recounts, “After losing my best friend last year, I’ve been a strong advocate for mental health awareness.” This loss transformed his understanding into an unwavering commitment, leading directly to WifiMedia’s connections to notable organisations like Suffolk Mind, Inspire, and our most recent collaboration with Combat2Coffee. 

Leading With Compassion

John’s dedication to raising mental health awareness extends beyond traditional avenues and brand partnerships. He created “Bad Shirt Club” with a mission to raise mental health awareness through bold, bright fashion statements. By donning bad shirts, customers not only express themselves but break the silence around mental health. In a world where mental health issues are often stigmatised, Bad Shirt Club bridges the gap between fun and seriousness, drawing attention through creativity. 

John’s belief in mental health awareness also spreads internally through the structure of WifiMedia. His perspective was shaped early on by his mother’s vital role in the NHS’s mental health services. Leveraging this understanding, he’s championed several initiatives within the WifiMedia team. #MentalHealthMondays and a dedicated mental health line for the WifiMedia team are just two examples of how he’s transformed his understanding into action. His perspective is clear, “Prioritising employee’s mental health fosters a positive work environment, contributing to staff retention and increased productivity.”

What Lies Ahead For WifiMedia and John

As the industry continues to grow, the future for WifiMedia and John Parnell promises even greater innovation and growth. He’s promised to “continue to seize every opportunity, make bold decisions, look for new growth avenues, and stay agile in this volatile market.”

John’s nomination for ‘Director of the Year’ isn’t just a recognition of his past accomplishments. It’s a symbol of a promise of what’s yet to come and the possibilities that lie ahead. As we toast to nomination, one thing is certain, WifiMedia, much like its founder, is one to watch. 

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for! April 2023 saw the return of the digital marketing world’s answer to Coachella: brightonSEO. From PPC and measurement to strategy, the science of search, and of course, AI, this year’s conference, as usual, had it all. Read on for our brightonSEO recap of all the best the event had to offer. 

brightonSEO Recap: Day One

With a crate full of WifiMediaies shipped to the seaside and sponsor passes at the ready, it was soon time to get going. The first day certainly didn’t disappoint! Here’s a quick look at some of our favourite talks:

Carlos Meza – Is Content The King In Modern SEO?

Up first, CEO of Crowd Content (a freelance writing platform set to take the world by storm) Carlos Meza captivated us with his game-changing insights on what makes content great. 

Highlighting the importance of human-centric content, Carols emphasised that in today’s digital environment, written words simply aren’t enough. Us SEO content writers should make a true effort to tell stories, tap into emotions, and build connections with our audiences. According to him, this can translate to anything from making the reader the hero in their own journey to working with niche customs and preferences when localising. 

Beyond these foundations for SEO success, Carlos touched on the significance of maintaining a unique brand tone of voice, arguing that with AI-generated content becoming more commonplace than ever in SERPs, being able to stand out from the crowd is vital. We couldn’t agree more.

Emma Russell – Exploring the Psychological Theory, Cognitive Load

Here at WifiMedia, we have a bit of a penchant for data-driven, evidenced ways of thinking, so jumped at the chance to attend auditorium one’s trio of talks on the science of search, during which Emma Russell, the brains behind Oxford Comma Digital, shone the spotlight on the role of cognitive load in digital marketing. 

This unique talk tackled UX and conversion with ease – labelling cognitive load (or the amount of mental effort needed to understand a stimulus/information), whether high or low, as a main driver in lead wins and losses. In short, overload your users, and their experience will suffer – as will your sales. 

Throughout her talk, Emma gave us the lowdown on creating brain-friendly strategies, emphasising the importance of minimising non-vital mental processing – whether through reducing clutter, increasing consistency, or making use of already familiar design elements – all of which are now points of consideration in our projects.

Giulia Panozzo – Neuroscience of Search

Neuroscientist turned SEO expert Giulia Panozzo (and her wonderfully sparkly jumpsuit)  helped the brightonSEO audience get into users’ heads.

