Waikato Business News October/November 2022
Waikato Business News has for a quarter of a century been the voice of the region’s business community, a business community with a very real commitment to innovation and an ethos of co-operation.
Waikato Business News has for a quarter of a century been the voice of the region’s business community, a business community with a very real commitment to innovation and an ethos of co-operation.
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Google’s Latest<br />
Algorithm Changes and<br />
What It Means for 2023<br />
In <strong>2022</strong> Google made several algorithm changes with<br />
how it ranks websites in search results. Their latest big<br />
adjustment, called “The Helpful Content Update”, sends a<br />
clear signal for what will affect rankings in 2023 and beyond.<br />
Having your website<br />
rank highly in Google<br />
can have a significant<br />
impact on your business.<br />
However, what is required to<br />
get a website ranked well is<br />
constantly adjusting.<br />
The Helpful Content<br />
Update<br />
With the “Helpful Content<br />
Update” Google’s stated goal<br />
was to, “ensure people see more<br />
original, helpful content written<br />
by people, for people, in search<br />
results.”<br />
Sounds fantastic, but what<br />
did it mean for the average<br />
sparky or plumber trying to<br />
grow a profitable business?<br />
A simple explanation is that<br />
Google wants to see content on<br />
your site that answers the questions<br />
your customers are often<br />
asking – and to do it in the most<br />
accurate and informative way<br />
possible.<br />
Think of the kind of answers<br />
you give to people when you're<br />
on the phone with them or<br />
standing on their porch giving<br />
them a quote for work. That’s<br />
the content Google is keen to<br />
show in their search results.<br />
Accordingly, they tweaked<br />
their algorithm to start rewarding<br />
businesses who clearly<br />
demonstrated that they are<br />
trustworthy experts with<br />
well-established authority in<br />
their field.<br />
What happened as a<br />
result?<br />
For many businesses, not<br />
much at all.<br />
Google’s <strong>2022</strong> updates<br />
appear to be taking a long-term<br />
view. If you were already publishing<br />
content in which you<br />
had clear expertise that related<br />
to search queries, you’re in a<br />
good space. Your rankings are<br />
likely to have improved a little.<br />
But many businesses who<br />
were trying to rank high in<br />
Google by paying for backlinks<br />
through overseas agencies felt<br />
the hammer come down. This<br />
is because most paid link-building<br />
schemes use lots of short<br />
articles that don’t really say<br />
much. In other words, they<br />
aren’t very helpful. And having<br />
an SEO strategy that doesn’t<br />
include content on your site is<br />
not going to work well going<br />
forward.<br />
So, Google was cleaning<br />
house and removing the junk.<br />
Where did that leave small<br />
business in New Zealand?<br />
By people, for people<br />
Google’s stated goal was to,<br />
“ensure people see more original,<br />
helpful content written by<br />
people, for people, in search<br />
results.”<br />
The key here is not to try and<br />
improve your ranking by tricking<br />
Googles search bots, but to<br />
simply write real content about<br />
real questions for real people.<br />
When creating content for<br />
your site, Google suggests you<br />
ask yourself a few questions:<br />
1. Do you have an existing<br />
or intended audience for<br />
your business or site that would<br />
find the content useful if it came<br />
directly from you?<br />
2. Does your content<br />
clearly demonstrate first-hand<br />
expertise and a depth of knowledge<br />
(for example, expertise<br />
that comes from having actually<br />
used a product or service,<br />
or visiting a place)?<br />
3. After reading your<br />
content, will someone leave<br />
feeling they’ve learned enough<br />
about a topic to help achieve<br />
their goal?<br />
If your team or SEO agency<br />
is already doing this, you don’t<br />
need to worry too much. But<br />
if your SEO strategy doesn’t<br />
include content, it’s time to<br />
revisit it.<br />
Go the extra mile<br />
How original does it have<br />
to be? Most blogs out there say<br />
more or less the same thing<br />
as their competitors. Every<br />
plumber has a blog about how<br />
to choose a plumber, when to<br />
call an emergency plumber, and<br />
how to unclog a drain.<br />
You can do better.<br />
THE DIGITAL<br />
WORLD<br />
BY JOSH MOORE<br />
Josh Moore is the head<br />
marketing fanatic at Duoplus,<br />
a Hamilton-based digital<br />
marketing agency that<br />
helps clients get more leads<br />
and sales through online<br />
marketing. www.duoplus.nz<br />
WAIKATO BUSINESS NEWS, OCTOBER/NOVEMBER <strong>2022</strong> 17<br />
Our advice would be to write<br />
articles that stand out from the<br />
rest:<br />
• Make sure your content<br />
adds value to your readers<br />
– you want them to leave<br />
satisfied.<br />
• Add something<br />
unique to your content that differentiates<br />
you from your competitors<br />
and makes your offering<br />
more compelling – make<br />
them want to call you.<br />
• Tell stories of people<br />
you have helped to clearly<br />
demonstrates that your products<br />
or services are awesome<br />
– so they see you as the expert<br />
who can help them.<br />
Understand the intersection<br />
of their why and your why<br />
Think about why people are<br />
searching for the keywords you<br />
want to target. And then find<br />
where that intersects with why<br />
you want people to visit your<br />
site.<br />
• Are they doing<br />
research about a product and<br />
want to know the pros and<br />
cons?<br />
• Do they want to<br />
know which brand is the most<br />
affordable, or has the best performance,<br />
or looks the nicest?<br />
• Perhaps they are<br />
simply looking to see who<br />
offers the best deal on a product<br />
they have already decided to<br />
purchase.<br />
Write content that addresses<br />
their why and be sure to remember<br />
your why in the process. It’s<br />
not just about getting traffic to<br />
your site; it’s about turning that<br />
traffic into potential customers.<br />
So, answer genuine questions<br />
with your content and plan how<br />
this content can lead readers to<br />
become a customer. If you forget<br />
this step, you could write a<br />
lot of content that gets a decent<br />
amount of traffic, but doesn’t<br />
produce any new customers.<br />
Crafting a content strategy<br />
Writing helpful content<br />
isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. For<br />
many marketing managers and<br />
business owners, taking time<br />
to write detailed content will<br />
draw you away from where you<br />
are most needed in the business.<br />
But this doesn’t mean<br />
you need to give up on having<br />
strong Google rankings. Just<br />
make sure that the staff or SEO<br />
agency assigned to the work has<br />
an intentional plan for developing<br />
clear and helpful content on<br />
your site.<br />
Rich opportunity<br />
here in world-class<br />
<strong>Waikato</strong><br />
Along with investment in<br />
world-class infrastructure<br />
that enables the<br />
<strong>Waikato</strong> to host a wide variety<br />
of exciting and economically<br />
important events, the region<br />
is seeing the ongoing development<br />
of experiences and facilities<br />
geared not only to attract<br />
visitors but also appeal to<br />
mighty locals. An integral part<br />
of strategic planning for future<br />
growth is ensuring the <strong>Waikato</strong>’s<br />
tourism and tourism-related<br />
sectors continue to thrive<br />
and therefore provide ongoing<br />
economic and social benefits<br />
across our communities.<br />
As well as ensuring the<br />
experiences we offer will be the<br />
sort that our future manuhiri<br />
(guests) seek, it’s also vital we<br />
invest and build so we are not<br />
caught short in the future and<br />
have the basics in place, such<br />
as enough beds for our visitors.<br />
In terms of guestrooms,<br />
a report prepared for Hamilton<br />
City Council detailing the<br />
economic impact of the city’s<br />
accommodation shortage<br />
revealed that by just next year<br />
a further 160 hotel rooms and<br />
serviced apartments will be<br />
needed in the city, and a further<br />
850 rooms by 2033.<br />
The report notes that more<br />
than half of Hamilton’s motel<br />
rooms are currently off the market<br />
for use for emergency housing<br />
– and that lack of accommodation<br />
in the city means<br />
facilities like Claudelands Conference<br />
& Exhibition Centre<br />
lose business.<br />
While our mighty <strong>Waikato</strong><br />
region has room for growth,<br />
this must be managed carefully<br />
so we keep supply ahead<br />
of demand and avoid any boom<br />
and bust which would be to the<br />
detriment of our region and our<br />
people.<br />
Although tourism, like<br />
other sectors, faces headwinds<br />
such as rising construction<br />
and labour costs, together with<br />
labour shortages, forward planning<br />
and investment is essential<br />
– and it’s exciting too.<br />
Hamilton & <strong>Waikato</strong> Tourism<br />
works to a strategic destination<br />
management plan,<br />
teaming with our councils and<br />
economic development agency<br />
Te Waka, plus a range of sector<br />
organisations and central Government,<br />
to deliver the best for<br />
our region, both right now and<br />
in the future.<br />
I want to take this opportunity<br />