This information-packed talk was an absolute highlight of the conference for many of our team, and for good reason! Giulia took the time to dive deep into the cognitive biases and heuristics that influence decision-making, explaining, in short, that developing a better understanding of the quirks of human thinking can prove invaluable in both building more effective campaigns, and simply building connections with audiences. 

Ultimately, in her experience, tailoring digital strategies to fit real people using behavioural science puts the user back in focus, wins attention (even across saturated SERPs), and increases engagement. What’s not to love?

brightonSEO Recap: Day Two 

After recovering from a long day of learning and night of networking, the WifiMedia team returned to The Brighton Centre for Friday’s talks. 

Niki Mosier – The Value of Featured Snippets

Featured snippets have long been a favourite tool amongst the team here at WifiMedia, meaning AgentSync senior director Niki Mosier’s talk, ‘The Value of Featured Snippets’, was a must-attend. 

Niki stressed the importance of featured snippets, emphasising that their new ability to take up over 50% of the screen on mobile devices make spot number 0 more valuable real estate than ever before. Her session served as a treasure trove of stat-backed snippet tips – stating that, for example, ‘Why’ is the ultimate question word to target, with over 77% of existing featured snippets starting with it. 

Niki’s key tips for boosting featured snippet success included refreshing content regularly – with 70% of #0 ranking content being published in the last 2-3 years – and implementing FAQ schema markup for any content aiming for snippet glory. 

Chloe Smith – How Content Design Impacts SEO and Accessibility

Chloe Smith, SEO Manager at Blue Array, brought accessibility to the fore, with their talk on content design strategy being a favourite amongst the design-focused members of our team.

Their top recommendations included optimising page layout and content for the F reading pattern – a proven human behaviour driven by scanning. According to researchers, the first lines of text on a page receive more attention than subsequent lines, as do the first few words of text on the left hand side. These on-page hotspots from an ‘F’ shape when mapped, and can be optimised by designers to improve both UX and conversion rates by, for example, starting new paragraphs with attention-grabbing keywords, using typography to highlight important information, and breaking up text with paragraphs and bullet points where possible. 

Chloe also recommended writing for an average reading age of 12-23, keeping the end product clear, simple, and concise for ease of processing. A clear heading structure can help achieve this.

Carrie Rose – Owning TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube SERPS

Carrie Rose, director of Rise at Seven, has been a big inspiration for many of our team members for some time now! Her unique industry insights have always struck a chord with us, and this session was no different.

Taking the main stage, Carrie touched on declining direct search volumes for products and services – the ultimate example of shifting consumer behaviour. According to her, today’s users are casting their nets wider, searching across diverse platforms like TikTok and Pinterest rather than exclusively on traditional search engines. 

In line with changes in where audiences spend their time and energy, Carrie discussed Google’s shift towards prioritising user-generated content over branded content, emphasising the increasing significance of off-page SEO, influencer marketing, and PR, particularly for e-commerce brands looking to maintain SERP dominance.

Toju Duke – Friday Keynote: The New Era: Embracing AI Technologies in Marketing

AI was likely the most spoken word over the brightonSEO weekend. There wasn’t one talk it wasn’t mentioned in – and rightfully so! This tool is unarguably groundbreaking, but to what extent should we embrace it?

Wrapping up the last day of the conference, Toju Duke, Programme Manager of Responsible AI at Google, took us on an eye-opening journey through, in her opinion, the fourth industrial revolution, focusing on AI’s transformative power in the marketing sphere. 

Duke stressed the importance of marketers integrating AI into everyday work as a tool for everything from creativity to productivity and efficiency. Of course, within the context of the helpful content update, she emphasised the importance of using our newfound AI power for good – for example, aiding in the delivery of user-driven, accessible, and useful content. 

Her talk served as an amplification of the event’s biggest discussion point, putting forward one clear message: the future of digital marketing has arrived. 

Looking to the Future

It’s safe to say that this April’s brightonSEO was the best yet for the WifiMedia team. From insights and education to our role as sponsors, we couldn’t have had a better experience – and can’t wait for the next one! 

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