to highlight some of the<br />
many diverse developments<br />
underway now, some due for<br />
completion before the Christmas<br />
break.<br />
First-off, the investment<br />
and work being undertaken by<br />
owner Tainui Group Holdings<br />
at the ibis Hamilton Tainui<br />
Hotel is to be resoundingly<br />
applauded.<br />
TELLING<br />
WAIKATO’S STORY<br />
BY NICOLA GREENWELL<br />
Interim General Manager,<br />
Hamilton & <strong>Waikato</strong> Tourism<br />
The 126-room ibis was one of<br />
three managed isolation facilities<br />
in the city during the Covid-19<br />
pandemic.<br />
The three-month $8 million<br />
redesign and refurbishment<br />
is due for completion in<br />
early December. Amongst local<br />
businesses involved is Designwell,<br />
a Hamilton-based team<br />
with expertise in interiors and<br />
architecture.<br />
Coming up at Hamilton Zoo<br />
is a new entry precinct that connects<br />
with the adjacent Waiwhakareke<br />
Natural Heritage Park.<br />
Hamilton City Council owns<br />
and operates both and says the<br />
vision in linking the two is to create<br />
a visitor-friendly conservation<br />
zone.<br />
Honouring the <strong>Waikato</strong>’s<br />
connection with the land and<br />
mana whenua was front of mind<br />
for designers working on the $15<br />
million refurbishment of the<br />
terminal building at Hamilton<br />
Airport.<br />
Along with earthquake<br />
strengthening work, improved<br />
passenger and departure areas<br />
including dedicated workspaces<br />
and a new café, the refreshed<br />
terminal showcases the <strong>Waikato</strong><br />
Māori culture with several art<br />
installations already in place and<br />
further to come before the official<br />
opening early next month.<br />
<strong>Waikato</strong> Regional Airport,<br />
which operates Hamilton Airport,<br />
called on Māori design<br />
specialists, Eugene Kara (Ngati<br />
Koroki Kahukura) and Norm<br />
Te Hira (Ngati Haua), to advise<br />
on the cultural aspects of the<br />
refurbishment.<br />
Ōtorohanga Kiwi House and<br />
Bird Park has celebrated its 50th<br />
birthday with a number of forward-thinking<br />
developments<br />
underway.<br />
Right now, the excitement<br />
is all about 3,000 giant wētā<br />
eggs that are about to hatch in a<br />
breeding programme pioneered<br />
by the park’s scientists.<br />
This summer visitors to the<br />
park will be able to take a backof-house<br />
tour to learn about the<br />
ongoing breeding programmes<br />
being undertaken there, including<br />
for the rare and endangered<br />
giant wētā.<br />
Also in the behind the scenes<br />
tour will be the chance to see how<br />
the park trains its birds to assist<br />
in the monitoring of their health.<br />
In other developments that<br />
will eventually see a total rebuild<br />
of the acclaimed kiwi house and<br />
bird park over the next few years,<br />
a new nocturnal house experience<br />
and visitor facility will be<br />
built.<br />
These will be certified as ‘living<br />
buildings’ by the International<br />
Living Futures Institute<br />
and constructed of materials<br />
that are either recycled or free of<br />
90-plus percent of the chemicals<br />
identified on the internationally<br />
recognised Red List as being<br />
harmful.<br />
The final stage of the 65km<br />
Ngāruawāhia-Lake Karapiro<br />
Te Awa Great River Ride – the<br />
Hamilton-Tamahere section – is<br />
nearing completion and scheduled<br />
to open next month<br />
Work is also progressing<br />
at pace for the new <strong>Waikato</strong><br />
Regional Theatre, scheduled to<br />
open in June 2024.<br />
Located overlooking the<br />
<strong>Waikato</strong> River at the South End<br />
of Victoria Street on the site<br />
of the old Hamilton Hotel, the<br />
world-class performing arts centre<br />
complex will include elements<br />
of the heritage building.<br />
With one of the largest populations<br />
of Pacific Islands people<br />
outside Auckland, the <strong>Waikato</strong><br />
will shortly see the completion of<br />
the first ever pan-Pacific hub in<br />
the country, the K’aute Pasifika<br />
Village.<br />
Being constructed opposite<br />
the FMG <strong>Waikato</strong> Stadium on<br />
what was the Hamilton Bowling<br />
Centre, the hub is the result of<br />
determined effort by K’aute Pasifika<br />
over the past two decades.<br />
Community and cultural<br />
events will take place in the distinctive<br />
traditionally inspired fale<br />
building facing Seddon Road,<br />
while health, wellbeing, childcare<br />
and early learning services will<br />
be located in the village development<br />
immediately behind it.<br />
There is indeed rich opportunity<br />
here in the mighty <strong>Waikato</strong><br />
– right now with these developments<br />
and others around the<br />
region, and in the future.